Arsenal Name UEFA Champions League Squad

Arsenal have announced the names of who's in the squad for the UEFA Champions League against Udinese.

The players named in Lists A and B will be all be eligible for the Play-Off Round tie with Udinese.

Arsenal.com explained further:

List A for the Play-Off Round is final, although a single change to the squad can be made by Monday 15 August (the day before the first-leg game).

Should the Club progress to the Group Stage of the competition, an updated List A will be submitted by September 1, which will apply for the remainder of the competition.

Under UEFA rules, Arsenal is eligible to register 25 players to List A for the Play-Off Round and an unlimited number of players to List B.
A player qualifies for inclusion in List B if he was born on or after January 1, 1990 and has been eligible to play for the Club for an uninterrupted period of two years or more since his 15th birthday.

A few surprises were that Fabregas and Nasri were included. Although they were included, it doesn't mean they'll necessarily play. Jack Wilshere is in list B, which is another eyebrow raiser, but that's probably because he's injured. Although I'm not even sure on the rules, but we'll have our strongest team possible playing regardless.

Arsenal's Champions League squad:

List A

Manuel Almunia
Andrey Arshavin
Nicklas Bendtner
Marouane Chamakh
Abou Diaby
Johan Djourou
Emmanuel Eboue
Lukasz Fabianski
Cesc Fabregas
Gervinho
Kieran Gibbs
Carl Jenkinson
Laurent Koscielny
Vito Mannone
Samir Nasri
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Tomas Rosicky
Bacary Sagna
Alex Song
Sebastien Squillaci
Armand Traore
Robin van Persie
Carlos Vela
Thomas Vermaelen
Theo Walcott

List B

Aaron Ramsey
Wojciech Szczesny
Jack Wilshere
Benik Afobe
Chuks Aneke
Zak Ansah
Daniel Boateng
George Brislen-Hall
Francis Coquelin
Craig Eastmond
Luke Freeman
Emmanuel Frimpong
Sead Hajrovic
Conor Henderson
Gavin Hoyte
Jernade Meade
Ignasi Miquel
Rhys Murphy
Nigel Neita
Oguzhan Ozyakup
Gilles Sunu
Sanchez Watt
Nico Yennaris

Ryo MiyachI Granted Work Permit

I don't know who's excited at the prospect of seeing Ryo Miyachi play for Arsenal in the league. To hopefully see him do what Cristiano Ronaldo did when he first arrived to the English game (albeit getting kicked to ground on every opportunity, but that was for making defenders look silly). But now we will get to see the Japanese born player this season as Ryo has been granted a work permit to play this season.


This is great news as the player brings pace, skill, and crossing ability as a natural winger. He's only eighteen but I believe he can be a force this season. But I think it's best he gets minutes on the pitch when we're two/three nil up with twenty-thirty minutes left just like Ronaldo used to for Manchester United in his early playing days. Wenger should unleash him to not be frightened to use his skill and pace for defenders to fear him, as any defender hates an attacker, especially with pace, running at them.


From complaining having no wingers in the past, we now have Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gervinho and now Miyachi. It's something we were missing for a while as we had no natural width. We may see an improvement.


Ryo has to await for the formalities of the paperwork to be complete for him to play his first official match for Arsenal.

Oxlade-Chamberlain Becomes Arsenal's Third Signing

Since Gervinho signed, Arsenal fans haven't had much to shout about, shout about being on a positive note. The drab performances in pre-season hasn't filled much confidence for the fans of the club and new blood hadn't been invested since the arrivals of both Carl Jenkinson and Gervinho.

With the Barclays Premier League only five days away from beginning away at St. James' Park on Tyneside, fans' worries grew as injuries to Vermaelen, Walcott, van Persie, Wilshere and those others 'injured' may miss the first game of the season.

We now have a new signing to bolster the squad a bit with seventeen year-old Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (I'm glad it's only Chamberlain on his shirt. Imagine Oxlade-Chamberlain on that back of his shirt!). He has had impressive performances for Southampton raising interest form all the top clubs, however Arsenal prevailed and got their man.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain holding his new clubs shirt

He can play on wither wing and as an attacking midfielder. This is great to hear as we can now put him and Gervinho on either wing and swap around, and now shift Walcott upfront. In Oxlade we have a natural dribbler with pace who get deliver a final ball and finish. A great prospect, as long as Wenger doesn't try to protect him.

I personally would've liked to have seen a more mature player, but I wouldn't be surprised if we pay over £10m (potentially). If he is a player with 'super quality' and can help us push further this season, then i welcome him with open arms.

Welcome to Arsenal FC Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain!

A Divorce Between the Fans and the Club

It seems ever since our move from Highbury to the Emirates, us loyal fans have had a slow divide between the board and manager. It seems the move to the Emirates just came before the economic crisis, which effectively made it more difficult for the fans to afford renewing their season tickets or memberships. The club however never decided to reduce the prices of their tickets for the economic downturn, only until VAT tax went down to 15% that they followed suit.


So the club kept on raking in large amounts of profit whilst loyal fans may not have afforded the price of a day out at their beloved team. In the 2008/09 season, people who had paid to see the likes of Denilson, Song (different player back then), Diaby, Bendtner, Eboue week in week out due to injuries and lack of investment, struggling for a win in every game in the winter period, fans started to raise their voices ever so slightly.


The cracks opened, and with cracks they'll always be more likely to get bigger and more noticeable. Back then we were in our 3rd season at the Emirates and we were expected to be settled by then after the year before we came close to winning the title before collapsing at the end (see a pattern?). The team needed investment for the new season and only Arshavin was brought in as a fix it, and that has been the only marquee signing in a while and he managed to help us secure a champions league spot.


The season after promised more yet again but we failed and the same last season. Every year passing by the team has been known to falter at the last hurdle and the opportunity of buying players with experience has arisen many times, yet Wenger is always after super quality.


What is super quality? The likes of Messi and Ronaldo are super quality. What Arsenal need is a just quality experienced players who know how to play their position and get stuck in. In other words a team player who will give their all. The fans know this and can see where we are going wrong with the players we have and ones we need.


This is why the fans moan and groan along with the ever increasing booing and demonstration/protests. It's not because they hate the club, it's because they care and the fans have become distanced with the disillusioned board and manager who aren't acting quick enough on transfers to secure the players we need. Peter Hill Wood isn't exactly helping matters between the relationship of the fans with the board by saying:




"As Arsene said, we are looking to buy some players but we are not going to do our business in public. They are going to have to be bloody patient – as we are."

“It is frustrating for both the fans and Arsene and the board."




Bloody patient? Manchester United have pretty much bought big signings this summer and they won the league last year with a not so great team and now they'll win it with the likes of De Gea and Ashley Young added.


The booing on Sunday just shows nothing has changed since last season apart from Gervinho giving us something to look forward to until he disappears to the African Cup of Nations. The chanting at Fulham away at the final game of last season, "Spend some f****** money!", shows what we haven't done this summer. All with below bar performances in all our pre-season matches this year, it shows no confidence for the season ahead.


Fans will start and most likely have started (like me) to wisely use their money for more useful purposes rather than on a club interested in making money and bringing in through kids. That project youth is now over and proven unsuccessful apart from Wilshere coming through and we should just go out and buy what we need.


Arsenal is just a frustrating club to support at the moment, and I believe we won't even make top 4 this season if we remain like this. Especially if Fabregas is sold, the last of our world class players would have left. The new Stadium has fed into greed from the board and left us fans separated, with us losing our club we used to love so dearly. Now I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes a club we love to hate.

Tribute To A Great Player

Today sees former Arsenal striker and Arsenal legend's current team New York Red Bulls at the Emirates Cup facing our beloved Arsenal. This man is none other than Thierry Henry. As much as I'd want us to secure the Emirates Cup (which I'm not too bothered about). I would more than love for Thierry Henry to score today against us just to remind us of how a great finisher he was. The admiration he'll get will be aplenty. So in awe of this world class striker, I have a video of all his 226 goals for Arsenal from the very first to the very last.

Enjoy!

Emirates Cup.. The Same Old

So it's that time of year again, for when the whole world stops and turns their attention towards the Emirates Stadium in North London for a weekend of exciting, extravagant and sublime free scoring football!


Okay I'm somewhat exaggerating this inaugural tournament. There is no importance in winning this tournament at all, as since its debut three seasons ago in 2007, Arsenal have won two out of the three previous tournaments with Hamburg in 2008 winning this prestigious trophy laid in a mass of history behind it (clearly not).


This years participants are of a different flavour of football or soccer as one team may say. Paris Saint-Germain, also known as PSG from France have experience in this tournament already. Boca Juniors of Argentina will bring flair to the game and no doubt when they score their commentator won't just stop at... GOAL! New York Red Balls from the United States are also a different kind of opposition. For many years United States didn't have any appeal and only in the last few years has the love of soccer... ah hem... football has grown. Their national team shows this. The rise has happened ever since David Beckham's move to LA Galaxy. However New York Red Bulls have their own figure head in none other than Arsenal's greatest player in history and record goal scorer, Thierry Henry.


I'm glad he's back at the Emirates, and as funny as it sounds I want him to score at the Emirates, even if it were to be against us. Like Thierry says, his true home will always be Highbury. But he's still a top class player.


We face Boca Juniors today (Saturday) and then we face Henry's team tomorrow in what will be the 'title' decider. The greatest thing about this tournament is the fact us Arsenal fans can get the opportunity to see new signings (not many have been made) like Gervinho and also we can spot potential talent from youth. But most importantly to see the return of the King, most likely one last time playing on Arsenal territory.


I'm not attending the Emirates Cup as I'm still boycotting Arsenal. I'll have other means of watching the Sunday match as I can't view today's game. But what I do know is it's great to finally see this tournament arrive as you know the beginning of the league season isn't too far off now.

REPORT: FC Cologne or is it FC Köln? - Gervinho!

FC COLOGNE 1-2 ARSENAL

Arsenal

Szczesny, Jenkinson, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Song, Wilshere, Ramsey, Gervinho, Walcott, Chamakh

FC Cologne

Rensing, Brecko, Mohamad, Riether, Podolski, Novakovic, Andrezinho, Lanig, Jajalo, Chihi, Geromel

Match Report

Rhein Energie Stadion

Pre-season Friendly

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Kick-off: 14:30

So Arsenal have made it two wins out of three. This win was the most impressive with the first half creating many chances and had a real intent on winning the game with good creative ability. The most stand out player who only played  thirty minutes was Gervinho who grabbed a brace on his first appearance for The Gunners.

Gervinho scored with his first touch of the game early on into his Arsenal career with a brilliant chipped through ball by Wilshere, which saw Gervinho burst through onto and lobbed the keeper with no hesitation first time. Remind of of anyone? I'll come back to that.

Gervinho didn't have to wait too long for his second goal in an Arsenal shirt (albeit uncompetitive). Walcott got free on the right and slotted it into the middle of the six yard area for Gervinho to show a strikers instinct an slot it away.

This was now the Gervinho show. Gervinho nearly set up Vermaelen (remember him?... you know... the one who used to score all them crackers for Arsenal?), which the defender just got to in time.

FC Cologne or is it FC Köln, I'm not too sure. Anyway, they got back into the game by the freakiest of own goals. I actually chuckled at this own goal when it flew into the net (only because it was a friendly). Unfortunately for the victim, Jenkinson, unlike like Gervinho, his Arsenal career won't be remembered for a great start. Jenkinson has a bright future as he looked good and composed running down the right but also in defense and at 19 he shouldn't have a problem. Just ask Lee Dixon who famously chipped David Seaman from no pressure whatsoever.

Lee Dixon lobbing David Seaman against Coventry City in 1991

Compare that own goal by Carl Jenkinson:

Which own goal wins? I'm going for Carl Jenkinson because it could have gone anywhere.

Back to the match and the second half dragged on a bit and didn't offer the same excitement or any goals that we saw in the first. But it was all about fitness, and the constant changing of players didn't help the flow of the game. FC Cologne came close a few times, but nothing came of it.

It was another good run out for the players and good to see Gervinho have a good impact into his Arsenal career. I said I'd come back to him and he impressed me a lot. He was likened to Henry as an auxiliary striker, he can pop in the right position, give assists and score plenty goals and has a quick turn of pace. I'm really looking forward to him playing in the new season.

Match Highlights: