Mug smashers smashed, Eboue's antics a disgrace, round-up

What a lovely evening on Anfield that was. A 3-1 win that not even the staunchest Liverpool fan could say we didn’t deserve and the mug smasher was so unhappy at half-time he went upstairs and put on his lucky shirt. Liverpool have never lost while he wore that shirt. Until now, heh.

For the first half hour it was pretty much as you’d expect without it being too dramatic. Liverpool came at us as the home side, with Flamini and Gilberto anchoring the midfield we looked very solid without ever looking threatening. Xabi Alonso got a yellow card for a dive which Hansen and Shearer thought was a penalty but it never was. The yellow was a bit harsh but there’s no way it was a penalty.

Then on 37 minutes we took the lead. Hleb and Rosicky worked the ball down our right hand side. Helb squared it to Rosicky on the edge of the box and his first time shot flew over Dudek to make it 1-0. Beautiful, neat football in the build up and a great finish. With just one goal previously it was a bit of a surprise when he made it 2-0 just before half time. He skipped through challenges to the edge of the Liverpool box and Steven Gerrard won’t look back fondly on his pathetic attempt at a tackle which allowed the Czech to score again. So 2-0 at half time and all well with the world.

In the second there was not a lot happening, Liverpool had lots of possession but did very little with it and then, to my mind, came the moment which sparked them into life. Emmanuel Eboue kicked Luis Garcia in the back of the legs then went down in an attempt to avoid the yellow card. Given Eboue’s history it would not be unreasonable to assume there was nothing wrong with him. Then they got a corner and he sat down at the goalpost and injured or not all he did was get the Liverpool fans and players fired up. The fact that Hoyte replaced Eboue before Gary Lewin had even got around to see how injured he was speaks volumes for me.

I am seriously tired of his behaviour on the pitch. He’s a faker, a cheat, his defending is schoolboy at times and he puts his team under pressure when there’s absolutely no need for it. Honestly, I’d be quite happy to see the back of him now. Lauren can’t come back soon enough for me and if not, while I think Justin Hoyte is decent back up without ever being good enough to be a first team regular, the manager needs to take a long hard look at the right back position. I hope Eboue had strips torn off him because that’s no less than he deserved and he was the only negative from what was a great night.

So with our concentration slightly off because of Eboue’s antics Liverpool got one back when Dirk Kuyt nodded in Peter Crouch’s header from another corner. After that Liverpool, as Thierry Henry said afterwards, bombarded us for the next 15 minutes or so but at the back we were excellent, none more so than Philippe Senderos who made countless headed clearances from Liverpool’s succession of crosses. In front of him Flamini and Gilberto worked very hard as well and it wasn’t until 5 minutes from time that we made the game safe.

Thierry Henry received the ball in the centre circle, passed it down the wing, ran onto it but was beaten to it by Jamie Carragher who slipped and gave it back to the captain. He continued into the box, cut inside and beat Dudek with what was hardly his most powerful finish but it was an excellent goal nonetheless. After that there was no way back for Liverpool and holders went out in the third round.

Afterwards Arsene Wenger praised the performance while Thierry Henry was quick to praise the commitment and work rate. In his BBC interview afterwards it was good to see him credit the defence and midfield for all the hard work they put in. A word too for Tomas Rosicky. Hopefully those goals will help him push on a bit, perhaps he was affected by the CSKA Moscow miss and having one cleared off the line against Blackburn and hitting the post against Charlton might have pplaying on his mind, but this performance should fill him full of confidence.
So the draw for the fourth round takes place on Monday. Any bets on Chelsea or United away? Short odds, I’d imagine.

Now, onto the rest of the Sunday round-up. According to the News of the World Arsenal have told Freddie Ljungberg he can leave and they’re trying to move him on in this transfer window. An Arsenal ‘insider’ allegedly said:

He has been frustrated by the amount of games he has played recently but his heart and soul has always been with Arsenal. He had no idea the club was planning to force him out. He can’t believe he’s been treated like this. Freddie will be very sad to leave Arsenal but he’d like to stay in the Premiership and feels he still has plenty to offer an ambitious club.

It’s been sad to see Freddie recently. He’s been plagued with injuries and has found it very hard to get a good run in the side together and he really hasn’t looked the same player for quite some time now. It would be no surprise if the club decided to cash in on him now but we’ll wait and see what happens. The same paper says that Emmanuel Adebayor is being given a contract extension and a pay rise to see off interest from Manchester United which sounds and smells a bit whiffy to me.

Anthony Stokes has agreed a 4 year deal with Charlton. Apparently he turned down Celtic and while I wish him well I’m sorry he has to work with such a poxy cunt like Alan Pardew. However, reports this morning suggest Roy Keane’s Sunderland could gazump the London club at the 11th hour.

Not much else happening in terms of transfer news. A quick look at our on-loan players shows some mixed news. Arturo Lupoli scored a hat-trick for Derby, Seb Larsson (who looks set to make his move permanent) scored a late equaliser as 10 man Birmingham held Newcastle 2-2 but there was bad news for Nicklas Bendtner who it’s feared broke his ankle after getting it caught in the terrible pitch at St Andrews.

And that is about that. Have a good Sunday, more tomorrow.

Saturday round-up

Morning all, a quick Saturday round-up for you ahead of tonight’s game against Liverpool.

Despite whispers earlier in the week that we’d play a weak side for both cup games the manager has said he’ll be playing a strong team tonight. He said:

If you ask me about Saturday it will be a team very, very close to the one which played the last game against Charlton.

Obviously we’ll be without Cesc, who’s suspended, and it’s too soon for Lauren but Eboue and Baptista will both be back and available for selection. AW is expecting an open game, Liverpool are strong at home, we’re a bit weak when it comes to travelling up north but this is the cup. Anything can happen.

He also spoke about the transfer window with a rather odd quote. He’s said time and again he won’t be buying anyone, and I seriously doubt we have any interest at all in Reo-Cocker (at least I hope not, he’s got nothing to add to this Arsenal squad expect a poor attitude), so while the rest of the managers scurry around AW is nice and relaxed. He said:

With the transfer window I am like somebody who is watching the rain outside from inside the window. They all hurry up out there and I am sitting here watching it with pleasure.

Now, I’m of the opinion that January isn’t the best time to buy players and I don’t think the players we’d need are available in this transfer window but it is a bit odd if the manager is sitting watching the rain and smiling away when we’re so far behind the leaders. Perhaps he thinks the return of Henry, Lauren, Gallas and Diaby will be like new signings to us and perhaps it’s a measure of the faith he has in the young players that he’s not going to buy but will he be sitting watching the rain with such pleasure in May? We’ll see.

He talked about the Anthony Stokes situation and suggested that we had a ‘congestion of strikers’ ahead of him. He’s left the final decision down to the player himself and it looks like the young Irishman will be leaving the club one way of the other. Arturo Lupoli looks like another one on his way, although perhaps not until summer, and the boss says he’ll respect what the young Italian wants to do. What does seem to be obvious is that Bendtner, Vela and Walcott are the manager’s current picks and it’ll have to be a very special talent to knock them down the pecking order.
One thing I do agree with him on is the matter of players who engage themselves in ‘foul play’. In a swipe at referees who allow players like Chris Morgan to punch Robin van Persie he said:

If it’s a physical game, and they show more commitment and want it more than us, then it’s OK. I don’t have any problems. But I don’t feel it is right to punch people in the stomach and then say they are ‘babies’. That is not the way I see the game. When you go for the ball 100 per cent I respect that, but when I see a player giving another player an elbow before he goes for the ball, I say, ‘sorry my friend, you have nothing to do in the game’. It’s not football.

He’s right too. I don’t think there’s a football fan in the land who would complain about a tough, physical game. The powers that be have done so much to eliminate physical contact from the game. Gone are the days of sliding tackles that took ball and man, shoulder charges and everything else. What we have seen is a rise in sly, niggly foul play which doesn’t seem to be clamped down on at all. I know people will say it’s a bit rich coming from Arsene Wenger who has just been fined £10,000 for an altercation with Alan Pardew but then those people are fucking simpletons.

Elsewhere Thierry Henry talks about his injury problems and how he’s learned from them, saying:

When people asked if I was okay I would say ‘Yes’ even though I knew I wasn’t. You have to read the right signals in your body. One thing I have found difficult to do is to listen to my body. I need to do that.

Thierry will start tonight up front with Robin van Persie so fingers crossed he can make his body do the stuff. The good stuff. The good smashing mug smashers stuff.

Right, I’m off. More tomorrow and here’s to the lads scoring another famous Anfield victory. And making mug smasher cry like a little girl. Oh please let that happen.

Injury update, Stokes sold?, Arsecast with the mug smasher

Friday morning, the end of another week, and no league action until next weekend. We’ve got double cup goodness against the Scousers starting tomorrow in the FA Cup.

What is good news is that our injuries are beginning to clear up. Eboue should be available for tomorrow’s game, Julio Baptista should be back too, Lauren is ‘ready to play’ according to Arsene Wenger, William Gallas and Theo Walcott are in contention for the Carling Cup, Freddie Ljungberg is on track too. The most encouraging news is the fact that Abou Diaby took part in his first competitive training session since he was put out of the game for 9 months by some witless Sunderland hacker. The manager said:

It is great news. He is so happy to play and his performance was very positive.

He certainly adds a physical presence to the midfield and it will be nice to have the options we’ll have when everyone is up and running again. William Gallas says the FA Cup should be a priority with the league title so far away. He says:

It’s true the title is a long way off. Now, apart from the Champions League, the FA Cup has become a big target for us.

On to matters disciplinary. Sheffield United’s Chris Morgan got a three match ban for punching Robin van Persie in the ribs. Good enough for him, the sly cunt.

However, Alan Pardew has escaped without charge for his ‘bust-up’ with Arsene Wenger. I’m flummoxed, I have to say. If Wenger deserved a £10,000 fine for reacting to Pardew’s juvenile provocation then the former West Ham manager and soon to be relegated Charlton manager deserved just the same. Perhaps they overlooked the fact that for Arsene to shrug off Pardew, about which he should have known better, Pardew had to have his hands on him, in Arsene’s technical area, to do it. A load of shite if you ask me but then that’s the FA.

Nothing really to concern us with regards the transfer window. Young defender Joe O’Cearuill has gone to Brighton on a month long loan while Ipswich Town are the latest club to express an interest in Anthony Stokes although some reports, from not entirely credible sources, suggest Charlton will pay £2.7m for the young Irishman.

If it is true then you have to say it’s probably a good bit of business by the club. £2.7m is a hefty chunk of money for an 18 year and while I, more than anyone, would have liked to see Stokesy make it at Arsenal we have to be realistic. While he can’t have done any more to prove he’s got a big future in the game it’s hard to see him get a game ahead of the strikers we have at the moment and one of the good things about Arsenal and Arsene Wenger is that he won’t stand in a player’s way if a decent opportunity comes his way. His chances of first team football are far greater elsewhere.

That said it is a shame we won’t have an Irishman in the team and it’s a shame he has to work with that despicable fuckbag Pardew but if it’s true I wish him all the very best. All week I’ve been receiving emails about Stokes and Bendtner and it’s something that I’ll touch on briefly in today’s Arsecast but something I’ll try and go in depth with a bit for next week’s. Are we as fans guilty of overhyping the young players and underestimating how big a step it is from reserve team football or even from Falkirk or Birmingham to Arsenal’s first team? Do we just take for granted that all our young players will become good enough? It’s something that needs more thought and preparation than I was able to give this week.

Now onto this week’s all action Arsecast.

As always the Arsecast is sponsored by classicfootballshirts.co.uk and this week features a blogchat with my Liverpool supporting brother, the mug smasher as we kind of preview the FA Cup game, Arsene Wenger Hawkins responds to a sinister threat made against him, there’s a bet of the week from www.bluesq.com and there’s some more idle waffle as you might expect.

To subscribe to the arsecast in iTunes – click here. To download this week’s arsecast directly – click here. You can find the arsecast archives here.

And that’s about that. One final thing to mention today though. You might remember some months back I mentioned a bloke called Rob Marsden, a Gooner, who’s going to climb Kilmanjaro to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support. Well, he’s heading off at the end of this month to begin his mighty trek and he’s still looking for sponsorship. Arsebloggers have been very generous already but if you felt like you could throw another few quid his way and raise money for a cause which must be close to everyone’s heart then click here and do what you can.

Cheers, all.

Oh, you know, stuff about Arsenal

Morning all, this morning I will mostly be blogging about Arsenal.

Justin Hoyte has backed Arsene Wenger’s youth policy and said that if an English player is good enough then he’ll play. His quote:

When you score, you score for Arsenal, it doesn’t matter where you are from. When you put an Arsenal shirt on, we are all playing for Arsenal.

I like. Thierry Henry says he should have taken a rest sooner and is talking up the ‘team’ big time. He says it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t score once the team do well. Mabe that is something he lost sight of a little bit but his spell of recuperation has given him time to reflect and as I said yesterday let’s hope the team sees the benefit of it. And again he’s spoken about Robin van Persie and how good he can be and how much Arsenal means to him.

Ahead of Saturday’s game in the FA Cup against Liverpool Steven Gerrard says Arsenal should be scared. Certainly Liverpool’s home form is excellent, they’ve only conceded one goal in their last 8 games or something, and they’re playing well. From what I’m told at this early stage we’re likely to play a ‘weakened’ side for both cup games although given the players we have out I’m not sure how much weaker we can get. Anyway, we’ll see. This is the FA Cup and you never know what can happen in the FA Cup. On tomorrow’s Arsecast you can hear me and the Mug Smasher talk about this game, he’s confident that Liverpool will win, and some other crap too.

In other news Sheffiled United’s Chris Morgan has been charged by the FA for his sly punch on Robin van Persie. Good. You can be quite sure if it had been an Arsenal player they’d have shown countless replays of it until the FA did something. Meanwhile Charlton keeper Scott Carson, on loan from Liverpool, praised Arsenal for the football they play. We certainly kept him busy the other night and to me it’s odd that Liverpool have him out on loan while they play a dodgy bastard like Reina (who is long overdue a horrendous error. Just trying to jinx the cunt, boss).

Falkirk boss John Hughes is waiting to see if Anthony Stokes will return to Scotland for the second half of the season. There’s been no word from Arsenal about what’ll happen to the young Irishman but Adam emailed me this morning to say that the Metro freesheet in Dublin this morning says that Arsene Wenger has told Stokesy that there’s no future for him at Arsenal and that he’ll be sold. Hardly the most reliable of sources (the Metro, not Adam) and it does fly in the face of what the manager said the other week about him coming back next year and looking for his place in the team.

If we’re going to send players out on loan to get experience and they become the top scorer in the league they’re playing in then it makes little sense to make a decision that they’re not good enough for us at that stage. And let’s not forget Jeremie Aliadiere went to Scotland, flopped like a Floppy Mc Flop but still gets a game for Arsenal. Stokes’ 16 goals should count for something.

Transfer window madness all around as players and clubs scratch around looking for deals. Some papers this morning are reporting that Arsenal turned down a bid from West Ham to take Theo Walcott on loan till the end of the season. Doesn’t Curbishley know we only sell players to West Ham when they’re near the end of their career? Anyway, it looks like they’ve got themselves Shaun Wright-Phillips and, mad and all as this might be, they might try playing Tevez and Mascherano who are two class players instead of playing shite like Marlon Harewood and Nigel Reo-Coker (who certainly did not have a medical with Arsenal this month no matter what you read elsewhere).

And that’s about that. I have an Arsecast to record so keep it down, eh?