Category: Arsenal

Bolton 1 – 3 Arsenal highlights, a masterclass & Eboue’s first PL goal!

On By jamesgillespIn Arsenal, Video

Arsenal came from behind at the Reebok to win 3 – 1 whilst playing some fantastic football. We now sit top of the Premier League on 12 points, at least until Chelsea play Man Utd later today.

Click here to see the match highlights.

Kevin Davies scored Bolton’s goal – a header from a corner in the 14th minute – as you would expect – and things didn’t look great.

But, Arsenal pummelled the Bolton box and after hitting the post twice and playing some great football, we pulled back to 1 -1, in the 26th minute, with Eboue’s first Premiership goal (although it’s debatable that he was offside), and then within a minute a Bendtner strike made it 2 – 1.

Bolton came back better in the second half, but couldn’t find the net. Clichy was tackled clumsily by Davies, who got a yellow (click here to see the foul). Clichy had to go to hospital for an x-ray. Meanwhile Djourou came on and played alright.

Hopefully Clichy doesn’t have a fracture, Wenger said afterwards he wasn’t sure. Clichy is now an intergral part of the team – amazing in attack and defence – without him we really lack on the flank.

Update – Clichy has only suffered bruising – and is free to join the rest of the squad – read on Arsenal.com

Walcott came on near the end of the game and really reignited the Arsenal attack. He looked fantastic and had several chances. His pace and balance were brilliant. He was at the centre of the third goal with a wonderful run from his own half, drawing six Bolton players, before giving it to Adebayor who crossed to the far post and allowed Denilson to kill the game off.

Wenger was euphoric afterwards:

“I thought it was a convincing, united, classy performance with strengths everywhere.

“We can always get better, that is the positive thing. We want to improve. As long as your attitude is right, you can go forward. We did not panic after going behind and that is the pleasing thing.”

Ahh, those words sound so good, how great it is to play fantastic football and win. It’s days like this when I love supporting Arsenal! Thoroughly satisfied Gooner!

Goals:

Bolton: Davies 14.

Arsenal: Eboue 26, Bendtner 27, Denilson 87.

Click here to watch more Arsenal videos.

New Arsenal Wallpapers – Cesc Fabregas

On By jamesgillespIn Arsenal5 Comments

Hi all, I’ve decided to introduce a wallpapers section to the site for your enjoyment.

You can view all the wallpapers here, or just right click and save the one below.

UPDATE: Fabregas Wallpaper 2 can be found here!

If you have any you want to submit then just email them to arsespeak{at}gmail(dot)com or contact me on Twitter!

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Arsenal Injury Update: Rosicky, Eduardo plus Nasri, Diaby, Silvestre

On By jamesgillespIn Arsenal, Injuries

Here’s the latest injury news at the Arse:

Tomas Rosicky may be playing matches by Christmas says Wenger.

Tomas has been out with hamstring problems since January, and had surgery in May. He was training and expected to return sooner, but according to the Czech international coach he had suffered some ‘set-backs’.

Wenger told the press:

“The recovery process is slower than we expected at the start. It doesn’t look worrying but the delay is longer than expected.

“He had a re-attached tendon that was loose in his hamstring, and that demands a lot of time to re-coordinate the movements of the hamstring. That makes it very difficult to predict exactly one week more or less how much time it will take.

“But I am optimistic that before Christmas you will see him in a good shape.”

Rosicky said:

“Everything went well, according to the schedule. When I was running long distances, it [the hamstring] gave me no problems at all.

“But when I started on the ball and tried to change directions of running and changed pace, the knee reacted badly. So far it does not allow me to go on in the recovery so it has stopped my training for some time. I am not resting completely, though.

“I can lift weights and do other exercises. The knee simply must get down. It does not mean at all though that I have to end my career.

“Every such treatment can bring unexpected problems with it. That is what has happened now so my return will be delayed.”

So it sounds like there are still problems, but nothing which can’t be fixed. It would be great to see Rosicky get a good run of games and come into some form. He really adds a different dimesion to our game when he’s on the pitch.

Also Wenger says Eduardo is a little ahead of schedule in his recovery, he sounded optimistic, so we may see Eddy back sooner than was expected!

Nasri, Diaby and Silvestre are all still out too, but we have no new injuries, Wenger commented:

“For Diaby, I would say two more weeks [until he is fit], Silvestre and Nasri should be available for Hull [at Emirates Stadium on September 27].”

So if all goes to plan we should have something resembling a full squad in within the next week. But no-one will be back for Bolton away tomorrow, expect a few players to be rested for that game.

Kronke joins the Board as Arsenal’s profits announced

On By jamesgillespIn Arsenal, Transfers3 Comments

Stan Kroenke, an American shareholder has joined the Board as a non-executive director. He owns a 12% stake in the club and Arsenal say he was invited in because of his experience in managing sports businesses and in expanding financial prospects.

The BBC reports:

“His firm Kroenke Sports Enterprises (KSE), owns the Denver Nuggets basketball franchise, the Colorado Avalanche ice hockey team and Major League Soccer side Colorado Rapids.”

It’s an interesting move, but one which I thought was likely. It makes sense for the Board to try and recruit a sensible ally if they are to maintain any control over the club from outside investors such as Usmanov.

They are pre-empting any takeover by forming an alliance with Kroenke, which also protects them from buyouts, as Kroenke now has agreed not to sell his 12% without consulting the Board.

This news comes as Arsenal announced a £36.7 million pre-tax profit for the year ending May ’08, rising more than £10m over the previous year’s profits.

Turnover was also up, from £200.8m to £223m, the move to the Emirates, and lucrative TV sponsorship are cited as major factors.

Peter Hill-Wood, the Chairman told the press:

“This club is ambitious for success and I believe that the strong financial position which the group has established, as confirmed by the results for the year, provides the best possible platform from which to deliver that success for the long-term,

“We are committed to operating the club as a business which is financially self-sustaining. This is clearly demonstrated having achieved our second highest ever pre-tax profit of £36.7m.

“Over the last two seasons Emirates Stadium has taken our football revenues to a new level, but we cannot be complacent. Accordingly, we recognise the need to further develop the business commercially on a worldwide basis.

“We have reported significant growth in turnover to £223m reflecting a growth in our core football business. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, new Premier League domestic and overseas TV deals have led to a rise in broadcasting income of £24.1m to £68.4m, and secondly, matchday income was £94.6m and remained the most important component of the Group’s income.”

“We moved to Emirates Stadium in order to compete with top European sides, not only on a financial footing but from a footballing perspective,” he added. “The healthy financial returns from moving to the Emirates are the fruits of our labour so far, but just as important is the team’s performances at our new home.

“Given that we have only lost one match in 58 competitive matches since moving here in 2006, Emirates is certainly becoming the fortress that Highbury once was.”

“The most significant factor is the new TV deal which has increased income by just over £24m. In addition, the inaugural Emirates Cup which we hosted in 2007 brought in £4m.”

On transfer funds, Hill-Wood had this to say:

“In answer to your question, yes funds will always be made available to Arsene to improve the quality of the squad and we have consistently stated that adequate funds are available to him if needed.

“We maintain a constant dialogue with Arsène and whilst there is not a set figure in place we are always able to buy additional players should he choose to buy. We have every confidence in Arsène and trust in his judgment, so he decides whether he needs to strengthen his squad.

“The accounts which we have released today show that the Group had cash balances of some £93m at 31st May 2008. This is clearly a very healthy position from which to support the manager’s spending plans.

“However, it must be recognised that £31.5m of this cash is held as security for the debt service of our Bonds and its use is therefore restricted, also there is a strong degree of seasonality to our cash flow with season ticket renewals during May having a positive impact on the year- end cash figure.”

“We have every confidence in Arsene and trust his judgment. It is not about spending a specific amount of money, it is about investing in the right people. It’s about having the right players with the right quality and the right spirit. People easily forget that we were not too far off winning some silverware last season. The margins are so small.

“We may have a young squad but they are talented and have one more year’s experience. They are managed exceptionally well by Arsene and we have every confidence that they will have a successful season.

“We strongly believe that to compete at the highest levels of professional football the club has to have a viable business that can pay its own way. We strongly believe this is the only way in the long-term.”

So, in summary, the move to the Emirates has been crucial in building financial strength, so now we can compete with the best in Europe. Wenger has money available and the backing of the board. In our current situation we can survive as a business which can pay it’s own way – i.e. no big investors like Abramovich!

Arsenal salvage a draw with Dynamo Kiev – Watch the highlights here!

On By jamesgillespIn Arsenal, Champions League, Video

Arsenal were lucky to come away with a point tonight after a 1-1 draw with Dynamo Kiev in front of 20 000 in the Ukraine. Dynamo went ahead after a penalty was harshly awarded against Bacary Sagna, and they defended hard afterwards.

Arsenal left it late to equalise, with a low Walcott cross bouncing its way to Gallas at the far post who bundled it home.

Click on the links below to watch the goals.

Dynamo Kiev 1 – Bangoura 64′ (pen)

Arsenal 1 – Gallas 88′

We looked good early on, and there were great chances for Adebayor and Fabregas. But after half time Dynamo seemed to improve. They piled on the pressure, and eventually the penalty was conceded.

Walcott impressed yet again tonight, his confidence seems sky high at the moment, and he is fulfilling his potential right now.

Interestingly Sagna came off for Eboue in the second half, suggesting he may have picked up a slight knock.

I think we were lucky to salvage the point, but I’ll take it.

The stats tell the tale – a game where Dynamo defended and tackled well, although Arsenal had the most attacking pressure, and eventually managed to break down the Ukrainians.

Dinamo Kiev Team Statistics Arsenal
1 Goals 1
0 1st Half Goals 0
2 Shots on Target 5
8 Shots off Target 4
7 Blocked Shots 3
3 Corners 8
17 Fouls 14
2 Offsides 4
4 Yellow Cards 1
0 Red Cards 0
84.9 Passing Success 86.1
14 Tackles 21
85.7 Tackles Success 66.7
46.6 Possession 53.4
44.3 Territorial Advantage 55.7

Teams

Dynamo Kiev: Bogush, Betao, Diakhate, Mykhalyk, Nesmachniy, Vukojevic, Yussuf (Asatiani 90), Yeremenko, Aliev, Ninkovic, Bangoura (Kravets 90).
Subs Not Used: Shovkovskiy, Ghioane, Morozyuk, Shatskikh, Olexander Romanchuk.

Booked: Nesmachniy, Bangoura, Vukojevic, Diakhate.

Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna (Eboue 78), Toure, Gallas, Clichy, Walcott, Fabregas, Song Billong (Bendtner 70), Denilson, Van Persie (Vela 83), Adebayor.
Subs Not Used: Fabianski, Ramsey, Wilshere, Djourou.

Booked: Sagna.

Ref: Luis Medina Cantalejo (Spain).

Nwankwo Kanu: Quality, Quantity and Wenger – Video

On By jamesgillespIn Arsenal, Scouting, Video1 Comment

Arsene Wenger took a massive gamble in 1999. He signed Nwankwo Kanu up after the player underwent a massive heart bypass operation. Kanu had previously played for Inter Milan, but heart problems threatened to end his career. Nwankwo Kanu told Canal he owes his career to Wenger, who took the chance to sign up a talented player.

Kanu was a mesmerising foward, all legs and feet. His gangly frame masked one of the most skilful players around; an African superstar, Nigerian legend. Unlike his date of birth, his tricks were unforgettable.

Doctors said that Kanu would never play football again. Wenger thought otherwise:

“I owe him a lot because he believed in me,”

“He gave me self confidence and faith. And I think I paid him back because I did very well with Arsenal.

We all know that there is a good dressing-room atmosphere at Arsenal, and not many players have complaints about the way things are run, as Kanu says:

“We were all together, like a family during this period, and I scored special goals, especially against Chelsea, three in 15 minutes.

“He gave me the chance to have fun playing football and permitted me to dream on.”

Kanu’s third goal in 15 minutes saw Arsenal come back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 against Chelsea at the Bridge.

“…with the puddles deeping at Stamford Bridge, it was Kanu who kept his feet to give Arsenal hope with a quarter of an hour remaining.”

Click here to read the BBC match report from that memorable day.

It’s well known that Harry Redknapp tries to recreate a ‘Wenger style’ in his teams, Kanu commented:

“I feel great because I have found the same atmosphere than at Arsenal here. This state of mind resembles Arsenal’s and helped us win things.

It’s probably true that the quality training and diet that Kanu recieved at Arsenal revitalised his career and has allowed him to continue playing against all odds.

Read about more Wenger signings – Kaba Diawara the bargain buy that never made it. Or watch more Classic Videos.

Adebayor’s Champions League hunger + Dynamo Kiev vs. Arsenal squad

On By jamesgillespIn Arsenal, Champions League

Adebayor has been talking to Arsenal.com about winning the Champions League and the Dynamo game, it makes very interesting reading.

I’ve emphasised the diffculties of playing in the Ukraine, and Ade picks up on this too:

“We know that playing in Ukraine is going to be very difficult especially because their players are playing in front of their fans and will be doing everything to win the game. But we are Arsenal. We just have to believe in ourselves and, if we can, play our football. If we can stay patient, score the goals then, in the end, we’ll win the game.”

I think we need to get into the game early and really hit Kiev hard in attack. If we aren’t concentrating properly they could punish us early-on.

Ade says he has hunger to win the CL, maybe more than his team-mates, because he was cup-tied in 2006 when reached the final.

“I couldn’t play back then because I was cup-tied and in my head it was difficult.”

“I think I’m not the only one. Cesc lost in the Final aswell and Kolo lost in the Final aswell so to be honest I think all these players would like to win it in their career.”

One very important point, we are playing 3 diffcult away games in one week – we have stumbled with this in the past – last year’s loss to Middlesbrough for example. Ade has the right attitude:

“We’ve won at Blackburn so we have to play away again.”

“We are just taking game after game. We go to Kiev. Let’s win that game then we can talk easily about the game at Bolton.

Click here for the full article.

Arsene Wenger named the squad flying out to Kiev yesterday, Nasri and Silvestre were still missing, although Clichy and Eboue are both going after passing fitness tests.

Click here for the BBC match preview page

Expect a fairly standard 4-4-2 line-up, Ade and RVP upfront, with Eboue playing central midfield possibly, to beef things up (whether he will be effective remains to be seen) either that or he will play on the wing instead of Walcott.

Wenger may opt for a 4-5-1 if he thinks it will be tough out there. Ade will be on his own up front, Van Persie on the left of midfield.

Click here for Dynamo Kiev coach Yury Semin’s comments and here for Wenger’s thoughts.

Here’s to a successful game.

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The Arsenal Curse – back in action? – David Bentley, Flamini, Hleb..

On By jamesgillespIn Arsenal, Injuries, Transfers3 Comments
Bentley needs to eat something
Bentley needs to eat something

Arsenal Insider runs a nice piece here, basically saying – lets all laugh at David Bentley.

The guy has become a hated figure at Arsenal with all his bitter comments about the club and Wenger since he left. After signing for Spurs this summer for about £15 million he is now part of Spurs worst ever start to a season.

They are bottom of the league – of course we have only played 3 games, but it’s still funny!

It is even sweeter because Bentley has made a lot of comments about how we don’t bring through English talent, that’s why he moved. But Theo just scored a hattrick for England, maybe Bentley’s failure at Arsenal is more because of his lack of talent than Arsenal’s policies!

The Spolier also lists some more unfortunate Arsenal leavers – Hleb was injured on his home debut for Barca – out for 4 weeks, they drew 1-1 against Santander.

Flamini isn’t doing great at AC Milan either – 100% loss rate in their games so far, and no Champions League this week, just a UEFA Cup tie on Thrusday!!

Click here to read the latest Arsenal news on ArseSpeak!

Wenger looks ahead to the Kiev match, is one point enough?

On By jamesgillespIn Arsenal, Champions League

Arsene Wenger has commented on how tough the tie will be in Kiev. We’ve played in the Ukraine three times, and lost everytime. I mentioned our poor record in Eastern Europe earlier today, and Wenger knows it won’t be easy.

He’s played it down, saying a point will be a good start for him:

“It is a tough place for us to go,”“It is maybe a little bit better for us to play earlier but I am convinced it will still be a massive challenge. We’ll go there and try to win the game but even if we take a point then for me it will be a good start.

“Dynamo Kyiv knocked out Spartak Moscow 4-1, 4-1 [in each leg of their qualifying game]. When you know Spartak Moscow and how strong the Russian League is at the moment that means it is a tough draw. I saw the first game at Spartak Moscow and Dynamo Kyiv were really impressive.

“Our group has four teams who are all used to playing in the Champions League – Fenerbache, Porto, Dynamo and us. Anyone can take points off anyone that’s why for me it’s very important we start well in this game.”

We do have a particuarly tough group, the away games will be crucial, because ties in the Ukraine and Turkey are notoriously difficult – last year Chelsea lost 2-1 to Fenerbahce in the Quarter-Finals there. Porto are also a quality side, all of these teams have Champions League quality.

In the Sun he said:

“For me, Dynamo Kiev is a bit of an unknown quantity,”

“They look like they always have the best players around their region, so it really depends on the quality of the generation they have at the moment.

“But they can be a very dangerous side. We know that because we played them when they had Shevchenko, Rebrov and Luzhny and they were a very, very difficult side.”

This is true. I don’t think Dynamo’s current crop will be as good as that team, but they are still the best Ukrainian team, and they will make life very hard for us out there.

Of course we will go for the win, but Arsene is talking it down in order not to raise expectations.

Do you think he’s right, is one point a good start?

Wenger thinks the title will be ‘tight’ this year

On By jamesgillespIn Arsenal, Transfers

Arsene Wenger believes that this year will be one of the toughest in the history of the Premiership. I would agree with him, Chelsea look much stronger and teams like Man City and Spurs have spent a lot this summer.Last year was hard, but this year may be even harder.

“This season you will need a high number of points and you will have to be consistent, I don’t know how many we’ll need, ask me again in January then we will have a better idea.

“Last season, I feel we did not get enough credit for what we did. We were very close. We made 83 points in the League and I have won the title with 78 before. But the competition was very high last season and looks like it will be the same this season.”

“But you might have a surprising team coming in to challenge like Man City, Tottenham and maybe Portsmouth. It will certainly be very tight and very interesting.

“Manchester City have an advantage because they do pay a lot of money.

Man City especially have an unimaginable amount of cash behind them, and it will be used – they managed to get Robinho, I think they could sign almost anyone!

Wenger commented on the January transfer window:

“This year, for the first time, the January transfer window opens when we will have only played 19 games.

“I have played seasons here when there were 24 games before then – the second part of the season is longer now.

“Teams can get that little bit more balance by buying players in the transfer window.”

Wenger seems happy that the window is opening after fewer games, it gives us the chance to bring in much needed support for the long haul. It is a bit worrying how much money Man City have, the new owners seem to be determined to create some sort of ‘super-team’ like the way Real Madrid are ‘Galacticos’.

Whatever happens, expect Wenger to be on the look-out in the next window, and a lot of action from the likes of Man City!