Le Boss Won't Rush Titi

AW has revealed he will not rush TH14 back to fitness...

"With Thierry, we have decided to go for a slow progression. Only his pain barrier decides how far he can go and that is very difficult to predict at the moment."

Let's hope he's not out too much longer...

Den and Gibba 'Unlikely' for Sunday

Dennis and Gilberto are unlikely to return to the squad in time for Sunday's game against Birmingh*m.

Speaking on Arsenal.com earlier Le Boss had this to say...

"Dennis Bergkamp has just restarted training again, but I think he will be short for Sunday."

"I don’t know about Gilberto yet. We will have to wait until Saturday. He is starting to run again. He has a little chance to make it but he was not out for a long time. So that is a positive. Both of them probably have a small chance. Thierry and Senderos are definitely out."

Riley to Ref

Not much happening today, eh chaps? But...

M*nUre's biggest fan is to take charge of our game against the Brummies this Sunday.

Mike Riley has already refereed one game for us this season - against Middlesbro*gh in which he dished out yellow cards to Ash, Cesc, Mathieu and Ralph.

So far this season, in the five games he has taken charge of he has given 25 yellows and 2 reds!

I DON'T LIKE HIM!!!

Super Rob Praises Young Guns

Bobby has praised our young Guns for their performance last night. Especially after such a tricky start to the season...

"Tonight we proved to everyone, and above all the English press, that although we might be struggling in the Premiership at the moment, we still remain a big team, the victory did us a lot of good."

"We knew it was important to come here, avoid the trap and get a win," Bobby continued. "We had to grind down their game because they're a young team who keep the ball well and have a excellent style of play. In this respect it wasn't easy to come here and get a positive result."

We still have things to improve, the team is young but what you must remember is that this is where the future lies,"

"It's a question of patience. And today we were playing without Thierry who is, of course, an important player for us. He's our striker, our captain and the guy who scores the goals."

"We're trying to cope with the weapons that we have, and we do have some very good weapons. At the moment, we're in the process of showing two sides of our game - one for the championship and one for the Champions League."

When asked about our dodgy form in the Premiership of late, Super Rob had this to say;

"It's still a question of patience,"

"It's a very difficult situation to handle, especially when you have a team like Chelsea who are in front and who are winning game after game. The rhythm is hard to follow.

"We're in a period of transition with the departure of Patrick Vieira, which hurt us, but you must have faith in the young players. They have enormous quality and they are showing that.

"Tonight was the proof - we came here to Amsterdam and took the three points, which is not easy thing to do."

Big Sol: "We Were Solid"

Sol has spoken out after last night's victory over Ajax in Amsterdam, but insists we will not get carried away...

"We were solid," said Sol. "The youngsters were very disciplined and the older players raised their game and took more responsibility."

"The lads have played a few games together now. There were a few disappointments in the early part of the season. But, after cleans sheets, confidence flows back into the team with every game that goes by."

"I am not getting carried away but it is a great start in the Champions League. Every game is a precious and you have to go for the win. We are doing well but we have to keep it going as a team."

"Also you have to remember that the players who are out of the side will grow and enhance the team as this competition goes on. We will need them as we go forward, that is for sure."

Gilberto Good to Go?

Le Boss has revealed that Gibba may be fit again as soon as this weekend.

"Gilberto's scan came back quite positive and he has an outside chance of playing on Sunday or at least after the break," said AW.

"We thought at first that he would be out for four to six weeks."

"It is good news because you always want to field as much experience as possible."

I think things MAY be starting to go our way again guys....fingers crossed, eh?

;o)

Cesc "....We Know We Can Do It"

Cesc has revealed that he doesn't want to be compared to Patrick Vieira, although he does admit he misses playing alongside him...

"I don't like it when people say, 'You are the new Patrick'. No I'm not. I'm Cesc Fabregas. I am different," said young Cesc.

"Of course you can learn things from big players like Patrick. But you play your own game."

"You cannot forget that Arsenal signed you because you have other qualities."

"I do not feel pressure. It's quite the opposite."

"Now I know everyone here, I know the way they play."

"It is a mental thing. We have lost Patrick, who was a fantastic captain and great player."

"It is always difficult to go on after that. But we are strong and we know we can do it."

Lovely Old Job!

I have a feeling that last night could well be a turning point for us. I've got to be honest, I didn't expect ANYTHING from last night's game and would have been more than happy with a draw. But the boys performed. Well.

Almost every player in our team was outstanding. Big Sol was a colossus and once again proved why HE should be captain. Needless to say I am very pleased.

You can read the full match report

here

Le Boss is 'Appalled'

What a gentleman our Gaffer is. He has publically stated that the abuse Alex Ferg*son received by M*n Ure's dickhead fans is 'appaling'.

"You know I am not his best friend, but I found it really appalling," said Le Boss.

"Of course like the players we are only as a good as our last game, but what this guy has done for the club, I find it horrendous and nearly unbelievable."

You can bet your arse that if the situation was reversed Ferg*son wouldn't have backed AW. But that's the sort of knobber he is!

Sol: "We Have Got to Roll Our Sleeves Up..."

Big Sol has called for the boys to put on a united front ahead of tonights Champions League clash with Ajax.

As we all know, we are distinctly lacking in certain departments due to injury, suspension etc. But Sol believes the younger members of our squad are more than capable of performing and getting a result.

"Obviously we would prefer it if we had most of our players fit and available, but we have got to roll our sleeves up and keep it going," said Sol.

"The main thing is the players believing in themselves. We have got to win some [Champions League] games and set our stall out to get points in the bag.

"We don't want to be scrapping around in the last few games to get through."

Who's Gonna Play Upfront?

We all know about who hasn't travelled to Amsterdam for tomorrow's game. Here's who has;

Manuel Almunia
Mart Poom

Ashley Cole
Sol Campbell
Gael Clichy
Pascal Cygan
Kolo Toure
Lauren
Manu Eboue

Freddie Ljungberg
Robert Pires
Cesc Fabregas
Alexander Hleb
Alexandre Song
Mathieu Flamini

Jose Antonio Reyes
Quincy Owusu-Abeyie
Arturo Lupoli

A draw would be a blessing. Who do you think should start?

Most of the team picks itself...but who should play up front and should we play a more defensive formation?

Your thoughts....?

An Interesting Article

I just read this on The Guardian website (so I acknowledge all copyrights etc. blah blah blah)...found it quite interesting...

West H*m showed how to defend against Arsenal, always retaining their shape and making sure their full-backs were not dragged infield by Freddie Ljungberg and Alexander Hleb's decoy runs to create space for Ashley Cole and Lauren.

If you keep it tight on the flanks against Arsenal you have a chance. Although they don't hit crosses in the air, they like to get Cole and Lauren forward, build from there and sometimes flash low balls across the box.

West H*m funnelled Arsenal into central areas and the visitors' play petered out around the edge of the box with overelaborate passing. They were challenged to thread the ball through the eye of a needle and at the moment they're failing to do that.

Space for them is often created by the movement of the wide midfielders. But Paul K*nchesky and Tomas R*pka didn't follow when Ljungberg and Hleb moved inside in the middle third of the field.

When Gilberto Silva had possession on the right, Ljungberg ran infield. But K*nchesky would pass responsibility for Ljungberg to Hayden M*llins and would then drop off and make sure he wasn't too far from Danny G*bbidon. If he had gone towards Lauren it would have left space behind for an Arsenal player - probably José Antonio Reyes - to spin into.

This way West H*m kept things nice and tight. Although Lauren and Cole went forward well at times, West Ham coped without real problems.

K*nchesky and R*pka realised there were times when they had to go with their man. It's important nearer the box, in more critical positions, whether the wide man has the ball or not. And also if the wide man gets possession and goes infield the full-back sometimes has to follow and make a challenge.

What are your thoughts people?

Ash: We Must Do Better in Europe

Ash has admitted that we MUST improve in Europe:

"The Champions League has been a bit of a disaster for us and we always have difficulty getting through the early stages," Ash said.

"It's very frustrating, especially since we cannot explain why that happens. We have to play our own game."

"We should be playing instead of thinking that we must not lose."

Le Boss Refusing to Panic Just Yet

The Gaffer is refusing to panic just yet, and still reckons that we'll come good this season. Speaking after Saturday's piss poor performance he had this to say;

"I am positive because we played with a good spirit and desire overall,"

"We were very close to winning the game, we just lacked a bit in the final ball, maybe with a bit of nerves."

"When you don't win away from home in two games, the nerves play a bit of a role and you could see that in the way we wanted to take the chances."

"Just not having lost will help us in the next game."

He added: "I am not worried because I feel we will come back - if I commit suicide, it will not change a lot."

"I feel that the team at the moment has a great spirit and needs support.

"There is quality in there. I know people will be harder with us than we deserve, and that is why I am positive, because I believe in this team."

I know some of you are gonna have a pop at me for calling it a piss poor performance on Saturday. BUT, we should be winning games against NEWLY PROMOTED sides. Home or away.

Jens: Chel$ki Will Slip Up

Jens has warned Chel$ki that their luck will run out eventually and they will not have it as easy as they think this season.

Speaking earlier, he reflected on how suddenly things can change in football.

"We've not got the points on the board we would like to have at this stage, but we have to accept that," he said.

"We're always disappointed when we can't get three points.

"We have great players and everybody is going through a period where we cannot get the optimum.

"Chels*a, M*nchester United and Liv*rpool might face it and that is football."

"Of course, Chels*a will face a spell when it does not go right for them.

"We would like to be in front of Chels*a, but right now that is not the situation and we have to fight to get into a better position in the table.

"I am very optimistic that we can succeed to do that."

Just What We Need

Gilberto has been added to our already substantial injury list and is a doubt for our trip to Amsterdam on Tuesday.

He apparently left Upt*n Park on crutches yesterday.

Le boss had this to say;

"It doesn't look good. With all the injuries at the moment we just can't afford to lose Gilberto."

We're gonna be very short guys. Don't forget that RVP and Jens are both suspended for this game aswell.

One positive note though, Bobby may be fit.

Le Boss Wants 'Incentives'

The Gaffer has called on the Premier League to have a shake up and introduce incentives for teams to score more goals.

"What could work is awarding points on the basis of the difference between the goals you score and the goals you concede," said Le Boss.

"You could get an extra point if there is a difference of three, like 3-0 or 5-2.

"That might encourage teams to keep on attacking when they have the lead. There would be an incentive."

"It is difficult to impose new rules but the intention should always be to win."

"The most successful teams have always been attacking ones. Brazil have won more World Cups than anyone and Real Madrid more European trophies - both of them always play to win."

DD Confident On Titi

David Dein has revealed he is 'quietly confident' that TH14 will see out his playing days at Arsenal.

Speaking on Radio Five Live he had this to say;

"We will be entering into negotiations very shortly."

"Everyone would like a Thierry Henry in their team. We've got him and intend to keep him.

"He is a world-class player. We will do everything we can to make sure he stays here until the end of his career."

He then added "I am quietly confident he will remain here."

"Any time a player goes into negotiations invariably right at that moment other clubs come into the mix to make life a bit more spicy."

What's Going On?

On the whole I don't like all the doom and gloom stuff, but we've got problems. Big problems. After yesterdays 0-0 draw, and Chel$ki's victory I know we are not even gonna challenge for the title this season. Despite what anyone says.

Admittedly we were without three of our most attacking players against West H*m in Titi, Dennis and Bob, but we SHOULD be winning games like that. We still had quality on the pitch - a lot of quality in fact.

The problem is that teams have worked out how to play against us, and we have NO variation in our play. This makes our game a bit predictable and therefore easy to plan against tactically. There also seems to be a problem with the spirit of the team - like there is some real unrest behind the scenes that we the fans don't know about.

All in all I'm quite worried. I know we're not too bad - but we ain't too good at the moment either.

Something NEEDS to be done. Fast.

Le Boss Confident Titi Will Stay

AW has responded to Patrick Vieira's comments regarding TH14's future at Arsenal...

"In football you can always worry but my biggest worry is about tomorrow,'' Wenger told Sky Sports News.

"All the rest is talk about what could happen in nine months. It's good you speak now of Barcelona, you know how many times they have won the European Cup?

"Plenty of players have gone to Barcelona to win the European Cup and they have won it only once in their history.

"Football is more subtle than that. No, I am not worried. Thierry Henry is of course healthy. Most importantly he is happy and has shown a huge commitment.

"You always have to put things in perspective, the commitment Thierry has shown this club against one headline in one newspaper.

"I go for what he has shown this club in six years since he came, that's the reality."

So....Who's Gonna Start Tomorrow?

Dennis and Bobby (pictured - as if you didn't know who it was!) have been added to our injury list.

I also hear Ljungberg is a doubt for our trip to Upt*n Park tomorrow.

So it begs the question...WHO'S GONNA PLAY?!?

We have available the following;

Lehmann, Almunia, Lauren, Eboue, Cole, Clichy, Campbell, Toure, Cygan, Gilberto, Fabregas, Flamini, Song, Hleb, Ljungberg (maybe), van Persie, Reyes, Owusu-Abeyie.

What would your ideal line up be against The H*mmers?

Le Boss: "We Must Get Rid Of Friendlies..."

The Gaffer has called for changes to be made regarding the international calender and wants friendlies scrapped altogether.

He has blasted both Fifa and Uefa for the way they take care of internationals...

"We must get rid of friendlies and reorganise all the international competitions," he said. "You get a player back on a stretcher 24 hours before a must-win match.

"It's impossible for a player to come back in good form and prepare properly when he has played for his country on a Wednesday evening in Turkey.

"You'd have to be a magician rather than a coach to get them back to their normal selves by Saturday.

"Everyone wants to block their ears but that cannot go on forever.

"Take the average salary of an African player in the Premiership and compare it with the standard of living in his own country and you can well understand why it's difficult for a club or a player to be compensated by an African federation over cases of injury.

"FIFA must take the lead and make the national federations subscribe to a worldwide insurance system."

I agree entirely. Friendlies are a waste of time, all they do is cause worry over our players fitness - and with a team full of international stars thats a lotta worry!

SCRAP 'EM!

Titi On His Way?

According to the Daily Mirror, Catalan giants Barcelona are convinced they are going to sign Thierry at the end of the season.

A Barcelona source is reported as saying: "Laporta has never hidden his desire to land Henry. He knew it was impossible this summer as Arsenal refused to sell. But that will change if Henry does not sign a new contract. He is the one they want."

I have heard a LOT of rumours surrounding this of late. All being fueled by the fact that Titi won't sit down and sign a new deal. What is going on there? He could end all of this bullshit by putting his signature on the dotted line, so why doesn't he?

Hopefully this is just the usual wild speculation that comes from our wonderful tabloids!

UP THE GUNNERS!

The Reason We Sold Patrick

I have heard from a very reliable source that one of the main reasons we sold Patrick Vieira to Juventus is as follows...

This may sound stupid.....but, apparently he has one leg which is slightly shorter than the other. Le Boss was advised by the physios at Arsenal that because of this before too long he will be VERY susceptible to hip and knee injuries.

We have already seen some evidence of this over the last 18 months or so.

So when Juventus came knocking we decided to cash in before he goes lame and his value drops dramatically!

This could be complete bollocks, but this guy has told me weird things in the past that have been true....

What do you reckon?

Gilberto's Up For It

Gilberto has stated that he is ready to be our new midfield general following the departure of Patrick Vieira...

He said: "It's much more responsibility for me but I'm very confident I can do my best for the team. I am the oldest in my position but it doesn't matter who I play with because they are good players.

"Cesc and Mathieu are young but they have shown how good they are and that's why the boss has confidence in them.

"Of course we have missed Patrick and Edu because they are fantastic players and fantastic people. If anyone was down in the dressing room then Patrick would help them. But we need to continue."

Every Cloud...

Our very own samba boy Gilberto has signed a new contract which keeps him at the club until 2009.

He joined from Atletico Mineiro in July 2002, after playing in every minute of Brazil's victorious World Cup campaign.

A statement on Arsenal.com read:

"Arsenal is delighted to announce that Gilberto has signed a long term extension to his contract with the club until 2009. Everyone at Arsenal is looking forward to enjoying Gilberto's continued contribution in the forthcoming seasons."

Gibba: We Have a 'Mountain to Climb'

Gilberto has stated that we have a 'mountain to climb' if we are to catch up with prolific spenders Chel$ki...

"It's a big difference. A big gap between the teams."

"We need to climb the mountain, step-by-step, and see what's going to happen.

"If you allow them to get points and we lose a lot of points, we will make it very difficult at the end.

"I think we [will] produce a good result in the future but now we are in the process of change. We changed some things, some players left the squad and it made everything hard in the beginning."

Gibba also admits he misses Vieira following his move to Juve.

"When it happened, it caused a big impact in all of the players," he stated.

"But now we realise he's definitely gone and we need to play without him.

"Wherever he goes, we will follow his team and support him - wherever he goes. But we need to realise now we need to play without him and do our best for the club."

Reyes Big Chance

Le Boss believes that Jose Antonio has the perfect oppourtunity to remind us of his talent whilst Titi is sidelined due to a groin injury.

"A team naturally goes through its strongest point and for us that is Thierry Henry," said AW.

"The other players always look first to find Thierry so when he is not playing someone else gets less of the ball.

"At the moment Jose is receiving more passes because Thierry is not there and I think he enjoys that.

"He took some free kicks which maybe Thierry would have taken and put in some very dangerous balls for Sol to score.

"It's all part of his growing process. He looks less lightweight and is more dominant in the challenge than he was when he arrived here."

Thierry also believes that our youngsters need to learn how to play as a side and not a collection of individuals.

"You win things as a team, when I was young I had to learn that," said our Skipper.

"When I was young I wanted to showboat at times, sometimes I just wanted to please the crowd.

"But in this game you learn quickly that you need to be efficient and to be good for the team.

"Sometimes you may think it makes you look bad individually, but you need to do it for the team.

"That was difficult for me at the start of my career - putting my own ego on one side - and playing for the team.

"But once you understand that, all the other things open up for you.

"Individually, players like Jose, Cesc Fabregas and Quincy Owusu-Abeyie are great players and every team would like to have them.

"But we need to go back to trying to play for each other as a team.

"We have to spend less time on the ball and move it on quicker. If we do that then we will be the side everyone else fears."

AW - Title Race Will Be 'Interesting'

The Gaffer is not ready to give in and concede the title to Chel$ki just yet.

Speaking earlier on Arsenal.com he had this to say...

“We know that if Chelsea win all their games they will win the title,” he said. “But football is never like that. It is not as straight as a motorway. We are only in September don’t forget.

“Of course they have a good team but I feel the championship will be very interesting this year.

“We have one game in hand so the situation looks a little bit worse than it is. It is down to us to get the points and find our consistency.”

Seeing as Le Boss has won us the league three times already, it's safe to say he knows a thing or two about the Premiership.

There's still a long, long way to go people....we've gotta make sure we're behind our boys 110%!

Le Boss is 'Delighted'

The Gaffer is delighted at last nights 'controlled and professional' performance against Evert*n.

Big Sol was most definitely the man with two headed goals that saw us take all 3 points.

After the game Le Boss had this to say;

"It was important to win and I feel we did it well and in a controlled way"

"We scored two unusual goals from set pieces and I hoped in the second half we would find some more space but Everton never came out."

"Without the third goal you have to play a bit in a controlled well - less sharp but tactically controlled."

"You can see the frustration because he (Campbell) has not been at his best because of different ankle problems."

''He was impatient to come back and he came back quicker than expected."

"Ideally we would like to score all types of goals, in the last two games we have scored from set pieces, but we want to keep scoring the goals we love."

Le Boss: We Must Entertain

Speaking after our 2-0 win over Evert*n last night, Le Boss has stated that Premiership teams have an obligation to entertain their fans;

"When somebody buys a ticket and spends £50, £60 or £70, it is not because he wants to be bored," he said.

"It is because he wants to enjoy a football game. I feel we all have a responsibility to keep that going."

As you're all aware last night's victory came courtesy of two goals from big Sol - I for one was delighted to see him return to the team in such a fashion.

DER DER DER DER...SOL'S A GOONER!!!!

;o)

Titi Out

Thierry will not be playing against 'Boro this weekend due to an injury picked up during the ROI game earlier this week.

Le Boss said;

"It is an inflammation of his groin, not a strain. He should be back in a matter of days, possibly for next week's Champions League tie against FC Thun,"

The breaking of Wrighty's record will have to wait then....

Wrighty's Record Almost Gone

Tel is within touching distance of breaking Ian Wright's all time goal scoring record...

Ahead of Satuday's trip to the Riv*rside, our skipper had this to say;

"For me, Ian Wright was a legend and still is a legend, so to beat his record would be something really amazing,"

"But I don't want to speak too soon because things in football can happen really quickly, so I just want to concentrate and keep scoring goals for my team."


Nice...!

Jose Antonio: "We Love Having Him Here"

Jose Antonio has urged Titi to pledge his long term future to Arsenal.

There will no doubt be a renewed attempt by Barca or one of the other 'giants' to lure our skipper either in January or next summer, but JAR wants Thierry to stay put;

"I signed a new contract with Arsenal this summer because I believe in this project," said JAR. "I just hope Thierry will do the same."

"If the club agrees to reward him with a huge new deal because they think it is best for the club, then I am fully behind that.

"We love having him here."


So do we Jose, so do we....

Chel$ki to Face FA Charge

Nothing to do with us I know, but on such a slow news day I thought this might cheer a few of you up...

The FA has just posted the following statement on it's website;


"The FA has today charged Chels*a FC with misconduct for a breach of FA Rule E25 in respect of the independent private drug testing the club conducted on some of its players on 12 July 2004," read the statement.

"It is alleged that Chels*a FC has breached Regulation 1(e) of The FA's Doping Control Regulations, which states that interference with a drugs test or the Doping Control Programme will be regarded as amounting to a breach of the Doping Control Regulations."

The paragraph relating to the charge, regarding Definition and Descriptions of Doping Offences, reads as follows: "The independent private testing/screening of players by clubs, club officials or any other person subject to Football Association Rules is prohibited.

"Such testing/screening will be regarded as conduct that would interfere with The Football Association's Doping Control Programme contrary to paragraph 1(e) above and penalties may be imposed accordingly..."


The reason for their private drug testing: - John T*rry and Fat Frank L*mpard are bang on the sniff, I reckon Joe C*le is partial to a nose-up from time to time aswell!

;o)

The End of An Era

As we all know now, this is to be Dennis's last season at Arsenal.

Since his arrival in 1995 he has played almost 400 first team games and collected no less than three Premiership winners medals, as well as numerous other accolades. The guy is an absolute legend who will never be replaced.

When talking about our impending arrival at the Emirates Stadium he had this to say;

"Yes, there are some regrets that I will not be able to call this my home as an Arsenal player. But it's time to call it a day."

When Den finally hangs up his boots it will not only be a sad day for Gooners worldwide, but a sad day for football.


Remember guys, WE GOT DENNIS BERGKAMP!

We're Minted!!! Apparently...

Hi guys and gals - sorry for my no show the last few days! Firstly I have been MASSIVELY busy at work, and secondly there has been nothing worth posting about really...

However, Keith Edelman has claimed that we have potloads of cash, should Le boss decide to spend some...

"They are a very solid set of results," said Edelman.

"Some of the money in our reserves relates to future financial years, where we keep some cash to pay all of our costs in those years - but there are sufficient funds available to the manager for transfers.

"Arsene knows what his budgets are. He has always been a cautious buyer of players, a very astute buyer, and a very successful manager.

"He is not a frivolous manager, who if he has got £10 million or £15 million will just say 'I have got to buy a player'.

"Just because he has got a budget does not mean he will spend it if he does not believe it will strengthen the squad.

"Arsene always buys the right type of player at the right time, and we leave those judgements to him, because he is very good at it."


I have heard that Maniche is unhappy at his new club in Russia. Is it me or could he fit the bill for us...?

What d'ya reckon??!?

Titi Tells of Injury Woe

Despite Thierry picking up the Golden Boot AGAIN last season he has revealed that he wasn't firing on all cylinders.

"Since June 2004 I had a difficult season on a physical level," said Tel.

"It often handicapped me, notably my Achilles tendon trouble.

"I could only sprint at 80 percent of my ability without being able to run again and again, and when you know me, that is my major asset.

"I usually try to wear out defences, only work pays off.

"I wanted to work but my body didn't allow me any more."


I think we all knew this anyway...

Is Titi Getting the Needle?

According to that wonderful institution that is the Daily Mirror Thierry is getting pissed off with the lack of ambition shown by the club. He is apparently peeved at the lack of signings and feels he wants to achieve more than the club can offer.

Several other players are also getting fed up with the way the club has done things recently and even Le Boss admits Titi's future is uncertain...


AW said "We are ready to negotiate a new long-term contract but I have the impression he is not. Thierry is my priority.

"He is the new captain, he is the one who must lead this club into the new stadium. I can't imagine him not being part of the project, but at the moment we have not sorted it."

I HOPE TO GOD THAT THIS IS JUST PAPER TALK. LOSING VIEIRA IS ONE THING, BUT IF THIERRY WAS TO LEAVE ASWELL....WELL, IT DOESN'T BEAR THINKING ABOUT.

Lets hope we have a statement on Arsenal.com later rubishing it all!

Jens Up For World Cup

Nutty Jens has stated that he believes HE will be first choice between the sticks for Germany in next years World Cup and not B*yern Munich shop-stopper Oliver Kh*n.

"I'm convinced that I'll be playing," he told Bild.

"There are still nine months to go until the World Cup kicks off and as long as I get the opportunity to play a certain amount of internationals I'm still in with every chance."

"I've been playing at a consistently high level for three or four years and that will pay off in the end.

"If I had any doubts then I could pack my things and go home now instead of playing in the next two matches. Nobody wants a doubter in goal."

Ryan Hopes "To Make An Impact"

After the impact of Philippe and Cesc on the Premiership another young Gunner has his eye on breaking through into the first squad.

Local boy Ryan Smith, who is still only 18 played for us in our Carling Cup run last season - and looks quite a prospect. He is lucky to still be playing at all after a near career ending injury but he is fired up and ready to make a name for himself;

Earlier he told Arsenal.com...

"I’ve enjoyed playing in the Carling Cup and it would be nice if I can play in that again. I hope to really make an impact this year. I want people to know who I am.”


Watch this space...!!!

Ash: "I Would Love to Be Captain of Arsenal One Day"

Ash has re-affirmed his desire to stay with us, and one day become the skipper of our great side...

"I would love to be captain of Arsenal one day, who wouldn't? I think I show on the pitch how passionate I am about the club and about winning." he said.

"The manager must think I am not ready for it. Perhaps with everything that has gone on he thought it might not be a good idea."

Ash said he can understand fans wanting to boo him after the Chelsea affair, even though he would prefer them not to.