Real Madrid wants Robin Van Persie. Look at my face: I am not happy right now.

Rather than just writing one opinion piece, I typically try to gather as much information from around the World Wide Web and condense it with my own commentary added. This week we've got Real Madrid pursuing Van Persie, Mourinho gunning for Arsene's job, Kieran Gibbs returns from a long layoff to strengthen the defense, and a hobbled Jack Wilshere all torn up about England's national team losing its coach just months before the Euro 2012.

I've got to admit, feeling like a loser has become a part of my identity, low self-confidence hard-wired into my DNA by virtue of too many years of hardship. On Saturday morning, as Arsenal destroyed Blackburn 7-1, I got to feel like a winner again. And it felt good. Really good.

In terms of pure bliss, I don't know that I've sincerely enjoyed any weekend of sports more than the past one.

Match Report Video By the numbers

I think we can safely say this morning that's just what the doctor ordered.

Three points, a good performance, and a day which brought no controversy, animosity, angst or worry. For a moment it looked a bit shaky, when Pedersen equalised with Blackburn's first attempt on target, but instead of setting us back it sparked us back into life and withing a couple of minutes we were two goals to the good.

By Alan Duffy

Arsenal 7 (Seven)-1 Blackburn Rovers Premier League 4th February 2012

After a sustained period of dismal performances and almost no points, Arsenal needed to rediscover their mojo on Saturday if they were to stay in the hunt for a top-four finish.

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Naturally, I'm describing Arsenal's 2011-2012 season. I'm a nice guy, and I don't want to hold Arsene wholly accountable for the team's woes, particularly due to the simple fact that, well, that's what everybody else already does.

This January's Arsenal transfer news was relatively quiet at the Emirates Stadium, with Thierry Henry returning to the club on loan from New York Red Bulls and German teenager Thomas Eisfeld arriving from Borussia Dortmund for a modest fee.

However, activity has not always been this sedate at Arsenal, with Arsene Wenger making some surprising and at times, blockbuster signings in January.

This January's Arsenal transfer news was relatively quiet at the Emirates Stadium, with Thierry Henry returning to the club on loan from New York Red Bulls and German teenager Thomas Eisfeld arriving from Borussia Dortmund for a modest fee.

However, activity has not always been this sedate at Arsenal, with Arsene Wenger making some surprising and at times, blockbuster signings in January.

Good morning and welcome to that most exciting of days. Tuesday.

Sorry, I mean Transfer Deadline Day. The day when all kinds of deals go down. Players are traded like cattle, Premier League slave ships buffet about in the choppy waters scouring for a bargain here or cast-off there, oh, the fun we'll have.

Okay, you can all relax now. Turns out that our hero, Arsenal captain Robin van Persie, will NOT be sanctioned for allegedly throwing an elbow in the face of defender Carlos Cuéllar, after all. Had the Football Association chosen to sanction him, and there certainly seemed to be justification for doing so, the punishment to both Robin as an individual and Arsenal as a cohesive whole would have been severe enough, considering the awful timing, to virtually end the team's season on quite a sour note.

Okay, you can all relax now. Turns out that our hero, Arsenal captain Robin van Persie, will NOT be sanctioned for allegedly throwing an elbow in the face of defender Carlos Cuéllar, after all. Had the Football Association chosen to sanction him, and there certainly seemed to be justification for doing so, the punishment to both Robin as an individual and Arsenal as a cohesive whole would have been severe enough, considering the awful timing, to virtually end the team's season on quite a sour note.

szólj hozzá: a3-2av

Today was a must win for Arsenal. Not just to reverse the perception of a club descending into a familiar and vicious cycle of self inflicted wounds and low self esteem. But to resurrect the career of a manager under fire.

A defeat would have tipped the scales between the two camps, the AKB and the ASG (Arsene Should Go) resting at a precarious 50-50 irrevocably in favour of the latter.

Later this morning Arsene will meet the press for his pre-Aston Villa press conference. And beyond the normal information we get from one of these gatherings, I have to say I'm really curious as to how it will go down.

It'll be the first time he's faced the media since Sunday's defeat to United and that reaction to his decision to take off Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The President of Rwanda wants his buddy Arsene to step down? Robin van Persie is furious with Arsene...Or is he? And, does Real Madrid really want Arsene?

It's been quite an interesting week for the Arsenal so far. If you haven't been following the news as much as I have, allow me to illuminate you.

It probably says something about the relentless coverage of the modern game when a substitution can generate days of headlines and fall out. In this respect, we see how the modern media works. They can forge subplots and spin offs to furnish another day's worth of sales and clicks – such as the unbelievable scenes as the captain visibly shakes his head!

Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has refused to get carried away with suggestions that the club won't qualify for the Champions League next season, pointing to the forthcoming return of midfielder Jack Wilshere and right-back Bacary Sagna as a major boost.

The Gunners trail fourth-place Chelsea by five points and third-place Tottenham Hotspur by another five, leaving Arsene Wenger's side with much work to do in the four months ahead.

The Oxlade/Arshavin substitution IMO was based on logic and not emotion/sentiment/psychology; it was based on ideal conditions and not real world conditions. IMO Arsene is very theoretical/logical in his decision making. Oxlade was one of Arsenal best players on the day but it was his debut. Wing play is extremely hard work at the top [.

On the back of two games where Arsenal have lost after taking the lead, and with hardly any positive news on the injury front, a game against Manchester United is the last thing many would want. But that's the game on the fixture list and the Gunners will just have to do as best as they can with diminished resources and wavering confidence.

Morning all,

let's start with early team news ahead of Sunday's game against United and there's nothing good regarding Mikel Arteta. The Spaniard will miss the game, Arsene says he has 'no chance' of playing and the earliest we'll be seeing him is against Aston Villa in the FA Cup.

Clearly that's a big blow.

On Sunday, January 22, 2012, Manchester United will take the pitch against Arsenal at the Emirates. Cognizant of the simple fact that Manchester United handed Arsenal an 8-2 loss that is counted amongst the very worst in a period of 100 years, no one is giving much reason to believe that the Gunners have a chance against the Red Devils.

Cause for concern? We got it. Right here in River City. And it's a much bigger problem than a pool table, I fear.

A couple of disclaimers before we get started, because discourse has gotten so terrible that you have to explain yourself because people love to project their own issues with the team onto them.

Cause for concern? We got it. Right here in River City. And it's a much bigger problem than a pool table, I fear.

A couple of disclaimers before we get started, because discourse has gotten so terrible that you have to explain yourself because people love to project their own issues with the team onto them.

We're a bit in the doldrums here at Arsenal Arsenal. At the moment we're still numb from the defeat on Sunday and finding it hard to be upbeat and forward thinking. Our twin posts today are in celebration of the return of Thierry Henry. Hopefully our bloggers will come out from behind the sofa and remember the positives of this season so far, but don't let that stop you commenting on where we go from here.

Morning all, the dust has begun to settle a bit after Sunday's game against Swansea. We now have a week to take stock, regroup and prepare ourselves for the game against United on Sunday.

A lot has been said about the litany of injuries we've suffered, meaning players are being played out of position which affects our normal game and so on.

Right then,

Swansea away today and a chance to keep pace/claw back some points on those above us in the table. The importance of the game can't be understated. The FA Cup game against Leeds provided us a fantastic moment and a talking point/feel-good factor that lasted all week, but at the same time seemed a bit surreal.

I wish I could furnish you today with news of multiple transfers, but alas I live in the real world. There is very little out there to report.
Looking through this list on Football 365, you realise that we're not alone. There is very little movement happening anywhere in the prem, even at Man City.

So, it's all over, Arsene. In a season in which we have celebrated 125 years of glorious tradition and history it has come to this. With the news that the imperious gladiators of global football have grasped an unassailable nine point lead ahead of our once proud team, surely it is time for Arsenal to fold.

Will Thierry Henry start up front with RVP at Swansea on Sunday? Probably not I reckon, AW has stayed coy over his plans but if he didn't start him in the 1-0 win over Leeds in the FA Cup then he's hardly likely to in a Premier League game with three vital points at stake is he? But Henry did make a dramatic goal-scoring cameo in that game.

Twitter (Follow me on @_Wrighty7) and the interweb is buzzing like a bumble bee today that Chelsea man Salomon Kalou could be on the move to Arsenal.
Now I believe this is the sort of deal that will be like Marmite to Gooners. Some will like it, and some will hate it.
I happen to think that Kalou would be a very good signing for the club.

The Fulham v Arsenal press conference what was said and what was reported. (Guess what, they are not the same thing).

By: Anne

The basic media line on Arsene's post-Fulham comments regarding referee Lee Probert is best summed up by the Guardian's David Hytner, when he opened his article on the post-match press conference [.

A solid, professional job in the end. Charlton, as the third division table shows, are a tidy enough team, but in the end class told. Clint Dempsey scored a hat-trick, Damien Duff whopped in another, and Fulham are in the hat for the 4th round.

We scored early, Murphy's through ball finding Dempsey, who lifted the ball home expertly.

A solid, professional job in the end. Charlton, as the third division table shows, are a tidy enough team, but in the end class told. Clint Dempsey scored a hat-trick, Damien Duff whopped in another, and Fulham are in the hat for the 4th round.

We scored early, Murphy's through ball finding Dempsey, who lifted the ball home expertly.

Good morning, apologies for the slight lateness of this blog but I'm having some spinning colouredy-wheel issues with my computer this morning. And it turns out punching it does nothing. Who knew?

Anyway, a quick round-up of the news for you, starting, of course, with the return of Thierry Henry.

I am reposting this classic Piers Morgan carol after it has been revealed that the lovely man has been given a lifetime achievement award by She Wore, it is obviously to the tune of the 'twelve days of christmas', obviously repeat the lines as in the original version: On the first day of Christmas Piers Morgan gave to me, a call for Arsene's sacking, On the second day of Christmas Piers

Well, what an incredibly frustrating ninety minutes that was. Upbeat start, good goal, cavalier flicks, lucky equaliser, chances, chances, CHANCES, saves, saves, more ruddy saves and Wolves rode their luck to a first point against Arsenal in the Premier League era. You couldn't fault the team's effort, apart from a slight easing off in the first half, and I agree with Arsene when he says that we would have won this game 19 times out of 20.

So we lost two valuable home-points today against lowly placed Wolves, and now we are all feeling down?

Man City drew against West Brom and Liverpool could not kill off Blackburn yesterday, and neither could Chelsea see-off Fulham. I am as disappointed as anybody for dropping two points against Wolves at home.

A frustrated Arsene Wenger saw his Arsenal team fail to capitalise on their rivals dropping points, despite being 1-0 up against Wolves just 8 minutes into the match. Yet again, Arsenal have allowed a lesser team back into the game after taking a lead, and Wenger lamented that they couldn't put the game to bed [.

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.

This is another in my series of classic Christmas carols, it is obviously to the tune of the 'twelve days of christmas', obviously repeat the lines as in the original version: On the first day of Christmas Piers Morgan gave to me, a call for Arsene's sacking, On the second day of Christmas Piers Morgan gave to me, two Beeb self humiliations, On the third day of Christmas Piers Morgan

Match report Video and highlights -

There was nothing more important than taking three points last night. A good performance is always welcome, but winning after playing some way below par is also welcome. Winning after playing some way below par and very late in the game against a team managed by Alex McLeish, is more welcome than Johnny Beer and Fred Rum around my house.