The trip to Hull brings back many fond memories of previous encounters, Phil Brown’s jocularity always shines through when faced with Arsenal and Brian ‘Laughing Boy’ Horton; well, what a guy. That stand-up routine he and Cesc had going really recreated Harlem from the Blaxploitation movies, right down to the public shoe-shine. This is one of those fixtures which Alex Ferguson referred to be as being ‘easier’, Hull’s league position being the driver to that comment. It is that fact which makes it one of the tougher of the run-in. Chelsea and Manchester City have both failed to take maximum points from their visits to the Humber, Machester United are one of only two sides to have achieved that this season, highlighting the paucity of the hosts form on...

I raid my record collection and nab a post title from The Buzzcocks. Darius raids his and comes up with a Tears for Fears lyric. Tears for bleedin’ Fears? Yea Gods. I know whose CDs I’d like to listen to and they ain’t his…although any article that references Steve Marriott can’t be all bad. The Association of British Specialist Insurers has suggested that in the last few weeks members have inundated them, seeking advice on how to approach the development of a new product. A select group of clients are clamouring to buy what has been described as ’Humble Pie’ insurance, seeking to find solutions that will save face, stop them from eating their words, and shield them from having industrial portions of humble pie shoved down their throats come the end of the football...

Media reports of Nicklas Bendtner having the ‘last laugh’ put the whole of the coverage surrounding his performances in recent days into the perspective that they deserve. The image which sprang to my mind was a Python-esque character, dressed in Superhero garb, proclaiming, “I laugh in the face of danger“, his horn-rimmed spectacles perched precariously on his nose. The ‘danger’? Anyone taking the criticism and praise seriously without realising that they will return in equal measure, depending upon his performance at Hull on Saturday. Bendtner noted that this is the manner in which the ‘issue’ was dealt with ‘internally’: There was some criticism of me after the game last Saturday, but me and my team-mates have just laughed...

UEFA Champions League, Round of Sixteen, 2nd Leg Arsenal 5 – 0 FC Porto Arsenal win 6 – 2 on aggregate 1 – 0 Bendtner (10) 2 – 0 Bendtner (25) 3 – 0 Nasri (63) 4 – 0 Eboue (66) 5 – 0 Bendtner (90 pen) There are times when football is a cruel mistress; there are times when she is full of love and benevolence. Nicklas Bendtner experienced both extremes in the space of four days, a double hat-trick of chances missed against Burnley, a hat-trick to ensure comfortable progression on aggregate through to the Quarter-Finals of this season’s Champions League. Charles Dickens summed it up rather nicely indeed, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”. The final outcome cannot be argued with, Arsenal deserved the win for an...

Porto arrive at The Emirates, defending a one-goal advantage, on the back of a poor record when visiting London. The Portuguese champions have not won on their last six visits, indeed losing them all. If Arsenal are to progress that record must continue. It is the night when comic pundit Ian Wright ‘feared‘ that Arsenal’s season would be over. Perhaps he should return to the company of Fozzy and Kermit. They will have to achieve that victory without Cesc Fabregas. Losing your best player is disadvantageous but unlike previous seasons, Arsenal has depth in its squad to cover this loss. The likeliest replacement is Samir Nasri but any one of the Frenchman, Tomas Rosicky or even Andrey Arshavin can fulfil the playmaker role, other personnel can be shuffled to compensate for...

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...

Toffees boss awards his side an extra goal Everton manager David Moyes caused some sniggering in the post-match press conference when it emerged he had last track of the score during his side’s thrashing of Hull City. In fact, Moyes needed a bit of convincing that the game had finished at 5-1 and not 6-1 as [...]...

Arsenal 3 – 1 Burnley 1 – 0 Fabregas (34) 1 – 1 Nugent (50) 2 – 1 Walcott (61) 3 – 1 Arshavin (90) A day of squandered chances when the scoreline could have matched the Arsenal Ladies 10 goal drubbing of their Tottenham counterparts. On any other day, Nicklas Bendtner would have scored a double hat-trick. Arsenal remain third albeit closer to the summit than at the start of the day. The victory has come at a potentially high price. Cesc was withdrawn shortly after scoring the opening goal with a hamstring injury, Arsene unable to shed any light on the damage but it seems unlikely that he would risk his most influential player for the midweek clash against Porto with the Premier League title at stake. Following the Spaniard’s departure, Samir Nasri...

Burnley arrive at The Emirates today, wedged by the media into the role of sacrificial lambs, ready to be slaughtered at the altar of pure football. Arsene has no doubt warning the players that the visitors will fight, the relegation place predicted for them at the start of the season being good motivation for them not to succumb willingly. Even so, Arsenal should have too much ability for three points not to be taken. To do so, the back four will have a little bit of a makeshift look. Sol Campbell and William Gallas will be absent, a starting line-up place for Mikael Silvestre the likeliest option to partner Thomas Vermaelen. The inclusion of Kyle Bartley in the squad looks to be purely so that there is a specialised centre back on the bench although having two left-sided central...

Bhavesh Patel, vice president of interactive media for Fox Sports International, is the latest guest on the EPL Talk Podcast. Responsible for FoxSoccer.tv and FoxSoccer.com, Patel answers many questions from you, the readers, that you’ve posted on EPL Talk. During the interview, Patel answers questions about: whether FoxSoccer.tv will add additional Premier League content other than games, what the delay is for Premier League games shown on Fox Soccer Channel that are made available on demand on FoxSoccer.tv, whether you can watch two Premier League games online at once on FoxSoccer.tv, what we can expect to see on FoxSoccer.com during this summer’s World Cup, if there are plans to make FoxSoccer.tv available on the iPad, iPhone or similar devices, and more. Don’t forget...

Aaaah, Friday. The day before the weekend and a match. A day when I get a lie-in, Darius takes over. So big fella, take it away. What???!!! You need a week off because of work? Work is for wimps, mister. As Jim Royle would say, “Work, my arse”. Oh bugger, I’d better get my act together…. Right, profuse apologies proferred from Darius so here we go. Nigel Winterburn has got the ball rolling ahead of the visit of Burnley to The Emirates tomorrow, having a James moment, believing that the title may just be the squad’s destiny calling: They have a great chance now, they are right in there after Chelsea’s defeat on Saturday, and they have to feel they can win most of these last 10 games and push United and Chelsea all the way. The key is to put pressure on...

International week draws to a close and the true extent of injuries will become clear. Reports suggest Carlos Vela scored and then limped off, the expectation that the Mexican will be missing for a few weeks, something that will no doubt be confirmed or denied by Wenger in pre-match press conference. Elsewhere, Nicklas Bendtner scored for Denmark whilst Theo Walcott had a forgettable evening for England, along with the rest of the starting line-up, in the victory over Egypt. Peter Crouch is being hailed as the solution to England’s goalscoring problem which is fine if we are playing Hungary, Uruguay, Trinidad, Jamaica, Greece, Andorra, Macedonia, Ukraine, Belarus or Estonia. Against top-class opposition, we remain totally buggered. Gael Clichy opined that confidence was not affected...

Ivan Gazidis re-affirmed the board’s desire to retain the services of Arsene when his current contract ends, leaving an open interpretation as to whether or not negotiations have taken place: It’s very low key and it will get done at the right time. Lest anyone doubt why the board are keen to keep the manager, I think it is very difficult to encapsulate in any succinct way what Arsène Wenger has done for this club,” says Gazidis. His discipline and his vision are why we are in a new stadium and why we are redefining the way the game can be played. He has created a young squad that has a tremendous future without having the resources that some other teams have. Those achievements are down to Arsène’s sense of responsibility not to himself but to the club. When he...

Robert Johnson reputedly sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads near Dockery Plantation. English football today stands at a crossroads. The Devil we know in one direction, the righteous path to improvement another and the third, no-one dare look down. Each week, the Premier League serves up a mixed fare, the spectrum served from the passing game of Arsenal through to the routine, long ball variant of Blackburn, Bolton and their ilk. In that mix, there is a speed and physicality unmatched by other countries domestic games. Some matches are good, others turgid. Sometimes there are incidents which ought to force contemplation. Aaron Ramsey’s injury is one of those. One quote sticks in my mind, the imagery vivid. Ramsey’s national team manager, John Toshack, said: It is a...

The usual suspects have lined up to defend Ryan Shawcross’ challenge on Aaron Ramsey, blithely dismissing it as ‘one of those things, football is so fast‘. It is not one of those things because football is faster now, nor is it acceptable because there are ‘40-50 tackles which are just as bad‘ – Alan Hansen fearing that Steven Gerrard will be pulled up for his usual two-footed lunge at some point. As is normal, apologists are stating that the manner in which Arsenal play invites a more robust approach from opponents. In admitting that, English players and coaches roundly invite themselves severe criticism for failing to improve the native talents to control and pass a football. If that is the standard that the English have, little wonder that Arsene has...

Why would I make the save when there’s gardening to be done? Cardiff keeper Peter Enckelman is the master of goalkeeping howlers. The Finnish keeper’s career has been dogged by the memory of the outrageous goal he conceded in the Birmingham derby from an Olof Mellberg throw-in. So things like this incident against Preston don’t really [...]...

Carling Cup winners get a decent workout Comedian James Corden (better known as Gavin and Stacey’s Smithy) has already delivered a motivational speech to the England squad for Comic Relief. Now he has put Manchester United’s players through their paces with an aerobic workout for Sport Relief. The full sketch will not be seen until the Sport [...]...

Arsenal return to the scene of the crime this afternoon, DCI Arsene Wenger must use the evidence of the recent FA Cup defeat to provide the answers that will bring about a victory for the first time in the Britannia Stadium. The match may not be as intense, the outcome no less important to the eventual winners as Arsenal will know whether or not it is an opportunity to close the gap on Chelsea, by the time kick-off comes. Wenger has key players missing but the line-up this afternoon will be stronger than that which took the pitch in January’s encounter. Diaby, Gallas and Arshavin are missing, failing to recover from their injuries, set to return next weekend. Stoke had a tough FA Cup replay in midweek but any fatigue will be compensated by the victory, comfortable as it unfolded....

It’s Friday, he’s Darius. If ever there was a time that the old adage of ’one game at a time’ rang true, it’s between now and May 9th; we finally get to know what stuff the team and the supporters are made of. The path to Arsenal’s glory is littered with self doubting spineless customers, condescending and contemptuous hacks and pundits, a rough ride to fight for each of the 33 remaining points, and a small matter of good fortune. ‘Tis the season of miracles. When Arsenal fans ask for miracles – I give you Everton and Villa, with others yet to relieve our title challengers off of a few more points. My enemy’s enemy is my friend and I will shamelessly continue with my new found closet support for Villa, Man City, Liverpool, Spurs (I’m still shaking my head you...

Robin van Persie provided a glimpse of brightness in a matchless week with the view of his national team coach that he could be back by early April. This is tempered of course, by the fact that the KNVB doctors recently opined that the striker could be fit to play in next week’s round of pointless internationals, sorry , important international matches, crucial in the respective nations preparation for the World Cup finals or sitting at home, twiddling their thumbs, regretting that missed open goal or defensive lapses which precluded their involvement in South Africa. Coming back at that point could prove crucial if he hits the ground running, quickly rediscovering the form van Persie was showing prior to suffering his latest injury. At that point, Arsenal could be in the...

English football is littered with Great White Hopes, talented youngsters who have failed to deliver when push came to shove. Few in the modern game have had a longevity which matched their early promise, injury or poor career choices have blighted them. Following on the heels of Wayne Rooney, Theo Walcott was seen as a sign that the misnomer ‘Golden Generation‘ might have been applied too early to the England team of 2002. In a World Cup year, injuries are the key focus of media speculation when their imperialistic bombast is not slating the South African hosts for their construction skills (wrongly) and Fifa for their greed (rightly). The England team would not be ready for a tournament if a metatarsal was not snapped into pieces. It seems that the bone in the foot of the...

The weekend’s results have consolidated positions at the top of the table, a gap now apparent between 3rd and those chasing the last Champions League place. I suspect that Rafa Benitez’s objection to the idea of a play-off for the 4th spot in next season’s competition would be less vociferous were it in place right now. Nicklas Bendtner has received praise from his manager, He had a good game on Saturday in fairness to him and we hope that we will click in the final third. We have Arshavin coming back, Diaby coming back, Bendtner in good shape and Walcott in good shape. It will be very important from game to game now that everybody is available No mention of Eduardo in his comments which could simply be an oversight but perhaps a touch indicative that there is not...

Arsenal 2 – 0 Sunderland 1 – 0 Bendtner (27) 2 – 0 Fabregas (90 pen) Before the weekend’s fixtures commenced, the objective was three points to ensure that capitalising on closing the gap to the top was not wasted. Come the respective final whistles, second place was but a win away, Chelsea provided their expected win so no change there. Provided that wins are achieved in the next two games, March 6th may see that advantage all but wiped out – if Manchester City can take something from their visit to Stamford Bridge next weekend – albeit with a game more played. A lot of ifs, buts and maybes in a labyrinthian Premier League season. Yesterday’s win was ground out; a far from vintage performance that yielded the right result, the outcome far more...

Sunderland today but there is little to be said other than a win is required. A short while ago, Nicky, contacted me to share some wartime memories of his life and times supporting Arsenal. Very kindly he has answered questions – pertinent and impertinent – the interview is below. Born in 1923, Nicky has spent most of his life in the Channel Islands, aside from the war years which were spent in England and overseas. YW: How did a boy from the Channel Islands come to support Arsenal? Nicky: My Father watched the 1932 “over the line” Cup Final and that set the allegiance in stone. We take it for granted in the age of internet and Sky that we will be able to keep in touch with Arsenal. How did you manage to ‘feed your habit’ as a youth? Pre-war, we Arsenal fans followed...

I’m curious. When you send huge quantities of spam emails, surely the idea is to entice someone into your web to be able to rip them off. Thus, marketing a product would play to it’s strongest points. So why, dear people, are those who try to flog me Viagra – 2 kids already, quite happy with that BTW – lowering their discounts as the night gets older? Surely they should be increasing or at the very least, holding firm? Anyway, Darius is on the case. No, not that one. This one… I have a sequence of rituals I perform before every Arsenal game. It’s a habit I acquired from way back in high school when I was convinced that our First team school rugby squad was bewitched. Believe me, we had some insalubrious characters that would give the Mystic Meg’s and...

UEFA Champions League Round of Sixteen, First Leg FC Porto 2 – 1 Arsenal (11) 1 – 0 Varela (16) 1 – 1 Campbell (50) 2 – 1 Falcao This defeat was not down to the referee, although the original, perhaps more eyecatching, title of this piece perhaps captures the mood: “Arsenal Lose In Porto Thanks To The Cult Of The Referee. And Yes, That Was A Typo“. Yesterday’s headline said it all: “Injuries are not an excuse. Neither is sloppiness“. This loss was not down to anything bar two instances of concentration being entirely absent. Sloppiness. This was a match which Arsenal should not have lost. They were in control for long periods and had a lot of freedom to move around the pitch at will. Porto seemed content to let Arsenal play this way,...

Champions League football returns, the elongated Round of Sixteen especially stretched so that UEFA can milk as much television and sponsorship money as possible allow fans to see each of the games without having to split their TV screens… Injuries have depleted the squad that travelled to Portugal but even so Wenger will be able to field a strong starting XI with options on the bench, albeit the forward line being a little limited in that respect. Arsenal are favourites, a not unusual position, and judging by the comments attributed to the players in the media, Porto are not entirely sure of their chances, influenced no doubt by some indifferent domestic form. Even so, they are the only team in the competition who has the chance to win four trophies in one season, which even if you...

Injuries once more dominate the horizon with Andrey Arshavin confirming that he will be missing a short break in the sun, probably returning for the weekend’s clash with Sunderland. Alex Song seems unlikely to make the flight as well which means that there will be a seat for Eduardo, apparently recovered but you have to suspect not ready for a starting slot. Thomas Vermaelen is no doubt looking on somewhat bemused by it all. The Belgian was initially diagnosed with a suspected broken leg at Villa Park, a prognosis that was quickly downgraded to a bad bruise, the pain from which was dutifully ignored in order to appear in the recent run of fixtures from Hell; no doubt the medical staff had a ready supply of Witchhazel. Vermaelen spoke of the squad unity: We will keep fighting to the...

Xenophobic TV text OTP has the pleasure of bumping into a former Premier League player over the weekend who was in very good spirits and having a bit of a joke. So which recently retired player had the following gripe with Dutch television? “I played in Holland for four years, I learnt the language and always did [...]...

FC Porto loom large on the horizon, the perceived wisdom being that Arsenal were the ‘lucky’ English club when the draw was made before Christmas. There is no doubt that the draw could have been tougher but underestimating the Portuguese side is the fastest way to find the exit door of this season’s Champions League. Arsenal has never won a European tie in Portugal, the best results being two goalless draws, 1969-70 against Sporting and in 2006-07 against Porto. Kevin Campbell’s strike against Benfica in 1991-92 being the only goal scored on Portuguese soil by Arsenal in a competitive match. Not that the club makes regular visits there, a two goal defeat in 2008-09 the only other fixture. If victory is to be achieved, the midfield will have to work hard and retain...

For once, I haven’t been upset at there not being a game this weekend, Number 1 son’s 10th birthday falling on a convenient weekend. I suspect Mrs YW is not upset at me disappearing off to football today either although she would never admit it…! There is a media bandwagon edging out of first gear at the moment for Cesc to return to the Camp Nou this summer with the latest fuel to that fire coming from his father. Apparently, the youngster will decide his future once the World Cup is over, a hardly unsurprising statement since every player apparently does the same, according to the media at least. The Presidential elections at Barcelona fan the flames with each candidate making Fabregas a key plank of their manifesto. Poor old Juan Laporta will see his ego damaged if his...

Pompey provide City with a stiff test Thanks to OTP reader Tom Commins for spotting this rather peculiar post which looks like it might descend into a jousting match....

Even though he has been busy revamping his website with all sorts of bells and whistles (which you should have a look at by the way) Darius finds time to get this off his chest. Must be a big chest then… When times are hard, adversity becomes a familiar bedfellow. It’s never easy to draw strength and inspiration. The last fortnight has been one to forget for players and fans alike but getting out from in between a rock and a hard place is easier said than done. There’s a famous Chinese story that captures the moment for me. It’s the story about the 3 boiling pots over the fire: In the first pot there was a carrot, in the second pot, an egg, and in the last one, tea leaves. They all faced the same adversity, boiling hot water. The carrot started out strong and hard, but...

Arsenal 1 – 0 Liverpool 1 – 0 Diaby (72) or ‘The Joy Of Six’ for the sake of a cheap gag. Liverpool were vanquished last night in a solid performance, a win ground out against an obdurate and unadventurous opponent who really only came to life once Abou Diaby had broken the deadlock. With United and Chelsea dropping points, the nine point gap was reduced to six, offering proof that the title race is not a procession, offering hope that the gap can be overhauled. Whether that hope is real or forlorn will be known by mid-April as remaining fixtures run down and the pair encounter the remainder of the top six teams. Wenger reshuffled before kick-off, Emmanuel Eboue taking the right back slot and Nicklas Bendtner leading the line, ensuring that Andrey Arshavin returned...

Liverpool arrive at The Emirates possibly in their best form of the season having taken 17 out of 21 possible points from their last seven games. Arsenal meanwhile are licking their wounds; the manager lambasted by sections of the ’support’, chastised by the media for not buying, the players told that a team which is third in the division might well be relegation fodder come the end of May. OK, the last one is an exaggeration but not much of one. Little joy could be gleaned from the injury bulletin posted by Arsene with Eduardo not making tonight, instead only likely to take the field again in Portugal next week. At least he has no fresh worries furrowing his already well-ploughed brow in this area. Not so elsewhere and the signs are that, at long last, the straw on the media...

Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible - St Francis of Assisi A morning where all and sundry continue their onslaught against Arsenal, Arsene in particular bearing the brunt of the criticism. Questioning the decisions of the manager is part of a healthy debate into the state of affairs at the club and should not be discouraged otherwise complacency sets in. Where I take issue is when abuse becomes part of the ‘game’ which is counterproductive in both analysis and resolution. Put simply, if you do not have the mental capacity to put forward cogent arguments, do not bother; abuse means your input is instantly devalued and ignored. Indeed, this aspect erodes the pleasure many of us derive from watching and...

Chelsea 2 – 0 Arsenal 1 – 0 Drogba (7) 2 – 0 Drogba (22) The title chances took a dent, not ended as some would have you believe but battered and bruised nonetheless. As a performance, the team were vastly improved from last week’s defeat at home to Manchester United but still fell short at Stamford Bridge. The wounds for this defeat were self-inflicted. Marking was absent for the opener; Terry had a free header, losing Vermaelen and Diaby with an entirely predictable run to meet the corner; Drogba was left unmarked by Song and Clichy went walkabout. Errors which were individually avoidable with the collective being punished. A sense of déjà vu with the second. An Arsenal attack broke down on the edge of the Chelsea area with Lampard allowed to roam free through...

Stamford Bridge this afternoon represents a stern test following the capitulation last weekend. Some might say that it is not the ideal fixture to face considering that result. I would venture the opposite, a taxing fixture that is akin to falling off a bicycle; the best solution is to get back on and carry on riding. It is not, as the Sky cheerleading media may proclaim, a ‘must-win‘ match for Arsenal; it is a ‘must-no-lose‘ fixture if the title is to be a realistic ambition for the season. A gap of nine points at the top may prove a bridge too far at this stage, even with the history of recent months behind us. As Andrey Arshavin put it: After the Chelsea and Liverpool games the situation will become clearer Whatever happens this afternoon, the situation is out...

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...

Monday’s post was originally going to be entitled, “********. There Are Going To Be A ******** Of ******* Whinging ******** About This Week”. Seems I wasn’t alone in thinking that. Darius agrees. This past week is one of the most depressing I have witnessed as an Arsenal supporter. I’m not talking here about the loss to Man United in the Sunday league fixture at the Emirates. Far from that as I’m a bit more realistic that we won’t win every match we play. It’s more the mass hysteria and the venomous negativity after the self destruct button was engaged by the footballing establishment and Arsenal’s own home grown doom and gloom merchants. I always find that 2 things help following a disappointing loss. Firstly, the faster the team gets back on the pitch and corrects...