THE FOOTBALL THREAD Vol 2

I read about an Arsenal fan from Africa who committed suicide after Arsenal was kicked out of the Champions League Semi Finals last season. I think he lost tons of money on bets and drove him to that action.

Surprisingly, this fella hung himself after Liverpool's win over the devils, it's hard to point out losing money on bad bets though. Very hard.

p.s. FGL please ah, Im still 16 ok, turning 17 very soon....
 

capt.photo_1261588955823-1-0.jpg


hehe, Nasri mocking Nick Barmby.​
 
calling al gooners - time to face the villians,

join me, extremers & others at Lz Modestos for the game live at the AFC club!
 
gun__1254726236_wenger_blackburnh.jpg

Arsène Wenger... facing the media

http://www.arsenal.com/match-menu/3205398/first-team/arsenal-v-aston-villa Arsenal 3-0 Aston Villa
Barclays Premier League
Sunday, December 27, 2009, 13:30



Wenger: 'It is a massive result for the team'



on why he brought Fabregas off the bench...
I felt we had taken over the game and I think we were dominant. We missed a few chances before he came on, we could have been up already, but of course he adds some creativity in your game and at that moment I felt it was needed.
on whether it was a gamble worth taking...
You never know. If you can prove to me that we would have won the game without him coming on the pitch, I was wrong. But we can never check that. I feel that I did the right thing. I was cautious. We know that Alex Song will go soon [to the Africa Cup of Nations] and in midfield we could become short if we lose players. But I would do it again because sometimes you follow your instinct in a game and if I put him on the bench I know before the game that I will put him on if it is really needed. Had we been 1-0 up I would not have done it. But you do what you think you need to win the game.
on why he gambled in the first place...
Aston Villa has a game that makes you very nervy, because you can be dominant and lose the game. We were dominant, didn't take advantage of it and so you can be cautious or push the gamble a little bit further. That's what I did.
on a significant win for Arsenal...
I think it is a massive result for the team. When you look where we were a few weeks ago, credit to the team, they didn't give up when everybody has written us off. We kept going and that shows the team has mental strength. Maybe the turning point was the second half at Liverpool when we won the game.
on Denilson's withdrawal...
He has a back problem, the same as before. I haven't seen him yet but we will see.
on bouncing back in December...
We had to keep the belief high, to keep the desire. I believe this team is talented, it has great spirit and for me they deserve to be successful. But we have not won anything yet and sometimes when you have not done that you don't know if you can do it. So it was important for them to keep believing they could come back in a decent position.
on the title race...
It makes it interesting now. We are in a strong position. We can have belief but it’s a long way to go and we have to keep our feet on the ground and continue to improve together.

on whether he is surprised at the speed of their recovery...
Yes, because I could say we would win the games but you couldn’t predict that our opponents would drop the points. After the Chelsea game I said openly that Chelsea would drop points on the basis of what I had seen. And they did. But how many they would drop I didn’t know.

on the nature of this Premier League season...
I just think the Premier League is very open. We go to Portsmouth on Wednesday and you know it will be another tough game. What has changed in the league this season is that all the teams can make results. You have seen Birmingham against Chelsea. It is like that anywhere. You go anywhere it’s not that you go there, turn up and take three points. That has gone. It has gone - until March. After that some teams will be safe, or will not go for Europe and you take some easier points. But from now until March in this championship the consistent team will get it.

on the impact of the Africa Cup of Nations on Chelsea...
Yes but they go to the African Nations Cup and we have the injuries. If you lose a player for three weeks through injury it’s like he goes to the African Nations.

on keeping Andrey Arshavin up front...
It’s a bit too early to decide that. I have no obvious reason at the moment to change that. I think he came alive in the last 30 minutes. I like him there.

on whether he still needs to buy a striker...
“I’ve said we will keep our eyes open and if a good opportunity turns up we will do it. But at the moment I haven’t got any. .I will have to look maybe as well at midfielders and how big the damage is. If we lose Denilson and Fabregas we will be short there. I don’t know yet.

on the defensive test against Villa...
It was an interesting game for us because we were tested defensively as well. That was very important for the belief of the team as well. You play against Aston Villa and you don’t concede a goal - that was important for us.
 
Hats off to Cesc, he was magnificent. It shows just why Barcelona want him so bad. He'll be better than Xavi in maybe 2 years and then they can offload the old man for quite some money to offset the money spent on Fab. Eh FGL can get on the line to Wenger and tell him to sell to Barca? Then Liverpool can buy Xavi soon and get rid of that ****** Lucas.
 
gun__1255521688_vermaelen_fabregas.jpg

Thomas Vermaelen and Cesc Fabregas celebrate

http://www.arsenal.com/match-menu/3205398/first-team/arsenal-v-aston-villa Arsenal 3-0 Aston Villa
Barclays Premier League
Sunday, December 27, 2009, 13:30



Vermaelen impressed by 'visionary' Fabregas


Cesc Fabregas took Arsenal to another level on Sunday, according to Thomas Vermaelen.

The Belgian defender did his bit to secure three priceless points against Aston Villa, helping Arsenal keep a valuable clean sheet at Emirates Stadium. But Vermaelen admits that Fabregas gave Arsène Wenger's side an extra dimension when he emerged from the bench for an outstanding 21-minute cameo.

Villa could not handle the Arsenal captain, who scored twice before limping off with a hamstring problem in the closing stages. And Vermaelen can appreciate how the Villa defence felt - because he has enough trouble stopping Fabregas in training.

"He is the best midfielder I have played alongside," said the Belgian.

"He's really smart in his game and in training if you play against him he's really difficult to defend against because I think he has eyes in the back of his head. He sees everything.

"He is a good captain too. He has a lot of qualities in football and I think that’s important for a captain. He talks in the dressing room, not too much but just enough.

"For us he was very important on Sunday. He scored twice in 20 minutes so he was very important. I think before he came on we were the better team but we didn’t create too many chances and when he came on we controlled the game more and we created some more chances.

"He played some good passes behind the defence, they were really dangerous. He has a great vision in the game."

Few would disagree with Vermaelen after watching Fabregas in action this season - he tops Arsenal's scoring charts with 12 in all competitions and leads the way in assists too. But Vermaelen and company may have to do without their captain for up to three weeks after he suffered a recurrence of his hamstring injury on Sunday.

The Belgian believes Arsenal can cope.

"Cesc is very important for us but it’s the same with Robin [van Persie] who is also important for us but they're injured and we have to do it without them," he said. "I think we have other good midfielders who can fill that gap."
 


1

PORTSMOUTH

​
4

ARSENAL

​

​



ARSENAL




By Richard Clarke
Watch out Chelsea, Arsenal are coming for you.
Arsène Wenger’s side closed within four points of the leaders with a comfortable 4-1 win at Portsmouth on Wednesday night.
After soaking up significant pressure from the home side, Eduardo’s deflected free-kick gave the visitors the lead just before the half-hour. Then, three minutes from half-time, the Portsmouth defence afforded Samir Nasri ample time to slam home a second from the edge of the area.
A superb solo strike from Aaron Ramsey in the 69th minute should have killed the game yet Portsmouth grabbed a goal from Nadir Belhadj almost immediately. However Alex Song’s header ended any argument nine minutes from time.
This was Arsenal third successive victory by a three-goal margin. During December they have shrugged off the absence of Robin Van Persie,Nicklas Bendtner and now Cesc Fabregas to rebuild realistic title aspirations.
The comprehensive victory leaves Arsenal four points adrift of Chelsea at the top of the table. If they win their game in hand, a home fixture against managerless Bolton next Wednesday, that gap will be down to one point.
By the next time Chelsea play, Arsenal could be breathing down their neck.
Before kick-off, news filtered around the press box that Fabregas would be out for only 10 days. If true it would be a blessed relief. Player and manager had no regrets about the downside of his two-goal 27-minute cameo against Aston Villa but tonight Arsenal had to pay the price.
Of course, the Spaniard had not started against Villa so the only actual change from that team saw Denilson drop out with a back problem andAaron Ramsey came in. The Welshman’s elevation was telling. After all he is perhaps the prince to Fabregas’ throne at Emirates Stadium.
Meanwhile, Tomas Rosicky was back on the bench after recovering from his hamstring problem.
This was a tricky game for Arsenal. After the win at Liverpool they had gone to Burnley, an equally hostile environment, and brought back a point. There was a similar euphoria after the 3-0 win over Villa on Sunday. However a draw was not enough this evening and the home side started with dynamism.
The created sustained pressure but only had one chance to show for it. That came in the ninth minute when Alex Song slipped trying to collect Traore’s pass on the halfway line and Kevin Prince Boateng sprinted into space in the right hand channel. He had Frederic Piquionne in the middle but decided to fire towards the near post. Manuel Almunia needed a strong hand to turn the ball aside.
The home side failed to build on the chance and gradually Arsenal started to turn the screw. They won a succession of corners but only created a flurry of half-chances. Andrey Arshavin hacked an effort over, Eduardo nodded well wide and Bacary Sagna saw his low drive fail to penetrate a forest of defenders in the area.
The clearest effort came in the 19th minute when Eduardo cut the ball back to Abou Diaby on the corner of the area but the Frenchman’s sidefoot shot was beaten away by Asmir Begovic at the near post.
Portsmouth were now on the back foot. Boateng sprang the offside trap for a split second but he lost his footing at the crucial moment. Arsenal would follow that chance by taking the lead.
In the 29th minute, Aaron Mokoena fouled Ramsey on the edge of the area. Eduardo tried to bend the free-kick into the far corner but Younes Kaboul tried to intervene. The former Spurs centre back could only steer the ball inside the other post. The goal was full of fortunate but it had been coming.
The strike knocked out what stuffing was left in the Portsmouth side. Belhadj fired an optimistic effort well wide but the home side’s lack of confidence was plain to see.
Three minutes from the break, Arsenal’s second goal merely hammered the point home. The Portsmouth defence stood off Eduardo in the area so he had ample time to find Ramsey. The Welshman, also unchallenged, squared to Nasri, who fired home from 15 yards. It was the Frenchman’s first goal of the season and it had been all too simple.
At the break, Portsmouth appeared to be a beaten side.
In fairness, they raised themselves as best they could after the restart. Belhadj thundered an effort wide in the opening stages but the home side could not follow it up.
You felt Arsenal were always in control. In the 69th minute, they proved it. Ramsey picked up the ball in midfield, skipped past the weakest of challenges then thumped home a shot from 22 yards. It was cracking goal from a player who only turned 19 on Boxing Day.
Portsmouth grabbed a goal five minutes later when Anthony Vanden Borre cut the ball back for Belhadj stab home a shot.
But it was a mere blip. These are dark days for Portsmouth, who had been served with a winding up order by HM Revenue & Customs on the afternoon of the game. The home fans were singing songs against the Club’s owners for much of the second half.
Their defence hardly help the situation. Nine minutes from time, Nasri crossed to an unmarked Song, who steered his header into the far corner. The goal, like the game, had been handed to Arsenal all too easily.
At the full time, the visiting fans had their own song to sing -‘we’re going to win the League’.
Right now, they have a convincing argument

 
loldude333 said:
Looks like Arsenal are riding the form gravy train. Let's see what happens when they visit a really good team.
Click to expand...

we will be tested in due time (Late january - early feb 2010 facing three big teams week after week, chelsea, man utd and liverpool.)

but for now, gooners will relish the scent of victory over smaller teams that can threaten our goals.
 
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