[Ryan Van Kappel]

Champions’ League Final Preview
Monday 20th May 2013

Arsenal – Manchester United

This Saturday, fans from England will be flooding into Madrid in search of Sun, Sangria and the biggest piece of Silverware in club football. For the second time in history, English fans will witness an amazing sight, an all English final. The last time this occurred was back in 2008 when Manchester United beat Chelsea on penalties, and this time Manchester United are once again involved, taking on Arsenal in what is billed to be a fiery contest between these two rivals. Arsenal, who lost out in the race to second place in the league behind Manchester City to United, will be relishing their opportunity to get revenge on the biggest stage in club football.

Arsenal, whose journey to the Nuevo Vincente Calderon started in August have seen off some high profile names on the way to Madrid including the local team and La Liga champions Real Madrid, their arch rivals Barcelona and Italian giants AC Milan. United have not had an easy time of it either, beating French Champions Lyon, a strong Juventus side and local rivals Liverpool to get here.

Expected Arsenal Line-up: Andrea Consigli; Damiano Ferronetti, Johan Djourou, Thomas Vermaelen, Gael Clichy; Stevan Jovetic, Yoann Gourcuff, Miguel Veloso, Cesc Fabregas, Theo Walcott; Robin Van Persie

Expected United Line-up: Ben Foster; Rafael, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Gareth Bale; Anderson, Owen Hargreaves, Wayne Rooney, Park Ji-Sung; Dimitar Berbatov, Robert Acquafresca

This post has been edited by Ryan Van Kappel: 05 May 2010 - 09:29 PM

[Ryan Van Kappel]

Wenger Calls It a Day
Friday, 24th May 2013

[/center]

Arsene Wenger spoke today at an emotional press conference in Madrid. Speaking in front of dozens of reporters there to ask him about the final against old rivals Manchester United and their manager Jose Mourinho, Wenger released a prepared statement that has in the hours that have since passed, rocked the entire footballing world.

“I think most of you here today would like to hear my opinion on this years final, I could tell you my formation, what I expect from Jose, but instead, today, I want to make an announcement. This Champions League final will be my last match in charge of Arsenal. It has been an amazing 17 years, but I feel that regardless of how we do in the final, I have done all I can with this club and in football. The players know this, I have discussed with them and they know the significance of this match. I cannot lie and say that I do not care about how we do tomorrow, I want to win, it would be a great way to finish my career, but regardless of the outcome tomorrow, I will be stepping down from my position as manager of Arsenal.”

When questioned as to whether or not the club have found a successor to him, Wenger answered vaguely by saying “There are a few people who would be good for the club and I will not leave this club in the hands of someone I do not trust.”

Many have applauded Arsenal’s performance in the Champions League, brushing aside Real Madrid and coming back to trounce Barcelona in the semi-finals. However, the news that Arsene will no longer be here has raised questions about the long-term success of this club. Regardless, Arsenal fans will be hoping for their first European success even though the man who got them where they are now will be gone not just from Arsenal, but from football.

Arsenal’s road to the final

Qualifying
Arsenal 1- 0 AZ Alkmaar
Az Alkmaar 0 – 2 Arsenal
Arsenal through 3 – 0 on aggregate

Group Stage



Atletico Madrid 4 – 4 Arsenal
Arsenal 1 – 1 Bayer Leverkusen
FC Twente 3 – 2 Arsenal
Arsenal 5 – 1 FC Twente
Arsenal 2 – 1 Atletico Madrid
Bayer Leverkusen 3 – 0 Arsenal

First Knockout Round
Arsenal 3 – 0 AC Milan
AC Milan 2 – 1 Arsenal
Arsenal through 4 – 2 on aggregate

Quarter Finals
Real Madrid 0 – 2 Arsenal
Arsenal 1 – 1 Real Madrid
Arsenal through 3 – 1 on aggregate

Semi-finals
Barcelona 3 – 2 Arsenal
Arsenal 3 – 0 Barcelona
Arsenal through 5 – 3 on aggregate

Final
Arsenal vs Manchester United

This post has been edited by Ryan Van Kappel: 05 May 2010 - 09:30 PM

[Ryan Van Kappel]

“We will win for Arsene”

Friday 24th May 2013


[/center]
After news of their manager’s impending retirement came out this morning, the Arsenal players came out as a group to give a statement outside their training ground in Madrid.

Arsenal Captain Cesc Fabregas was the first one to voice his thoughts saying “Arsene has been an inspiration to us all, as a team, we could not have asked for a better manager and the fact that we are in the Champions League final proves that fact.”

When asked how the squad has reacted to the news, veteran Russian playmaker Andrei Arshavin replied “We’ve known this for a while now, and that has helped motivate us. It has not been an easy road here, but with each game we said, let’s do it for Arsene and now we’ve got a chance to show him and the rest of the world that he is the best manager in the world.”

The reporters then asked the players about the upcoming match and this time it was the French midfielder Yoann Gourcuff, who joined from Bordeaux last summer who spoke up and though he didn’t have much to say, his words were possibly the most powerful of the press conference, “We will win, we will win for Arsene.”

This post has been edited by Ryan Van Kappel: 05 May 2010 - 09:30 PM

[Ryan Van Kappel]

Arsenal 1 Manchester United 0 – as it happened!
Nasri Seals Historic and Emotional Final Win for Arsenal

Ian Hayes at Nuevo Vincent Calderon
guardian.co.uk, Saturday 25 May 2013 22.18 BST
Article History


Nasri celebrates the winning goal.

7.30pm: Hello and welcome to Madrid, the final stage of the biggest club competition in the world.

Some interesting facts

• This will be Arsene Wenger’s last match ever
  
• This is only Arsenal’s 2nd appearance in the Champions League final

7.38pm: The teams are warming up in the wet and cold conditions on this momentous May night. The fans travelling from England must be wondering if they’ve crossed the channel or not. Here are your teams
Arsenal: Andrea Consigli; Danielle Capelli, Nicolas N’Koulou, Johan Djourou, Gael Clichy; Stevan Jovetic, Yoann Gourcuff, Miguel Veloso, Cesc Fabregas, Theo Walcott; Eduardo. Subs: Lukasz Fabianski, Andrea Coda, Alex Song, Robin van Persie, Thomas Vermaelen, Samir Nasri, Nicklas Bendtner.
Manchester United: Ben Foster; Rafael, Nemanja Vidic, Johnny Evans, Gareth Bale; Darren Fletcher, Owen Hargreaves, Anderson; Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov, Robert Acquafresca. Subs: Anton Cook, Fabio, Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick, Frederico Macheda, Ryan Shawcross, Wes Brown.
Referee: Cyril Zimmerman (Switzerland)

7.40pm: The crowd are chanting Arsene Wenger’s name. Jose Mourinho walks over to the Arsenal dugout to shake Arsene’s hand as an opponent for the last time.

7.43pm: The captains Fabregas and Rooney shake hands and exchange pennants. The coin is flipped. United win the flip, so Arsenal will kick off.

1 min: Peeep! They’re off and Arsenal have had the ball stuck to their feet and Capelli gets the ball unmarked out on the right from Gourcuff and his cross has to be desperately cut out by Rafael.

2 mins: First foul of the game and it’s Vidic who clatters Eduardo to the ground.

3 mins: Dean Sheppard thinks that despite the emotional significance of this night that Arsenal do not have what it takes to beat United.

6 mins: Consigli has to dive at the feet of Berbatov as Anderson’s through ball flashes in between the two of them.

7 mins: Already we’ve had 5 fouls, Zimmerman needs to make sure this doesn’t get out of hand.

9 mins: Neither team seems able to get the ball into the final third.

11 mins: Brilliant play by Arsenal exchanging pass after pass and eventually finding Clichy in space on the left, but the French full-back’s cross is easily caught by Foster.

12 mins: Jo Williams says “Arsenal need to win this game to show to the world the success that can be achieved by sticking with one manager for long enough.”

13 mins: “Are we in Madrid or Manchester?” asks a drenched Ian Muller. Well Ian, it seems fitting that an all-English final take place in typical English weather.

16 mins: Jovetic goes down clutching his ankle after Rafael catches him with a sliding tackle. It looks painful and I’m not sure he’ll get up from this. Veloso is running towards the ref only to be stopped by captain Fabregas.

17 mins: Looks like the stretcher has been called out, Jovetic’s game might be over, the Arsenal players gather around him and the fans applaud as he is stretchered off. Looks like Nasri’s warming up.

18 mins: Nasri receives his final instructions from Wenger on the touchline as he comes on for the injured Jovetic

21 mins: Both teams continue to frustrate the opposition strikers.

23 mins: “Rafael should have been booked!” cries angry Arsenal fan Miles Holloway

24 mins: Arsenal are getting bullied on the field, Arsene’s team are being manhandled due to the difference in size.

26 mins: Foul! Robert Acquafresca trips Miguel Veloso as the two tussle for the ball. Fabregas lines up the free kick from 30 yards out. His cross meets the head of Nicolas N’Koulou for the first shot of the game only for N’Koulou to head the ball into the crowd.

28 mins: Acquafresca breaks free and sprints onto a Fletcher through ball, but the Italians powerful shot was stopped by an equally powerful save by compatriot Andrea Consigli.

30 mins: United seem to be the more dangerous of the two sides despite having significantly less possession than Arsenal

31 mins: Consigli is off his line as Acquafresca runs on to a lofted pass from Evans behind the defence, but the flag’s gone up.

33 mins: Anderson tries to find Berbatov, but Consigli cuts the pass out.

35 mins: Scramble in the Arsenal box as a chipped pass from Hargreaves eludes everyone and Consigli is forced to head it outside the area, but the ball fall to Rooney, but his shot ricochets of Djourou for a corner. Arsenal fans can breathe again.

36 mins: Nothing comes of the corner as Arsenal can head clear.

37 mins: Walcott beats Bale down the right and crosses, but only finds the side-netting.

38 mins: Eduardo gets the ball in the box from Gourcuff’s through pass only for the backtracking Hargreaves to knock it behind for a corner.

40 mins: Gourcuff clatters into Vidic in an attempt to win the ball back in a dangerous position, but Mr. Zimmerman just gives him a stern telling off.

41 mins: Clichy fouls Acquafresca 35 yards out. Anderson takes the free kick, but Consigli punches clear.

42 mins: The game has been rather start and stop up till now due to number of fouls both teams are committing.

44 mins: Fabregas finds Walcott with a perfectly weighted through ball behind the United defence and the England winger races on to it, but his shot is easily parried by Foster. Wasted opportunity.

45+1 mins: Eduardo goes down in the box, it looks like Evans shoved him, but the ref says play on. Arsenal fans are furious.

Half-time: The whistle goes. Hopefully the teams give us a better spectacle for the second half.

Half-time analysis: Both these teams seem to know that the other is capable of producing goals by the boatload if left in possession too long, so we’ve seen lots of niggling fouls to break up the flow of the game. I doubt we’ll see a marked improvement in the second half, I expect this to go to extra time if not penalties.

45 mins: United kick off, but almost immediately find themselves back in their own half, Rooney makes an all-important tackle to dispossess Nasri. Rooney’s had to play deeper and deeper as the game progresses, I wonder if that’ll affect the teams attacking ability.

47 mins: United push forward in numbers and Rooney finds Fletcher racing down the right and finds him with a nice pass and the Scot hits the first time shot from a narrow angle, but Consigli is happy to push it behind for a corner.

48 mins: Fabregas finds Gourcuff bursting into the box, Gourcuff lays it on for Walcott to race onto, but the pass is over hit and Bale recovers to kick it out for a throw.

49 mins: Capelli finds Walcott in the box, but Walcott’s cross is easily caught by Foster.

50 mins: Arsenal on the attack again as Walcott dances past Bale down the right again and this time he puts in a good cross, but Vidic out jumps Eduardo and is able to head clear.

51 mins: Capelli fouls Berbatov, but Consigli catches Hargreaves’ free kick easily.

54 mins: First yellow card of the game and it’s for Fabregas for tripping Evans.

55 mins: Jess Vine says, “It’ll probably stay 0 – 0 even if we played till tomorrow, neither team seems to have any luck getting crosses in.”

56 mins: N’Koulou jumped for the ball with Acquafresca and the resultant knock of heads has left Acquafresca on the floor.

57 mins: Acquafresca’s getting up, he just seems a little dazed is all. Hargreaves lines up the free kick, but it’s cut out by N’Koulou.

59 mins: Eduardo trips Rafael off the ball, looks like Zimmerman may be pulling out another card and yes, it’s yellow for Eduardo. On the sidelines, it looks like Carrick is ready to come on and the board flashes and it’s Anderson who’s coming off.

61 mins: Fabregas finds Walcott in the box, but an excellent sliding tackle by Vidic stops the speedy winger.

63 mins: N’Koulou lines up for the corner and whips it in for Djourou, whose header is caught by a waiting Foster.

65 mins: Djourou brings down Berbatov. United are pushing men into the box. Bale lines up the free kick and whips it onto the head of Vidic who skies it.

67 mins: Consigli takes a free kick deep in Arsenal’s half and hits it into the path of Eduardo, but Foster is able to scoop it up.

69 mins: End to end stuff, but none of it is that pretty.

70 mins: “I feel a goal soon!” pipes up an optimistic Dan Fiends

71 mins: GOAL! Arsenal 1 Manchester Unite 0 (Nasri). A beautiful flowing Arsenal move that started at the back has put Arsenal ahead! N’Koulou started it off with a quick free kick to Capelli on the right. Capelli then knocked a beautiful cross-field pass to Gourcuff who played it first time into the path of Nasri cutting in from the left. Nasri was then able to chip the ball delicately over the oncoming Foster and into the net easily. The fans are going insane, 70 minutes of poor football and a single moment of magic and this game has a new life to it.

73 mins: United are playing with more urgency and are trying to get every ball forward, Vidic finds Fletcher on the halfway line only for Gourcuff to knock him over from behind. A foul against Gourcuff and the yellow card is shown.

74 mins: Bale whips in a cross that loops over Consigli only for N’Koulou to perform some heroics to head it clear off the line.

76 mins: Veloso find Gourcuff in a lot of space behind the United defence, but the flag is raised.

78 mins: Rooney has the ball at the edge of the area following a cleared cross by Djourou, he takes a shot for the top corner, but is denied by a great save from Consigli.

79 mins: Fabio is coming on for his twin Rafael. This is confusing.

80 mins: Rafael, I mean Fabio whips in a cross from the right, Acqufresca looks set to latch onto it, but goes down in the box and the ball goes behind off Djourou. United are appealing for a penalty, but Zimmerman waves them away and awards the corner.

82 mins: Some heroic defending by Arsenal, Hargreaves’ first shot was blocked by the diving Djourou only to have the ball fall to Rooney, whose volley is blocked by N’Koulou and the ball falls back to the feet of Hargreaves, who blasts it into Gourcuff and Nasri is able to clear the loose ball.

84 mins: Bale tries another cross from the left, but Djourou rises above everyone else and heads clear.

85 mins: Arsenal fans are already chanting. They think they’ve done enough to win their first ever Champions League trophy and with the level of commitment the Arsenal players are showing, it’s hard to think otherwise.

86 mins: A good pass from Bale finds Berbatov behind the Arsenal backline, but the Bulgarian’s first touch is a poor one and he knocks it straight into the path of Consigli.

87 mins: Bale brings Walcott down on the edge of the box. Gourcuff swings it in, but Berbatov, heads behind for a corner. Berbatov easily cuts out Nasri’s corner and United clear.

88 mins: Bale makes another run down the left and evades Capelli, but Consigli cuts out his cross again.

90 mins: Manchester United are bringing on Mancheda for Acquafresca, in hopes of some last minute heroics from the young Italian.

90+1 mins: Fletcher squeezes the ball through the tangle of legs in the Arsenal box to find Berbatov, but Djourou cuts him off before the Bulgarian can gain control of the ball and Arsenal clear.

90+2 mins: Arsenal fans are making whistling sounds in hopes of hearing the final whistle blown soon.

90+3 mins: And there it is Zimmerman blows the final whistle and Arsenal are Champions of Europe!

Final Thoughts: A great way to end the season especially for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger who can now retire having achieved everything he could have achieved with Arsenal. A close match as we expected and this will be one many will remember for the rest of their lives.

This post has been edited by Ryan Van Kappel: 05 May 2010 - 09:31 PM

[Ryan Van Kappel]

Page last updated at 11:46 GMT, Sunday, 26 May 2013 12:46 UK

“Wenger is a True Great”


The now retired manager of Arsenal

By Barry Statham
Man United manager, Jose Mourinho has said in the wake of his teams Champions League final defeat to Arsenal that the now retired Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger is a true great.

“I may be the Special One, that is true, but that does not make me arrogant, I can recognise a good manager and in my entire life I have not met many managers that can come close to touching the level of greatness Mr Wenger has achieved. To stay at a club for more than 10 years and to take them to the Champions League final and win it, that is the mark of a great manager, and Wenger is a true great.”

When pressed about his team’s performance, Mourinho had this to say:

“I don’t like to talk about our losses. Yes, Arsenal won because they scored more goals than we did, but I think that both the teams were very equal and I will not blame anyone but ourselves, we need to look at the tape and learn from our mistakes.”

Others have since come out to speak about Arsene Wenger with his most famous rival, Sir Alex Ferguson saying:

“Arsene’s done a good job at Arsenal, we had our differences in opinion on a few subjects, but I have immense respect for the man. Obviously I was rooting for United during the match, but a part of me felt happy for Arsene when the final whistle blew. It’s both a great day and a sad day for English football, on the one hand, we’ve shown the world just how strong our football is by having both teams contesting the final come from England, but on the other, we’re losing a great manager and it’ll be interesting to see how Arsenal deal with this.”

Former Arsenal players who played under Wenger during his tenure have also spoken about their former boss, with Patrick Vieira saying:

“He was like a father to me, he brought me over to the English game from Milan and he helped me become the player I was.”

Another former captain, Ray Parlour said:

“Arsene was a genius, he always knew who to bring on and when and he knew what to say to get us motivated. He was so much more than a manager to this club, he built it himself and he grew it himself. I’m very pleased to see him hold the Champions League trophy up, but it’s sad that he won’t be here next season.”

This post has been edited by Ryan Van Kappel: 05 May 2010 - 09:32 PM

[Ryan Van Kappel]

Champions League awards announced

Sunday 26th May 2013

UEFA announced the winners of the individual awards as well as the Dream Team.

There were no surprises as Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas took the Best Player award with team-mate Theo Walcott taking second and Barcelona’s Lionel Messi rounding off the top three.

The Golden Boot went to Real Madrid’s free scoring winger Cristiano Ronaldo for his 9 goals, while Benfica’s Javier Saviola came second with 8 and AC Milan’s Marco Borriello came third with 7.

Following the English clubs’ dominance of this years competition only one player from the UEFA Champions League Best XI did not come from one of the 3 English teams in the Semi-finals.

UEFA Champions League Best XI

This post has been edited by Ryan Van Kappel: 05 May 2010 - 09:32 PM

[Ryan Van Kappel]

Page last updated at 14:21 GMT, Saturday, 1st June 2013 15:21 UK

Arsenal move quickly to quell speculation



The new Arsenal manager at his first press conference

By Tom Killen
Exactly seven days have passed since Arsenal’s most historic cup win, exactly seven days have passed since Arsene Wenger stepped down as manager and in exactly seven days, the Arsenal board have found a worthy successor to Wenger’s throne.

This morning in a small press conference ex-Japanese star and Arsenal U-21 coach Hidetoshi Nakata was given the reigns at the Emirates.

According to chairman Peter Hill-Wood, the entire board has known that Nakata would replace Wenger as Wenger himself hand picked him, bringing him in as a U-21 coach two summers ago.

“Hidetoshi was brought in by Wenger with the sole aim that in two seasons, when Arsene stepped down, he’d have his successor prepped and ready to hit the ground running.”

Nakata also spoke at the press conference saying,

“I have been at Arsenal for the last two years and Mr. Wenger has taught me many things. I am confident that I can continue to build on his success and as all the players are already familiar with me there should be very minimal transition time.”

When asked about his aims for the season Nakata responded by saying,

“We have got one trophy from last season, now we need to continue that by getting another one this season. Hopefully we can retain the European crown and take the English one too.”

When pressed for details on possible transfers Nakata managed to deflect the question by saying,

“I have a list of targets that I will be looking at, but overall, we have a strong, cohesive squad and too much change might upset the balance. I will also continue Mr Wenger’s vision to bring in the best youngsters and train them in the Arsenal way.”

Hidetoshi Nakata enjoyed an illustrious playing career at Roma, Parma, Fiorentina and Bolton Wanderers. He also made 77 appearances for his country and scored 11 goals. Since his retirement in 2006, he disappeared from the footballing radar, but in 2009 took charge of the Singapore League’s Home United, taking them to 4th that year, the following year, he guided them to a 2nd place finish in the league and midway through his third season was recruited by Arsene Wenger to the Arsenal backstaff.

This post has been edited by Ryan Van Kappel: 05 May 2010 - 09:33 PM

[Fola]

This is really good mate! Looking forward to see where this goes. Make sure you keep up the high standard

[Ryan Van Kappel]

Arsenal release pre-season schedule

Tuesday 25th June 2013

Arsenal with start its first season since 1996 without Arsene Wenger at the helm. So the pre-season should give us a benchmark to set our expectations for the upcoming season. Arsenal start the pre-season with Emirates cup featuring Boca Juniors, Olympic Lyonnais and PSV before travelling to Reading and Boreham Wood before hosting Bayer Leverkusen at home and finally, they will round off the preseason with a game at Portman road against newly promoted Ipswich.

Emirates Cup Semi Finals
Arsenal v Boca Juniors – (Sky Sports) Wednesday 10th July 2013 3.00pm
Olympique Lyonnais v PSV – (Sky Sports 2) Wednesday 10th July 2013 7.30pm

Emirates Cup Third Place Playoff – (Sky Sports) Thursday 11th July 2013 3.00pm

Emirates Cup Final – (Sky Sports) Friday 12th July 2013 2.00pm

Reading v Arsenal – (ITV) Saturday 20th July 2013 3.00pm

Boreham Wood v Arsenal – Tuesday 23rd July 2013 7.45pm

Arsenal v Bayer Leverkusen – (BBC Sports) Saturday 27th July 2013 3.00pm

Ipswich v Arsenal – (Sky Sports 2) Tuesday 1st August 2013 7.45pm

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fola, on 12 April 2010 - 09:32 AM, said:

This is really good mate! Looking forward to see where this goes. Make sure you keep up the high standard

Thanks Fola mate, I took a bit of a break from this, but I've got more free time now. Glad you enjoy reading it, I enjoy writing it.

This post has been edited by Ryan Van Kappel: 05 May 2010 - 09:33 PM

[Ryan Van Kappel]

Premier League Odds released

Wednesday 26th June 2013


Premier League title odds were released today

Manchester City 6-4
Manchester United 3-1
Arsenal 6-1
Liverpool 8-1
Chelsea 20-1
Tottenham Hotspurs 20-1
Aston Villa 25-1
Everton 25-1
Sunderland 50-1
Newcastle United 50-1
Stoke City 75-1
West Ham United 75-1
Blackburn Rovers 75-1
Birmingham City 100-1
Fulham 100-1
Bolton Wanderers 500-1
Middlesbrough 1000-1
Ipswich Town 1000-1
Queens Park Rangers 1000-1
Preston North End 1000-1

This post has been edited by Ryan Van Kappel: 05 May 2010 - 09:33 PM

[Ryan Van Kappel]

Arsenal Boss makes first signing

Monday 15th July 2013

Arsenal fans turned up in numbers to welcome new Arsenal manager Hidetoshi Nakata’s first signing to the club. Simon Kjaer, who has been linked for years with a move to the Premiership has today flown into London after passing his medical for a reported £15 million deal that could see Arsenal pay £25 million based on appearances.

Kjaer has caused quite a stir in North London as fans expect the 6 ft 2 Danish Centre-back to add some needed muscle into an Arsenal backline that for most of last season was unable to cope with the physicality of route one football played by many clubs in the league.

For the last few years, many people have commented on Arsenal’s lack of a defensive spine, but with the addition of Portuguese defensive midfielder Miguel Veloso last summer, the acquisition of Italian shotstopper Andrea Consigli in January and the newest arrival in Kjaer, many expect that Arsenal may be finally addressing their most pressing needs in their defensive core.

Kjaer arrives at Arsenal after 5 seasons at Palermo and the 24 year-old is looking to prove himself at a higher stage. Kjaer addressed the assembled journalists today and said,

“I am sad to leave Italy, I learnt a lot there. However, when I heard that Arsenal had made a bid for me, there was no doubt in my mind that that was where I wanted to be this season. Mr [Hidetoshi] Nakata came to see me personally in Copenhagen and told me about his vision for this club and I’m excited to be part of this project.”

When asked about his recent acquisition, manager Hidetoshi Nakata had this to say,

“Simon [Kjaer] was recommended to me by Arsene last season, he tried to bring him in, but our valuation of him didn’t match what Palermo wanted, so we are all very excited that we managed to reach an agreement.”

This post has been edited by Ryan Van Kappel: 05 May 2010 - 09:34 PM

[Ryan Van Kappel]

Middlesbrough sign Gibbs

Tuesday 23rd July 2013



Middlesbrough have signed Arsenal left back Kieran Gibbs today. Gibbs, whose first team opportunities have been limited since the signing of English left back Kevin Roberts as Gael Clichy’s understudy, expressed relief at his move to Riverside.

“It’s been tough trying to break into the Arsenal first team, it always has, they have a very strong squad. As a player though, you want as much first-team football, and I’m at the stage in my career where I need regular first-team football. Something I wouldn’t have gotten had I stayed at Arsenal. I’m excited to be part of this Middlesbrough team and I’m very excited to be working with Mr Strachan.”

Gibbs, 23, spent last season on loan at Sunderland and has been linked with a move to the Northeast all summer with interest from Sunderland, Newcastle and Middlesbrough.

This post has been edited by Ryan Van Kappel: 05 May 2010 - 09:34 PM

[Ryan Van Kappel]

Fabregas Says No to Barca
Arsenal captains pledges future to Nakata's ranks

Fred Freeman
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 25th July 2013 14.12 BST
Article History


The Spaniard will stay at the Emirates

The favourite son of the Catalan may no longer be welcome there. This comes after news that Pep Guardiola flew into London last week to talk to the Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas about the possibility of him returning to where his career began.

A scary thought that haunts the dreams of every Arsenal fan, as their captain has been the glue that holds their team together. Especially now, since he’s won everything with Arsenal he could have, many expected him to leave when Wenger retired to rejoin Barca, but the prodigal son refuses to go home.

“I met with Pep [Guardiola] last week and he offered me a great opportunity to play for my hometown club, but I gave it a lot of thought over the week and even though, I’ve won all I can, my job at Arsenal is not done. I’ve adopted London as my home and I want to repay it by staying at least until the club is ready to move forward without me.”

Nakata is said to be relieved that he won’t have to plan the campaign ahead without his captain, although the manager was not available for comment as he is said to be in Milan with his focus said to be on Dutch striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar.

This post has been edited by Ryan Van Kappel: 05 May 2010 - 09:34 PM

[Ryan Van Kappel]

Pre-season results

Saturday 3rd August 2013

Emirates Cup

Emirates Cup Semifinals

Arsenal 6 – 0 Boca Juniors

Arsenal Goalscoreres: Denilson 34’, Gourcuff 39’, Eduardo 64’, Eduardo 69’, Eduardo pen 79’, Makengo 84’

Boca Goalscoreres:

Olympique Lyonnais 3 – 3 PSV

PSV win 5 – 3 on Penalties

Lyon Goalscoreres: Arouca o.g. 11’, Toulalan 47', Marcellis o.g. 54'

PSV Goalscorers: Bozaglo pen17’, Mahmoudi 63’, Leroy Tol 89’

Emirates Cup Third place playoffs

Olyimpique Lyonnais 6 – 1 Boca Juniors

Lyon Goalscorers: Huseklepp 17’,Belfodil 26’, Malouda 34’, Lopez 53’, Lopez 56’, Barzagli 71’

Boca Goalscorers: Zonno 90+1’

Emirates Cup final

Arsenal 1 – 1 PSV

PSV win 5 – 4 on Penalties

Arsenal Goalscorers: Jovetic 53’

PSV Goalscorers: Lazovic pen 30’

Other Results

Reading 1 – 2 Arsenal

Reading Goalscorers: Church 87’

Arsenal Goalscorers: Nasri 51’, Denilson 58’

Boreham Wood 0 – 11 Arsenal

Boreham Goalscorers:

Arsenal Goalscorers: Gourcuff 17’, Van Persie 28’, Veloso 36’, Veloso 40’, Arshavin 50’, Bendtner 51’, Nasri 56’, Bendtner 67’, Song 59’, Denilson 84’, Song 86’

Arsenal 2 – 0 Bayer Leverkusen

Arsenal Goalscorers: Eduardo 51’, Denilson 76’

Leverkusen Goalscorers:

Ipswich 0 – 2 Arsenal

Ipswich Goalscorers:

Arsenal Goalscorers: Gourcuff 1’, Nasri 82’

This post has been edited by Ryan Van Kappel: 05 May 2010 - 09:35 PM

[Ryan Van Kappel]

Meet the Squad

Sunday 4th August 2013

1 – Andrea Consigli

The Italian shotstopper joined Arsenal from Atalanta last January in a deal that saw Capelli and himself coming to London with Diaby and cash going the other way. He’s made 15 appearances thus far and has conceded only 8 goals and kept 8 clean sheets. Yet to earn his first cap, but is on Italian manager Marco Materazzi’s radar having been called up as Buffon’s understudy.

2 – Damiano Ferronetti

Ferronetti joined Arsenal last summer, moving from Bayern for a reported £8 million. Featured regularly for Arsenal during the first half of last season, but with Capelli’s recent form has seen the bench a lot.

3 – Alex Song

The Cameroonian has featured intermittently over the last few seasons since joining back in 2006. Often used as a utility man in Midfield and Defence, he is looking to hold down a regular spot in the Arsenal first team this season.

4 – Cesc Fabregas

The Arsenal Captain, who turned down a move to his boyhood club will be the man to lead Arsenal’s title charge at the ripe age of 26. However, he is currently undergoing surgery on his elbow and likely won’t be able to play until the European Super Cup in Monaco.

5 – Thomas Vermaelen

The Belgian has been a defensive revelation since the start of last season. Not always in the first team, but he can plug any hole along the back four and has emerged as a senior Defender along with Clichy, mentoring the young minds of Djourou, Roberts and N’Koulou.

6 – Miguel Veloso

The Portuguese Midfielder joined last summer in Wenger’s bid to add a little more bite to his team. Cost a pricey £15 million, but looks about worth every penny thanks to the partnership he’s formed with his fellow Iberian Fabregas in the middle of the park.

7 – Samir Nasri

The French Winger who joined back in 2008 from Marseille has been in phenomenal form last season and cemented himself as an Arsenal legend by scoring the winning goal in Madrid against Manchester United.

8 – Theo Walcott

The speedy England winger has been in top form for Arsenal, equally adept at being played up front or on the wing, Walcott continues to dazzle Arsenal fans and terrify left-backs from Scotland to Moscow.

9 – Eduardo

The Croatian has not been as prolific as he was back in Croatia, but since his horrific leg break a few years ago, has been steadily getting better and after his displays during pre-season, you have to wonder if this is finally the year for the 30 year old.

10 – Andrey Arshavin

The Russian playmaker has been an instrumental part of the cohesion of the team not just on it, but off it too. The most senior of the squad at the age of 32, is likely to feature less this season, but will be hoping to make a significant enough contribution to convince Russian boss Stanislav Chercherov to take him to Brazil this summer.

11 – Robin van Persie

The Dutch striker has had some issues with his fitness over the last few seasons, but has otherwise been in fantastic form. Continues to amaze spectators at the Emirates and will be looking to play at the same level he did in Europe last season.

13 – Daniele Capelli

Since joining from Atalanta, Capelli has made 2 starts for his country and Arsenal have had to fend off waves of suitors after the right backs signature. Comfortable on the ball, he is one of the best passers from the back today and played a significant role in the Champions League final win.

14 – Yoann Gourcuff

The French playmaker joined from Bordeaux last summer for a club record £21 million, but has since repaid the price Arsenal paid for him with 6 goals and 10 assists from Midfield. Likely to shine even brighter this season with Nakata moving him into his preferred role just behind the Striker so that he can do what he does best, sneaking into the box and running onto balls played by the target man.

15 – Simon Kjaer

The towering Dane has been Nakata’s only signing of the season and many expect him to make an instant impact by adding some muscle to a skilful, but otherwise small bodied squad.

16 – Nicolas N’Koulou

The Cameroonian arrived last summer for £7 million pounds and has already been called an unearthed gem by many. Able to play in many positions not just his favoured centre back role, may be crucial to Arsenal’s challenges on several fronts.

18 – Denilson

The Brazilian holding midfielder came through the Arsenal ranks and was touted as the next Viera. However, he’s not been able to break into the first team, but with some impressive displays over the pre-season schedule, it may be time for Nakata to consider him as a viable backup to the currently injured Arsenal captain.

19 – Aaron Ramsey

The Welsh midfielder came to Arsenal in 2008, but hasn’t been able to fully break into the first team. However, after successful stints at Celtic and Wolves, the 22 year old may be ready to fight for a spot in Nakata's midfield alongside Fabregas and Veloso.

20 – Johan Djourou

The Swiss defender was one of Arsenal’s most consistent performares in their run towards the Champions League trophy, but may see his playing time limited with the signing of Simon Kjaer.

21 – Lukasz Fabianski

The Polish keeper whose contract runs out in May was a serious presence between the sticks in the beginning half of last season. Thrust into the first team by the departure of Almunia, he stepped up and had a respectable season claiming 10 clean sheets in total. Is currently playing second fiddle to Consigli, but Nakata may use him as well this season to get him ready for that number one position.

22 – Gael Clichy

Clichy has been one of Arsenal’s best performers over the last few years. He featured in almost every game last season. He will be looked upon as a senior figure this season to lead the team and help breed in the youngsters.

23 – Stevan Jovetic

The left winger who joined in January, much to the surprise of the many in the footballing community and to the chagrin of their rivals. The Montenegran has so far been an amazing asset in Europe, however his performances in the Premier League have been below the expected level of performance. Many expect the ex-Fiorentina winger to shine this season after finding his footing in the English game.

24 – Vito Mannone

Mannone only managed one start last season and is reportedly far from happy at this situation. However, with Consigli and Fabianski playing at the level they do, it’s hard to see Mannone get the chance he wants to play in the first team this season.

25 – Andrea Coda

The Italian Centre-back was fourth choice last season with N’Koulou, Djourou and Vermaelen all ahead of the rotation and with the addition of Kjaer, I doubt he will get much if any playing time this season. A move to Torino seems on the cards though and if he does, I doubt Nakata may feel the need to bring in another centre-back.

52 – Nicklas Bendtner

The Danish Forward was in amazing form last season when he managed to score 18 goals in total. Many expect him to truly contest the lone striker role with Bendtner and van Persie, although rumours of another striker being brought in by Nakata may spell the end of his Arsenal career.

This post has been edited by Ryan Van Kappel: 05 May 2010 - 09:35 PM

[Ryan Van Kappel]

Duo leave Arsenal

Monday 5th August 2013



Arsenal Defenders Andrea Coda and Matthais Jaissle have today confirmed that they will leave the club with Italian centre back Coda returning to Italy with Torino and German defender Jassle returning to Germany with Hannover.

Coda who spent 3 seasons at Arsenal since coming from Udinese featured intermittently over his stay in London, has welcomed his move back to Italy following the arrival of Simon Kjaer into the Arsenal squad.

“I felt happy at Arsenal, especially in my last season because Consigli and Capelli came over and playing alongside them made me feel at home. However, I have always missed Italy and the Italian lifestyle and honestly, I’m glad to be back home nearer to my family.”

Jaissle, who returns to Germany with Hannover, spent two rather disappointing years at Arsenal, amassing just 16 appearances. However, he seems to be excited to return to German football after his English excursion.

“I never really settled into the English culture, when I was at Arsenal. It was tough, I did not like the weather or the food, but I’m just happy to be able to return home.”

This post has been edited by Ryan Van Kappel: 05 May 2010 - 09:35 PM

[Ryan Van Kappel]

The Season Opener




Many fans have obsessed over tomorrow after 2 long months and their expectations will be at an all-time high. While many will be interested to see how their team start off the new season, many will be fixated on the two matches between Manchester United and Manchester City as well as the match between Liverpool and Chelsea.


Manchester City – Manchester United
The Manchester derby has in recent years become one of the fiercest and most violent clash of local rivals. United hold the current advantage with one more win than City, but the current league champions will be looking to stake their claim as the biggest team in Manchester.

Prediction: Draw

Aston Villa – Preston
Newly promoted Preston will be looking to start their Premier League campaign, but it’s hard to see them beating Martin O’Neill’s Aston Villa.

Prediction: Home Win

Bolton – Fulham
Bolton had problems in the scoring department last season and have yet to add another striker to challenge the increasingly ineffectual pairing of Dieumerci Mbokani and Kostas Mitroglou. However, their tight defence might be enough to hold off Fulham’s free-scoring Mexican winger Kikin.

Prediction: Draw

Ipswich – Birmingham
Newly promoted Ipswich start their Premier League expedition against relegation candidates Birmingham. Ipswich will be looking to prove themselves against Premier League competition, but Birmingham’s experience may be enough to see them prevail.

Prediction: Away Win

Middlesbrough – Sunderland
Sunderland, who finished 9th last term take on a Middlesbrough side that only escaped relegation due to final day drama. Many expect the goals to flow as both sides shipped 52 and 65 goals respectively.

Prediction: Home Win

Newcastle – Blackburn
Chris Hughton’s Newcastle take on Henning Berg’s Blackburn Rovers without their preferred central midfield pairing of Joey Barton and Alan Smith, yet the away side will be missing their first choice left winger. Many expect it to be both sides to score, but neither to be victorious.

Prediction: Draw

Queens Park Rangers – Everton
QPR finished second in the Coca-Cola Championship last season, but Jermaine Defoe has found his scoring boots again since joining Everton in 2012 for £3.2 million. QPR’s inexperienced defence doesn’t look likely to stand a chance against an in form Everton.

Prediction: Away Win

Tottenham – Stoke
Tottenham have successfully forged an incredible partnership between the Bosnian striker Edin Dzecko and Croatian playmaker Luka Modric scoring an incredible 55 goals over their two seasons together. Stoke, who secured the signing of Italian defender Marco Rossi from West Bromwich Albion may still not have enough to stifle the creative duo of Tottenham.

Prediction: Home Win

West Ham United – Arsenal
The European Champions star their domestic campaign close to home at cross-town rivals West Ham. The Hammers, who finished 9th have addressed their issues on the wings with the purchase of Aiden McGeady from Shakhtar, but Arsenal seem to have the firepower in Jovetic, Gourcuff, van Persie, Fabregas and Walcott.

Prediction: Away Win

Liverpool – Chelsea
The London side see themselves with an almost brand new strike force going into the start of the season with the additions of Vaclav Kadlec from Metalist and Karim El Omari from Willem II and the departures of Drogba to Napoli and Daniel Sturridge to Blackburn. Liverpool though will be able to rely on veteran Centre backs Agger and Skrtel, who start their 7th consecutive season together in the heart of Liverpool’s defence, to ensure that Chelsea’s new strikers do not have a good first day in the Premier League.

Prediction: Home Win

This post has been edited by Ryan Van Kappel: 05 May 2010 - 09:36 PM

[Ryan Van Kappel]

Page last updated at 20:44 GMT, Saturday, 17 August 2013 21:44 UK

West Ham frustrate Arsenal


Green denies Arsenal win

By Jon Turner
Robert Green is the talk of the town, regardless of which team in London they support, Londoners will all be mentioning the amazing performance by the West Ham United shot stopper against North London rivals Arsenal earlier today.

Green was clearly the busier of the two keepers this afternoon and yet managed to keep parity in the score as the attacking trio of Eduardo, Jovetic and Walcott burst forward in waves. In the third minute though, the linesman gave aid to the West Ham cause when he flagged Eduardo offside after the Croatian had slipped the ball past the diving Robert Green.

After that, Arsenal began to attack by having Nasri come forward more and play off Eduardo. The Frenchman took the role with much enthusiasm and if not for heroics by the English goalkeeper, Nasri would have had several goals on the night.

Green’s performance will have everyone asking the question, can Roy Hodgson afford to keep him on the bench if he continues to perform at this level even into his thirties?

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West Ham: Robert Green; Jonathan Spector, Paul Scharner, Mark Beevers, Paul Dixon; Valon Behrami (Barry Maguire 90’), Mark Noble, Aiden McGeady (Alessandro Diamanti 90’), Scott Parker, Andrew Surman (Jack Collison 56’); Carlton Cole
Unused Subs: Peter Gulacsi, Chris Gunter, Andre Ayew, Kees Luijckx
Goals: none

Arsenal: Andrea Consigli; Daniele Capelli, Johan Djourou, Simon Kjaer, Gael Clicy; Theo Walcott, Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri, Yoann Gourcuff (Miguel Veloso 81’), Stevan Jovetic; Eduardo (Nicklas Bendtner 65’)
Unused Subs: Lukasz Fabianski, Thomas Vermaelen, Denilson, Keith Cairney, Terence Makengo
Goals: none

Man of the Match: Jonathan Spector

Attendance: 34,980
Referee: Stuart Attwell

This post has been edited by Ryan Van Kappel: 05 May 2010 - 09:36 PM

[Ryan Van Kappel]

Gunners Take On New Boys

Monday 19th August 2013



English Premier League
Venue: Emirates Stadium Date: Tuesday 20th August Kick-off: 19.45 GMT

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After their draw over the weekend, Arsenal will be looking for their first league win under the charge of Hidetoshi Nakata. However, despite the Tractor Boys’ resounding 5 – 1 drubbbing of Birmingham over the weekend, everyone expects Nakata’s charges to repeat their pre-season result.

After last season’s free flowing attacking play, many expected Arsenal to start their campaign off with a bang despite the absence of long time leader Arsene Wenger during the off-season. However, Nakata seems to have the Gunners playing a more balanced form of football and his new signing Simon Kjaer looked to be in impressive form on Saturday, leading the Defence and allowing only 3 shots on goal.

Ipswich return to the Premier League for the first time since 2002 and their dismantling of established Premier League side Birmingham over the weekend has many pundits rethinking their initial prediction that Ipswich would go straight back down. Jon Stead, who hit 20 goals last term in the Championship seems to have made the transition to the Premier League superbly. The 30 year old proved against Birmingham that his pace and finishing are still there and his performance coupled with England’s Striker shortage has caught the eye of England manager Roy Hodgson and many are calling for an England call-up.

Expected Arsenal Line-up: Andrea Consigli; Daniele Capelli, Johan Djourou, Simon Kjaer, Gael Clichy; Theo Walcott, Cesc Fabregas, Miguel Veloso, Stevan Jovetic; Yoann Gourcuff, Eduardo

Expected Ipswich Line-up: Brian Murphy; David Wright, Fredrik Risp, Pim Balkestein, Joseph Mills; Juanma, Liam Trotter, Owen Garvan, Luciano Civelli; Jon Stead, Tamas Priskin

[Ryan Van Kappel]

Page last updated at 21:57 GMT, Tuesday, 20 August 2013 22:57 UK

Arsenal Thwarted Again


Arsenal Forward Bendtner reacts to missing what should have been the winner late in the game

By Barry Statham
Arsenal dropped another 2 points today against newly promoted Ipswich Town in front of a packed home crowd at the Emirates. Many had expected the Gunners to soundly defeat Ipswich at home after their victory in the same fixture during the preseason. However, the Tractor boys managed to hang on for a well-earned and possibly crucial away point. Arsenal boss Hidetoshi Nakata made 4 changes to the side that drew at West Ham, but was still unable to find his first Premier League win.

Ipswich got off to a great start getting the opening goal in under a minute when Tamas Priskin was unmarked behind the defence and his initial shot was parried by Consigli, but in the confusion that ensued, Jon Stead was able to find the ball and slot home for his 3rd goal in 2 games. Although replays clearly show the Hungarian forward to be in an offside position when the ball was played, many feel that it should not have been such an easy goal and that the Arsenal defenders were just found to be pushing up too much and isolating Consigli.

Arsenal did manage to reply almost instantly and not 3 minutes later had the ball in the back of the other net after some fancy passing in the midfield culminated in a long range shot from Veloso that managed to find the bottom corner. In typical Arsenal fashion, the move started from their back 4 with Capelli’s long freekick from defence being headed out. However Arsenal regained possession and their midfielders passed around the edge of the box, eventually ending up at the feet of Miguel Veloso and the Portuguese midfielder had no trouble skipping past Garvan and unleashed a furious shot that Brian Murphy could do little about except watch.

Arsenal then took the upperhand when a 30th minute corner from Nasri met the head of Bendtner and the Dane repaid Nakata’s faith in him by dispatching his header beyond the reach of Murphy.

However, Ipswich managed to claw back the equaliser on the 64th minute with a corner of their own. Argentinian Civelli lofted a corner to the far post that eluded the entire Arsenal team and found Fredrik Risp and the veteran Swede easily nodded the ball past Consigli.

Arsenal had a chance to steal the win in the 78th minute when a Theo Walcott cross flashed dangerously across goal to Niklas Bendtner who beat the backtracking Balkestien to the far post, but the towering Dane sent what should have been a simple tap in agonisingly wide of the far post, much to the dismay of manager Nakata and the home fans.

Worryingly for Arsenal fans, their side have now just 2 points against 2 weaker sides. Many had expected Nakata to have addressed the defensive issues Arsenal faced last season with his capture of Simon Kjaer, but after today’s showing, the Arsenal back four may need a little reinforcement.

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Arsenal: Andrea Consigli; Daniele Capelli, Johan Djourou, Simon Kjaer, Gael Clichy; Theo Walcott, Miguel Veloso, Denilson, Samir Nasri (Yoann Gourcuff 79’); Andey Arshavin, Niklas Bendtner (Eduardo 82’)
Unused Subs: Lukasz Fabianski, Kevin Roberts, Thomas Vermaelen, Alex Song, Henri Lansbury
Goals: Veloso 4', Bendtner 30'

Ipswich: Brian Murphy; Javan Vidal (David Wright 45’), Damien Delaney (Fredrik Risp 57’), Pim Balkestein, Romain Elie (Joseph Mills 63’); David Norris, Liam Trotter, Owen Garvan, Luciano Civelli; Jon Stead, Tamas Priskin
Unused Subs: Richard Wright, Sebastian Rusculleda, Jonathan Walters, Alex Bruce
Goals: Stead 1', Risp 64'

Man of the Match: Miguel Veloso

Attendance: 59,853
Referee: Andre Marriner