Sunderland v Arsenal Preview, Prediction, TV Listings, Betting Odds EPL 11 February 2012 - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog

The Black Cats have won their last three league matches as they host 6th place Arsenal in the English Premier League. The match will take place at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, England on Saturday, February 11, 2012.

Written by SlimGingerGooner

Well, can you believe it!?

Arsenal have reached the landmark 40 points needed to stay in the Premier League!

Back in August another season of struggle was being predicted by the knowledgable Arsenal faithful. A lack of quality signings in the transfer window and an air of disappointment from pre season results even had some sections calling for a new manager:-

"Wenger will win nothing.

Truth? Hype? The players representative pulling strings? Or just all Bullshit? The beauty behind Football & Spanish Sports paper "Marca" is that all four possibilities can exist &/or co-exist? That REAL MADRID & FC Barcelona (also mentioned) are following, plus the latter thinking in signing next season the Dutch forward is not at all new.

Truth? Hype? The players representative pulling strings? Or just all Bullshit? The beauty behind Football & Spanish Sports paper "Marca" is that all four possibilities can exist &/or co-exist? That REAL MADRID & FC Barcelona (also mentioned) are following, plus the latter thinking in signing next season the Dutch forward is not at all new.

The big win over Blackburn was immensely enjoyable and has lifted the mood in the Gooner camp to a great extent after an eminently forgettable January. A lot has already been said about the match and I don't want to revisit it in detail but there were two goals in that game that caught my eye.

Both the goals started from the back but were scored in a markedly different manner, each a delight in its own way.

This post originally appeared on our Arsenal blog, but I thought it was worth covering here. There are some mind blowing quotes from Arsene Wenger in Tuesday's Daily Mirror.

Arsene Wenger is quoted as talking about how much he likes Lille's £30m-rated Eden Hazard, but he basically says that Hazard is too expensive for Arsenal.

Well, we kind of had an idea that Arsenal were playing well but not getting the results. It was a matter of details according to Arteta, Wenger, and others. It all came good in this one as Blackburn were the hapless victims of a rampant Arsenal side.

Chance conversion was another issue which was put to bed, at least temporarily, with 7 out of 8 shot on target registering on the scoreboard.

Clearly, every game is a very tough one for Arsenal on current form. Will the team get its first League win of 2012? Doesn't seem like it if we look at the manner in which Arsenal have dropped points in recent games, or the way Blackburn came from behind to win at home earlier this season, or the fact that Steve Kean is yet to lose against Wenger or Ferguson in the Premiership (2W, 2D)!

In the preview I wrote, "there will be goals in this game for sure". I don't know how, but both sides managed to keep the ball out of their opponents' nets when scoring would have seemed like the easier option. Arsenal had a lot of chances, very good ones. And they missed them all.

Twitter went mad after the game, as it usually does after a disappointing result I guess.

The first two months of the season were awful, the atmosphere was angry, unsettled and going to watch the team wasn't at all pleasant. The atmosphere eased after a good run of results, putting us well back into contention for the Champions League places.

A new year run that has yet to see us win in the league has heralded the return of that atmosphere, a portion of the fanbase have been very forward with their views on the manager and a few of the players an injury crisis has not helped matters either all in all, being an Arsenal fan in the past few weeks has not been the most pleasant of experiences.

Liverpool have hit some sort of form since Gerard has returned from injury. Chelsea stole a point late in the game at Swansea and are now six points ahead of Arsenal. This season has always been about a battle for fourth an it's time for the Gunners to buckle up and pick up the points in games like the next one at the Reebok, many much tougher games will anyway see Arsenal dropping points in the coming weeks.

It's the only photo we could find Name: Vince Bartram In his 1990s prime for: Arsenal Lowdown: Bartram was bought by Wolves whilst playing for non-league Dudley in 1985, and made his debut for the club on 23rd August 1986. However, Bartram struggled to hold time a place in the fourth tier, and went on [.

If you carefully select portions of this game you can make a video highlighting many of Arsenal's major problems. With another selection you could also show the reasons that make the Gunners such a great team to watch and support. It was a classic Cup tie and one that will remain in fans' memories for years to come if it can spark a run of form.

There is a glimmer of hope amidst the sea of negativity that Arsenal have been swimming in recently. Some players are close to making their return after serious injuries. Of course, as we have seen with Wilshere recently and with others in the past, getting hopes up when it comes to injuries and Arsenal is not a smart choice.

Unfair on Arshavin, Unfair on Arsenal FC (By S.H) The home stadium erupted in loud BOOS in protest over Wenger‘s decision to substitute Oxlade-Chamberlain for Andrey Arshavin. Even Robin van Persie appeared to show his dissent over the manager's decision. The Ox had played a marvellous game, and I too, was disappointed to see him [.

Unfair on Arshavin, Unfair on Arsenal FC (By S.H) The home stadium erupted in loud BOOS in protest over Wenger‘s decision to substitute Oxlade-Chamberlain for Andrey Arshavin. Even Robin van Persie appeared to show his dissent over the manager's decision. The Ox had played a marvellous game, and I too, was disappointed to see him [.

A predictably disappointing result will largely overshadow an effort from the Gunners that was valiant and respectable for most periods of the game. Ultimately, poor defending from Arsenal gifted the win to United after a closely fought battle in which the sides shared spells of domination.

The starting line-up for Arsenal had a couple of pleasant surprises.

Virginia's Brian Ownby, a U.S. Soccer Development Academy alum from the Richmond Strikers program, was selected by the Houston Dynamo during Tuesday's first round of the 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft.

The U.S. Soccer Development Academy was well represented during Tuesday's Major League Soccer Supplemental Draft as 15 alumni were chosen in the three-round selection process by MLS's 19 teams.

A bit too melodramatic? No, this is Arsenal!

Can we get back in the game?

Everyone loves a good comeback story. Americans, in particular, are completely fixated upon this trope. Rocky Balboa, the Major League series (back when Charlie Sheen was a serious actor. WINNING!), among many others played this story to its full effect, culminating in the 1993 mega-hit, The Sandlot, where puny little white kids (and one tall, dark, handsome pseudo-Hispanic) showed that yeah, they could play baseball too!

Arsenal FC: Where EXACTLY Are We Now? by Lorenzo Sallows Lying 5th In the Barclays Premier League, level on points with a distinctly average Newcastle United outfit, this season has been one of marked disappointed and frustration for all those who support Arsenal. Goals have become a priceless commodity with only Robin van Persie willingly [.

A family event at a nearby city took me out of town for the last couple of days and is the cause for the lateness of this post. It really was unavoidable but I don't want to trouble you with the details.

The result of the game, more so the manner in which the goals were conceded, was quite upsetting but after having a day to think it over I find there were a lot of talking points from the game.

Optimistic Arsenal throw more points away in complacent fashion! by Adam Kemp As you are aware I have been very quiet the past couple of months as I decided to give the readers a break from my usual doom and gloom pessimism surrounding Arsenal FC. I have patiently watched our performance over the past couple [.

Arsenal visit the Liberty Stadium with a chance to pull away from Liverpool and get within a point of Chelsea in fourth. But Swansea's impressive home record suggests a win will be a commendable achievement. The Welsh side have only conceded 4 goals at home Joint lowest in the League on par with City and lost only once with United sneaking a 1-0 win back in mid-November.

Si, una vez mas en Enero la IFFHS nos pone hacer corajes por su inverosímil clasificación, pero de todas formas se las traigo para que no se queden con la duda:

Top 25 mejores clubes de fútbol en el mundo por la IFFHS
(1ero Enero 2011 al 31 de Diciembre 2011)

1. (1.) FC Barcelona España/4 367,0
2.

It's a question that can make some people uncomfortable but I think it deserves some consideration.

Many seem to agree that last season crashing out of all three Cups in a short span of time flung the squad into a confidence depriving free fall that the manager could not curtail. It had a massive impact on the players' psyche, Arsenal's league position at the end of the season, and quite possibly played a part in some of the summer's transfers.

Click here to become part of the definitive history of Woolwich Arsenal FC

-

By Walter Broeckx

This is an attempt to get a bit further in our ref reviews and most of all in finding out what is hidden behind the numbers we gather in the reviews.

So in this [.

In a way this was a fairy tale return for Thierry Henry. Wenger acknowledged as much in his post-match press conference when he said,

It was like a dream when he scored, it was the story you would tell a kid. It is not often like that in our game.

But one could as well say there was an air of predictability about the football and the result.

Many fans were hoping for early activity from the Gunners in the transfer market, especially to bolster the defence, but things have largely been quiet. Given that Ferguson had to go back to Paul Scholes and Chelsea are taking so long over the Cahill deal, one can assume this is going to be, at best, a tricky month for football business.

Named after the entry gate at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge ground, Gate 17 books was established in November 2007 as an imprint of respected publishing house Troubador.
The first title published by this Chelsea themed imprint was a second edition of 'Over Land and Sea' which had achieved cult-classic status amongst Blues fans.

New York Red Bulls and former France international striker Thierry Henry has returned to Arsenal FC on a two month loan deal. The all-time Arsenal top scorer may make his...

When Arsenal posted a very emotional message on their website to fans after the departure of our then captain and talisman people wondered how we would replace him and if we would even get into the top four in the coming season. Now, in January 2012, he is coming back. Does he still have the speed?

I want to start by wishing everyone a very happy new year full of peace and contentment. My trip has been a real delight and by visiting town like Amherst and Northampton in Massachusetts I've been reacquainted with the meaning of the words Quaint and Idyllic. Back in India, I used to enjoy living and working in town like Udaipur a lot more than I did in places like Mumbai, Bangalore, or Delhi.

I want to start by wishing everyone a very happy new year full of peace and contentment. My trip has been a real delight and by visiting town like Amherst and Northampton in Massachusetts I've been reacquainted with the meaning of the words Quaint and Idyllic. Back in India, I used to enjoy living and working in town like Udaipur a lot more than I did in places like Mumbai, Bangalore, or Delhi.

With just a little over half the season already gone, and 20 league matches played, it's time to assess the individuals that make up the glorious institution that is Arsenal FC. Some you know have had great years; others, not so much. We begin this player review by looking at some of the under-performing players of this season's team so far.

Happy New Year Red Bulls fans! All of us here @The Viper's Nest hope everyone had a great Holiday Season. As the Red Bulls pre-season is just weeks away, the great You Suck Corrales, the great Matt Conroy (aka Who Shot Sam) and myself, got together at a Federal Hockey League game between the powerhouse NJ Outlaws (the Barcelona of the FHL) and the Brooklyn Aviators.

The second half onslaught was exhilarating but not quite enough to regain the two points that another freakish goal had taken away.

Arsene did rotate some of the players. Djourou came in for Coquelin, Rosicky for Ramsey, and Benayoun for Walcott. It was a strong team and one that should have secured the win with relative ease.

The second half onslaught was exhilarating but not quite enough to regain the two points that another freakish goal had taken away.

Arsene did rotate some of the players. Djourou came in for Coquelin, Rosicky for Ramsey, and Benayoun for Walcott. It was a strong team and one that should have secured the win with relative ease.

According to the description (good luck getting a universally accepted tally on this stat), guess who's currently leading Big Europe in assists this season? Yup.

It's pretty unfair when he's surrounded by that type of talent, given the fact that rolling one onto the boot of a teammate is like rolling Adriano into a buffet he's very unlikely to fluff his chance.

This Boxing Day was a great one for Arsenal and a fun time for me. Hope you had a joyful Christmas too. Apologies for the lateness of this post but the whole weekend was just so enjoyable and engaging, I couldn't find any time before now. Well, I did find some time but then Sachin came on to bat and took up the best part of the last two hours.

This Boxing Day was a great one for Arsenal and a fun time for me. Hope you had a joyful Christmas too. Apologies for the lateness of this post but the whole weekend was just so enjoyable and engaging, I couldn't find any time before now. Well, I did find some time but then Sachin came on to bat and took up the best part of the last two hours.