This is (reportedly) what Arsene Wenger has said with regards to the Patrick Vieira situation at Arsenal this week;

“I have a general policy about re-signing players but I never said I would never do it,” explained Wenger.”

“I am not a big fan because I feel once the players have gone, they have gone.”

“If I want to call Patrick I can call his English number. But nobody will move at the moment.”

“Two weeks ago I didn’t know if we would have Eduardo of Tomas Rosicky or not and they are both completely back so that makes the squad quite big.”

“I don’t know it could have psychological impact on the rest of the squad. It is a possibility. First of all is it now sure he will decide to join us.”

Personally I cannot see an issue with Vieira making a come back at Arsenal. He stayed after a few summers of media transfer hype and there is no question about his commitment on the pitch. And all on a free transfer too! Yes please Mr Wenger bring Vieria back!

Tony Adams: Arsenal have no finance

According to reports out today and speaking at a national event Tony Adams has said he thinks Arsenal have no finances.

Adams reportedly said: “People on the board, and the fans, want more.”

“But they can’t actually back it up with financial weight to do it. They’re not financing him (Wenger). I don’t think Arsenal have got any finance.

“I don’t know who it is, but I think there’s someone on the board who’s not pro-Arsene. I don’t know who it is, but that’s what I’ve heard.”

“The fans have got very high standards now. I remember when I first broke into the team, losing 4-0 at Maine Road and the fans were doing the conga. They didn’t expect much.”

“But they expect a lot now. They’re crying out for experience and the fans are not silly, they know the team needs experience at the back and in central midfield.”

“Arsene knows, too. He’s not a silly man. But you tell me a player they can get for the money they’ve got. It’s unrealistic.”

I discussed this just the other night with a Man Utd fan. I was in the midst of laying into him because; as we all know United lost the champions League final to a wonderful performance from Barcelona!…Anyway then the discussion moved on to transfers and who would leave Man Utd, what transfers we could expect this summer, etc… 

I admited my doubts about the fiancial situation at Arsenal; surely if Wenger really did have the reported £30 million at his disposal, I think that was the figure being mentioned last season wasn’t it? Yeah surely Wenger would spend this summer and get some big guns into the team?

I’m just praying we do because otherwise we’ll end up out of the top 4 next season…not good.

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 It was a slow start by Arsenal but all credit to Villareal starting so strongly, and they were rewarded with a goal from Senna after around 8 minutes. Alumnia was left sprawling as the 30 yard shot was smashed in…

Wenger said: “Villarreal started stronger and put us in a difficult position but it was a great response.”

“We took over in the second half and it puts us in a great position. We want to qualify at home and repeat the performance from the second half.”

“I am confident because of the quality we have shown added to the mental strength and desire we have shown this team has shown the whole season they are mentally very strong and when they have backs to the wall, these young players always find an answer.

“I believe we have created momentum. We are a very young team but are able to focus.

“We have shown with the consistency we have in the Premier League that we are able to concentrate every three days and at that age that is a big quality.”

WATCH - Wenger talking after the game…

The Villa Real manager has said that Arsenal were lucky and according to other reports like this one from The Telegraph he said the draw with Arsenal was ‘unfair’…

Oh - and last but not least Adebayor’s goal! It was on a par with Senna’s strike and for someone of Adebayor’s height to get that much time on the ball isn’t luck and I think we fully deserved the draw because of the second half performance. Watch the goal on TheGunningHawk.com

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Togo plan to pick Adebayor!

What did I say? Just yesterday; Adebayor injured for Arsenal but fit for Togo Togo ‘are likely’ - so they say - to use Adebayor as a morale booster for the team; which is very nice, but all sounds like a load of rubbish to me! What’s the betting Adebayor plays? The Arsenal top goal scorer last season, oh yep let’s just take him along for a moral booster -Hmmmm.

And now reports suggest that, well reports are saying Togo plan to pick Adebayor to play! It’s a miricle! Adebayor is fully fit again is he? I don’t think so…

National teams should be fined for picking injured players and there should be an independent medical carried out on any players that face the issue of being injured but wanted to play by their country. It would not be difficult to set up an independent medical body in order to govern scenarios like this. It would protect the clubs and the national teams and offer a degree of transparency for all parties concearned. What do you think? A good idea or not? What would you do?

Togo coach Jean Thissen said: “Ade is here to play against Cameroon. He is the main man for the national team. He is my captain, the nation can count on him.”

“He has always given his best for the country so he will be a boost to the squad. he is a wonderful player.”

Yeah but HE’s INJURED!! Why should Togo get away with this?

Adebayor injured for Arsenal but fit for Togo?

This club-versus-country argument looks like its set to hit Arsenal again as Emmanuel Adebayor has been called up to the Togo sqaud for the World Cup qualifier against Cameroon.

Have the Togo officials missed the fact that Adebayor has been injured for the last 6 weeks?! It’s not as if he’s had a couple of weeks out with a little niggle of an injury; he’s had hamstring problems and 6 weeks is a pretty long time if you ask me. Surely a long enough injury for a top Premier League club to have control over a top player going to play a game potentially injured?

Togo ‘are likely’ - so they say - to use Adebayor as a morale booster for the team; which is very nice, but all sounds like a load of rubbish to me! What’s the betting Adebayor plays? The Arsenal top goal scorer last season, oh yep let’s just take him along for a moral booster -Hmmmm.

Arsene Wenger is planning on getting Adebayor back to fitness for the next Champions League and Premier League installments.

I realise Togo are talking about World Cup qualifiers but what’s the point of taking an injured player and then being tempted to play him injured risking further injury and then having to deal with Arsenal.

Perhaps I’m jumping the gun here but to me it’s a simple answer - just don’t take Adebayor in the first place…

Wenger praises Arsenal’s Champions League strength

Following the Champions league match in which we lost 1 - 0 on the night, followed by extra time and then missing the first penalty kick; to come back and win it shows just how much mental strength we have, says Arsene Wenger..

Wenger said: “After conceding an early goal and missing the first penalty, you need something special, mental strength to come back and win it.

“I am proud of the mental strength because it has been questioned a lot.”

“We had problems to create clear-cut chances, and that was down to the quality of their defending and resilience.”

“I was apprehensive because you knew that with the final played here on their home ground, that Roma would give everything.”

“I was very concerned if we were the only team to go out tonight, that it would have been detrimental to the progress of the team, so it will certainly help us to improve our confidence.”

“The team has swum a lot against the stream.”
”
“I believe this kind of result can increase the belief and the self-confidence which can help us for the rest of the season”

“I did not think at all it would go to penalties,” he added.

“But I had my mind made up in the second period of extra-time who would take the penalties.”

So with Arsenal now safely into the Quarter finals of the Champions League 2009 is it time to place your bets on the winner? Arsenal’s next Champions league result and bet on the Champions League draw, which takes place next Friday, 20th March 2009. Place your Arsenal bets here www.thearsenalblog.com/betting

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Walcott wants more time…

Theo Walcott says he wants more games before he can think about getting back to the amazing form he was experiencing before this recent injury.

I’d almost forgotten the shoulder injury walcott picked up in one of the last England internationals. Another example of pointless England games messing up the Premiership title chances..oh well - I think I can safely say we’re not going anywhere near the Premiership Champions title this season.

Walcott said; “The time has passed a lot quicker than I thought it would. I always had (the Burnley) game, or the Roma away leg, as my comeback target in my mind.

“I was playing really well, the boss had shown faith in me to put me in the team and I’ve got to get back to that level.

“But coming back from injury I know I won’t get there straight away, it will take me a few games to get into the swing of things.

“The best thing is to put 100 per cent in, work hard and do my best.”

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Long gone are the days of ‘The Invincibles’ when we became the first team since Preston North End in 1888 - 1889 to go the whole season unbeaten. For a good old bit of reminiscing on the past take a look at Arsenal the Invincibles on the BBC site…

Anyway - back to last nights loss in the Champions League…It means we’re at the mercy of the draw for the last 16 which takes place on Friday 19th December at 12 noon our time.

Wenger said “We lost the match and came second. Porto were stronger than us, we were not in trouble until they scored but then it was difficult.”

“In the last 20 minutes, they were dangerous every time we lost the ball and we were not effective enough. At 2-0 down the belief was not there, we weren’t strong enough to come back.”

“We can fight with everybody in Europe and can qualify against anybody, it is important now to come back in the Premier League and be in a good position. We now have some time to focus on that.”

“We will see who we get in the draw, and then look at the Champions League again in February.”

Ferreira the Porto coach said they deserved top spot in the group; “The players knew what my tactics were going to be and they played even better than I expected,We deserved first place in the group, but it is most important that the players grew a lot with this type of performance.”

Lets pray that we’re having a good run and feel up for the game if we happen to come up against Barcelona or Juventus…I’m not convinced at the moment.

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Personally I do agree with the ‘this is a blessing in disguise’ comments I think we have more to offer upfront and it’s time for a change now - get Vela and Bendtner in the box instead…

I like this comment I saw on the BBC.co.uk - I think it’s spot on - even if you are a United fan (Yes people, I’m publishing comments from a Manchester United fan);

some of the tackles made by stoke the other day were bad, the one on adebayor was terrible and having had an injury like that, it hurts. I didnt see a problem with the tackle on walcott, it was clumsy and late, but not malicious and deserved a yellow.

i would prefer to watch arsenal over stoke any day, but i have to defend stoke here, we(arsenal and united) have to accept that not all teams have the ability to out play us in our own style, they have to get results through either dogged defending, or through an abundance of committment and hard tackling. Both are legitimate ways to win a football match and as legitimate as playing free-flowing attacking football. i dont like watching it, but you have to be able to deal with it to win the league. All this moaning by fergie and wenger winds me up and is more a result of frustration with their own teams performances.

we should have beaten everton, hard tackles or not, and the same of arsenal at stoke. making all this noise is just drawing more attention to the club when they should be focused on sorting out their obvious flaws.

if they kick you, kick them harder. simple as that, its a mans game

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Arsene Wenger believes that Arsenal striker Eduardo will be back playing in the first team in just 3 weeks time! What fantastic news for us and even better for Eduardo who deserves all the good luck in the world following massive leg and ankle injuries.

The Croatian international suffered horrific leg and ankle injuries at Birmingham on 23 February and there were fears for his career.

But having undergone surgery the same day he was injured, the player has been working hard on his fitness ever since.

Read the full story on BBC.co.uk here - Eduardo Close to Arsenal comeback >> Place your online betting here! Latest odds on Eduardo comeback!