No Bush Bounce and Slowhand

I bet that title got your attention!


Today is hump day, the last day of February, and day 17 before St. Paddy’s Day! Hurrah! Good times are drawing nigh. The Arsenal have traveled up north for a FA Cup 5th Round replay against Blackburn. This should be an interesting match as Ade, Toure, and Eboue are all suspended after the handbags on Sunday. Also, Henry, RvP, Clichy and Rosicky are out injured and news is that Cesc is rested. Not the strongest of squads left, but the kids have really been doing well this season and I think they can pull it off. Also, even though Arsenal have had some card trouble of late, at least Graham Poll is the ref so it will take an extra yellow to get sent off.

Plymouth have been doing well of late though a recent late goal by QPR last weekend denied them 2 needed points and they currently sit in 12th place. Also, Argyle are into the Quarterfinals of the FA Cup and will play Watford at Home Park. Hopefully Ollie and his boys can get some retribution for Watford knocking them out of the Semis in 1984, which is the furthest Plymouth’s gotten in the competition.

Over here in the States, the Miami Heat were at the White House for a ceremony to honor the team for Championship last season. Good to see the Prez is as diligent about congratulating the Heat as he was on checking reports of WMDs in Iraq. Anyway, coach Riley gave Bush a jersey and an autographed ball and when he tried to dribble it, it had as much bounce-back as his approval ratings (i.e. it stayed on the floor to the laughter of all in the room).

Finally, on Friday I am headed up to Houston with the family to see Slowhand himself in concert! The wife and I are dropping the kid off at her parents and then we are meeting up with my family to head to the show. Should be really sweet as my aunt and uncle threw out some big change and got a suite! Big pimpin! Yeah! Anyway, I’m really looking forward to the show. Clapton really is a genius and his shows are always great. Plus I get some party time in without having to worry about getting up early with the little one. Huzzah!

Enough for today.

Adios.

They are Heroes to Me

Yesterday was the Carling Cup final in Cardif and Arsenal played the Chavs. The Arsenal fielded the same younger squad that has been featured throughout the Cup (a Wenger tradition) and in the end, they came up short, losing 1-2. But even though they lost, they played very well and were only a few unlucky breaks from winning. There are loads of commentaries on the match and I don't want to repeat them all. Also, there were some handbags at the end of the match which really should have been avoided, but passions were high and Fat Frank really should have let the ref sort everything out. Some of the other things I noticed during the match:

First, I am not a big fan of John Terry, but when he got kicked in the head and wasn't moving, it made my stomach turn. You never want to see anything like that happen and all the players showed their class by immediately turning their attention to his well being. Diaby was mortified and stuck by Terry's side like a true gentleman. It seems Terry is alright, and I hope he is fully fit.

Walcott. Glad to see he got his first Arsenal goal in the cup final. It was a great strike and I hope to see plenty more of that. There has been a lot of criticism of late about his abilities, but I have to remember that he is only 17 and has a lot of work to do. Now that the goal monkey is off his back, he can start to relax and play.

Denilson. This kid is going to be something special at the club. He has a good sense of what is going on, pace, and can get out of a jam. These last few matches have really shown his potential.

Cesc. I am sooooo glad he signed a long contact. He has fire and grit and doesn't take any crap, especially when it counts most. Many media pundits have called his stepping in during the handbags horrible, but from what I saw he went in to help a teammate when Fat Frank entered the fray. In my opinion, Lampard should have left it alone and there wouldn't have been any trouble.

Eboue. This crap of arguing any contact, going after players, etc. has got to stop. He puts the whole team in jeporday when he flies off the handle. He is a good player, but if he can't control himself, I'd like to see him go.

Cech. The Chav goalkeeper is too damn good.

The Reserve Squad in general. The future looks bright when a team with an average age of 21 takes it to the highest salary club in the world. If it weren't for Cech's saves, a lucky non-call on a Drogba offside, and Drogba actually having a great season (though I still can't stand him) the kids would have been hoisting the trophy.

So the Arsenal didn’t win, but there is a FA Cup replay on Wednesday and the Champions League. I think they will come home with some silverware, but it will be a battle.

By the way, work has been kicking my arse, but I'm trying to get back to the blog as often as I can.

Adios.

Damn. Gotta Go Buy Some Chocolates....

Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone from your happy author! Hope you have a wonderful day, and if you are not currently with anyone, there is nothing wrong with heading to the pub all evening with friends. I’d like to do that myself. ANYWAY, the Arsenal are in action today on yet another V-day, which means I will once again be missing the match as I haven’t seen any pigs flying by my window. Oh well. See the sacrifices I am willing to make for my true love! The match is a FA Cup replay at Bolton (due to the draw two weeks ago) and it is reported that Henry is not listed in the squad, though most of the regular starters should be there. It seems though that when Henry is off the pitch, some of the other players (especially strikers), kick it up a notch, which may bode well for Arsenal today. Also, Hleb and Freddie are due back in the lineup, so there will be some more veteran experience out there, though RvP, Gallas, and Eboue remain in the physio room.

The Gunners really need to win this match, not just because it advances them in the tournament, but they need to get this “Bolton is a bogey team” stigma off their back. Also, I can’t stand Fat Sam, with his 100 pieces of gum, sausage fingers, and stupid headset, so a win at his ground would be sweet. Sam is also once again trying to accuse Wenger of playing mind games with referees about time wasting and what not. Whatever Sam. Nobody really cares to hear you speak. The funny thing is that Wenger could really care less about Sam and what he has to say. Sam just does it to get in the headlines and appear to be a big name in football. When the Bolton old folks home starts winning the League and cups, then he can crow. Until then he is just mooing and annoying us all.

Down in sunny Spain, the Nou is not a happy Camp right now as there has been some recent tension between striker E’eto, Ronaldinho, and manager Frank Rijkaard. E’eto is coming off a long term injury and has just recently been back on the squad, so he should be chomping at the bit to get back on the pitch. However, it is reported he refused to go on as a late substitute in Sunday’s match against Racing Santander. When asked why E’eto didn’t play, Rijkaard told the press that he didn’t want to play. Sammy refuted the comment and lashed out at Frank and Ronnie, who said E’eto should think of the team and what is important for it. Seems someone peed in his paella. Barca are a good side with some quality players, but it seems the Nou is getting to small for some of the egos it is trying to contain. Whether this is a short term spat or the beginnings of transfers is yet to be seen, but these little rows have been the beginning of dips in form for clubs and players alike. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Finally, don’t forget that this Friday is the Great Guinness toast, so go to the Guinness site for more details. This little get together starts the countdown to the greatest holiday of them all, St. Patrick’s Day! I love this holiday because you don’t have to travel and see family, there are no gifts involved, and no cooking (unless you want some stew or shepherd’s pie, but that is easy). There is only getting together with friends and drinking. Plus you get to pinch girls who aren’t wearing green. Brilliant!

Adios.

I Know, I Know

It has been ages since I last posted and I really should have been more diligent, but I’ve been wrapped up in the Anna Nicole death-watch media blitz. However, I will be making a more concerted effort to keep the inane comments from south Texas coming forth. Anyway, as a quickie, the Arsenal won on Sunday against Wigan, but it was no easy feat. The Gunners went down a goal, yet again, and came back in the last few minutes to win the game 2-1. Ade had a goal taken away because of an iffy offsides call, but Henry put one in off a defender to level it. About 10 minutes later, Rosicky finally got a Prem goal by nodding in a nice cross from Baptista. So the Gunners win, and the Liverpool loss to Newcastle (yeah, Newcastle) puts Arsenal 1 point behind the Scousers and in 4th place. Not a bad weekend.

The newfound spirit shone through some yesterday, but it is getting a bit scary for the team to be continuously coming from behind. Going a goal down means that the Gunners have to attack, which can leave them open to counter attacks. Also, it is harder (both physically and mentally) to come from behind every week than to go ahead early and kill off a game. I am glad the team is digging deep and pulling out the late wins and draws, but I’d like to see them start stronger than they have been and get the lead early. This isn’t the undefeated team, but they need to get after it a bit earlier, in my humble opinion.

The Pro-Bowl was Saturday, and the only reason I know about it was that it was on a little TV in a corner at the Italian place where I had a lovely dinner on Saturday. This place does a great veal meatball and linguine. It is heavenly. Come to SOTEX and I’ll tke you there.

That’s all for now as I’ve got to see a man about a sediment sample.

Adios.