Another week passed, still no signing announcement. And now things are getting ridiculous. Rumors have the Gonzalo deal falling apart and that is driving us toward the absolute unthinkable in my mind: spending a ridiculous amount of money for a guy known more for his biting antics than his football exploits. Yes, Suarez. Things really are getting out of hand this year. Unlike in years past where we generally aren’t linked to big boy signings, this year sees us linked to nothing more than New York Yankee like spending of years past. I trust Wenger is not apt to sign for the sake of signing; hell, he never has before. And so that is what makes this summer so frustrating and yet hopeful. We have the money. We have the ability to draw top tier talent (right?!). So why are we linked to a big expensive head-case (Rooney) and another big expensive head-case who acts out like a 5 year old (Suarez)? Has something happened to the water supply in Emirates?

I just don’t get it at this point, especially given the signings and their price tags thus far. A number of players have been dealt across multiple leagues that causes me to keep scratching my head and asking: Shit, if he was available and at that price why the hell didn’t we go out and get him?! So, let’s take a look and where some signings have taken their talents…

Mario Gotze: Sold to their own rivals for a fee of 37mil (Euro). You know that bumped up the price. I mean, if we are already in the 30mil range for Gonzalo, could we have had a chance at nabbing Mario instead? Granted, we probably would have to work incredibly hard to sell him on playing Emirates football and give him crazy wages but we should compete for a guy of his quality.

Andre Schurrle: Sold to Chealsea for a fee of 22mil. Kind of a bargain to me in terms of talent going forward. Not a bad first signing for The Dramatic One and evidence they are here to challenge. Something we might want to think of doing…

Paulinho: Sp*rs poached this little dandy and I had hoped it would come with the news that Bale was out the door. They actually went out and spent 20mil more than Arsenal have… thus far. Let’s hope this is the only time they can beat us to something…

Jesus Navas: 20mil. A guy like this could really add the depth we need to challenge for a title. The big boys with all their toys are here to stay and they are spending again. At least it wasn’t one of our players they poached this time.

Erik Pieters: 3.6mil. Now he went to Stoke which means he could be more about knocking teeth out rather than actually playing defense but it’s not like we couldn’t use some of that from time to time, especially since Jack tends to get treated like a red-headed step-child (trust me, I’m a ginger and know what that is truly like).

David Villa: 5.1mil. That’s it. I can’t believe that is all they paid. Given our shitty depth at striker I can’t believe we couldn’t even go after him for a fee that low. Seriously. You mean you wouldn’t want a guy of his quality acting as your starter for cup games and what not? Just crazy. I know I have a special place in my heart for this guy but he was a full fledged integral piece until he broke his leg. Heck, that alone means we should have signed him, right?!

Mario Gomez: 15.5mil. This one REALLY hurts. That is all it costs?! For a striker of his quality? Naw, were not interested in proven players of his sort… I can’t believe that Wenger would pass on this. It really makes me wonder if we have become absolutely clueless in the whole transfer business. You can’t tell me he itched to go play in Serie A…

Carlos Tevez: 9mil. Really? Geez… we don’t want to take a flyer on a guy who already knows how to score in the Premier League? It’s not like we already don’t know what it’s like to have a head-case (Bendtner). I would much rather have Tevez at 9mil than Suarez at 30mil or more. At least Tevez would be cheaper… and fall down less…

All this brings me to the conclusion that we don’t know what we are doing anymore in the wake of today’s transfer business. At least, not lately. We had our hands tied for so long that we seem to be better at selling than buying and the landscape we find ourselves in now is a bit different. Honestly, don’t you wonder if there are just teams out there that refuse to deal with Wenger? Or that they are put-off by his approach? When is the last time that we bought from another big club? Please don’t say Arshavin and Zenit…

So much excitement here lads! We finally broke the bank and landed our striking option right out of the gate…

Ah yes. The jokes have made their rounds via this thing called the world wide web and Wenger has done what Wenger does best: landed a young, unproven, French, injury prone striker on a free transfer… Oh the joy.

Ok, all jokes aside this isn’t all bad. He is young, certainly has talent, didn’t cost us a thing and actually adds depth to our squad in a department we lack. You can’t exactly be mad about that. Now if this ends up being our striking option for the year to come? Ha! What am I thinking, not possible, right? Right? RIGHT!?

I don’t want to get my hopes too high on this kid but he does have that flair we certainly lack around goal. Plus, he wants to play and prove himself before a man he certainly heaps praise on in the presses. That can’t be too bad and is more than we have had in the recent past… ‘cough’ Chamakh ‘cough’…

BUT, we all know we must have bigger and better things than a lad set to prove himself in our Cap One games and what not… That being said, we need the whole damn team to prove itself in tournaments that can actually acquire us some hardware!

And yet, here we are with our single little signing thus far. Word is still out that we are ahead of the game with Gonzalo. Then there is the bit about Rooney. Ha! But a rather recent development in the press is the rumor regarding Lars Bender (one of my first FIFA signings for my own team actually) and their rejection of our alleged bid. Not going to lie here, I like Lars and he adds that defensive prowess we need BUT I really like the poofy haired Everton boy and given his proven success would rather have his services if given the choice (not to mention his hair).

But I digress, we have neither player at this point (wait we got 1 signing though!). And so there is no actual juicy news to chew on with our other “targets”. Others are making moves, spending money, signing players, improving their damn team. Meanwhile, Sp*rs actually look set to add what could be considered quality players. Truthfully, I will have a hard time accepting David Villa at that club if it actually happens (one of my favorite players outside the BPL, the guy just has a lethal foot).

Oh well. I wish there was more. I wish we had something to actually talk about but I have defended Wenger enough already and at this point I just want to see his “plan” come together.

On a lighter note, we celebrate the independence of the United States of America this week. Perhaps we shoulda kept some ties across the pond. You know, for “soccer’s” sake…

Happy 4th of July everyone… Well, except for you proper English lads… Sorry about that. History and all…

Cheers.

Well chaps, not much to report on here. There is the usual bits and pieces about our pursuit of the Everton chap and Gonzalo and what not but nothing much more. Our former steadfast leader (Adams) is taking to the presses and feeding them plenty of fodder lately. Doesn’t really bother me much. The lad earned his stripes with our club and can say what he wants at this point in his life. Like so many other sports, former players don’t exactly have the impact the once had (Jordan anyone?).

I could go on and on about what players we should add and what the potential player adds would do but truth is I’d rather not get my hopes up. It gets a bit tiring to keep reading about the only player you have signed sharing his thoughts on almost retiring at 19. Not exactly the greatest news for shoring up our depth but it is what it is and now that Sanogo is with us I’d rather see him healthy and producing on the pitch. Seriously though, anyone else worried the poor boy is subject to me referring to him as “Sa NO GO” on the pitch? A guy who almost retired because of injury? Yeah… me neither.

Given the quid available to Wenger this summer I was really hoping that he would start off quick and make a solid, statement signing. Hopes of that are pretty much lost at this point and now we just have to hope that we make statement signings. Truth is, if we roll out our signings the way we seem to play our seasons these days I may be satisfied but always wondering “what if” in the end.

I am truly optimistic about our upcoming season. We have plenty of windows and opportunities to challenge for the title (IMHO) and all we really need is a healthy squad, some much needed depth and a few quality signings. Now, a lot of teams could probably say the same but our stability and consistency in Manager I think make for a good recipe. Along side that, I hope that some of our international boys get some rest (Santi anyone?) so that they can come back and start the season at 100% healthy.

Right then. Here’s hoping that I can report on something more a bit soon. Until then I will continue to live out my dreams via FIFA 13 on Xbox. Just completed the double. I have Barca in my attempt to pull out the treble. Let’s just say when my “fantasy” season is over I shall be using my board approved funds to shore up my striking options… hint hint Wenger?

I am not a fan of texting. Seriously. I don’t like what it does to me, others or the english language. I refuse to have a texting plan (because they seriously rip people off for what you get-bloody vultures) and I block texts to my phone (yes, you can do that). My work around solution is that I use a free text app that uses data (which I hardly use because I hate texting) OR I use my iMessage (which kind of makes me an iPhone snob). I see the place for texting. It can be very handy in certain situations: “I’m on my way.” “Dinner at 5” “What is the address again?” “Here is a recent pic of Jackson”. That being said, a full blown conversation? Bollocks. People are generally bad at communicating anyways. Texting is like the partial shite way of attempting to communicate. It is generally done without thinking, with too much over-analyzation, it can be heat of the moment and can even convey the exact opposite message because tone is generally lost. It is utter crap.

Why my diatribe against texting? Well, because I feel like the club is communicating via text right now and until we see some action I am not sure I like what I am reading. Kols to Barca or Bayern? Rumors only are they BUT if we even entertained the idea of selling a lad with 4 years left, at a reasonable wage for a paltry 15 mil or 20 mil… well, then we are nuts.

The club has to s(P)end a message this summer. We are Arsenal. We are here to challenge for titles, to spend money, to win. We are open for business in the buying department and we are NOT selling our best pieces to appease a prior debt. Selling Kols is not a part of that message. Hell, buying potential (injury) pieces like Sanogo is also not exactly the message we should be sending right now. Cleaning house in our academy? Sure. I guess. Bring in new blood. Bring in talent and dispense with those not performing up to their potential. But we have to buy. We have to ADD pieces. S(p)end the right message.

Footballing in this day an age of the gazzillionaire owners is tough. They view clubs as play things. Development and loyalty are not part of the equation. That doesn’t help a club like Arsenal whose history, loyalty and development are key cogs in their greatness and appeal. BUT, Arsenal also have plenty of money to spend, a fancy new stadium and a very reputable manager. I think it helpful that no one seems to speak ill of the manager or the treatment at the club. That also says something and should be appealing in a league as drama filled as the PL has been over the past years of twi(ee)ts and what not. Thus, this all has me begging the question: Why don’t players want to come to Arsenal? Short answer: Money. Long answer: Money.

It’s a piss poor reason but that is the world we live in. Until we splash the cash the only thing we will be putting into our trophy case is coupon’s and stacks of unspent cash. We are craving for big, quality signings that help create depth across our ranks. We need to send a message. We need a signing that causes other players to see how serious we are and that Arsenal are more than the good feelings club. We need to take advantage of continuity this season and pluck that damn title from the air because it’s Arsenal, Arsenal FC we’re by far the greatest team the world has ever seen.

Until next time chaps…

This time of the year could easily be considered the doldrums of being a PL fan. There isn’t much action in the transfer wake for us and there obviously isn’t any gaming going on. That said, the MLS is in full swing (nope, have really watched it this year) and the English rumor mill is churning milk into butter as usual. Some mighty fine ideas out there being floated that are worth a few notations:

Gonzalo Higuain, Real Madrid: The guy is a legit striker and would certainly take the starting spot from day 1, relegating Giroud to a reserve role. First, let’s chat Gonzalo. The guy brings that instant striker capability that we have missed since the dutch skunk took his toys and left the playground. I salivate at the idea that we could land a striker of his caliber and his game, and his familiarity with the Spanish style would serve our team well. Additionally, a move like this addresses a need that everyone and their mother knows is missing in our game. Second, what to do with Hey Hey Giroud? Well, nothing. We need another striker. OG knows it, the fans know it, everyone inside London, outside London and stateside knows it. IF we landed Higs then a competition brews (not really though) and we now have a bit more depth in our central striker spot. OG isn’t exactly a bad guy to have in our bag of tricks given that, you know, we want to compete for titles and hardware all season long.

Wayne Rooney, Man U: Look, the guy is talented and if played as a striker, which he is MORE than capable of (IMHO and oh, I don’t know the 27 goals he hung up not so long ago). Does it cause me to salivate? No. He is a United guy. But hell, I wouldn’t mind taking someone so identifiable with a certain club and letting him run ragged against them. Hell, I don’t think I am the only guy that wouldn’t mind watching him notch a brace or hat trick against Moyes and Man U. I don’t exactly want to splash a whole bunch of cash on him but at the right price I would be happy to put him on the pitch and see how those plugs hold up.

Marouane Fellaini, Everton: In my opinion, this would be a very interesting move for Arsenal (and harkens back to the players of old in our history). I like the idea of an enforcer in the squad for footballing. Arsenal have none right now and the fancy haired feline would definitely add some pack to our punch (not to mention some additional hair product revenue that we already get via Mikel). That being said, I don’t exactly remember too many games, sans those against Everton, where enforcement was a problem (although Jack was pushed around WAY too much this year without consequence). Scoring goals though? Hmm… If this really is to happen then I think we are going to see a bit of a tactical shift (could it be Arsene?!) that aligns well with our possession game. All in all, I think he would add a great presence in the midfield and if signed for long term I see him being in Arteta’s spot all day long (maybe together and Mikel gets to move forward more?).

Cesc Fabergas, Barcelona: Aww, that would kind of be awesome. Maybe. I’m not exactly a fan of second round trips unless the first was really good. Well, Cesc was pretty damn good the first time around. I salivate over the idea of Cazorla and Fabs dominating the middle. It could be awesome or it could absolutely suck. Given the way the Spain team tends to play (their pretty good with all those really good midfielders right?) I think it could work out really well (especially since Wenger likes to put Santi on the “wing”). I feel like this becomes one of those who do you start if all this actually happens though right? Meh, such a sweet problem to have if it actually happened. Given my propensity to the Spanish style of play I would welcome the man back with open arms; could any Arsenal fan actually say otherwise (maybe that should be a future post…).

In the end, I really hope that we land both Fellaini and Higuain (a guy can have dreams right?). I think those two players would really address the depth issues we had this year (meaning they would start and we would have depth below them) but also add to this foreign idea that we are ready to challenge for more than our fourth place hardware.

Well, until we actually sign someone it isn’t worth doing much analysis and what not so I’m going to have to save the talented (ha!) writing on acquisitions for when it actually happens.

Come on Arsene, give me something to write about dammit!!!

A lot has been made of the possibility of a plethora of transfers possibilities and yet mum is the word (aside from the signing of a single young french injury prone striker… no, not talking about Diaby here). Ah screw it, let’s have some fun with this post.

1. Hola David Villa!

After failing to sign the striker earlier this year, Wenger picks up the moveable piece from Barca after an all night binger with Monreal and Santi. Villa, once realizing that Arsenal had continued to sink faith into French signings, comments, “Well, us Spaniards know how to play this game pretty well too.” Giroud, offended as most Frenchies can be, quickly changes his tune when he watches You Tube videos of Villa’s monstrous strikes from in and around the box, “I get to play with him!?!” he giddily admits.

2. Santi unites with Fabregas!

After seeing that the grass is not always greener on the other side, Cesc is welcomed back into the open arms of the Emirates after vacationing in Camp Nou. The homecoming is everything it could be with parades, banners and re-printing of posters, jerseys and advertisements (Arsenal actually saved a few quid there by re-hashing the old stuff). Upon his return, the wide eyed MF admits, “I thought I was going to get to actually PLAY footie over there. All things aside, I did have really nice seats for most games.”

3. Benteke bolts for CL!

Whilst playing a bit of the he said, she said game, Benteke forces Aston Villa’s hand into a move toward the shiny lights of the N5. When asked why Arsenal, the surprise striker of 12/13 relents, “Hey, if Gervinho can hold a spot there then I figure I had at least a fighting chance. And no, I don’t need the constant back rubbing and Tony Robbins tapes.”

4. Rooney flees Man U to say F U

After having his pick of the litter (ha! just kidding), Wenger informs the plucky (no, really hair does grow back on its own) man that he is more than welcome at the club. As if he needed to add insult to offense, Wayne forgoes any wages just to stick it to his former, former Manager (does he really not like Moyes?). After the tube ride to the stadium, Rooney admits, “Hey, at least I can keep my red stuff and all.” Meanwhile in London, Arsenal’s dear faithful lose half their fan base as it is determined they shat themselves to death (half from Rooney coming to London, the other half from seeing Wenger hug him).

This is the harder part of the season to write about. Rumors keep flying, not much paper is being exchanged and there just isn’t much to go on that doesn’t in some way incorporate shite rumors whose only purpose is to churn out papers (or web hits). As an aside, I am kind of happy that the circus has come back to Blue Balls. I just don’t think Jose’s second term is going to go so well. The pressure is greater and that man’s ego seems to keep growing and growing. I really am hoping we get the pleasure of watching him walk early into the tunnel while his team gets pummeled. Seriously, who does that? Oh, wait. “The Special One”…

Again, I am scoring based upon actual performance, not expectation (meaning, how did they play overall NOT did they meet/exceed expectations), on a scale of 1 (absolute rubbish) to 10 (couldn’t ask for more from that position).

Midfield:

Jack Wilshere (7): Oh Jacky boy… SO happy to have you back in the fold and starting. Really a solid first full season with AFC. Injected pace and energy when needed and really provided a nice lift across the squad. Sad to see him drift off a bit after a late injury but more than anything it seems that his dip in form probably was tied to just being tired; this was his first full season in some time so a bit of slack is given to the late drop off.

Theo Walcott (8): Los pollitios dicen, Theo Theo Theo. A little spanish chicklet song from back in the day… This little birdie finally sprung and while he tended to drop off at times he finished solid and played well enough to solidify his future with the starting spot. The big knock on Theo this year was he could be a bit selfish on the attack and he definitely could have used more work on his dropping back to help on defense (not to mention he might look like Ronaldo on set pieces but he can’t finish like him… at all). That said, he did a fine job finishing and his pace is constant threat.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (6): AOC kind of pulled a TV5 in the sense that he finished last season strong and really looked to build upon that going into this season. Unfortunately, he never really worked his way into the squad regularly but provided spark off the bench and is certainly garnering looks for Country. All in all, produced some fine moments but still needs to build on his youthful exuberance.

Aaron Ramsey (7): Oh Rambo. Really had a difficult time (played out of position?) starting the year but become one of our brightest spots come the last two months. Paired nicely with Rosicky and helped push us forward when we started to play stagnant. Finally got himself into the scoring game but really needs to focus now on the final touch/pass and playing a little less reckless (still one aspect I don’t mind about his game though given that AFC can play so conservative at times).

Santi Cazorla (8.5): OH SAN-TI CA-ZORRRR-LA! Brilliant year really… just brilliant. Our facilitator and playmaker, it was nice to see the early dive was never seen again and he kept pushing us with the tactical acumen we have been missing since Cesc. If anything, there were a few times during the year he kind of went absent but all in all a VERY solid year, first or otherwise, for the Spaniard; let’s keep it going next year.

Abou Diaby (5): Sadly, we saw a great bright spot in the early games quickly lost to injury and never returning. Diaby has always been that cog we could have used a number of times but just kept breaking. I believe that this is probably the last we will see of him in an Arsenal kit but I wish him well on his rehab and possible twilight career in the MLS.

Francis Coquelin (5): He was serviceable during his brief playing time but this lad suffers from being so deep on the depth chart. He did well enough when played but the fact that we really had to turn to him at times this year shows how shallow we are with fielding a truly top tier team. At this point in his career he needs more minutes if he is going to take his game to the next level; just don’t see that happening anymore than it did this year though.

Tomas Rosicky (7): Rosick-ly, after some in and out injury issues, really stepped up his game and brought serviceable attacking football when it seems like Santi dropped off a bit too much. Was happy to see him pull a brace out (never saw that coming) and the link up play he added late in the year proved to be exactly what we needed in order to make our final push. Truth is, we will need more from him (or someone in his position) if we are to challenge for titles and hardware next season.

Mikel Arteta (8): Give him the armband. He is our our true Captain and he provided his solid play all year. You can’t ask for more than what he did and his only blemish, IMHO, was a missed penalty early in the year (happy to see that was an anomaly). Mikel has fully embraced his role at the club and he plays it to perfection; his game is as tidy as his perfect hair. Chalk us up for another year like this for next.

Forwards: 

Olivier Giroud (7.5): The Hey Hey Hey man solidified himself as our big man in the center of our attack and was more than serviceable with his head, his chest and his link up play. A really balanced season statistically saw him provide goals and assists but from our main “striker” I am going to expect much, much more. Hard to argue with his play in set pieces but his foot left something to be a bit desired for throughout most of the season. All things aside, we’ll see how much his style of play will help or hinder our wingers come next year.

Gervinho (5.5): Well, he started off hot. Then? Not so much. Nothing like “confidence” killing your game when you are a professional footballer getting paid boat loads of money. Look, I have played sports. I understand how much your “head” can get in the way of your game. But I was no professional and at some point you don’t get to keep making excuses. If the lad could actually finish instead of botching so many shots he would be an incredible striker with his pace. Unfortunately, all we get are glimpses and then when we need to rely on him we get frustration. Hoping that we can sell him. And I’m sure he will do great elsewhere…

Lukas Podolski (7): I really wanted him to be the guy that rockets shots into the net off of Giroud’s stylistic layoffs but injury? fitness? something kept him from getting full minutes until a suspension saw us rely on his Thor-ish leg. If he can get “right” I see no reason for him to not be a great striking addition to the club. Unfortunately, something was amiss and he looks to be a second, very solid, option come next year. Needs to work a bit more on defense and his first touch, but that should come with a bit more playing time (hopefully). He is the depth we need on offense if/when healthy.

With the passing of yet another trophy (less) season (4th right!?) I find myself much more optimistic heading into next year and I am looking forward to hearing of our “big” signings coming this summer (Higuain? Jovetic? GerviNO finally leaving?!). That being said, here are my final thoughts on our player ratings for the 2012/2013 campaign. I am scoring based upon actual performance, not expectation (meaning, how did they play overall NOT did they meet/exceed expectations), on a scale of 1 (absolute rubbish) to 10 (couldn’t ask for more in that position) .

Let’s start back to front:

Keepers:

Wojciech Szczesny (6.5): The bean pole managed to work himself into the starting lineup, out, and then back in again after taking advantage of a Fabianski injury. The truth is, I am optimistic about our young keeper and that sways my rating of him a bit. Did he make decent strides this year? Well, considering he stood up to the challenge after being replace I would say so (not an easy thing for any young player to do). That said, his in-experience did allow for some questionable moves in-game that should (key word being should) go away with time. I am hoping for  a cheap, experienced keeper to come in and give him a challenge while adding to his arsenal (pun intended) for the future.

Lukasz Fabianski (6): Credit must be given where credit is due. Our bench warming former staple took full advantage of the younger Pole’s misgivings and didn’t look back. Until injured. Then boom, back to the bench for the final games. Given that he strung together a solid run of matches I would welcome him back with open arms but I believe that this is the best we have seen of him and his time has come to move on. He should do well for another year or two for another club (mid tier?) but overall more than solid performances given the cobwebs that enveloped his armpits for most of the season.

Vito Mannone (5): Energy. Vigor. A solid name. And a lack of height, smarts and positioning. You have to give him some credit though as he never failed to bring energy into his game and the effort was always there. That said, if you could watch an entire match with him in goal without sharting? Well my friend you are a better man (woman) than I. Service backup… at best.

Defense:

Nacho Monreal (7): Nacho Nacho man… I want to be a Nacho man. Wow, did I really just use The Village People for an intro? Meh. Oh well. Nacho did an incredible job given that he was signed late season, with Gibbs out and all of us reeling at watching Santos play, and was thrust into a new league/team. Amazing he didn’t get squashed a bit under the pressure (IMHO). He was dependable and made a few mistakes (that slide into the goal post was frustrating for me to watch) but you can’t argue with the fact that he was more than serviceable exactly when we needed it. Looking forward to the competition from him and Gibbs in the coming year or two.

Carl Jenkinson (6.5): Let’s just say I am a fan. He kind of produces Ramsey like games in that he hustles, is a little out of control but you can appreciate what he does in the end. Once Sagna proved healthy he was relegated to the bench but his commendable performances surely mean that if Sagna does in fact stay there will be a great competition at RB next year.

Kieran Gibbs (7.5): Produced some memorable goals, fierce work rate and played well on the counter attack. Quickly is establishing himself as the solid LB of the future for club and country but still shows some flashes of inexperience that produce a few too many opportunities for the opposition. Outside of his injury spell, and the competition from Monreal, Gibbs had a season to remember and build upon (please no TV5 re-hash!).

Bacary Sagna (6.5): Oh B.S. That is how I felt a few times during his down season. Everyone saw it. He acknowledged it. Yet, he still held down the fort for the starting spot and I am not sure that is a nod to his past or Wenger’s lack of confidence in Jenkinson’s future. Either way, he was serviceable and solid but the absolute lack of quality crossing and a few B I G hiccups surely make this a season to forget. Only question now is does he run for $ elsewhere or stick it out to prove us all wrong.

Per Mertesacker (7.5): The BFG was thrown in between Kols and TV5 and it wasn’t until late in the season we could truly say we appreciated his play in the game. Yes, no pace here. I don’t care. That isn’t his game and exactly how many CBs would you describe as having “pace”? Right. Exactly. Paired up per (yep, punny) Kols the BFG did exactly what he needed to do and fulfilled his role to perfection. Too bad it wasn’t until so late in the season. Oh well. Really hoping he is able to reproduce the chemistry next year. From the start. That would be nice. Oh, and don’t get me started on his red card. I vented enough about that post match… ugh.

Thomas Vermaelen (5): Oh Captain my captain… eesh. Well, paired nicely with the BFG (at times) but not Kols. Doesn’t help that Kols went on to solidify his spot later in the year. At this point it is probably best for him to forget this year, take the band away (give it to Arteta) and get back to just playing the game he knows best (which is???). He is more than serviceable at his position but maybe it was the pressure (?) or mismatch (?) that caused it all to fall apart. Time to hit re-set amigo.

Laurent Koscielny (8): Yeah, probably a bit inflated given his run to the end (yes, a bit off at the beginning) but he pulled it together, played incredibly well and paired nicely (like a fine wine) with the BFG. Outside of his early struggles there is an argument to be made that save for Cazorla it was his work that helped push us into the CL spot (literally with that goal… again). Put this man on repeat for next year and we should service nicely with a few more offensive goals.

Yeah, I didn’t mention the non-starters (my opinion) like Santos, Squill-parchese, etc. No point really. Not worth the words…

Midfield and Defense to come soon.

Well, the close of another season and a few different emotions/thoughts run through my mind. Yes, I celebrated our 4th place finish. Yes, I was happy we won our final game and sent Tater Totts packing to Europa. I am sad the season has come to a close. Sad that we finished yet another campaign trophy-less. However, I am optimistic given the way we ended this season. More optimistic than last season because last season saw us losing players that played a major role in our run to the end. This season? This season we close out knowing there are more answers than questions and we are actually looking to ADD players (good lord please buy some quality players!) instead of just substituting them. That is a bit of a different feeling for an Arsenal fan in recent years.

All in all, we had quite a few bright spots in this years campaign coupled with quite a few disappointing ones. We lost Diaby (probably forever). GerviNO did what he does best (botched surefire goals). Jack played a full season and until the end did quite well (the boy was tired). Santi was a dream signing (OOOOHHHHH SAN-TI CA-ZOR-LA!). We actually replaced the lost goals of the dutch skunk via our new signings. Hey Hey Giroud held up well in his first PL season, for a prissy french player. We saw some glimpses of Poldi’s iron shot (although he never quite strung it all together and there is something fishy going on with him health wise). The pair of Ramsey/Rosicky helped push us to victory in the end and added a much needed spark when we absolutely required it. Sadly, TV5 didn’t replicate/build upon last season successes but the pairing of the BFG and Kols proved something spectacular to witness. And then there was Sagna’s topsy turvy display (he played ok but definitely not the standard we are used to with him).

Yes my fellow arseholes, there was much to enjoy and much to be frustrated with about this year. We dropped a number of needless points that saw us having to make a tremendous run at the end to secure our usual CL spot (and required Tater Totts dropping some points along the way). That being said, I am still optimistic about what we accomplished given what we had and this arsehole believes we have set the footing for what I am hoping will be a highly successful season next year.
Given that fortune would not have us close out in such a fashion as to warrant a 1 game playoff with Blue Balls (god how cool would that have been!?) our season has run its course and my plan is to have end of season grades handed out ASAP. Additionally, AmericanArse will trek on as the signing season (tabloid rumor mill) approaches and no doubt Arsenal will turn to their regular free spending ways to give us all something to talk about (yes, sarcasm, laid it on pretty thick there).

Keep calm and Gooner on.

Whew. That was might close. Surprisingly, Arteta actually started the game today (wait, he’s fit?!). Remember that whole, not 100% thing I said before? Yeah. Well. Who has two thumbs and was right? This guy. Mikel was quickly subbed off (interesting that it was AOC at that point but why not) and thank goodness that didn’t come back to bite us in the arse. While there weren’t many lineup changes from last week, we looked quite a bit more toothless in this one. Look, I’ll admit, we don’t play well at the Toon: whether we had a good team or not and today was no different. We had some small chances here and there (Walcott’s botched flick hitting the post, cute but just put it in goal Theo Theo Theo) but Newcastle looked much more threatening (let’s just say the little kiddo wasn’t the only diaper I had to change at times).

And yet with all that nail-biting, we did what we needed to do: pulled out the V for Victory . Frankly, I found it quite timely opportunistic lucky par-for-the-course that Kols ended up netting our one and only goal off of a set piece (um, recall last year anyone?!). With his foot no less. But hell, a victory is a victory and we definitely had a tough match snagging an away win against a squad that did not want to embarrass themselves after Pardew’s truthful remarks.  Outside of our few threats, I really thought Newcastle was going to get a goal and we were going to have to wait out a tie (which would have pissed us all off given that Tater Totts were Bale’d out yet again).

All in all, I think we played a bit tentative given the pressure of the away game and the resurgent fight of our opponent. We (THEO) should have closed the game out with a second goal but our back line held up well and we were awfully dangerous on the counter attack. Thus, a well deserved/earned victory. Too bad it wasn’t for, oh I don’t know, an actual trophy. Just saying…