I'm Planning on Giving Bush a Raspberry While I'm There Too!!!

Well friends, this is a quick one as I am off to the nation’s capitol tomorrow for a bit of conferencing and hanging out with people much more important than me. As a result, I’ll be unable to post (which will be a big shock to the consistency of this blog!) but I’m sure that it will be alright. Arsenal are on an international break right now anyway and don’t play again until they go up against Liverpool on the 31st. Hopefully in that time Wenger will be able to convince the players that trying to shoot the ball into the goal and PAST the keeper is a good thing. Once again Arsenal came up short against Everton yesterday and lost to an injury time goal from Andy Johnson. It wasn’t much of a shock to me as I had been waiting for it since half time.

Anyway, lets hope that AW can get something sorted. Enjoy your week, and I hope you had a great St. Paddy’s Day. I did, at least that’s what I’m told.

Adios.

It's So Creamy, Oh So Creamy, So Tasty and Wonderful and Mine!!!

I’m ready for pints and pints and pints and pints… Huzzah, the best holiday of the year is nearly upon us my friends! St. Patrick’s Day is drawing nigh and I couldn’t be happier. This is my favorite holiday for the year. Many ask why it isn’t Christmas, or something like that. Well, I’ll tell you. First, there is no family involved in this holiday, so there is no need to travel or have them come by. My sister is coming in town to party, but that is different. Secondly, there is no need to make an elaborate meal that begins 3 days in advance and at 4 am on the day of. Also, you don’t have to put out fancy plates and glasses that require hand washing. Finally, there isn’t really any religious overtones to the holiday, so there is no having to confess, attend a service, or guilty feelings (unless you get knackered and make an arse of yourself). No, all that is needed on this holiday is to put on something green, meet some friends, and drink. Easy peasy. Hurrah. Love it.

So at the Cam household tomorrow, there will be loads of Guinness, Harp, Jamesons (for the Republic) and Bushmills (for the Northerners) plus some Guinness beef stew, shepherd’s pie, and soda bread. Mmmmmmmmmmmm. Can’t wait. I’ll be stringing the shamrock lights tonight.

As a result, I’ll be a bit fuzzy on Sunday when Arsenal travel to Merseyside to take on Everton. The kids beat up on the Toffees earlier this season in the Carling Cup, so they should be able to do it again in the League. Toure is back in the lineup after his suspension and Gallas should be fit still, so it will be good to see the two veteran pillars of defense in the back line. Ade is still out and Henry is gone for the season, and RvP is still knackered, so it looks to be Ali and Bap up front again. They both really do hustle and get into good positions, but that final touch has been mostly rubbish. Hopefully it will turn around and they’ll get a few past Howard for a win and 3 points. They can’t be rubbish forever, can they?

Not much else to report on as I can’t be bothered with other sports or clubs right now. I have to concentrate on hanging shamrocks around the house and pouring pints. Hope everyone has a great St. Patrick’s Day and remember to have a toast for your friends here and gone. I’ll be raising a glass to my friend Paddy again. He was always one for a toast, and a shot, and a drink, and another drink. Cheers mate.



Adios.

That's What I'm Talkin About!!

Cheers Kip, couldn't have put it better myself.






Last night went 2 for 3 as far as football results I care about. The Arsenal traveled to Villa Park and brought home 3 points off a Diaby goal that was more of a deflection than a shot. Alaidiere missed a sure free header and there were a number of other shots, but it ended in a1-0 to the Arsenal, which is fine by me. There are mixed reports about the rest of the team, but since I haven’t watched the match yet and only heard snippets of the match online (thanks again to work getting in the way of a good time), I’ll just leave it be. It is a much needed win and it can only help the team’s morale. I’ll leave all the speculation and silly season talk to the rest of the pundits. 3 points = good in my book. On to the next match, which is Everton away on Sunday.

The Arsenal Youth team went up 1-0 yesterday as well with a Kieran Gibbs strike. This will prove valuable as the kids travel to Old Trafford for the second leg. There was a huge crowd there as well (38,187) which though it isn’t the stadium capacity, is a LOT of people for a youth match. This may have been partly to do with Arsenal (first team) not being shown on TV, but none the less, great to see the support of the youngster. Must have been a bit nerve wracking for the kids, but good job to them.

Lastly, Plymouth’s poor form continued as they lost 2-4 to Barnsley, which is a team that is fighting off relegation. Argyle went up early, but didn’t seem to have it in them. Holloway was not too pleased with the team:

"I thought Barnsley were fantastic but we were rubbish. That's the worst we have played since I have been here.

"Too many people were saying we were unlucky to be knocked out of the FA Cup but let's get it right: we lost to Watford and we lost tonight.

"We have only picked up three points from 12 and that is relegation form."

Hopefully they can get their act together as they face south London side Crystal Palace at home in Home Park.

Adios.

A New Beginning

Just hours from now, the Arsenal will be walking onto the pitch at Villa Park and the results of the match will be a BIG indicator of how the rest of their season will turn out. The Gunners are out of all Cup competitions, but still are in the hunt for a Champions League spot, let alone possibly (though a long shot) 2nd place in the League. Henry is out for the rest of the season as he injured his stomach and groin against PSV last week. Toure, Eboue, and Adebayor are out through suspension from the Carling Cup. Others are out as well (see here) and it looks likely that Baptista and Aliadiere will start up front. The big question in everyone’s mind is “Will they actually put a ball past the keeper?” There hasn’t been much luck with that lately, but that has to turn around doesn’t it? Lord, I hope so. I’ll be glued to my computer speakers this afternoon (and watching it tonight) to see how it turns out. Here’s to 3 points of the 33 left this season!

The young Gunners (youth squad) play at Ashburton Grove tonight against the Mancs in the first leg of the FA Youth Cup Semifinals. The Manc kids are yet to concede a goal in the tourney, so the Gunner boys have their work cut out for them. Also, there are approximately 34,000 seats sold for the match, so they will be playing in front of a big crowd. Hope they pull one over on the boys from up north.

Plymouth host Barnsley at Home Park tonight as well, so lets see some fighting Green Machines!!

Finally, the bigwigs in Beijing are looking to clean up not only their streets, but the people as well, before the Olympics arrive in 2008. Horrible toilets, nose picking, and spitting are some of the biggest issues confronting the city. Another is queuing. Upon hearing this, British Prime Minister Tony Blair created an advisory committee and dispatched them to Beijing. “We’re British you see, and if there is one thing we’re good at, it’s a queue,” stated Blair while waiting patiently for Mrs. Doyle to serve tea and biscuits.

Adios.

I Wanted to be Sedated...

The pain of the last two weeks is finally starting to ebb, so I felt it was time to come back to the site. Some say it is therapeutic to write or express your feelings about things that make you crazy/sad/etc., but sometimes, you just have to take a step back and let the bad tidings pass. I’m referring to Arsenal’s recent loss in the Carling Cup final, being knocked out of the FA Cup by Blackburn (of all clubs), and failing to beat PSV Eindhoven to remain in the Champions League. All of this happened within 10 days, and it was too much of a shock to discuss.

To top it all off, my Championship side Plymouth Argyle were knocked out of the FA Cup as well by losing 0-1 to Watford. Both clubs had about 10,000 shots on goal that went wide, over, or straight at the keeper. Watching all those missed chances was like being forced to watch Rosie O’Donnell talk and strip naked. Excruciating doesn’t do it justice.

But here we are, still alive, still kicking, and still in a football season. Many say the season is over as there are no more Cups to vie for and the Gunners can’t catch Chelsea in 2nd place, let along Man U at the top of the table. But, I still think 2nd is a possibility, and a CL spot (3rd or 4th in the table) is a must. I want to see the club win, no matter the match, no matter the table location. I’m sure the players and management are gutted like all us supporters, but there is still a lot of work to be done.

Also, all the rumors of whether the club should get rid of Henry, who should be bought and sold, etc. are getting to be suuuuuuch a bore. The silly season is bad enough, but a two month head start will be agonizing.

As for Plymouth, they are currently in 12th position on 49 points with a game in hand. There is still a chance at making the promotion playoffs. You know Holloway is gunning for that chance and will be leading his team in a charge up the table.

So, all this being said, I am excited and nervous for tomorrow when Arsenal play Villa and Plymouth host Barnsley. There has been tremendous growth at both clubs this season and continued success will make the rest of season a joy and the next season something to really look forward to.

Adios.