Monday, December 20, 2010

10 things wenger can do in the snow break

1. Get an extra mn in arsenal defence in the form of a snowman
2. Can think bout some players to buy to bolster the defence.
3. Throw snow balls on arshavin and walcott.
4. Teach the players 'skiing tackle'
5. Hit his head with ice, n see if there is a change in tactics n skill.
6. Become santa n scar kids :P
7. Scare the players so much that theyre not scared to face ManU or chelsea.
8. Change the attacking strategy to 2 strikers, rather than a more defensive, single man attack.
9. Run away wid sonia tatar.
10. Cut off Maroune chamakh's atrocious pony..

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Barca again in CL, Szczesny on goal against stoke!!

So it was a disappointing trip to Old trafford. Of course, we're still in the fight for the title. As we face stoke city at emirates saturday afternoon. Arsenal's midfield and attack looked dilapidated against manchester united. And the defence is still in shambles. Vermaelen has got to come back soon as early as possible, to bolster defence. Squillaci and Koscielny are doing good, but not enough, and in some games defence was just unpardonable. Thomas Vermaelen is expected to be back by January. So it would do good for the trembling Arsenal defence.
Another big news coming way was the Champion's league draw. Arsenal have been again drawn with the mighty Barcelona in the last 16.
So its gonna be more than tougher for arsenal, to fend off the Barca attack. Key will be the Arsenal defence, wud be interesting to see, how they cope up with the Barca attack force. The word games have already begun from both team manager's and players. Cesc fabregas, would be looking to put in another inspiring performance in this encounter.
Meanwhile Szczesny might keep his place as keeper against stoke city. With his impressive performance against Man U , he has impressed the manager a lot.. Arsenal need 3 points against stoke to reach the top of premier league, while heavy weights Man U and chelsea clash against each other later in the weekend.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Manchester United vs Arsenal 13/12/10 Preview

Tempers Soar, Fans Roar, When gunners Score... It all comes down to this, Arsenal Vs Manchester United.. Always a treat to watch, always played with gusto and rivalry.
Arsene Wenger and Alex ferguson have put in their think thank in to the game. As Man U have a home advantage, it would be interesting to see how gunners cope to the Man U attack. With the Arsenal defence still trying to cope up completely, they will face a tough task ahead of this game.
Midfield is the key in this game. Arsenal will look to boost their attacking prowess with nasri supplying and chamakh as lone striker and arshavin behind in supporting role. Another interesting change is Arsenal is going to play the ever promising 20 year old youngster Wojciech Szczesny in place of Lukas fabianski at goal, as Fabianski failed a last minute fitness test. This is something really interesting.
Alex Ferguson is confident that centre-back Rio Ferdinand, left-back Patrice Evra and midfield pass-master Paul Scholes will all be fit to face Arsenal in one of the season's most keenly anticipated clashes.
Darren Fletcher could return to the starting XI, having proved himself a useful midfield warrior in recent meetings with the Gunners.
Adding defensive cover, probably from the bench, both Wes Brown and Jonny Evans are expected to have shrugged off the effects of 'flu to return to the squad. However, Owen Hargreaves and Michael Owen are both ruled out with hamstring injuries, while Antonio Valencia continiues his recovery from damaged ligaments in his fractured and dislocated ankle .
Arsene Wenger will give captain Cesc Fabregas (hamstring) and fellow midfielder Abou Diaby (ankle) as long as possible to prove their fitness before he finalises his team, but the Gunners boss concedes that both have only a "small chance" of playing.
Kieran Gibbs is out again, having twisted an ankle against Partizan Belgrade in midweek, but Johan Djourou could be back after a thigh strain.
Manuel Almunia (elbow), Emmanuel Frimpong (knee) and Thomas Vermaelen (Achilles) remain sidelined.
Wenger may start with midweek goalscorers Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott on the bench, with a view to introducing them during the course of the match.
Arsenal are sitting on top of the table on level with Manchester city,  A win will send them clear 3 points ahead of manchester city and  4 points ahead of Manchester united, with Man U having a game in hand. 
Probable starting XI : 
Arsenal : Szeczesny; Sagna, Koscielny, Squillaci, Clichy; Song, Wilshere, Denilson, Nasri, Arshavin; Chamakh.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Arsenal Prank



Whoever did this .. its damn funny !!

No offence to Spurs fans.. This is just a innocent joke !!! ENJOY..

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Let the games begin !! FIFA WC 2010

The FIFA WC 2010 , 19th edition of the football world cup kicked off in south africa this year on friday, with a very grand opening ceremony.
The great Nelson Mandela coudnt be at the inauguration because of a family tragedy, but world all over were very excited, the atmosphere in the stadium was electrifying.
The first game was between the hosts South africa and Mexico. It was an evenly contested match, with south africans relying on their pace and attack took the lead in the match just after half time. The crowd erupted with joy. Its great to see the home team score the 1st goal of the world cup. Mexico wasnt far behind either, with their gritty defense and their intermittent attacks were a constant threat for the bafanas at the centre of the box..
With constant pressure, finally mexico equalised and the match ended level pegging.. It finished 1-1.
Second match was between Uruguay and last yr finalists France. Was a really lazy match, with both teams attacking but not getting enough shots on goal. France had an early opportunity in the game, with Sidney Govou missing a sitter. But France continued their attack but couldn't open the scoring finally same was the case with Uruguay.
Next day there were few important matches, South korea vs Greece, Argentina vs Nigeria and finally England vs USA. South korea dominated the game against Greece and finally won convincingly 2-0. On a other hand Argentina struggled as a team, but one man was brilliant. He was Lionel messi. His mesmerizing skills left everyone spellbound in the stadium. But the goal came from the unlikely source. Gabriel Heinze grabbing a open header in the box to drive it into left top corner past the Nigerian defender. Messi continued his attack at the Nigerian goal, but the goalie Enyema made some unbelievable saves to keep the score only at 1-0. Finally a convincing win for Diego Maradona's men.
The next game was too much hyped, between England and US. Capello chose Robert Green on goal instead of the veteran David James, and newcomer Joe Hart. England took lead early in the game with a cool assist by Emile Heskey and Gerard just nudged the ball into the right hand side corner of the goal. Then came the turning point of the game. Dempsey's shot at the England goal. Robert Green got hold of the ball, but somehow the ball popped out of his hand and into the goal. haha.. Sorry Robert Green , it is unfortunate, but i can't stop laughing at it. It was hilarious. So finally the score remained 1-1, with US salvaging a vital draw off England. On the other hand, England might have been really disappointed with the result.
As the Games continue, it would be interesting to see how the powerhouses, big names perform at the world cup. Im routing for Spain. Go Espana.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Maroune Chamakh !! and other news.

















Arsenal finally completed the signing of striker Maroune Chamakh .
Chamakh (26), who joins Arsenal from French side Bordeaux, made a total of 293 appearances, scoring 79 goals during his eight years with Les Girondins.
In the 2008/09 league campaign, Chamakh scored 14 goals, helping Bordeaux win the French League title, thus ending Lyon’s seven-year domination of Ligue 1. The Moroccan striker’s fine form continued last season, playing an integral role in helping Bordeaux reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, where they finished above both Bayern Munich and Juventus in the Group Stages.
Chamakh told Arsenal.com: "This is a dream come true and a great joy to be joining Arsenal. My goal was always to play in the Premier League and Arsenal was the choice of my heart.
"Without any hesitation, Arsenal was my preferred club. The team and history of Arsenal, they make me dream. My goal was to join Arsenal out of the all the English clubs because it is a club that makes me dream and I have been a fan since I was a child."
Chamakh cant wait to make a debut for Arsenal. Arsenal were linked to signing maroune chamakh way back in january transfer window, when arsenal had a real striker crisis. But they have signed him now finally on a free transfer. 
Chamakh is 6 feet 2 inches tall, will be an ideal alibi to Niklas bendtner in the air, as well as he will complement well with Robin Van Persie with his attacking prowess. 
Much remains to be seen how he will gel into the team. He is known for his towering headers and skills inside the box. 
He added "I'm very excited about playing at Emirates Stadium in front of the Arsenal supporters. I have heard many great things about the stadium and I cannot wait to be playing there in an Arsenal shirt.
"I will give my best to this Club, the Club that I used to support. We have many great players at Arsenal and I will be giving everything to help the team win trophies next season." 
Looks like the boy is all committed to the club and hope to get the best of him here. 
But the problem we really need to strengthen the defense. Our Goalkeeping is awful. We still are looking for good goal keeping options. Players like Robert Green, Gianluigi Buffon, Mark Schwarzer, etc. Possibly Almunia might be shown the door, I feel wenger still trusts fabianski. Vito mannone looks a good goalie for the future, and we must keep him.
One more area, we need to strengthen is our centre backs. With unsure future of William Gallas, we need another strong centre back.
Wenger needs to really get some good defensive players this time. And the fabregas story fails to die down. I personally feel if hes not happy, we must just let him go, and rather collect a heavy sum from barca for his transfer and put it to good use, by getting better established players. 
Yea established, no more youngsters, we need to have a backbone to our team, which is not there right now. Wenger needs to do some serious thinking into this. Meanwhile we can just enjoy the arrival of our new star Maroune Chamakh. Welcome to london lad..

Friday, May 7, 2010

09-10 season.

Yes with still a game left, we can fairly say the season is already over for us. Suddenly there is even a lurking doubt if we will even finish 3rd what with Spurs just 2 points behind us. What went wrong this season is fairly well known but the big question was did we not see this coming?
This season can be fairly put in 2 divisions, good against mid table teams but poor against the top ones. We have lost 9 games this season, conceded more than 40 goals which is the most we have conceded after 02-03 season. Does this not reflect our defensive frailties? A terrific signing in Thomas Vermaelen, did for the initial part suggest that we have a good pairing to cope us with the requirement but unfortunately we had no back up whenever either he or Gallas were injured. The singing of Sol campbell was more so a gamble which paid of but it was never going to be a permanent one. Almunia, Fabianski have turned out to be the jokes of the season for they lack the sheer basics a goal keeper needs- coming out for crosses. The transition of the likes of Diaby, Denilson, Walcott, Vela and Eduardo continues to progress at a snail's pace with no end result in sight. RVP can never finish a full season without getting injured and Arshavin who promised so much, has left a lot to be desired especially in terms of his attitude. With only fabregas, Clichy, Sagna, Sol performing on a consistent basis, Arsenal could never have achieved the expected results. The main reason we lost out this season is also the fact that most players hardly looked interested in playing. Bendtner misses 7-8 chances in a game and then laughs when he gets substituted. Arshavin says we cant win the title as early as in december, even if it may have been true, we cant play with that kind of an attitude. Diaby played as if he is still on the training ground. Rozza is forever injured and Nasri only played well in patches. Even with all this, we were still in the reckoning till the last few games, mainly because we managed to scrape through results and our main opponents kept dropping points. This was a season for us to win, we left it slip yet again. Who should we blame? Wenger for not signing adequate replacements in jan? Players who just dint turn up when it was required the most? Last season we were only fighting for the 4th place and were out of the title race very early. This time around, we could have easily won and that is what hurts the most. What should we do to arrest this slide? This season will be best remembered as the season of so near yet so far.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Stoke 1 - Arsenal 3 reviews and ratings

Arsenal's visit to the brittania stadium was as expected difficult. But Arsenal managed to score 2 quick goals One by Cesc fabregas and other by Thomas vermaelen at the end of the game to win 3-1. The win was marred by horrific injury to Aaron Ramsey, through a tackle by Ryan shawcross. The injury was bad, Ramsey suffered a broken tibia (shin bone) by the looks of it. And by the looks on the faces of fellow teammates, the future of a talented footballer may be in jeopardy. This injury comes almost at the same time 2 years back, when Eduardo was injured in a similar way against Birmingham city. Still Arsenal have not confirmed the official status of Ramsey's injury. 
Earlier in the gameDanny Pugh put the home side ahead after seven minutes when he nodded home a long throw by Rory Delap. Arsenal got themselves back into the match after 32 minutes though when Nicklas Bendter beat Thomas Sorensen with a superb header.
The 1st half ended at 1-1. The match looked destined to be 1-1, but a late penalty by Fabregas and a stoppage time goal by Vermaelen sealed the game for Arsenal, which means they are just 3 points away from the league leaders chelsea. who earlier lost 4-2 to Man city .


Almunia - 6. did well but as usual had some nervous moments.


Clichy - 7 - quite better than previous games


Vermaelen - 8 - strong in defence, got a goal for himself too.. 


Campbell - 8 - formed a good partnership with Vermaelen at the back. very little mistakes


Sagna - 6 - good but wasn't at his best 


Fabregas - - had his hand in all 3 goals. brilliant cross to bendtner for the 1st and a cool penalty and good assist to vermaelen for the third. as usual best player in the field.


Eboue - 6 - tried hard to get in the box. good performance


Alexander Song - 7.5 - very good performance


Nasri - 6 - wasn't at his best


Ramsey - 7 - good penalty shout at start of second half. Very much in the heart of the game until his terrible injury ruined his season.


Niklas Bendtner - 8 - A very good game for the dane. Got in a cool header to bring arsenal into the game. 







Friday, February 12, 2010

The Onus is on Arsenal !!















Abou Diaby scores. Photograph: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

  After facing 2 successive humiliating defeats against ManYoo at home and Chelski away, Arsenal bounced back with a 1-0 win against pool at home. This win came with a gift package, with chelsea losing to everton or rather to louis saha. and Manyoo dropping points against villa, though they were lucky to grab a point. 
This means Arsenal are firm in 3rd place with 6 points separating them from league leaders chelsea and 5 points adrift of ManUtd. What this means that arsenal still have a good chance of winning the coveted EPL title. As andrey arshavin quoted 
We just have to win 12 more games and we can win the title.
Well its not easy but still possible, given the fact that we've already played all the major tough opponents except for Spurs and Man City. Its not a cake walk but we have a realistic shot at the title, with ManU and Chelsea dropping points. What we need now is a collective effort and motivation to go on and win the title.
Some talking points would be gallas and vermaelen partnership at the back, they've been really good this season, a few glitches here and there, but overall a commendable force at the back of defence. Clichy has to improve, hes been totally out of form after his return from injury. While Eboue and Sagna are doing well at right back. We need more striking force in the midfield as we don't have well established forwards at the moment. But niklas bendtner is back from injury and is looking good. Senior players like Fabregas, Rosicky, Nasri have to own up to responsibility and win games for Arsenal, and more importantly be injury free.
I have my fingers crossed for an early return from injury for Van persie in march. Lets hope he is back soon. 
Talking about our no.1 goalie Manuel Almunia, I don't hate him but hes been woeful in last few games. But hes improving and i want him to do well. Lets see if he lives up to hi No.1 tag. Fabianski and Manonne are not far either. 
So now the Onus is on the gunners, to live up to the expectations of fans all over the world and Im sure they'l very much make it happen.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

10 conclusions from the Arsenal vs Man Utd

 In the event of the humiliating defeat inflicted by Manchester United on Arsenal at Emirates stadium on 31st january 2010, Arsene wenger by now should have understood these fallacies in our beloved Arsenal team.

1. Manuel Alumnia doesnt know how to stop the ball. Hes a useless keeper. He shouldnt have replaced Jens Lehmann at the first instance. Hes really woeful this season. Even teams fighting for relegation score easy goals against him. Vito manonne is a better keeper than him. Either buy a new keeper or give Vito a chance.

2. Our defence still has to improve. Gallas and vermaelen are good in patches. Gael Clichy, his comeback from injury hasnt been good. His marking is faulty, his defensive skills were horrible last night.

3. We need to have a tall and  strong striker like Adebayor, though a little mellowed down version of him cud help. Eduardo looks out of place everytime and arshavin even being a good player, hes easily out muscled in the box. One thing is sure, Arshavin cannot survive in a lone striker role. Please for god sakes Arsene wenger buy some good striker atleast in the summer.

4. Players like denilson, walcott and ramsey are only good in patches. We need more consistency from them. Or thats the best they could do? as we all say Arsene knows best. Whatever get them playing.

5. Manchester United were very good. They outclassed us totally. We need to have full proof plan against them, against each player. I guess we missed that part and they did their homework. Though i hate and probably choking myself for praising Man U, but they actually deserve it.

6. Cesc fabregas is not god. Don't expect him to do magic, when other team mates are just standing like a fool. Even though he wasnt at his best yest. He was better than everyone wearing the Arsenal jersey in the emirates stadium.

7. Thers still a lot of difference between the top 3 teams in the premier league. I hate to admit, Arsenal really struggle against Manyoo and Chelski, and both of them have comprehensively defeated us at emirates. Thers a conspicuous difference between their skills and ours.

8. Our weakness to counter counter attacks was very much evident yesterday. we failed miserably.

9. We need to convert the chances which we get. Time and again we fail to capitalise on the chances. In such big games, u can't expect 10-20 chances, u have to take what u get.

10. Finally it was a woeful game, and our emotions and expectations are all brought down to ground. And i know it must have hurt Arsene Wenger more than any other arsenal fan to suffer a humiliating defeat. But I would like to positive coz the season is still not over. I don't know whether we will win against Chelsea, but we will not stop trying. And we are so in the title race even after the loss.
So My fellow gooners, cheer up, thers so much more to look forward to. So put on ur Arsenal Jerseys and shout "ARSENAL ARSENAL "

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Arsenal vs Man Utd rivalry


Just read an interesting piece of article about Arsenal and Manchester United rivalry.. wanted to share with you. 

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 These days as both managers have mellowed and new threats have emerged to shake the dominance the two clubs held over the Premier League the rivalry has died down (although Patrice Evra did his best to bring it back by claiming it was like men against boys as United trounced Arsenal last season in the Champions League) but at its height every game was like going to war.

Although games between the two have always been competitive, the origins of the feud between the two can be said to stem from a clash that took place in 1987 after Brian McClair missed a dubiously awarded penalty and Lee Dixon and Nigel Winterburn felt the need to let him know how they felt. This was a precursor to the real fireworks in 1990 after Nigel Winterburn really got stuck in with a challenge on Denis Irwin. It sparked a 21 man brawl and saw United docked a point and Arsenal two.

Despite various smaller clashes since then, it was 13 years later that these scenes were replicated after Ruud Van Nistelrooy was a touch overzealous in an aerial challenge with Patrick Vieira. The French man took umbrage, kicking out at the striker leaving the ref no choice but to send Vieira off, who attempted to get at the player he felt had got him red carded. It kicked off a mini brawl but this was nothing compared to what would follow.

United were awarded a late penalty and Van Nistelrooy, who was normally deadly from the spot, missed the chance to stop the Invincibles before they were even formed as his penalty cannoned off the crossbar. Cue Martin Keown delivering a flying clothesline that would not have been out of place in WWF and for a couple of minutes the game descended into madness as the two teams again staged a battle on the turf of Old Trafford.

The ugly scenes saw Arsenal charged with failing to control their players while Patrick Vieira, Martin Keown, Ashley Cole, Lauren, Ray Parlour, Jens Lehmann, Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo all faced individual charges.




















Man Utd's Roy Keane and Arsenal's Patrick Viera during the bad ol' days. 

To read rest of the Article Click here 



Its War : Arsenal vs Man Utd 31/01/2010

Arsenal vs Manchester United is back.
the baap of all games. The one game which divides football fans all over the world.
The rivalry between both teams goes back long time. Though they are all mates outside, but on the pitch its just War !!
Its the 2nd of the big four games scheduled for arsenal in 3 weeks. Arsenal dropped to 3rd place after playing a goalless draw away at Aston villa. Both teams are desperately seeking for a win to have a shot at the premier league crown and stay in touching distance with league leaders, Chelsea.
Arsenal Manager, Arsene Wenger said

“We are very close in the League and so it is back to an Arsenal versus Manchester United of old,” said the manager.

“Last year we were out of it and the games had less meaning. Yes two years ago it was a big game but what is different this year is that we are on the way up so it is very interesting. It comes at a good moment for us.

“Over the years, Manchester United and Arsenal have had some tough games, and sometimes they were not easy on the physical side. But both teams always tried to play. It was very rarely a boring match.

“For me it is always one of the games of the season and so we are really up for it. We are on a good run and we have a good momentum. We want to continue that.

“And I always look forward to this match because it is one that promises good football.”

So the onus is on both teams to capitalise and stay up in the league. In the reverse fixture at old trafford, Arsenal were looking very strong, they dominated the possession most of the match and very deservingly opened the scoring through a stunner by Andreiy Arshavin. Then arsenal gave away 2 cheap goals, one a penalty and then a astonishing own goal by Abou diaby. Nevertheless its at our home now, and we are going to show how good we are and deliver and win the match.
Sol campbell might start the game in central defence with Willian gallas, if Thomas vermaelen isn't fully fit after the injury sustained in the game against Aston villa. Eduardo also picked up a hamstring injury against villa. Bendtner might start as a lone striker with Arshavin and Rosicky in a supporting role. In the midfield, captain courageous, cesc fabregas will lead with denilson, and probably alex song.

Whatever the result maybe, its gonna be a blockbuster. Sky sports have even capitalized on the popularity and staged a first ever 3D game in select countries. If you are a football fan, you not gonna miss this.
My predictions, 1st half goal by Man Yoo , 2 quick goals by Arsenal in 2nd half and Arsenal winning it 2-1. Go Gunners..


  











Andrey arshavin after scoring against Manchester Utd in old trafford

  

Present season 2009-10

















The 2009–10 season is Arsenal Football Club's 18th season in the Premier League. Arsenal's 2009–10 Premier League season began with a 6–1 victory away to Everton F.C. Arsenal suffered back-to-back Premier League losses on two separate occasions before the New Year, but the at the dawn of 2010, the club was near the top of the league table – in third position – as a result of a 13–2–4 record. Arsenal have also advanced to the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League knockout stage, where they next face Portuguese club Porto in a two-legged tie, after first eliminating Scottish club Celtic 5–1 on aggregate in the play-off round and then finishing atop their group, which included Greek club Olympiacos, Belgian club Standard Liège, and Dutch club AZ, with 13 points during the group stage.

Arsene Wenger

















I wanted to write this article for sometime now. Im a big fan of Arsenal since the last 10 years . Ive seen this club change and evolve under the leadership of Arsene Wenger.
Arsene Wenger is now the longest serving manager in the history of Arsenal. He took over as manager of Arsenal after the Bruce Rioch in 1996. Since 1996, he has been at the helm of Arsenal's managerial position till now. With Wenger at arsenal, its not always been about trophies and accolades, but hes given unique memories and made up the career of many great players of this decade. Its been a pleasure for all the Arsenal fans around the world  to watch this team evolve in the last decade.
There has been some special moments while he has been in Arsenal.
Arsenal's 1st double in 1998 season and the 2nd double in 2002
Making of Legend called Thierry Henry
Showcasing the awesome Dennis Bergkamp to the world.
2004 : The Invincibles. One of  the greatest achievement by Arsenal and Arsene.
The final stats read : Played 49, Won 36, Drawn 13, Lost None
FA cup victory in 2002.
Snapping Sol Campbell from arch rivals Tottenham , who later on became on of the successful defenders at Arsenal.
Dominance over Arch rivals Tottenham in the whole of last decade.
Runner up in Champions League 2005 -06 , because the run up to the final was just memorable with some great performances.
The Rivalry  with Alex ferguson and Manchester United has been really fulfilling to watch the competitive spirit between the 2 managers and both teams. Perhaps the most successful managers of English club football. Leave aside the rivalry, but both managers don't shy to give appreciation for each other.
The Belief of Arsene wenger in his youth policy, thereby unearthing some gems in to mainstream football like Cesc fabregas, Theo walcott, Mathieu flamini, and more recently Jack wilshere.
Its like Arsene Wenger was born to be at Arsenal, even his name is embedded in club's name.
Theres more to write about Wenger, its just unending.. 

There has been some frustrating moments too in the last few years. many trophyless seasons, but finally we all gooners believe  " IN ARSENE WE TRUST "

Gunners' greatest 50 players

The Official Website of Arsenal football club Arsenal.com announced the list of all time greatest 50 players, based on a poll voted by all Arsenal Fans across the World.
It wa
s great to see a mixed bag of old and new legends in the list...
Here are the resul
ts from 1 - 50


Number 1 - Thierry Henry
Number 2 - Dennis Bergkamp
Number 3 - Tony Adams
Number 4 - Ian Wright
Number 5 - Patrick Vieira
Number 6 - Robert Pires
Number 7 - David Seaman
Number 8 - Liam Brady
Number 9 - Charlie George
Number 10 - Pat Jennings
Number 11 - Ljungberg
Number 12 - Marc Overmars
Number 13 - Kanu
Number 14 - David O'Leary
Number 15 - Sol Campbell
Number 16 - David Rocastle
Number 17 - Pat Rice
Number 18 - Cliff Bastin
Number 19 - Ray Parlour
Number 20 - Martin Keown
Number 21 - Lee Dixon
Number 22 - Emmanuel Petit
Number 23 - Brian Talbot
Number 24 - John Radford
Number 25 - Ashley Cole
Number 26 - Paul Merson
Number 27 - Alan Smith
Number 28 - Charlie Nicholas
Number 29 - Nicolas Anelka
Number 30 - Frank McLintock
Number 31 - Ted Drake
Number 32 - Nigel Winterburn
Number 33 - Sylvain Wiltord
Number 34 - Danny Clapton
Number 35 - Sammy Nelson
Number 36 - Kenny Sansom
Number 37 - Michael Thomas
Number 38 - Steve Williams
Number 39 - Bob Wilson
Number 40 - George Armstrong
Number 41 - George Eastham
Number 42 - George Graham
Number 43 - Andy Ducat
Number 44 - Malcolm Macdonald
Number 45 - Alan Ball
Number 46 - Alex James
Number 47 - Frank Stapleton
Number 48 - Tony Woodcock
Number 49 - David Jack
Number 50 - Peter Storey






Arsenal History
















Arsenal were founded as Dial Square in 1886 by workers at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, but were renamed Royal Arsenal shortly afterwards. They renamed themselves again to Woolwich Arsenal  after turning professional in 1891. The club joined the Football League in 1893, starting out in the Second Division, and won promotion to the First Division in 1904. However, the club's geographic isolation resulted in lower attendances than those of other clubs, which led to the club becoming mired in financial problems. In 1913, soon after relegation back to the Second Division, they moved across the Thames to the new Arsenal Stadium in Highbury, north London. They dropped "Woolwich" from their name the following year. Arsenal only finished in fifth place in 1919, but nevertheless were elected to rejoin the First Division at the expense of local rivals Tottenham Hotspur, by reportedly dubious means.

In 1925, Arsenal appointed the highly successful Herbert Chapman as manager. Chapman had won the league with Huddersfield Town in 1924 and 1925, and he brought Arsenal their first period of major success. His revolutionary tactics and training, along with star players such as Alex James and Cliff Bastin, laid the foundations of the club's domination of English football in the 1930s. Between 1930 and 1938, Arsenal won the First Division five times and the FA Cup twice, although Chapman did not live to see all of these achievements, as he died of pneumonia in 1934. In addition, Chapman was reportedly behind the 1932 renaming of the local London Underground station from "Gillespie Road" to "Arsenal", making it the only Tube station to be named specifically after a football club.

Following the suspension of English professional football during World War II, Arsenal won the league in 1948 and 1953 and the FA Cup in 1950. However, their fortunes began to wane; unable to attract players of the same calibre as they had in the '30s, the club spent most of the 1950s and 1960s in trophyless mediocrity. Even former England captain Billy Wright could not bring the club any success as manager.

Arsenal's second successful era began with the surprise appointment of club physiotherapist Bertie Mee as manager in 1966. After losing two League Cup finals, they won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, their first European trophy, in 1970. This was followed by an even greater triumph: their first League and FA Cup double in 1971. However, the following decade was characterised by a series of near misses. Arsenal finished as First Division runners-up in 1973, lost three FA Cup finals (1972, 1978 and 1980) and lost the 1980 Cup Winners' Cup final on penalties. The club's only success during this time was an FA Cup win in 1979, with a last-minute 3–2 victory over Manchester United that is widely regarded as a classic.

The return of former player George Graham as manager in 1986 brought a third period of glory. Arsenal won the League Cup in 1987, Graham's first season in charge. This was followed by a League title win in 1989, won with a last-minute goal in the final game of the season against fellow title challengers Liverpool. Graham's Arsenal won another title in 1991, losing only one match, the FA Cup and League Cup double in 1993 and a second European trophy, the Cup Winners' Cup, in 1994. However, Graham's reputation was tarnished when it was revealed that he had taken kickbacks from agent Rune Hauge for signing certain players, and he was sacked in 1995. His replacement, Bruce Rioch, lasted for only one season, leaving the club after a dispute over transfer funds.
  
The club's success in the late 1990s and 2000s owes a great deal to the appointment of manager Arsène Wenger in 1996. Wenger brought new tactics, a new training regime and several foreign players who complemented the existing English talent. Arsenal won a second league and cup double in 1998 and a third in 2002. In addition, the club reached the final of the 2000 UEFA Cup (losing on penalties to Galatasaray), were victorious in the 2003 and 2005 FA Cups, and won the Premier League in 2004 without losing a single match, which earned the side the nickname "The Invincibles"; in all, the club went 49 league matches unbeaten, a national record.

Arsenal have finished in either first or second place in the league in eight of Wenger's ten seasons at the club, and they are one of only four teams (along with Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers and Chelsea) to have won the Premier League since its formation in 1993. Until recently, Arsenal had never progressed beyond the Champions League quarter-finals; in 2005-06 however, they reached the competition's final, becoming the first club from London to do so in the competition's fifty year history. Arsenal lost the final 2-1 to FC Barcelona; having gone down to ten men early on, with goalkeeper Jens Lehmann sent off for a professional foul, they went 1-0 up through Sol Campbell. However, Barcelona came back with late goals from Eto'o and Belletti to win.