Arsenal FC @ Emirates All Gunner fans fall in

[kiko]

Eduardo's controversial penalty helped Arsenal secure another shot at the £30m jackpot of the Champions League with a comfortable 3-1 win on the night - 5-1 on aggregate - over Celtic at Emirates Stadium.

The cost of failure, both financial and in sporting terms, would have been immeasurable on the Gunners, who have consistently competed among the elite clubs of European football for more than a decade.

However, manager Arsene Wenger knows maintaining such a level will prove the biggest challenge ahead this season for his young Arsenal side, which tonight coped admirably without injured captain Cesc Fabregas and took the lead in the first half when Croatia striker Eduardo converted from the spot after he had gone down somewhat lightly under a sliding challenge by Celtic keeper Artur Boruc.

Emmanuel Eboue made sure there would be no comeback for Tony Mowbray's side with a neat finish after 53 minutes before substitute Andrey Arshavin slotted in a third to complete a 5-1 aggregate win.

Celtic midfielder Massimo Donati volleyed home a superb consolation goal in stoppage time.

For now, at least, the likes of Manchester City must sit and watch as Arsenal will take their place in the pot for Thursday`s group stage draw in the millionaire's playground of Monaco, with expectations once again set high the Gunners can go one better than the semi-final appearance last season.

Celtic, meanwhile, may be giants in Scottish football, but dropping into the Europa League will prove little consolation for the missed revenue and big-match experience.

Arsenal had the luxury of a 2-0 lead from the first leg in Glasgow, and so Wenger decided to start with Robin van Persie and Arshavin on the bench.

However, the front two of Eduardo and Nicklas Bendtner still provided plenty of movement, combining to set up a chance for the Brazil-born Croat after nine minutes.

Eduardo was unable to stab the ball home at the far post after Boruc had palmed away Bendtner's close-range flick.

Celtic boss Tony Mowbray named an unchanged XI from the side which defeated St Johnstone 5-2 last time out, and knew his men would have to take the game to Arsenal if they were to stand any chance of progress.

The Bhoys looked to make the most of the counter-attack, but too often delivery was poor following good build-up.

The much-maligned Eboue had been pressed into a more advanced midfield role tonight, and almost opened the scoring with a shot on the turn from the edge of the Celtic area.

After 29 minutes, Arsenal were awarded a penalty when Eduardo went down following what looked minimal contact at best by Boruc after he skipped into the left side of the box.

It was, though, enough to convince Spanish referee Manuel Gonzalez, which was all that mattered - and Eduardo was certainly not worried by chants of "cheat'' from the massed ranks of green behind the goal.

The Croatia striker, set to face England in next month's crucial World Cup qualifier at Wembley, stepped up to send the keeper the wrong way - and all but kill off the tie.

Celtic were clearly aggrieved, and for a spell lost composure.

It was not the Scots' lucky night, as Scott McDonald saw his far post tap-in ruled out by an offside flag with four minutes left of the first half.

In stoppage time, Boruc was at full stretch to push Eduardo's curling 20-yard effort around the post.

The Croatian - who on another night could easily have netted a hat-trick by now - was on the end of a quick break and some neat footwork found himself space on the edge of the area, only to scuff a shot wide.

After 53 minutes, Eboue showed Eduardo how it was done, drilling a low shot past Boruc following more neat build-up from a clever flick by Bendtner and Abou Diaby's centre.

Arshavin was introduced for the final 20 minutes, along with teenager Jack Wilshere, the latest off the production line at London Colney.

The Russian netted his first Champions League goal for Arsenal after a neat turn and finish after collecting Wilshere's pass after 74 minutes.

Donati salvaged some wounded pride in stoppage time with a stunning volley in off the post from Andreas Hinkel's right-wing cross.

Next up for Arsenal is the small matter of a trip to Manchester United. There Wenger's youngsters will face another stern test of character - which so far this season have all been answered.

[CNY_OX09]

Arsenal gets the quite easier draw in the Champion League of the 4 English clubs. No Spanish or Italia clubs in the group. Should have no problem qualifying for the next stage.

Group H
AZ Alkmaar
Arsenal
Olympiakos
Standard Liege

[kiko]

Wayne Rooney turned the table with a penalty shot to enable Manchester United to overplay arch rival Arsenal 2-1 at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Man. United dominated the middle field at the beginning as Gunners' captain Cesc Fabregas absent due to injury. Darren Fletcher almost gave the hosts an early lead after nine minutes as he answered Rooney's cross with his chest at leisure but fired over bar in near range.

However, it was Arsenal that made the breakthrough when Andrey Arshavin fired a long shot amazingly from the left in the 40th minute with goalkeeper Ben Foster tipping it into the left top corner of the net.

Arsenal played much more aggressive in the second half and Robin van Persie forced Foster to block the shot with his leg.

In the vital moment, English striker Rooney pushed himself forward. When he sprinted into the box, Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia fell him and conceded Man United a penalty. Rooney equalized from the penalty spot after 59 minutes.

Suddenly, a stricken Arsenal seemed losing their pace while Man. United were encouraged a lot. Five minutes after the equalizer, Vassiriki Diaby stunned the visitors by heading Ryan Giggs's freekick into their own net and Gunners never came back with van Persie's last minute goal ruled offside.

At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea sealed their fourth consecutive win in the Premier League by beating Burnley 3-0, but Tottenham Spurs made the same achievement after overcoming Birmingham 2-1.

Nicolas Anelka slide Didier Drogba's cross in net seconds before the break. Then German Michael Ballack added a score for the Blues with a header two minutes after the restart. Five minutes later, Ashley Cole volleyed in a stunning third.

Liverpool was threatened to lose for the third time this season as they fell behind twice in front of the hosts Bolton. But a strong-minded Steven Gerrard fired home in the 83rd minute to seal three points for the Reds after Glen Johnson and Fernando Torres completed the equalizers.

Besides, Blackburn finished 0-0 against West Ham while Wolverhampton tied with Hull on 1-1. Stoke edged Sunderland 1-0

[kiko]

Arsene Wenger will make a final attempt to bring Marouane Chamakh to Arsenal before the transfer window closes.

Wenger has offered £5 million for the Moroccan striker – a bid that was dismissed by Bordeaux as well short of their valuation.

Their manager Laurent Blanc values the 25-year-old at twice that amount.

But Wenger is aware that Chamakh is out of contract at the end of the season and will be able to get him on a free transfer under the Bosman ruling.

He can also start talking to Chamakh in January to negotiate a deal for next season – and Blanc would then have a distracted player on his hands.

Wenger wants to add to his squad before the deadline and is now set to go in with a final offer close to £8.5m in the hope that Bordeaux will relent and allow the player to leave.

The Arsenal manager will also decide in the next 48 hours whether to move for Patrick Vieira.

Vieira – currently at Inter Milan – has been omitted from the French squad for their forthcoming World Cup qualifiers with manager Raymond Domenech citing a lack of match fitness.

It is unlikely that Vieira will figure prominently in Jose Mourinho’s plans at the San Siro and his return would give Wenger much-needed experience in central midfield and he would also benefit from Vieira’s influence among the younger players in the squad.

In the long-term, Vieira, who was brought up under the Wenger philosophy and who became a World Cup winner with Arsenal for France, could be groomed for a coaching role.

[kiko]

England Manager Fabio Capello has spoken of his delight at the current state English Academies, before proclaiming that Arsenal have set the bench mark for the rest of the Premier League to follow.

Speaking to FIFA.com, Capello was quizzed about the wrath of talent currently at Under 21 level and below. Arsenal are noted for having a plethora of players in all of the England youth sides and the Italian-born coach believes playing for your country at an early age is important.

“When you play at any level in England, you play against good teams, but not the same level as you would do in international games against international teams. You also start to understand what it means to wear the England shirt – and that’s really important.”

The 63-year-old then went on to discuss the current state of youth development in the country, where Arsenal’s model was mentioned. Due to the fact that England’s training base is the Gunners’ London Colney centre, Fabio gets to cast an eye over the Under 18 squad who train on adjacent pitches.

“I’m very lucky, because I’ve had the opportunity to look at Arsenal’s academy where the England team train and their work is incredibly good. It’s a very important example for the other English academies. I’m very interested in the academies of the clubs in England, but they all seem to be working very well.”

“I’m very, very happy about the future of England and I think it will be better.”

Capello is believed to be weighing up the idea of taking 17-year-old Jack Wilshere to this summers World Cup.

[fullofrubbish]

I thought you are a Liverpool supporter ?

http://sammyboyforum.org.nz/3593189-post47.html

[johnnybravo09]

hi new arsenal fan here..gunners for life.

[kiko]

Emmanuel Adebayor had the last laugh on Arsenal as he scored the decisive third goal in a pulsating encounter from which Manchester City emerged with a 4-2 win and their 100% record intact.

• Adebayor: I'm sorry

Two weeks after dominating at Old Trafford, yet finishing on the losing side against Manchester United, Arsene Wenger experienced similar emotions on the blue half of the city after a staggering contest where for long periods, they appeared the most likely winner.

Adebayor had other ideas, although the FA might want to look again at his ugly clash with Robin van Persie that left the Dutchman with a facial wound.

And they will also no doubt review the celebration that followed his goal.

When Shaun Wright-Phillips sent over a vicious cross, the £25million man had no intention other than to find the net, which he duly did, sending a capacity crowd into ecstasy.

It meant City have now won four games, the Togo striker scoring in the lot. None will mean as much as this, though, as the taunts of the fans who used to cheer him were rammed forcefully back down their throats.

The meeting between City's new money and Arsenal's grand past would have been intriguing enough even without the appearance of Adebayor and Kolo Toure against their former club.

Arsene Wenger pocketed £40million for the pair, which has generally been regarded as a good bit of business, especially as Adebayor was not the most popular figure among the Gunners faithful.

Pre-match boos from the visiting section continued after the game had started, although that reaction only seemed to fire up a player who showed more purpose and commitment than he provided in his final days at the Emirates.

Yet it was the visitors who started better and William Gallas should have put them ahead with a far post header. Instead, the Frenchman sent it fizzing over, providing City with an escape the fickle finger of fate ensured they took full advantage of.

True, without Gareth Barry's curling free-kick after Craig Bellamy had been blocked off by Bacary Sagna, or Richards' towering header, there would have been no goal.

Yet as Almunia pushed the header onto a post, then helplessly turned it home as the ball cannoned straight back towards him, the assist should go down in a column marked `luck'.

So eager to impress, Adebayor was a notable presence without doing anything significant.

Had Bellamy not wasted a cross, he might have been presented with a tap-in.

Not that his old club did any better. For all their possession, they did not come close to matching Gallas' earlier opportunity and, unlike a fortnight ago at Old Trafford, this time Wenger could not even claim his team had been roughed up.

Wenger has been criticised for his lack of summer signings. But after 20 months on the sidelines following major knee surgery, having Tomas Rosicky available must feel like a new arrival.

The momentum definitely changed following the Czech star's introduction for Denilson, their passing becoming more threatening, their attacks presenting more obvious danger.

Gallas had already brought one excellent reaction save out of Given with a stooping near-post header when Rosicky collected Bacary Sagna's short pass and fed the ball calmly through to Van Persie.

Joleon Lescott lunged in despairingly, but Van Persie simply skipped past the £22million man and drove a precise shot into the bottom corner.

Wenger probably could not believe how Arsenal failed to get their noses in front during the minutes that followed, as his team assumed total control.

Yet their concentration appeared to waver when Adebayor's tackle on Van Persie left him needing treatment to a facial wound and Alexandre Song lashed out at his former team-mate shortly afterwards.

There could be no other explanation for the ease with which Richards cut inside Song after receiving Wright-Phillips' pass and then finding Bellamy, who swept home to City's glee.

That would have brought joy enough to Eastlands. But, having presented Wright-Phillips with a tap-in after beating three men near the by-line, only for the England star to miss, Adebayor decided it was time to do the job himself.

His reaction to the goal, racing the full length of the field to celebrate right in front of the Arsenal fans, rightly earned him a booking and may attract further punishment from the FA.

Not that Adebayor will be too bothered as City survived a breathless finale in which Wright-Phillips stretched their lead before Rosicky pulled one back and van Persie hit a post.

# Adebayor: I'm sorry

Emmanuel Adebayor has apologised for his goal celebration in Manchester City's 4-2 win over Arsenal at Eastlands.

Adebayor headed home the decisive third goal from Shaun Wright-Phillips' cross before charging the full length of the field to celebrate in front of the Arsenal supporters who spent the afternoon baiting him.

"To be honest, I'm very sorry for all this,'' said the £25m striker. "Sometimes, the emotion takes over. That's what happened. I was very happy to score the goal. Before the game, people have been saying and writing things and the emotions took over. People who love me and know me know how I behave.''

It seems certain the Football Association will be in touch with Adebayor about his celebration, which Arsene Wenger admitted was "not welcome''. "But his attitude and behaviour are out of my control,'' added the Frenchman.

Yet, if the FA take a dim view of his challenge on Robin van Persie just before Craig Bellamy's goal, the striker could be in big trouble. Van Persie required treatment for a facial wound after being caught on the side of his face by Adebayor's boot.

It did seem there was some element of intent, although Wenger was not well placed to comment. "I have heard about it on the radio,'' he said. "But I have not actually seen the incident because the ball moved away pretty quickly. I will have to look at it and assess it.''

City boss Mark Hughes also said he had not seen the incident but admitted he would be disappointed if it was allowed to overshadow a thrilling victory. "We are hopeful that the game itself will be the shining light rather than any one incident,'' said Hughes.

"We do not want it to cast a shadow on an outstanding game, but we will have to see what happens.''

"Emmanuel was outstanding today,'' purred Hughes. "Amid some high quality goals, perhaps the best piece of skill was his run down the byline to set up Shaun Wright-Phillips for the chance he missed. If that had gone in, it would have been goal of the season. He is an outstanding talent and the best in the world at what he does.''

Meanwhile, Hughes confirmed Robinho faces a "three to four week'' spell on the sidelines after scans revealed he suffered a stress fracture just above his ankle on international duty with Brazil last weekend.

For Wenger, life must feel pretty frustrating at present. Two weeks ago, Arsenal dominated Manchester United and ended up with nothing Wenger left Manchester tonight with an uncomfortable sense of deja vu.

"Unfortunately, we are going home with the same feeling,'' he said. "Considering the way the two teams played and the number of shots we both had, we should have done much better. In the second half, I felt we were in control, so the result is a bit difficult to take.''

[kiko]

Man of the moment Eduardo grabbed the winner as Arsenal fought back from going 2-0 down inside five minutes to win their opening Champions League Group H clash away to Standard Liege.

The Croatia marksman was only available because the club successfully appealed against UEFA's two-match ban imposed for diving against Celtic in the second leg of the qualifying tie.

So it was probably fitting Eduardo had the final say as Arsenal recovered from a terrible start to open their group campaign with a morale-boosting away win.

It had not looked good early on though as before Arsene Wenger's men could get going they trailed 2-0 only to fight back superbly with a well-taken goal from Nicklas Bendtner on the stroke of half-time, with Belgium international Thomas Vermaelen bundling in an equaliser and Eduardo then completing the revival 10 minutes from time.

With the 27,000-capacity Stade Maurice Dufrasne in full voice as the Belgians celebrated their first appearance in the Champions League group stages, Arsenal were under early pressure.

The visitors failed to clear a corner, and it proved costly as Eliaquim Mangala smashed a low drive into the bottom corner to give Liege a shock lead in just two minutes. Moments after the restart William Gallas was adjudged to have tripped Milan Jovanovic - Spanish referee Eduardo Gonzalez immediately pointing to the spot.

The Serbian, with five goals already this season, stepped up to send rookie goalkeeper Vito Mannone - making his Champions League debut - the wrong way.

Arsenal now faced another stern test of character as the home fans cranked up the atmosphere. Slowly, though, the Gunners started to mount some pressure of their own, fit-again Czech midfielder Tomas Rosicky central to most promising moves on what was his first start since January 2008 following a string of injury setbacks.

Eduardo's chip across the penalty area almost picked out Bendtner but goalkeeper Sinan Bolat intercepted.

Patience remained the key for Arsenal as the home crowd started to get frustrated by their side's lack of impetus. The visitors continued to press and were getting more balls into the danger area, but they were still coming up against some resolute defending.

Then, in stoppage time, Abou Diaby charged towards the penalty area before slipping in Bendtner on the right.

The Danish striker drilled in a fine first-time shot into the far corner to give the small band of travelling Arsenal supporters hope.

However, it was Liege who almost got off to another flyer at the start of the second half, when Dieudonne Mbokani capitalised on a mistake by Alex Song to go clean through, only for Gael Clichy to make a last-gasp saving tackle.

At the other end, Bendtner lost out to Mangala in the race to a long ball up field from Rosicky.

Liege were playing a dangerous game, sitting back and inviting pressure while looking to break. As the hour mark approached, Arsenal now faced a wall of 10 red shirts every time they went forward.

It was a scenario Arsene Wenger's men had faced all too often before, and once again they struggled for creativity. However, the equaliser finally came in the 77th minute when a deep free-kick caused havoc in the Liege six-yard box and Vermaelen bundled it over the line.

Eduardo was denied by a fine save from Bolat and Vermaelen had an effort cleared off the line. The Gunners, though, got what they deserved when Eduardo slotted in at close range from a corner to complete the comeback with 10 minutes to go.

# Bendtner hails Gunners' grit

Nicklas Bendtner praised his side's spirit after Arsenal fought back from going 2-0 down inside five minutes to win their opening Champions League Group H clash away to Standard Liege.

''It was very important,'' Bendtner told Sky Sports. ''We fought all the way through to the end and then we were rewarded.

''I don't know what happened at the beginning. I think it was a mixture of bad luck, the penalty and the goal...it's difficult to come back when two goals down but we showed great spirit. We knew we could win it and we went on to do it.''

Bendtner reserved special praise for Eduardo, who was only available tonight because the club successfully appealed against UEFA's two-match ban imposed for diving against Celtic in the second leg of the qualifying tie.

He added: ''It was fantastic. He always comes up with goals at important times. It's pleasing for him and pleasing for us.''

Arsenal's other goalscorer, Vermaelen, insisted the Gunners were always confident of winning the game.

''Most of the time we had the ball and we were just looking for a good gap for the goal,'' said the Belgium international. ''In the second half we were confident the goal would come. We scored just before half-time and that was important for our spirit and it's negative for theirs. I think it was the most important goal of the evening.''

[kiko]

Mexican teenager Carlos Vela came off the bench to inspire Arsene Wenger's young Gunners to a 2-0 Carling Cup victory over 10-man West Brom at the Emirates Stadium.

The 19-year-old marked his return from an ankle injury when his shot set up Sanchez Watt for the opener in the 68th minute and then added a tap-in after Mark Randall's clever chip came back off the crossbar.

• Di Matteo "disappointed" with Wilshere

After a positive start the Championship leaders were up against it after former Gunner Jerome Thomas - who twice won the FA Youth Cup while at Arsenal - was sent off after 37 minutes for a needless slap on Jack Wilshere.

Wenger had once again given youth a chance, his team with an average age of just over 20, while also bringing in experienced defender Philippe Senderos - starting for the first time since May 2008 after a loan spell at AC Milan - and veteran Mikael Silvestre captained the side. And Senderos - who could have joined Everton during the transfer window - had an early chance when he headed over at the near post following a corner from the left.

With Watt and French teenager Gilles Sunu Arsenal certainly had plenty of pace in attack, while Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey - both with plenty of first-team experience already - provided the trademark quick passing through the midfield.

Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, 19, made the first meaningful contribution on his debut when punching a corner clear at the near post and he was stretching in the 15th minute as Robert Koren's angled 20-yard drive flew just wide. Watt came within inches of opening his Arsenal account minutes later when he stabbed Wilshere's cutback goalwards, only for the ball to bounce agonisingly off the inside of the post and into Dean Kiely's grateful arms.

The match had suddenly sparked into life, West Brom midfielder Simon Cox the next to test Szczesny with a low drive. The Pole produced another fine stop to turn Koren's shot behind, which was creeping in. The youngsters were rattled - and Kerrea Gilbert hacked the ball off the line after a corner caused panic in the Arsenal six-yard box.

Arsenal responded well, with Wilshere again driving at the Baggies rearguard. On 31 minutes, Wilshere again made space for himself with another positive run, and his 20-yard shot was just off-target.

West Brom swung a free-kick into the area which Szczesny dropped under pressure at the far post from Leon Barnett, but fortunately Kieran Gibbs - who had played in the Champions League semi-final defeat to Manchester United last season - was on hand to clear.

West Brom continued to look dangerous on the break, with Thomas' run down the left forcing Szczesny to make an important block. However, the 26-year-old was shown a straight red card in the 37th minute after he clashed with Wilshere, before then slapping the midfielder in the face while he was on the floor.

Cox also went into referee Lee Mason's book for his protests. The midfielder headed over for the first real chance of the second half when well placed in the six-yard box before Wenger made a change in the 58th minute - introducing Mexican striker Vela and Randall to replace Sunu and Francis Coquelin.

The game continued to be scrappy, as the visitors closed down the space quickly. It took a moment of Premier League quality from Vela to finally help break the deadlock. The 19-year-old showed great close control to create space for a shot from the edge of the penalty area, which Kiely palmed wide, and Watt followed up to smash in his first senior Arsenal goal.

The Mexican then got the goal he deserved after 75 minutes. Randall's 20-yard chip came back off the underside of the bar - and Vela was alert enough to get in between Barnett and Kiely before knocking the ball over the line.

The Baggies missed the chance to pull a goal back with 10 minutes to go when substitute Chris Wood fired wide at the far post - which just about summed up their night.

# Di Matteo "disappointed" with Wilshere

After the match Baggies manager Roberto Di Matteo hit out at Arsenal teenager Jack Wilshere for his part in Jerome Thomas' sending-off.

"Thomas went to shake hands with Wilshere, he refused and Thomas reacted, so it was a red card," Di Matteo said. "But there was an exchange of words and there was a reaction. I am disappointed Wilshere did not accept his hand, of a fellow colleague, but that is part of the game."

Di Matteo maintained that until then his side had been in control.

"That was the turning point," he said. "I felt before Thomas got sent off, we were starting to get on top of them. We were just getting control of the game, and I thought we had a good chance to win tonight. But well done to Arsenal. They are very talented and congratulations to them."

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger maintained he could not shed much light on the incident.

"My eyes are not great and my ears are even worse," quipped the Arsenal manager. "I could not hear anything from the touchline. Thomas has reacted, and in these cases you always need to control your nerves, whether he has any excuses, I do not know. Jack said he had been kicked.

"Certainly it would have been a great game if had stayed 11 against 11."

Wenger worked with Thomas, 26, while he was a youngster at Arsenal, but eventually the attack-minded midfielder decided to press for first-team football elsewhere.

"Thomas was very talented, sometimes nervy and impatient as well because he had a lot of talent," said Wenger. "I am happy he is coming to the top level now, because he always had something special and on his day was exceptional player. He lacked a bit of confidence, but looks to have found that now."

Mexico international Vela had missed the start of the season because of an ankle problem. However, the 20-year-old proved the difference between the sides.

"When Vela came on, straight away he made a difference," said Wenger. "He is dangerous in his control, movement and class. He gives you something special. However, he was not ready to start tonight and still has work to do on his fitness. But he is in my plans for the first team - he can play wide left, wide right or central. He gives you plenty of options."

[fullofrubbish]

Kiko are you a Kop or a gunner supporter ? Please answer. Thank you.

[kiko]

ARSENAL are considering a summer move for highly-rated Belgian international Eden Hazard.

The 18-year-old Lille winger is regarded as one of Europe's hottest properties and has been linked with Manchester United, Inter Milan and Barcelona in the past.

Real Madrid's sporting director Zinedine Zidane is also a huge admirer of the midfielder, and is eager for the Spanish giants to snap him up.

And Hazard admits he would relish the opportunity to play for Real or Arsene Wenger's Gunners in the future.

He said: "Zidane is my idol — the greatest footballer of his generation.

"If someone like that praises you, it is heart-warming. It moved me.

"But I must repeat that it is too early to move.

"In one or two years I will maybe make the next step.

"What's more, Lille play European football, which is also a good opportunity for me. Getting minutes on the field is what counts from my perspective right now.

"Real Madrid and Arsenal are the clubs I dreamed of joining as a child.

"If I joined Inter or Barcelona and could play football there then that would be very good, but Real and Arsenal are really great and play at a very high technical level.

"I have a three-year contract and feel that I have a lot to learn in Lille.

"The situation could only change if a club offers £26million and Lille were unable to refuse, but for now I ask all the clubs interested to respect my decision: I want another year to develop at Lille.

"After that, we will see."

[r2009m]

hi all.. been a Gunner fan since 1987... fav idol - Ian Wright!

[kiko]

Questioning the commitment of Cesc Fabregas to the Arsenal cause has become something of a popular pastime during the opening few weeks of this Premier League season.

• Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

More than a few senior scribes believe they have spotted a weakening in the resolve of the player who has made Arsenal tick over the last few years, with the theory that his not-so-distant future lies in his native Spain being aired time and again of late.

Unfortunate defeats in Arsenal's two Premier League visits to Manchester this season have done little to banish the notion that Fabregas is becoming a little disillusioned with life in a team that has long threatened so much without delivering the ultimate prizes, so this was a day for the Gunners talisman to answer his critics.

On a warm afternoon that should have made Fabregas feel at home, the midfielder sporting the No.4 shirt had the perfect chance to fire his season into life as this game was always likely to be played with the sort of flow that suits Arsenal. All too often, Fabregas and his pals are denied the space to play the football neutral observers enjoy to watch, yet Fulham manager Roy Hodgson is not the type to serve up the sort of unpleasant diet.

Even though trips to Craven Cottage have proved to be troublesome for Arsenal down the years, you would have expected Fabregas to be in his element and yet his first-half showing was a long way below the standard he has set himself down the years. Trying to dictate play in the heart of the battle, he earned his first chance of the game as the ball found its way to him on the edge of the box, only to blast over when he should have hit the target.

Fabregas' most significant contribution of the opening 45 minutes came as he fed a quick pass to Andrey Arshavin inside the box, but the Russian wasted Arsenal's best chance of the first half and you couldn't help but feel Fabregas was below par.

As usual, the Arsenal skipper was handed set-play duties, though the little man was not providing the sort of quality service we have come to expect from him and he also gave the ball away on a curiously consistent basis. His frustration became clear as he began to admonish himself with increasing regularity.

Indeed, Arsenal stand-in keeper Vito Mannone was the busier of the two keepers in a free-flowing first half and Arsenal boss Wenger was clearly not enjoying what he was seeing as he had moved striker Robin van Persie into a wide role before the break.

Still, when you have a man of Fabregas' genius lurking in your ranks, there is always a chance that he will click into gear and produce the sort of magic his opponents simply cannot live with. In this game, that moment arrived after 51 minutes.

The danger to Fulham seemed minimal as Fabregas collected the ball in the midfield and assessed his options in a fraction of a second. He then picked out a run from Robin van Persie with a perfectly floated pass, with the quality of his delivery, when it mattered most, proving to be of the highest order.

Van Persie didn't need to break his stride as the Fabregas chip dropped perfectly at his feet, allowing the Dutchman to produce an equally clinical finish. The aggressive and exuberant celebrations from the Arsenal skipper confirmed his exasperation had been extinguished in an instant. It proved to be a goal that secured all three points.

Fulham had a right to argue they deserved more from this game and if striker Bobby Zamora made the most of his chances, they could have claimed a point. "I felt we deserved to get something from the game and we can take a lot of positives from a good performance," was the view of Fulham boss Hodgson.

"We came up against an inspired keeper and he managed to give Arsenal the victory. They had that little bit of quality in decisive area of the team and that proved to be the crucial in the final analysis."

The win was welcome for Arsenal, but they were a long way from their flowing best and one blatant negative had to be the inept contribution of Arshavin. He may be an ESPN Fantasy Football favourite, but the Russian didn't look as if he has the stomach for the fight at Craven Cottage and it was no surprise when Wenger put him out of his misery after 68 minutes.

GettyImages

The Gunners took all three points from Fulham.
Wenger has much to ponder after this victory and the Arsenal boss looked relieved rather than delighted as he met the press. "Our goalkeeper did well to keep a clean sheet and he needed to be special for us to come up with three points in this game," Wenger said.

"I did not feel we produced enough decisive football in the first half, but we showed more of a threat after the break. We have a spirit in this side that makes me feel positive for this season. I am convinced we will do well if we stay loyal to our principles."

So Arsenal managed to extract an ounce of sparkle from Fabregas and Van Persie to grind out a win, yet both the Arsenal captain and his boss will know this kind of display is unlikely to be enough to take them into the winners circle over the course of a long, hard season.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Vito Mannone - Arsenal's youthful stand-in keeper has been criticised for his opening few performances between the sticks at senior level, but the Italian made some crucial saves to keep a valuable clean sheet. He was hugged by all his team-mates at the end.

FABREGAS VERDICT: The truly great players may not always be at their best for 90 minutes, but they still manage to come up with a decisive contribution. Those who are questioning Fabregas' long-term commitment to the Arsenal cause should wait before passing a decisive judgement.

ARSENAL UP CLOSE: Wenger will have been concerned by his side's lack of drive for large chunks of this game. He cut a frustrated figure as he patrolled the touchline and will have been relieved to escape with a slightly fortunate victory.

FULHAM UP CLOSE: Hodgson faces a major challenge juggling the Europa League and domestic commitments this season and Fulham may struggle in the attacking third, with Bobby Zamora lacking a proven Premier League record. They look like a mid-table side, which would still be a fine achievement given their resources.

[fullofrubbish]

So Kiko this season you a Gunner supporter ???