This is a blog primarily about Arsenal, the club, fans, players, board, transfers, all sorts of stuff. Favourite player is Abou Diaby.
Friday 9 November 2012
Long time no see
Well it has been a long time since I have written anything Arsenal related on here for a while which i'm sorry for but now I am back and will hopefully sustain a weekly entry. But anyways back to Arsenal...
I would like to start on the subject of Giroud who is without a doubt a good player, which i am sure everybody knows. His movement off the ball is something that has caught my eye over recents weeks, and with Cazorla playing in behind him this movement will be complimented with cutting edge passing. I feel that Giroud has all but settled into Arsenal life and from here on out we will be seeing his name on the score sheet very regularly. His performance off the bench in the game at Reading was inspirational as he changed the game completely helping us to get that victory. It was good to see him score against Schalke also, another header from the big man. The excuse for time to settle in should no longer be applicable to Giroud and it is time for him to shine. But I do also feel that he isn't capable of being "Goal Machine" that we need and I feel that we should get one in January. Personally I would love to have Javier Hernandez at the club but of course that is unlikely as you know, he plays in Manchester.... A player I would like to see is Lacina Traore, his performance yesterday was very pleasing to watch although he should have scored a lot more, his goal being the highlight of the game for me.
No news from me on Diaby, the last i heard about him was from Mr Wenger saying that he is out for the game against Fulham, with no news on his return, but I expect him to be back this month. But i am hearing that he is supposedly out till december, although there is no official news of this. I'm sure you all would agree that we do need him in our squad as we do seem to be lacking without Rosicky and now Wilshere to suspension.
I would also like to praise Vito Mannone for his performances in goal as cover, he has conceded a few goals but has performed well but we do need Szczesny back in the side! in defence i believe we are doing oka, but more work is needed especially with Vermaelen and his concentration in games, the international break seems to have taken its toll on us as it always does but I feel now that we should be getting back into the swing of things and will be getting quite a few points from the next few games that we have.
For more follow me and mention me for a follow back @DazzaB94
Monday 3 September 2012
It's All About Abou
Abou Diaby,
Abou Diaby, Abou Diaby! What a game he had against Liverpool. As you know I am
Gooner Diaby, with Diaby being my favourite Arsenal player, so it really
pleased me that he had a magnificent game on Sunday, where he effectively
controlled the game with his skill, his ability to beat players by simply
running past or using the odd skill, his precision passing which gave us a few
chances indeed. It really pleased me to look on my Twitter account and finally
see people realising what a special player Abou Diaby really is.
Now Diaby,
since having that horrific injury a few years back, has struggled to gain
fitness and string together regular games for the Gunners, only playing in four
games in the previous season. But after just three games he was the star of the
show against a team that he tends to do really well against. He really could be
our midfield answer and player that we have all been waiting for and I myself
have stuck by him for a while now as I saw his talent when he was first brought
to the club. He well deserved getting Man Of The Match for a game he really
controlled. The move of the game from Diaby in my opinion was when he escaped
one of the Liverpool forwards, ran towards the opposing box and slipped a ball
through to Giroud, who missed a chance he at least should have go on target,
but his time will come. Defensively brilliant, fantastic at holding up the ball
and threading magnificent passes through the tightest of gaps, Diaby had an
immense game yesterday. And I assure you all that there is more to come from
Abou.
It was good
to see Podolski and Cazorla get on the score sheet, assisting each other’s
goals in well worked team moves to the goals. The beginning of the chant “Lukaz
Podolski, He scores when he wants” was magnificent to hear, but the one that
really made my day and I’m sure it made a lot of yours was “He drives how he
wants, he drives how he wants, Andre Santos, He drives how he wants” Classic
banter from the “least passionate” fans in the league supposedly. The post RVP
era has begun and I hope that Arsenal can continue how they started. But it was
a real pleasure to see Diaby’s talents recognised throughout the Premier League
yesterday, and I hope he can put in a lot more performances like that.
For more
news, views and opinions follow me https://twitter.com/
Darren Bobb
Wednesday 15 August 2012
Back to the routine
@goonerdiaby
Saturday.
A day we have all been waiting for. The return of regular football week in,
week out, the routine. Also a day us Gooners have been waiting for as our new signings will
begin their Arsenal careers playing for this magnificent club, but the main
question that us fans have Is who will start against Sunderland. I have to
agree with most of the fans who have talked on this subject on who will start
but from here to then there could be dramatic changes. For me, I hope that RVP
and Song stay at Arsenal and that the rumours surrounding their imminent
departures are untrue. I would perhaps feel more comfortable with RVP starting
up front on Saturday as opposed to Podolski or Giroud. Lukaz looks like he has
settled in already, but I wouldn't want to burden the two of them with being
the goal machines from the off, although they may want that and i'm sure they could handle it.
In goal it would be Szczesny and it should see a defence of Yennaris or Jenkinson at RB, Vermo and Bosscielny (unless he doesn't make it to full fitness in time, then it would be big Per) and Gibbs at LB. In midfield I see it as having Song, Diaby and Cazorla, possibly with Arteta instead of Diaby if he is fully fit. Diaby can have a real impact this season, and he would want to get off to a flyer, so I really see Wenger playing him on Saturday, and show us Gooners what we've missed. Up front, I would love RVP to be playing, but it looks like Podolski will start in the centre, with Walcott and Gervinho either side. I am confident that this team can beat Sunderland and get us off to a great start.
But then comes the factor of there being the International games that could give us a lot more injured players, as we have known all too well in the past. Hopefully the vast majority of our players get through this, as it would be dangerous for us to lose any more players, but it is great that we now have a lot more cover than we did have. Arshavin could possibly feature on saturday which could be good for him, he is really looking to impress. So let's wish him all the best. Yennaris could be a key player for us this season as he is being drafted into the side to possibly replace the injured Sagna, so if he starts, I hope he does well. I've seen Gervinho come under criticism from our fans, they seem to forget that he really does have class and brought a new style to Arsenal's attack. Running into the box more often than most Arsenal players got me excited that we were evolving as a team. Another example of this evolution, in pre season games we seemed to be striking a lot of shots from distance, something we've been working on? Maybe.
In all lets just hope that Arsenal have a cracking start on Saturday, and go on to win some trophies, and show the world why "we're by far the greatest team, the world has ever seen" Take Care.
In goal it would be Szczesny and it should see a defence of Yennaris or Jenkinson at RB, Vermo and Bosscielny (unless he doesn't make it to full fitness in time, then it would be big Per) and Gibbs at LB. In midfield I see it as having Song, Diaby and Cazorla, possibly with Arteta instead of Diaby if he is fully fit. Diaby can have a real impact this season, and he would want to get off to a flyer, so I really see Wenger playing him on Saturday, and show us Gooners what we've missed. Up front, I would love RVP to be playing, but it looks like Podolski will start in the centre, with Walcott and Gervinho either side. I am confident that this team can beat Sunderland and get us off to a great start.
But then comes the factor of there being the International games that could give us a lot more injured players, as we have known all too well in the past. Hopefully the vast majority of our players get through this, as it would be dangerous for us to lose any more players, but it is great that we now have a lot more cover than we did have. Arshavin could possibly feature on saturday which could be good for him, he is really looking to impress. So let's wish him all the best. Yennaris could be a key player for us this season as he is being drafted into the side to possibly replace the injured Sagna, so if he starts, I hope he does well. I've seen Gervinho come under criticism from our fans, they seem to forget that he really does have class and brought a new style to Arsenal's attack. Running into the box more often than most Arsenal players got me excited that we were evolving as a team. Another example of this evolution, in pre season games we seemed to be striking a lot of shots from distance, something we've been working on? Maybe.
In all lets just hope that Arsenal have a cracking start on Saturday, and go on to win some trophies, and show the world why "we're by far the greatest team, the world has ever seen" Take Care.
For more follow me on Twitter: @goonerdiaby
Tuesday 7 August 2012
Deadwood or the result of the impatience of Wenger
@goonerdiaby
After reading a post from Akhil_gooner about Arsenal’s overall squad, I have been thinking a lot about the future of our club and where we are going to end up this season. With the players that we have and the ones are going to bring in, I along with many fellow Gooners believe that we could actually do very well this season, and even pick up a trophy, and why not? With the fire power we have in RVP (if he stays) Podolski, Giroud, Walcott and Cazorla (soon to be completed) we really could have a massive impact this season. I would literally put money on this team bagging a trophy. We all say season after season that it’ll be our year, but we have what we need to do what needs done. But a good start to the season is vital, as well as not slipping up in January/February and towards the end of the season, scenarios that have happened time and time again. But they have happened as the squad have lacked depth, and quality depth at that. If Wenger gets Sahin also, why should he stop there, he should buy at least one or two more players and sell some of the “deadwood” at the club.
But to me, a lot of Arsenal’s players are actually really
good and shouldn’t be classed as being “deadwood”, because of the quality they
undoubtedly have, an example being Nicklas Bendtner. Big Nick is definitely one of my favourite
players at the club, I don’t know why but I really tend to like the underrated
players because I see the potential they have and see the odd little game
changing things that they do. The reason I like him and feel he shouldn’t be
sold is because if you look at his games for Arsenal, he mainly played on the
wings. It’s like putting a bonafide striker on the wing, it just doesn’t work
out. He may not have the best scoring record but playing on the wing, you
really wouldn’t. Examples of his quality are in Euro 2012 his performances for
Denmark and also the hat trick he scored against Porto a couple of seasons ago.
He does have the quality, just need to be put in his position.
A reason why I would defend the “deadwood” at the club is
because of Bosscielny, I mean Laurent Koscielny, another player I greatly
admire. In his first season a lot of fans got on his back as he was liable to
many mistakes and perhaps cost us some games. But if you look at things, in his
first season for the club, he played the majority of the games, and that is
something that is quite hard, as he also had to switch leagues. But we stuck
with the big boss and look at him now; I read a statistic that said he made the
most game saving tackles out of anyone in the league. No more needs to be said.
The point I am trying to make is that we should give some
players who definitely have talent a chance, but I see Wengers problem, there
are a lot more proven players in these positions. Now players like Bendtner and
Chamakh slide down the pecking order with the new arrivals. But even so, these
players could stay and be involved in a rotation system in case of injuries. I
refer to him almost every entry but Abou Diaby is an example of a player who
some see as being “deadwood” but actually has so much talent, and luckily for
him, Wenger has faith in the man. I noticed his flair and calm approach to
games, and how when Arsenal won games, he played extremely well, it’s just a
shame he got an injury. Tomas Rosicky is a player who has had a lot of pressure
on him due to a couple of poor performances, and didn’t he pick that form up
well. But as usual for us, injuries struck him. Ramsey seemed to impress at the
Olympics which is good news, and hopefully the Song rumours are utter rubbish!
All I all, I am pretty happy with the way the club is
moving, and if we can stay injury free and get in enough players who would give
us depth, I wouldn’t be too surprised if we win a trophy or two. And if we don’t,
this transfer season is a great stepping stone for the season after.
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@goonerdiaby
Friday 3 August 2012
Have faith in Wenger
@goonerdiaby
I remember a couple seasons ago, fans and even pundits were
screaming for Wenger's head as Arsenal were not really in title contention and
losing to teams that we shouldn't. And fair enough, that is their opinion. But
many fans were calling on Wenger to change his youth policy and to spend big,
and effectively end Arsenal's self sustainability, not intentionally, but it is
what would have happened. I am not going to lie; I thought Wenger should also
spend but not dramatically. Look at teams like Portsmouth and Malaga, as an example,
we do not want to end up like them. Speaking of Malaga, I'm delighted that
Santi Cazorla will be signing with us; he is an amazing player that will add a
new set piece dynamic to our game, as well as versatility.
Wenger is a man
who has stuck by this team and has had his own vision for the club. 13 years
ago today he brought Henry to this club, simply amazing. But I am calling on us
fans to really get behind Wenger this season, as he is showing real intent with
the players that he has signed, and possible players he is going to sign.
He realizes what we need to win trophies and is delivering what the
fans want, world class players. This season I really see us challenging and
even winning a trophy, as with the new signings we have Mr Abou back and also
Wilshere to come back in, spirits should really be high for this season. On the
Van Persie front, I have really gone past caring if he stays or not, of course
he is a fantastic player but I feel he has really disrespected the club, and
Vermaelen deserves the captaincy role. He would be a big miss but Arsenal
should be able to cope. If he does leave, I hope he doesn't stay in England as
it would be hard for us all to see him score the winner for one of the Mancs at
the Emirates.
It was pleasing to
see Diaby talk about Arteta, I’m sure those two will play well together, and in
all I hope the whole midfield can gel and play together this season as it is
vital they play well. This is an important season and it is very pleasing to
see that we have a lot of depth in the squad. I'm sure that this is going to be
Diaby's big season; he would be itching to play and get as many games as he
can, so let's all pray for the man. Fans really have to show their appreciation
for Wenger and his players, it's annoying to read blogs that just insult the
man, and he brings the absolute best out of players, and gets the BEST deals,
Cazorla and Sahin for example. His transfer dealings this season have really
shown the world the #WengerKnows he really does. I'd love to see more defensive
cover this season though, so Mr Wenger will have to go back to the window to
buy at least one defender.
All in all, I'm
sure all of us are really looking forward to next season, it is only a couple
days away now, so all the best for us, we'll end this trophy drought no
doubt!
For more views and
opinions, follow me on twitter: @goonerdiaby mention for follow back
Friday 6 July 2012
Alternatives to RVP, putting the 'gun' in The Gunners?
Well, with the shocking news that Robin Van
Persie does not want to sign a new contract with Arsenal and claiming that the
club and himself disagree on which way the club should move forward, Initially
this has led us to believe that he feels we aren't strengthening the club in
the right way or are not looking to buy any more players. But with RVP set to
leave, the irony is that we will have to strengthen our team,
and strengthen the team we will. We will have to find a replacement
for him as soon as possible, and not leave it to literally the last day of the
transfer window. But who, who is worthy of being Arsenal's main striker or even
who will do battle with the other strikers at the club? Jovetic? Lewandowski?
Both are great players and I personally would love to have big Lew at the
club as he has shown he can score in big tournaments in front of his home
nation, shown that he is capable of scoring 30 goals in a season so I feel he
would be a great replacement. But none of these players would be more fitting
for Arsenal to buy than Papiss Cisse. We all saw the brilliance he
displayed last season, and that amazing goal he scored against Chelsea, and he
has proven that he can play well and score and effectively dominate in the best
league in the world. But I feel it would be hard to make Newcastle part with
their Senegalese hit man. Forwards that we should look to are Klass-Jan
Huntelaar, Moussa Sow and if we're lucky, even Higuain or Mario Gomez.
Not forgetting that we already have a
wealth of striking options in Lukas Podolski and Giroud who are both quality
players and I’m sure you all saw Podolski's performances at the Euro's. Giroud
is also a quality striker who is in a few ways similar to Chamakh but is
definitely a more proven striker than the Moroccan. With Walcott possibly
following RVP out of the door, we do have players like the Ox to really fill in
for his position, and also Gervinho, so for Arsenal's attack it is certainly
not all doom and gloom, but Mr Wenger should act quickly to snap up all of his
targets.
On the goalkeeping
and defensive front, if Fabianski and Mannone leave then it wouldn’t be too bad
if Lloris comes in, and he is apparently close to coming to the club. But I
believe this could have two effects on Szczesny, one of them being he could be
demoralised by the club having another world-class keeper in the side who would
greatly challenge his position. Or it could spur him on to play even better to
stay in the side, but I wouldn’t personally want to effect Szczesny's career in
this way, but we would need a back up keeper, and none of these keepers would
want to sit on the bench. In defence I feel we are pretty strong, but if we
could get perhaps Debuchy just as a back up player then it would be most
welcome. The midfield i believe is fine, but we could buy a more creative midfielder, but with Song working so well last season and Wilshere coming back we may not need to.
So in all I don't
believe its all bad for Arsenal, we really just need strength in depth. RVP leaving could be good for us, as when
Henry left, Arsenal finished a place above than when they finished the previous
season. It could possibly just be that RVP is doing this so that Arsenal will buy players and go in the right direction, but that is unlikely, but one can hope. But will Arsenal ever have a calm summer? Not on your life
Darren Bobb
Thursday 5 July 2012
All About Abou (Diaby)
With him being my favourite player who currently plays
for Arsenal, I agree with a post I read last season that Diaby is capable of
filling the void left by Fabregas, the only problem being his knack for picking
up and struggling to deal with injuries. There is no doubt that Diaby is a
class act, a player with a skill and a touch worthy of a team like Arsenal. So
I believe that Arsenal really do need to slow down his comeback from injury and
of course the summer break should have helped him a lot. A fully fit Diaby
would work wonders for this team as he can play a pass, head the ball and even
has a great shot in his arsenal (if you excuse the pun). His graceful touch and
movement on and off the ball really complements the team so if he can be fully
fit for a good part of the season, he could be vital in Arsenal gaining
silverware this season. He can fluidly take and control the ball in all areas
of the pitch and can really play the box-to-box midfield role. He’s really
great at keeping the ball and getting out of trouble, and is prone to use a
skill or two. Flaws to his game would be that he does tend to drift in and out
of games at times, but he does creep up for a moment of brilliance when he is
out of the game. Many fans have almost forgotten about Diaby but I have been a
loyal fan of his for many years as I had noticed that his and the performances
of Alex Song were always good when Arsenal won games. Song has gone on to be
noticed favourably in the public eye and hopefully this coming season, the same
will happen for Diaby.
Below is a YouTube video that really displays Diaby at
his absolute best, the game against Aston Villa being a master class example of
his abilities
For more Arsenal opinions and talk, follow me on
Twitter @Dazzab94
Darren Bobb
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