Arsenal news- New signing

Fantastic news coming out of the Emirates. We have a new signing of world-class pedigree. He's only young but he has masses of potential and is definitely one for the future. What's even better is he's an all-rounder who's flexible position wise. Step right this way to check him out.....

Sporting Thoughts- Comebacks, issues and track cycling

Well last weekend was a funny old couple of days. There was a dramatic Arsenal game and the first Moto GP race of the season. This weekend, not so much. Its an international  break and there's track cycling on eurosport. So let's start at the start and look at last weekend.

The evidence mounts

"Pedrosa called me a few times when I was still in recovery, to see how I was doing and to tell me to stay positive," GPOne.com reports Rossi as saying.
The bromance lives! The evidence just keeps building. I think google plants this stuff in my way. Anyway I just found this and I thought it would make a sweet little pre-race thing.

The BIG Moto GP season Preview

Aaaaaaaaaaaah I'm super excited! Are you? But Ruth, about what? I hear you cry. About the brand new season of Moto GP of course. It all kicks off in Qatar this weekend, after three very long months away and a very exciting pre-season of testing. So let us glance into the Sports Wall crystal ball to see what we can expect from this season....

Everyone's Irish on the 17th

Today is St Patrick's Day. As it says in the Guiness factory in Dublin, "everyone's Irish on March 17th." But today is also a cool birthday day. Today three people who are very cool share a birthday. First is a football player I have a serious inexplicable obsession with. I just love the guy. Happy Birthday Steven Pienaar. Second is an all round footballing legend. An absolute hero of a man. Happy Birthday Pat Rice.
And finally an even more special birthday. HQ has been filled with cards for this person. Today is my mum's birthday. So lots of birthday love to Sports Wall's own superheroine.
Three extra reasons to celebrate today. Enjoy St Patrick's day sensibly everyone.

Three Down

Well there goes another one. First the Carling Cup, then the Champion's League, Now the FA Cup. Now this isn't a bitter whiny, post (again). This is finding posititves in our predicament. So let's march on.......

Mes Que un disgrace

Did you all see it? More importantly did you hear the whistle? If you answered no, you have working ears and mental faculties, if you answered yes then congratulations you have superhuman hearing.
I'm talking about the Arsenal vs Barcelona game of course, but where do I even start?

International Women's Day

Today is International Women's Day! Happy Women's day everyone. Since this blog is pretty boy-centric usually and since of course it is run by a woman, I decided that today on Sports Wall we're going to pay tribute to some of the fantastic ladies making sports great.

The rivalry continues (x2)

Well, well, well. What a difference a week makes huh? Suddenly it all doesn't look so bad.

Perspective

Here it is. I'm finally ready to look back on the Carling Cup. Now we all know how upset I was so lets not dwell on that side of things. But I will share with you my remedy for cup final heartache. Two things. Number one: find somewhere to vent and let it all out. I went into my garden to swear but you screaming and crying are also good, just suit yourslef. Then Number two; ice cream. Lots of it. Prefereably straight from the tub.
Now onto the perspective. Firstly, yes we all know it was a final and a trophy and so on BUT the Carling Cup is the erm...lowest profile out of the competitions we had a shot at. Don't get me wrong I would have loved them to have won it and I'm not belittling the competition. Also lets all take a reality check here, the season isn't over we still have quite away to go, to let one game shape the rest of our season would be foolish in the extreme. They're all professionals they absolutely must get this in perspective and instead of letting it get them down they have to use it to their advantage and let it fire them up. Let this disappointment fuel our other aspirations. Defeat makes the eventual victory taste sweeter so don't let them forget that. 
As cruel as losing the final in that manner was, there are positives to be had there. For a start the fact that we were actually in a final after several seasons of near misses. Also we weren't comprehensively out played or badly beaten. We lost it on one stupid error. Its a problem but one that can be worked on. Another problem that needs to be worked on is the attitude problem that some of our players *cough*fabregas*cough* seem to have. The problem I'm referring to is that in the build up to the final it occasionally seemed that it was being treated as our only chance to win a trophy. What springs to mind was the whole "fabregas has waited so long to captain a final and now he can't" debate. GET OVER YOURSELVES. There are going to be other finals. I believe that wholeheartedly and it goes without saying that they should too.
To finish up I would like to add thatt I have a huge amount of respect for Arsene Wenger's response after the gaame. He said that he didn't blame any player for the defeat. Ass soon as he said it my dad said "its a good job it isn't you because you would have." Followed by, "You probably would have smacked them daft." Thanks Dad.

Sporting Thoughts

Just a collection of some stuff that's occurred to me over the past few days. Note- this isn't about the carling cup final that will come later, I still need some time for perspective on that. Well its not about the game itself. Something that occurred during the game and in relation to it yes.