Rumour doing the rounds that this is the new Arsenal away kit for next season. Hope not. Clearly the Nike designers have given a nod to the blackcurrent kit we wore for a season at Highbury a few years back.

I prefer good old yellow and blue but these days kits are all about revenue and this could be our new away top, with the stripes used for marketing purposes and to allow a shirt to double up as a leisure top.

Anfield Rd: Liverpool drawn at home to the Mancs in 4th Round

AFTER beating Oldham 5-1 in the Budweiser-sponsored cup at Anfield on Friday night Liverpool were in what used to be a hat (probably) for the fourth round draw this afternoon. The balls were warmed, Jim Rosenthal was excited and the draw was made.

Written by chas

When the draw was made for the group stage back in August, there was mixed reaction from the gooner faithful. Dortmund were deemed the strongest of the pot 4 teams and Otelul Galati perhaps the weakest. No surprise when Arsenal got Dortmund and the mancs were drawn with Otelul.

Written by chas

When the draw was made for the group stage back in August, there was mixed reaction from the gooner faithful. Dortmund were deemed the strongest of the pot 4 teams and Otelul Galati perhaps the weakest. No surprise when Arsenal got Dortmund and the mancs were drawn with Otelul.

And so the conjecture continues. No, no, not speculative tittle-tattle focused on which new wunderkind recruits are coming to the Arsenal in the January transfer window, I am talking about where we will tour next summer. Granted, it is still supposition but anything to turn our attentions from the endless stories linking us with the world and his wife (as well as those poor unfortunates heading for the Emirates exit).

And so the conjecture continues. No, no, not speculative tittle-tattle focused on which new wunderkind recruits are coming to the Arsenal in the January transfer window, I am talking about where we will tour next summer. Granted, it is still supposition but anything to turn our attentions from the endless stories linking us with the world and his wife (as well as those poor unfortunates heading for the Emirates exit).

The Twittersphere was alive last night with the scoreline London 2-0 Manchester, as both City and, more spectacularly, United failed to join Arsenal and Chelsea for the knockout stages of this season's Champions League.

The response from dejected mancs has been that this scoreline is of little relevance; the red and blue halves of Manchester still make up the top two in the Premier League, and the Londoners don't really have a chance of conquering Europe anyway.

The Twittersphere was alive last night with the scoreline London 2-0 Manchester, as both City and, more spectacularly, United failed to join Arsenal and Chelsea for the knockout stages of this season's Champions League.

The response from dejected mancs has been that this scoreline is of little relevance; the red and blue halves of Manchester still make up the top two in the Premier League, and the Londoners don't really have a chance of conquering Europe anyway.

Ok in the height of the interlull (or is that the bleak midwinter of it?) a trip down memory lane as requested by the Raven Haired Warrior Princess.

Watch from about ten seconds in to see the brawl that resulted in a 2 point deduction for us and a one point deduction for the Mancs. You will see Winterburn receiving an almighty kick in from McClair and then the melee starts.

7:45am ET, live in the US on espn2
Last four head-to-head:
3-1 Liverpool (h) 03.06.11
0-1 United (a; FA Cup) 01.09.11
2-3 United (a) 09.19.10
1-2 United (a) 03.21.10
Last three matches:
Liverpool: 2-0 Everton (a); 2-1 Wolves (h); 2-1 Brighton (a)
United: 2-0 Norwich (h); 3-3 Basle (h); 1-1 Stoke (a)
Goalscorers (league):
Liverpool: Suarez 4; Adam, Carroll, Henderson, Skrtel 1
United: Rooney 9; Nani, Welbeck 3; Anderson, Chicharito, Young 2; Park, Smalling 1
Referee: Andre Marriner
Guess at a line-up:
Reina
Johnson Carragher Agger Enrique
Lucas Adam
Kuyt Gerrard Downing
Suarez
Suarez and Carroll in the 4-2-2-2, or more like a 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 with Gerrard supposedly, finally fit to start?

The month of September saw promising signs from the Blues and some excellent individual performances from certain players. Here's your chance to have a say in our poll and listen to me babble about my choice for September's star player.

First, there is the case for Fernando Torres.

I really haven't got the heart to go through the papers this morning. I haven't the slightest desire to read the depressing reports of the Arsenal's 4-3 defeat at the hands of Blackburn in the Premier League encounter.

Neither do I want to read AW's post-match musings. 'Cos, let's face it we don't need reminding.

Last season, teams in the bottom half of the league were the collective bane on our lives and arguably the reason we dropped out of the top 4. We failed to break down the so-called lesser teams as our competitors could. And so, we arrive at this match rock bottom of the league, with a very real danger of remaining there after Saturday.

(part 1)

The departures of Clichy, Nasri and Cesc this summer have shocked us all. Just when ‘Project Youth' started to deliver on its promises, some of the most valuable assets are sold for hard cash to a major domestic competitor, and a European competitor. It is so much harder to build a club's strategy around youth development than it is to buy fully ripened and proven top quality players every year.

Written by TotalArsenal.

How tough has this summer been for us Gooners? It is not over yet. I cannot help it, but the transfer window activities during this summer remind me of Ravel's Bolero. Unfortunately, this is not a reference to Bo Derek's question in the film ‘10': ‘Did you ever do it to Ravel's Bolero?

Last season's 'prediction' wasn't a complete failure – at least in the top seven. I had Chelsea pipping United to the title (which looked possible until the Blues bought that misfiring traitorous foreigner), City and Arsenal in third and fourth, and Liverpool ahead of Tottenham – insane in retrospect, but still would have happened had Liverpool won its final two matches.

Maddy's Note: Following the Mancs very ruthless culling plan, we at BFZ coldbloodedly present Who Gets the Boot © TM Arsenal

After the season that's just gone by, most Arsenal fans will be tempted to say ‘the entire fricking lot', but quite obviously even Roman Abramovich will not prescribe to that modus operandi.

Today's article is a great piece simply about what it means to be a Liverpool fan. As most Liverpool fans know, supporting your club is not just a hobby, it's a part of your life. The article is written by Senaly and you can follow her on Twitter @sena16suarez. Being a Liverpool Fan Like most Kopites, over the last few weeks, I've been subjected to endless banter and mockery from Mancs who can'

Maddy's Note: Ladies and Gents, BigFourZa is proud to present its latest contributor Suhrith. He describes himself as a lawyer by qualification, interested mostly in sport and marginally in other world affairs while we think he's just a bloody good writer. Ironic that his time with BFZ starts with a piece on the end of an era.

BigFourZa is proud to present its latest addition to the team Wonder Gunner Gurleen. As the smarter ones amongst you might have already figured, she is a HUGE Arsenal fan (how huge you ask? Well, whisper it, but she will even defend Denilson against the Mancs!!). However, if there is one thing she is better at, it is clearly graphic designing.

So ends a great run for the youth team.

It was a fun ride, but the youth team crashed out of the Youth Cup last night after apparently forgetting to turn up for the second leg of the semifinal. The scoreline is a little harsh on the boys, but the usual desire seemed to be missing.

While you are watching the first-teamers take on the Brummies at the Bridge tomorrow, please spare a thought for the youth boys as they play the second leg of the FA Youth Cup semifinal against the Mancs.

Or, you can try to multitask like me put the first team on the television and mute it, then pull up Chelsea TV on the laptop to watch the Youth Cup.

The Youth team has just kicked off against the Mancs at Stamford Bridge.

Can the young guys give us a bit of good news against the Red Devils? Young Josh is captain as Danny Pappoe is still suspended after a red card in a reserves match against Blackpool a couple weeks ago.

The good news is that Yossi Benayoun played 20 minutes for Israel yesterday, Alex has returned to full training with the squad, and it seems that our first teamers emerged unscathed from the international break.

The bad news is that one of our star players in the Youth Cup run, Billy Clifford, injured his knee in training yesterday.

Chidge and the boys are still doing the Samba just like our Brazilliant Brazillians on Sunday. Great win and result for the Blues and well done, with thanks to the Boys from Brazil.
Chidge, ChelTel, Dr Mart and the Celery Terrorist have a right old natter about the result against Citeh which puts some clear blue water between Chelsea and our rivals.

Liverpool face Man Utd at Anfield tomorrow, with suggestions that record signing Andy Carroll could be fit to make his debut under Kenny Dalglish. Who do you think should be in the starting line up to beat the Mancs?

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Roman Abramovich may have done the biggest favour to all connected with Arsenal Football Club this January transfer window.

By spending £50M on Fernando Torres, a player who was woeful at the World Cup and unwanted by Barca or Real, the Russian oligarch has priced Cesc out of the reach of Barcelona for at least a couple of seasons.

I don't know what it is about Liverpool that lends itself to modifying pop-culture so much. Maybe it's just that the club itself is so steeped in history, pop-culture and filled with so much nostalgic emotion (they are closer to the Indian cricket team on the Emotional Quotien than an English football club).

Edin Dzeko has been in Manchester for all of two minutes before speaking to the press about the lie City fans spread, that Manchester is blue.

So desperate are City to get some leverage on United, they hound their new signings with their nonsense.

"I have heard a lot about the fans and that most of the people from Manchester are Manchester City fans," he said.

3pm ET, live in the US on FSC
Last four head-to-head:
1-2 Blackpool (h) 10.24.10
2-2 (h) 01.09.71
0-0 (a) 08.17.70
1-3 Blackpool (h) 05.13.67
Last three matches:
Liverpool: 0-1 United (a); 1-3 Blackburn (a); 2-1 Bolton (h)
Blackpool: 0-2 Southampton (a); 1-2 Brum (h); 0-1 Man City (a)
Goalscorers (league):
Liverpool: Torres 6; Gerrard 4; Kuyt, Maxi 3; Kyrgiakos, Ngog 2; Babel, Cole, Johnson, Skrtel 1
Blackpool: Campbell 6; Harewood, Varney 5; Adam 3; Taylor-Fletcher 2; Baptiste, Eardley, Evatt, Phillips, Vaughan 1
Referee: Michael Oliver
Guess at a line-up:
Reina
Johnson Skrtel Agger Aurelio
Meireles Lucas
Kuyt Cole Maxi
Torres
The return of the King in the league, in the midst of a crush of games where we're sure to see rotation of some sort.

Reina
Kelly Skrtel Agger Aurelio
Meireles Lucas
Kuyt Gerrard Maxi
Torres
Goals:
Giggs 2' (pen)
So much for a storybook return.
1st minute, Webb gives a penalty for Berbatov's clear dive. 32nd minute, Webb shows Gerrard a straight red for a tackle similar to one Rafael went unpunished for.

I write this part way through the match! All the talk before the match (refreshingly) is about the appointment of Kenny Dalglish as Liverpool Manager and not about the Mancs. Howard Webb soon puts an end to that and gives Man Utd a penalty after Berbatov dives in the box in the first minute. Later in the first half he lets a 2 footed challenge by a Man Utd player go, only to send off Gerrard for a similar challenge moments later.

No it's not a misspelling, but I will take the opportunity to wish all Arsenal supporters everywhere a Very Happy New Year. And to all those of you who Yearn for silverware and titles, I offer these words of comfort.......

The season is half over. We've done well; we're 2 points off the top of the table in 3rd place.