Porto are GUNNER get it!!!

I've a burning belief that Arsenal will destroy Porto tonight. The players should be stung by the performance on Saturday against Hull City and will be out to prove people wrong.

Porto are no mugs but I'm sure that Le Boss has got it drilled into the players that a big performance is necessary.

Its quite a touch that we have such an important game straight after the Hull debacle. It's also quite pleasing that the game is at home too. It's a chance for the squad to pull together and get the right result.

Its important we get back to winning ways and it's a chance for the team to show how they respond to such a defeat. We did it well earlier in the season after losing to Fulham and the players need to show a similar response.

I can see the side being 100% committed tonight which is about a 99.9% improvement from Saturday. If we aren't then I'll eat my autographed Arsenal football that I've had since I was about ten. So I'll be gutted if I'm wrong.

Porto will believe that they can get something from the game and it's up to Arsenal and 60,000 Gooners to show them they will get jack-shit.

So c'mon Arsenal, give it to Porto.

Keep it Goonerish.............

There is no room for sentiment-Toure must be dropped.

Its hurts to say but I think that Le Boss needs to drop Kolo Toure and bring Johan Djourou into the side.

It's obvious that the Toure-Gallas partnership isn't working. There is no doubt that both are superb defenders but as a pair they struggle.

Both need a dominant player alongside them. Toure was immense with Sol Campbell and Gallas equally as good with John Terry next to him.

Djourou can be the dominant centre back we require. Physically he is the right size and when he has played he has looked the part.

I have defended Gallas in the past and will continue to do so. Gooners are split on him and I imagine we always will be. He was blamed for Hull's second goal from the corner but it wasn't his fault. In fact it was Toure's.

Toure was actually marking Cousin and lost him. Gallas was trying to deal with it and was caught out by Toure losing his man.

I think Gallas brings more to the side than Toure and out of the two I'd say Gallas is the more in-form player. Toure hasn't been the same since coming back from the ANC in January and needs to be the player sacrificed.

I think the problem at Arsenal is complacency. Certain players are undroppable and they know it. Le Boss needs to shake things up and at the back is the first place I'd start.

We all love Toure and rightly so but we can't be blinded by that. He is the player that needs to be dropped in favour for Djourou and you never know, in the long run it will do him good.

Keep it Goonerish.........

Well done Hull City, you deserved that. Back to the drawing board Arsene!

I wrote before that underestimating Hull City would bite us on the arse and that has proved correct.

Hull City fully deserved the three points at the Emirates and credit is due to Phil Brown and the Hull players for the way they performed.

Hull were very impressive and they took advantage of a complacent Arsenal side who have to stop believing that they can simply turn up at the Emirates and wipe teams aside.

It doesn't work like that in football and Hull exposed some worrying flaws that are in danger of ruining our season.

We cant defend corners and our inability to take our chances may cost us any chance of silverware. How many times did our players decide to take an extra touch instead of just shooting? It is so frustrating to watch.

We cannot score the perfect goal every time, sure its pretty when it works but when the chance is there it needs to be taken.

I said before we need to bring Martin Keown back to help organise the defence and I haven't changed my mind on that. It worked well when Keown was drafted back in 2006 and I'm sure it will work again.

I'm not panicking, yet. Its too early in the season for the panic button. Despite two defeats Manchester United cannot overtake us point wise even if they win their game in hand. Nobodies writing them off and they are in a worse position than us.

I'm very disappointed at the result but the way we lost hurts more. Hull wanted it more than us and you have to question the Arsenal players commitment when the going gets tough.

Le Boss has put his faith in this Arsenal squad and it's time that they started to repay him for that.

Well done Hull City.

Keep it Goonerish............

I hate seeing Thierry Henry suffer at Barcelona.......

Thierry Henry is suffering at Barcelona and it breaks my heart to see the situation that he is in.

The man is a legend at Arsenal and I thought he would have ended his career with us. Obviously that didn't happen and although I, like every Gooner, was sad to see him leave, I wished him no malice and hoped he would be happy in Spain.

I wanted him to be successful at Barca (not at Arsenal's expense) because he is great player and provided us Gooners with so many great memories.

Thierry Henry is one of the greatest players of all time and we Gooners were privileged to have seen him in an Arsenal shirt for so long. Henry was privileged too, he had the best relationship with us and he knew it too. Hence the reason he has declared himself a Gooner for life.

To see him suffer like he is at Barca is a very sad sight. I believed he was about to tear the Spanish league up and become a Barca legend. If truth be told the move couldn't have gone more wrong for him.

He is played out of position all the time and isn't the main man at the club by far. He doesn't seem to get the adulation he received at Arsenal and that hurts him.

I believe Titi only left Arsenal for personal reasons. He suffered a bad break up with his wife and that is the main reason he left Arsenal for pastures new.

It's obvious that Henry needs to get out of Spain and quick. Would I want him back at Arsenal? No. My heart says yes but my brain disagrees. I couldn't bear to see Henry back at Arsenal struggling. He has suffered from injuries and isn't the same player we adored.

He needs to go to another club. Maybe Italy? The pace is slower and that may suit him. The USA has been bandied about. This makes sense for commercial reasons but the standard of football is way off the mark for a legend like Henry.

Whatever happens I want Henry out of Barca and enjoying his football again. I want to see that smile of his light up the pitch like we saw so many times.

Henry deserves better than his current situation and I hope that he gets it.

Keep it Goonerish..............

Dont underestimate Hull City or it may bite us on the arse...

On paper a home game against Premiership newbies Hull City should an easy three points. But life isn't paper and the reality is that Hull will not come to the Emirates and lay down.

They have a manager in Phil Brown who is basically a Sam Allardyce clone. He will have seen the problems that Bolton caused us under Fat Sam and will try to replicate them.

Expect a lot of long-balls and in general trying to kick the shit out of the Arsenal players. Hull have nothing to lose and wont expect anything from the game. That makes them dangerous.

That's why I call on Le Boss to play the strongest side available to him and NOT rotate the squad for this game. I'd love Vela and some of the Sheffield United killers to start but points are precious and I believe it will take a record number of points to win the league this season.

We dropped some stupid points last season which cost us the league title. We need to take advantage of the fixture list we have at present and gain some vital points on the board.

It's early in the season so fatigue shouldn't be an issue here, we don't need to rest anyone. I know we have an important game in the Champions League coming up but lets take it a game at a time and not think to far ahead.

I don't want an unexpected result to bite us on the arse at the end of the season. Hopefully it won't come to that and we have the points in the bag by the hour mark. Then it's time to bring on the likes of Vela and co.

Keep it Goonerish............

Who excites you most???.....

Gooners are raving about the awesome display of the Arsenal last night and rightly so!

It was a Rolls-Royce performance and it does get you very excited about the future when you see the amount of talent coming through at Arsenal.

The way the youngsters play is unbelievable. They are a carbon copy of the way the first team play, the coaches and Le Boss deserve a huge amount of credit for helping these players get to those levels.

It's difficult to pick out any individual player from the side last night, they all played excellent. But who stands out the most for you?

I know it's easy to say after the fella got a hat-trick but I can't stop thinking about how good Carlos Vela will be.

What a finisher the guy is! He reminds me of Eduardo or Robbie Fowler in his pomp when in front of goal. He is as cool as ice and I'd back him to score when he has a chance every time.

It's not just his finishing that impresses me. He grafts and is so good with the ball at his feet. It's no wonder that Le Boss waited three years for him.

Trust me, Carlos Vela will be one of the best players in the world sooner rather than later. Under Wenger's guidence he has the world at his feet.

Being Mexican he will be as tough as old boots because they usually are from there! So the bully boys won't kick him out of Arsenal and England.

We have plenty to smile about but who excites you the most and why?

Keep it Goonerish..............

Kevin Nolan is a mug and Kevin Davies is a thug!!!

I would say that I cant believe the comments made by Kevin Nolan but unfortunately it really doesn't surprise me.

The player is a mug and to tell a team mate to give a fellow professional a kick is a fucking liberty.

He tries to redeem himself and say that football is a contact sport, well I agree with that but football isn't a sport where you deliberately go around kicking people. If that's what Nolan wants his team mates to do then I suggest they all take up kick-boxing. The jumped up prick.

Players like Nolan are fucking idiots and its this idiotic muggy mentality that cause injury's. It's no wonder no one likes the English with dickheads like Nolan playing football. We don't need it.

As for the other Muppet, Kevin Davies, he's been doing it for years. He doesn't just put it about, I'm not buying that. He's a thug who has been doing tackles like that for a long time. Some of his tackles could result in him being arrested for GBH.

It's not a "poor Arsenal" attitude I have here. I'm just pissed off that sides resort to such tactics to stop Arsenal playing. If they were just physical then I'd have no beef but the fact is teams DO try to injure Arsenal players.

I fully expect Nolan to be fined or banned for his comments.

Keep it Goonerish..............

Djourou will be Gallas' replacement......

Johan Djourou has signed a new long-term contract at Arsenal and I believe that this is fantastic news for us.

I really rate Djourou and believe that he can go on and establish himself as an Arsenal regular in the future.

I can see him and Toure forming a formidable partnership in the heart of Arsenal's defence. I believe this partnership will flourish into one of the best.

Djourou has it all and I honestly think he can develop into one of the best defenders in the world. The ability is there, he just needs to believe it, gain confidence and work hard.

I still see Gallas as one of the best defenders in the world (a lot of Gooners may not agree with me there!) and I think that he can pass on advice to Johan.

I imagine that Gallas may probably only be at Arsenal for another year or two. I cant see him finishing his career at the club, so this will be perfect timing for Djourou to step into the side.

What do you think?

Keep it Goonerish......

We need this man back.....MARTIN KEOWN....

It was a fantastic result yesterday. We played some brilliant football and even some Spuds I know were forced to admit that Arsenal are looking good.

I couldn't resist telling them though that Spurs are the STRONGEST team in the league by far. After all, they are holding up 19 other clubs!!!

Something played on my mind despite another superb performance by Arsenal. It's our organisation at set-pieces and defending in general.

We are prone to sloppy defending at set-pieces. We have conceded only THREE goals this season in competitive action. But all have come from set-pieces.

Granted, one was a penalty but the other two goals we've conceded have come from corners. We have improved slightly in our open play defending but from set-pieces we are still vulnerable.

This does worry me. Sides like Chelsea will be aware of this and will attack Arsenal from this area. We seem to struggle to defend corners and free-kicks and this needs improving.

I've heard that Le Boss doesn't empathise a lot of work on defensive routine in training. Whether this is true or not I don't know. I do know that Wenger puts a lot of attention to detail in his preparation for games, but for me defending is something we can improve on, a lot.

A couple of years ago Le Boss brought Martin Keown in help with this situation. For me, Keown is absolutely perfect for this role. He has respect and the know-how to improve this side of Arsenal.

The man knows the club and is a person that Le Boss can relate too and trust in the role. He achieved great things at Arsenal and nobody could argue the fact he knows what he is doing.

Martin Keown is an Arsenal hero and would probably jump at the chance of working with such a talented group of players.

I reckon that we need Martin Keown back and that he would help improve the way we defend by ten-fold. Bring him back as a defensive coach Arsene!

Keep it Goonerish..............

The darker, nuttier, crazier side of Arsene Wenger!!.......

If Bolton beat Arsenal today then they had better hire a carpenter.

Bolton player Fabrice Muamba, formerly of Arsenal, said that when Arsenal were knocked out of the FA Cup by Bolton two and a half years ago Le Boss went mental and smashed down the dressing room door!

After reading that I reckon that Le Boss could take on hard man Roy Shaw in a fight. (Roy Shaw famously wrecked a cell door while in prison) They are the only two people I've heard achieve this so Frank Warren get it on!!!

This is not the first time I've heard that Wenger has lost it. Remember when Manchester United ended our unbeaten 49 game record? The buffet battle erupted soon after and Fergie claims that Arsene came up to him in a boxers pose before being saved by Cesc Fabregas lobbing pizza at him!

I would loved to have been a fly on the wall there. Seeing Wenger frame up to Fergie, Fergie pleading with Arsene to leave him alone and then pizza exploding over his face and new suit! How funny is that?

Remember the Alan Pardew touchline incident when West Ham scored a late winner a couple of years ago? I seriously thought that Wenger was going to deck him. If the cameras weren't focusing on the situation then Pardew would have been knocked out. No question.

Le Boss has a calm exterior but beneath that is a raging bull with a huge determination to win. And I wouldn't want him any other way.

Keep it Goonerish..............

Theo should get on the phone to mentor Thierry.............

Watching Theo get kicked about like a rag-doll last night was hard on the eyes.

It looked like a school bully picking on the younger kid but Theo will have to be prepared to face this sort of punishment in most games now.

He is a marked man. His hat-trick for England will have raised his profile and teams realise to stop him they may have to kick him. It could be the only way.

Theo will have to work out the answers to this punishment. He is smart enough but he will also need protection from the ref's as well.

It wont easy for Theo to have lumps kicked out of him but he must learn to deal with it. It wont be easy.

Maybe he should get on the phone to his mentor Thierry Henry. I'm sure he took the rough stuff early in his career. And let's be honest, who around has the explosive pace of Theo?

Only Henry DID have so Theo could learn a lot from how Thierry dealt with it. I'm sure Titi being the legend that he is would be happy to help.

Keep it Goonerish............

Yayawwwwwwwwwwwwnnnnnn!!.......

I could have joined Arsenal, Wenger begged me, my brother pleaded with me, BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH! Frankly Yaya I don't care anymore.

I would have loved Le Boss to have signed you in the summer, lord knows I've spoke about it on my blog more than enough times!

But the reality is the signing never happened and probably never will happen.

I know why you have revealed that you snubbed Arsenal. It's because you are warming the bench at Barca and you want to show your loyalty to the club. You want to play. Clever really.

But in fairness I wont knock a loyal player, there aren't enough of those about and you have to admire Yaya. He certainly has a great attitude and won't give in easily at Barca.

Keep it Goonerish..............

Chicken Kiev??!! We were like TURKEY TWIZZLERS!!.....

Jamie Oliver would not have been happy with Arsenal tonight in Kiev as we resembled his least favourite food.

It was far from vintage Arsenal tonight and you have to say based on the performance a point from the game was a good one.

Arsenal could have had the game wrapped up though in the first half and missed some clear cut chances that really cost us. Kiev could have been buried at half-time and were just content to go in the half way mark level.

Fair play to Dynamo Kiev, they played well and deserved a share of the spoils. They stifled us and grew more in confidence as the game went on.

We seemed to be in first gear for long periods of the game and could have really stepped up the pace to take the game to Kiev.

I have to point out we looked solid when Song was on the pitch. When he came off the game opened up and it was Kiev who seemed the more dangerous side.

Kiev were obvious to Theo's danger. The lad was doubled up on every occasion he had the ball and was scythed down whenever he broke free. This was a good lesson for Theo. Teams will be more aware of him now than ever and it's up to him to figure out how to deal with it.

Cesc Fabregas was unusually quiet for long parts of the game. He had his usual work-rate but was unable to influence the match. He wont be happy with his performance but he can't perform miracles every time his steps onto the pitch.

Le Boss said a point would be a good result. Judging by the performance I'd agree. It isn't a disaster and we didn't lose face (as the commentators tried to say)

There are no mug teams in the Champions League (except Chelsea and Manchester United) so a point away to ANYONE is a good one.

The sides in the Champions League are there for a reason. They are the BEST sides in their countries so every game is difficult.

We have five games remaining, three are at home. Usually ten points get you through the group. I'm quietly confident we will make it.

Keep it Goonerish...............

Nicklas Bendtner upsets Steve Bruce!.....

Nicklas Bendtner has upset Wigan boss Steve Bruce.

Bendtner played under Bruce on loan to Birmingham in the 2006-07 season.

Bendtner helped the Brummies to promotion scoring plenty of goals. But it seems that Nicklas wasn't only scoring goals. It seems that he was also scoring with Bruce's daughter Amy!

Bendtner has now finished with Amy and by all accounts this ruined Bruce's recent Marbella holiday.

Lets hope Steve Bruce doesn't ask Adebayor to finish off what he started at Shite Hart Lane!

Keep it Goonerish............

My condolence's to Arsene Wenger......

I send my condolence's to Arsene Wenger after reading that he attended his father's funeral yesterday.

One thing for certain is Mr Wenger senior would have been a very proud father to Arsene.

Thought's go out to Arsene and his family....

Keep it Goonerish............

Does Djourou deserve a run in the side?........

The Gallas/Toure partnership has always been a talking point with Gooners.

On paper the pair look very strong together but the reality is the partnership has flaws and has been exposed many a time.

The pair are very similar players. I think it's obvious that both play better and look more comfortable alongside a dominant centre back instead of each other.

When Gallas was at Chelsea he had the dominating John Terry as his partner and Kolo flourished with Sol Campbell patrolling with him at the back.

Djourou can be that dominating defender for Arsenal. He has the ability and the size to do so. It's fair to say that when Djourou played in place of the injured Toure Arsenal looked more solid.

I personally felt that when Djourou played he looked one of our better players and deserved to kept in the side. The return of Toure demoted Djourou and I felt it was unfair.

Maybe that's why Arsenal can be complacent at times. There is no competition for places, certain players know that they will be picked if fit. Who knows?

We looked shaky at the back on Saturday despite a 4-0 win. To win the league we need to be more solid.

I think Djourou deserves a run in the side. But the question is who makes way? It's a tough shout between Gallas and Toure but I'd side with Gallas/Djourou being the partnership just based on what I saw in the earlier games.

I love Toure so don't think this a personal attack on him. It's just an opinion of mine.

Keep it Goonerish...........

Lets not go over the top with Theo.........

Theo Walcott has been praised to the high heavens over the past few days-and rightly so.

His performances for England have a nation bubbling and on Saturday he looked good at Blackburn.

I'm sorry to be a damp squid and burst the bubble but I think we need to calm down a little and get things into perspective.

The England supporters will no doubt expect that type of performance from Theo all the time he pulls on an England shirt. That is impossible.

The lad is 19 and to be hailed as England's messiah is very dangerous indeed. He is still learning the game and will be inconsistent.

He has shown what he can do, and it borders on genius, but let's remember not to put anymore pressure on his young shoulders.

Theo is a level-headed guy and I'm sure the euphoria around him at the moment wont affect him. But I worry if he has a poor game in his next England outing the fickle English fans will get on his back. We are after all, notorious for it!

Thats where we Gooners come in. Lets not get carried away by the Theo hype. We know how good he is already.

Lets support him through the good and bad times, because (although I hate too say it) the England faithful won't.

We have had a taste of Theo's potential and he is beginning to show it on a more regular basis. But let's support him (as we do) and not go over the top.

Keep it Goonerish..............

And I dont blame you either Mr Wenger!!...........

Le Boss has said that he would walk away if his authority was undermined by a director of football. And I can't say I blame him either.

It makes sense for the manager to run the football side of things at a club and I include transfer targets in that.

I could never quite get my head around a director of football buying the players and expecting the manager to include them in the squad.

How can a manager plan for the future when someone else is involved? It can't work and causes massive conflicts.

West Ham and Newcastle are proving the idea doesn't work and who in their right mind would want to manage either of those clubs knowing you are constantly being over-ruled?

Keep it Goonerish.........

Is now the time to forgive and forget Ade's summer antics?...........

If you go through my previous articles then you will see how much Ade pissed me off over the summer.

I was very disappointed by his flirting with Barcelona and AC Milan and I let it be known here on my blog.

Before his summer antics I defended him when others were knocking him. It seemed a personal insult to me when he outrageously believed his own hype, and possibly even believed that he was bigger than Arsenal.

If I felt that way (and I'm only a fan!) then only god knows how Le Boss felt. Arsene Wenger has nurtured Ade into the player he is today and it was almost thrown back into his face with Ade's behaviour.

Le Boss has forgiven Ade and given him the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps I'm less forgiving than Le Boss but I'm still not 100% behind our Togo striker.

They say times a healer and Ade can only rebuild bridges with Gooners by scoring goals and helping Arsenal to success.

I want to forgive Ade fully but I'm a stubborn git at times and I can't give my full support to Ade yet. A hat-trick of course helps warm me to him but it will take a while for me to heat up all the way.

I believe he can become world-class under Wenger but he needs to prove that he is 100% committed to the Arsenal cause and not just after a pound note.

I think the crucial time for me is if he has another great season like last year. Next summer will he react the same as this one? Will he demand more money? Or will he just be happy that he has proved himself again?

I want to forgive Ade and I hope I will in time but I'm not convinced yet despite his hat-trick.

Keep it Goonerish...........

Could this man be Arsenal's next manager?....

Slaven Bilic anyone???.....

It's hard to say it but one day Le Boss will not be Arsenal manager anymore. I feel that this contract Le Boss is on will be his last at Arsenal.

I think it runs out in 2011 so we have a couple of years left from Arsene Wenger at the club (in my personal opinion)

Life will be very strange without Arsene Wenger and the hole he will leave behind will be massive. It will need a special type of person to fill the void and I believe that man could be Slaven Bilic.

I know he has no ties with Arsenal but in my eye's the Croatian is perfect for the job. I really rate and like the fella.

His Croatia team play good football and we Gooners have become accustomed to a side pretty on the eye. Bilic will provide this.

He is very good with the media and always conducts himself very well. He was humble in defeat to England in his post match interview and comes across as a very straight talking guy.

I'm sure Le Boss will have a lot of input into his successor at Arsenal. And I'm sure that he would give Bilic the thumbs up. I know Eduardo would! He and Bilic have a father and son relationship.

Nobody has a bad word to say about the guy and I honestly reckon that he is going to be a world-class manager.

This subject is not something that I like to think about but it's reality. One day Le Boss will be gone and he will leave a huge legacy.

The club will be in great shape and Arsenal will need a man brave enough and good enough to continue Arsene Wenger's legendary work.

When the time comes that man for me is Slaven Bilic. Slaven Bilic is a winner.

Keep it Goonerish.............

TTTHHHHHHEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Congratulations Theo, hat-trick hero.

You've done England proud, your family proud, Arsenal and Gooners proud but most of all, you've done yourself proud.........

Keep it Goonerish..............

Does Le Boss even speak Italian?.......

Le Boss speaks several languages in fluent tongue but if reports in Italy are to go by then he better get Italian added to his forte!

Apparently AC Milan are lining up Arsene Wenger as a potential replacement for boss Carlo Ancelotti after yet another poor start to the Serie A season for the Rossoneri.

Maybe there IS more to this story. Are Flamini and Senderos part of Milan's evil plan and have they conspired to join the club knowing that Le Boss will follow suit at the end of the season?

Or is it just an absolute pile of shit made up from the Italian press to pass the boredom of international week?

I'll let you decide, but I reckon that Frank Rijkaard is a shoe in for the job anyway.

Keep it Goonerish.............

Actually, I agree with Jamie Carragher..........

I've read the comments during the week of Jamie Carragher from his upcoming autobiography and I have to say that I agree with him on a certain subject.

He writes that losing with Liverpool would always hurt him more than losing with England......

He has taken some flak for this but let me explain why I agree with him over this quite sensitive subject.

Growing up I dreamed of, like many others, being a professional footballer. But I didn't want to be just any pro-footballer, I wanted to play for Arsenal.

I played for Millwall and Wimbledon at youth level but I really really wanted Arsenal to scout me so I could play for my dream club.

Being a Gooner it would have meant the world to me to have had the chance to wear the Arsenal shirt in front of my fellow Gooners.

Jamie Carragher has achieved his dream. He has played for his dream club, Liverpool, but ALSO has played for his country, England.

I've never had the chance to play pro-football but I can understand where Carragher is coming from. He has supported Liverpool his whole life so he must feel the same gut-wrenching pain we Gooners do whenever our respective clubs suffer a defeat.

Don't get me wrong, I would be proud to pull on the England shirt but not as proud as every time I pulled on the red and white of Arsenal.

I love Arsenal more than England and I'm not afraid to admit that seeing an Arsenal defeat hurts a lot more than seeing an England loss.

Carragher feels the same about Liverpool as we Gooners do about Arsenal. The only difference is he has had the pleasure of playing for a club that he loves and supports.

Imagine that opportunity, playing for Arsenal AND England. It would be a dream come true but I know that while I would be giving my all in the England shirt a defeat wouldn't hurt as much as one would whilst wearing an Arsenal shirt.

Keep it Goonerish...............

How many Tottenham players played for England last night?

Listen to Spuds and they will tell you they pride themselves on having an English spine and are forever goading Gooners with their foreign legion jibes.

Well, how many Spurs players were playing for England last night? NONE!

That's right, NONE! A club who have sooooooooo much English talent and not one can get into the England team.

Capello has sussed you Spuds right out. He knows that the English players at your club are really two-bob, especially that Gooner reject Bentley.

Fabio Capello realises that England need decent players, that's why Theo started and not your £17m superstar Bentley.

I really hope that Mr Capello sticks to his anti-Spud guns. Who can forget the then-Tottenham keeper Paul Robinson letting down the nation the last time we played in Croatia?

A message to you Fabio, keep out the Spuds, keep in the Gooner and England will go far.

Well done Theo!

Keep it Goonerish...........

CAN EBOUE EVER SHAKE OFF THE BOO-BOYS?......

There is no doubt that Emmanuel Eboue isn't the most popular of Arsenal players amongst Gooners.

He doesn't endear himself to the Gooner faithful with his sometimes infuriating antics. The play-acting and diving has to stop before he can begin to build bridges with the Arsenal crowd.

However, speak to members of the Arsenal squad and they absolutely love the bloke and say that he is great for team morale.

Is Eboue a bad player? I don't think so. I think sometimes we are so wrapped up in the things he does bad we forget about the good things he can produce.

I feel Eboue is a competent player. I think his best position is at right-back but lets face facts, Sagna is one of the best right-backs in the world and isn't going to be dislodged any time soon. I could think of a lot worse cover for Sagna than Eboue though.

We have to cut Eboue a bit of slack. Last season was his first in midfield and it will take time for him to adapt there. However I don't feel that the middle of the park is a place for him to be!

I reckon Eboue COULD shake off the boo-boys and regain some support from Gooners if he cut out the play-acting and diving.

If he committed himself 100% to the Arsenal cause and showed that he willing to change his ways and stop the silly shit that he does then he may begin to get some affection from us.

Only Eboue can achieve this. He needs to realise we don't like his antics and it's time for him to grow up.

If he wants to endear himself to us then he knows what he has to do. Its up to him to shake off the boo-boys and show how good he can really be.

Keep it Goonerish.............

I wish David Dein could be back on the scene......

The currently vacated post of COE at Arsenal is set to be filled and I cant help but wish that it was David Dein who was set to be appointed.

I know it is virtually impossible now for Dein to be appointed after he sold his shares and had a pretty big bust up with the board but there is no mistaking the fact that the man is Arsenal through and through.

The situation is now quite laughable. The man Dein linked up with, Stan Kronke, is now accepted at Arsenal and Dein is still an outcast with the next fellow he linked up with, the Russian geezer.

Dein and Le Boss are still great friends so it would make sense for them to link up again. After all, they worked very well together in the past and there is no doubt Le Boss needs the help. He has taken a lot on since Dein's departure.

I just wish that Dein and the board could put aside their differences, after all, they all want whats best for Arsenal don't they?

I know it wont happen but its something I wish could happen.

Keep it Goonerish........

Arsenal is in our blood........

My blood bleeds red and white, the same as the next Gooner's. I love the club and always will through the good times and the bad. True, I've found it hard to accept that the squad hasn't been strengthened but that is the situation and I'm gonna have to deal with it.

I want the club to do well so it deserves my support. I admit that sometimes things can be testing but I'm glad that I'm a Gooner.

Le Boss can be a pain in the arse but he is our manager and although I may not agree with everything that he does, I know he has Arsenal Football Club's best interests at heart. He has done great things for us and I'm sure he will do great things again. I wouldn't want another man in charge.

We needed a man in the middle of the park, it hasn't happened. It's time for someone to shine, just like Flamini did twelve months ago. Someone like Song or Denilson, maybe Diaby. I personally feel that Song is the man to step up and make the role his own, I think he deserves that chance.

We are lucky to support such a great club and the club are lucky to have such great support. Not many supporters would give a manager this much time without a trophy, not from the big four anyway. Le Boss has earned our respect and we trust he will deliver. That's why we wait so patiently.

And lets be honest, we have been patient...........

We have waited since 2005, it has been testing but we still need to have faith. This squad although light in numbers is heavy in talent. It's hard but its time to believe that this set of players can achieve the big things we want. Lets get behind them. They need us.

We have a great stadium, play great football and have a very talented group of players. Lets think of the positives and believe that we can have a great season against the odds. Victory this season will be the sweetest.

Arsene Wenger is one of the greatest managers in the world. If he quit Arsenal tomorrow then believe me every top club would want him. We have him, and should be grateful for that. But at the same time he should be grateful for having such wonderful support from us. We have given him the time to build and have shown great understanding.

Lets get behind the club now. We cant change the past but we can look to a good future. Arsenal is in our blood and I'm happy that it is.

Keep it Goonerish................

Everyone owes someone something.......

I must say that I'm gutted that Le Boss hasn't added to the squad but I'm hardly surprised by it. My old man said at about 6pm last night that Mr Wenger wouldn't sign anyone and although I kinda believed him I still had that hope that something would happen.

Hope is the main word here. I really "hoped" we would sign someone but we didn't. I felt somewhat muted at around 12:15am when it began to sink in that we wouldn't actually be signing anybody.

So what now then? I suppose we must just get on with things, but thats hard. I now sort of feel like Le Boss owes us Gooners something. We had the hope of a signing taken away after some good positive vibes coming from Arsene. So I feel that Le Boss owes us a trophy.

He has made his bed and its his head on the chopping block. He believes that the squad he has at his disposal is good enough so at the end of the season if we are again unsuccessful then he must take the most of the blame.

Now Le Boss has shown his faith in the current squad the players owe Arsene Wenger. He believes that they are good enough and they need to repay the faith shown in them. He has chosen to go into the season with this squad so they need to prove Le Boss right.

We Gooners owe nothing. We have waited and been patient for long enough. I actually believe we have been superb to Le Boss and Arsenal over the last few seasons. We haven't really grumbled until recently.

Could you imagine the unrest at Manchester United or Chelsea if they had gone this long without a trophy? The managers head would be called for. We Gooners respect what Le Boss has done for Arsenal but now it's time to deliver.

Keep it Goonerish.............

Arsenal to steal Berbatov?!

I was listening to TalkShite on the way home from work and a London cabbie text in a transfer rumour. According to this cabbie he was at Bethnal Green and he picked up a customer known to Gooners as the Gunnersaurus.

The Gunnersaurus has inside information and believes that Arsenal have stumped Manchester United and Manchester City to the Bulgarians signature. Whether this is true or not I have no idea.................Erm...............anyway moving on.

There are seven hours to go and at present Arsenal have no players added to the squad. Le Boss has in the past signed players at the last moment on dead-line day so expect a long night ahead.

I'm beginning to get quite excited at the prospect of a signing. I hope Mr Wenger does add to the squad. I really do believe that if we sign a central midfielder we will have a very strong season.

The squad is so talented, that player in the midfield will clinch it for me. And as I've said before, it's better late than never!

Anyway, here's hoping we get that player. Get ready for a nail biting evening my fellow Gooners!
Keep it Goonerish..............