(Source: youtube.com)
Arsenal featured on a 1936 cigarette card, with the FA Cup trophy they won that year.
16-21/100 pictures of Arsenal Football Club.
OLIVIER GIROUD: A MAN ARSENAL HAVE TO GET
Montpellier hit man Olivier Giroud has been is superb form so far this term. After making no secret of his admiration for Arsenal it seems that all the pieces are in place for a summer move. He is a man whose signature Arsene Wenger should secure.
Giroud, 25 years of age, is just under 6ft 4inches tall and is the personification of power and grace. More than just a typical center forward Giroud is deadly in or outside the box, he has a cannon of a shot but at the same time the ability to score with the most deft of touches. He is a good set piece taker, his control is superb, he is strong, agile and merciless when it comes to using his head, in short he is everything that Arsenal need at this moment in time.
Giroud started his career with Grenoble before being loaned to Istres where he scored an impressive 14 goals in 33 games. This prompted Tours to come in a snap him and he replayed their faith by scoring 24 goals in 44 games, this saw him also finish Ligue 2 top goal scorer and win player of the year in that division. It did not take long for Ligue 1 clubs to come looking for him and in 2010 Montpellier game knocking and secured his signature. Since his time here he has become something of a phenomenon, his new nickname ‘le buteur de charme’ (The charmed striker) is down to his good looks as much as it is his goal scoring record but even so, he has been in blistering form. 28 goals in 60 appearances in the top flight show that he is not phased by the step up and his recent performances indicate that he will go from strength to strength.
It was reported by Talksport this week that the French International hit man has his eyes fixed firmly on North London saying that “I love the French feel at Arsenal and the atmosphere that is created by the fans. They always support their players.”
However when asked if he had entered talks with the Gunners he stated “Out of respect to my club I am not considering my future at the moment and we will decide soon what is best for both parties”
Giroud would give Arsenal much more than cover for Robin Van Persie he would give them another option that would be an extremely deadly threat to any Premier League defence. At the moment he plays at the head of a 4-3-2-1 but he could easily link up with Van Persie and it could be to some effect, as with he has the ariel threat and poachers instinct that Arsenal have been missing. He is also a work horse and will work hard for his team, he is certainly not scared of a challenge.
To put a valuation on him is difficult and it is even more difficult to know if Arsene Wenger will make an official approach, the club however has admitted interest. If the believed 16million release clause is factual then it looks a possibility as Gilles Grimandi has been to watch him now on numerous occasions. If Arsenal are to sign anyone this summer this should and could be the man.
Podolski as a policeman in this Adidas advert. Wish I could understand German or find one with subtitles, but this is still pretty awesome.
Nike Football: My Time Is Now (Euro 2012)
At the barbershop with Mario Balotelli
And another one that belongs in the Szczesny Youtube Hall of Fame. I could probably beat both of these guys in FIFA.
Apparently Szczesny’s got more skills than we thought, a worst case scenario RVP replacement? (sarcasm implied) And yet, it’s still pretty impressive. Well done Chezzer.
THE END OF AN ERA? PROBABLY NOT.
But it could be the beginning of one. The beginning of an era in which the team sheet doesn’t include Fabregas because he’s been sold, rather than just injured. An era in which Wenger is no longer chained to that slowly-sinking ship we’ve all gotten to know as El Capitan. It may be premature to write this, but it appears he will soon be El Capitan no more. Of course, we all knew, just as Wenger has known, that Fabregas was going to leave if we didn’t start winning. Guess what?
As much as it pains me to see this, I can’t help feeling invigorated and motivated to press on in the face of adversity. Feelings I had hoped Fabregas shared. Feelings I believe Robin van Persie, among others, possesses. But I’ve always felt that RVP is chasing Bergkamp’s shadow, trying to fill his hero’s boots and win trophies for the club and not giving up (read: leaving) until he has.
Fabregas, on the other hand, looks up to another set of players who have been winning things. Lots of things. And he has to hear about it constantly because let’s face it, he might as well be Pique’s hermanito. So if given the chance to go back to the team of his youth and play with his best friends, eventually filling the role currently occupied by an ever-aging Xavi, there was never any doubting the decision he would make. The only questions that matter have always been when and for how much. And it appears those questions may soon be answered.
This shouldn’t be taken the wrong way. I’ve always enjoyed watching Cesc on the pitch, his movement without the ball, the creativity and vision to make unlikely things happen. When he’s playing consistently he becomes the heart and soul of not just the squad, but the entire philosophy of Arsenal football under Arsene Wenger. But that consistency has been sorely lacking for the past two seasons, campaigns that were marred with disappointment as each autumn we built a solid foundation of victories and points only to watch it crumble under the weight of a fixture-heavy and injury-plagued spring.
Will the potential loss of Fabregas turn this into a “rebuilding” year? Perhaps, but only if Wenger chooses to sit on his stash of cash. Thirty-five to forty million euros extra in the bank could help us land some legitimate veterans and/or proven winners that could make an immediate impact. So I’ll end with a question. Why are we not in the race to sign Michael Essien?
November 1958: Juventus players Giampiero Boniperti (left) and John Charles (right) examine the Highbury turf with Arsenal manager George Swindin (centre), before a friendly match in north London. The Gunners won 3-1, with Wales legend Charles scoring the Italian side’s only goal.
New Arsenal kit video courtesy of Nike
“ Arsene’s shadow has cast a gloom all the way up Seven Sisters Road for quite a while now. I and the vast majority of Arsenal fans have an enormous amount of faith in Wenger.
— Nick Hornby, (The Independent, August 2008)
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The Winners’ Podium
