Thank you very much, Gareth Bale, for your midweek performance, now let's take a look at the weekend's fixtures and continue with our assault to the top of the Fantasy Premier League table... With over 2.7 million players, we hope ... Continue reading →

I was not happy after Villa Why? Cos minus 2 penalties and a fluke goal, we played average at best. We rarely created any real goalscoring opportunities from open play. I am never over enthused with Arsenal when we don't actually play Wengerball.

When we get those slick passing triangles going, opening up a host of chances.

bolton 0-0 arsenal by Futbol2101

What does it take for any other player other than RVP to score goals? It is now official, he's not pretending any more - Theo Walcott has a mind made of mush in front of goal. Always. Aaron Ramsey is another. The Ox too for all his brightness was presented with a clear chance.

I. Stoke @ Manchester United: Massive injury problems for Sir Alex's men as they look to keep pace with Manchester City at the top of the table. The latest is an injury to their new #1 goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard who ... Continue reading →

Written by fatgingergooner

With 3 defeats in the last 4 games and an unconvincing win against Leeds in the last round of the FA Cup, Arsenal fans were feeling far from optimistic ahead of this 4th round clash against Aston Villa.

Rumour had it that the Gunners injury list was starting to ease, and so it proved with Sagna, Henry and Arteta all named on the bench and also the young Frenchman Coquelin was deputising at right back.

Written by fatgingergooner

With 3 defeats in the last 4 games and an unconvincing win against Leeds in the last round of the FA Cup, Arsenal fans were feeling far from optimistic ahead of this 4th round clash against Aston Villa.

Rumour had it that the Gunners injury list was starting to ease, and so it proved with Sagna, Henry and Arteta all named on the bench and also the young Frenchman Coquelin was deputising at right back.

Remember our last FA Cup game? One of the great moments in the history of the Emirates. An average performance completely dismissed by 5 seconds of theatre. Today I would love to see a 90 minute performance which will raise the despair around the ground following 3 defeats.

We have to accept that we are not going to be Champions this year yes, even you Peaches.

Remember our last FA Cup game? One of the great moments in the history of the Emirates. An average performance completely dismissed by 5 seconds of theatre. Today I would love to see a 90 minute performance which will raise the despair around the ground following 3 defeats.

We have to accept that we are not going to be Champions this year yes, even you Peaches.

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.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Ekanga Amia of Equatorial Guinea shows the world why the Academy were so wrong to overlook him in the Oscar shortlist. His side went on to beat Senegal 2-1 in the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday.

The day isn't close to being done but we're so giddy about today's preparedness that we're willing to share our Good Week/Bad Week update with you all early.

After the 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at the Emirates on Sunday, I was emailing with a friend who has been an Arsenal season ticket holder since the ‘70s. He knows infinitely more about the team than I do, so I figured I'd let him speak in his own words. (My email comments inserted for clarity of what questions/comments he's responding to.

Written by Double98

Robin van Persie, the balon d'or snubbed, true king of world football, has been reeling in the plaudits for his exceptional scoring feats in 2011. By eclipsing Thierry Henry's mark of 34 goals in a calendar year, and particularly by playing in a less competitive and more transitional team, he has booked himself a seat in the waiting room of the Pantheon of Arsenal Greats.

RvP and David Cameron meet to mark the one year anniversary of football youth charity Street League, of which the Arsenal player is the new ambassador. Image: IAN WEST/AFP/Getty Images.

One of these men is effectively responsible for the reputation, economic stability and global perception of a vast European superpower.

Looks like 5 year old Shaqueel Van Persie is a chip of the old block. And Arsenal is interested in signing the young talent but RVP says the Gunners can wait. His son likes the team he currently plays for because the coaching is good.

Meanwhile the subtext to this feel good stuff is Arsenal's worry that RVP is going to cut loose from the club and head off to City or more likely Barca.

I have to assume that Per passes his late fitness test as I cannot consider the alternative, to be honest even if Per is still unwell, he is still probably a far better option for us than a fully fit Squillaci. There are rumours that Arteta is not fit, I hope these are not true. Szczesny Djourou; Per, Kos; Miguel Song, Arteta, Ramsey Walcott, RVP, Ox Obviously if Per fails his test, it

Slow news weeks, obviously. Still, a couple of tidbits are noteworthy. Find out which legendary French striker is held in high regard by Gibbs and why our next transfer target could be a 16 year old. More after the jump.

When Thierry Henry re-joined the Gunners at the start of the month, there were questions regarding his potential worth to the team, but also his effect on the team chemistry that has progressed leaps and bounds since the start of the season- it's obvious that this is one of the most closely-knit and cohesive Arsenal team in years.

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.

This will be a grown up post.

BR has had many years of intensive therapy following which has been able to overcome most of his childhood resentments. If he can come to terms with personal issues then surely it is possible to find it in his heart to cease a lifelong hatred of a Leeds team which went out of existence 40 years ago?

Written by FatGingerGooner

Much has been written recently in both the tabloids and on blog sites about Arsenal's need for a striking partner/understudy for RvP, so with the transfer window well and truly upon us, I thought this might be the perfect opportunity to look at the possible candidates for the position.

Sebastien Squillaci: Flumm-oxed

1. There are no free passes in the Premiership: Even the so called lesser teams have their moments under the sun. You underestimate them at your own peril. Teams that got bitten badly this past weekend: United, City, Chelsea, and Spurs.

What a couple of days of football! Who could have predicted such calamity for the top 4 teams? Can we take advantage tonight?

Fulham showed how good they can be a few weeks ago at THOF, a game we dominated but were relieved to get a point. Of course, the man who scored both goals will be missing and he leaves a big hole.

Mr Arsenal himself would be proud of this team

One last job was required of Arsenal on the last day of 2011 and the job was duly delivered. 3 points was what we wanted to see Arsenal end the year on a high and it was a performance that deserved exactly that. The win moves us to fourth in the league, just 3 points behind Tottenham and 9 points behind both Manchester clubs.

szólj hozzá: ARS-QPR www.megafutboltv.com

An Arsenal side on a swoon of sorts was able to pick itself up against QPR as Robin Van Persie once again showed how to finish an opportunity. The goal was RVP's 35th, an Arsenal record for a calender year, and falling short of Alan Shearer's prodigious output by a mere goal.

Why I can't choose between Silva and RVP for my Best Player of 2011

Before wishing everyone a Happy New Year, there's just time for me to fish the old crystal ball out of the attic and see what 2012 holds in store. And when Gypsy King Sav stares into the goldfish bowl, he sees a treble Manchester City to win the Premier League, FA Cup and Carling Cup.

Here we go. A disappointing week for many fantasy managers as the leading candidates in the Boxing Day fixtures failed to produce. Manchester United win 5-0 but neither Wayne Rooney nor Nani registered a single goal or assist. That's ridiculous. ... Continue reading →

Premier League 2011 team of the year: Vidic, Baines, Parker, Silva, RVP, Ba and more in talkSPORT's XI

Here's our Premier League pick of 2011 disagree? Let us know your thoughts!

View the full story here: Talksport

A news article on 2011-12-28 11:13:44 from: Talksport

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Honestly, despite my reputation as the Negative Nancy blogger, I thought we'd snatch a winner all the way up to the final whistle. Not only did we control possession, chances, corner kicks, free kicks, etc, but we also played the final 20-ish minutes (including added time) with a man advantage.

Well that was frustrating, but not entirely unexpected. Just before writing this post I saw a Tweet by Orbinho (follow him) that summed up a lot of what's been going on with the side over the last year or so: in Arsenal's last 15 home games in the prem, they've only scored more than one goal on 4 occasions.

Arsenal are set to lose Gervinho and Marouane Chamakh to the African Nations Cup next month, and Arsene Wenger admitted that he would be short of options in the striking department, so naturally there have been numerous Arsenal transfer rumours linking the Gunners with a new striker. But today Wenger has said that he has [.

Merry Christmas. Happy Boxing Day. Here are your gameweek 18 picks... I. Blackburn @ Liverpool: I select this game as the 'game of the week,' not for it's on-the-field potential, but for the media circus surrounding it off the pitch. ... Continue reading →

Given Arsene did his whole, 'I don't know what you're talking about routine', when questioned about the potential return of Thierry Henry in the press conference on Friday, I would be very surprised if we do not announce that we are re-signing Thierry on a two-month loan-deal very soon, probably in the first week of January.

Robin van Persie is the son of a sculptor and a painter and his inherited creative genius shines through on the football pitch. Beginning his career at Excelsior Rotterdam, he moved on to Feyenoord and earned caps for the Dutch u19 and u21 teams.

Robin always dreamed of playing for his hometown club and then moving on to Arsenal or a small club in Catalonia to further his career.

Four games in the next 13 days should give Arsenal sufficient opportunity to bounce back from the recent disheartening defeat against the League leaders. Given the state of injuries in defence though, Arsene will have to take things game by game. There isn't much room left for tinkering, particularly at the back.

Four games in the next 13 days should give Arsenal sufficient opportunity to bounce back from the recent disheartening defeat against the League leaders. Given the state of injuries in defence though, Arsene will have to take things game by game. There isn't much room left for tinkering, particularly at the back.

Short week. Injuries and rotations taking effect during this busy winter schedule. Fantasy managers need 13-15 players fit and considered part of the "first team" to get through these next 10 days of rotation and exhaustion. Here we go... I. ... Continue reading →

Everton are bringing back USA star Landon Donovan in January. Nic Anelka is going to China. And Mario Balotelli is in a fight in training once again. Tons of news around the Premier League, but as the fixture list gets ... Continue reading →

At this stage of the season and given how well the club has done since that awful start to the season, the last news you would want to read is that we're going to be patient with the contract of Robin Van Persie. This is our captain, our inspiration and quite literally has dragged us all the way up the table.

With statues of Tony Adams, Thierry Henry and Herbert Chapman erected recently in celebration for Arsenal's 125th anniversary, a lot of attention was turned to Arsenal's current flying Dutchman. Many questioned Van Persie's credentials to be an Arsenal great in years to come. Van Persie has been at the club since 2005.

Yes, I do have a man crush on Barca, if it's possible to crush on 11 dudes simultaneously. Or whatever. The build-up is prettier than the goal. RVP with the proverbial nuclear warhead missile launch. It pains me to admit that the Bundesliga has circled Serie A, but as a top-to-bottom league it's just better now.

An Arsenal Christmas gifts for Arsenal fans - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Holiday season is approaching and it's time to get presents for your loved ones. To get you a head-start in the decision to buy present for a Gunners fan, lets get you through some of the Arsenal merchandise:

Personally Signed Merchandise

Our friends at ICONS.