Beaten But Unbowed

An excellent performance from an extraordinary set of young Arsenal players ended in the unfortunate histrionics of three red cards and ultimately a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea in the Carling Cup Final.

But the memory that will linger from this match is how Theo Walcott opened his account for the Arsenal with an an unmistakeably Henry-esque touch, turn and finish provided from a Vieira-esque pass from the imperious (and for me, MoM) Vassirki Diaby.

The goal was such that Gooners could not see the strike as simply as giving the club a lead in a Carling Cup final but as statement of intent for the future. Winning was almost beside the point with Arsene Wenger fully trusting 10 outfield players with average of not quite 21 to face the Premiership Champions and attempt to match their Carling Cup exploits against West Brom, Everton, Liverpool and sp*rs.

And for the most of the match it seemed that they would.

The first period in particular was a thrilling glimpse into Arsene Wenger's crystal ball for the future of the club. Chelsea had no answer to the passing and movement of the ridiculously young Arsenal side. The vaunted Chelsea wingerless diamond began to stretch as Denilson (19), Fabregas (19), Diaby (20) and Walcott (17) ran riot with cute passing and attacking verve.

But a wide open Drogba struck against the run of play to even the score in spite of some protestations of off-side on the play (he was onside). And late in the match Drogba got the better of Senderos (again) to give Chelsea an unassailable lead... and victory.

And like the Champions League run of last year, this match capped an extraordinary run of results where football lessons have been learned and eye-catching football played. Ultimately, both competitions ended the same way. Defeat. So let us not for long bask in the warm glow of our lovely football nor in the vast array of precious young talents that Wenger has assembled. The next step is to push on and win these matches. Potential must become silverware. But for today let us rejoice in the future.

How thrilling it is.

Haahahaha... Good one, Kolo

I love the Carling Cup.

I've said it before, this competition have proven vital to Arsene Wenger in giving our youth phenoms an opportunity to prove their worth to the club and a chance to push into the first team.

Over recent years we've seen the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Johan Djourou and Gael Clichy make their names in this competition. And once again, the Cup has given a lifeline this year to the once forgotten Jeremie Aliaidiere and has offered a platform for the likes of Denilson and Armand Traore to shine.

The club never gets an easy ride in this competition. We always seem to be facing Premiership competition with kids in this Cup and so it proved this year, with Arsenal's kids having to initially navigate through tough away fixtures at West Brom (0-2), Everton (0-1), and Liverpool (3-6) and then a bloodied two legged semi-final against our friends down the road (2-2 and 3-1).

And with Chelsea in the final, things are certainly not getting any easier. The chavs tend to play their best side throughout the competition. Given the fact they have no youth prospects to speak (highly) of, I suppose you can see their point.

The mind wanders to Traore marking Robben and to a Senderos tussle with Drogba and to all of the little stories that surround this match featuring Moaninho, Baptista, Wenger, Ashley Cole... etc etc.

But let's have faith. Our kids can win this. And in doing so because the youngest team ever to win a domestic cup final (by over 2 years on average).

C'mon the ARSENAL!

ARSENAL 3 (Baptista Gilberto Walcott)
CHELSEA 1 (Cole)

PREDICTED LINE UP

GK
Almunia

LB
Clichy (Late fitness test)
or Traore

RB
Hoyte (Late fitness test)
Djourou

CB
Toure
Senderos/Djourou

ML
Denilson

MC
Gilberto (C)
Fabregas

MR
Walcott

ST
Baptista
Aliadiere

Bench
Poom, Rosicky, Diaby, Adebayor, Senderos/Djourou

We May Have To Fight Our Way Out Of Here

Let me set the scene.

A quiet wintry afternoon in Toronto aka final site of my seemingly endless North American Christmas vacation. At least a hundred sp*rs supporters are rammed into what tends to be my local watering hole for trips to Canada.

It's 2.45pm.

There is a Gooner (Tom) to my immediate right and two others on the far side of the bar suggesting that most Arsenal supporters in Toronto are gainfully employed and unable to find a way to this rare bar in Toronto that allows for both Setanta broadcasts and a "welcome" sign for dozens of English sp*rs supporters.

The bar is literally packed. On a Wednesday afternoon. With apparently underemployed sp*rs supporters.

I'm on holiday. Still. Ta Dave. Yes, that is a "ta" for you Dave.

The pre match banter is friendly enough. An English sp*rs supporter asks Tom if Arsenal had a supporters club in Toronto (I happen to know that there is http://www.arsenalcanada.com/ please visit if you're interested... they just got a grant from BMO to run the site/club) because of the fact that we were sat in the official sp*rs Canada supporters bar.

Tom didn't know so I chipped in that like North London, the Arsenal Canada supporers club should simply move into THIS bar and take it over... noting of course that the bar would obviously then require a much more substantial trophy case.

And then the match started.

Arsenal are nervy early in the match and Senderos and Toure are giving the impression that they have never met before. Spurs score from a Berbatov free header as three Arsenal defenders and one Spanish keeper are statue-like in front of goal.

Kolo meet Swiss Tony. Swiss Tony meet Kolo.

The bar goes mental. Lots of mouth breathing histrionics. Blue shirted arms flailing about. Unemployed men delirious with joy.

I am absolutely unconcerned.

Yes, our teenaged midfield (ok Diaby has just turned 20 but Cesc is 19, Denilson 18 and Walcott is 17... thats 18.5 on average... or 18 and a half fingers and toes if you support sp*rs) has early problems with Huddlestone and Zokora and the sp*rs first team. I note that Diaby on the left is an odd choice. We look a bit imbalanced particularly when Lennon is on the ball and running at Diaby/Traore (17).

Denilson goes shoulder to shoulder with Tony Blair favourite Steed Malbranque and Steed rather easily lets the little boy knock him over. "There was absolutely nothing in that" I shout over the throng of sp*rs support. No one disagrees. But Greame Poll does and sp*rs line up a free kick.

And they score again.

Or rather, Julio Baptista gifted sp*rs a second goal with an extraordinary finish.

The bar goes mental. Apparently heterosexual men in white and blue dry hump each other with girlish squeals of ecstatsy. Beer is spilled on unemployed men with names like Keane and Berbatov proudly emblozened their backs in wild attempts to lubricate the humping.

2-0 sp*rs. At home.

And the banter starts. Geez. A little song begins letting Brazilian International and 2005 £24m sp*rs *transfer target Julio Baptista know that he is "not very good" as images of a contrite Beast flicker in the darkened bar. Freshly lubricated men begin slating Arsene Wenger and openly wondering how sp*rs will line up against Chelsea in the final.

I am absolutely unconcerned.

Tom notes this.

I explain to my Canadian Arsenal supporter friend that this is sp*rs. sp*rs have long mistakenly believed they are a big club and can sign the likes of Ronaldinho, Kaka, Pirlo and Baptista (note above). They also have a very big tendency to be mouthy well in advance of it being safe to do so (please see 2005-2006). 20 minutes of football have been played in a two leg semi-final.

Baptista misses pretty much the same chance he scored an own goal with at the close of the first half. He is once more "not very good" and his late miss ensures a half time of unfortunate banter and planned trips to Cardiff. At least my Richards Red tastes good.

Second half.

Rather than the change Tom and I wanted to see made at half time of Hleb replacing Diaby, Wenger stands pat. Cesc begins to marshall things in midfield and I find myself repeating "This is better" on several occassions. Fabregas is everywhere and doing everything. We are much more threatening but the banter continues.

But then Baptista scores.

My first pumps and I run across the silenced bar. "Get in!!"

I sit down and note the deathly silence of the bar. I ask openly to my blue *friends "Why has the bar gone so quiet?" Many look over at me but no one answers. Baptista stops being "not very good". My Rickards Red tastes better and I can now clearly hear the commentary which I enjoy. Also, my match comments now seem to hover over the bar. I like that.

I openly note that Baptista is on a hat trick. Tom ruefully laughs. I like Tom.

Baptista scores again. A pin could drop in the bar and you would hear it. I criss cross the ball with my arms aloft. I settle back at my table but without sitting lean over the throng of sp*rs support and helpfully note the away goals rule.

And then Arsenal really kick on. With Eboue, Hleb and Flamini on (Flamini on much later than I would have hoped) Arsenal spend the final 10 minutes running the sp*rs first team ragged and threatening to win the match.

And then I saw the most remarkable thing. Previously yappy sp*rs supporters begin to leave the bar with 5 minutes left in the match. At home. The match drawn. I seriously couldn't believe it.

Tom notes that a man in a heavy fur coat behind us is giving us evil looks. He tells me that we may have to fight our way out of this bar. I tell him I hope so. Hehe. And don't even look back. Because in all seriousness, sp*rs know their place. The truth is for all the bluff, bluster and yapping at half time they expected an Arsenal comeback every bit as much as I did. Why? They are sp*rs. That is their place.

sp*rs

And so ends another Christmas in Toronto. The 2007 bit was fanastic but I could have done without the Sheffield United result and the moronic yappin of the random Liverpool lot that watched that one with me. My "good luck in the cups" surely still echoes though.

Back in London for Bolton on Sunday. Can't wait. Fat Sam needs a smack. And I think the Emirates will give him a nice welcome.

All Alongside Kolo Toure

I'm monitoring bbc.co.uk as I write this to get updates of the Arsenal match. It seems that Aliadiere has a brace so far and Arsenal are cruising to a good Carling Cup start against a decent West Brom side.

I've discussed Aliadiere once or twice already on this blog. I like him as a player and have long wished him success but the reality is that he is behind more than a few top international strikers at Arsenal FC and will likely move to pastures new either in January or during the summer.

But the major news of the day must be Kolo Toure's new contract. An undisclosed fee (probably about £450 000) brought Toure to the Arsenal initially as a Phil Neville-like utility player. I'm not sure even Arsene Wenger knew how vital Toure would be to the club when he experimented with bringing Toure alongside Campbell in the defence.

I remember the last time Kolo Toure had a poor match. It was against Inter Milan when we were spanked 3-0 at Highbury. Toure had serious problems marking Obafemi Martins and Inter ran riot. Let's not forget that we paid them back with INTERest (HAHAHAHAH) at the San Siro (5-1 for those of you under a rock at the time... or Spurs supporters... or likely both). The defeat at Highbury was three years ago and such has been Toure's cconsistency since that I defy any Gooner to note another such shocking performance since.

Kolo Toure has been a rock for the club and at 25 forms a formidable spine of the team with Lehmann, Cesc and Henry. He is already the leader of the defence and more than likely the next captain of the club.

Philippe Senderos is 21. Johan Djourou is 18. Matty Flamini is a midfielder. As was Sebastian Larsson. There is Manu Eboue. And Justin Hoyte. Was Pascal Cygan. And Kerrea Gilbert. Consider this... Kole Toure has featured in defence with all of these within the past 12 months. A 12 month period that saw us better any other club (other than Chelsea) defensively in England and break the Champions League record for defensive prowess... all with a sporadic mix of teenagers and midfielders in Arsenal defence.

All alongside Kolo Toure.

Like Cesc Fabregas, Toure did not hesitate to sign his new contract saying “I can see myself staying here for the rest of my career. Why would I want to leave. I love my football here, my family is settled here and the club is ambitious. It is fantastic.”

There's only one Kolo Toure.

I wish there were two.

I love the Carling Cup!!!

I saw us beat Reading in the Carling Cup last year at Highbury and like most Carling Cup matches, Wenger took the chance to play the star of tomorrow like, um, Quincy.

But for a Red member like myself it has been great to see us beat Everton's first team with a side of teenagers (... how many ums was that, Dave?) and have a chance to go to Highbury a few times before it closed.

While some young players will be on display tomorrow, it looks like Arsenal are going to take the opportunity to get Senderos and Clichy a first team match.

The BBC are reporting as follows... Im really not sure why Cesc, Rosicky, Hleb and Van Persie are in the travelling group. I was hoping to see Merida and Van Den Berg.

Arsenal defender Philippe Senderos will make his first appearance since dislocating his shoulder playing for Switzerland at the World Cup.

Theo Walcott and Emmanuel Adebayor will also start as Gunners boss Arsene Wenger gives run-outs to fringe players and others recently back from injury.

Arsenal (from): Almunia, Poom, Hoyte, Djourou, Senderos, Clichy, Flamini, Song, Denilson, Walcott, Aliadiere, Adebayor, Toure, Fabregas, Rosicky, Hleb, Van Persie.

Good to be a GOONAH!!