In the 52nd minute at St. James' Park, the inevitable happened. Arsenal scored. Not many would have banked on the rejuvenated Laurent Koscielny to break the deadlock in such a fine fashion, putting his team firmly in the driving seat after a well taken half-volley, but it was no surprise to see another Wenger team heading for the Champions League (with the qualification round in their path) for the umpteenth time in a row (16 to be exact).
Last night I dreamt that Arsenal's manager was an evil clown, in full make up, who had a cutlass for a hand and none of the people in the press conference would ask him any questions for fear that he'd behead them. This enraged him more than being asked a question he didn't like, so he went on a frenzy, chopping and slicing and all kinds of stuff.
Arsene Wenger blamed his Arsenal side's lack of focus after they were held to a 2-2 draw by Swansea City in their FA Cup tie at Liberty Stadium on Sunday.
The Welsh minnows drew first blood when their star striker Michu scored in the second half.
Arsenal are hot for David Villa - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
David Villa to Emirates?
Arsenal could make a move for Barcelona forward David Villa in the January transfer window and are looking to cough up some of the money by selling the squad's fringe players.
Barcelona have resisted the temptation of sending the 31-year-old on loan to top English clubs like Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham, insisting they will only consider a permanent switch.
West Ham co-owner David Sullivan's 12-year-old son Jack apologized on Twitter for the club's signing of Arsenal punchline Marouane Chamakh on loan before the move was even officially announced.
Unhappy about the acquisition of the frequently mocked striker who has yet to make a Premier League appearance this season, young Jack tweeted, "I am very sorry about this news Chamakh has sign [sic] a 6 month loan deal!
Marouane Chamakh to revive his career at West Ham - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Few months back Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakhwas sitting on the thorns beseeching for chances in the first team and hoping to find an escape route. Now he finds a ray of hope of reviving his career again with West Ham after completing his loan move until the end of the season.
Nitpicking Arsene Wenger's comments is not what I love to do because he's hardly the most frank person you would find in the world. It would probably be a good test subject for the world of psychology. So many interpretation of what he actually meant but no one could ever be sure apart from the manager himself.
It would appear that a trip to Reading could cure all that ails Arsenal at the moment. But If the Gunners couldn't put away League Two side Bradford during the week there's no guarantee they'll be able to handle the Premier League's cellar dwellers. This will be the squad's second trip to the Madejski Stadium this season with the first one being a wild and woolly affair with Arsenal coming out on top 7-5 in extra time in a League Cup match back in October.
No matter what Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger would have you believe, his team certainly was embarrassed on Tuesday night up in Bradford when the League Two outfit eliminated them from quarterfinal stage of the Capital One Cup. That's the old League Cup for those who can't keep up with the regular name changes of the competition.
The group stage of the Champions League have finally ended. There were genuine concern, especially after the home defeat to Shalke, that we might not make it to the next stage of the competition. Those fears were allayed in MatchDay 5 of the competition when we did qualify for the knock-out rounds.
Andrey Arshavin of Arsenal (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images,)
It's nearly December, so it's time to sort through who all is linked for a move to Arsenal and from Arsenal and how likely this move could be.
With mountains of rumors being appropriated lately, it's hard to decipher which ones could be good and which ones are absolutely just wild gesticulations by ravenous supporters.
Do you know what I hate in football? I hate it when people are quick to write someone off before they've even had a chance to prove themselves.
At the beginning of his Arsenal career, Olivier Giroud was never going to have it easy. He was following in the footsteps of Robin van Persie. A player who scores more freely than Marouane Chamakh in a Moroccan strip club.
Arsenal and Liverpool are keeping tabs on Braga hitman Eder, according to Portuguese newspaper O Jogo, reports talkSPORT. The 24-year-old Portuguese international has started the 2012/13 campaign in impressive form, scoring six goals in seven league appearances. His performances are believed to have captured the attention of a number of admirers, with Gunners boss Arsene Wenger credited with an interest in bringing Eder to the Emirates Stadium during the January transfer window.
Gunners Linked With January Move For Shakhtar Star
Arsenal are purportedly interested in signing Shakhtar Donetsk star Luiz Adriano and have been scouting him for more than a year, according to a report published by The Daily Mail.
The one position which we all thought to be short in numbers at the start of the season was the striking position. We let one of the world's best striker go, that is a point that has never been disputed. Circumstances lead to his departure and enough have been said on that front.
It's no secret that Arsene Wenger can occasionally get it wrong in the transfer market. His excellent scouting system, accompanied by his supreme knowledge of world football often leads to great buys.
It may be a bit premature, with Marouane Chamakh having started just once for Arsenal all season, but his two goal heroics in the unforgettable Capital One Cup victory against Reading may just have given the Moroccan striker a chance to resurrect his career as a Gunner.
The 28-year old should be at his peak, but seemed to have lost all confidence and it looked like he would soon be on his way out of the Emirates.
How much fun was that game last night? Not the first 35 minutes obviously but by the end of 120 minutes I couldn't actually remember how I felt when Reading's 4th goal had hit the back of the net.
Aaaarrrrrggggghhhh that was how I felt and it's also how I feel now because my whole match report has disappeared into the ether
What to say quickly so that you can all carry on chatting?
How much fun was that game last night? Not the first 35 minutes obviously but by the end of 120 minutes I couldn't actually remember how I felt when Reading's 4th goal had hit the back of the net.
Aaaarrrrrggggghhhh that was how I felt and it's also how I feel now because my whole match report has disappeared into the ether
What to say quickly so that you can all carry on chatting?
How does one go about explaining what happened in that game. From a purely entertainment point of view, we got what we paid for and more. From a deeper team analysis, we did escape from what could have been a very embarrassing defeat. From a medical point of view, each one of us who witness that game, should go for a check-up and ascertain if our hearts are able to take anything more.
Theo Walcott of Arsenal celebrates (Photo by Scott Heavey/Getty Images)
No, that is not a typo in the headline.
Arsenal did indeed win in a twelve goal thriller over Reading, 7-5. And what a match it was! There was everything! You had the hero's downfall as Arsenal conceded four times before responding right before halftime.
Arsenal came from four goals down to produce one of the most dramatic comebacks of all time by eliminating Reading from the Capital One League Cup with a 7-5 win following extra time.
Jason Roberts, Mikele Leigertwood, and Noel Hunt all scored in a fantastic first half for the Royals at the Madejski Stadium, with a Laurent Koscielny own goal also frustrating the shaky Damian Martinez.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has made eleven changes to his starting eleven from their last match against Queens Park Rangers. The Gunners take on Reading this evening in the Capital One Cup, and Arsenal fans will have the chance to see the likes of Theo Walcott and forgotten striker Marouane Chamakh return to the side.
Moments ago Arsenal.com released the 18-man squad that will be for Arsene Wenger to pick from in tonight's Capital One clash with fellow English Premier League club, Reading FC at the Madejski Stadium. The complete list is as follows:
Serge Gnabry of Arsenal (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
6 Laurent Koscielny 12 Olivier Giroud 14 Theo Walcott 18 Sebastien Squillaci 20 Johan Djourou 22 Francis Coquelin 23 Andrey Arshavin 25 Carl Jenkinson 26 Emmanuel Frimpong 29 Marouane Chamakh 36 Damian Martinez (GK) 40 Hector Bellerin 46 Thomas Eisfeld 47 Serge Gnabry 53 Jernade Meade 54 Ignasi Miquel 60 James Shea (GK) 64 Nico Yennaris
The talented Arsenal youth are prevalent throughout the selection while stars Lukas Podolski, Per Mertesacker, Santi Cazorla and Mikel Arteta all get a deserved rest after three tough fixtures in the past week against Norwich, Schalke 04 and Queens Park Rangers.
It was only a friendly game between Arsenal and Chelsea yesterday at London Colney, but it was very important for the Gunners returning stars Jack Wilshere and Bacary Sagna who both managed to get through the full 90 minutes unscathed.
The big surprise was that they were surrounded by experienced first team players like Emmanuel Frimpong who has also only recently returned from an extended period on the treatment table.
While most Arsenal players were in action in the World Cup Qualifiers this week, there was also the small matter of the Qualifying rounds for the African Nations Cup going on in the African continent.
We all know that Gervinho's Ivory Coast team didn't even get to the end of the match thanks to the rioting Senegal fans, but it seems certain that the result will stand and the Ivorians will be confirmed participants in January's competition.
we're heading towards the final day of this Premier League season, and it really seems to have flown by. There's no reason it should have, in fairness. Some of it has been excruciatingly awful and there were Interlulls galore, but here we are. Times flies when you're having ...
Arsene Wenger will launch a bid for QPR's mercurial attacker Adel Taarabt in January if they fail to land CrystalPalace's in-demand winger Wilfried Zaha, The Mirror have claimed.
it was a quiet one for us last night but Chelsea v United was another cracking cup tie. Although this game might have lacked the utter hypocrisy and steward flinging that was such a big part of the league game on Sunday it was pretty entertaining. United were leading 3-2 until the final seconds of injury time, then gave away a penalty which Chelsea scored bringing it to extra time.
Loic Remy of Queens Park Rangers and James Tompkins (L) of West Ham United-Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
QPR visited Upton Park having held their opponents scoreless for two matches running, while the Hammers had earned just 4 points from their previous 5 matches coming in. The West Londoners were hoping to build on their platform of recent defensive stability to claw their way out of the bottom of the table, while the East Londoners were hoping to halt their slide down the league table with a good home performance.
Lewis Holtby/Photo via: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
With the first week of the January Transfer Window in the books, let's examine the biggest moves thus far and rate the recipient club's savvy on a four star scale.
Demba Ba Chelsea (£7.5M from Newcastle)
The signing of the window so far, Ba's power, pace and ability to finish from the most unlikely of situations make him one of the league's elite strikers.
In my weekly column on SWOL, I take a look back at the weekend's English Premier League (and/or domestic cup) action and talking points, as well as any significant news related to English football. We welcome your thoughts in the comments section below.
Frank Lampard of Chelsea (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
FA Cup Third Round Review: Brighton's Upset, Robin's Equalizer, Suarez's Handball
We cannot talk about the FA Cup without mentioning the "magic" that it brings, right?
Leon Osman of Everton (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
I watched it at least 15 times. How could you not? Zlatan Ibrahimovich's spectacular scissor-kick against England has to go down as one of the greatest goals ever scored. So naturally, all the post-match chatter was about Ibra, his taekwondo-influenced technical wizardry and how his four goal effort single-handedly tore apart The Three Lions.
Morning all, a quick Saturday round-up for you ahead of tomorrow's FA Cup game against Swansea.
And it's a game which is of vital importance as this competition represents our last real hope of silverware this season. I know we're still in the Champions League and anything can happen but that won't happen.
Morning all, a quick Saturday round-up for you ahead of tomorrow's FA Cup game against Swansea.
And it's a game which is of vital importance as this competition represents our last real hope of silverware this season. I know we're still in the Champions League and anything can happen but that won't happen.
it's still very quiet. Almost Interlull quiet. But obviously there's no Inter bit to define this particular lull. A Christlull doesn't quite work either, does it? Lullmas? I dunno, and I don't think it's that important.
I saw little of yesterday's football, only about half an hour of Villa v Sp*rs and it was enough for me to consider never, ever watching football again.
I woke up this morning thinking about our loan players for some reason. I can inform you that a Bendtner/Denilson hybrid is not the most pleasant image with which to bestir oneself first thing, but hey, it could be worse. And no, you don't need me to give you an example.
I was looking back through some of the archives on Arseblog News, and the second story we ever published, back on June 2nd 2011, was one in which TGSTEL expressed his desire to leave the club, saying:
The big news around the Emirates this week, other than the 2-0 Champions League win over French side Montpellier on Wednesday, concerns Thierry Henry and the possibility of him returning to Arsenal for another loan spell. The news broke on Nov. 21 that the Gunners' legend could come back to the club yet again in January when Gervinho and Marouane Chamakh will likely be headed off to the African Cup of Nations to play with Ivory Coast and Morocco.
Last night I was at the Ireland v Germany game in Dublin, not much fun from an Irish perspective as we got battered 6-1 by a very, very good German side. Their qualities were more than offset by the Irish side which was the opposite of very, very good, and they weren't helped by being managed by a man who really ought not to be the manager anymore.
