Merry New Year - Ahhh Haa Haa Haa Haaaaaa!!!!!

Merry New Year friends! It's Beef Jerkey Time!!! Anyway, the holidays are finally over, a new year is upon us, and great things are in store for us all. At least that’s what I’m hoping for! Come on Lotto! Anyway, I am back in action, fully rehydrated, and ready to do some blogging.

The holiday season is a busy one in football, well in England anyway, and there were a ton of fixtures over the last 10 days. Well, 4 to be exact, but that is a lot of matches over a short timeframe. Plus, the stack-up of matches is continuing through the new year. Just before Christmas, the boys from North London hosted Blackburn Rovers and went down early yet again. This match had snooze-fest draw written all over it, but it seems the kids wanted to impress Santa so that he would bring them a new Bentley and turned it up a notch in the second half to win 6-2! Adebayor looked great and van Persie had a couple of crackers as well It seemed the kids didn’t need talisman Henry to get the job done.

Once the pressies had been opened and the turkey eaten, the crew drove over to Vicarage Road in northwest London to take on Watford. The Hornets are a decent enough side and though they just moved up from the Championship this season, they couldn’t be underestimated. Pretty much the same side the played Blackburn was put out against Watford and we looked pretty good after Gilberto nodded in yet another goal in the 19th minute. But the ketchup and mustards were down for long as Smyth leveled the match 4 minutes later. It seemed we were having a bit of trouble on the road yet again, but van Persie found the back of the net in the 83rd minute after turning American Demerit around and slotting home a brilliant left footed shot. Two wins either side of Christmas and all was looking well. But, Adebayor picked up an injury and was set to miss the next few matches.

So, after traveling to north London, the Gunners had to pack up and travel to Yorkshire to play Neil Warnock’s Sheffield United. Adebayor was ruled out for the match due to injury as well as Hleb who picked up a shin niggle in training, Walcott who hurt is back, and Djourou who pulled a hamy. This was on top of Henry, Ljungberg, and Gallas who have been injured for ages. But, even with the injuries, the Arsenal beat United 3-1 at the Grove earlier this season, so it shouldn’t be too tough of a match, right? Wrong. Cesc was rested for the match, so we lost some midfield flair, and the pitch was in utter shambles. There was standing water in some areas! Plus, the Blades were out for a win to help keep them above the relegation zone with less than half the season remaining. The Arsenal started out OK and there were a few good chances that weren’t converted due to poor first touches and bad finishing. Had one of these gone in, the Gunners could have pulled out a win or a draw. The goal by United though was well deserved as Nade turned and burned Toure and put a well placed ball past Lehmann, who had come out a bit too far, to put them up 1-0 just before the half. In the second half, Blades keeper Paddy Kenny tweaked himself on a goalkick and had to be replaced by midfielder Jagielka (as Warnock rarely puts a backup keeper on his sub bench). So this is a good omen for the Gunners right? Wrong. It wasn’t until just before the final whistle that there was even a decent shot on goal! There was no change to the level of play in order to take advantage of an inexperienced keeper. This meant that the Gunners ended the year on a sour note. Even worse, Robin van Persie and Baptista picked up a injuries to add even more chaos to the Arsenal strike force.

So the boys head home today to face Charlton and their new manager, ex West Ham gaffer Pardew. It is rumored that Henry will be pressed back into service as the only fit striker now is Aliadiere, who has failed to impress me over the years. The Gunners really need to get all 3 points today and cannot lose. The league title is out of reach, but a 3rd or 4th place finish will be critical to maintaining a spot in Europe next season. Let’s hope that some of the grit the team showed in earlier matches shines through today. I know that some of the poor performances of late have been due to fatigue and a rash of injuries, but some heart today might push them through for the win.

There are loads of other things going on, but I’ll try to address them later in the week. Also, if you need a drink, check the cushions of your sofa for money instead of selling your kid’s dog!

And on that note,

Adios.