Friday, March 13, 2015

Karma Comes To Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge


Funny how fast things can change. All season long the pundits have been throwing arrows at Arsenal and Arsene Wenger while praising the "tactical genius" of Louis Van Gaal. Despite the fact that it was obvious to all how terrible ManU has been all season, the media has continually been kissing the team's collective butts. The luck that this mess of a squad has had is best summed up in their undeserved victory over Newcastle when World Cup hero Tim Krul literally gave United the winning goal.

Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger has been treated like garbage by the media (as well as a number of Arsenal fans sadly). There have definitely been trouble spots and bad performances this season, but what a lot of folks seem to forget, is that it's not where you are in the middle of the season that matters....it's where you are at the end.


Wenger got his tactics down perfectly as Arsenal went to Old Trafford in an FA Cup 6th round match. It was a great opportunity to take on the media darling LVG and his less than impressive band of misfits. It was as if the day's events had been written for a Hollywood script. The spurned player, comes back to his old home and sticks it to his former family. When it was announced that Danny Welbeck was starting up front in place of Olivier Giroud barbs were being thrown Wenger's way. Lots of fans and pundits were questioning his decision. Well, it worked out perfectly and Wenger should get credit for having the balls to go with Welbeck. Perhaps he saw it as an opportunity for Welbeck to shine and show LVG that he was mistaken. What player wouldn't be motivated to go back to the club that kicked him to the curb and be a hero? Welbeck rose to the occasion and it had to be completely gratifying to stick it to his old club. Congrats Danny.



The week got even better when the obnoxious, arrogant, windbag Jose Mourinho and his band of Chelsea thugs got sucker punched by PSG. What a joy it was to see his cheating side given a wake up call. When Oscar and Zlatan Ibrahimović collided while going for the ball, the Chelsea players surrounded the ref and demanded that Ibrahimovic be sent off. Unfortunately this ref was not as brave and fair as Michael Oliver was in Manchester and allowed the Chelsea mob to make the decision for him. PSG were down to 10 men in the 31st minute.


Level at 1-1, Chelsea had the edge having scored in Paris. Down to 10 so early in the match, PSG seemed doomed. PSG held on but in the 81st minute, Gary Cahill gave the home team a 2-1 advantage. PSG were still in the match as they needed a goal regardless if Chelsea had scored or not. Enter former Chelsea defender David Luiz. His header in the 86th minute sent the match to extra time.

Now it was time for Thiago Silva to take center stage as he went from goat to hero. His handball in the 96th minute gave Chelsea the penalty they would probably have been gifted at some point anyhow. Hazard scored and again PSG were on the ropes with just ten men. Silva came through with just six minutes remaining with a powerful header to give PSG the edge in away goals. PSG held on and that was that Chelsea had every advantage in this match, including playing 90 minutes with an extra man and they blew it. Karma baby. It's a bitch. Now the current "specialist in failure" realizes what goes around comes around. 


So for all Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and football fans that are sick of the favoritism given to ManU and Chel$ski as well as the arrogance of their gloating fans, please enjoy the following headlines.



 

Arsenal news: Manchester United's Angel di Maria should move to Emirates to save career, says Paul Parker

Chelsea players are a 'disgrace' for influencing harsh Zlatan Ibrahimovic red card slams Jamie Carragher...


Former Manchester United and England defender believes Louis van Gaal's tactics do not suit Angel di Maria's style of play

 

Chelsea vs PSG: Diego Costa is not the internet's most popular player

 

Wayne Rooney and his Manchester United team-mates show they have little respect for referees

Chelsea 2-2 PSG (3-3 agg): Lacklustre Blues OUT of Champions League on away goals


Hypocrisy and dishonesty are rife in the Premier League, as evidenced by Manchester United's behaviour towards the excellent Michael Oliver in the defeat to Arsenal

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho furious with referee after Diego Costa is denied first half penalty in defeat to PSG

Ángel di María seems an uninterested bystander at Manchester United

John Terry was grappling with Gary Cahill instead of marking Thiago Silva as PSG defender scored goal that put Chelsea out  


Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United take direct route on road to nowhere

  

Chelsea 2 PSG 2, Champions League: Jose Mourinho's mind games get a red card but not a result

 

Radamel Falcao's Manchester United nightmare continues with frustrating display in under-21 draw

  

Chelsea 2 PSG 2 (3-3 AET): Hosts left feeling blue as French side shine at the Bridge

 

In F.A. Cup, Manchester United Stung by the Player They Let Go

Portuguese shows why his sides will never be loved with pressure on the referee to send off Ibrahimovic

Angel di Maria is wrestling with the idea of leaving Manchester United and Louis van Gaal has under-estimated English football

 

Jose Mourinho has lost some of his stardust - he is now facing his greatest test at Chelsea

Manchester United's gamble on Radamel Falcao has backfired - he is a 2015 version of Michael Owen

Zlatan Ibrahimovic brands Chelsea 'babies' as Blues are dumped out of Europe


Chelsea 2 PSG 2, Champions League: Jose Mourinho's mind games get a red card but not a result

 

Angel di Maria considering wife's request to leave Manchester United

 

Chelsea branded 'disgraceful' over red card for PSG's Zlatan Ibrahimovic


Jamie Carragher blames Jose Mourinho for players haranguing referee, while fellow pundit Graeme Souness is 'saddened' by Chelsea's actions ahead of sending-off

WATCH: Louis van Gaal FUMES at Radamel Falcao question after Arsenal defeat

 We expect Jose Mourinho to fly the flag in Europe, but Chelsea bowed out with a whimper

Fallen star Adnan Januzaj is bringing SHAME on Man Utd with his constant cheating

José Mourinho’s ‘chokers’ trumped by Paris Saint-Germain

 

 

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Arsenal 2014-2015: March

Sunday, March 1, 2015 Arsenal vs. Everton 9AM EST



After Wednesday's debacle a win is a must today for Arsenal. With Manure and Liverpool both winning, a win will keep Arsenal third in the table. Equally important, a win will help to restore some of the confidence that the team lost in the Monaco match.



The mood among fans is tense and there is a sense of nervousness surrounding the team. A win and three points would go a long way to calming nerves.








Arsenal are back to third in the table with a 2-0 victory over Everton. While it was not Arsenal at its fluid best, the performance was good and there were some promising signs that the defensive shortcomings are being addressed. The most noticeable change was Gabriel coming in for the much maligned Per Mertesacker. Gabriel looked strong and made some important tackles. I would prefer to see a lot more of Gabriel and a lot less of the BFG. It's become clear that Per is just not good enough for Arsenal.



Ospina remained in goal and had an excellent game. At times his decision making is questionable, but I feel a lot more confident with him in goal over the shaky Szczesny.



Giroud scored an amazing goal from an Ozil corner. It's funny, how Giroud missed so many easy chances in the match versus Monaco, yet two of his recent league goals have been technically difficult and things of pure beauty. Hopefully, the striker will have regained some confidence and the heat he was taking from the fans will cool off.


Cazorla wore the captain's armband and bossed the game like a true leader, Rosicky came on as a late sub and scored the second goal, Coquellin was in the trenches and ended the match with a broken and bloodied nose. All in all it was a solid team performance and Everton never really looked like they would score.


Up next is a mid week match at 17th place QPR.














Wednesday, March 4, 2015 Arsenal at QPR 2:45PM EST


QPR is a match that shouldn't instill a lot of fear in the hearts of Arsenal fans. However, as we've all learned, nothing can be taken for granted. It looks as if Koscielny will get a rest and Mertesacker will come back in to the squad and be paired with Gabriel in the center of the defense. 

Despite suffering a fractured nose of the weekend, Francis Coquelin retains his place in the squad.



Southampton won yesterday and everyone around us is playing today so we're rooting for Arsenal, Newcastle, Leicester, Swansea, West Ham and Burnley. At the end of the day, all that really matters is an Arsenal victory.










The final score doesn't really represent what took place on the pitch. Despite winning by just one goal and both Arsenal goals not coming until the second half, QPR didn't present too much of a problem.



Giroud scored off of a Kieran Gibbs deflection to finally put Arsenal in front in the 64th minute. Five minutes later it was doubled when Alexis Sanchez scored a sublime goal from a ridiculously tough angle.



Charlie Austin got one back in the 82nd minute, but other than that they didn't pose a real threat. Arsenal had double the amount of shots on goal and six corners to just one for QPR.


Arsenal are still in third and just four points behind the Sheikh and his mercenaries.









Monday, March 9, 2014 2:45PM Arsenal at Manchester United FA Cup 6th Round




I am about as nervous as if I was playing in this match. After years of Manure owning us, now is the time to finally put things in order. What worries me, and probably most Arsenal fans, is that despite the obvious fact that this current United side are crap, Arsenal always seem to cave in, psyche themselves out or self destruct when we play them. It's as if the ghost of Fergie and Howard Webb's stopwatch of added injury time is haunting Arsenal.



This is simply a MUST win for Arsenal. Not only for the obvious fact of moving on to the semi-finals and trying to retain the FA Cup Trophy, but almost as important, to restore pride and belief and respect to this Arsenal team. A loss to LVG and these jokers would be unbearable.



Personally, I have a comedy show tonight which is huge and I'm more nervous about this match than I am the show. Let's get this done Arsenal. DO NOT LET YOUR FAN BASE DOWN!













YES....FINALLY....a convincing win for Arsenal at Old Trafford. Not only that, the player that the footballing genius LVG told was not good enough to play for ManUre and then sold to Arsenal was the one to come back and score the winning goal. I can only imagine in 10 years time there will be a film version of the story....it could be called something like, "Welbeck...the Redemption, the Revenge...the Shaming of Manchester United"!





Adding to the overall thrill of victory over the much hated United and the fact that their reject was the one to come back and burn them, was the performance of the game's referee...Michael Oliver. When Hector Bellerin was given a yellow card in the 4th minute (which he deserved), I was afraid of what was to come. I shouldn't have been, because what was to come was a fair, evenly called, consistent ref job that is rarely if ever seen anymore. 





Fans of every team have become used to the United home match favoritism that dates back to Adam and Eve. Well, not this time. You dive to win a penalty, you get yellow carded (yes you you cheater Januzaj). You simulate contact to get a penalty, you get yellow carded (yes you Angel DiMaria you 60 million pound cheating has been)...you pull at the shirt of the referee after you get yellow carded because you cost 60 million pounds and used to play for Real Madrid, you get your second yellow within 10 seconds and are sent off (yes you Angel DiMaria). Add to that the ridiculous thug that is Marouane Fellaini, who you can almost guarantee intentionally hit Francis Coquelin in the face within the first five minutes. Having sustained a broken nose in a recent, Fellaini apparently felt the only way to get the best of the player was to knock him out of the match. The problem for the mop topped tree was that his thug tactics didn't work. Coquelin had the better of Fellainin throughout the entire match.

 

To be fair, Arsenal were not at their best...but FINALLY, ManU did not benefit from lucky breaks (Tim Krul, Fergie time, phantom penalties) and the poor side that they really are was exposed. Resorting to long balls to Fellaini and cheating did not work. Their £24 million loanee remained on the bench the entire match, while the player that wasn't good enough to be a part of LVG's team scored the winner for the opposition. As the saying goes, karma is a bitch. Even the phantom 5 minutes of Fergie time didn't benefit this hapless bunch. The only thing that would have made the night better would have been Judas Van Persie on the pitch to suffer defeat to the team he felt was going in the wrong "direction".



Stand outs in the match were Nacho Monreal who owned Cheater DiMaria and scored a goal worthy of any striker set up beautifully by Ozil and the Ox. Sanchez was everywhere, Cazorla came close to scoring twice, Coquelin was a beast, Welbeck got the last laugh...to be honest it was a true TEAM performance. They stuck to the game plan and outside of Shrek's goal, kept ManUre at bay all night.



After the match, Arsenal were drawn against either Bradford or Reading (depending upon the outcome of the replay). A favorable draw was deserved and Arsenal are that much closer to their second FA Cup final (and possible trophy) in two years. 





It was a great night to be a Gooner.  




































Stats show Manchester United were WRONG to sell Danny Welbeck to Arsenal and sign Radamel Falcao

 

‘He left because you’re sh*t!’ Twitter trolls Manchester United after Danny Welbeck’s Arsenal winner

 Brilliant support! Arsenal fans stay behind and keep signing at Old Trafford after FA Cup win over Manchester United

 

Man United 1-2 Arsenal: 5 things we learnt as Danny Welbeck came back to haunt his former club

£280,000-a-week flop Falcao starts for United reserves, 24 hours after his latest Old Trafford snub from boss Van Gaal in which striker was forced to watch FA Cup exit from the bench

 

Arsene Wenger wins the Old Trafford duel against Louis van Gaal as Manchester United crash out of the FA Cup to Arsenal


Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger should be hailed for Old Trafford masterclass

 

Saturday, March 14, 2015 11AM EST Arsenal vs. West Ham 



It's been a great week for Arsenal fans following the victory over ManUre in the FA Cup 6th round. Then there was the meltdown of Moanrinho's team at Stamford Bridge against 10 man PSG which sent them out of the Champions League. Today it's back to league action and a visit from West Ham.


West Ham have come back down to earth since their great start to the season.and now sit in 10th place.  With teams below us fighting to get those coveted Champions League spots, it's important to keep winning and collecting points.




With confidence high and playing at home, this should be a winnable match for Arsenal.











This week keeps getting better and better.  


West Ham defended well in the first half and despite a majority of the possession,m Arsenal were unable to get the breakthrough goal....that is until Olivier Giroud sent in a screamer literally in the last second of the first half. It truly was an impressive strike. Whatever tension had been in the air eased as the half ended.


Arsenal again dominated possession in the second half and were able to keep West Ham at bay pretty easily. Of course Arsenal fans have seen leads disappear before so it was important for the team to score another goal. It took a while, but they added two more in the 81st and 84th minutes.



Giroud added to his goal with a great assist that saw Aaron Ramsey smash the ball in to the back of the net. Three minutes later, substitute Mathieu Flamini was there to tap in the rebound after Adrian had saved a shot from Ozil.



It was another complete team performance with Koscielny and Coquelin the standouts on defense, while Giroud took center stage up front. Running the show was Cazorla, Sanchez and second half sub Santi Cazorla.
 

Aaron Ramsey needed that goal to get his confidence back. David Ospina made a great save in keeping another clean sheet. Theo Walcott finally got a start and had a couple of good chances. He is a player badly in need of a goal and a confidence boost.


In the late match Burnley played their socks off and defeated the Manchester Mercenaries 1-0. For all the stick that Arsene Wenger has been getting all season, Arsenal are now just one point behind second place Manchester City.


The Champions League returns on Tuesday. Arsenal head to Monaco with a tough task, but with confidence high, you never know what can happen.


















Tuesday, March 17, 2015 Arsenal at Monaco 3:45PM EST Champions League Round of 16 Second Leg


Arsenal head to Monaco with hope, but the task at hand is a tough one. Having embarrassed themselves three weeks ago at the Emirates, Arsenal are down 3-1 with 90 minutes left to turn things around. Arsenal must score at least 3 goals to have any chance of progressing while keeping Monaco off the score sheet. Hopes are high, but most fans have realistic expectations after the shambolic display in the first leg. Arsenal have made a habit of defeating top competition in one leg of Champions League matches yet coming up short on aggregate (Barcelona, Bayern Munich, AC Milan). Fingers crossed, but it'll be touch to accomplish.

Great to see such optimism among Arsenal fans at #MiracleInMonaco is currently a trending hashtag!


















Why didn't Arsenal play like this back in London? Total Arsenal domination and Giroud was able to make the breakthrough in the 36th minute. There were several other good chances and close calls as well as a bogus diving yellow card given to Sanchez when he was felled in the box. Sanchez is so good he doesn't needed to cheat...a totally bogus card.  Arsenal need 2 in the second half. Fingers are still crossed.


AFTER Saturday, March 21, 2014 11AM EST Arsenal at Newcastle AFTER