Leo Beenhakker's boys in leagues around Europe:

England
Łukasz Fabiański (Arsenal London) - reserve bench in league match against Sunderland (1:1)
Euzebiusz Smolarek (Bolton Wanderers) - reserve bench in league match against West Ham United (3:1)

Scotland
Artur Boruc (Celtic Glasgow) - 90 minutes in league match against Hamilton Academical (4:0)
Łukasz Załuska (Dundee United) - 90 minutes in league match against Inverness Caledonian Thistle (2:1)

Germany
Jacek Krzynówek (VfL Wolfsburg) - wasn't even on bench warmer duty against Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen (2:2)
Jakub Błaszczykowski (Borussia Dortmund) - 90 minutes in league match against Hannover 96 (1:1)

Belgium
Marcin Wasilewski (R.S.C. Anderlecht) - 90 minutes in league match against Royal Excelsior Mouscron (2:1)

Greece
Wojciech Kowalewski (Iraklis Thessaloniki F.C.) - 90 minutes in league match against Aris Thessaloniki F.C.  (0:1)
Michał Żewłakow (Olympiacos CFP) - reserve bench in league match against AEK Athens (2:0)

Russia
Mariusz Jop (FK Moskva) - 90 minutes in league match against Szinnik Jarosławl (2:1)

Ukraine
Mariusz Lewandowski (FC Shakhtar Donetsk) - reserve bench in league match against FC Chornomorets Odessa (3:0)
Seweryn Gancarczyk (FC Metalist Kharkiv) - 90 minutes and a yellow card in a league match against FC Metalurh Zaporizhya (0:1)

Romania
Paweł Golański (Steaua Bucureşti) - reserve bench in league match against Farul Constanta (1:1)

Cyprus
Łukasz Sosin (Anorthosis Famagusta) - The Cyprus league didn't play yet

Denmark
Marek Saganowski (Aalborg BK) - 90 minutes in league match against AC Horsens (1:1)

In the Scottish premier league, Boruc showed his beautiful form with some brilliant saves against Hamilton Academical... no not really, he had barely had any work, but he looked confident and a different Boruc then we had seen two weeks ago. Was a convincing win indeed, especially with the big man saving a penalty kick. Celtic went on to win 4:0. Another Pole, Łukasz Załuska also celebrated a win win with his team Dundee United (2:1). Jakub Błaszczykowski started for Borussia Dortmund and showed some of his slick skills against Hannover 96, but unfortunatly Borussia only drew the match 1:1. Jacek Krzynówek? Well you know, same old, same old. He warmed the bench... no wait, he was in the stands instead for the VfL Wolfsburg vs. FC 04 Gelsenkirchen which ended a draw (2:2). Hope he had good view.

Arsenal fully demolished a sub-par Sheffield United side this evening as Arsene Wenger fielded the club's youngest side ever. It was quickly apparent that age mattered little in this affair as the teenage Gunners effortlessly put six past the Blades on the evening.

Fabianski: 7 Honestly, Fabianski had little to nothing to do all night except be happy and watch his teammates play some glorious football. When he was called into action however he came out and dominated his area with authority and his distribution for the most part was good.

Hoyte: 7 Good getting forward and seemingly more solid then his brother in defense. The younger Hoyte looked much better at right-back then he did at center-back in preseason. He is still young and has plenty of time and room to improve (unlike his brother) but all in all a solid start for the youngster.

Djourou: 8 Looked a bit shaky in the first few minutes but he settled into the game quite well and dealt with everything that came his way. He put in a number of great challenges to break up what little attacking United had.

Song: 8 Solid as usual. Great in defense, going forward, and distribution. He seemed to have landed awkwardly on one leg that may have strained his hip. Hopefully it is nothing serious and he will be fit and ready for action when Arsenal host Hull this weekend.

Gibbs: 8.5 Fantastic display from Gibbs. He was there when called upon in defense and was fantastic getting forward, whipping in some solid crosses and even putting in a shot or two on target. He has shown he has the ability to get forward. The next question will be does he have the ability to defend consistently when called upon.

Wilshere: 9 Little Jack made his first team debut as a 16 year old who came through the Hale End academy and looked as if he had been playing football ever since the day he was born. He was comfortable with the ball at his feed, fantastic in his passing and capped it off with a cool finish from outside the box. Even more encouraging was his ability to get back and help in defense as well as the strength he showed on the ball. He never backed down from a challenge and was willing to stand up to much bigger and strong players than himself. These are all very encouraging signs from the young Englishman and as the season progresses I can only see Wilshere getting better and better.

Ramsey: 9 Great strength on the ball and fantastic passing and distribution. Showed he can split the defense as well as win the ball back. Aaron showed some fantastic bits of skill, including that sublime back heel to Bendtner. Two assists on the night for the young Welshman to go along with an over all fantastic performance. Suffice it to say, the future looks bright for Aaron at Arsenal.

Randall: 6.5 Looked good in the first half in passing and possession and even put in a few nice challenges but his final ball and set pieces left much to be desired. Furthermore, Mark seemed to fade in the second half. This appears to be a make or break season at Arsenal for Randall with other more talented players pushing up in his position. If he doesn't put in some more inspiring performances he will most likely have to seek employment elsewhere.

Merida: 8 Fran was incredibly impressive on the night. He showed fine bits of skill all evening long. He played some totally deft balls through the defense and put in some good crosses from set pieces. Add to that the assist on Wilshere's goal and the young Spaniard is starting to show why he is so highly rated.

Bendtner: 9 Two goals and an assist coming off of a great weekend performance at Bolton. Nick was trouble for the United defense all night long. He held the ball up well and combined great with Vela. Not much can be said against Nick tonight other than that he really ought to have scored the goal for his hat trick which he pushed just wide.

Vela: 10 I cannot honestly think of a single thing the Mexican did wrong all evening wrong. He scored three goals and set up another. He ran all over the pitch, held the ball up extremely well, showed his coolness and calmness in finishing and also his strength on the ball. Already a regular in the senior Mexico squad, performances like this will certainly go a long way in Vela's pursuit of consistent first team football in the Premiership this season.

SUBS:

Coquelin: 8 Francis looked fantastic slotting in at right back. He was able to exhibit both his defensive tenacity as well as the creative side of his game and he made a few nice moves into the box. The kid clearly has skill and drive and I believe it is only a matter of time before this youngster makes his way into the first team.

Lansbury: 7.5 Henri looked good on the night. He put in a few night shots and combined well down the right side. Obviously, he is still getting back into the swing of things after his illness last year but this performance is definitely a solid step on the road back.

Simpson: 6 Nothing in particular stood out about Jay's game. He hustled, and he seemed to pass and link up decently but his final ball was lacking. With the depth Arsenal have in the striker position and the performances of players like Bendtner and Vela it is going to be very hard for Jay to force his way into even the Carling Cup squad. That is why he must take full advantage of any chance he gets.

Man of the Match: Without a doubt, Carlos Vela showed why so many fans were anxious for the young Cancun-born striker to earn his work permit and return from his loan spells in Spain. His link-up play, his holding, his vision, his strength and his finish are all there. Tonight, Carlos Vela arrived.

Now, the UEFA Cup. What about it? Wisla and Lech both lost 2-1 away. Not too good results, and not too bad either. Even though they lost, they both still succeeded in scoring at least an away goal, which will help them in the long run. Lech Poznan played very poorly in Vienna against Austria, and allowed two almost identical goals to be scored on them with little resistance. Yikes, the Lech that was taking the Ekstraklasa and Europe by storm has seem to have tripped on something and fallen down. Not to mention the Lech coach, Franz Smuda wants to quit Lech as soon as possible... not to great for team morale I must say. How quickly do things fall apart in Polish football before they even become something... now about Wisla it was totally a different story. They didn't play like a Polish club, there! That's basically all you need to know. Wisla played a great game, went for every ball, and didn't let Tottenham get to them mentally.  Superb display by Wisla defender and captain, Marcin Baszczynski who allowed Wisla to stay at bay without allowing more goals. Although, even with great defending there were still some ****ups, especially like on the second goal which in all honesty shouldn't of had happened. Good news is that both Polish clubs still have a chance to progress if they win at home 1-0. Let's hope for the best, but just not expect for any miracles.

In other news:Tomasz Frankowski is expected to return back to Poland, and play for Jagiellonia after failing to make an impact with the Chicago Fire in the MLS. (Hmm, where have we seen this before from this man?)

While Mr. Jacek Krzynowek finally realizes that he won't ever win a spot back on the reserves bench for VfL Wolfsburg (You heard it right... sad eh?) so he asked to leave.  Oh no, why leave a club of that you have "Water boy for the reserves" status? Well, like Leo once said, for money, and in Krzynowek's case, to actually play, reserves or... dare I say it? First team. The club, situated in the almighty and wealthy United Arab Emirates, Al Ain FC are interested in Krzynowek's talents (Huh?) and are assumed to be his new club in the coming week.

Jacek Bak, who threw a punch at Lech Poznan's Renfigo might be facing a fine or suspension by UEFA during the coming week. The punch was thrown behind the referees back, thus not allowing him to see it. Bak was only given a yellow, and yet still complained. Wow... let's see how smart he's gonna be in Poznan.

The stadium proposal was finally accepted for Legia's new stadium after weeks of problems, and general doubt. This is great news, because now Polands capital club will be able to have a modern stadium. Now Polonia Warszawa, who are currently 1st in the Ekstraklasa need to start to modernize their stadium. The more modern stadia in Poland, the better.

Highlights:

Austria 1-0 Lech goal

Austria 1-1 Lech goal

Austria 2-1 Lech goal

Jacek Bak punch on Renfigo

Tottenham 1-0 Wisla goal

Tottenham 1-1 Wisla goal

Tottenham 2-1 Wisla goal

Well, it's that time again... just as the young season seems about to get into swing, we get hit with the international break.  Arsenal, and the other top level clubs, will have most of their rosters away from the club to play twice in five days while clubs like Fulham get a breather and time to re-energize.  With not much going on around the club, we can take a few moments to reflect on the season so far as well as some of the major issues surrounding the club and its supporters.

Are We Better Than Last Season?

Many Arsenal fans are debating amongst themselves the question of whether we are stronger or weaker than last season.  This is a tricky question because you can come up with an answer in two ways: on paper or on the pitch.  On paper, all we are missing from last season is a straight replacement for Matheiu Flamini.  Hleb has been more than ably replaced by Samir Nasri while Fabianski and Denilson can, theoretically, fill the minor roles played by Jens Lehmann and Gilberto last season.

However, there is another way to see improvement.  Last season, we were at our weakest on the wings.  While playing a 4-5-1 with Hleb in the hole and Rosicky injured, we inevitably played Emmanuel Eboue and Abou Diaby as our two wingers.  This year, so far at least, the health of Robin van Persie has allowed Arsene to play the more favoured 4-4-2 and replace Eboue and Diaby with Walcott and Nasri.  To me this is a significant improvement over last season that probably outweighs the difference between Flamini and Denilson or Diaby at the moment.  We now also have the experienced defender we needed last season in Mikael Silvestre if he can remain healthy.

As for on the pitch, we saw last week against Newcastle that, yes, we are still "the Arsenal."  The football is still smooth, intelligent, creative, and free-flowing and, despite not playing near our best against West Brom or Fulham, we are still only one point off the top after 3 matches.

The Hack Was Back

What you are seeing above is, of course, the infamous tackle by legendary cunt, Joey Barton on Samir Nasri last weekend near the end of Arsenal's 3-nil dismantling of Newcastle in Keven Keegan's last match as manager.  Most have questioned Keegan's judgment in bringing Barton on in the first place considering he had an FA hearing pending the following Friday.  Well that hearing came and went, and so did Kevin Keegan (maybe his judgment isn't that bad after all).

Barton received a 12 game suspension.  Enough??  Hell no.  He could have used an extra three for the challenge on Nasri.  Look at how he is leaning into Nasri's body even though Nasri is not standing over the ball.  Look at how he sticks his elbow out and tries to crash right into his knee.  Look at how Nasri just barely escapes being Eduardo II by getting his foot unplanted.  After the tackle, Barton went on to give one of the biggest wise-ass grins he could muster.

The man is an absolute disgrace to the game; to anyone who's ever played the game; and certainly to anyone who has ever loved the game.  I know it's been said a thousand times before but the game would be far better off without that two-bit hack.

200 and Counting...

Cesc Fabregas played his 200th game for Arsenal last Saturday when he took the pitch at the Emirates against Newcastle and showed, again, why he is what American sports fans call a "franchise player."  Not only is he the real "heart and soul" of Arsenal on the pitch, but he is fully on board with Arsene and his policy: "We sign what we need... at Arsenal there's a different policy and we have to respect that... the day we win something with these players, with this policy, this atmosphere and style, there will be a big change - almost a revelation."

The thing that is most impressive about Cesc, besides his on-field displays, is his level of maturity at such a young age. This has been evidenced throughout the last year in numerous episodes from firing his agent when he linked Cesc with Barcelona in the media against the player's wishes to speaking of now knowing what it means to be "a winner" following Spain's victory at Euro2008 to showing his full support for Arsene and the club.  The kid knows what he wants and he has a long-term vision of his career unlike many players who are older and, supposedly, more mature.  We all know what happens to players when they leave Arsenal but apparently players like Flamini and Hleb don't.  Well, Cesc does:

“I cannot remember any player who left Arsenal and has been a superstar. Don’t get me wrong, Alex Hleb and Mathieu Flamini are two of my best friends in football and I wish them all the best but Arsenal is Arsenal. This club has something special that no others have. We have to take care of it. I want to play for Arsenal. When you see football all around the world you see very few teams who play the way that we play. I just enjoy it. I feel it is my home now.  I am happy with everything, my No 4, playing for Arsenal in centre midfield and giving 100 per cent every, every game. But if the boss thinks in one or two years I am ready to be captain, I will take the armband.”

Now, if we want to be honest, we all know that Cesc is the Arsenal captain in everything but name.  Gallas may wear the armband but it is Cesc whom the players are willing to follow anywhere.  Those who worry about Cesc's short-term future with Arsenal should feel some peace-of-mind after reading those quotes.  Cesc understands what it is about the club that makes it special in general and especially to the supporters.  Just the fact that he is thinking about being one in a long line of Arsenal legends who captained the side shows he sees his future with the club and shows his dedication to the club, the supporters, and his teammates.

Finally?

Arsenal have sixteen players away during this international break including Gael Clichy, who, somehow, is still awaiting his first full senior cap with France. Clichy has finally been getting called up by Domenech beginning last year for matches with Spain and Congo but has failed to see any action as of yet.  The former Cannes trainee and Toulouse native has 10 caps for the Under-21s as well as two appearances in friendlies with France's B (or A dash) side.  It is mind boggling how Domenech can keep the undisputed best left back in the Premier League, if not the world, on the bench.  While United's Patrice Evra has up until now held his place ahead of Clichy, it has to be only a matter of time as Clichy, while still providing the attacking  if not scoring threat of Evra, is clearly superior in terms of defending and attitude.

Arsenal Station will report on the exploits of our Gunners on the international scene later in the week.  For the complete rundown of who is where and when check Arsenal.com.

*The Cesc quotes were taken from a great article which Arsenal Station highly recommends at OneTonyAdams.com.

2003/04: The Peak of the Invincibles' Success

by K-PO, proud member of the Gooner Forum and Blog Manager

We are close. Very close indeed to being as great, nay, as Invincible as the legendary Invincibles Team was.

-----Henry------

----Bergkamp----

Pires-----Ljungberg

--Vieira--Edu-----

Cole--------Lauren

-Campbell-Toure---

-----Lehmann----

This is the legacy. These 11 men who fought through 38 games, and did not lose even one of them. How can we recreate that with the team that we have?

Well, what did Henry bring in 2003/04? He brought 39 goals and 11 assists. If Adebayor leaves can Eduardo bring that? Well, Eduardo, in his first 31 games for Arsenal, which is the number of games before his injury, he brought 12  goals and 8 assists. Not as good as Henry's first 31 games, but it was his first season after having played in a very different league for several years, whilst Henry had played in Italy and France before moving to Arsenal. So, can Eduardo bring the goods that Henry did for Arsenal? Yes, but not in the same way that Henry did. He will bring the assists and the goals, but not in exactly the same way.

Bergkamp. Dennis Bergkamp was a different, different class that will never ever be seen again. But we've got the closest thing to him. And that's Robin van Persie. Along with Cesc he is the most talented player on the team. van Persie's vision and how ridiculous ideas for things to do on the ball (i.e. the goal against Milan, how the hell did he think of doing exactly what he did??) can eventually be almost as good as Bergkamp. In his career, Bergkamp made 393 appearances for Arsenal, and scored 106 goals in 11 years. van Persie has been with us for 4 years now, and truly loves the club. In those four years he has been able to bring 133 games, 43 goals, and 15 assists. He's a quarter of the way there, and he's only been fit for two of those four years. That is evidence of how great he can be. Just please, please, please, stay fit Robin! If you look at his injury record he is not injury prone, he has had bad decisions made about him, and has been very unlucky. Last October, he happened to land in a way that injured his knee for the Dutch, and against Manchester United, he made an awkward step and broke his foot.

On our bench next year we will be able to house two strikers, and they will be Bendtner and Vela. Both among the best young strikers in the world, and will provide firm competition for Eduardo and Vela, and they also have Sunu and Barazite behind them. Our striker situation is fine, even if Adebayor leaves. We could even start Bendtner, who would provide a height advantage. Also, he and van Persie showed that they can work together at least twice in the last campaign, and use Eduardo as a super-sub.

Next is ol' Bobby Pires. Another amazing member of the Invincibles, and Rosicky is supposed to be his replacement. Rosicky IS injury prone, but his is also a great player, showing many times that he can be a good replacement for Pires, if he could only stay fit. If he cannot stay fit, Nasri and Traore would both be happy to take his place, and both of them WOULD bring the goods, I know Traore would, he could become a true legend if he replaces Rosicky and stays as Arsenal's left winger until the end of his career. He would form an incredible relationship with Gael Clichy aswell. I think that Traore should play left-wing for Arsenal, and I convince myself more and more as I write this.

On the right, Theo Walcott has proven all of his doubters wrong, and I believe he can stay and bring back to life the energy, flair, speed and goals that Freddie Ljungberg once brought to the team. That's all I'm going to say.

Cesc Fabregas. He is the difference, he is what will make the current team better than the Invincibles. He provides the spark, the creation and the determination that Edu/Gilberto couldn't bring. We all know of his quality, and he has just proven it once again by winning EURO 2008 with Spain, and was my man of the match in the semi-final vs. Russia. But the main mystery this season is who will partner him?

That is the only question left, the last piece of the puzzle for me. The best option is Yaya Toure, and with Barca reported bidding 30 million pounds for Adebayor, all they have to do is add Yaya and it has to be a done deal. That's all I want this summer, for us to sell Ade and Hleb and get Yaya. All I want. I don't care about Nasri or Ramsey or Bischoff, all I want is Yaya, and this Generation is complete. But I doubt we will buy him, since we have Lansbury, Denilson, Diaby, Merida, Coquelin, and Frimpong in the ranks.

In defense, I don't think there's anything to say about Sagna, Clichy or Almunia, they were all brilliant. Kolo Toure and William Gallas looked like they were forming a good relationship in the first few months. but we were proved wrong after Gallas proved that he is the farthest thing from a captain and Kolo hit shit form. So, we need Nordtveit to replace Gallas in the next two years. Gallas is coming to the end of the line anyways, and Nordtveit is good enough, he should be a regular on the bench next season. We need a new Sol Campbell is what we need.

This is what I think/hope we will see most of the time next year, and for years to come:

-----Eduardo-----

-----van Persie---

Traore-------Walcott

---Fabregas-Toure--

Clichy--------Sagna

---Toure--Nordtveit--

------Almunia-----

Bench: Fabianski, Song, G. Hoyte?, Nasri, Denilson, Vela, Bendtner

Podolski, naturalizzato tedesco, nato in Polonia, stende i polacchi con due gol tanto belli quanto evitabili per una difesa polacca disastrosa. La favorita parte con il piede giusto, seguendo la Croazia, vittoriosa nel pomeriggio.

E’strano come la storia e la sorte certe volte facciano degli scherzi di cattivo gusto. Prima l’ennesimo Italia – Francia, dopo 8 anni di sfottò, insulti e veleno. Poi Germania – Polonia, una sfida che vorrebbe nascondere quel retro-gusto storico che ha, ma che in realtà non potrebbe mai farcela. Il segno lasciato dai tedeschi in Polonia è indelebile, e la ferita troppo profonda, così inevitabilmente questa atmosfera si rispecchia nel calcio, e in una partita di calcio.

In campo ieri c’erano 3 calciatori tedeschi nati in Polonia e naturalizzati, fuori dallo stadio ci sono stati anche scontri fra neo-nazisti e tifosi polacchi. Il vizietto degli scontri allora non ce l’abbiamo solo noi italiani, eh Platini?

Sul campo invece si è vista una bella partita, combattuta in maniera cinica dalla Germania, che con un ottimo Podolski stende i polacchi, che sbagliano in maniera davvero stupida il fuorigioco, con la difesa altissima. La Germania è superiore alla Polonia, lo si vede anche nelle gambe dei tedeschi, che hanno tanta voglia di vincere, con gente come Ballack che oltre alla classe in campo ha messo tanto agonismo, figlio della sconfitta europea ai rigori con il Manchester.

Tutto sommato quindi risultato giusto, la Germania si conferma la grande squadra che è sempre stata, ma ancora deve incontrare i croati, giustizieri degli Inglesi, e veri rivali del girone.

Cronaca della partita.

GERMANIA-POLONIA 2-0
GERMANIA (4-4-2): Lehmann; Lahm, Metzelder, Mertesacker, Jansen; Fritz (10'st Schweinsteiger), Frings, Ballack, Podolski; Klose (46'st Kuranyi), Gomez (30'st Hitzlsperger). In panchina: Enke, Adler, Friedrich, Westermann, Rolfes, Neuville, Trochowski, Borowski, Odonkor. Allenatore: Loew.

POLONIA (4-2-3-1): Boruc; Wasilewski, Zewlakow, Bak, Golanski (30'st Saganowski); Dudka, Lewandowski; Lobodzinski (20'st Piszczek), Zurawski (1'st Guerreiro), Krzynowek; Smolarek. In panchina: Fabianski, Jop, Wawrzyniak, Gargula, Pazdan, Murawski, Zahorski, Kokoszka. Allenatore: Beenhakker.

ARBITRO: Ovrebo (Norvegia) 6.

RETI: 20'pt e 27'st Podolski.

NOTE: serata serena, terreno in perfette condizioni. Spettatori: 30 mila. Ammoniti: Smolarek, Lewandowski, Schweinsteiger. Angoli: 4-3 per la Germania. Recupero: 1', 3'.

This is a rallying call. A lot of Gooners are quietly confident about a trophy coming to the Emirates, some are dead against it happening, and think that we will do a Leeds. That will not happen. Others think that we will come close next year, and finally burst onto the scene in 2009/10.

I think, based on what happened in 2007/08, we will have a successful season next year, with trophies involved.

Remember, the last time we were truly involved in a title race (besides 2007/08) was in 2004/05. The only remaining members of the squad that were truly involved that year are Fabregas, Toure, Lehmann (not for long), van Persie and Senderos (sort of). The rest of the current team has never been involved in a title race until now!

Now, everyone has gotten valuable experience in both the Premier League and the Champions League, and we have experienced pretty much every bad thing possible. Horrible luck with decisions (Kuyt on Hleb vs. Liverpool), long term injuries (Eduardo, van Persie, Rosicky), and we got thrashed twice. 

Now that we have experience in every competition, I can do an analysis of the squad. 

Strikers: We have every type of striker in Adebayor, van Persie, Eduardo, Bendtner, Barazite and even Walcott and Vela. We have two huge strikers that add aggression to the attack, and and both great finishers, while they strike fear into the hearts of defenders. Then we have two classy finishers and play makers in van Persie and Eduardo. I know that most of you probably don't think Eduardo is a play maker, but he had several assists, and creates chances for himself and his teammates. And, best of all, both are prolific in the box. If you put on of Adebayor/Bendtner and van Persie/Eduardo then you will have a brilliant strike partnership, which we have seen this season.  Barazite, Walcott, and Vela will be emergency strikers I think, but are all reliable. ALSO there is the brilliant news that Eduardo could be back for the beginning of 2008/09.

Adebayor and van Persie: Set to partner each other next year, if the Dutchman can stay fit

Midfielders: We probably have the midfield with the most potential in Europe. Fabregas, Diaby, Denilson, Gilberto, Rosicky, Walcott, Vela, Merida, Randall, Gibbs, Traore, and also certainly Samir Nasri will be involved in that midfield. Fabregas will obviously be playing in his natural role next year, and there is a big possibility that the blossoming Theo Walcott could start on the right wing. Czech captain Tomas Rosicky has had surgery that will hopefully end his injury problems, and if he can stay fit his experience and flair could really help us to a title. In support on the wings we have Vela, Randall, Gibbs, Traore, and even Merida can play on the left wing, and of course, Nasri should be here in the next 1-2 days. 

We do, however, need a defensive midfielder. Right now we are only a fierce defensive midfielder away from the perfect midfield balance. We have experience in Rosicky, the pass master in Fabregas, and flair in Walcott. We need someone who will not be afraid to tackle anybody. Someone who will make Cristiano Ronaldo look like a moron. Yaya Toure is our man in my opinion, with Denilson, Diaby and Gilberto in cover for that position, as well as cover for Cesc. 

Walcott and Rosicky: Both set for more starts next year

Defense: This is the area we need to strength. We need someone with a few years left who has experience to be able to cover for injury and teach young defenders to defend like they were Franz Beckenbauer or Bobby Moore. I think we need to buy Lilian Thuram, just to add that experience that we lack in defense, and to teach players like Senderos, Song, Djourou, and Nordtveit how to defend like Champions. Because it will be one of those four who replaces Gallas. Mark my words. Then when Thuram retires he can be a defensive coach, alongside Martin Keown. hehehe. 

Lilian Thuram: France legend to add experience?

With what I have just said, we will have a team capable of winning the Premier League. I don't care if we win it, I just want to know that we are capable of winning it, and will remain capable for many years. 

This is what the first team should be next year: 

----Adebayor---van Persie---

Rosicky---------------Walcott

-----Fabregas---Y. Toure------

Clichy---------------Sagna

----Gallas*----K. Toure---

--------Almunia---------

Bench: Fabianski, Thuram, Song, Nasri, Denilson, Bendtner, Eduardo

*I hope Gallas gets sold

That team is a team of Champions. 

Almunia in the best moment of his Arsenal career: saving a penalty from Robbie Keane, the Tottenham captain

Arsenal have a history of brilliant keepers. Jens Lehmann, David Seaman, and Bob Wilson are some names that may ring a bell in that catagory. As of 9:00 PM on May 28, 2008 we have four class keepers, with even more the Reserves and Youth Ranks.

Manuel Almunia, Jens Lehmann, Lukasz Fabianski, Vito Mannone are all class players and have the skill and to play for Arsenal regularly. Mannone and Fabianski may still need to get some experience under their belts, but that will come with time.

This season, at the beginning of the year, Jens Lehmann made two vital mistakes against Fulham and Blackburn, and one of those mistakes cost us two points, the other almost costing us all three, if it weren't for Robin van Persie and Alexander Hleb. After these two mistakes and an elbow injury, Manuel Almunia was given a chance to impress.

After almost leaving in the summer, Almunia impressed indeed, making several very memorable moments along the way. He was immense during the Fall, and he was my Man of the Match against Chelsea, making some seemingly impossible saves, notably on John Obi Mikel's volley, and Andrei Shevchenko's laser free kick.

Despite that fact that the team's form went down during the Winter and Spring, that of Almunia did not. He again was immense in an important game, against AC Milan. He brilliant saved an Andrea Pirlo free kick that looked like it was going to sneak into the bottom corner.

For those of you doubting Almunia, he is not one to be doubted, despite a rough start at Arsenal he has finally proven himself at Arsenal, just as the likes of Flamini, Hleb and Clichy have.

Almunia is a good keeper, and if worthy of starting for Arsenal. He is good enough to be our number 1, and cannot be blamed for any of this season's disappointments. He was a great keeper for this season and should continue being our #1 keeper until the end of his career, which he intends to end at Arsenal.

After Almunia we have two brilliant options in Fabianski and Mannone. Both are young and great shot stoppers, but the main thing is that they can improve. Both are great prospects and will improve under Wenger. Only one thing is certain about them: it will be hard to decide which will eventually succeed Manuel Almunia.

Our goalkeeping situation is fine, and it is not necessary to add any new goalkeepers, even with Jens Lehmann certainly leaving.

Join the forum and have your say.... www.goonerforum.com

If you're a complete football fanatic like me, you'll be looking forward to the European Championships which are just a week away from kick off. With no England (who failed to qualify under former coach Steve McClaren), many supporters are choosing their own team to support during this inaugural tournament which has been built up for almost a month now.

Gooner Talk will bring you all the scores, results and even reports from the Arsenal players in action for their countries as soon as the tournament starts on June 7th.

But before that, we'll take you through the players who have been picked for their countries as Europe's finest coaches trim their squads down to 23 men ahead of the Championships.

France: William Gallas and Samir Nasri

Gunners captain William Gallas and new-boy Samir Nasri have both been selected in Raymond Domenech's 23-man squad for the European Championships. The latters signing is yet to be confirmed, but with both Wenger and Marseille chairman Diouf saying the move is almost complete, the transfer looks very likely. This is William's second tournament while Nasri makes his debut in the competition.

Netherlands: Robin van Persie

Injury prone Dutchman Robin van Persie has been passed fit for Euro 2008 and is set to make his debut in the competition. The free kick specialist has been missing for large chunks of last season due to an ongoing thigh injury. And the Dutch will welcome him back with open arms as they look for a repeat of the European Championship winning season from 88'.

Poland: Lukasz Fabianski

Poland's no 3. Fabianski is unlikely to get much playing time under coach Leo Beenhakker during the Championships. This is mainly due to the fact that both Celtic's Artur Boruc and Manchester United's Tomas Kuszczak are well ahead of him in the pecking ranks. Nevertheless, Lukasz is expected to get at least a game under his belt as the Pole is another one of many Arsenal star's making his debut in the tournament.

Spain: Cesc Fabregas

Cesc has the world at his feet at the age of just 21 years. The Spaniard is one of the bright sparks to come out of another trophy-less season for Arséne Wenger's side, while Spain coach Luis Aragones looks set to hand Fabregas plenty of match practice during the competition. Big team news for Spain is that Real Madrid captain Raul is missing from the 23-man squad, the 31-year-old hasn't play for his country since September 2006.

Switzerland: Johan Djourou and Phillipe Senderos

Finally, Arsenal duo Johan Djourou and Philippe Senderos have both been named in Switzerland's final Euro 2008 squad. Senderos has had an on, off season at Arsenal while Djourou has had limited playing time due to a leg injury hampering his season. Both players are likely to start each game for the Swiss as the hosts play Liechenstein in their final warm-up match on Friday.

We have not included Jens Lehmann in our Euro 08 Squad Watch due to the fact that the German no 1. is a free agent on July 1st.

Even the ever-coy Wenger has admitted that "There's a good chance of it (Nasri's signing) coming to pass, and if it does it will be before the European Championships." http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11670_3609039,00.html 

Most people except the signing to be made in the next three days, but Wenger says that could be up to two weeks. Either way, he will sign. 

Most Gooners think that Samir will a Hleb replacement. In the attacking midfield role yes, in the right winger role no. There is no way that Wenger would deny Walcott a well deserved starting place on the right wing. I'm guessing confidently that we will play 4-5-1 next season, with Nasri in the "playmaker" role. 

This will be next year's team: 

--------Adebayor---------

---------Nasri-----------

Rosicky------------Walcott

---Fabregas--Signing------

Clichy-------------Sagna

----Toure--Signing------

-------Almunia--------

Bench: Fabianski, Song, Traore, Denilson, Diaby, Vela, Bendtner

I will make further comments when we make our next signing, which will hopefully be a holding midfielder. 

Hleb will probably also be sold this week, and his price will cover for Nasri's signing, leaving money for big two more big signings. 

Flamini gone, Hleb to follow? 

With this sale of Flamini, and the seemingly inevitable sale of Hleb, Wenger, and everyone involved with the club, has some thinking to do. 

What is the perfect combination of experience and youth? Strength and skill? 

Firstly, football is a game of partnerships. This past year Adebayor developed good partnerships with Eduardo and van Persie. Hleb made an understanding with Sagna, same with Clichy and Rosicky. The best partnership, however, was between Flamini and Fabregas. Those two bossed the midfield of every game, and had the perfect combination of skill, strength, flair, and footballing intelligence.

So the first thing we need to do is buy a replacement for Flamini. We need a player who will win the ball far up in the park, and then give it Fabregas, Rosicky, or Walcott quickly and without trouble. There are many options, the best three, for me at least, being Yaya Toure, Miguel Veloso, and Gareth Barry. All of them are in the 15-20m pound range, but all are worth it, and that won't seem like so much if Hleb leaves for 12-15m pounds. So step 1. Buy a big name defensive midfielder who stop opponents attacks quickly, and start our attacks at the same speed. 

Next, if Hleb leaves, we need a right winger. We don't have to look far, or wide. We don't need Samir Nasri. We have an English lad named Theo Walcott. Statistically, Theo is a better player than Alex, who has magically gone from underrated to overrated. Rosicky's future at Arsenal depends on the success of his recent surgery. If he can stay fit, I imagine he will stay and start until Carlos Vela is ready. If he stays fit, he will provide assists, goals and experience. 

That is a balanced midfield, Rosicky-Fabregas-Veloso/Toure/Barry-Walcott. 

Our attack of Adebayor and van Persie already complients each other perfectly. van Persie is a good crosser, Adebayor heads the ball well, van Persie loves to be a the top of the box and pounce on cutback passes that trickle through. Adebayor loves to take it to the line and cut it back. Thats just two examples of how they both compliment each other. Plus they are both prolific when fit. 

In defense, we have the best two full backs in England, possibly the world. Our problems come in the position of center back. Kolo Toure is a legend, a bedrock, the true captain of Arsenal. He will never be sold. William Gallas is a player who cares only for himself, unreliable, and a mock captain. He must be sold. And with Jens Lehmann gone, it is time for another German, Per Mertesacker. An absolute steel wall, this kid. He has five years of experience in the Bundesliga for Hannover and Bremen, and has over 40 caps for Germany. If he has an impressive Euro 2008, I am sure Arsene will be interested. He's 23 and 6'6. We need him, he would balance our defense, and make a great partner to King Kolo. Other good options are Ron Vlaar, and Cristian Zapata. 

That is what we need. Walcott to start, Veloso/Barry/Toure, and Mertesacker. We were a disallowed goal (Adebayor vs. Boro), and a bullshit penalty (Birmingham) away from winning the title. We are closer than everyone thinks.

This squad would win the title: 

-----Adebayor--van Persie----

Rosicky---------------Walcott

-----Fabregas---Veloso------

Clichy----------------Sagna

----Toure----Mertesacker----

-------Almunia------------

Bench: Fabianski, Song, Denilson, Vela, Bendtner/Eduardo

So it was a season of two halves for the Arsenal this term. From August to early January we dominated practically every game, played brilliant football, and lost only twice in all four competitions, all of which we were still involved in at that point. The highlight of these four months was the 7-0 victory versus Sparta Prague where we played better than Brazil in the '70's and Walcott got his first Champions League goals.

Then three events saw the beginning of Arsenal's downfall.

• Tuesday, January 22, Arsenal's 5-1 loss to Spurs
• Saturday, February 16, Arsenal's 4-0 loss to Manchester United
• Saturday, February 23, Eduardo breaks his leg against Birmingham

Mabuggunnop svarer: Det er gjort klart, at Jens Lehmann har spillet sin sidste kamp for Arsenal. Da Jens her i slutningen af sæsonen kom ind og afløste Almunia blev jeg alligevel lidt i tvivl om, at Arsene Wenger havde lavet det rette valg ved at lade Almunia vogte buret i alle vigtige kampe. Jens og Almunia har vidt forskellige kvaliteter og mangler. På stregen er Jens verdensklasse. Han har fantastiske reflekser og griber bolden godt, når det kræves. Derimod tror jeg - og især siden Wayne Bridge sendte os ud af CL - at alle Arsenal fans altid blev meget bekymrede, når Jens skulle håndtere en tilbagelægning og især en lang bold fra modstanderen. Problemet for Arsenal med Jens Lehmann var dette aspekt. Arsenal spiller en gang fodbold, hvor de næsten i hver kamp skubber spillet op på modstanderens banehalvdel. Som oftest befinder vores to centraleforsvarsspillere sig næsten oppe ved midtercirklen, når Arsenal presser på(og angriber i almindelighed). Det mest effektive modangreb mod Arsenal her har altid været en lang bold henover hovedet på forsvaret og så lade en hurtig angriber løbe om kap med vores forsvar og målmand for at nå først til bolden. Et primaeksempel på dette sås i kampen mod Middlesbrough i år, hvor Gallas og Toure sov og samspillet mellem Aliadiere og Tuncay resulterede i Middlesbrough scoring. Til forskel fra Jens ligger Almunias største kvalitet i, at han er fremragende i rollen som sweeper på holdet. Læg mærke til, hvor ofte han læser spillet godt og når modstanderens lange bolde først. Desuden ekspederer han disse bolde sikkert og fornuftigt væk(læs: ud af kommunen når der er behov). Som målmandstype passer han betydeligt bedre end Lehmann til holdet og dets spillestil, men han har desværre ikke de samme kvaliteter på stregen. 

Wengers dilemma i år var om han skulle benytte en verdensklassemålmand der lavede fejl eller en god målmand, der ikke lavede fejl. Jeg mener, at han skulle have skiftet mellem de to. Vi så alle i udekampen mod Manchester, hvor suveræn en målmand Jens egentlig er og i kampe, hvor Arsenal ikke dominerer entydigt burde han være foretrukket frem for Almunia. Det er godt nok kun 10 kampe maks på et år, men sådan burde Wenger have gjort det.

Med hensyn til Fabianski, så viste han i søndags mod Everton, at han endnu ikke er klar til førsteholdet. Han reddede et skud fra Andy Johnson, men skuddet ville aldrig være kommet, hvis han som Almunia ville have været hurtigt ude af buret og agere sweeper. Hans dominans i feltet er endnu heller ikke eksisterende, se bare Derbys første mål i sidste uge.  Så dommen herfra er, at han stadig har meget at lære før han kan presse på som første målmand.

Mabuggunnops svar er derfor: Vi ville helst have ønsket, at Lehmann blev og Wenger roterede de to førstemålmænd. Fabianski er ikke god nok endnu til at presse Almunia, så Arsenal har brug for at finde en ny andenmålmand i år. Wenger har snakket om, at han vil se om han kan finde et godt tilbud et sted. 

Almunia er god nok som førstemålmand, men vi har brug for en bedre backup en Fabianski. Det er ikke på det her område, vi skal bruge vores resurser.

Flamini: Gone

So it has finally come down to one game. Arsenal will come in 3rd place this season, with the final day of the season to decide who will win the title, Chelsea or Manchester United. So, as a club, we have some reflection to do. What was the decisive moment? What players held the team back this year? What additions need to be made? 

Well here's how I see it: Arsenal's title chances ended in late February against Birmingham City, where Eduardo broke his leg. Our season went downhill from there. There have been several players to blame for our lack of success, and for me, the main culprits and Eboue and Senderos. They need to be the first to leave. First of all, they are not good enough to play at Arsenal, and they have better players behind them in the pecking order in Song and Walcott. The next three players who have to leave have been caught between Generations, and those players are Lehmann, Gilberto, Gallas and J. Hoyte. So, with these six exits, plus that of Flamini, who signed for Milan today, these two teams will be the first and second squads:

----Adebayor---van Persie---

Rosicky----------------Hleb

-----Fabregas--New Signing---

Clichy-----------------Sagna

-----Toure---New Signing----

--------Almunia------------

---Bendtner---Barazite/Eduardo---

Vela----------------------Walcott

----Denilson---Diaby----------

Traore------------------New Signing

-----Song----Djourou-----------

-------Fabianski---------------

Bench: Mannone, Nordtveit, Merida, Gibbs, Barazite/Sunu

So those are the signings we need to make. A defensive midfielder, similar to Flamini, a big, huge, towering, stronger center-back, and a back-up right back. 

1. Defensive Midfielder Options

• Jean Makoun- He is a Cameroonian defensive midfielder, and is a ball-winner, very aggressive, and strong in the tackle. He also has a similar ability to Flamini with "ghosting" in to the box. 
• Loic Perrin- The St. Etienne man is another defensive midfielder, who is very good at going on sudden bursts forward, and is also very strong in the tackle aswell. 
• Stephane Sessegnon- the Frenchman cn be read about by clicking here. 
• Alex Song- This boy really has emerged this season, especially for Cameroon. I think we have all been impressed with him, and could become a great center midfielder alongside Cesc, and we wouldn't have to pay anything. 
• Abou Diaby- Although most of us haven't been impressed with him on the left wing, that is not his natural position, and I can definitely see potential for him in the center midfield position. He has a great passing range and skill on the ball, and is more than willing to get stuck in. 
• Gilberto Silva- He is an option, and Wenger has said that he wants him to stay. I think that he has been fine when he has started, but he has gotten to old to be able to adapt to the game when he comes on after 70 minutes. 

1. Center Back 

• Per Mertesacker- The German 6'6 man is idle for Arsenal's current team in my opinion, and is my preference. He is a no nonsense 23-year-old, and gets the occasional goal for Werder Bremen. He has five years of experience in the Bundesliga with Hannover and Bremen. He was brilliant for Germany in the 2006 World Cup, and would be an ideal signing. 
• Ron Vlaar- He captained the Dutch u-21's to victory in the European Championships of 2007. He has been playing for Rotterdam for two years, and has made two appearances for Holland. He looks like he will be a great player, especially if he gets in the hands of Arsene Wenger.
• Cristian Zapata- The Columbian man is my least preferred of the three. I think he is a great player, especially to be starting as a defender in Italy at 21 is a great achievement. However, I think he is too attacking minded to partner Toure, and would be Gallas and Toure all over again. However, he is a great player, and would be more than willing to give him a chance. 

1. Right Back

• I really have no idea who would be a good back up right back, and it seems like all the boys from the Reserves are average (Paul Rodgers, Abu Ogogo, Kerrea Gilbert, Anton Blackwood). If you have any ideas for a good right back, dont post a reply, join the Forum, and start a thread. 

Adebayor: Hat trick Hero 

----Bendtner---van Persie (Adebayor, 40)----

Walcott----------------------------Eboue

------Fabregas---Denilson (Gilberto, 64)------

Clichy----------------------------Toure (Djourou, 78) 

------Song-------Gallas----------------

----------Fabianski---------------

The scoring was opened by Young Dane Nicklas Bendtner on 24 minutes after some clever play with Robin van Persie. Derby were quick to equalize, however, as Jay McElevey took advantage of the inexperience of Song and Fabianski to make it 1-1. Several minutes later Robin van Persie scored his first open-play goal since returning from injury, after he was putting through by a long ball from Kolo Toure. He was substituted shortly after as a precaution. Gooners were made to wait until 59 minutes for the 3rd, when Emmanuel Adebayor scored a tap-in for his fourth goal against Derby in two games. Derby then equalized through a very cool finish from Robert Earnshaw, who did a rather silly dance. Walcott scored then two minutes later, after a brilliant pick out by Gilberto, and a great finish, a la Thierry Henry. Adebayor then wrapped up the points after a Clichy cross found him unmarked for another tap in. He and Eboue then made Earnshaw look like a complete moron, after replicating his dance, in a much more African and attractive manner :) . Adebayor got his hat trick in stoppage time after rounding Roy Caroll for a THIRD tap-in, and he made sure that Derby would never forget his name, with two hat tricks against them this season. 

Our attacking performance was promising, although we never left 2nd gear, and it was good to see Walcott and Bendtner getting on the score sheet. Defensively Song still has to sharpen up, and it was not okay really that we let in two goals against Derby, but there is time for improvement in the summer. Hoyte looks set to leave, after he was not even on the bench when the right-back spot was available. He is obviously not trusted by Wenger.

A few points: 

1. Walcott is a completely new player from the beginning of the season. He deserves to start next season if Hleb leaves.

2. Van Persie and Bendtner looks like a classier strike partnership than van Persie Adebayor, but then again, Ade did score a hat trick. Keep what I said in mind for the future though.

So we should be looking to finish strong, probably with the same squad as today for the next two games.

Can't wait for summer.

Coming up: New player profiles, Possible Transfer Targets, and Preview to Everton, along with other stuff.... 

K-PO, Proud Hardcore member of the Gooner Forum

Theo Walcott: Set for another Start

So now we begin to rest players as the finally realized that there will not be silverware this season. This game will probably involve a lot of reserves, and players who didn't get very much playing time this season. I expect Song, Fabianski, Hoyte, Denilson, Traore, Bendtner and Walcott all to be involved. 

Hleb, Diaby, Sagna, Rosicky and Eduardo have all been ruled out for the season, and Fabregas should get a break after a tiring season, I expect this squad: 

---Bendtner---van Persie---

Traore---------------Walcott

----Denilson--Gilberto------

Clichy--------------Hoyte

----Toure----Song------

--------Fabianski--------

Bench: Mannone, Djourou, Fabregas, Barazite, Adebayor

This should be a strong enough squad to be Derby with, and it will give Bendtner, Denilson and Traore valuable experience, especially if Derby really bring the game to us, like they did to Manchester United. 

I really don't think Derby will be to much of a problem for the young team I just suggested, and I will predict a 3-0 win. I think the key man will be Walcott who I think will score, along with van Persie and Bendtner. I really want Walcott to just blow Derby out of the water. He should score a wonder goal, cross for Bendtner, and square it for RvP to lash into the top corner from the arc. Walcott needs to perform to prove to Wenger once and for all that he is more useful that Eboue. Hell, at this stage, even Wilshire, a 16-year-old, is more useful that Eboue. Did Eboue ever assist a goal and score a wonder goal in the Reserves? Nope. End of story. 

This squad should also be used against Everton and Sunderland, possibly with the likes of Barazite or Nordtveit being included on the bench against both of them. 

I'm just looking forward to the summer, new signings, and a new chances at trophies. 

K-PO, proud Hardcore member of the Gooner Forum. 

So it seems after four seasons trying to get the midfield berth he so craved and not only making it his own but being a key figure in The Arsenal squad Flamini is set to ride into the sunset with The Old Lady. Given the calculations he still has about eight days to remain at The Arsenal, however the silence coming from the Frenchman is speaking volumes.

Hleb charged: Three words you wouldn't normally associate with each other Hleb and violent conduct. But now you can as the ice cream loving Alex Hleb has been hit (excuse the pun) with a violent conduct order by The F.A. Hleb was 'alleged' to have hit Reading player Graeme Murty and sees his season end early with a three game ban. The media seem to be instigating a move away from Ashburton Grove for Hleb by naming any big European giant interested in him which is what we probably come to expect with any 'star' Arsenal player nowadays. All I would say on the incident is that he shouldn't be banned for the 'slap' but the manner of the slap - he slapped like a netball playing girl. Joe Calzaghe should give Hleb lessons, if you're going to smack someone - smack them, don't tickle them. Not that I am condoning violence ont he football pitch of course readers. So given the mass exodus predicted by the media of Arsenal players this summer, we all might of seen the last of the Belorussian non-shooting midfield man in an Arsenal shirt...

Fab to play: So that's just great we'll start next season in another 'transitional phase' as The Arsenal will be without two key men (in the word case scenario) in midfield, that's just bloody great that it! Anyhoo some sorely missed good news is that we do have a player staying and that's Polish keeper Lukasz Fabianski who will play the remaining games this season

"He's only 20." Just keep telling yourself that. "He's only 20 years old." Yeah, 20 years old and already a veteran of over 200 matches. He's been to the Champions League final, Carling Cup final, and this year he pushed Arsenal to within a few games of the Premiership title and another Champions League final. He's only 20, but he has the vision, ability, and (most importantly) a patience that belies his 20 years.

I often hear the criticism that Cesc is not a goal scorer. Well, he wasn't a goal scorer before this year. But who will ever forget his winner at the San Siro? Or how about his run of 6 at the start of the season which included a goal against Spuds, at White Heart Lane? No, he's not a goal scorer, but so far, he's scored 13 goals in this campaign: more than triple his output of the previous season. He's not a natural goal scorer but what gives me hope is that "he's only 20" and he's still working on it. And he's getting better, faster than any player I have ever seen.  For example, when Christiano Ronaldo was 20, he scored a mere 7 goals and only racked up 6 assists.

See?  Now say it again -- "Holy crap, he's only 20!"

As you would expect, in the assist department Cesc has only gotten better, already netting 22.  That's only 5 more than last year but Arsenal still have Derby left to play, so that number could grow quite substantially.

To show you how far Cesc's season has come, Theo's even pointed to Cesc as the person who might next captain Arsenal. You might think that's impossible, but then again, on May 4th the kid will be 21and we'll all be saying "Holy crap, he's only 21!"

News: The Anfield turmoil has finally struck Arsenal: Chairman Peter Hill-Wood was snubbed by Liverpool's management/owners/lunatics. Take solace Peter that you're chairman of a club that's not rife with hatred of foreigners -- especially Americans.

Meanwhile, Wenger speaks out about the "Webster Clause" which is a ruling that anyone under the age of 28 isn't really in a contract even if they signed the contract as long as they stay with the club for 3 years of their contract. Confused? Me too but it looks like basically if you're under 28 and you sign a 5 year deal, you really only have to honor the first 3 years of that deal.  After the third year you can "opt out" of your contract by paying the club the amount that your salary would have been over the next two years.  Like a sort of "reduced calorie transfer fee."

This is important because Hleb is 26 and he signed a 5 year contract 3 years ago. Jesus, Wenger must be sweating bullets. Half the team could leave under the Webster Clause. If that happens we can all sing our new relegation theme song:

He'll raid you of your youth
their contracts don't mean shiat
Hleb went to AC Milan
and the Itais didn't remit
HEY! Webster Clause is coming to town!

Rumor has it Fabianski might play in the last two away games v. Derby and Sunderland. Ok, he'll probably do just fine against lower division teams.

Anyway, I have stuff to do. Can't lounge around here talking football all day (unfortunately). Heh, I think I'll take the Ducati to work today; there's only a 60% chance of rain, which is pretty good for this time of year.

ashita!