Lots going on as you might imagine with the last game at Highbury coming up and the last day of the season tomorrow. Without further ado here’s a round-up of all the main stories.
Arsene Wenger talks about – why we had to leave Highbury, pays tribute to Herbert Chapman, and gives an injury update which isn’t all good. Gael Clichy has another knock while Flamini and Senderos look to be cutting it fine to be involved for the Champions League final which is something we’ll touch on next week.
Dennis Bergkamp looks set to play in part in tomorrow’s game and it will make the day more poignant that his last Premiership game for the club coincides with the last game at Highbury. The boss says:
It will be very emotional because he is part of that history at Highbury. Nobody will ever forget him. As much as Thierry Henry is a top target striker, Dennis Bergkamp, as a provider, was unique.
The boss also spoke about how he expects a performance from West Ham. Rather cleverly he said:
If they go into the FA Cup final next Saturday having lost against Tottenham they will not win the cup final, I tell you.
I’m sure Alan Pardew will be telling his players otherwise should they not get a result but it’ll certainly add something to their game. A more detailed preview tomorrow.
In other news Thierry Henry was named the Premiership Player of the season. He’s scored 24 league goals this time around. A couple more tomorrow would be nice.
José Antonio Reyes and Cesc Fabregas have been named in Spain’s provisional World Cup squad. Reyes would certainly have been expected to make it at the start of the season but it’s a testament to Cesc’s form and increasing maturity that he is included. Well done to both of them.
We don’t need Nikola Zigic because we’ve got Nicklas Bendtner, says Arsene.
Safety has a new column in the new look columnists section. A kind of goodbye to Highbury, The Last Waltz.
Ken Friar, who was so important in the new stadium project, talks about leaving Highbury:
When I first came we had a capacity in excess of 65,000 with only about 8,000 seats. There were no screens and no advertising, because there was no television coverage. We had no sponsors. It’s changed a bit.
More Highbury memories from Arsenal legends.
A hearty thanks to Dublin Gooner for arranging an auction on the Arseblog forums this week. Two very generous people will have a great day out tomorrow and £620 has been raised for the David Rocastle Trust. Well done, Dubs and thanks to everyone for taking part.
So that’s it. After a gap of around 4 weeks due to bank holiay weekends my team plays again and it’s the quarter finals of the cup against a team called … West Ham. So, we have to hope this West Ham loses and the other West Ham gets at least a draw. Fingers crossed and see you tomorrow.
