CHELSEA AWAY???? EASY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had a confident feeling that Arsenal would turn over Chelsea.

Had a tenner on 2-1 so that is a lovely £150 in my back burner!

We deserved that.

Lets hope we kick on from here.

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

Is Arsene Wenger right or wrong about Delap?

I've read that Arsene Wenger wants a time restriction on throw in's made by the likes of Rory Delap.

I'll admit that the throws are ugly and they do disturb the games flow but it's part of football.

They are a vital part of Stoke City's armoury. Stoke may survive on the back of these "set-pieces".

At the end of the day Arsenal were out done by something we should have been aware of.

We knew that Delap was going to launch throws into the box and we didn't defend them well enough.

Yes, it's not pretty but it works for Stoke and although I don't like to see the throws, I say good luck to them if it helps them stay up.

I think this is a little bit of sour-grapes here from Wenger here!

What do you think?

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

The pink panther pounces and bounces back!

Nicklas Bendtner seems to ooze confidence and can come across as a cocky chap but I think underneath that brazen exterior is a player low in his self belief at the moment.

The pink boots do him no favours. They give the impression of a flash git and should only be worn by someone like Cristiano Ronaldo, who not only has the talent to pull them off but has the good looks to go with it!

Bendtner has had his critics over his performances in recent games (deservedly so) and I think it has stung him. He has been poor but then so have the whole team.

There can be no doubt he has good quality but he is a young man and his performances will be erratic. He will gain consistency with experience.

I believe he will make it at Arsenal but only if he shows the correct attitude. He has good potential and the way he took his goal last night showed the talent the lad has.

The goal was a timely boost for him. Hopefully he can kick on from here and show Gooners the reason Arsene Wenger has placed his trust in him.

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

Fabregas is committed to Arsenal.....For now

I have no doubts about Cesc Fabregas' immediate commitment to Arsenal. He is very committed to the Arsenal cause and in hindsight is the correct choice for the armband at the club.

I believe he will be at the club for many years and he will stamp his legacy at Arsenal. He will become an Arsenal legend.

There are suggestions from some quarters that Arsene Wenger only gave him the armband to keep him at Arsenal. I don't believe for a second that this is true.

There will always be rumours that Fabregas is leaving Arsenal. It happens to all the best players at the club. We will continue to hear these rumours all the time.

I don't think that Fabregas is going anywhere anytime soon. Not for many years. He loves the club and us Gooners. And we love him back.

Fabregas will leave Arsenal one day. I think most Gooners have accepted that. One day the calling for him going home to Barcelona will be too strong and he will go back.

And will we Gooners begrudge him that? Of course we won't. We didn't begrudge Theirry Henry leaving, we didn't begrudge Patrick Vieira leaving. True Arsenal legends. And Cesc Fabregas will match their achievements at Arsenal, of that I'm sure.

Let's enjoy Cesc Fabregas. A world class player who loves the club and for now leads us into a new era. A player destined to become an Arsenal great.

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

Let Fabregas grow into the job and don't hate Gallas

It's been confirmed that Cesc Fabregas is the man to lead Arsenal into a new era and while it's going to a popular decision amongst Gooners I call for a little calm on the situation.

It is a difficult time for anyone to be captain of Arsenal. The team are struggling and there are a lack of leaders throughout the side. It's not going to be easy for Cesc.

We must give Fabregas time to grow into the role of skipper. Let's not put too much pressure on his shoulders and think he will become the messiah. I think he will prove to be a great captain if we allow him the time to develop into the job.

Hopefully this appointment of Fabregas will lift the players. He is clearly well liked by the squad and best of all he has a real affinity with Arsenal and us Gooners.

He has all the right ingredients to become an Arsenal legend. At the age of 21 he has a long time left in the game, hopefully he will spend that time with Arsenal and lead us into a golden era.

Obviously William Gallas will now find it difficult to remain at Arsenal. I hope that isn't the case. Regardless of what has happened, Gallas is still a world class defender and Arsenal are better off with him than without him.

Maybe the captaincy was a burden on William Gallas. The media and many Arsenal supporters never really took to Gallas being captain. We forget it was his first time in the role and he never endeared himself to Gooners with his sometimes extraordinary outbursts.

We may even see the best of Gallas now. He will be determined to prove people wrong, the pressure of being captain is now lifted from his shoulders, it may provide him with a new leash of life.

If Arsene Wenger is willing to offer Gallas an olive branch then so must we. If Gallas is to remain at the club then he needs to perform on the pitch and we need to put this sorry mess behind us.

Don't show Gallas hate, he might score an own goal.......Seriously though, the team needs us now and that means Gallas does too.

There is a bright future with Cesc as our figure head. Its the present that needs sorting, this may just lift the club.

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

Arsene needs to use the cheque book in the January sales

It was bad enough watching the game on some poxy stream on my PC but the people I really feel for are the Gooners who travelled up to Manchester to watch an absolute pile of shit.

We Gooners spend fortunes following Arsenal and while I agree that we have to take the rough with the smooth that performance today was unacceptable.

William Gallas has taken some severe stick but he is right, these players have no arsehole for a fight. The worst thing is we didn't even need to fight today!

Manchester City didn't even try to batter us, they simply outplayed us and at times it looked like a training session to them.

This Arsenal squad has a huge amount of talent and the future looks bright, the present however looks worryingly uncertain.

Some of the players are not ready and need to be guided. But who is there to guide them?

Arsene Wenger must now realise the squad is letting him down badly. It's time to act. If we don't get the cheque book out in January the season is in real danger of collapsing.

We don't need a clear out as some are suggesting, we need to add to this squad. Only then can we begin to salvage our season.

We have gone from title contenders to a battle for fourth place. It's not ideal but I hope in a strange way that us struggling will force Arsene Wenger into entering the transfer market.

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

The same problems will remain, with or without Gallas

Must admit I'm still disappointed with the Gallas situation, but if it helps the Arsenal start to perform then its the right decision. I guess only time will tell!

I'll be honest, I don't think Gallas was given a fair crack of the whip from the off because of the way he got the captaincy, but that wasn't his fault. Gilberto was a fan's favourite but wasn't going to be a first team regular so I suppose Gallas was the obvious choice.

I think he did OK at the job. Last season when we were flying most Gooners were saying what a great decision it was to appoint Gallas as skipper and only started to doubt him after the Birmingham incident.

Many Gooners are split on this incident but I felt it showed passion and he is only human. The media coverage of this was disgraceful. It went on for weeks. Rio Ferdinand kicked a WOMEN and it was barely mentioned.

That is what Gallas was up against. And for then on every little mistake he made was intensified tenfold. I think we forget that Gallas hadn't been a captain for long and was still learning the job.

He didn't help himself at times with his outbursts and somethings should have been kept between the players, not shared with the outside world and I suppose he broke the code with his latest outburst.

Maybe the decision to strip him of the armband will rejuvenate Arsenal's season. Who knows? Only time will tell. But I still worry for whoever gets the job. The same problems will be there, the same players will be there.

I worry because there are NO leaders in this squad and that certainly didn't help Gallas' cause. He was learning the job with no one around to help him. It will be the same for whoever gets the job.

Tony Adams and Patrick Vieira are names that keep being mentioned and while they were great captains they had plenty of support around them to help them grow into the role.

Adams had the likes of Bould, O' Leary, Seaman, Dixon, Alan Smith and Keown the list is endless.

Vieira had the likes of Bergkamp, Henry, Keown, Seaman, Parlour and Gilberto and many more.

I'm gutted at the way it had panned out for William Gallas who is a world-class defender. The only future for him is away from Arsenal. He can not continue at the club.

Yes, I'm gutted for Gallas, but I'm more gutted for Arsenal who have now lost a top class defender and that can't be denied.

This may lift a weight off the rest of the squad's shoulders (if that is the case) and as I've said, only time will tell.

But I still worry for the next captain. It's going to be a hard job.

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

If it's true.......Bye Bye Billy UPDATE-It is true

Some Arsenal sites are saying William Gallas is no longer Arsenal captain. If the rumour is true then I can see no future for William Gallas at Arsenal.

I've never seen an Arsenal player so vilified as William Gallas. Even Ashley Cole was let off lightly compared to the treatment Gallas has suffered.

Sure he has brought some of it on himself and I know that Gallas can use his mouth before he engages his brain at times, but I've been shocked by the amount of hate shown to him.

According to some, almost all the problems that Arsenal have suffered since the Birmingham incident have lay at the feet of William Gallas.

Bye Bye Billy.

*UPDATE* It is true, Bye Bye Billy
Keep it Goonerish....................

Take the armband from Marmite and we LOSE our best defender

Gooners seem to be spilt on William Gallas. He seems to be like marmite, you either love him or hate him. In fact, that's not a bad nickname for him.

I'm in the love him camp and feel that the criticism he receives is way over the top. I also believe that he is being made a scapegoat for Arsenal struggling. There is an anti-Gallas bandwagon that has been forming since the Birmingham incident and it's gathering pace.

Marmite is our best defender, take the armband from him and we lose him. As simple as that. Do you think he would stay? I don't.

He is not a bad captain. People compare Marmite to recent skippers Tony Adams and Patrick Vieira and that is not fair. Adams and Vieira were fantastic Arsenal leaders but look at who they had around them. Adams had Keown, Bould, Dixon, Seaman etc, and Vieira had Henry, Gilberto, Bergkamp, Parlour, Campbell etc.

Who does Marmite have to help him on the pitch? That's right, no one.

Gooners call for Cesc Fabregas to be made captain, where are his leadership qualities right now? I'm not seeing any. He maybe a future captain but he's too immature at the moment. He would struggle with the burden and let's not forget he is struggling already.

Toure has been mentioned but he isn't a first team regular anymore and his form is so poor I can't see that changing in the immediate future.

Almunia wore the armband against Fenerbache and while he produced an outstanding goalkeeping display, I'll say he cant even command his box, let alone command the team.

Gael Clichy is another mooted for the role. Out of the four alternatives to Marmite I've mentioned, he is the best option for me. But he is too quiet for the time being. Experience will draw his character out but he isn't ready yet.

And then we come to Arsene Wenger. We all know how stubborn the man is. It was obvious in the summer that Arsenal needed strengthening but that didn't happen. What makes anyone think that he will admit to being wrong over Marmite being made captain? (Although I felt it was right)

This bandwagon wont be stopped and I've never known an Arsenal player be criticised as much as Marmite. Even that little muppet Ashley Cole seems to have got off lightly compared to Marmite.

I know he doesn't make things easy for himself with his outbursts but for the most part he is right. He only says what we Gooners talk about yet he is destroyed for it.

I ask you, if Fabregas or Toure were captain and either came out with half the stuff Marmite said would they be as criticised? I think not.

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

Lets play the great William Gallas blame game!

William Gallas seems to be blamed for everything wrong at Arsenal so it's only fair that he gets the blame for everything else too.

Its easy to do, when things aren't going as planned, blame Gallas!

I had a cold Kebab last night, must have been Gallas' fault.

This morning my bacon sandwich came with red sauce instead of brown, clearly Gallas' fault.

The credit crunch is affecting everyone at the moment, I blame Gallas.

I've got a very painful headache, why did you give me this pain Gallas?

My Dad bought crunchy peanut butter instead of smooth, he blamed Gallas.

Catch my drift?

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

An Arsenal team meeting is needed and needed fast

In public Arsene Wenger loves to talk up Arsenal having a fantastic spirit and togetherness but behind the scenes it could be a different story altogether.

William Gallas has spoken of an argument he had to spilt up but would not reveal names. Maybe Gallas should not have made this public but it shows that something in the squad is not quite right.

When people spend a lot of time together they can fall out, its human nature. It happens in all walks of life and football is no different.

Maybe its time a team meeting was called. Let everyone have their say and clear the air. Any grievance's will be sorted and it will bring the squad closer together.

It feels so much better to get things off your chest and I'm sure that it would work for this Arsenal side.

I imagine there is plenty of frustration surrounding the Arsenal squad at the minute, I know that I'm frustrated!

The players hopefully have plenty of anger inside them at present. Getting it out will help a great deal.

Who knows, a meeting could change Arsenal's season? Maybe Arsene Wenger should try to install a "them against us" mentality into the squad.

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

These suit Cristiano Ronaldo and John Terry not Nicklas Bendtner!

Cristiano Ronaldo and John Terry are always crying so I'd have thought that the new PINK Nike Mercurial Rosa football boots would be ideal for either of them.

Instead Nicklas Bendtner will be the first footballer to embarrass himself by wearing the "funky" boots for Arsenal in his next game.

Let's hope the boots help him score because lets face it, the only thing he has been scoring with lately is Steve Bruce's daughter!

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

What are Arsenal's REALISTIC expectations now?

John Terry seems to think ruling Arsenal out of the title race is stupid. I think he is just taking the piss to be honest.

The title is beyond us, we are too inconsistent and lack the fight against the less glamorous sides. I'd be happy to take a top four place right now. And I think we will.

Aston Villa seem a threat right now but they will run out of steam. They are not used to combining the Premiership and Europe.

The last few years have seen Arsene Wenger put the FA Cup into third place in his priority's. That needs to change. I fancy Le Boss to put stronger interest into this season's run, and unless it interferes with the Champions League, we could win it.

The Carling Cup will see the progression of the kids as usual. The semi-final beckons in my eyes and that would be another good account shown by the mini-mes.

And last but not least, that leaves the Champions League.

The Champions League is the holy grail to Arsene Wenger. I believe Arsenal can win it this season. Our football style suits the competition and the players raise their games for the big sides.

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

Arsene Wenger needs to put Arsenal first, not a players future

Arsene Wenger is the manager of Arsenal Football club and he needs to begin to put the future of Arsenal before any player.

I've heard him say many times before that he doesn't want to make a signing because it puts the future of a player in that position at risk. Its time Mr Wenger changed that philosophy.

Le Boss has put a huge amount of faith and trust into this squad, and how he is being rewarded for doing so!

The squad is full of talent, that cannot be denied but for me there is something else this set of players are lacking.

Its a simple case of attitude. If these players can't put in the effort for the less glamorous games then I suggest they fuck off. We supporters want to see commitment.

A squad could have all the talent in the world but it doesn't mean a thing if the attitude is all wrong. We lack the correct attitude and Le Boss needs to rectify it.

The players are not repaying Wenger's faith in them. It's time to put the club first and not the players. Arsene, you've given them the chance and they are struggling. Do the right thing, for Arsenal's sake.

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

Aston Villa deserved the win, Arsenal deserve NOTHING!

I don't want to hear any excuses from Arsene Wenger about why we lost today. Aston Villa deserved the victory and Arsenal deserved nothing. End of.

Aston Villa outplayed us on our own turf and you wouldn't believe that this was the same Arsenal side that outplayed Manchester United last week.

It a simple case of attitude. If these players can't put in the effort for the less glamorous games then I suggest they fuck off. Aston Villa showed determination and character and the players couldn't match it. But they could against Manchester United. I wonder why?

It's about time this group of players bucked up their ideas. Arsene Wenger put a lot of faith into them and they are not living up to expectations.

Talking of expectations I have lowered mine. I felt the title was beyond us after the Stoke defeat now I'd just be happy with a fourth place finish.

I'm beginning to get worried. The gulf between us and the other big three seems to be widening, and even worse, the gap between us and the sides below seems to be narrowing.

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

ARSENAL HAVE BEEN MULLERED FOR IT, SO WHY HAVEN'T LIVERPOOL???

Let me start by saying that this post is not a dig at Liverpool. Far from it in fact. Its a dig at the media and their hypocritical ways.

Last night in their Carling Cup match with Tottenham, Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez decided against using any of his British born players in his starting line-up. I have no problem with that whatsoever, but what I do have a problem with is the media who haven't picked up on this.

In the past Arsenal have done the same thing, only to be absolutely mullered for doing so by the media. Why haven't Liverpool? Whats the difference between the two clubs? It's bollocks in my view.

Arsene Wenger has been destroyed by the media for picking eleven foreign players to start a game, I haven't heard, seen or read a sniff that Liverpool did the same last night.

I've read before that Arsenal are destroying the England national team by using so many foreign players. It's easy to blame other people when the finger really points a lot closer to home. England aren't that good and the media instead use Arsenal as a scapegoat. I'm fed up with it.

I honestly believe that the media have it in for Arsenal. The commentators for the Arsenal V Manchester United game the other day were so biased for United it was untrue.

The media need to take a big look at how they conduct themselves. Arsenal are slaughtered for using eleven foreign players, why wasn't Liverpool?

Maybe I'm reading into this too much............

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

Wilshere is too young to drink MOM champagne!!!

Arsene Wenger's young side should be ashamed of themselves. That was a DISGRACE!!!

Those kids embarrassing those experienced players like that. I mean what were they thinking? Where was the respect?

Loved the performance tonight. Absolutely loved it. It was top notch and these boys played again with no fear what so ever once they crossed that white line.

The lads were a true joy to watch. They stroked the ball around like the first-team, if not better at times, and destroyed an established Premiership side in Wigan who are far from a mug team.

The whole team were excellent tonight and Arsene Wenger should be very proud. The quality shown tonight was unbelievable.

The score finished 3-0 and it could have been more really. It probably would have been more had the influential Jack Wilshere not been substituted. He had to be subbed though, he is so young that it was past his bedtime!

He will be some player though, and he will have to wait until his 18th to drink that MOM champagne!

I could go through the whole team and say how well each individual played. I can't be bothered to do that because I'm tired so I've set up a BOM (boy of the match, they are only young!) poll on the top right of the blog.

Feel free to cast a vote or leave a comment!

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

Another gem unearthed by Wenger?

I've never seen Amaury Bischoff play but I'm looking forward to seeing him in an Arsenal shirt for the first time. He is in the squad for tonight's Carling Cup game against Wigan so hopefully he will feature at some stage.

He has been showing some promise in the reserves so lets hope he can reproduce that form into his first team career.

Some people feel that Arsene Wenger took a gamble on signing Bischoff after his injury problems but the gamble could prove to be worthwhile. After all, Bischoff didn't cost a penny and he could become another one of Arsene Wenger's smart transfer moves.

I've no doubt that he must have some potential otherwise Le Boss wouldn't have signed him.

One thing that confuses me is where is he actually from? Is he French? Or is he Portuguese? I hope Portuguese because,

A) I can call him a Portugeezer

B) He may progress to full international level for Portugal and injure Ronaldo in a training ground tackle.

Anyway, Le Boss has unearthed unknown gems before, I hope that this is another one.

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

The Dane with a whole load of pain

I feel sorry for Nicklas Bendtner. He has taken a bit of stick from some quarters after he missed a few decent chances on Saturday.

He is young and has a bright future ahead of him. Lets not jump on his back before his career has even begun.

Nicklas is a confident player but will be inconsistent because of his age. He is still learning his trade.

Yes he missed some chances but lets not forget he played upfront on his own against two world-class defenders in Ferdinand and Vidic. He worked his socks off for the whole game and deserves a bit of credit.

Bendtner will become a top player, and a top player for Arsenal no doubt. He isn't rated by so many people in the game for no reason. Let's show him a little support.

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

Arsenal V Manchester United-The BEST game seen this season

Arsenal and Manchester United games always provide plenty of entertainment and yesterday's clash at the Emirates kept up that trend. The game was the best seen in the Premiership this season and credit is due to both sides for providing us with end to end attacking football. The likes of Chelsea and Liverpool can only dream of playing football like Arsenal and Manchester United can.

Only Arsenal and Manchester United can serve up games of this quality......

I enjoy the pre-match shenanigans and the mind games that both managers like to dish out but Alex Ferguson was gracious in defeat and Arsene Wenger also praised Manchester United for their part in this game which makes a refreshing change from the usual post-match sniping involved.

What yesterdays game proved to me is that Arsenal can beat the best and if we can become more consistent then we have a chance of competing for major honours. What also was proved to me is that Gael Clichy is one of the best left-backs in the world and he kept Ronaldo quiet for long periods of the game. Ashley Cole is a dick-head but he used to have Ronaldo in his pocket, Clichy appears to also be able to handle Ronaldo and that is no mean feat.

Denilson followed up his solid display against Fenerbache with another admirable performance and is becoming a quite reliable partner to Cesc Fabregas. Having said that I still feel that the middle of the park is an area that Arsenal could strengthen in.

I was pleased with the way Arsenal put their foot in and showed plenty of hunger to win the ball back. It's not something we Gooners see often enough in my eyes, the players were well up for it. That is the sort of determination we want to see and its all good and proper doing it against Manchester United, but its the lower teams I want to see us doing it against. I cannot fault the players yesterday though in that respect.

A great win and a great game. It was the perfect Birthday present for me!

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

You morons! Wenger isn't whingeing, he is smarter than you think!

If you have been watching Sky Sports News over the last couple of days you may have mistakenly believed that WW3 had just begun. The fuss over Arsene Wenger's statement about Stoke City's over exuberance last weekend has reached fever pitch.

Most seem to be jumping on the "Wenger is a whinger" bandwagon that has begun and I can't stop laughing about it. Do you know why? Because Arsene Wenger wouldn't want it any other way.

Wenger has created this storm on purpose. He isn't whingeing, (whingeing is the one of the kindest words from people I know!) he is being clever about the situation. He knew that the Arsenal squad were going to get severe stick from the media over the draw with Tottenham and a defeat to Stoke so he deflected the attention to himself.

There is the small matter of a game against Manchester United tomorrow, confidence in the squad may not be the highest and it would have taken an even huger battering from the media with the upcoming clash with United on the cards. The media would have had a field day explaining to the world what Manchester United were going to do to us.

Instead the focus has been diverted onto Arsene Wenger moaning. I think this is good management from Le Boss, he is creating an "us against the world" attitude in the Arsenal camp and that can only serve us well, especially baring in mind we are up against it tomorrow.

Having said this, it does piss me off the way the people are quick to jump onto any bandwagon forming. I guess it's just human nature but to me it just sums it up that in England we are quick to support these type of tactics that were used by Stoke.

Maybe that is half the reason England struggle to win things, we have a different mentality to the rest of the world. They like to play football, we like to kick people. We are very sharp to defend the battler and not so quick to defend the footballer.

Anyway,

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

Johan Djourou ready for Manchester United

I've been calling for Johan Djourou to be given a start and he was finally rewarded last night. He gave a faultless performance too.

Fenerbache didn't really show much ambition so Djourou wasn't tested as much as he would be this weekend (if he plays) but he showed that despite not being in the game for long periods of time, he had the concentration levels to perform well.

He never gave the ball away, always looking comfortable with the ball at his feet. He dealt with the long balls that we have struggled to defend against in the past with ease.

He was calm throughout and has given Arsene Wenger a selection headache at the back for the visit of Manchester United on Saturday. This is a welcome selection headache I must add.

Djourou showed great strength too, shrugging off the imposing figure of Guiza with ease, we will need that strength on Saturday.

I'm glad that Johan was given this chance. He has been overlooked in the past for Song and I have discussed before that I feel Johan Djourou should be before Song in the pecking order in defence.

A clean sheet was a welcome boost for the big game on Saturday and Johan contributed to it, despite Fenerbache's lack of ambition. I think he did well enough to start against United, whether he will or not is a different matter.

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

Fabregas looks FRUSTRATED

I'm no expert in the science of body language but you wouldn't need to be an expert looking at Cesc Fabregas last night. He looked totally frustrated and forlorn.

I've never seen Cesc look so down. His shoulders were slumped and he didn't really seem up for it. I know that players have bad days and bad games but his performances haven't been up to the standard of last season. And last night was his worst.

Maybe its just the fact he misses his mates Hleb, Senderos and Flamini. They were all very close off the field so perhaps Cesc needs to get over the fact they are not there anymore.

The teams plight certainly isn't helping matters. Arsenal are lacking form and confidence and when that happens teams tend to look to their best player for inspiration. Fabregas is Arsenal's best player but at the age of 21 that is too much pressure for him too handle. Hence the reason he isn't captain.

There is no doubt that Fabregas is among the best midfielders in the world but even the best needs a solid partner to help. Last season he had Flamini as his side-kick and I'd argue that their partnership would have developed to be as good as the Vieira-Petit combination.

This season Denilson is his partner and I think that together they have struggled. Denilson is a good player but I don't think that he is up to playing every week consistently yet. I think Denilson is a good stand by for Cesc at the moment and will be a great player in the future but Cesc needs more than he offers. Saying that I thought Denilson had a decent game last night.

I'm not saying that Cesc Fabregas wants to leave Arsenal, far from it, but I do feel he is becoming increasingly frustrated at the direction of the club at the moment. We had such a promising team last season and went desperately close to winning honours. He then wins the Euro's with Spain only for Arsenal to be struggling this season. No wonder he is frustrated.

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

SACKING ARSENE WENGER IS NOT THE ANSWER!

There is a lot of anger flowing around Gooners at the moment and I completely understand why. We are struggling at the minute and it is very hard to watch the club we all love perform like this whilst the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool go from strength to strength.

There are a lot of Gooners out there with their own answers to the problems we are facing and whilst I respect every opinion my fellow Gooners have, one answer keeps popping up that I don't agree with. Sack Arsene Wenger.

This is without doubt the most difficult period that Arsene Wenger has faced in his time as Arsenal boss. Big questions are being asked of him for the first time by Gooners and he has to deal with it, but first, he needs to be given the chance to deal with it.

The situation we find ourselves in is down to Wenger and he deserves the chance to get us out of it. He has done too much for this club to be sacked, we are not Tottenham, a club who panic and sack every manager at the first hint of trouble brewing. We have to much class for that.

We have remained without silverware for four years, yes I know how frustrating it is, it's even more frustrating when you know that Wenger could have strengthened the side to put us in a stronger position to challenge. But where would sacking him leave us? With more problems than we currently have that's for sure.

Trust me, losing Wenger would be someone else's gain. How do you replace him and who with? The answer's are not so simple. Losing Wenger would mean an exodus of half this side. I understand that we want players to be tied to Arsenal and not Wenger but unfortunately that's the way it is. Players want to play for Arsene.

At the moment the players are under performing and it IS down to a lack of experience. Players like Denilson have the potential to be good players but it's too much to ask him to perform every week. He needs help and guidance from senior players, he won't get that from the current squad, there is no one there to help him. That is where Wenger has gone wrong and needs to rectify it. He can't expect a bunch of youngsters to play well every game.

Arsene Wenger has made mistakes over his Arsenal career but the most glaring mistakes he has made have come over the last couple of years. It's easy to see from our point of view what needs to be done. I only hope Le Boss can see too because he is in real danger of his legendary status being tainted at the moment.

I don't want Arsene Wenger to be sacked and I don't think he will be either. But what I do want is for him to take a deep look at himself and admit that his way isn't working out to plan. I know he is a proud man but it doesn't make him weak to admit that he needs to makes some adjustments to his ways of management.

He revolutionised the English Premiership but he is in danger of falling behind in the league that he helped to prosper. Arsenal football club have benefited hugely from Arsene Wenger but Arsene Wenger has also benefited from Arsenal in a big way.

He deserves the chance to get Arsenal back to the top of the English game and redeem himself in the eyes of some Gooners who believe his star is losing it's sparkle. I understand your frustrations my fellow Gooners but this is one Gooner who thinks that letting Arsene Wenger go would be a bad move for Arsenal.

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

Arsenal have LOST their fear factor

There was a time when teams facing Arsenal were beaten in the tunnel before the game. Sides looked at the imposing Arsenal line-up and didn't fancy it, they just wanted to keep the score down.

Unfortunately these times don't exist anymore. We are seen as the soft touch of the top four, the side that can be bullied and harassed into submission.

I mean no disrespect to any team I mention here, but any side with title aspirations should not be getting beaten by the likes of Fulham, Hull City and Stoke City, not just being beaten though, but deservedly beaten.

These sides show no fear when they play Arsenal, they know they can get something from the game if they persevere.

Chelsea and Manchester United beat sides before they even step onto the pitch. Teams know that anything from a game against either of these two is a bonus, they feel confident of gaining something against Arsenal.

Arsenal used to have an air of invincibility about them but now there is an air of venerability surrounding them. We don't strike fear into the opposition anymore and that hurts.

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

01/11/2008 R.I.P title bid

This isn't an over-reaction and I'm sorry to say this but I really feel that the title race is now over for Arsenal.

Chelsea and Manchester United are beginning to look like machines and Liverpool look like the real deal for a change. We don't.

I really hope that I'm wrong but the evidence is clear. We are not good enough. What side with title ambitions goes to Stoke City, and doesn't even test the keeper for the whole of the second half?

We looked out of sorts, out of ideas and conceded TWO goals from throw-ins. That is Stokes main danger! Wasn't the players aware of this???

I mean no disrespect to Stoke City, they deserved their victory and credit must go to them for that, but spare a thought for every Gooner that went up to Stoke today. They did not deserve to see that shit. They didn't deserve to see an Arsenal side who looked disinterested but that's what they got.

I'm not calling for Arsene Wenger's head but I want him to take a good look at himself in the mirror after today's performance. There can be no more excuses about how young the side is, Arsene, you built the side, YOU are the reason we lack experience.

The players need to look at themselves too. They play for a club with high standards and right now they aren't performing to those standards.

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