september 19th
07.34 – Arsenal players have been talking the talk, before they have to walk the walk at Old Trafford on Sunday. They’re going to run the run and kick the kick and tackle the tackle before winning the win. Oh yes.
Thierry Henry on Wednesday’s Inter game – “It is a big disappointment but at the end of the day that’s not the first time and it won’t be the last. That’s the way it is sometimes. You go through good and bad moments but you have to lift yourself up and try to show that was a mistake and try to perform.”
Patrick Vieira can’t wait until Sunday’s Man United game saying “When you have a game like this you want the next match to be the next day so you can prove to everybody it was just one of the those days when everything went wrong.”
Bob Wilson isn’t confident about Arsenal playing Manchester United at the moment. He says “I don’t think it’s a good time for them to be going up to play Manchester United, not at all.” He’s worried that Arsene Wenger’s failure/inability to bring in new players in teh summer will see Arsenal stagnate. “They needed someone who could excite the crowd and maybe add to what they already have at Highbury. There is nothing to fire them when they are in trouble.”
Sol Campbell will miss the game on Sunday following the death of his father, who suffered a stroke on the eve of the Inter game. Martin Keown will play alongside K-Lo, and our best wishes and thoughts are with Sol at this time. Some things are even more important than football.
There’s been a huge reaction among Arsenal fans to the defeat against Inter. Yes, I think there are certain things we need to work on, not everything in the garden is rosy. But it’s not the apocalyptic disaster some people seem to think it is. There are 5 more games to play in the Champions League, we’re top of the league, we’ve only lost one game this season. Do you think Manchester United fans vented such spleen when they lost 1-0 to Southampton? I doubt it. There were some boos to be heard at half-time on Wednesday. Wouldn’t it be nice if more of the Highbury crowd got behind the team and tried to urge them on, rather than sitting, waiting to be entertained all the time, tutting and moaning when things go wrong?
Anyway, if experience has taught us anything, it’s much better to have a bad patch – if you can even call it that – early in the season when you have time to put things right, rather than collapse late on when it’s too late to do anything.
Jermaine Pennant wants to extend his stay at Leeds. “At the moment I’m happy and when you’re happy you’re playing well. I’m enjoying my time here and hopefully I can stay here a bit longer.” I’m not sure it’ll happen though. He’s been sent out to get a taste of first team football, to give him experience he’ll need to play for Arsenal. He might be the breath of fresh air the squad needs in a few weeks time.
Oooo, thank fuck it’s Friday.
