Post Christmas Joy

Time for a blog. While the harem enjoy festive tv movies and tuck into their selection boxes while wearing their new knitted sweaters, here's an update.
Well the big guy delivered a hell of a present this year. So thank you Santa Claus for yesterday's victory. Also thank you Guti. Clearly telling the story of how beautiful football entered the world had an effect on the football being played. Hurrah! Here at Sports Wall HQ we love festive football its the perfect thing to accompany the post christmas sitting down fest with gift chocolate and festive spirits (with tonic.)  And this year it was no exception. Along with the two Arsenal calendars, pocket history of Arsenal and illustrated history of Arsenal that we received as gifts, we also received the festive gift of joy unconfined. What a game. Brilliant is an understatement. It was the masterful performance we've promised and deserved for ages now. Alex Song was immense, Bac and Gael were great. Fabianski was commanding and what a player Johan Djorou is turning into, the guy is fantastic. The goals were sublime and the team looked confident and in control. Nothing short of a Christmas miracle.
Speaking of which, here's a little treat featuring some of our favourite little elves wishing you all a Happy Christmas.

A Footballing Nativity Part 10!!!

And so the wise men had finally made it to the humble stable in Barcelona and they had found the chosen one. They greeted Jose Maria and Josep and explained that they had travelled a great distance to worship the chosen one. They had come bearing gifts to help Jose Maria with his quest. First Zinedine Zidane gave Jose Maria the gift of gold, the fabled Ballon d'Or, a golden football gifted to him for his football skills. Then Andrey Arshavin gave Jose Maria the gift of knowledge, by giving him ‘555 Questions and Answers on Women, Money, Politics and Football’ a book that he had written that was full of wisdom. Emmanuel Eboue was not sure what gift to give Jose Maria for all he had was a Belgian passport and that wasn't much use to Jose Maria. So he gave him the gift of his experience and told him all about his difficult times in London and how he had overcome his unpopularity to become a better footballer and more loved than ever. Jose Maria was very grateful for these gifts and thanked the Wise men. The Holy San Iker was very moved and he too pledged a gift, he gave Jose Maria the miraculous goalkeeping gloves that he had used in life on his path to sainthood. The angels joined the wonderful scene, singing a heavenly song and suddenly Jose Maria began to glow with a heavenly golden light. At first he was worried and called out for Josep but he was soon comforted by his fiance's presence. After his long journey and all the things he had learned the gift of beautiful football had been bestowed upon Jose Maria and now he was ready to show the whole world. Not long after that magical night, he did show the world his wonderful gift and the people of Spain rejoiced that beautiful football was to reside in their country. Jose Maria gained many followers who took his gift all over the world and from then on he was known as "Guti" which means 'inventor of beautiful football.' Josep taught many people the way of 'tiki taka' Jose Maria's miraculous method of passing and movement that brought beautiful footnball and many beautiful trophies to their household and city.
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY! May all your festive football be beautiful!

A Footballing Nativity Part 9

The Wise Men journeyed on through Madrid, unaware that King Mourinho's spies followed their every move. They decided to rest for the night within the city walls, as Barcelona was a long way away. Madrid was a holy city and was protected and watched over by a Holy Saint.  The Angels Gabriel and Pavel enlisted the help of Madrid's patron saint to help to guide the wise men to the chosen one. The one who watched over the city was known as San Iker. He was a very watchful saint indeed. He knew his city like no other and was extremely generous to her citizens. Although the Wise men were not sons of Madrid, Zinedine had spent much time there in his youth and of course the chosen one hailed from Madrid too. So the Holy San Iker manifested himself in his wondrous earthly form and appeared to the three wise men. At first the sight of the stranger alarmed the wise men but San Iker simply smiled beatifically and explaine to them "I am the Holy San Iker, I have come to guide you to my fair city's favourite son." The three men understood right away due to their extreme wisdom and the saint explained that they must leave immediately in order to escape the attentions of the guards. They did as he told them and sure enough they were able to leave the city safely while the guards slept. Although he did not normally leave Madrid, the Holy Saint accompanied the wise men in order to pay tribute to the great gift that was to be given to the world. And so the wise men and San Iker arrived in Barcelona where the star led them to a humble stable behind the "Olimpico Inn." And sure enough there they found the chosen one, the boy who was to give the gift of beautiful football to the world.........
Stay tuned for finale tomorrow!

A Footballing Nativity Part 8

So the three wise men took the long and difficult journey to Spain. As they passed through Madrid, they stopped to visit the King of Madrid for surely  he would know of the chosen one. King Jose Mourinho of Madrid welcomed his esteemed visitors as he was a proud man and he assumed they had come to admire him. "We have to come to find the chosen one." They said. King Mourinho was very pleased. "Well you have found the Special One." He said, this was a nickname he had given himself, after his triumphs on the football field. "With respect you cannot be the the chosen one we seek, your Majesty." Zinedine replied. "The star we followed has only just appeared. We seek a new chosen one." King Mourinho was furious.  "There is only one Special One! And that is me!" He was so angry that he ordered the visitors thrown out of his palace. However he then ordered his henchmen to follow the wise men and when they found the chosen one they were to arrest him and bring him to Mourinho's court. The wise men travelled on to Barcelona following their star, unaware of the danger that went with them....

A Footballing Nativity Part 7

Far away in the East, or more specifically Saint Petersburg, a wise man was looking through his window studying the stars. His name was Andrei Arshavin and he was one of the wisest men in all of Russia and many people asked him for advice on important matters. As he was looking through his telescope at the sky, he noticed something unusual. He saw the brightest star he'd ever seen. He checked his astronomy charts and could not find the star. It was a new star that had only just appeared. He wanted to share this exciting discovery so he called up his friends who were also extremely wise. The first to arrive was Zinedine Zidane who came from the East (of France.) He was widely renowned as one of the wisest men in the whole world as he was very well travelled and knew much of footballing matters. Then from the East (of London) their friend Emmanuel Eboue arrived. Emmanuel was also a wise man, he knew many useful things such as how to hit a bullseye with two darts and Gunnersaurus' phone number. Andrey showed his friends the star through his telescope, then he showed them the charts. It was clear, they could not disagree with the little Russian, it was a new star. Suddenly Zinedine remembered something he had seen written long ago, a prophesy he had seen when he had lived in Madrid many years ago. He looked through his books and found the prophesy. "From Madrid will come a chosen one. One special enough to bring the promised gift to the world. The world will know his presence when his star appears in the East." The Wise Men were astounded. They could not believe that the prophesy was coming true in their lifetime. As they celebrated, Emmanuel noticed something through the telescope. The star had begun to move. It was leading them to the chosen one! Andrei, Zinedine and Emmanuel decided that they must follow the star. And quickly. They packed up all the things they would need for their long journey with their maps and telescopes and soon they were on the road to Spain.....

A Footballing Nativity Part 6

So after Bastian and Lulu's generous assistance, Jose Maria and Josep finally arrived in Barcelona. Jose Maria was very tired after his long journey and Josep hoped that they could find somewhere to stay. They walked around Barcelona and tried to find a room for the night. They tried many inns but the city was very busy and they always got the same answer. "Sorry we're full." Jose Maria and Josep were distressed and almost on the point of giving up when they came to a small inn near the Nou Camp. They knocked on the door and a handsme Italian innkeeper answered. "Good evening. Do you have a room for the night? We have been on a long journey and my fiance is very tired." Josep told the innkeeper. "I'm sorry friend, I have a house full of Romans. I have no rooms left." The innkeeper replied. Jose Maria and Josep were very disappointed. But Francesco the innkeeper was a very kind man and took pity on the couple. "I think I can help you." He said. "Follow me." He lead Jose Maria and Josep outside and to the back of the inn. He showed them to a stable "Its not much, but its warm and you'll be safe in here." He said with a smile. Jose Maria thanked Francesco very much for he was incredibly grateful. Jose Maria and Josep settled down for the night as Francesco returned to his house full of Romans and somewhere far off in the East, somebody saw something unusual............

A Footballing Nativity Part 5

Jose Maria and Josep's journey to Barcelona was difficult, it was a long way from Madrid and very tiring. On a hilltop beside the road they were travelling lived a German shepherd and his flock of sheep. The shepherd's name was Bastain Schweinsteiger and he was a very happy shepherd. He cared very much for his flock of sheep especially his newest baby lamb which he took special care of. He had named his new lamb Lulu and Lulu followed him everywhere. As he rested his hilltop and watched his flock. He saw a flash of light and then before him stood the Angel Gabriel and his assistant Pavel. They told Bastian not to be afraid for they brought good news to him. They told him all about the very special travellers passing through  his hills and told him that he should go to help them on their way. Bastian was very worried about his flock of sheep but the angels told him that no harm would come to them. So Bastian set off down the road with Lulu to meet these special travellers. Sure enough, after a while he found the special boy the angels had described. He offered to guide the travellers through the countryside and they greatfully accepted.  When the time came for them to part, Bastian told the travellers that he had a gift for them that might help them with their quest. He gave them a football shirt. It was a german football shirt, or to be more exact the football shirt of die mannschaft. "This shirt represents focus and team spirit." He said. "And to play beautiful football you must be focussed and committed all the time." Jose Maria thanked Bastian for his gift and patted Lulu on the head. Bastian and Lulu watched from the hilltop as the travellers neared Barcelona and the next stage of their journey......

A Footballing Nativity Part 4

After his conversation with Jose Maria, Josep decided to sleep on it and see if he could think of a way to help. He was fast asleep when he heard a sweet, heavenly voice. "Josep. I have been sent by the Angel Gabriel to help you and your fiance in your special task." Then a beautiful boy appeared before him. A beautiful, serene angel with waves of golden hair. "Who are you?" Josep asked. "I am the angel Pavel. Sometimes they call me Saint Nedved. I have been sent by the Angel Gabriel to guide you." He replied."You must make a journey to your home city of Barcelona. There you will be able to present your gift to the world." The angel said. "But how?" Josep asked. "The key to beautiful football is movement." The angel said demonstrating by running slowly but epically. "Its all about movement." Then he disappeared leaving Josep sleeping peacefully. The next morning Josep could hardly believe what had happened but there next to his pillow was a lock of golden hair. "It must be true!" Thought Josep "An angel is guiding me to Barcelona." So he went to fetch Jose Maria and put him on his faithful steed Sergio and they set off on the long journey to Barcelona.........
to be continued...

A Footballing Nativity Part 3

The first person Jose Maria wanted to tell about his special visit was a person who was very special to him. He was betrothed to a man named Josep. Josep was very kind and very intelligent. He also looked very dapper in a suit. Everyone agreed that Jose Maria and Pep made a wonderful couple and their wedding would be sure to unite Barcelona and Madrid in celebration. Jose Maria was very confused about his special task and he felt sure that Josep would know what to do. So he went to him and said "Pep" For that was Josep's nickname. "Last night an angel visited me and told me that I must give the gift of beautiful football to the world." Josep was also confused so he said "Are you sure?" Jose Maria told him that he was very sure and that he needed help. And because he loved Jose Maria very much Josep agreed to help his beloved in his quest even though he was not sure how. But sure enough that night when he was sleeping Josep received a very special visitor of his own.....
stay tuned.........

A Footballing Nativity Part 2

One Night Jose Maria got a very special visitor. He was at home, sleeping when all of a sudden the room was bathed in golden light and he could hear a heavenly chorus singing. He was very afraid and sprung out of bed. Then he heard a soothing voice say "Don't be afraid my child. I bring wonderful news." Jose Maria looked up and there in his room was an angel. A very handsome and charismatic angel. He looked down at Jose Maria and said "I am the angel Gabriel. And you have been chosen to do a very special job. You must give a wonderful gift to the world. You will give the gift of beautiful football to the world!" Jose Maria was very surpised and asked the angel "But I'm just an ordinary boy. How will I do that?" The angel smiled "Do not worry my child I will send some special helpers for you."
To be continued.....

A Footballing Nativity!

Once upon a time there was a beautiful girl boy named Jose Maria. Jose Maria was no normal boy. He was very special. He had been chosen for a very special job. Also he was a fabulous blonde bombshell, who liked to click his fingers and say 'girlfriend' a lot. another thing Jose Maria liked was football. He was very good at football and no one was better at spotting a pass than Jose Maria. That is why God decided that it would be Jose Maria who would help him to give a very special gift to the world. So one night Jose Maria got a very special visit.....
To be Continued..............

Top of the league!

What a week! Arsenal have reached the exalted position of top of the league courtesy of a two one win over Fulham and Chelsea dropping points. Rejoice!
The goals in the Fulham were absolutely exquisite from the man of the moment Samir Nasri. He's on a one man goal trail and watching him is such a joy. There was a shaky defensive moment with a Laurent Koscielny sparked out cold but we perservered and the rewards were delivered. Oh to see my beloved team at the top. What a sight. I can't stop looking at the table.
Then we had the excitement of the Champion's League and the terrifying on the edge scenario we found ourselves in.It was touch and go over our qualification and at one point we found ourselves right on the edge as the Partizan equaliser went in. Then we kicked it up a gear. Two One. Then three. Joy unconfined throughout Sports Wall HQ. So there we have it we're sitting pretty on top of the world right now.
BUT there is the spectre of the draw for the next round looming with potentially Real Madrid or Barcelona lying in wait. But hey ho Bring it on, we'd have to beat someone good to win anyway. Positivethinking Gooners. And tonight its the big one. Manchester United. Here we go. Cross everything people.

Breaking News- World Cup Hosts

And the World Cup Hosts for 2018 are..... RUSSIA
It seems we have a decision people, brought to you here right on the announcement. Congratulations to Russia who will be bringing football to the people in a few  years time. Exciting stuff this afternoon. It taken a long time to announce it and Sky sports news were discussing about a million and one 'unconfirmed reports' but the decision is finally here.

Snow Day

The traditional english weather has given me pause for thought. And prompted me to finally write a post I've been meaning to do for a couple of weeks. Here in the lovely corner of North-East England that the Sports Wall calls home we're postively snowed under. The outside of HQ looks like a festive postcard or a freshly iced christmas cake. I happened to take a walk in it yesterday and it was like an arctic trek. Although I did find a field with no footprints in it and run around that for a while. Hee hee.
Moving on. What all this snow has prompted in my memory is that a couple of weekends ago I managed to catch a replay of the exhibition gala at the end of the figure skating events from the Vancouver Olympics on ESPN. Now I love figure skating and I'm not ashmed to say it. People say it isn't a sport but it totally is, these people are insanely fit. The gala was fantastic to watch and I'm glad that I stumbled across it again.

 First I saw Stephane Lambiel (this wonderful creature to the left.) I adore Stephane Lambiel. He's so wonderful to watch. He's like the Prince Charming of figure skating. He has such grace when he skates and such amazing fluidity. He did a gorgeous routine, wearing a gorgeous sweater I must add. Then I saw Maksim Shabalin and Oskana Domnina who did their matrix routine which was fantastic, they're so natural together and just make everything look so easy. Then it was Plushenko. Evgeni Plushenko, such a consummate showman and he's the arch diva of ice skating. He was on cracking form though and totally worked the crowd. I saw Kim YuNa and Mao Asada who very very good. and I interrupted my tea to watch Evan Lysacek (this badass below.) He was great, he's a very striking skater and he's apparently the masculine hope of ice skating (stop giggling at the back, I didn't make that up.) He is a very powerful ice skater and his routine (complete with Vera Wang tux) was thrilling. So here's some love for an overlooked and underrated sport.

Crazy days at the schoolhouse

Its been a crazy old week. The champions league result at Braga was just bewildering. Raging does not even cover how I was feeling. I was just deflated and it did take me a while to get over it. I went through my usual ranting of how unfair life is and how unacceptable the situation was. At the end of the day we shouldn't be losing games like that, it was getting beyond a joke. At the time i felt they needed to suck it up and pull themselves together, stop this mental block. Which to an extent they now have. Today we managed to win. It was a must win game and we did. It was very important that we did this to regain the momentum. BUT we're not completely sorted, there were worrying signs today. We were shaky and didn't close the game out properly when we should have. We did at about 85 minutes but we should have done it before then given how we played. I think the new mission statement is 'lets see how close to stress related heart problems we can push Ruth.'
But lets get away from the doom and gloom. A win will bring back the confidence and we were top of the league for a couple of hours. Samir Nasri played exceptionally well today. Andrei Arshavin scored a goal which will do him the world of good. And our favourite Czech Tomas Rosicky was captain (more evidence he should do it permanently.)
But Jack Wilshere was pants

A derby day to forget

A rather miserable weekend. It didn't start that way. Derby day arrived with all the customary excitement, hopes were high. Then things got better, a two goal lead before half time! What more could we ask for. But worrying signs began to creep in, Maroune Chamakh stopping suddenly in the box when clean through and bearing down on goal. Why! why i cried and why you may well ask. No one knows.
Then it all went downhill. Gareth Bale scored a goal. (it pains me to type that sentence.) A mere consolation I thought, its fine we'll go straight down the other end and score. But we didn't. Cesc Fabregas did the unthinkable and the inexplicable, gave away a needless penalty for no goddamned reason. Had some sort of brain episode and stuck his arm right out with a free kick coming right at him. Idiot.
Then the hammer blow. The dagger through  my heart. 3-2. 85th minute. Bastards.
What made it really hard to take apart from everything I've just mentioned is that we didn't play that badly in the second  half, we had way way more chances than they did. There was absolutely no way this was a deserved defeat. But as always we should be grateful for small mercies and God delivered us a small mercy. No sorry, a big mercy. Chelsea lost to Birmingham. HA. (sorry just had to do that.)
Also some more small mercies - Robin van Persie played, looked like he's getting there. And today I hear news that AARON RAMSEY played 45 minutes for the reserves! Joy to the world! Our boy wonder is back! We have a far better welsh wunderkid. Screw you Gareth Bale. Screw you to space.

Moto GP - Dispatches from the frat house

We're very pleased to bring you some very exclusive post-awards gossip from the end of season FIM party. Courtesy of our top secret mole within the Moto GP frat house *cough*Randy*cough.* It was hangovers a go go around the dorm after what we hear was a very fun evening.
We hear the last man standing was our favourite poker playing, furry Italian who woke up the rest of the house with a very predictable tumble down the stairs.
Rumours of a hard-core karaoke contest are unconfirmed but very persistent. Our French friend apparently has a penchant for 'Je t'aime.' A certain Texan is a very big Springsteen fan and most definitely 'born in the USA.' Our resident Italian sweetheart is very keen to 'get physical' on the dancefloor. A certain excitable former champion was keen to demonstrate that 'nobody does it better.' And a certain other recent champion has '99 problems' but a bitch ain't one. yo.
Someone *coughaustraliancough* got thrown in the pool for being a party pooper by the kentucky frat boy .
We have sketchy reports of two nameless people sneaking off into a corner like teenage sweethearts, the only details we got from our inebriated source being that one was very short and one was very tall.
From what we saw, the living room are was also trashed after a student-esque after party. And lots of people suddenly acquired sunglasses the next day.

A mysterious curse

Weird things have been happening. Three of the people we've mentioned individually in posts have had bad things happen to them.
We wished Dani Pedrosa a happy birthday and had a picture of him in a sling. Then two days later he broke his collarbone.
We wished Arsene Wenger a happy Birthday and paid tribute to his greatness, a tabloid exposed his secret affair.
We paid tribute to Pippo Inzaghi's amazing goal scoring record. Lo and behold he's injured his knee and is out for six months.
We're sorry boys. Truly we are. It wasn't intentional. We  love you all.
We're cleansing HQ as we speak

International Watch

I watched the France- England game the other night. Of course you did, you might say, you live in england. But i'll have you know i was more interested in seeing who was in the french squad. Its unusual for me to watch england matches especially as they seem to win when I watch them (i still shudder at the thought of that Croatia match.) But i will make an exception in the case of a good opponent. Hence the other night.
It was a good match really. France were very slick and have clearly made massive steps forward since the debacle in the summer. Samir Nasri was absolutley amazing all night and man of the hour Bacary Sagna also put in a cracking performance. England were by and large inactive. A bright spot was Andy Carroll who did work very hard and if ITV's commentary team are to be believed can also walk on water and heal the sick.
A side note- Maroune Chamakh scored for Morocco,  RvP played 45 mins for Holland and came through unscathed and new Sports Wall favourite Morten Gamst Pedersen scored one and set one up for Norway.

A victory that tastes like toffee

What a glorious weekend folks. We're totally and entirely not getting carried away but......
Once again we ground out a victory where in previous years (and months) we would have folded faced with that late late fightback. I really enjoyed the game on Sunday. It was open and exciting. Also I really like Everton. So this was a game I particularly relished. Another very impressive game from Fabianski (seriously does he have a twin or something?) with some very very athletic and strong saves. The defence played very well, with Johan Djorou in particular putting in a hell of a shift. Which brings me to Bacary Sagna. Oh Bacary. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways....your braids which would look wrong on anyone else, your wonderfully expressive eyes, your legs, your majestic runs down the flank, your touching sensitivity, your friendship with Gael Clichy, your tackling ability (no giggling at the back) and now your goal! I was so chuffed to see such an underrated player score such a peach of a goal. I have a real soft spot for Bac and I'm glad to see him do well. Top notch all round.
Side note - Its also nice to see Denilson has given up on the weird plaits he was sporting and gone back to the lovely curls. Good hair begins, good football follows. Ah so.

Moto GP - End of the season

That time of year has finally come around again. Dani and Vale are waving goodbye to this season and hello to some free time. The yawning, gaping emptiness of three months without Moto GP. Its enough to make me get all emotional. The final race of the season happened. Valentino got on the podium. He had a lovely moment with 'his girl' (the bike, not dani) at the end of the race where he stopped and sat down in front of her and sort of talked to her and stroked her faring (sounds very odd, looked lovely.) It was very very sweet and a nice bookend from when he did this at the end of his very first race with  her. Dani wrapped up second in the championship courtesy of finishing seventh (through the pain barrier.) Vale ended up right behind him in third (pun intended.) And that's the season wrapped up, its been a crazy old year. We've had thrills and spills, happiness and sadness and one hell of a race season. So let's all raise our glasses to a great 2010 and more where that came from for  next year! Interestingly if you want a tip of what to put in that glass and you speak Spanish look no further - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hq4_LwwmZn0
i like how...erm...flamboyant looking Dani and Vale's drinks are compared to Jorge's sort of beigey, unadorned glass. I'm not sure what that implies but it seems somehow appropriate.

Mixed Fortunes

So the fortunes of my beloved team have been a bit up and down of late. WE lost to Shakhtar which didn't feel too bad but of course led to the inevitable doom-mongering which did feel bad. Then we beat Newcastle spectacularly, then we lost to them. spectacularly. That one did hurt. I watched it and we were terrible. Really bad. We didn't deserve to win it so instead of the anger was just a weird empty sort of disappointment. Almost everyone was bad. There was no cohesion or urgency. There was one grain of comfort that Robin van Persie returned. But then Arsene snatched that away by saying afterwards that he wasn't really ready. But then...wait...what's that? Is that? Its a light at the end of the tunnel! Chelsea lost too? Check. Man United and Man City drew? Check Spurs too? Check. Best of all last night, we won. Hurrah. We're back on track (again.) I know this sentiment seems to be repeated a lot but that's the lot of an Arsenal fan. Mr Maroune has found his mojo. Groovy.
Side note 'Stop Crying your heart out' is playing on the radio while i'm writing this. Atmospheric or what?

Norwegian Banana Frolics

Here's something that warmed my heart and made me smile. Morten Gamst Pederson and John Arne Riise very gamely singing a super catchy song about fruit. In Norwegian. I defy you not to repeatedly watch this and get it stuck in your head.

Fillippo Inzaghi - A Tribute

He's a champion,  he's an athlete, he's an Italian, he's a man who looks damn good in pictures.
We're putting the spotlight on one of our longest-standing and most beloved harem members today. Filippo Inzaghi we salute you. Last night, he passed Gerd Muller's scoring tally in the Champion's League and he's also now AC Milan's all-time top scorer in the Champs League. That's why we're saluting him today. We're paying tribute to him because he's a true legend of the game. The most brilliant thing about his record breaking haul last night is that one of them was apparently offside! That sums up one of the reasons we love Pippo, He is thirty seven years old and has a twenty year career and he still flagrantly, blatantly and carelessly breaks the offside rule. And every time he does he's shocked that they pull him up for it. His reactions to this are priceless, he looks as if he takes every wave of the flag as a personal insult. Which brings me to another reason we love him, I have never such an eloquent, glorious expression of disgust as the one Pippo sports throughout football matches, truly its poetry in motion. I also love him because of the longevity of his career, I remember him as a fresh-faced youth at Juve, I remember how he got that scar on his lip (that's dedication) and i've grown up watching him play football. Football wouldn't be the same without him, he's a one-off, an original and we LOVE him. They don't call him SuperPippo for nothing.

Quote of the Week

Its that time again!
"Just crack them curtains and try to do work." Nicky Hayden on  what to do during rain breaks.
"We like to play with each other and like to win games, that is what we try to do. It brings the best out of all of us" Nicklas Bendtner - Arf Arf. No seriously he's talking about football.
"I am happy you're gone, psychic octopus, it's your fault we lost the World Cup" Diego Maradona is unlikely to be quoted in Paul's obituary.
"In the next race I will try to take Dani." We think Valentino meant to say 'overtake'. Or maybe not.
"Some people can't see a priest on a mountain of sugar." We have no idea what Rafael Benitez means

Intergalactic in Estoril

An exciting weekend by all accounts in Estoril. Firstly Dani Pedrosa came back properly which you can all guess meant ecstatic celebrations at Sports Wall HQ (And Valentino's house proabably.) The race itself was a total cracker. Jorge Lorenzo won in a spaceman suit but that's of little consequence. Valentino and Andrea rounded out the podium which was fabulous to see, and hear as it meant we got two awesome Italian accented interviews for the price of one. Speaking of Andrea Dovizioso, what a fighter he is. Quite simply one of the finest duels I've seen in ages. Full credit must also go to Marco Simoncelli for providing high octane, precarious frankly insane overtaking and riding. Lots and lots of amore for our Italian lovelies this weekend. Another shout out for Marco for the card skit he did in his garage during the rain break, brilliant. Dani also produced some heroics coming back from twelfth on the grid while still recovering from a broken collarbone (its in FOUR pieces) to get as high as fifth before finishing eighth. I cheered him over the line like he'd won.
Finally to complete the joy we heard this weekend that the lovely Toni Elias is to return to Moto GP class with LCR Honda. And quite right too. He's a true pro and a true gent. We look forward to his return.

One nil to the Arsenal!

Roll out the well-worn chant everybody. For once, this weekend it was "one nil to the Arsenal." Not that I'm complaining. It was a good one nil, as one nils go. More of my favourite word here again people, PROGRESS. Yes we're on that theme again. A one nil victory is important as another well documented problem of ours is not being able to close out edgy games. Well there's the proof in black and white we did it. And I must say I celebrated the one goal as if we'd won five nil. A victory is a victory no matter the margin. And now we remain on track in the league. Also Alex Song is developing into quite a player. He's already an absolute colossus in the defnesive positioning game and now he scores goals too. Now I remember why I call him 'superfly.' Its because he is superfly.
Awesome.

Carling Cup Adventures

More exciting adventures in the Carling Cup last night. No disrespect to our lovely opponents but we won at a canter last night and what a canter. A thouroughly brilliant display from the boys. Laurent Koscielny had a cracker of a game, Johan Djorou was absolutely supreme at the back, captain (!) Tomas was great, Wojciech Szczesny was really impressive in goal, Theo was so so energetic and Nicklas Bendtner scored an absolute wonder of a goal. Overall I am one very very happy gooner. I don't want to get carried away and jinx anything but it was one hell of a convincing performance. More of that please boys! Keep it up my lovelies.

The Harem explained

I feel like I should explain one of my regular little tags. We regularly have 'harem watch' here at the Sport's Wall so I'd like to clarify what my harem is. The harem is the name for the (vast) collection of boys that we like to keep tabs on for various reasons (mainly because they're pretty.) So we have boys from the worlds of football, moto gp, tennis and so on all collected together because we like them and like to know what they're doing. I like to imagine that they all live together for my convenience. SO I think we'll do a focus on some of the members of the coming weeks. Included in the harem are: the entire Arsenal squad, Diego Forlan, Tomas Ujfalusi, Lukas Podolski, Edinson Cavani, Fillippo Inzaghi, Guti, Steven Pienaar, Tim Cahill, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Marco Boriello, Simon Kjaer, Serdar Tasci, Sergio Romero, Jonas Guttierez, Pavel Nedved, Dani Guiza, Raul, Christoph Metzelder, Matty Flamini, Landon Donovan and that's only the footballers I can think of off the top of my head. Also from the world of tennis Rafa Nadal, Feliciano Lopez, David Ferrer, Gael Monfils, Fernando Gonzalez, Marat Safin, Marcos Baghdatis, Juan Carlos Ferrero. Moto Gp gives us Dani Pedrosa, Valentino Rossi, Andrea Dovizioso, Marco Melandri and  Toni Elias and Randy on his hondy. And some randoms Apollo Anton Ohno (Speed Skating) Evan Lysacek (Figure Skating). My my that's a list

Revenge is a dish best served with three goals.

What a weekend. The tide of optimism has definitley returned to Ruth's 's Sports Wall. The Man City match was important for more than just the score. It was important that we continued the resurgence after last week's win. Check. It was important to beat Man City after the fiascos against them last year. Check. And it was extremely important to beat one of the teams challenging for the places around us. Big Check.
Not only that there was further PROGRESS made during this match.
One- Lukasz freaking Fabianski. What a difference. Whatever he's been doing since Belgrade is working. And working big time. He should keep doing it. I don't want to jinx anything so i'm crossing my fingers and touching wood as I type this but I hope he keeps developing in the vein he has been.
Two- Samir Nasri. Boy is he on form. A stunning performance. Commanding, creative, threatening. Everything an Arsenal player should be.
Three- Nicklas Bendtner- Returns from injury and BANG a goal. I like the new Nicky. More Please.
Four- Alex Song. An absolute beast in midfield all day. Strong and fearlessbut most importantly did not get carried away after getting booked. Topped it off with a goal.
And finally the whole team. For all those complimentary points we didn't play particularly well which makes the score even better. We won without looking truly convincing and that people is truly PROGRESS

Ruth's Europa Cup Special

Now I know lots of people take a dim view of the Europa League, saying its just a consolation competition and doesn't mean anuthing or whatever but not me. I'll come out and say it. I like the Europa League. I like lots and lots of very different very random teams throughout Europe for various reasons so the Europa League is ideal for me. Last night for instance I got to watch two of my favourite uruguayan boys in a row. Not to mention Quique Sanchez Flores and The Master Criminal himself Tomas Ujfalusi. First I watched Liverpool v Napoli which although goalless was very entertaining, not least for the amount of Edinson Cavani hair flicking on show. I love Napoli, they manage to encapsulate both good old fashion Calcio values while at the same time being capable of producing fabulous fluid football moves out of nowhere. Then ITV gave me an unexpected gift showing Atletico Madrid straight after. I adopted Atleti last year and followed them the full way through the Europa league to victory and thoroughly enjoyed every game. They can be very very frustrating but like Napoli are able to produce a moment of brilliance in a split second from literally nowhere. I also caught a hugely entertaining Porto match in the highlights package, some fun with Sparta Praha and a goal fest in Bern of all places. So lets all give the Europa cup a chance, go on you know you want to.
If that isn't enough here is a list of just some of the beautiful boys from our watch list who are currently involved in the contest:
Sergio Romero (AZ Alkmaar) Diego Forlan  Sergio Aguero (both Atletico Madrid) Serdar Tasci (Stuttgart) Guti (Besiktas) Edinson Cavani (Napoli) Martin Caceres (Sevilla) Mauro Camoranesi (Stuttgart) Alessandro del Piero (Juventus) Radamel Falcao (Porto)

Moto Gp - Late updates

I feel i've been a bit remiss lately on the moto GP updates front. So here I am finally catching up. I think my lazy attitude is partly down to the fact that my beloved Dani Pedrosa broke his collarbone and missed the races at Sepang and Phillip Island. Upset wasn't the word. I was so far beyond upset it was actually unbelievable. Watching races without Dani there is a very strange experience for me, It just isn't the same. Don't get me wrong he isn't the sole reason I watch moto GP, I do like other riders. But he's such a big part of my enjoyment of the sport (ironically) that I can't help getting irritable when he isn't around. So the last couple of weekends Andrea Dovizioso became acting surrogate for my affections. I already love Dovi but I had to step it up in Dani's absence and I really enjoyed yelling him on for all I was worth because sometimes I feel I neglect him due to my overwhelming obsession with his teammate. Luckily Valentino also felt the need to step it up in Dani's absence (coincidence? I think not) and provided some thrilling moves and amazing amazing duels that kept me distracted. Phillip Island sucked as usual with Stoner winning by a mile, Dovi having mechanical issues and Vale having a terrible start. But hey ho lets all look forward to Estoril (in HD!) and hopefully the return of Dani and Vale's very special podium moments.

Joyeux Anniversaire

We have an extra special birthday to celebrate today here at Ruth's Sport's Wall. All the boys have had to work extra hard today. Because today is Arsene Wenger's  birthday. Oh yes. The King of the Emirates Stadium turns 61 today so many many happy returns to our favourite grumpy, french silver fox today! We hope he gets all that he wants for his birthday (which we suspect maybe a trophy and/or some wine) Also since its his birthday I'd like to express my full, unreserved admiration and respect for such a wonderful manager and also awesome person. You're my hero Arsene! Keep up the good work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuobtturnpQ&feature=player_embedded
(awesome video tribute)

Quote of the Week

Another set of crackers this week folks.
 "It is not God who tackles people, it is players" - Arsene Wenger. Confucius couldn't have put that one better.
"When I tackled him I didn't want to kill him" - Emmanuel Eboue really isn't that kind of guy.
"I've got nothing against foreign managers, they are very nice people. Apart from Arsene Wenger" - Tony Pulis gets bitchy.
 And an absolute gem from Rafa Benitez referring to....erm....who knows...
 "We have a saying in Spanish, which is: 'White liquid in a bottle has to be milk'"

Back on Track

Well Well. The cloud of doom and gloom over my little house has been lifted once again. The Arsenal rollercoaster rolls on as dizzying as ever. After a disheartening couple of games we're firmly back in the game this week. Not only did Arsenal complete a very important coming from behind victory against Birmingham, but Chelsea nad Man United dropped points by both drawing.
As I said we came from behind to win. This is very important as falling behind from being in a dominant position and being unable to recover has been a persistent fault of this Arsenal squad for some time. I'm not saying that this one game cures that completely but it goes some way to gifting some confidence and proving we can do it. Plus both losing and winning are habits. It was very important to break one habit and form a new one. By coming back fighting this week we prevent ourselves from falling too far behind. While I would like to emphasize the word early in that sentence I still feel its important to be right in the race even now.
Other positives from this weekend's game are the return of Nicklas Bendtner from injury. I know its only Bendtner but he can be a handy player sometimes and having one extra attacking option can only be a good thing. Also apparently Theo and Cesc are nearing returns for midweek. Rejoice gooners and roll on tomorrow night.

Australians and Penalties

I've been watching more of the Commonwealth games of the past couple of days and I've come to the conclusion that Australians are unbelievably good at sports. Really unbelievable. Like phenomenally good. I say this because I watched them totally cane everyone at swimming, produce mind-blowing performances at diving and then this morning totally kick hockey's ass.
An interesting fact about Australia: their hockey team is called the 'hockeyroos.' How awesome is that? Which brings me perfectly on to another thing about amazing Australian sporting stuff. During their gold medal penalty shootout this morning (which they won, duh) I heard the Australian hockey coach give possibly THE best advixce on how to take penalties I've ever heard. His pearl of wisdom was "Don't worry about feinting or dummying it, don't worry about the goalkeeper's movement just hit it at the target as hard as you can."
Now that is brilliant. Not only did it totally work for hockey, it works for football too. Or I assume any other sports with penalties. Its so simple but so genius. Just hit the target. When you really think about it, this is the method that stands the highest chance of success. If you over complicate your penalty by attempting to confuse or second guess the keeper your chances of missing are higher. But if you simply blast the ball at the target you have a much higher probability of scoring because at least its in the right are straightaway.
So the lesson I have learnt from the commonwealth games is in strategic terms always keep it single. Also that Australians are awesome.

Athletics

I've been watching the athletics in Delhi this week. I enjoy big athletics tournaments. And the commonwealth games is no different. I've managed to catch a few running events which have been good. The one thing I enjoyed most unexpectedly (or not if you know me) was the men's swimming relay. Just wow. Holy Cow were those australians good, a stunning performance, also kudos to south africa. I've also enjoyed the diving, which I find absolutley fascinating, the precision involved is mind blowing. I'm not normally very patriotic for dear old blighty but I did cheer a few times for the home nations this time. And it was very nice to see a healthy medal haul. I've also caught some throwing events, high jump and long jump and I'm hoping to catch pole vault tomorrow afternoon as its a sport i do enjoy.

Toothpaste Toni takes the prize

We'd like to extend our congratulations to this fabulous man right here. Toni Elias or 'Toothpaste Toni' as he's known in our house (because of his gorgeous smile of course) today won the (very first) Moto 2 world championship. We love Toni. Not simply because he's lovely, but because he's a fearless rider who works unbelieveably hard and also he's a great person. A very deserving winner who has ridden an absolutley blinding season.
Also congrats to some guy named Jorge who won something today.

International Harem Watch

Some of our favourite Boys have been in action during the international break. Our selected highlights:
The Czech Republic got a well-deserved and long awaited victory in the qualies. The assist for the only goal was provided by recent birthday boy and resident genius Tomas Rosicky.
Andrei Arshavin should be cheered up by his Russian side winning 3-2. Reports that the inspiration was a drawing of a beaver in a hat are unconfirmed.
Holland won one nil. Game 100% less foxy due to absence of Robin van Persie.
Uruguay won a friendly 7-1. Must be all that extra attention Edinson Cavani and Diego Forlan have been getting lately...

Quote of the Week

Its the return of quote of the week and my my has there been some crackers this week.
"He needs to see a mental doctor." The coach of Sparta Rotterdam referring to leg-breaker Nigel de Jong.
"With the exception of one time, when Barton tried to hack me down, players are not 'evil'" Samir Nasri weighing in on the 'dirty tackling' debate.
"His moves were legal but on the limit, from my point of view. We have seen the way he likes to fight, it happened before with Gibernau, then with Stoner, and now with me. Maybe in the future his rivals will get a little bit mad and we will act like he usually does" Jorge Lorenzo takes issue with Valentino Rossi sticking it to him in Motegi.
"Hahahahahahahahahahaha." Valentino Rossi's unconfirmed response to Jorge.

Birthday Greetings!

Another one of our favourite boys has a birthday to celebrate! So  Všechno nejlepší k narozeninám to our lovely little dumpling! Tomas turns 30 today which is a little weird for me as I remember first watching him in an international match as an adorable nineteen year old when I was (eek) ten. He's been one of my favourite players ever since. The harem are planning a surprise party as we speak, but I think we can already guess who Tomas' favourite birthday gift is.....

Hindsight

I've calmed down now.
I can now look at things in a rational, sane way. With the benefit of a little distance things aren't as heart-crushingly bad as they first appeared yesterday. There are positives to be had. Yes you heard that right. Progress has indeed been made, a small amount but progress nonetheless. Let's get the obvious one out of the way, we desrved to win and it was not for lack of trying that we didn't. We dominated the game much better than the last time, we limited their attacks and actually defended decently for large portions. Progress people. Also Lukasz Fabianski. Is he even the same guy as a few weeks ago? Apparently that penalty did him good. He looked much stronger and more convincing, made some very good saves, didn't do anything silly, wasn't at fault for the goals and once again yelled at people in his box. A vast improvement. Promising. Andrey Arshavin looked much better yesterday. Banging in shots like no ones business and wreaking merry hell without Ivanovic. Marouane Chamakh made a nuisance of himself in the box. Tomas Rosicky looked brilliant when he came on, lovely to see him back to player I've always known he is.
So there it is, a spark of hope.

*insert string of profanities here*

Gutted doesn't even come close to describing the feeling i have right now. I'm so disappointed its unbelievable. I've had it with this shit seriously. The same thing year after year. Its just not fair and its beyond a joke now. What really sticks in my throat is to dominate a game like that and lose to a team that basically does nothing for 90 minutes. I know there's positives to be found somewhere but to be honest right now I'm finding it very hard to concentrate on doing that.
THAT display from Chelsea is not what football is about for me, and that's what makes it hurt all the more. The refereeing was an absolute joke, the ref might as well have just worn a blue shirt and be done with it. It's all just salt in the wound.
I just feel so despondent, a massive heavy feeling in my chest and I could cry I really could. They didn't deserve the win and we didn't deserve this agony. again.

Get Well Soon Dani

Oh Dear. Weirdly a day after I posted a picture of him in a cast Dani Pedrosa has broken his collarbone. Its so heartbreaking, just as he was hitting a run of form. I'm sending lots of mental hugs and love Dani's way and I hope he gets better soon. We've got all the available harem members on cheering up duty buying grapes and promising back rubs (that means YOU Vale.)

feliz cumpleaños Dani

A special post for a special boy.

Its Dani Pedrosa's 25th Birthday today so Ruth's Sport's Wall warmly wishes our favourite Spanish speedster many happy returns. Here's hoping the rest of the harem throw him one hell of a party...not to mention all the gifts he deserves....

Party in Belgrade

Imagine a massive wave of relief crashing into a pure golden shore of happiness......
Congratulations you just recreated my feelings last night at the wonderful three one victory over Partizan in Belgrade last night. What a fantastic way to shake off any lingering hangover from (whisper it) west brom. Lukasz Fabianski unexpectedly was the man of the hour last night. Yes you read that right. He saved a penalty and produced a stunning save at the end of the game. I could not be more pleased for him and for all the boys. This could well be the shot of confidence that he so badly needs. It was so heartwarming to see him looking so happy after both saves and at the end of the game, an especially nice touch was the congratulatory hugging and patting form the other boys which can only have added to the atmosphere of joy. Oh to have been there in the middle of it all...but I digress. Another encouraging sight was Lukasz gaining the confidence to actually yell at people in his box, VERY very good sign.
All in all an excellent night for the gooners in Serbia. Perhaps Tomas Rosicky should be captain more often....just a thought......

Champion's League Tuesday

Happy Champion's League tuesday to one and all. Tonight Arsenal take on Partizan Belgrade, in Belgrade. Good news is that Manuel Almunia isn't playing after the shocker he had on Saturday but bad news is that Lukasz Fabianski is playing instead. Hmmmm. I might start a one woman campaign to install Vito Mannone in goal, right now.
Despite our ongoing goalkeeping crisis I'm feeling quite positive about the match tonight. A good result could be just what the boys need to boost their confidence and get them back on track. Also our earlier good performance against Braga means the pressure is off a little which is precisely the incentive they all need.
Also I hear our harem's very own little dumpling Tomas Rosicky may be captain tonight. In my eyes this is always a smart move. He's been captain of his national team, has bags of experience and is above all total quality.
So Puno sreće to all the boys tonight! (That's good luck in Serbian!)

Soaring highs and crashing lows

Once again this week provided the epitome of the Arsenal supporting rollercoaster. A fantastic high on wednesday with drawing Tottenham in the Carling Cup galvanising le Prof into picking a stronger team than usual. It paid off and we won by the glorious scoreline of 4-1. Unfortunately I didn't get to see much of the game (grrr sky sports) but the goals looked good. I was ecstatic at this result any win against Tottenham is good news and while I'm normally less than enthuiastic about the Carling Cup, I'm willing to alter my attitude if it represents a serious chance at silverware.
And from that to the crushing low of defeat. I happened to turn over for ten minutes at half time and when I switched back we were two nil down and it felt like a slap in the face. When the third goal went in I actuallly screamed "noooooo" it felt very very painful. I honestly started to believe in the idea of the glorious fightback when we pulled one back. The second goal really stoked the fires and I was yelling at the tv for all i was worth and praying for a way. Unfortunatley it was not to be. I'm not sure if getting so close makes it harder to take.

Moto GP Contract News

Exciting news this week. Colin Edwars has signed an extension with Tech 3 Yamaha meaning he stays for an extra season. While he hasn't had a great a season as last year, I'm still pretty chuffed about this news. He's a funny guy with a big personality that lights up the paddock and track and he brings a lot of fun to the sport. And the big news of the week is that Dani Pedrosa has signed a two year deal to keep him at Repsol Honda! Woo! Cue celebration music. He fits the team very well and I'm delighted that he's staying in the right place. Also I'm extremely happy that its a two year deal meaning less of the usual silly speculation in spring about moving teams.

Arsenal Diary - mixed feelings

Well this week perfectly encapulates the the rollercoaster of emotions that comprises being an Arsenal fan. Firstly we had the opening game of the Champion's League campaign and a glorious six nil win against Braga. It was a wonderful game. Everything I love about Arsenal was on show the football was flowing and slick, the passing was quick and accurate, the attacking moves were sweeping and incisive. Not to mention the goals, which were fabulous. I was carried away on the crest of the euphoric wave of the 'beautiful game' as it truly should be played.
And then it came to an abrupt end. Yesterday's match against Sunderland was a different prospect all together. It was a scrappy game really. For the first fifteen minutes I wondered whether we'd bothered turning up. Even after we scored (a candidate for goal of the season even at this early stage, seriously look it up) we still weren't performing as we could and should have been. After half time we did improve and looked much more solid and cohesive, the crucial moment however was Tomas Rosicky's penalty miss. My heart broke for him as soon as it flew over the bar, I've never felt anything quite as strong during a football match. I actually got stabbing pain as my heart sunk in my chest. I genuinely felt terrible for him. Then when I thought I couldn't take any more the equaliser flew in. At first I was raging mad, I was yelling and shaking, throwing a cushion around. The usual angry rants about injustice and selfishness and why god why came out. Then I calmed down to just despondency, I sulked. I was so upset and despairing. Now I've levelled into grudging acceptance and the thought that maybe its not actually the end of the world and could just be a blip. Let's all hope so.

Harem Watch - internationals

So many active harem members so little time. More of my favourite boys were in action last night as once again Football internationals took place (Euro 2012 qualies and friendlies.)
Germany beat Azerbaijan 5-1 with a goal from harem head boy Lukas "Lulu" Podolski, 90 minutes of loveliness from fellow harem boy Bastian Schweinsteiger and a goal from one to watch Holger Badstuber (send that boy a harem application form pronto.)
Italy won 4-0. That is all.
Holland won 2-1. Noteworthy for two goals form KJ Huntelaar. But hardly boytastic as harem hottie in chief Robin van Persie in injured.
Speaking of boytastic Argentina and Spain faced each other in friendly action (oh yes.) No score report as I have it on tape. I'm sure it will live up to my expectations.
Croatia drew nil nil with Greece. Sigh.
And poor old Czech Rep lost to Lithuania. Consolation hugs to founding harem members Tomas Rosicky and Tomas Ujfalusi

Harem Watch- US Open Tennis

Time to check in with all the tennis boys setting hearts aflutter here at sports wall towers. As we speak I'm watching THE big match, the clash of my titans Rafael Nadal vs Feliciano Lopez. A hugely anticipated match in my household as Rafael Nadal has been my favourite tennis player for years now and the object of my crazy attentions throughout various tennis seasons. Feliciano 'Flic' Lopez is the most frequent and vigorous (ahem) challenger to Rafa's domination of my affections since I discovered him about five years ago at world number 90 and on hugely entertaining form. Now he's at about 23 in the world, much to my unbounded joy and I do as much as I can to convert anyone who'll listen (seriously there's a little pocket of people in North East England who are ridiculously well informed about Flic.)
Other news from Flushing Meadows: Gael "Baby G" Monfils beat Richard Gasquet (a former harem member) and now plays Novak Djokovic.
David Ferrer (rawrrrr) unfortunately lost to underwear model Fernando Verdasco, remained sexily angrily and dignified while doing so.
Tommy Robredo was unfortunately beaten by Mikhail Youzhny yesterday, adding him to the list of Harem members I have seen criminally little of during this tournament. Others include Juan Carlos "JC" Ferrero- out in round three and Marcos Baghdatis and Fernando "Gonzo" Gonzalez in round one. Also honorary harem members Kei Nishikori, Lleyton Hewitt, David Nalbandian, Ernests Gulbis and Jeremy Chardy also exited fairly early.

RIP Shoya Tomizawa

In amidst of all this light heartedness something happened at the weekend that puts it all into perspective. Shoya Tomizawa, a 19 year old Japanese Moto 2 rider passed away after a horrendous crash at Misano. A truly tragic loss and all prayers are with Shoya and everyone connected to him.

Harem watch- Arsenal boys on tour.

An update on what all our lovely boys are doing on international duty.
Emmanuel Eboue scored in a 3-0 win for Ivory Coast.
Thomas Vermaelen was captain of Belgium. Looked hardcore whilst doing so.
Bacary and Gael both played for France. Unfortunately could not prevent failure with coolness.
Andrei Arshavin set up a goal for Russia. Possibly whilst thinking about beavers in hats.
Vito kept a clean sheet for Italian under twenty ones.
Tomas Rosicky has been called up. Ecstatic reunion with other Tomas awaits.

Arsenal diary - off week. Altered states- view from the dorm

A quiet week on the gooners front, international football means no premier league last week (boo!) The transfer window closed last week and once again no goalkeeper arrived. I'm normally very patient about these things and subscribe to the 'Arsene knows' wisdom but this time I am a little worried I really really think we needed a new goalkeeper, although personally I also believe he should be playing Vito Mannone way more. I hope I'm proved wrong but I don't think Manuel is good enough and I don't think Lukasz is anywhere near ready.
I read last week about the World Cup committee people visiting all the grounds for england's 2018 bid and it got me wondering about the presentation they would receive at the Emirates. I like to imagine that Arsene got all the boys to draw a picture of how the World Cup coming to England would make them feel. A little something like this:
Arsene: Ok boys, all these pictures look lovely. Gael what have you drawn?
Gael C: Its me and my best friend Bacary Sagna winning the world cup for France at the Emirates!
Arsene: That's very nice Gael, what a lovely idea. What have you drawn Tomas?
Tomas R: This is my best friend Tomas Ujfalusi holding the world cup while I play guitar.
Arsene: Ok. A little off topic but nice. Is that an England flag Theo?
Theo: Yeah, its the emirates stadium covered in england flags with me scoring loads of goals.
Arsene: Very nice Theo. I'm sure our guests will like that.
Samir: I drew a picture of all my friends from the team watching the world cup together in the stadium.
Arsene: That's very sweet Samir. Now Andrei what is this that you've drawn?
Andrei: Its a beaver in a hat.
Arsene: I don't think that's really what we meant...
Andrei: Its a good hat.
Arsene: Yes very nice but that doesn't really show anything about the world cup.
Andrei: The beaver is happy because Russia got the world cup
Asrsene: (sighs)

Moto GP - Destiny Fulfilled

Indianapolis baby. Amazing and fully deserved win for Dani Pedrosa. I'm totally over the moon. But once again I'm robbed of my favourite sight of Dani and Valentino on the podium together and their burgeoning bromance (or romance?!)
This marks the first glimpse into the twilight world of my imagination and how I imagine behind the scenes of Moto GP really looks. To immerse ourselves lets all imagine a big house, like a college house in American high school movies. In this house all the boys live together, reality be damned. Colin Edwards as he exquisitely showcased in 'a day at the office' (if you haven't seen in youtube it now) is the enforcer of the house. The one who keeps all the others in line, an impromptu security guard. Loris Capirossi is the wise man of the house. I imagine him like a younger Italian version of Mr Miyagi, sitting in a corner dispensing wise advise to anyone who'll listen. Nicky Hayden is the party boy of the house, a one man frat house who says 'dude' a lot, think every american teen movie ever. Randy is the typical smooth frenchman with his bunnygirl 'laydeez' and his camera face ready at all times. In a similar vein Marco Melandri is the Italian stallion, a playboy with an endless supply of pickup lines. Andrea is clearly the very sweet, wide eyed innocent fanboy with boundless optimism and that disarming smile of his. I have a very complete picture of Casey as the party pooper constantly blaming everyone else for everything and having his wife follow him with an umbrella everywhere. Marco Simoncelli is clearly the goofy manchild who is always falling over and breaking things. I imagine Jorge is always 'in the zone' walking around in shades, glaring at people in that way he has. Valentino is just valentino; loud, wacky, always smiling, doing things at all hours, unpredictable vale. And little Dani is a complex one, very serious but clearly capable of cracking a smile and very very neat, i bet he lines things up in the fridge. Look out for further posts from the frat house.

Arsenal v Blackburn. Progress

A very important result this weekend. Its not just three points, it represents a significant step forward in our league ambitions. We have now suceeded in closing out a difficult, physical game where we failed last year. If we want to win the title we can't afford to slip up in games like this so while its still early this was a significant win. I left the house with a spring in my step and cheered just a little in the street.
Also Champion's League draw was this week and Arsenal drew Shakhtar Donetsk, Braga and Partizan Belgrade. Its a decent draw really, we have a good record against Portuguese teams and Partizan don't have great deal of Champion's league experience so despite the distance for a couple of away matches I'm hoping this should be a decent group for us.

Arsenal Preview - Blackburn Rugby Edition

The weekend is almost upon us once more and tomorrow my beloved team are the early kick-off against Blackburn. We lost to Blackburn at the end of last season to some ridiculous goals after some ridiculously over the top physical play. I'm predicting that we're in for more of the same this time as far as the physicality of the game and defensive tactics go. I'm hoping and feeling quietly optimistic that we can reverse the result and come away with a win.

Sports Quote of the Week

This week three for the price of one.
"You should not have it, you have everything." - Andrei Arshavin (referring to England's World Cup bid)
"I looked at my watch after the sending-off, they were 2-0 up and there was all that time left, and I thought, 'Holy mackerel'. Luckily for me, it was only six." - Ian Holloway (referring to the Arsenal game.)
"I nearly forgot it, I can't believe that. One of the ball-boys had it. Everyone has signed it and I don't think there are any swear words on it." - Theo Walcott (referring to the match ball from the Blackpool game)

Transfer News!

Another Arsenal update to report. Over the last few days we have reinforced our backline by signing Sebastien Squillaci from Sevilla (that's this cutie above). I'll admit I don't know too much about him but I believe he went to the world cup with the France squad and I know that Sevilla have been pretty decent over the past few seasons. Plus another centre half can only be a good thing given that with recent departures we only had three of them left. So bonne chance to our new frenchie and welcome to london.

Arsenal v Blackpool - sixy football, hit for six, etc

I know my review is a little late but here it goes anyway. Entry three in the Arsenal season log. I didn't get to see the entire match but I did catch the highlights later on Match of the Day and to be honest I could not have been prouder of all the boys. I know Blackpool are one of the teams many people are predicting for relegation and thus shouldn't provide too much of a test but slipping up here would have been all too easy and was a mistake we made many times in previous seasons. So to us perform that well was very very encouraging. That performance truly was the Arsenal I know and love; proper fluid passing, attacking football and gorgeous to watch. Another thing that was great to see was Tomas Rosicky back to his best. He pulled all the strings in midfield and his passing and vision were impeccable. So my early season optimism is well and truly back in place.

Sporting Quote of the week

The inaugural quote of the week comes courtesy of Soccer Saturday's Jeff Stelling (the first of many I sense) with this cracker:
"Ian Holloway once said every dog has its day, well today I want to say WOOF!" (in relation to Blackpool's first Premier league win)

Moto GP - The most beautiful love story

In tribute to the fabulous, passionate, crazy genius that is Valentino Rossi here is his version of the most his most beautiful love story (no not the one with Dani)
"Many things have changed since that far-off time in 2004, but especially ‘she', my M1, has changed. At that time she was a poor middle-grid position MotoGP bike, derided by most of the riders and the MotoGP workers. Now, after having helped her to grow and improve, you can see her smiling in her garage, courted and admired, treated as the ‘top of the class'.” Unfortunately even the most beautiful love stories finish, but they leave a lot of wonderful memories, like when my M1 and I kissed for the first time on the grass at Welkom, when she looked straight in my eyes and told me ‘I love you!'"

(picture via motogp.com)

Moto GP - Czech it out.

Well it surely was an interesting weekend in Brno. First there was the insane practice session/qualifying that included crashes for (deep breath) Marco SImoncelli, Randy de Puniet, Nicky Hayden, Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Hector Barbera. Then there was Dani Pedrosa'a stunning last minute pole that took a third of a second out of Ben Spies (!) Then there was the race itself. I'll make it clear now I'm a Dani fan. That's where this post is heading. He scares the hell out of me when he races so I spent a large portion of the race hugging a cushion. I would have loved to see him win but having seen him crash last race I was delighted to see him back on the podium. I nearly had a stress related episode when Andrea Dovizioso crashed into the middle of the track and our entire house gasped when he nearly got ran over twice. I'm developping a real soft spot for Dovi I must say, something about his boundless innocence and optimism just makes me smile. One of the highlights of the race weekend for me though was JOrge Lorenzo charging past a bemused Casey Stoner in the middle of his post race interview hollering "aahhhhhhhh" at the top of his lungs. Comedy gold.
Also this weekend came THE big news regarding next season with Valentino finally announcing his move to Ducati. I'll admit I had my reservations and was extremely childish at first in refusing to read the press release. But I'm glad I gave in. The way he talked about his motorbike as 'his girl' and told their 'love story' was one of the most beautiful and weirdly moving things I've evr read. It reminded me of exactly why we all love The Doctor.

Match Reaction.

*deep breath* Well that was quite something. I've now composed myself enough to type. Immediately after the match my heart was pounding and I was actually physically shaking. My opening day joy bubble was definitely punctured during that match but I think its just about still intact. I spent most of the match jumping up and down like a fool and I can't count the amount of times i yelled "What the HELL!!!" I came extremely close to uttering a string of very unladylike words on a number of occasions and a lot of time looking heavenwards in an entreating manner. I must admit that come eighty minutes by faith was starting to waver but when the goal went in the feeling of relief was indescribable. The joy came flooding right back and now the whole season is on track again. Miraculous!
Back to reality, I feel that we should have won that match but all in all a point away from home in a game that difficult is still a very good result. I think without doubt Tomas Rosicky was the best Arsenal player out there today, the side looked much better when he came on and he was very creative and looked threatening. Samir Nasri had a good game. The defence actually looked quite good but the goalkeeping was undeniably shaky HOWEVER Almunia can not take all the blame for that goal the placement of the shot was excellent. I feel postive about our chances as Koscielny and Vermaelen look a good pairing, Bac and Gael were as good as ever, RvP looked promising when he came on and we should have Song back before long (fingers crossed.)

Opening Day!!!!

August 15. Entry one in the Arsenal Season Diary.
Well here I am on the opening day of our season preparing to start my season long diary of the trials and tribulations of following my beloved team. I have the wonderful bouyant feeling of opening day hope, that little bubble of optimism that only exists on this day, the feeling that this season anything can happen, everything could click, everything could finally.....well i'm sure you all know what I mean. I love the unique glow that opening day has there's nothing in the world like it. To be honest I'm feeling a little apprehensive but I think that's largely due to having Liverpool as our first opponents. Also since this is an ARsenal diary I'll say the 'i' word for the first (and definitely not last time) this season: injuries. I'm a little concerned at missing quite a lot of players (Song, Djourou, etc) but I hear through the internet grapevine that we have fewer missing today than on our opening day last year. SO what the hell I'm going to throw caution to the wind and give in to pre-season joy. Good luck boys, I know you can do it!
ps: moto gp update later