Arseblog
- Fri Sep 21 2:02 PM
I thought it was fitting this week not to examine yestereve’s game against Ukrainian titans Vorskla Poltava, but to focus on one man. One giant man. One enormous, towering figure, who more than any other, has transformed Arsenal, lifting us from obscure, small town part-timers into the top six cl...
Arseblog
- Fri Sep 21 12:43 PM
Welcome to another episode of the Arsecast – the Arsenal podcast. On this week’s show I’m joined by Amy Lawrence to discuss the 4-2 over FC Vorskla and the Europa League in general. We also chat about the new boss, the players response to his methods, and where we are at this very early point …
Arseblog
- Fri Sep 21 6:46 AM
Match report – Player ratings – By the numbers – Video So our European campaign is off to a winning start with a 4-2 victory over FC Vorskla. I don’t think the scoreline really reflects our dominance, particularly in the second half, but it’s an illustration that there are still things that Unai...
Arseblog
- Thu Sep 20 7:09 PM
Join us this evening for live blog coverage of our Europa League clash at home to FC Vorskla – kick off 20.00 We’ve got up the second live text commentary, updates, goal clips, observations and occasionally witty asides. If you want to join the chat, register an Arseblog Live account. To do that,...
Arseblog
- Thu Sep 20 6:36 AM
There’s nothing quite like the glamour of European football. And Arsenal v FC Vorskla is, genuinely, nothing like the glamour of European football. It’s a fixture which – with all due respect to our Ukrainian opponents – really hammers home the difference between the Champions League and the Euro...
Arseblog
- Wed Sep 19 5:30 PM
Having played their first 5 league matches of the season, Arsenal are about to enter a sort of second phase of the campaign, with the Europa League group stages and the Carabao Cup tumbling into the fray. While a little unloved, these competitions give fringe players their first real chance to ma...
Arseblog
- Wed Sep 19 7:22 AM
The last 12 months have seen Arsenal undergo a series of changes which have completely altered the complexion of the club as we knew it. From backroom staff to manager to boardroom to pitch, when you step back and look at it in total the scale of what has gone on has been quite something …
Arseblog
- Tue Sep 18 8:22 AM
There’s a curious thing about Arsenal at the moment. On top of all the other changes we’ve seen in recent times, the way games fizzle in and then fizzle out is quite interesting. I don’t mean to use the word fizzle in a derogatory manner either. There’s nothing, then a fizzle of press conference...
Arseblog
- Mon Sep 17 10:27 AM
Welcome to another Arsecast Extra, the Arsenal podcast, with myself and James from @gunnerblog. On this week’s show discussion of Saturday’s 2-1, post-Interlull, win over Newcastle. After an unconvincing first half, the Gunners found their groove a bit in the second, but questions remain about wh...
Arseblog
- Mon Sep 17 6:02 AM
Hello everyone, I’m back from Spain having consumed most of the Jamón Ruffles in the world, and partaken of many refreshing beverages. In some ways, I feel like I now need a holiday to recover from the holiday, but I’m very grateful to have been away and to have enjoyed some hot weather and the …
Arseblog
- Sun Sep 16 8:43 AM
MATCH REPORT – PLAYER RATINGS – REACTION – VIDEO By half-time of yesterday’s match, it’s fair to say I was not impressed. My frustration boiled down to a huge disparity between what the coach and players tell everyone we’re trying to do and what we’d actually done. Where was the pressing of our...
Arseblog
- Sat Sep 15 7:01 AM
Hello and welcome to Arseblog from – wait-a-goddamn-minute-this-isn’t-my-house! In fairness, it does appear to be the house I went to sleep in, but it’s not my house, with my bed, with my things. Tis not unpleasant though, I’m staying with some friends in the wilds of Aberdeenshire. We shall call...
Arseblog
- Fri Sep 14 8:23 AM
Welcome to another episode of the Arsecast – the Arsenal podcast. I’m still away on holidays, but the Premier League waits for no man and the people need a podcast to welcome back football after the Internet. So, James from Gunnerblog is here to have a bit of waffle, as well as a chat with …
Arseblog
- Fri Sep 14 8:15 AM
Morning all and a very happy Friday to you. Unai Emery faced the press yesterday as we gear up for tomorrow’s trip to Newcastle. He’s desperate to pick up where we left off before the Interlull…with another three points. While the players and manager were keen to keep the defeats to City and Ch...
Arseblog
- Thu Sep 13 5:30 PM
In a summer not lacking discussion points at Arsenal,
Danny Welbeck’s contract situation went somewhat unremarked upon. With a change in manager and five new signings to talk about and with Welbeck on England duty at the World Cup, the subject did not surface often. On reflection, it seems a litt...
Arseblog
- Thu Sep 13 10:31 AM
It looks increasingly likely that Ivan Gazidis will leave his position at Arsenal to become the new CEO at AC Milan. Elliott Management, the US hedge fund that owns the Italian club, identified the 53-year-old as their number one target for the position when they completed a takeover in July and...
Arseblog
- Wed Sep 12 9:13 AM
Good morning from Brixton where the moody, grey skies make for a truly autumnal morning. The vast majority of the Arsenal squad should be back at London Colney by tomorrow as Unai Emery steps up his preparations for the trip to Newcastle on Saturday afternoon. September’s second round of Interlul...
Arseblog
- Tue Sep 11 8:39 AM
In yesterday’s post, I touched on why I feel there’s room for optimism at the Emirates after the first month of the season. My positivity boiled down to the following; the head coach seems to have the faith of the players, we’ve won away, our new midfielders are showing promise and we’ve bagged a...
Arseblog
- Mon Sep 10 11:27 AM
Welcome to another Arsecast Extra, the Arsenal podcast, with myself and James from @gunnerblog. On this week’s Interlull show we have some connection issues between Spain and London, but we just about manage to discuss the international games, the Arsenal legends game at the weekend, Hector Belle...
Arseblog
- Mon Sep 10 9:33 AM
Exactly a month ago, I wrote in the season preview on these pages that I thought Unai Emery’s debut season in England would be a ‘tough transition year’ for Arsenal and that we were ending the transfer window with an unbalanced squad. Since then we’ve been swatted away by Manchester City, frustra...
Arseblog
- Sun Sep 9 9:55 AM
Morning all. I’m still chuckling at Jens Lehmann’s behaviour in the Arsenal Legends game yesterday. The German, known for his uber-competitive streak, not only kept a clean sheet against Raul’s Real Madrid but when the game went to a shootout he stole the responsibility for the winning penalty fr...
Arseblog
- Sat Sep 8 10:10 AM
A very quick Saturday round up for you, and now I’ve had my breakfast, we’ll start with a story that I’m quite sure would’ve put me off eating. Even the title of the story makes me a little queasy. Santi Cazorla, double-footed midfield dynamo, and former Gunner that was instrumental in the team’s...
Arseblog
- Fri Sep 7 7:24 AM
The last time I wrote on these pages, Atletico Madrid had just dumped Arsenal out of the Europa League and we were all coming to terms with the fact that Arsene Wenger wasn’t going to get the happy ending we’d all wished for him. Just over four months have passed since then…and, well…not much has...
Arseblog
- Fri Sep 7 6:30 AM
Welcome to another episode of the Arsecast – the Arsenal podcast. Liam Brady is one of the greatest players ever to play for Arsenal, and as a young Irish lad, I enjoyed the fact he was such an important player for us – even if I never did see him play in the flesh while …
Arseblog
- Thu Sep 6 5:30 PM
Since Arsenal signed
Petr Cech in June 2015, I have written a solitary article about him in this column– the week before the move was made official. In fact, leafing through my archive in my seven and a half years as a columnist on this site, I have written very few articles about Arsenal’s goalk...
Arseblog
- Thu Sep 6 10:05 AM
Good morning from bright and sunny East Lothian. It’s not half got chilly all of a sudden though, has it? I was woken today by a two year old (mine) turning the Christmas fairy lights that are still up in our bedroom on and off and on and off and on and off and on …
Arseblog
- Wed Sep 5 6:51 AM
The new puppy has a bark cycle. She is like a wind-up toy. Once she starts she has to run through the cycle without interruption. At times this can be a bit endearing. At other times, like at 2.47am when she is demonstrating this ‘talent’ outside the bedroom door, not so much. WOOF-WOOF-WOOF-WOOF...
Arseblog
- Tue Sep 4 6:44 AM
Four games in and what do we know? It’s hard to make any real assessment of where we are and what we’re doing, but as life has thrust upon us a cursed Interlull so we now spend two weeks without an Arsenal game, let’s try and make some observations. Emery is learning Not just his …
Arseblog
- Mon Sep 3 8:08 PM
Unai Emery reportedly got the Arsenal job after displaying his incredible in-depth knowledge of the squad in his interview. But he had only seen them play under Arsene Wenger and hadn’t worked with the players himself. Managing them himself is a different challenge altogether. The opening weeks o...
Arseblog
- Mon Sep 3 4:13 PM
Welcome to another Arsecast Extra, the Arsenal podcast, with myself and James from @gunnerblog. On this week’s show we look back at the 3-2 win over Cardiff, the fine performance from Alexandre Lacazette, some good fouling from the Gunners, the ability to respond to setbacks in game, and the fact...