Love is.....

Valentine's day is here again and the boys of Sports Wall are here to tell you about the many different aspects of love...

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone. And may all your festive sport be magical.

Happy Valentine's Day

Today is a special day. Its the day of the patron saint of love, St Valentino.

  So sit back, relax and enjoy Valentine's day, the Sports Wall way.

Delightfully Dramatic Derby Day

So once again that time of year is upon us, no not Christmas, it is of course the North London Derby. Always massively important, always unpredictable, always dramatic and this year it was no different.

Nightmare in Norwich

Well, there's not a lot you can say about a performance like that. But that's what I'm here for, so here we go.

On the up at Upton park

So today's match had a bit of a feeling of deja vu about it. Occasionally sketchy moments in defence? Check. Someone in midfield having an off day? Check. Letting in a silly goal? Check. Fighting spirit? Check. Excellent comeback goals? Check. Olivier Giroud? Check.

medal worthy at olympiakos

So, our unbeaten start to the season  game to an end against Chelsea at the weekend, meaning that our Champion's League tie against Olympiakos was not only a chance to take a significant hold on the group but also to restore our momentum.

Progress

So, we were having a frustrating start to the season. Then we played Liverpool. The team pulled out an inspired performance and things seemed to be coming together. Then this weekend we played Southampton and really hit it out of the park.
The performance level of the whole team really seems to have gone up several notches over the past couple of matches. The whole team has been really really excellent, with everyone putting in a shift. I really want to commend the defence, who seem to have made a massive leap forward, due in no small part I'm sure to Steve Bould. Per Mertesacker has, so far this season, been outstanding. He seems a completely different player from last season. Kieran Gibbs has improved massively and was brilliant on Saturday, running up and down the wing like no one's business. Carl Jenkinson seems to be improving too and Thomas Vermaelen is reliable and strong as always and seems to be taking to his new role as captain very well. Sticking with defense (sort of) Mikel Arteta is really starting to make defensive midfield his own. Simply, he kicks ass. He's strong, he's efficient, he's calm and unflappable and he's an excellent passer of the ball. And now for a sentence I never thought I'd say; let's hope Diaby comes back quickly because against Liverpool he really showed us what we've all been waiting for. Then we have the rapidly forming understanding between Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski which is just glorious to behold. I'm very very excited to see what those two could do for us this season. And even Gervinho is having something of a renaissance. His performance on Saturday harked back to the promise he showed when he first arrived. And I'm hoping he can get an extended run in the team and take his chance. There is of course still the Giroud problem to solve but I think the solution to that may just be time and a the confidence he'll get when he hits his first goal.
And tonight marks the exciting return of Champion's League football. I for one can't wait. Arsenal in Europe is generally an adventure (of both the exciting and stressful kind) so I can't wait to see what this year's campaign has in store.

Stoked

So we started the season with a frustrating nil-nil draw. And then in our second game we improved and progressed and....wait...nil-nil again?!

Opening day

Well opening day of the football season is upon us. Its the most hopeful and optimistic day of the year as anything can happen. Our opening result was an unspectacular 0-0 draw. Frankly though, I'll take it. We opened against Sunderland and I remember many many bad decisions going against us in these matches recently (particularly of the offside and time keeping type) and also I remember our opening game against Newcastle last year in which Gervinho got sent off for the stupidest incident ever. These are the sorts of things that we can really do without at the beginning of the season, so frankly I'll take nil nil. I know we all want a spectacular 6-0 win (props to Fulham and Swansea  for going close) to kick off our campaign but its not always that simple as all the players are coming off a long break and we have new arrivals who need to get up to speed. In terms of our transfer comings and goings obviously I was pretty annoyed about the whole Robin van Persie situation. But at the end of the day, there's not a lot else that the club could have done. What it all boils down to is this; either we force him to stay, he's unhappy and he plays badly and we get no money for him at the end, or we cut our losses and get a decent fee and reinvest it in the squad. Its that simple for me. And I'm pleased with our new acquisitions. I think Podolski and Giroud look exciting prospects. Lukas in particular looks like he fits right in and as if he's always been here. Santi Cazorla I think was a master stroke and fits right in with the Arsenal way. Maybe we may bring one more in, possible in defence or defensive midfield, I'd be very happy with that. Otherwise I think we've strengthened well. So while results are important, in an opening fixture its popssible that the performane of the players is more important than the actual score. Its important to get the nerves out of the way and get the team playing together and gelling. Its a long long season and there's plenty of time for spectacular 6-0 wins. Here's hoping that the Arsenal boys are listening. Happy Football season everyone!

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.

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!"

A point to prove

On Sunday Arsenal played Manchester City at the Emirates. Now most commentators focussed on the fact that if City lost they dropped to 8 points behind Manchester United and the title race was effectively over. But I feel this was missing the point slightly. For all of us Arsenal fans though there was something else. Something more important going on. It was a grudge match. We had a point to prove. Man City had stolen our players, they wrenched Gael Clichy away from the warm embrace of Arsenal and the warming glow of his (frankly epic) bromance with Bacary Sagna. They turned Samir Nasri's head with their filthy lucre. So the match wasn't just about the league. It was about principles, it was about morals, team spirit and earning something against cold, hard cash and success at all costs. So to see our boys, my boys out there playing Man City's billion pound team off the park was particularly sweet. And outplay them they did. Bacary Sagna was excellent, he was absolutley everywhere. The midfield was outstanding, Tomas Rosicky ran the show (woop), Alex Song was as always a total beast and even poor old Yossi who took a lot of flak for starting ahead of golden boy Oxlade Chamberlain played pretty well and worked damn hard. As brilliant as our immense performance was seeing Samir Nasri being completely anonymous his entire time on the pitch. How does that taste now Samir? But honestly aside from being bitter, it was fantastic to see the team bounce back from a small blip last week with not only a great result but an even better performance. Also Andre Santos returned. And promptly gave Mario Balotelli a big old shove, presumably while yelling "BOOM! You've been Andre Santosed!" He's become something of a cult hero with my friend Simon and I largely because he's so hardcore, unpredictable and as Simon so beautifully put it 'terrifying.' Gary neville was once again on a roll this week with his at once withering and hilariously outtraged  ideas on how he would manage Mario Balotelli "I'd just tell him never to tackle. Ever." Then there was the bemusing but strangely amusing sight of two rather mature man City fans fighting over Vincent Kompany's shirt rather than giving it to the younger fan right next to them. I mean I was pleasantly surprised by how ripped Mr Kompany is and I can fully appreciate city fans harbouring a man crush but seriously let the younger fan take the shirt.

The sidekick

Inspired by Tomas Rosicky's recent form. I made sure his super hero outfit has the same colour scheme as Robin's (as in Batman) usually does.

RvP Cake

Carrying on the sport's related bakery products theme from last year's Dani Pedrosa victory cookie. Here is the RvP cake that I made on Sunday. Its made with Nutella (because Europe loves nutella) and has the number 11 made with stars in the colours of the Dutch flag. Also it was delicious.

So close yet so far

Well what a situation we nearly had on our hands there. Arsenal came within literally touching distance of the biggest comeback in Champion's League history. Seriously, the fingertips of Christian Abbiati are all that kept us from a fourth goal, history and extra time. Having said that, even though ultimately we still fell short I'm still very very proud of all the boys. I know there are many, many different reactions to this game but for me they really managed to restore a sense of dignity and hope following the first leg. I know we still lost but the boys put in such a courageous, determined performance that its impossible not to be pleased with them. Tomas Rosicky in particular carried on his fine recent form and scored a lovely little goal (much like his lovely little self.) Once again, as you all know, I could not be happier about this, there is nothing I want more than to see my (beautiful and talented) little dumpling doing well. It wasn't just Tomas though, everyone played their part. Robin was (as always) excellent, Koscielny and Vermaelen were super hardcore at the back, Bacary Sagna was flying up the wing like nobody's business, Song was a total beast in midfield. The list goes on. The first half was an absolute revelation, they totally owned both Milan and the whole pitch. Alas the colossal effort they put in was their undoing as the pace of the game and the weight of the deficit took its toll and by the end they were all just too tired. Also we had a lack of options on the bench to change the game but to be fair to Le Prof its not really his fault as we have a lot of midfielders out injured and he can't just pull players out of thin air (I wish.) But as hard as it is to take that even though they were so good, even though we got so close, we're still out, its good to know that the team can fight that hard for each other and dig that deep for a performance. I really, really hope we can keep up this brilliant spirit we've found.
Oh and I never ever thought I would be saying this but well done Gary Neville. It is 'bingo time' my friend, it certainly is.

High Five

There was unbridled joy unleashed all around HQ on Sunday. I'll set the scene, Arsenal were coming off a mini-slump a disastrous four nil loss to Milan, a dispiriting two nil defeat to Sunderland in the cup, then we have possibly one of the biggest games of our season looming, and its the derby against our fiercest rivals who are currently-whisper it- above us in the league.

Down the swansea...

Well that was a rather infuriating match. It was one of those days when you just keep screaming at the screen throughout the ninety minutes. It was a game that Arsenal totally should have won. I know many people will say that Swansea played really well today and for some periods of the game its true they did. BUT having said that, it was more a case of us losing that game than them winning it. For a start, that was not a penalty. Not in a million years. Aaron ramsey barely caught him and was then in fact fouled by Dyer in return. Watch it again, you'll see that Dyer clearly stands on Aaron's leg. And to compound Aaron's shocker of a day (seriously its like he was competing to see how many times he could give it away) the second goal was his fault too. He gave the ball away very poorly. Silly boy. While we're on the subject, poor old Yossi had a bit of a nightmare in a bubblecar too as did Andrei Arshavin (again, has he walked under a ladder or something?) So there I believe was the problem, we were carrying three people in midfield (four sometimes, I'm looking at you Theo.) But it wasn't all doom and gloom and forgetting the art of defending. There were some glimmers of goodness amongst the nonsense. Once again, after a great performance at Leeds the other night, Ignasi Miquel (or baby Bambi if you like) was once again brilliant. I've said it before and I'll say it again the calm and assurance he has for a nineteen year old is incredible. Laurent Koscielny was immense at the back throwing himself at everything. And I know I say this all the time and I know I'm slightly (!) biased but Tomas Rosicky was great when he came on, and he really made a difference to the team and the performance. We don't see him as much as I would like but I think today he showed that in terms of an eye for a pass he has TOTALLY still got it. I think most of the boys acquitted themselves well at the end of the game as they were really fighting for it and flinging everything at the Swansea goal but alas it was not to be. So all in all it was a weird inbetween good in some ways bad in others sort of day. Sums up supporting my team really.

The return of the King

On Monday night Thierry Henry returned to his home. And my what a return it was. I think my neighbours must have wondered what was going on in my house, I went a tiny little bit crazy celebrating. It was quite an emotional screaming and jumping around moment. It was such a special occasion that even my mum was moved to watch the match. It was beautiful, like a fairytale. Within ten minutes of coming into the game he scored the winning goal. It was a trademark Thierry goal too. Lovely movement and a neat, clever little finish. But it in was the moments afterwards, the celebrations that the real magic showed. To see him so inspired, so pumped up and in the moment was so beautiful, so moving, so poetic. My mum put it best I think when she said "Look, he's smiling right up to his eyes." A sight to warm the heart of every gooner watching but also warm the heart of any fan of football. I put it to you that no matter who you support, the story of not only a club legend but one of the best players to ever play in the Premier League returning to a club that represents his spiritual home and then scoring a wonder goal to roll back the years, is still enough to give you a fuzzy little warm feeling in your heart no matter how faint.
Another highlight of the match was my mum's assessment of Andrei Arshavin, "I think that boy needs glasses."

More musical madness

More of my 'songs that remind me of famous sports people.' First, Bacary Sagna is dressed as a member of Take That (Howard, as he had dreads at the time) in the video for 'Back for good.' Do you see what I did there? Bac for good. Ha ha. Then Mr Torres makes another appearance this time dressed as Agnetha from Abba. Because they sang 'Fernando.' Yeah I know, sophisticated humour. Then finally, the one and only Guti is dressed as Beyonce in the 'bootylicious' video. Because that song is known as 'gutilicious' in our house.