When expectation becomes ridicule So the World Cup ends in ignominious failure and everyone from The Sun – with it’s relentlessly stupid, and ridiculous ill-judged “Maybe, Just Maybe” ad campaign, to the bloke who sells knock-off England kits down the market have opined and whined about the state of the English game and the betrayal and [...]...

Time for the professor to teach elsewhere? Since 1996, Arsenal have undergone their French revolution under Arsene Wenger - a change that over the long run has been very positive for the club. But has his time in London run out? Wenger’s CV at Arsenal includes three Premier League titles and four FA Cups, as well as [...]...

• Manager's preference is to remain at Arsenal• Barcelona and Real Madrid have courted coachHaving spent all summer doggedly protecting the contract they hold with Cesc Fábregas, Arsenal must now turn their attention to the arrangement they have with their manager. Arsène Wenger's contract finishes at the end of the coming season, and he has admitted that if he is ever going to seek a change of club scene, it will be now or never."I am at the stage where if I extend my contract, it means I will finish my career at club level at Arsenal," he told Observer Sport. "If I go for a different challenge – I have been offered many challenges you know – it has to be now."That's a decision I have to make. But basically, I have no desire to change from here. I have one more year, and we are...

The World Cup in 2010 will go down in history for a few things. Vuvuzela’s, The first World Cup in Africa, England’s abysmal showing, Germany’s bright future, Netherlands awful tactics and the Spanish proving they are the best side in the world. Yet one other event for me outshone them all. The French camps implosion in to cliques, strike action and mole’s leaking information to the press. Yesterday, every single member of the World Cup squad was put on suspension for the next match, a friendly against Norway on August 18th though most of them will return for the European Championship qualifiers that begin in September. It is a bold statement by the new manager, Laurent Blanc, but something had to be done, though the previous manager, Raymond Domenech is hardly an innocent in...

Logo d’oh Given that the logo for the London 2012 Olympics looks like Lisa Simpson carrying out illegal and immoral activities with her brother, it is very difficult for anyone British to take the high ground on this. But you do have to wonder what the organisers for Brazil 2014 were thinking about when they gave [...]...

Perhaps this is a frivolous post, but with Theo Walcott shockingly omitted from Fabio Capello’s World Cup squad, the England national team are left with ZERO players from Arsenal traveling to South Africa. Sure, Arsenal FC will be well-represented in this year’s tournament: William Gallas (France), Robin van Persie (Holland), Niklas Bendtner (Denmark), Cesc Fabregas (Spain) to name a few. But I find it not only disheartening that none of the English squad are Gunners, but an indictment on Arsene Wenger’s questionable personnel decisions. Let me point out that I am American, and perhaps it is not my place to speculate on the feelings of the average English football fan, but on those Champions League nights where the Gunners take to the pitch and there is zero English...

• Fábregas says any Barcelona deal will be up to Arsenal• 'Wenger said to leave it in his hands ... now I just wait'Cesc Fábregas has said that the ball is now firmly in Arsenal's court over his possible move to Barcelona and that his future rests in the hands of Arsène Wenger.Barcelona confirmed this week that they have made initial contact over a possible deal, with reports suggesting Fábregas had asked Arsenal to be allowed to move. The player's father, Francesc, was quoted as saying his son "wants the signing to be closed as soon as possible ... I don't know how this is going to end up, but I think that we need to respect the decision and the will of the player."But the Spain midfielder says he has held positive talks with Wenger, and has left the manager to decide what...

The Man Who Still Holds the Key to Arsenal's Future At first glance, this question looks bleedingly obvious. With their massive fan base, a beautiful new 60,000 plus seat stadium, and their years of success and trophies, Arsenal should be quite clearly considered to be a “big club.” For the past decade and more, they have been considered part of the so-called Big Four, along with Chelsea, Manchester United, and Liverpool. But now that old order is crumbling, and Arsenal are struggling to keep pace with the other big clubs. Just about three weeks ago, when Tottenham Hotspur beat Arsenal, Guardian pundit (and EPL Talk award winner) Barry Glendenning made an offhanded comment that should really stick in the gut of all Arsenal fans. He stated that of course Spurs should beat us. They...

So Cesc is off then. So long and thanks for all the skill, the vision and the bushy eyebrows. Is this an Arsenal crisis in the making? Wasn’t Wenger building that team around Fabregas? How can you replace a player as good as that? It takes a lot of money. But Wenger doesn’t like to spend a lot of money – almost nobly so in fact. So how is he going to fill that Cesc-sized hole in the side? Can the likes of Nasri actually play that role as well as Fabregas? It’s far from clear. I wonder if the problem this has created for Wenger will make him question the point of staying on at Arsenal for much longer. Let’s face it he’s spent four of five years creating the side that was nearly really good this season but which once again won nothing. In reality he’s probably only got one...

Playoff Schedule For Premier League Promotion Set Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion have already booked their tickets to the top flight next season but the EPL still has room for one more club. Teams that finished 3-6 will compete in a playoff for that final promotion spot in the Coca-Cola Championship Playoff. The fixtures have officially been announced and will follow the typical home-and-away format. #3 Nottingham Forest vs. #6 Blackpool First Leg: Saturday, May 8, at Blackpool, 12:45 GMT Return Leg: Tuesday, May 11, at Nottingham Forest, 7:45 GMT #4 Cardiff City vs. #5 Leicester City First Leg: Sunday , May 9, at Leicester City, 1:15 GMT Return Leg: Wednesday, May 12, at Cardiff City, 7:45 GMT Rob McCuskey from our sister-site Championship Talk has an in-depth analysis...

Read between the lines Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has taken an inadvertent swipe at Arsenal and Arsene Wenger ahead of his side’s Champions League semi-final clash with Inter Milan. The Gunners were the - probably unintended - victims of Guardiola’s mind-games with Jose Mourinho as the Barca boss effectively said that Arsenal were not as competitive as [...]...

1. The title race that is going down to the wire, then is all over, then is going down to the wire, then is all over, is going down to the wire again. 2. But it isn’t going down to the wire for Arsenal after their sucker punch from Wigan. 3. The Paul Scholes, He Scores [...]...

Frustrated on the sidelines. Incredulous. This is the emotion Arsene Wenger must be feeling after seeing his team go from being two goals up to a Wigan side battling for survival at the bottom of the Premier League, to losing the game three goals to two. I don’t believe that Wigan pulled off this comeback because they are the stronger side, because they aren’t. I don’t believe Wigan was able to upset the odds today because of their manager Roberto Martinez, and I don’t believe Wigan’s win had anything to do with a lucky break. I believe Arsenal’s loss can be saddled on the shoulders of Arsenal’s own deficiencies, rather than the positive attributes of the Wigan team who beat them. First, it must be said, kudos to Wigan for being able to pull that off. They kept...

The significance of tomorrow’s match at Wigan will be determined by the results in two local derbies this afternoon; defeats suffered by either of the top two can breathe life into the squad, knowing that a win for Arsenal will either stop the title chase being totally extinguished or second place being within their own destiny. According to the tenor of Arsène’s press conference yesterday, neither of those possibilities exists, the manager ridiculed in some quarters for refusing to give up the notion of winning a trophy. Quite what is expected of him is beyond comprehension. Of course he does not publicly give up when the mathematics still makes anything possible, even if he privately acknowledges the reality to be different. That the majority of his observations, reported at...

• Wenger insists Fábregas will not be sold to Barcelona• 'I cannot see anybody with a competitive edge going to Spain'Arsène Wenger has told Cesc Fábregas that moving to Spain would be a step down. Wenger, who also insisted Fábregas will not be sold to Barcelona and denied that any secret meetings have taken place between his club and the European champions, insisted that the Spanish league is in "complete disarray".The Arsenal chairman, Peter Hill-Wood, had claimed on Wednesday that Barcelona had promised not to bid for Fábregas during informal talks between the clubs, but the Liga side have since denied any such agreement."We have not been in contact with Barcelona," said Wenger today. "There is an official dinner before every Champions League game and of course there is a lot...

So it looks as though that’s it for another year for Arsenal. Another trophy-less season. Wenger’s admirable faith in his side may have been slightly misplaced after all. They’re not far away from being winners but not close enough. But does it really matter? You’ll read and hear a lot about how many years it’s been since they picked up any silverware as though it’s fifty years or something. Its actually only five – which in the history of football, is not very long. But in the current climate of demands for instant success is an eon. But we live in impatient times. Fans who have grown up with such lush previous success, demand it once more as though it is a right. To listen to some of them talk it’s as though they feel almost insulted that Wenger hasn’t delivered more...

• Arsène Wenger confirms Robin van Persie will be in his squad• 'He's a very important player. He's important for the confidence'Robin van Persie will return to Arsenal's squad for tomorrow's derby against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.The Dutch striker has been sidelined for five months after rupturing ankle ligaments on international duty. He returned to full training last week and was expected to be available for the club's final three matches against Manchester City, Blackburn Rovers and Fulham.But he is anxious to be involved in Arsenal's title run-in and his manager, Arsène Wenger, confirmed he would be involved against Tottenham, probably starting from the bench."He will feature," the Frenchman said. "He lacks a bit of match practice but when I pick a player it means...

After nearly two years of shadow boxing, the camps of Stan Kroenke and Alisher Usmanov are about to start to the real battle for control of the Gunners. Arsenal’s 4th largest shareholder, Lady Bracewell-Smith is looking to sell her 15.9% share and his retained the the U.S. based brokers Blackstones to find a buyer. With both potential owners well within the the minimum threshold, the temptation to bid for the chunk that Lady Bracewell-Smith will be tantalising. The additional issue here is that the Arsenal board view Kroenke as the friendly option and have assisted him by selling him shares between £8,500 and £10,000 each. Usmanov is rightly or wrongly, viewed as an unwilling option to most of the remaining board members. Whilst the animosity that both suitors faced is certainly...

After the Tuesday night defeat in the Champions League at the hands of Lionel Messi and a sublime performance from Barcelona, Arsenal supporters are at a crossroads and have an important decision to make. Do they want beautiful football or do they want to win trophies? It’s as simple as that. If they want to win trophies, I honestly believe that Arsene Wenger is no longer the man for the job. He’s an astute fellow who has an incredible eye for finding young talented footballers and grooming them into world-class players. And he’s completely modernized the game of football in England by bringing in the best of continental football. But when it comes down to making a decision between having his footballers play the beautiful brand of football that his team is renowned for, or...

The pleasures of playing football are easy enough to understand. It’s a great sport and if you’re any good you get a shed load of cash, the sexual attentions of fake blonde women, and a mock Tudor house full of 132″ plasma TVs. There’s nothing not to like about being a footballer. It’s a part-time job which you might do little more than around twenty hours a week. But being a manager is an entirely different gig. It occupies their every waking hour. While many say it’s the best job in football after being a player, I’m not sure that Zola and Tony Mowbray would say that this week. The pressure it puts on them at times seems unbearable. Mowbray, a tough, hard-boiled Teessider visibly aged by 10 years in the last 9 months managing Celtic. After the midweek thumping by St...

Sorry it’s late, I think Bazza had problems with the pitch. I have to confess that it was with trepidation that I headed on the motorway north for this match. I had visions that if we defended in the way we had done so for the previous three matches that this slick, pacey and skilful Gunners...

“Let’s all do the Wenger, let’s all do the Wenger” Today was the best atmosphere at St Andrews for quite a long time and I think today’s opponents had a lot to do with it.  Arsenal must really hate us although today 1-1 was a fair result.  There were not many clear cut chances and we...

At last a football performance to measure the fragrance of potential that has been sprayed in the North London air for many years.  Finally on a big European stage it could be smelled in from afar cities as Barcelona, Milan and Manchester. Arsenal’s 5 star unleaded performance against Porto was arguably the best all season, in particular Nicklas Bendtner.  Now as an Arsenal fan, I find I am regularly trying ways (with work colleagues) to defend the inclusion of Bendtner who deserved his hat-trick, to be blunt he is frustrating, very frustrating.  But at the same time Arsenal fans best get used to it!! “Why?” I hear is the cry? Because ‘number 52′ is the only man in Wenger’s locker who hasn’t got twinkle ‘Fred Astaire’ toes and runs like a Road...

Dear Monsieur Wenger, I wanted to take the time to congratulate you on your team’s recent successes in the Premier League and more specifically the UEFA Champions League. You’ve fought back and are in the heat of a title race and reaching the last eight in any competition is deserved of accolades, but the most prestigious Cup competition in the World, that’s something to be proud of. The way your team played with such utter confidence against Porto at home Tuesday night was something to behold (and look at the turn around in form of one Nicklas Bendtner from his lowly weekend efforts, simply stunning). The confidence your club displayed directly influenced the teams ability to move the ball at will, maintain possession and attack with purpose, not to mention, it was...

Cesc’s hamstring is dominating the lead up to the encounter with Porto, Arsene has to decide whether or not the risk of aggravating the injury, and potentially the title challenge, is outweighed by the requirement to retrieve a one-goal deficit. It is all reminscent of the first Champions League campaign hosted at The Emirates, PSV Eindhoven held a similarly slender lead – although Arsenal did not have what may turn out to be a precious away goal – with a key player, that time it was Thierry Henry, having an injury which ought to have precluded his involvement. It did not and the Premier League campaign limped to its conclusion, fourth place attained. The chance of winning the remaining two competitions puts Wenger into the quandry, the solution for which he is paid to...

• Arsenal manager says playing captain would be a gamble• Tight hamstring forced Spaniard off after goal against BurnleyArsène Wenger says it would be a gamble to play Cesc Fábregas in Tuesday night's Champions League last-16 second-leg tie against Porto at the Emirates Stadium and one that he will not be prepared to take if there is too great a risk of the Arsenal captain suffering another serious hamstring injury.Fábregas was forced off with tightness to the musclein the 39th minute of Saturday's 3-1 Premier League home win over Burnley after scoring his 17th goal of the seasonmoments earlier to put his team 1-0 up. The manager gives him "a little chance" of being fit for the game against Porto, who lead 2-1 from the first leg. Wenger, who also said he would be without the...

We have another article from Sporting Intelligence. Originally posted here. Read below: Wenger an Easy Rider as Blues take Cup break from Premier League dramas By Brian Sears 5 March 2010 If we define a nail-biting game as one in which the result could be changed with the last kick of the match, then they’re becoming rarer in...

• Wenger still angry with Martin Hansson's display at Porto• Manager accuses Swedish official of not being competentArsène Wenger believes Uefa needs to overhaul the way it chooses referees after accusing Sweden's Martin Hansson of not being competent. The Arsenal manager insists Hansson was wrong to allow Porto's second goal against his side in the 2-1 Champions League defeat in Portugal on Wednesday after giving an indirect free-kick in the penalty area following a touch by Sol Campbell after which goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski picked the ball up, with the referee deeming there had been a back-pass."It has to be clarified first of all how they [Uefa] nominate referees for games," Wenger said. "They have to be much more open on how they rate their referees. Nobody knows really how...

Arsenal's manager, Arsène Wenger, accuses the Swedish referee Martin Hansson of giving Porto a goal but Porto's manager Jesualdo Ferreira says the goal was fair...

Pre-match puff FAIL Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger left himself open to a healthy dose of we told you so from the club’s supporters after going out of his way to praise keeper Lukasz Fabianski before his howlers in last night’s Champions League clash against Porto. Many Gooners have made no secret of their desire for Wenger to [...]...

• Arsenal manager claims official's blunder 'gave' Porto a goal• Campbell's back-pass was 'accidental' and free-kick 'laughable'A furious Arsène Wenger accused the Swedish referee, Martin Hansson, of "giving Porto a goal" last night with the Frenchman incensed that Porto had been allowed to take a quick free-kick inside the Arsenal penalty area after Lukasz ­Fabianski's handled the ball.The visitors' Polish goalkeeper had inexplicably picked up Sol Campbell's back-pass – though Wenger disputed whether the defender's touch had been deliberate – and, in his disappointment, had given Hansson the ball. The referee duly handed it to Rúben Micael who touched it for Falcao to score, with Wenger describing that decision as "laughable", though he overlooked the fact that Thierry Henry...

Here is Dale’s latest article. ————————————————————————————— Arsenal’s artistic style of football has striking similarities to Van Gough, a genius at what they do but a product of their own downfall. The gunners are yet to see silverware since 2002 and there’s only so many “end of the seasons” that Wenger can be judged on. As a manager,...

George Graham’s recent comments regarding Arsenal have struck a few chords. In highlighting the failure to win trophies since 2005s FA Cup, Wenger’s predecessor provided an immediate contrast between the pair: I’ll give you trophies. We’ll take some criticism, but I will give you trophies Graham did that to an extent but he lost his way, on and off the pitch. Having delivered the title twice with teams that had the same capabilities as any that Wenger has fielded, he retreated into his shell, the team content to get the ball quickly to Wright and hope that he scored. They knew that once a lead was established, there was a very high percentage in their favour that the back four would not be breached. Except that really only held true until 1993 when an extraordinarily...

Russian’s fashion statement thwarted Yoink! Arsene Wenger wants all the post-match attention to be on his team selection and the subsequent humiliating defeat, not some silly Russian attacker taking to the pitch wearing his woolly hat....

The news comes as a bit of a surprise but shouldn't really, but Sol Campbell looks to be close to agreeing a short-term deal with Arsenal.  Arsenal have obtained a special registration which will allow Campbell to take part in a reserve team match against West Ham reserves tonight.Campbell has been training with Arsenal in Hertfordshire since soon after leaving Notts County and will act as cover for Thomas Vermaelen and William Gallas until the end of the season.  This strikes me as a good signing as Campbell is a first class defender, and was key to Wengers 2003/04 Invincibles Team will provide confidence in the event of absence or need for rest to Wengers key centre-halves which will lend Wengers title chances more credibility.  He is also available for registration in...

Arsene Wenger reveals his handball drills Republic of Ireland fans can allow themselves a wry smile after Arsene Wenger revealed that he trains his players to handle the ball. The Arsenal boss was speaking after Saturday’s match against Everton when midfielder Denilson did his best dying swan impression while in possession. The Toffees’ Tim Cahill sportingly kicked [...]...

Arsene has been talking to French TV about his future. His current contract ends next summer, some eighteen months away which does not necessarily mean a great deal. Following on from the Q&A with shareholders where he felt the squad was underappreciated, for the first time in his career he came close to breaking his contract, admitting to talks with Real Madrid. There is no evidence to suggest that this summer will see a repeat. I am giving myself a bit of time to think. What is important is that the club is in good hands, whether they are mine or someone else’s. Ivan Gazidis dropped a hint last week that the club were keen to tie the manager down for a longer period but Wenger does not necessarily renew with this much time in hand. Much will depend, I suspect, on how the squad...

Well when your side is screaming out for a centre half, why not simply go out and sign a centre midfielder who’s lost his pace and has struggled with injuries for 3 seasons. Yes, Roberto Mancini seems to think that by signing a creaky Patrick Vieira, it’ll help shore up a leaky defence. 5 years ago, Viera was clearly one of the best centre midfielders in Europe, but his four years in Italy have seen his reputation decline. Whilst certainly not past it by any stretch of the imagination, I cannot believe Vieira can cope with the pace of Premiership football any more. I know his move is motivated by being a regular starter for France, but he hasn’t started a competitive game for Les Blues since August 2007 and I do not see the benefit of disrupting the midfield pairing of...

Good morning from a snowy Thames Valley, the world falling apart at the first hint of half a foot of snow.  As of yet, tonight’s game has not been postponed but presumably, if that is to happen, it will be called off to stop visiting supporters taking leave of their senses, sorry, travelling down to the match from the north-west. Elsewhere, Arsene has declared that he will not be held to ransom in the transfer market: It’s my responsibility to spend the money in the right way. Why should I splash it out and pay 10 [million pounds] for a player who is worth five?  It’s normal that you buy the players for the right price. If [Lionel] Messi is available maybe you would spend the money. But you look at the financial situations of many clubs in England and it is because...

Here is Dale’s latest article. ———————————————————————– The world of football has been blessed with immense talent in recent years, from the days of Zidane’s ingeniousness, Ronaldinho’s trickery and Messi’s balance and grace. Couple this with the likes of Christiano Ronaldo, Torres, Kaka, Gerrard, Iniesta, the list goes on! The La Liga and Premiership has emerged as the...