Review of the Season

Now I've managed to get over the stress of the final day of the season I'm finally ready to look back over the season. The start was an absolute nightmare, actually nightmare is an understatement for what happend against Manchester United but somehow from the jaws of utter ignominy we managed to snatch some kind of victory. This season kind of summed up what it is to be an Arsenal fan in a small microcosm.

Manning up in Le mans

I've been a little remiss in my lack of Moto GP posts this season. But the race at Le Mans this weekend was a cracker. It was in fact 'stonking' (thank you Charlie Cox.) Dani's day seemed to sort of ebb and flow as he started out in pole but then he seemed to get in difficulty and found himself back in six and at this point it would have been very easy to assume he was being over-cautious in the ridiculous conditions. BUT then first Cal Crutchlow and then Andrea Dovizioso fell victim to the slippery track and slid off while cornering. So Dani's very sensible little ways earned him a more than respectable fourth placed finish instead of the 'nightmare in a bubblecar' that the Tech 3 boys endured. Then there was Valentino. Now, you don't get to be a nine time world champion for nothing and there's no substitute for experience. During the past few months rumors of Valentino's fall were greatly exaggerated. But this weekend he showed us all what he was made of. He totally manned up this weekend and owned that circuit. He put in a vintage Valentino performance riding the wheels off his Duke to come home a fantastic second. The neighbours must once again have wondered what on earth was going on at HQ as the celebration level was pretty high given how long we've been waiting to celebrate for Val again. But the fun wasn't just restricted to on the race track. First up we had the lovely Matt Roberts from the BBC shoving right into Michael Schumacher in the middle of his live grid chat thing much to the frustration of Schumi's furiously gesticulating press lady. Then there was Michele Pirro very calmly nearly giving the BBC a heart attack by proclaiming something (the weather or his weekend I think, I missed exactly what he said) 'shit' live on air. At lunchtime. I don't think he even realised that he wasn't supposed to. So all in all a pretty good weekend in France.
PS: There's a pretty cool interview with Valentino up on Moto GP.com http://www.motogp.com/en/videos/2012/Monster+Energy+Presents+Ask+Valentino+1      check it out, he's pretty charming, as usual. Though I don't believe for a second he's a fan of Angelina Jolie

Special Send offs at the San Siro

It wasn't just Arsenal having emotional goodbyes for club legends this week. This week AC Milan said goodbye to a trio of club legends. And one superhero. First up Alessandro Nesta is hanging up his boots, the guy has put in a phenomenal amount of effort and energy over the years and his commitment to the club has been extraordinary. Then we have Gennaro Gattuso and Gianluca Zambrotta. Two phenomenal servants to the club and football in general. I love Gianluca because he is just so classy and an absolute consummate professional and I love Gennaro because he's a maverick and bursting with passion. I'll miss them both because of the wonderful contributions they've made to all the great Milan moments and because of the great character they bring to the side. Then we have the big one. The superhero. More than a forward, more than a player. What can I possibly say about a man so vital and inextricably connected to my love of football, what can I say that I haven't said before, what can I say that's enough. I'll leave it to the man himself. "The first and foremost thing that I want you all to know is I played and won for "us"...Of course the reality went beyond our wildest dreams...Destiny gave us more than we had dared hope.Ciao to my wonderful fans who followed me the world over with affection and passion. Ciao to my team mates from today and yesterday.My dear Milan, I’m leaving you only because that the way life goes. The moment has come and you know it as well." When I read his open letter, I filled up. It's so beautiful, as beautiful the football he's provided us with all these years. Apparently his brother says he wants to play on, so hopefully, Pippo still has a little more magic left for us.
Here's the rest of the letter here - http://www.acmilan.com/en/news/show/141274

source

The End of an Era

The word legend is thrown around a lot these days but there are some people who not only deserve it but pretty much embody it. I'm talking of course about the one, the only Pat Rice. Just to put his legendary status into contex here; he's spent 48 years at Arsenal. As a player, youth coach, caretaker manager and assistant manager. And on Sunday he's retiring. It's not going to be the same without him, he's a presence that will genuinely be missed. For a start, he's a consummate professional and unbelievably hard-working, he's out there every game every week kicking ass at pre-match warm ups. He's unbelievably enthusiastic on the touchline always pointing and directing and he's yelling directions near constantly for ninety minutes. Frankly the term assistant doesn't do him justice, him and Arsene they're a team. He's the Dr Watson to Arsene's Sherlock Holmes, the Tonto to his Lone Ranger, the Robin to his Batman, I could go on (and believe me I did, and feel free to join in the comments or tweet me.) And also he's just cool. He rocks his shades like a boss every week. And despite seeming to be a super nice guy, he also seems to be somehow quietly badass. And I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm pretty much his biggest fan. So on Sunday I hope all you gooners out there (and fans of football) join me in saluting Pat Rice for all of his dedication, commitment and sheer love of the game. So raise a glass or put on some shorts (regardless of the weather just like Pat) or something and yell "Thank you Pat!" at your TV.
"Thank you Pat! Sports Wall loves you!"