Arsenal v. Chelsea (Live Note) We Win the League for Manchester

I am writing this as the game is played, and the first thing I must comment on is that Ashley Cole decided to stay away today. I believe the comment was "he is out someplace playing golf, he didn't want anywhere near Emirates Stadium." Hahhahaha what a cunt. Sorry for the unladylike language, but there really isn't another word to describe him. Anyway, brilliant decision on his part.

First Half
And the kickoff.... both teams start of very strong, very physical. Chelsea attacks almost right away, but Arsenal's defense seems to be holding. Jens saves a few easy lobs at the goal without any monkey business. Today is the last day we need any of that, especially with Diddle little boys Drogba upfront for Chelsea. There are some challenges by both sides, but nothing serious. It takes 10 hacks at the tree trunks that are Adebayor's legs to bring him down. Possession at the 10 minute mark is 55-45 Arsenal. It is really an equal game right now... both teams are fghting for a spot in the tables... Chelsea for the cup and Arsenal for third. I am really impressed with the work our defenders are putting in today, they aren't acting like the only one over 25 is Gallas. And Gallas is playing brilliantly against his old teammates. Some nasty grabbing on Adebayor by John Terry who shows himself properly ashamed and stops before he thinks the whistle has been called. Poor Petr Cech... I remember laughing when he had that head injury, but it's not because I'm a heartless monster it's because I hate Chelsea.


I wouldn't make fun of you so much if you didn't play for such a miserable team.

Now he has to wear some silly helmet on his head like Natalie Portman in Garden State. Jose Murinho keeps flapping around on the sideline like some big bat... waving his arms and baring his fangs. And Baptista is playing? Why am I not shocked that the only way I realized this was him committing a foul in the 22nd. I really think Wegner's confidence in this Brazilian is misplaced. He's already started giving the traditional Spanish excuse of "I hate the weather in England" signalling that he wil be leaving at the end of the season. Both teams are really playing to win, with excellent attacking on both side. Mourinho cannot accuse us of parking the bus today. 26th minute and nothing to report, it really is an even game. We are getting a few more penalties now, but nothing remarkable or with malice. Diaby is drawing the cheers of the crowd everytime he touches the ball. The first yellow card is drawn by Chelsea, Mikel just runs into Fabregas. Gilberto makes a bad mistake and hits a stray ball close the goal, but Joe Cole's cross doesn't connect with anyone and Jens finally collects it. A BEAUTIFUL set of passes between Fabregas, Diaby and Denilson, ending with a decent shot by Adebayor. He's scored in our last two games and looks hungry to do so again. WTF?! Baptista is onsides, there is a nice pass through and he stands there like a fucking idiot. Even Terry ran through with that one. Baptista needs to be gone as far as I'm concerned. Eboue keeps falling down, and I really wish some of his teammates would speak to him about that nonsense. You aren't Christiano Ronaldo pal, and no one likes it when he does it anyhow. Almost to the half with excellent playing on both sides (as excellent as Chelsea gets I guess). I am finding it difficult to hate Chelsea so much this game as most of the players almost seem human, and less like machines. PENALTY IN THE CHELSEA GOALBOX!!! Boulahrouz is sent off by a red card, he pushes Baptisa down... and Gilberto takes the shot and GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cech goes the complete wrong way, Gilberto is really a brilliant penalty taker, and Arsenal is 1 up and Chelsea is 1 player down!!!! This game is finally getting exciting!!!! Chelsea's fans have raised the white flag at Emirates... they seem to know that the Premiership cup has escaped them!! If Arsenal wins this game, Manchester will raise the Premiership banner at Old Trafford tonight! One minute of stoppage time, and that's the half!

Chelsea's manager practically runs into the tunnel at half time... he must remember that the only game we have lost at Emirates this season was to West Ham. Speaking of, we see some highlights of their romp at Bolton yesterday. West Ham now has the chance to make it through and live to play next season in the Premiership. I say good for them, they are the only team to have beaten both Arsenal and Man U this season. For whatever reason I really don't hate them with the fire of 1000 suns, and I must admit I do have a soft spot for the Hammers. Unsurprisingly, Liverpool lost to Fulham yesterday, as they will be focused on the final in Europe.


Birthday present, Mom?

WOW! They have this product that is lifesize, rolls of and sticks on the wall... the name is sort of stupid (WallBangers) but I'm pretty sure that would be the perfect addition to that empty wall beside my bed. Nothing says classy like a stickable Arsenal crest on the wall.

Second Half
Possession starting the half is 48-52 Chelsea. Starts off slow, we get a free kick and OH! Adebayor has a nice miss. The goal really was wide open, and he seems frustrated that he didn't have time to get the control he needed to really make a shot. Adebayor gets a yellow card for something that I consider an accident. He really is an outstanding workhorse, an outstanding player. I cannot say enough nice things about this guy. He's like Henry if he gained 100 pounds... of muscle... in his legs. Chelsea's side seems dispirited after being a man down, and Adebayor is really creating chances. He and Fabregas are wroking together now and I'd be shocked if one of them doesn't score by the last whistle. Spectacular booes being heard from our fans... they are really taking the mickey out of Chelsea.


This amused me enough that I paused the game and took a picture with my camera.

Some bad hacking by Ferreira leads to Denilson's injury. Mourinho jumps out of his seat, no doubt with some verbose comment to make. It looks like Denilson might have a real injury and is out for the rest of the game. Luckily he has all summer to recover, but I really hope it's not something awful like a low ankle sprain. Jens has finally seemed to recover from his yips or whatever his problem has been. Hleb is to come on for Denilson... here's to hoping he can pass it to OUR players. Some offsides calls, but both teams seem to be slowing down. Surprise, surprise... Hleb's first pass goes straight to Joe Cole. Arsenal seems to really be hitting stride today, they are passing around the Chelsea defense like they aren't there. Chelsea just can't seem to clear the ball past the circle. A free kick out of Essien who can't seem to control his temper against Clichy. Beautiful kick by Fabregas straight through to Adebayor, but John Terry is there. A corner, again taken by Fabregas... and Toure gets a nice header, and it's another corner. Gallas ALMOST scores... a shanked header against an open goal. I don't think anyone wants to score more than William Gallas. We hear the fans give us a rousing round of

One team in London,
There's only one team in London,
One team in London,
There's only one team in London

The Chelsea fans are trying to bait Gallas, which is just hilarious seeing that we are ahead. AND SHIT! Essien EQUALIZES!!! A bad clear leads to a cross to Essien, who sends a low header in. And we are tied. Incidentally, Essien has only scored 2 goals this season, the other against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. Arsenal has been dominating, but we seem to be slacking a little. We just can't do this when we get ahead. The Chelsea fans have woken up again, now that they realize the race is still open. There are some Manchester fans swearing someplace I do believe. Jens really wasn't at fault this time, and he has been collecting balls this time. After a scare in the Chelsea backfield, Mikel comes off for Diarra. The Blues are back in the game. CHELSEA SCORES AGAIN! BUT IT'S OFFSIDES!!! Thank GOD! Some sloppy work in the backfield by our youngsters, but Chelsea is thwarted by the flag. Chelsea is showing remarkable heart, but we don't be seem to be giving this point up easily. Terry tries to start shit with Fabregas who is having none of it. The referee gives each a small talking to, and that seems to be the end of it. Diaby is off for Hoyte. Wegner sees that Diaby is tired and rightly brings him off. Chelsea counters by pulling out Wright-Phillips for Sinclair, an 18 year old who has barely played. 10 minutes left... still a chance for either side to create magic. Jens has started coming out of the goal a bit more than I'd like. We really need to pull ourselves back into the game... this team is dispirited after losing to Liverpool, they are a man down and we just need to seal the deal. Our weakness lies in that we have some of the best damned players in the world and we just can't seem to put the ball in the net. 4 minutes of stoppage time. We are really back in the game now... we want those 3 points. KALOU SHOOTS AND MISSES!!!!!! Beautiful save by Jens. This is the keeper that we have needed all season. 3 minutes left, Arsenal's front line gets near Chelsea with only 3 men back. Essien fouls, we get a free kick. This is a time waster, and it could be our shot. Fabregas takes the kick and.... it's out. Chelsea has one more attack to make... we aren't giving the ball of easily, and Eboue has is, and it's cleared by that fucker Essien. I hope he gets deported back to Ghana. Baptista has it and.... he loses it... Fabregas gets is, Eboue SHOOTS AND DAMN! It almost went in, just touched the corssbar. 15 seconds... and we could not finish it. Manchester United are Champions of England!!!!!!

This was really an exciting game, I'm sorry for the long commentary. I probably won't make this a habit, but this really was the game that decided the Cup. Although I hate Man U, I'd much rather them get the cup that Chelsea. Especially because we beat Man U twice this year... I can stand them having the cup. Congrats Gunners for holding the Bastard Blues, here's to next season!

Do title races take teams out of Europe? Does Jens Lehmann have the yips?

So much has been going on the last two weeks in soccer, I really don't know why I thought I could keep my mouth shut about it. Arsenal is truly back in the race for third, especially now that Liverpool (congrats scousers) will play in the UEFA Cup final. That is not however, the point I have been thinking about the last week or so.

I argue that by focusing on domestic title races, you damned well eliminate yourself from the European races. If you look at what just happened to Chelsea (bleh!) and Man U, I would say without a doubt yes. Want more evidence? Look at the position Arsenal was in last year when we played Barca. We really thought that we still had a shot in England, and I think that this one of the reasons that we eventually lost UEFA (besides Jens, but I'll get to that in a minute). AC Milan has been out of the Serie A league race for quite some time now. And despite Chelsea and Manchester's argue that they dominate world football, if you look at the numbers, Liverpool has gone to the European cup finals 6 times, and won 5 of those. Chelsea has only won 2 European cups, and Manchester has lost 7 of the 9 times it has made it to the semifinals. Hardly pictures of European dominance. I cannot argue that they have achieved some level of domestic dominance... but I would argue that Liverpool has a similar reputation... undeserved or not. I'm convinced that the only way most triple or double can be achieved is with domestic trophies. A Carling Cup, FA Cup, and Premiership Cup? It's been done, and by us I might add! A FA Cup, Premiership title, and UEFA Cup? Pretty much impossible friends, and the team that does it will have to have depth not seen on any team since the era of the Galaticos. If you can sit Figo out because you have too many other good players in his spot, you can also sub Figo in and rest those other players. That is the type of team that could win a treble with a European Cup. Don't y'all agree?

Enough with all that convincing argument stuff... on to my boys. While we have been plagued with one of the most injury ridden seasons in recent memory, our youngsters have begun to rise to the occasion and are providing the fans with some nice wins. Gilberto, Diaby, and Fabregas all continue to impress me, and the more experience they get, the better for next season. Some disappointing losses as well, but I am firmly blaming those on Jens Lehmann. That's right... a first string keeper from Germany (!) is sucking it up. BIG TIME. Looking back over this season, I can think of a number of very unremarkable performances by our keep. I could even start with the disastarous exit from the UEFA Cup final, when in the 8th minute Jens recieved a red card for running out of the goal box to hit a ball! #$#@^$&! Remember that folks? Remember the tie against Chelsea this year, when Jens concided a decent pitful attempt on the part of Chelsea?! As we have just extended his contract for another year we are stuck with him. Arseblog has this thought:

At the moment Jens reminds me of a big robot that didn’t get a proper charge and is now going a bit mad. This summer he needs to be switched off, plugged into the mains so he can start next season with 100% battery life.


Honestly, that is the best description I've heard of the whole mess. What do y'all think?

In other news... there is talk of Ribery coming to the Grove this summer (!) but I am not getting my hopes up. Arsene tends not to sign older players, so I'll believe it when it has happened. Also, the usual ballocks about Cesc going to Spain (he just signed an 8 year contract you idiots!). I shall keep y'all updated during the end of the title race and the exciting summer transfer window.

An end to a (4, to be precise) dream. For this year at least.

A true Arsenal fan will remember May 17, 2006. They will remember who scored, and they will remember that Jens made an incredibly stupid mistake in the first twenty minutes of the game. We remember who called to congratulate us on the first goal, who called to heckle us when it was over. We remember that Sol Campbell ended his career with a header for a 10 man team. We also remember that we came in second.

However, in soccer, second place generally doesn't mean shit, unless of course you support the team that has come in second. Then you will belabor the details of the game, looking for the missed chances, seeing the poor calls. You will yell at the refs, check the standings, and refuse to cheer for any other team that may go on to win a cup.

So... I could post a long diatribe as to why we are now out of all 4 cup races in the span of a few weeks, but it would only be the sad words of someone whose team has come in second.


Good season boys... we'll get'em next year.

To my Gunners, I will say this: please get well soon, as I hate to see you injured; show some enjoyment in the rest of a season without pressure; please beat Chelsea so as to remind them that while they may have more points they are still not the better team; don't give up on catching Liverpool, give the mickeys a run for their money; please remember to remind Sir Alex Ferguson that he could neither beat us at home nor at Old Trafford this season.

I won't say good luck to Manchester, but please for the love of God, don't let Chelsea win.


Ugly arse.

The Answer to a Frequently Asked Question.

So I get asked a lot of questions. The one I get asked most of all: Why are you so crazy about Arsenal F.C.?

Prior to today, I had very little in way of an answer. Asking someone to condense a passion such as this down to a neat little answer is almost impossible. However, today I ran into an answer in one of the many Arsenal blogs that I follow. Interestingly, these are the words of a Chelsea fan.

"Something that happens too often with Arsenal happened again yesterday: you played the better, more classy football but lost to a more ruthless, clinical and efficient team. I don’t mind people comparing us to a “machine”, because machines tend to win trophies. [...] This Chelsea team is better than that Porto team because we’ve spent more money and therefore technically have better players, but the mentality remains the same."


This is how I picture Mourinho's philosophy.

I guess I would have to say that I adore Arsenal because we do play classy football. We nuture players from the beginning, we make bargin deals into class acts, and we make other teams look... well like they belong in the second league, win, lose or tie. It does NOT matter to me that we win trophies, although those look nice on the shelf. What matters to me is that we play a brand of football that is beyond what I see any other team has. It warrants us now having more fans than any other team in the world (175,00 and counting, check the Guiness Book, it's official).

So that is the answer to that question, if anyone asks me again, I'm just going to make them look this up instead of waxing elegant any longer.


On to other news, the wise Chelsea fan had this to say about Diaby:

"Being played out of position, he [Diaby] terrorised our midfield, often storming past the likes of Ballack and Lampard. There was one point in the second half when he tackled Lampard, took it past Ballack and then bounced right off Essien. It was insulting. A guy to my left looked at me as if to say “who the hell is this kid?” In March 2003, Patrick Vieira gave the best individual performance I’ve ever seen in 13 years at Stamford Bridge. When Vieira was 19, he was not as good as Diaby is now."

If that's what the opposition has to say about Diaby, then I am willing to wait for him to get better. He did pick up an injury kicking Terry, which is such a shame as Terry was quite fine. Overall, I am as always, excited about the coming season. Chelsea can continue to spend their Russian money, and the other teams can just continue to not matter in my world.

I am a forever Arsenal fan.

Coalition to have Adebayor's red revoked and given to Eboue!

Well. Jeez.

For a game that started off so well for us, it really ended awfully for everyone. Well except maybe for Diaby because I mean, any day where you get to kick John Terry in the face is an excellent day indeed.


The bitter sting of being outplayed.

However.... it was in extremely poor sport and I do hope that Terry is okay. Anyhow, like I was saying, we came out of the blocks absolutely on fire. Our youngsters were making these millionaire players at Chelsea look like a cheap second rate team. To quote my friend at Arseblogger who saw the thing live "Our midfield pissed all over Lampard and Ballack and Essien and Makelele and to see Lampard giving it the clenched fists like they’d just beaten Brazil at the end was maddening but completely in character for him - the actions of a deluded cunt. Then they showed why they really are the most despicable football club on earth as they went to collect the trophy."

So we outplayed them and still lost, but there is still this small matter of Adebayor and Eboue. And it was NO small matter. Part of the reason for this bust up to begin with was the lack of control by the referee, and the poor calls by the deluded linesmen. One of the aforementioned deluded linesmen had some difficulty discerning Adebayor (6'4" unbelievably lanky) and Eboue (5'10" quite stocky) apart. So evidently, Adebayor spotted some unsporting conduct courtesy of Eboue, and made sure to indicate this to the linesman. Adebayor was absolutely correct to report this, as Eboue was once again out of line and out of hand. Anyhow, the ref was so confused in this melee that he proceeds to give Adebayor, who never touched ANYONE, a red card.


Kids, in the circle on your left, you will see the towering figure of Adebayor. In the highlighted square, you see Eboue having his bust up with Bridge, his offending hand again highlighted with a circle.

Even getty images has the wrong caption on their website, with Adebayor identified as the man who laid hands on Bridge. Look at the photo folks, last I checked, that man hitting Bridge isn't even the length of one of Adebayor's legs.


These men do not look REMOTELY alike, apart from their skin color.

Sigh. I've gone a little picture happy, but I mean really, I just don't understand what the refs were thinking. I can understand the red card to Diaby (he really shouldn't have roundhoused Terry) AND I can understand the yellow cards to the remaining players (Cesc you rascal) but there really is NO justification for what happened to Adebayor.

So that was the game. Walcott made his first goal in his Arsenal career, and the kids played beyond amazing. Too bad it was all overshadowed by some bad sportsmanship at the end. Any thoughts on the blatant miscarriage of justice? Can anyone else make the case to me about confusing Eboue with Adebayor?

We've taken our shite to the Champion's League

Remember my rant about how we always tie?

Well things just got worse. We had our first official loss of 2007, and it just had to be in the Champions League.

Wegner shows to be much more optimistic than I am, as I feel that this is just more of our lackluster performances against mediocre teams. Had we been playing Barca I'd bet for a shutout.

So here it is boys... I'm laying it on the line for you. Shape up, or... or I'll pretend like I don't love Arsenal with the heat of a thousand suns anymore.


You know, in ancient Rome that was the symbol of death. Ugly bugger.

And by the way, if there is any sense of justice in the world, Mourinho will lose against FC Porto today.

Manchester fans... what happened with the fence? Let's not have another Hillsborough. That's for the mickeys over at Liverpool. (Disclaimer: I'm really just kidding, Hillsborough was an awful disaster, but I mean if a girl can't take a crack at Man U it's just not a complete day.)

Edit: Oh yeah, so Arsenal announced their losses today, and it was a whopping 6.2 million pounds. Sound like a major loss? Well it's a good thing that we are in the same league with a crazy Russian billionaire. Yesterday Chelsea posted a loss of over 80 million pounds. That's right... more than 10 times what we spent. We bought the 3 time Czech player of year and built a brand new stadium and Chelsea STILL outspent us. Just something else to add to the list that Jose ain't so good at. Money management.

For God's Sake

So we were ahead of Liverpool right? And we were all set to play Blackburn which, my God, is horrible. And what did we do?

Put your arm down Flamini.

Evidently, we skipped around holding hands with the opponents... in addition to tying them.

Thank God the best team in the Premiership gives these horrible teams points or they would all be relegated into the second league. We're much nicer than those heartless monsters at Stamford Bridge or Old Trafford. They actually act like they care about winning the league. Sigh...