The fan
Name: Tom Coley
Age: 23
The game
Scoreline Prediction:
Man City 3 - 0 Birmingham. We have an awful record at maine road and eastlands. Ive never known us win at either ground
One to watch:
Its tough to say really. Obviously the big name player for us is Alex Hleb but at the minute he has found it tough to settle down. So im going to go with Barry Ferguson, who has been outstanding since signing from Rangers last summer. This season has been a little tougher for him as teams are more weary of what he can do and have been marking him alot tighter than before. He is integral to our attacking play whilst still be disruptive in the middle of the park. He plays well, we play well.
Last year played a large part in Joe Hart's development, playing his first full season in the top flight whilst on loan at St Andrew's, picking up the PL goalkeeper of the year award and a nomination for PFA young player of the season along the way. You went to Manchester United in search of his replacement, how is Ben Foster settling in?
Joe hart was always going to be hard to replace and when I heard we wouldn't be able to get him permently I was a bit stuck to see where we would go. Foster was an excellent choice in my opinion. he started off excellently especially with his penalty save against Blackburn. He has sort of tailed off since but is still performing very well between the sticks and is rightly Englands number 2 behind Hart. Alot of promise and i think as the season goes on he will get better and better.
You currently sit one place above the drop zone, but just five points behind fifth placed Newcastle. Are you concerned you're experiencing 'second season syndrome' or is it just early days with a very tight table?
Its definately a bit of both. For the past 6 games we have been pretty terrible apart from against Blackpool. We seem to only start playing after the 60th or when we have gone 2 goals down. 3 times this season we have been 2-0 down only to get 2 goals back and get back into the game. The early signs this season are that we are in a real struggle but i firmly believe that it is as tight as ever this season, anyone from 5th or 6th downwards could beat anyone else. Come christmas it will be alot easier to see whats going on, but we need to play better than we have been.
General Birmingham City
What has been your favourite memory/moment from supporting Birmingham City?
Without a doubt the playoff final in 2002. We had tried and failed in the 3 seasons previous in the playoffs but we were in such good form at the end of that season that it was hard to see us losing. Its the only time ive cried at football but ill never be ashamed to admit it.
And the worst -
There has been a couple, losing 4-0 at home to Barnsley in the '99 playoffs is possibly the worst game ive ever witnessed, Losing 5-1 to villa a few seasons ago was also pretty awful. Those are the ones that will always stick out
If you could sign a player from the Manchester City squad (wages etc. irrelevant) , who would you choose ?
Me personally, i'd take David Silva in a heartbeat. He has everything i love in a player. He can beat men easily, he can finish and he can pick a pass. The fact he couldnt get in the Spain team at the world cup shows how strong they are, but for me he should have been in that side.
If you could place a past Birmingham City player into the current team, who would it be?
Not the best player by a long way at all but for the sheer work rate and commitment it would have to be Geoff Horsefield. Scored so many important goals for us without ever being prolific. One of the geniune nice guys in football aswell. I should probably have picked Mauro Zarate or someone else with more of a history but for me Horsefield optimised everything that our club is.
Showing posts with label mcfc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mcfc. Show all posts
Saturday, 13 November 2010
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
Ask the opposition: Manchester United
Bumper derby edition.
The fans
Name: Greg
Age: 21
Name: Gareth Price
Age: 23
Name: Fred Thomas
Age: 23
The game
Scoreline Prediction:
Greg - A lot depends on our injuries due to the virus going round but I'm expecting either a tense 2-2 or for us to just pip it with a little green pea.
Gareth - 1-2
Fred - 2-1 United
One to watch:
Greg - For you guys, David Silva. For us? Paul Scholes.
Gareth - Tevez, Hernandez
Fred - Javier Hernandez
Despite signing a new contract, rumours have still circulated over the future of Wayne Rooney, even the potential of a 'gentlemen's agreement', as seemed to be the case with Cristiano Ronaldo, enabling the club to receive a much larger fee and the player to leave without the aggravation of unsettled fans. Do you believe he will still leave or has he genuinely been convinced to stay and can he win back the faith of the fans?
Greg - I think Rooney is a disgrace and gives our club a bad name. For me, winning in the right style comes before victory at any cost and that isn't just limited to how we play on the pitch. Looking at how the majority of our squad behave outside of their football (Giggs, Scholes, Park, Fletcher etc.) Rooney has completely let the side down. Just before the world cup I was praising him for growing up and maturing as a player infield but he seems to have gone backwards, cheating on his pregnant wife and behaving like an all round idiot at every opportunity.
Unfortunately, on his day, he is our best player although I don't think he's reached the heights his potential suggested at in his earlier years. In the last two or three seasons he seems to have lost some of his ability to do the unexpected and turned from being a raw, fantasy player into a far more efficient and effective, if predictable force of nature. His lack of personal discipline in the off season seems to be catching up with him too on the injury and fitness front causing his slow start the season to grow ever longer. He is still one hell of a player but personally, I'd rather we sold him off for a huge sum as soon as possible and invested it back into our youth system. No one is bigger than the club. Having said all that, I think he'll stay but things will never be the same again for some fans, me included.
Gareth - A gentleman's agreement wouldn't make much sense over a five year contract deal, to me it seems that his agent (Stretford) has worked much of this in order to cash in on what would be Rooney's last major contract at any club, a way of him to make the most of his clients income. Whatever the case this has been dealt with poorly and Rooney has alot to make up for, both to his teammates and fans, thus putting pressure upon himself when he returns. If a gentleman's agreement is the case I can only see him moving to Manchester City, due to his North West loyalty to his family, and that Chelsea would probs not need him and I can't see him fitting in at a Madrid or Barcelona. I highly doubt a move is on the cards, if the new transfer policy does take place it may put an end to the high prices of world class players which will no doubt put an end to 70 million plus transfers.
Fred - I think he will leave in January. Us united fans can be quite hard to win back over. I hope he stays but my heart says he will leave
In a recent derby between Schalke and Borrussia Dortmund, terrace ticket prices were raised above €22 for the first time, leading to a boycott of the game by 300 Borrussia Dortmund fan groups, 1500 tickets being returned.
“Even the League took notice, we got worldwide attention and the fans proved they can fight for something. Now it is time for fans of other clubs to continue the protest. This is not a Dortmund protest, but it is of concern to other fan groups as well”.
Rather than boycotting games, yellow and green scarves have become the Manchester United Supporter's Trust weapon of choice in the protests against the Glazer ownership of Manchester United. Firstly do you support the campaign and secondly, would it not be a more effective means of demonstration to have an empty Old Trafford screened across the world?
Greg - I completely agree. Hitting the Glazer's in their pockets is the only way they're going to notice. At the moment the dissenting fans are just irritants to be hijacked for PR spin reasons or for boasting about the OT atmosphere. The issue is though, as much as that is the cold, hard route to results with direct action, many don't want to harm the club they support even to face off arguably the greater threat of the Glazer ownership. So much for the Red Knights.
It was good to see FC United get into the next stage of the FA cup though. Protest club or not, I respect what they stand for and it'd be great to see them rise up through the divisions. Hopefully they won't have to compromise on their principles if success comes calling.
Gareth - To be honest I can't say that I'm fully into the gold and green campaign, alot of it seems fairly half arsed and more like a new fashion statement for many. Personally I don't like the fact that we have a huge debt, but a product the size of united will always keep afloat via its turnover. The Glazer's themselves are business men, hence their selfishness, however they don't interfere in the football side of things like other owners i.e. Abramovich, and probs the new Liverpool owners, so the football side of things is ran the correct way. David Gill is a very capable executive also and I firmly believe there's alot behind the scenes that we don't know about both positive and negative.It wouldn't be fair on the team to stop going to matches, it’s not a campaign against the players or the manager simply the heavy debt the club is now in through the Glazers.
Fred - I think something needs to be done about the Glazers, and our roots are never far from apparent. We are a very proud club and thats is what the scarves are about. A demonstration in the way of a walkout would definatley get the publicity but at the end of the day the club and it's fans are football fans thats why they turn up every week at OT.
General United
What has been your favourite memory/moment from supporting Manchester United?
Greg - I've been lucky to enjoy quite a few being a child of the Fergie years. Either my first ever match at OT when we tanked Ipswich 9-0 in March 1995 or Ole's goal at the Nou Camp. Amazing!
Gareth - Obvious ones include the treble season, and the league/champions league double. For me seeing Eric Cantona & Cristiano Ronaldo perform at the club have been two of my favourites, both in their own way one of a kind very special players.
Fred - Without Doubt The Treble 1999 specifically Solskjaer's goal
And the worst -
Greg - Not so much a memory or moment but the knee-jerk calls for Fergie to retire from some sections of our "fans" every time things don't go our way are probably the most embarrassing aspects of being a Manchester United supporter.
Gareth - Seeing us disappointingly miss out on the league title for several seasons running as we rebuilt, seems a little irrelevant compared to what other clubs have been through (i.e City) but this has been the only low point in my generation of supporting united.
Fred - The Rooney saga
If you could sign a player from the Manchester City squad, who would you choose ?
Greg - Joe Hart. Don't want another post-Schmeichal blight in goal!
Gareth - Tevez, hands down, second would be Silva possibly Joe Hart he's a great prospect, all the rest seem pathetically failing to live up to the smallest of price tags let alone the one's they actually got given. (Lescott, Toure(s), Barry, Adebayor etc)
Fred - Joe Hart
If you could place a past Manchester United player into the current team, who would it be?
Greg - Bryan Robson - the all action, box to box match winner we're missing in our midfield right now
Gareth - Cristiano Ronaldo
Fred - Eric Cantona
The fans
Name: Greg
Age: 21
Name: Gareth Price
Age: 23
Name: Fred Thomas
Age: 23
The game
Scoreline Prediction:
Greg - A lot depends on our injuries due to the virus going round but I'm expecting either a tense 2-2 or for us to just pip it with a little green pea.
Gareth - 1-2
Fred - 2-1 United
One to watch:
Greg - For you guys, David Silva. For us? Paul Scholes.
Gareth - Tevez, Hernandez
Fred - Javier Hernandez
Despite signing a new contract, rumours have still circulated over the future of Wayne Rooney, even the potential of a 'gentlemen's agreement', as seemed to be the case with Cristiano Ronaldo, enabling the club to receive a much larger fee and the player to leave without the aggravation of unsettled fans. Do you believe he will still leave or has he genuinely been convinced to stay and can he win back the faith of the fans?
Greg - I think Rooney is a disgrace and gives our club a bad name. For me, winning in the right style comes before victory at any cost and that isn't just limited to how we play on the pitch. Looking at how the majority of our squad behave outside of their football (Giggs, Scholes, Park, Fletcher etc.) Rooney has completely let the side down. Just before the world cup I was praising him for growing up and maturing as a player infield but he seems to have gone backwards, cheating on his pregnant wife and behaving like an all round idiot at every opportunity.
Unfortunately, on his day, he is our best player although I don't think he's reached the heights his potential suggested at in his earlier years. In the last two or three seasons he seems to have lost some of his ability to do the unexpected and turned from being a raw, fantasy player into a far more efficient and effective, if predictable force of nature. His lack of personal discipline in the off season seems to be catching up with him too on the injury and fitness front causing his slow start the season to grow ever longer. He is still one hell of a player but personally, I'd rather we sold him off for a huge sum as soon as possible and invested it back into our youth system. No one is bigger than the club. Having said all that, I think he'll stay but things will never be the same again for some fans, me included.
Gareth - A gentleman's agreement wouldn't make much sense over a five year contract deal, to me it seems that his agent (Stretford) has worked much of this in order to cash in on what would be Rooney's last major contract at any club, a way of him to make the most of his clients income. Whatever the case this has been dealt with poorly and Rooney has alot to make up for, both to his teammates and fans, thus putting pressure upon himself when he returns. If a gentleman's agreement is the case I can only see him moving to Manchester City, due to his North West loyalty to his family, and that Chelsea would probs not need him and I can't see him fitting in at a Madrid or Barcelona. I highly doubt a move is on the cards, if the new transfer policy does take place it may put an end to the high prices of world class players which will no doubt put an end to 70 million plus transfers.
Fred - I think he will leave in January. Us united fans can be quite hard to win back over. I hope he stays but my heart says he will leave
In a recent derby between Schalke and Borrussia Dortmund, terrace ticket prices were raised above €22 for the first time, leading to a boycott of the game by 300 Borrussia Dortmund fan groups, 1500 tickets being returned.
“Even the League took notice, we got worldwide attention and the fans proved they can fight for something. Now it is time for fans of other clubs to continue the protest. This is not a Dortmund protest, but it is of concern to other fan groups as well”.
Rather than boycotting games, yellow and green scarves have become the Manchester United Supporter's Trust weapon of choice in the protests against the Glazer ownership of Manchester United. Firstly do you support the campaign and secondly, would it not be a more effective means of demonstration to have an empty Old Trafford screened across the world?
Greg - I completely agree. Hitting the Glazer's in their pockets is the only way they're going to notice. At the moment the dissenting fans are just irritants to be hijacked for PR spin reasons or for boasting about the OT atmosphere. The issue is though, as much as that is the cold, hard route to results with direct action, many don't want to harm the club they support even to face off arguably the greater threat of the Glazer ownership. So much for the Red Knights.
It was good to see FC United get into the next stage of the FA cup though. Protest club or not, I respect what they stand for and it'd be great to see them rise up through the divisions. Hopefully they won't have to compromise on their principles if success comes calling.
Gareth - To be honest I can't say that I'm fully into the gold and green campaign, alot of it seems fairly half arsed and more like a new fashion statement for many. Personally I don't like the fact that we have a huge debt, but a product the size of united will always keep afloat via its turnover. The Glazer's themselves are business men, hence their selfishness, however they don't interfere in the football side of things like other owners i.e. Abramovich, and probs the new Liverpool owners, so the football side of things is ran the correct way. David Gill is a very capable executive also and I firmly believe there's alot behind the scenes that we don't know about both positive and negative.It wouldn't be fair on the team to stop going to matches, it’s not a campaign against the players or the manager simply the heavy debt the club is now in through the Glazers.
Fred - I think something needs to be done about the Glazers, and our roots are never far from apparent. We are a very proud club and thats is what the scarves are about. A demonstration in the way of a walkout would definatley get the publicity but at the end of the day the club and it's fans are football fans thats why they turn up every week at OT.
General United
What has been your favourite memory/moment from supporting Manchester United?
Greg - I've been lucky to enjoy quite a few being a child of the Fergie years. Either my first ever match at OT when we tanked Ipswich 9-0 in March 1995 or Ole's goal at the Nou Camp. Amazing!
Gareth - Obvious ones include the treble season, and the league/champions league double. For me seeing Eric Cantona & Cristiano Ronaldo perform at the club have been two of my favourites, both in their own way one of a kind very special players.
Fred - Without Doubt The Treble 1999 specifically Solskjaer's goal
And the worst -
Greg - Not so much a memory or moment but the knee-jerk calls for Fergie to retire from some sections of our "fans" every time things don't go our way are probably the most embarrassing aspects of being a Manchester United supporter.
Gareth - Seeing us disappointingly miss out on the league title for several seasons running as we rebuilt, seems a little irrelevant compared to what other clubs have been through (i.e City) but this has been the only low point in my generation of supporting united.
Fred - The Rooney saga
If you could sign a player from the Manchester City squad, who would you choose ?
Greg - Joe Hart. Don't want another post-Schmeichal blight in goal!
Gareth - Tevez, hands down, second would be Silva possibly Joe Hart he's a great prospect, all the rest seem pathetically failing to live up to the smallest of price tags let alone the one's they actually got given. (Lescott, Toure(s), Barry, Adebayor etc)
Fred - Joe Hart
If you could place a past Manchester United player into the current team, who would it be?
Greg - Bryan Robson - the all action, box to box match winner we're missing in our midfield right now
Gareth - Cristiano Ronaldo
Fred - Eric Cantona
Wednesday, 3 November 2010
Matchday: Lech Poznań
Jose Maria Bakero has been appointed the new Lech Poznan head coach just one day before our top of group A clash. There appears to have been major upheaval in the Lech camp since our previous encounter, back to back 4-1 wins against Cracovia in the cup and Wisla Krakow in the league before the firing of Jacek Zielinski.
Of course this brings about the possibility of 'new manager syndrome' to a tough game played in front of a sell out 45,000 crowd. The locals will make this an atmosphere to remember, many fans queuing well in advance to purchase tickets
Last Saturday was possibly the worst performance from the Mancini reign, but it's likely that a lot of the players from that team will have to wait a few more days to make amends, with Roberto Mancini confirming that there will be squad rotation. "We will probably change some players for tomorrow because with a game every three days it's impossible to play the same players. So we need to make changes but we have good players and they can put in some good work on Thursday."
One player that didn't feature at Wolves, Aleksandar Kolarov looks set for his return to action since his injury during the opening match of the season. Albeit it is likely to be a cameo from the bench.
Shay Given could also start only his second game of the season according to Mancini's answer from last week's fans' forum. Although the loss to Wolves plus Shay suffering a knock in training on Monday could see Hart retaining his place.
Carlos Tevez remains in Argentina until Friday so Adebayor is likely to keep his starting place. Roque Santa Cruz is not registered for the EL squad, leaving Mario Balotelli and Jo as the remaining strikers fighting for a position. Given Balotelli's recent return from a long term injury plus the 90 minutes he played on Saturday, I believe he is unlikely to start, with a tough trip to the Hawthornes followed by the Manchester derby in the next seven days.
I'd like to thank Michał Zachodny from http://polishscout.blogspot.com/ and Kuba Krzyzostaniak from http://lechinusa.blogspot.com/ for their help this week.
Friday, 29 October 2010
Matchday: Wolves
- Great news on the defensive front is Kolo Toure returning to fitness. There is no doubting we have missed his partnership with Vincent Kompany - which only shipped 4 goals in 10 games, compared to the 7 goals in the last 3 games without him.
- The full back choices are again less obvious. Micah Richards was excellent against Arsenal and may well retain his place, possibly with Jerome Boateng filling in at left back. Kolarov is expected to take some part of Thursday's game so we are not far off our first choice defence.
- Carlos Tevez will miss the game with a dead leg. He has flown to Argentina to spend the weekend with his family before returning to training on Monday. A major doubt for Thursday's game against Lech Poznan, although he probably would be rested anyway.
- In his absence, it's likely that Emmanuel Adebayor will continue to deputise. Mario Balotelli is pushing for his first start, but I have my doubts whether he would be chosen as the lone striker. Mario is much more of a supporting ST, if he does start tomorrow I suspect it will be up front alongside Adebayor, with David Silva playing behind them at the tip of a diamond midfield. I'm planning on writing a full post on the diamond formation and Mancini's preference towards it later this weekend.
Ask The Opposition: Wolves
The fans
Name: Gerald Early
Age: 67
Name: Sam
Age: 19
The game
Scoreline Prediction:
Gerald - Feeling strangely optimistic, Wolves 1 - 0 Man City
Sam - 1-2. Although I wouldn't be too surprised to see us snatch a draw!
One to watch:
Gerald - Matt Jarvis, surely an England internation in the near future
Sam - Matt Jarvis. Very close to an England call-up for the last batch of internationals. I fear for our chances of holding onto him next summer, whether we are still playing in the Premier League or not.
Do you feel your current league position belies the way the team has been playing as of late:
Gerald - Not really, although we expected another tough season we're playing some decent football. Our main issue is that we're not clinical enough in front of goal, but we're creating the chances.
Sam - Definitely not - it's the same old story for us, we play some pretty good stuff at times and create chances easily, yet we can never stick them away.
General Wolves
What has been your favourite memory/moment from supporting Wolves:
Gerald - Steve Bull's loyalty, which is something that has gone missing in today's game. Of course, when he got his first cap, it was a proud day for the club. I would've said when one of our promotions, but sadly we haven't really pushed on from them as of yet.
Sam - Probably the Play-off final win against Sheffield United back in 2003. Closely followed by the 4-3 comeback victory against Leicester, and the 1-0 win over Man Utd, both in the following season.
And the worst:
Gerald - Relegation to the old 4th Division in 1986 is the one that stands out the most.
Sam - The entire reign under Hoddle. I don't think I've ever seen such an inept idiot in charge of a football team in my life, words can literally not express how awful he is. He had a team strong enough to battle for promotion from the Championship, and almost took us into League 1, almost ruining the club in the process. Thank god Super Mick came along and got us into the play-offs with a team of nobodies the next season!
If you could sign a player from the City squad (wages etc irrelevant), who would you choose:
Gerald - Carlos Tevez, he's workrate is second to none and he's a proven goalscorer.
Sam - David Silva. I love that little genius, and I'm glad he's found his feet quickly in English football, because for some reason not many people seemed to realise just how good he was.
If you could place a past Wolves player into the current team, who would it be:
Gerald - Quite obviously Steve Bull. He's the big man up front we're missing right now
Sam - Being only 19, I can really only pick a player from our days of being in what is now the Championship! So I'm going to have to go with Steve Bull. The way we create chances, all we need is someone to start sticking them in the back of the net, and who better than Bully to do that job? Wolves legend.
Name: Gerald Early
Age: 67
Name: Sam
Age: 19
The game
Scoreline Prediction:
Gerald - Feeling strangely optimistic, Wolves 1 - 0 Man City
Sam - 1-2. Although I wouldn't be too surprised to see us snatch a draw!
One to watch:
Gerald - Matt Jarvis, surely an England internation in the near future
Sam - Matt Jarvis. Very close to an England call-up for the last batch of internationals. I fear for our chances of holding onto him next summer, whether we are still playing in the Premier League or not.
Do you feel your current league position belies the way the team has been playing as of late:
Gerald - Not really, although we expected another tough season we're playing some decent football. Our main issue is that we're not clinical enough in front of goal, but we're creating the chances.
Sam - Definitely not - it's the same old story for us, we play some pretty good stuff at times and create chances easily, yet we can never stick them away.
General Wolves
What has been your favourite memory/moment from supporting Wolves:
Gerald - Steve Bull's loyalty, which is something that has gone missing in today's game. Of course, when he got his first cap, it was a proud day for the club. I would've said when one of our promotions, but sadly we haven't really pushed on from them as of yet.
Sam - Probably the Play-off final win against Sheffield United back in 2003. Closely followed by the 4-3 comeback victory against Leicester, and the 1-0 win over Man Utd, both in the following season.
And the worst:
Gerald - Relegation to the old 4th Division in 1986 is the one that stands out the most.
Sam - The entire reign under Hoddle. I don't think I've ever seen such an inept idiot in charge of a football team in my life, words can literally not express how awful he is. He had a team strong enough to battle for promotion from the Championship, and almost took us into League 1, almost ruining the club in the process. Thank god Super Mick came along and got us into the play-offs with a team of nobodies the next season!
If you could sign a player from the City squad (wages etc irrelevant), who would you choose:
Gerald - Carlos Tevez, he's workrate is second to none and he's a proven goalscorer.
Sam - David Silva. I love that little genius, and I'm glad he's found his feet quickly in English football, because for some reason not many people seemed to realise just how good he was.
If you could place a past Wolves player into the current team, who would it be:
Gerald - Quite obviously Steve Bull. He's the big man up front we're missing right now
Sam - Being only 19, I can really only pick a player from our days of being in what is now the Championship! So I'm going to have to go with Steve Bull. The way we create chances, all we need is someone to start sticking them in the back of the net, and who better than Bully to do that job? Wolves legend.
Saturday, 23 October 2010
Matchday: Arsenal
- He grabbed a goal, a suspension and the headlines last year, but Emmanuel Adebayor will likely return to the bench after his midweek hat-trick against Lech Poznan. Tevez will take his place, looking to add to 28 goals in his last 30 games.
- I'm fully expecting a return to 4-5-1 after the unsuccesful 4-4-2 experiment last weekend against Blackpool. Yaya Toure returning from injury will mean a full strength midfield, most likely made up of De Jong, Barry, Yaya, Milner and Silva. The De Jong-Barry-Yaya triangle proved to be extremely effective at stifling Chelsea and we will need them to replicate that performance tomorrow against Song, Diaby and Fabregas.
- Tomorrow's defensive line up however, is far less certain. Deposed skipper Kolo Toure is still unavailable after failing to recover from the injury which has kept him out of the last two matches. This is a major blow to our hopes of keeping Chamakh and co quiet as the Kolo/Kompany partnership has matured into one of the best in the league.
- Big news on the injury front is that Kolarov and Balotelli will be available for the match, although I'm expecting bench starts at most for both of them. Competitively they have less than 90 minutes between them this season, so will most likely be gradually introduced into the team.
Ask The Opposition: Arsenal
The fan
Name: Vince
Age: 26
The game
Scoreline Prediction: 1-3
One to watch: Samir Nasri. Superb form going into this game.
Although it is still early, many are considering the game a six-pointer; has your season progressed as you had expected so far?
It's been as inconsistent as I'd expect the season immediately after a World Cup to be. Certainly the home defeat to WBA wasn't the anomaly I'd like to claim it as; Hull achieved similar in '08 -'09 against an equally complacent Gunners team. Aside from some early shakes, even as an Arsenal fan I don't think anyone expected us to have had the sheer number of injuries we've had to contend with so far. While Robin 'fibreglass' Van Persie wasn't a massive surprise (and he's fast becoming viewed as a luxury player at the Emirates), losing Vermaelen was an unexpected blow and this time last year meant either losing Song from the midfield or (shudder) bringing in Silvestre. Another player who's seemed absent despite physically being on the pitch is Andre Arshavin. Most of us felt that a good rest in light of Russia's failure to qualify for South Africa would do him good, in truth he still doesn't seem to have shed the weight he piled on over the Summer and after anything above a light jog he ends up doubled over and breathing heavily. While defensive duties have never been top of his priorities list he's left Clichy looking woefully exposed and the latter looked infinitely more comfortable playing behind the more tenacious Tomas Rosicky, who's been in great form of late. In terms of where we are in the table I'm cautiously optimistic; there's a gap to the top but it's smaller than what we overcame (twice!) last year. It's been nice to have gotten some tricky away fixtures over with but I'd like to have played a post-Mascherano Liverpool with the Jack Wilshere who's grown out of that match at Anfield.
Squillaci and Koscielny were the defensive additions this summer whilst Chamakh is already weighing in with goals, how do you feel the new recruits are settling in?
I think they're doing incredibly well. The pair of French lads in defence have been a welcome addition, as has Johan Djourou who has finally returned from injury. The communication across our back 5 has been lacking since the days of Adams and Keown; Toure and Gallas famously hated each other and last year the defence spoke entirely in French, unless they felt the need to include Almunia at which point they'd throw in some English! Squillaci has brought some much needed experience and is very vocal while Koscielny's got an uncanny knack for interceptions. Both have had the odd teething problem but nothing disastrous. Chamakh has been quietly becoming something of a revelation, the Moroccan penalty-collector may not lead the line quite like RVP but he has more experience than Nic Bendtner and after injury forced Arshavin to play as the lone striker last Spring, it's been brilliant having a big target man up front.
General Arsenal
What has been your favourite memory/moment from supporting Arsenal? -
The Dennis Bergkamp goal against Newcastle. It's a pretty obvious answer but aside from THAT Roberto Carlos free kick i'd never before seen a goal I didn't fully understand. It's a goal I get up on youtube whenever I'm with someone who says "why do you even watch football?"
I also have a feeling that the crowd reaction to Eduardo's return/goal on Tuesday will live long in the memory too.
And the worst -
If not the Champions League final, then the day of the injury to our aforementioned Crozillian. I was in Manhattan at the time watching the game in some tacky faux-Irish bar at about 9am due to the time difference, with a girlfriend I'd been with for years who'd grown to silently loathe me. What transpired in that game did nothing for my mood and the relationship went the same way as Eduardo's leg shortly after we returned to England.
If you could sign a player from the City squad (wages etc irrelevant), who would you choose -
Joe Hart. I'm not one of the people who expected Wenger to sign a new 'keeper in the Summer and always kept to the belief that a run of games would see Fabianski show us why we signed him, but you can't go wrong with a player like Hart who just seems to exude the kind of natural confidence you need. It spreads through the defence and makes the whole team more secure when you can trust the guy behind you not to do anything mental.
If you could place a past Arsenal player into the current team, who would it be -
Thierry Henry. I think he in his prime would love the way the team plays at the moment and he'd provide that vital unpredictability we sometimes seem to lack.
Name: Vince
Age: 26
The game
Scoreline Prediction: 1-3
One to watch: Samir Nasri. Superb form going into this game.
Although it is still early, many are considering the game a six-pointer; has your season progressed as you had expected so far?
It's been as inconsistent as I'd expect the season immediately after a World Cup to be. Certainly the home defeat to WBA wasn't the anomaly I'd like to claim it as; Hull achieved similar in '08 -'09 against an equally complacent Gunners team. Aside from some early shakes, even as an Arsenal fan I don't think anyone expected us to have had the sheer number of injuries we've had to contend with so far. While Robin 'fibreglass' Van Persie wasn't a massive surprise (and he's fast becoming viewed as a luxury player at the Emirates), losing Vermaelen was an unexpected blow and this time last year meant either losing Song from the midfield or (shudder) bringing in Silvestre. Another player who's seemed absent despite physically being on the pitch is Andre Arshavin. Most of us felt that a good rest in light of Russia's failure to qualify for South Africa would do him good, in truth he still doesn't seem to have shed the weight he piled on over the Summer and after anything above a light jog he ends up doubled over and breathing heavily. While defensive duties have never been top of his priorities list he's left Clichy looking woefully exposed and the latter looked infinitely more comfortable playing behind the more tenacious Tomas Rosicky, who's been in great form of late. In terms of where we are in the table I'm cautiously optimistic; there's a gap to the top but it's smaller than what we overcame (twice!) last year. It's been nice to have gotten some tricky away fixtures over with but I'd like to have played a post-Mascherano Liverpool with the Jack Wilshere who's grown out of that match at Anfield.
Squillaci and Koscielny were the defensive additions this summer whilst Chamakh is already weighing in with goals, how do you feel the new recruits are settling in?
I think they're doing incredibly well. The pair of French lads in defence have been a welcome addition, as has Johan Djourou who has finally returned from injury. The communication across our back 5 has been lacking since the days of Adams and Keown; Toure and Gallas famously hated each other and last year the defence spoke entirely in French, unless they felt the need to include Almunia at which point they'd throw in some English! Squillaci has brought some much needed experience and is very vocal while Koscielny's got an uncanny knack for interceptions. Both have had the odd teething problem but nothing disastrous. Chamakh has been quietly becoming something of a revelation, the Moroccan penalty-collector may not lead the line quite like RVP but he has more experience than Nic Bendtner and after injury forced Arshavin to play as the lone striker last Spring, it's been brilliant having a big target man up front.
General Arsenal
What has been your favourite memory/moment from supporting Arsenal? -
The Dennis Bergkamp goal against Newcastle. It's a pretty obvious answer but aside from THAT Roberto Carlos free kick i'd never before seen a goal I didn't fully understand. It's a goal I get up on youtube whenever I'm with someone who says "why do you even watch football?"
I also have a feeling that the crowd reaction to Eduardo's return/goal on Tuesday will live long in the memory too.
And the worst -
If not the Champions League final, then the day of the injury to our aforementioned Crozillian. I was in Manhattan at the time watching the game in some tacky faux-Irish bar at about 9am due to the time difference, with a girlfriend I'd been with for years who'd grown to silently loathe me. What transpired in that game did nothing for my mood and the relationship went the same way as Eduardo's leg shortly after we returned to England.
If you could sign a player from the City squad (wages etc irrelevant), who would you choose -
Joe Hart. I'm not one of the people who expected Wenger to sign a new 'keeper in the Summer and always kept to the belief that a run of games would see Fabianski show us why we signed him, but you can't go wrong with a player like Hart who just seems to exude the kind of natural confidence you need. It spreads through the defence and makes the whole team more secure when you can trust the guy behind you not to do anything mental.
If you could place a past Arsenal player into the current team, who would it be -
Thierry Henry. I think he in his prime would love the way the team plays at the moment and he'd provide that vital unpredictability we sometimes seem to lack.
Wednesday, 1 September 2010
The 25 is announced
Michael Johnson is in the squad in place of David Gonzales as the only difference to my predictions. The only Mancunian in the senior squad at the moment, I didn't expect him to make the cut due to the fact he is out injured until late November (mixed with our terrible goalkeeper trouble last season) but I'm delighted for him. Hopefully he can get a few appearances but I believe a loan spell will follow in January in order for him to build up match fitness.
Keepers: Shay Given, Joe Hart, Stuart Taylor.
Defenders: Jerome Boateng, Wayne Bridge, Aleksander Kolarov, Vincent Kompany, Joleon Lescott, Shaleum Logan, Micah Richards, Kolo Toure, Pablo Zabaleta.
Midfielders: Gareth Barry, Nigel de Jong, Adam Johnson, Michael Johnson, James Milner, David Silva, Yaya Toure, Patrick Vieira, Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Forwards: Emmanuel Adebayor, Jo, Roque Santa Cruz, Carlos Tevez.
Keepers: Shay Given, Joe Hart, Stuart Taylor.
Defenders: Jerome Boateng, Wayne Bridge, Aleksander Kolarov, Vincent Kompany, Joleon Lescott, Shaleum Logan, Micah Richards, Kolo Toure, Pablo Zabaleta.
Midfielders: Gareth Barry, Nigel de Jong, Adam Johnson, Michael Johnson, James Milner, David Silva, Yaya Toure, Patrick Vieira, Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Forwards: Emmanuel Adebayor, Jo, Roque Santa Cruz, Carlos Tevez.
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