Arsenal still do not have their destiny in their own hands after Gareth Bale rescued a poor Tottenham side with another late winner against Southampton. The away side had plenty of chances to score but it was 0-0 until the Welshman struck again.
Arsene Wenger has made just one change to the side that did so well against Manchester United last week, with Nacho Monreal coming in for Kieran Gibbs at left back.
Arsenal should defeat relegated QPR comfortably today as they aim to secure third place and a Champions league spot. QPR on the other hand will be reeling from the relegation they confirmed last weekend against Reading.
Harry Redknapp has already confirmed that he will stay with the club in the Championship next season and chairman Tony Fernandes has stated that promotion back to the top is not guaranteed in one or even two seasons.
What a sight it would be the buck-toothed Brazilian legend Ronaldinho lighting up Ewood Park on
a wet Tuesday night for Blackburn, or maybe playing in the hole behind Peter Crouch for Stoke at
the Britannia. All this and more could come to fruition, possibly, maybe.
As you will know, this is a blog about Arsenal. Hence the name.
Obviously I have a keen interest in all things Arsenal. I want the the club to do well, to win
things, to compete and to sign good players. When we sign those players, I will welcome them
(unless they're one of these signings in which case I'll hedge my bets and make a 'this tastes
yukky' face whilst suggesting we should wait and see how they do), and players we don't sign don't
interest me in the slightest.
This list might very well create some controversy (hopefully positive) and that is fine.
Choosing this list is much like choosing who England should take to Euro 2012, everyone will have
an opinion and this opinion can be debated down at the pub until closing time. But I do want to set
a list of ground rules for my Premier League MVP XI.
With a summer of wild speculation about Robin Van Persie's future at Arsenal ahead, it's
refreshing to learn that we do have players who love the club unequivocally and are committed to
the cause. Of course, there is every chance RVP will sign a new deal and secure a long future at
the Emirates and who can fault our main man?
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger slammed his side's performance in the 2-1 loss to QPR yesterday and
suggested that displays such as that prove that the value of momentum is overrated in modern
football.
The Gunners had won seven straight Premier League fixtures arriving into Loftus Road to face the
relegation-threatened Rangers and from the very early stages, it was clear that the visitors were
not in their best form.
Arsene Wenger confesses that there was something missing in his side's performance during
today's 2-1 derby defeat to QPR and does not dismiss that complacency could be the cause.
Having won seven consecutive Premier League matches preceding their visit to Loftus Road, the
Gunners were outplayed as goals from Adel Taarabt and Samba Diakite deemed Theo Walcott's equalizer
a mere consolation.
This is pretty tragic, more so because it's neither surprising nor uncommon in the Russian
Premier League. In fact, one fan was recently acquitted of racial abuse for throwing a banana at
Roberto Carlos because he'd simply chucked it out of anger. Mmhmm.
Christopher Samba, new to Anzhi in the last month, received a rude welcome to go with the boffer
pay packet they're handing out in Dagestan these days.
1. Yet another crazy top-of-the-table clash in the Premier League. Before long we'll have
commentators observing these 5-2 and 6-1 type results and saying: "Well, these things do even
themselves out over the course of the season." Yesterday was Tottenham's turn. 2. (La)Sagna got
Tottenham on the run once again.
How long have we been hoping for a result like this? We said for a long time that
somebody will get a hiding from Arsenal sooner or later and today Blackburn – together with a
handful of wasted bin bags, filled with nothing but hot air were taken to the
Bin-Bangers.
How long have we been hoping for a result like this? We said for a long time that
somebody will get a hiding from Arsenal sooner or later and today Blackburn – together with a
handful of wasted bin bags, filled with nothing but hot air were taken to the
Bin-Bangers.
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)!
As Brazil starts to ramp up towards next summer's World Cup, Neymar's stock will continue to rise. The perfect indication that the Samba Boys' star is very much the man of the moment is that he has been made into a comic book character. Cartoonist and comic book artist Mauricio de Sousa is behind the [.
Um, was I the only one to catch the Nigerians totally showing up the Samba Queens in the tunnel,
pre-match, this morning? And by showing up, I mean putting on a show for everybody. And when
I say trouble, I mean the dancing/singing kind. Brilliant, brilliant moment. And it's likely
something the Nigerians do all the time, but in front of this Brazilian side, who, at least to my
total surprise, stood there and took it?
For many fans in attendance at the Brazil's 4-1 win over the U.S. not wearing yellow and samba
dancing while drinking criminally overpriced beer, this was the best moment of the match. After
Pato scored the game's final goal in the 87th minute, Richard Simmons' illegitimate step-son ran
out to the center of the pitch and slid through the center circle.
Coming off a massacre of the Scots not seen since the days of the hated Oliver Cromwell, who sent
my people west of the River Shannon to farm rocks, the victorious Yanks will be looking for their
sixth straight victory Wednesday night in Landover against the Samba Kings. Fans of Marvel's
avengers will have an extra rooting interest in this clash against Brasil, as Captain America
Carlos Bocanegra, and the US's own Iron Man, Michael.
Santos' Neymar, who Ganso says is a "genius and a prophet" who sees the future, flashed his
washboard stomach on stage at a samba concert earlier this week in what was hopefully a sign of
more six packs to come.
QPR's tough-tackling Malian international, Samba Diakite, has returned home to France on a leave
of absence (thought to be 10 days) after suffering from depression.
Although he started the Hoops' first two league games of the new season, Diakite missed the game
against Man City due to his illness.
-
- Follow QPR REPORT on TWITTER!
-
- QPR REPORT MESSAGEBOARD - Visit the cutting-edge, football-only, QPR Report
messageboard
- Visit the truly-fascinating Bushman QPR Photo Archives - QPR's 1971-1972 Season in Photos
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Firstly, apologies for the shite headline. I couldn't help myself. Anyway, on we go...
Bizarrely, coming into Saturday's Olympic final, Brazil had never ever won a Olympic gold in
football. And after a rather mediocre performance from the Samba superstars against a superb
Mexican side, the gold once again eluded the star-studded side.
Not content with throwing millions upon millions of petro-dollars at the has-beens and so-sos of
European football, Johnny-come-lately Russian rich boys Anzhi Makhachkala have now moved into the
rap game getting some bod named Timaro to produce this garbage, The Anzhi Rap (like the Anfield
Rap, but with 100% less Grobbelaar).
As we mentioned yesterday, Anzhi's Chris Samba was given the Russian Banana
Salute at the weekend when some dingbat hurled one at him from the Lokomotiv Moscow VIP
area this being the very footage that led Lokomotiv president Olga Smorodskaya to proclaim that
'nothing happened' and that the whole thing was a 'surreptitious set-up' to drag her club through
the mud.
Russian clubs are flush with cash. Anzhi Makhachkala's new coach is Guus Hiddink. They are ready
to break the bank to entice Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi. But so many of their fans are still
provincial and racist.
FIFA and the Russian FA faces an enormous task ahead of the 2018 World Cup to educate and
enforce zero tolerance when it comes to racism.
Yesterday we were treated to the first pictures of pre-season training and, leaving aside the
the fact that the training kit looks like it was designed by Prince and Helen Keller, everything
seemed pretty rosy. Andre Santos was there, looking like he'd spent most of the summer eating
delicious pies of all kinds.
There are rumours that Arsene Wenger is considering giving Robin Van Persie a break this weekend
against Blackburn to try and freshen him up for the three upcoming away games against Sunderland,
AC Milan and (probably) Sunderland again. Van Persie has scored 21 goals in 23 games this season,
but his shooting hasn't been quite [.
UPDATE: I'm bringing this back from the archives in response to Alex's comment below. Do
you think we've improved here?
I exaggerate to make a point, of course, but the game yesterday seemed to sum up 'bad Fulham'
under Martin Jol. When we get it right, we're excellent. When we don't we're extremely
frustrating.
UPDATE: I'm bringing this back from the archives in response to Alex's comment below. Do
you think we've improved here?
I exaggerate to make a point, of course, but the game yesterday seemed to sum up 'bad Fulham'
under Martin Jol. When we get it right, we're excellent. When we don't we're extremely
frustrating.
The David Beckham to Paris Saint-Germain rumors are back.
PSG sporting director Leonardo said despite Beckham's rejection of the wealthy club "the door is
still open" to signing the English midfielder. Beckham, 36, cited family considerations as a major
factor in his decision to stay in LA and re-sign with the Galaxy.
To take a perhaps unexpected angle on this, poor Samba Diakité. Making his QPR debut on loan
from Nancy in France, the Mali international found himself showing remarkable promise in his first
half an hour of Premier League football, marred only by a slight tendency to commit fouls. After
what may have been his seventh, a late lunge on a flying Bryan Ruiz, Diakité was shown a red card
and the match was effectively settled.
Why release doves when you have seat cushions?The 2012 Olympics ended as London
waved goodbye to the XXX Olympiad. (How they could have a XXX Olympiad without Joe Cannon is a
disgrace) In 2016, British stereotypes will be replaced with Brazilian stereotypes as Rio hosts the
next games - bowler hats replaced with thongs; chalky white skin will make way for bronzed tans;
Beckham out - 103 year-old Pele in; and whatever the samba equivalent of Pet Shop Boys is.
Mais um jogo das eliminatórias da Copa do Mundo de 2014, foi realizado no dia 09/06/2012, na
cidade de Libreville-GAB, onde jogaram as seleçções do Gabão (49º no ranking da FIFA) e a
seleção de Burkina Faso (86º no ranking da FIFA).
- The Yanks wowed with a dominant display vs Scotland and then struggled in subsequent matches vs
Brazil and Canada. We compare and contrast the three performances based on four important
factors. Playing from the Back The most promising difference between the regimes of Jurgen Klinsmann
and Bob Bradley has been the insistence on keeping the ball on the floor.
30.05.2012 - En la primera visita que hace Jerome Valcke (secretario general de la
FIFA) a Brasil desde que dijo hace tres meses que el país sede necesitaba "una patada en el culo" para acelerar los preparativos del Mundial, se dio
a conocer el slogan oficial de la Copa del Mundo Brasil 2014 (?
It is being reported that Anzhi centre-half Christopher Samba was given the ol' Russian Banana
Salute (as given to Roberto Carlos and Peter Odemwingie before him) by Lokomotiv
Moscow fans during Sunday evening's game between the two sides.
This match saw the welcome return of Captain Coloccini, and also the absence of Yohan Cabaye a
victim of trial by television and the London FA earlier in the day. Chris Samba was missing from
the Blackburn Rovers line-up following the club's failure to release him during the January
transfer window clearly fit [.
