I've Decided Not to Panic

I have come to the realization that the last five seasons or so of The Arsenal coming close to winning the league only to implode has left scars.  The mistrust of Wenger's decisions to let youth play without experience has left doubt in the back of my mind.  The crazy travails of the summer and early defeats of the season leave a shadow lurking in the recesses of my subconscious.  So when our squad, who has practically played their hearts out every game and shown team unity that has been lacking in recent seasons, begins to show fatigue, I can feel the onset of dread. When we realize that their is NO backup for Robin VanTastic, when certain players show some inconsistencies, it is easy for me to indulge in that doubt and that darkness.  When signing 34 year-old Thierry Henry in the January transfer window seems to be the only business conducted by Wenger, panic at not claiming the Top Four spot can ensue.  But here's the thing...I have made a conscious decision to stay cool.  I am going to purposefully engage in not giving up hope.  Because not only do I truly love how hard the team is working, I think - for the most part - the league positions are up for grabs.

Arsenal are not the only team that is facing trials.  Arsenal suffers because we have a thin squad and injuries, or players are leaving for a month long tournament on another continent. Other clubs are failing because of similar and dissimilar issues.  There are suspensions and a lack of motivation for many.  Manchester Untied lost tonight to Newcastle 3-0.  Three to zero.  Liverpool lost to Manchester City 3-0.  In the last weeks, mid-table and lower table teams have upset the big boys on a regular basis.  In other words, we will not be the only team to drop points at inopportune moments or to seemingly lesser teams.  And talk about staying cool?  Here's Ferguson's reaction to being shut out by the Magpies:

"The story of the game was they had two fantastic strikes which put them in the driving seat. The second one was a killer for us, it was a marvellous strike.

"But we didn't make enough of our possession of the ball anyway. It was one of those nights."


See?  Calm and cool.  Don't think I enjoy quoting Fergie - but I like his attitude here and want to emulate it.  We have an a little over three weeks before the transfer window closes (mostly likely sans Podolski).  Chamakh has a chance to play regular football for a few weeks and could return to London with the same confidence he displayed in the beginning of last season.  Arshavin, in Gervinho's absence, could get a good run of games and rediscover that magic that gave him four goals against Liverpool in his first season and  the winining goal against Barcelona last year.  And his teammates could get used to his style of thinking and playing again, which can be unpredictable but dazzling. 

I also think that Theo will return to form after recovering the weight loss suffered in his illness and getting some more rest.  The Ox can be slowly blooded now that we have missing, exhausted midfielders and have FA Cup and Champion League games on the horizon.  And don't forget.

Jack Wilshere is coming back.

Nope.  I'm not going to give into the negativism just yet.  It lingers on the periphery just waiting to pounce.  I just see too many good things that coming our way in the near future.  Do we need the teams above and below us to continue assisting us?  Absolutely.  But this season, the upsets are more common than not.  And I think when we play the big teams in our stadium, it will be our turn to upset them.

I just have a feeling.

I guess that's it for today.  Tomorrow I'll try and have some team news, or transfer speculation for you.  Right now I just wanted to share some optimism.  I want to encourage you to try and push back the panic. Stem the tide.  Keep your chin up.  Cheer on the boys.  You know - be a fan.

Have a good one Gooners.

We Just Can't Get Over the Hump

Sisyphus Just Couldn't Win Either

Well that rather sucked didn't it. Coming off the high of winning while those above us lost, Arsenal began the New Year with a loss of its own at Craven Cottage. Arsenal went into the game after having just played Saturday,as did Fulham, hoping to take advantage of the Top Three dropping points. After rising to fourth place on Monday, winning would have put us only six points behind the League Leaders. But, alas it was not to be. Like the sinner Sisyphus from Greek mythology who was condemned to Hades and punished by being made to roll a boulder up a mountain only to have it roll back down again, we seem unable to get past a certain apex. We're missing that final thrust that would catapult us permanently over the edge into the Top Four.

I'm not sure if it's a combination of lower table teams being more competitive or higher level teams being less so. All the top four have had upsets including the supposedly meteoric Manchester City. For us though, I suspect one cannot ignore the lack of offensive prowess the last few weeks. The December 3rd match against Wigan was the last time we won comfortably. That was a stroll in the park. Four different Arsenal players scored that day: Vermalean, Gervinho, Van Persie and Arteta. In that game both Arteta and Theo had assists as did RVP. Theo's form the last three games has been poor. He is wasting chances, missing sitters, and mistiming runs. Add the fact that Arteta looked dead-legged the whole second half and I think some of the explanation comes to light. Some still say Arsenal is a one-man squad. I disagree just by noting that if only two of the key players are not up to par, our game suffers.

Let's not forget we have NO FULLBACKS at the moment. Arsenal employ specialists full backs. Our left and right back positions carry the weight of not only preventing the opponent from crossing and penetrating into their final third, but they are given the task also of providing width and speed to our offense. They play the one-two's with the wings, put crosses into the box, and win corners. For the first time today (not that I always pay attention), Djourou played a one-two with Theo and provided space for Theo to make a run in because Djourou's man went with him. It's all about the movement. And as fantastic as Coco was today (my new nickname for Coquelin as my brother told me I can't call him The Coq anymore), I'd rather see him in the midfield giving Mickey a break. I think it all begs for people coming back from injury, shoring up the gaps in positions, perhaps losing some more dead weight, and keeping the momentum going.

Speaking of filling the gaps, as an endnote, here's the link to an article from the Guardian which quotes Podolski's agent as saying Lukas is not interested in a mid-season move. Mind you, the player himself is not quoted in the article, only his representative. The reasons given, though, are somewhat sound as as Schramm states Podolski does not want to jeopardize his place on Germany's 2012 Euro team by playing second fiddle to an in-form Van Persie. The article also discusses brings to light the fact that Arsenal's supposed 10 million pound offer is not enough because the club's sponsor get a slice of the pie, lessening Podolski's fee and the club's profit. This all could be a scheme to drive up Podolski's price tag, but my hopes are dimmer than before.

Anyway, we do get a whole week off before the FA Cup game on January 9th. Arsene would normally make a massive rotation in the squad for a Cup Match, but after a week's rest, and not another League game for six more days after that, he may play his Starting XI. The FA Cup is a competition we could win, and I don't mind him taking it seriously if our starters have gotten a good rest. After securing only seven points from four games this Holiday Season, progressing in the Cup could provide the impetus we need to get back on track.

That's it for today. I really was hoping for a better result since it's my brother Chris' birthday and all, but that boulder is heavier than it looks. Take care Gooners and talk to you tomorrow

Manchester City Lend a Helping Hand - Fulham Preview

King Henry Returns?

*This photo appeared on the Arsenal official webiste accompnying an article.  Minutes late it was taken down and replaced by a picture of Henry in training gear.  One can hope that Arsenal realized they may have jumped the gun publishing the pic and are still hopeful of the deal with the NY Red Bulls will be finalized.*

Hello there fellow Gooners.  I hope all had a great New Year's Eve and are recovering equally great this New Year's Day.  If for any reason one had a rough go of it today, their spirits were lifted, I'm sure, by the gift gaffed to us by Manchester City.  Having them drop three points today to Sunderland must have been the cure- all for anyone experiencing a hangover.  Arsenal know from experience that Sunderland are very tough at home, but what a lovely cherry to have top the weekend with Chelsea adding the whipped cream of their loss and Spuds providing ice cream from their draw.  All in all, it has been a veritable sundae of soccer.

Tomorrow's game at Fulham can make that sundae even sweeter by us gaining a win and three more points.  We will remain in fourth place due to goal differential with Tottenham *gag*, but we will have moved within six points of the leaders until they play on Tuesday.  Closing the gap may only last a day, but wouldn't it be nice to put some pressure on the sheik?

With only a day's rest in between matches, having fresh legs at available for Craven Cottage will be challenging.  Wenger has to assess, in particular, RVP to mitigate the chances of him becoming injured due to fatigue.  Now that Robin is no longer chasing a goal-scoring record, does he put in Chamakh before he's off to the ACN with Van Persie on the bench just in case?  Or does he start the Captain and hope for an opportunity to take him off after we establish a big enough lead?  These decisions are the big ones that Arsene is paid the big bucks to make.  And I sure am glad I ain't him (sorry - a little Hoosier-speak snuck in there).

Who starts at full back has already been addressed by Wenger who states Miquel will be at the left back position.  I think Wenger will still include Coquelin on the bench in case Djourou strains something at right back.  He came back very quickly from his groin strain perhaps too quickly.  The full back position requires extended times of sprinting.  Bacary Sagna has a body that seems able to absorb that kind of rigourous and arduous movement.  Djourou does not. Even if Johann makes it through the match unscathed, Francis will be a vital backup for our midfielders  should Arteta or even Rambo tire.  I would not be surprised to see Arteta having a rest this match.  He also has a background of injury at Everton that hasn't reared its ugly head yet at Arsenal.  Again I'm glad I don't make those decisions.  I'm sure Arsene is consulting with his staff and the GPS data.

No matter what the makeup of the sqauad is, Fulham will prove to be a tough match.  They drew us at home with the help of a Vermaelan own goal.  The dangerous Bobby Zamora is out injured along with Fulham's starting goalie Mark Schwarzer.  But they still have my favorite US squad member Clint Dempsey starting, and they will be organized in defense with their home crowd behind them. We will have to do what we have attempted to accomplish the last few games.  Take LOTS of chances on goal, and catch Fulham on the break.  Our defense will need to improve on its clean sheet record.  Considering how difficult it can be to beat Fulham at Crrven Cottage, a win -whether hard fought or comfortably gained - will definately set the tone for this New Year.

I guess that's it.  I actually get to watch the game on televison rather than sitting in front of my computer trying to click a link to a working stream whilst I tab-surf between stalled screens, Twitter, and live blogs.  My viewing pleasure will be a piece of cake.  I hope Arsenal beating Fulham will follow suit.  Take care Gooners...COME ON YOU REDS!!!

Arsenal Ring Out 2011 With Win

Joey Barton Looking Scared

Thanks to the Twitter family for providing the above picture.  Not only did we beat QPR at home for the last match of 2011, but we did NOT allow Joey Hard-Man -My-Buttocks-Barton to beat us.  No one was sent off or seriously injured by him.  Mickey may have a bad bruise, but let's hope that's all.

Gervinho, the last Arsenal player to have fallen prey to Barton's provocations, started the game on the bench.  Perhaps part of Arsene's plan was to provide him with some rest as there is but one day before the game at Fulham.  But I also don't think it's far fetched to imagine that our Boss was protecting Gervinho from having to endure another run-in with Joe.  One can hope that Gervinho learned his lesson the first time, but we have to remember that some of our players have gotten in a spot of bother over the same incident in more than one game (Diaby anyone?).  In addition, Arshavin received a chance to up his price tag to those watching if he played well.  And to be fair, he gave a sweet pass to Robin for our only goal.

Things were looking dire there for the entire first half.  Van Persie had a chance for a hat trick in the first half alone but could not convert.  Theo, who is just back after having the stomach flu, seemed to have difficulty with crossing, shooting, and just deciding what to do in general (I'm giving him another chance just because I know I'd be a bit out of sorts running up and down a field after throwing my guts up for days).  We had only four shots on target in the first half and eight in the second.  Two of those shots seemed to come in contact with the hand of a QPR player which begged for penalty calls.  Not surprisingly, we received none.  Other no calls for us was Arshavin receiving an elbow in the face from Taarabt and Arteta was on the end of mischief -making by Barton (he did get a yellow for that). 

QPR played us tough and scrappy similar to Wolves with the one exception being we kept a clean sheet and our defense held out remarkably well against a last ditch effort by the Rangers to boot things long and try to win corners.  The team last year would have conceded most likely in the 93rd minute.  This squad did not.  As a matter of fact, and on somewhat of a sidenote, I did some number crunching and found that if you take out the first three matches of this year - for obvious reasons- this squad has conceded 16 goals to last year's 19 (I also took out the goals conceded from the first three matches of last season).  Quite frankly, I do not need pure numbers to gauge the improvement of our defense.  The fact that I'm not a wreck everytime an opponent takes a corner tells me all I need to know.

More positives?  Robin got his 35th goal of 2011, we moved up to fourth thanks to Chelsea losing and are only 3 points behind third thanks to Tottenham drawing against Swansea (Spurs still have one game in hand).  Any Gooner can take away a plethora of positives from the match.  There were a few negatives however that deserve a mention of concern.

Vermie hobbled off with a strained calf muscle in the 54th minute and was substituted by the Coq (who held his own against QPR's desperate barrage).  Arsene is saying our Vice-Captain will be out for 3 weeks and so is going to dive into the market for a full back on-loan.  I really have not seen any names in the papers linking a full-back to Arsenal other than Wayne Bridge.  What I remember about him was that he was rotten in our game against West Ham last season.  But if we only need him for a few weeks, maybe it would be worth it?  It would also mean Mancini would loan out a player to a rival.  So, if he does let Bridge go to North London, I don't think that says anything good about Wayne's potential.  Silvestre anyone?

I guess that was only one negative.  Wonderful.  We have Fulham at the Cottage on Monday so I'll be previewing that next.  Until then Gooners, bask in the glory of another 1 Nil to The Arsenal, have fun, be safe and Happy New Year to you and yours!

QPR Preview

The Queens Park Rangers from West London are making the short ride North tomorrow to face our squad at the Emirates.  The Rangers are currently sitting fifth from the bottom of the table coming off of two losses and a draw.  After Friday's matches, Arsenal dropped to sixth after Liverpool beat Newcastle.  Getting only five points from our last three games means it's more important than ever for Arsenal get all three from tomorrow to get our momentum revving again.

The team news is that Theo is back in the squad after recovering from his a "stomach illness" that we here across the pond call the stomach flu.  There is no other immediate returns although the boss says that Sagna and Gibbs could be back late January with Spiky Jack to follow shortly thereafter.  I really can't wait for Bacary to return since has hasn't played with the squad since the Tottenham game which came at the early stages of our squad's development.  I think he will enjoy playing with a squad that has such good energy and attitude about it.

Truthfully, I haven't seen QPR play many matches but know just from watching the table that after staying in the middle of the pack was their pattern, but recently they have begun to nosedive.  Another loss at the Emirates could see them in the dreaded relegation zone.  So, there is a chance they will be playing out of a place of desperation making them dangerous and scrappy.  Remember, this is the team that beat Chelski 1-0 (and put John Terry on the racist map).  In short, I'd say they are extremely unpredictable.  Our makeshift back four will have to be on their toes the whole game and keep the in-form veteran striker Helguson who has seven goals from seeing the back of the net. 

As with Wolves our attack may be diminished with having center backs playing at full back positions.  The paciness and ball handling skills needed are not quite on par with our substitutes.  They are playing their hearts out, no doubt, but one can see how even my favorite would be more comfortable going up for aerial challenges in the middle than playing a one-two with Gervinho.  If QPR come and park the bus, having Theo back on the pitch will be most welcome as we will in all likelihood look to hit them on the counter attack.

As far as the lineup goes, Arsene has already talked of playing RVP and then deciding later whether to play him in the following games: 

“It will be difficult,” said Wenger. “He will play tomorrow, then we will assess the situation with him on Sunday and Monday morning and make a decision.


“I don’t rule it out but he’s one of the players who has played a lot and you see again, against Wolves on Tuesday, he’s the guy who gives absolutely everything in every game at the moment.

Gervinho and Theo will round out the front three with Robin.  Rambo had a breather last match so I expect him to start alongside Song (no backheels please) and Arteta who I am thinking will need a rest here soon.  He's played every Premier League game since he's become an Arsenal player as well as Champions League.  With his history of injury, he is doing surprisingly well, but I would not be shocked if he is approaching the red zone quickly.  With back to back matches on the horizon, I hope Mickey gets a rest.  Who would take his place?  The Coq could step in as well as Ping-Pong although I'm not sure how he and Song would play together.  Honestly, I can't remember if they have appeared together on the pitch or not.

We also have Yossi who could fill - in and deserves some more playing time as he's shown he can make an impact on the pitch.  All in all, I think we'll see a squad that looks something like this:


                                                                  Chezzers

           Djourou                     Mertie                          Koz                   Handsome

                                                                    Song
                                             Arteta/Coq                  Ramsey

Theooooooo                                                                                       Gervinho

                                                                 Captain My Captain

Unfortunately, the game is being shown over here on Fox Soccer Plus which my brother - who is the Gooner upon whom I depend on having access to the right Arsenal channels - does not have with his television programming.  So I will be at home reading Arseblog's live blog and cursing at the illegal stream that keeps freezing.  On a good note - I'll get to wear my brand new Arsenal scarf that the above brother gave me for Christmas.  There's always a silver lining!  Or in this case, a Red and White one. 

So here's hoping we score early and kill off the game before halftime, squashing those West Londoners thus sending them on their way  down to Relegation Alley.  Have a great day Gooners and COME ON YOU REDS!!
                                                                

Filling the Gaps

Current and Former Captains



So here we are on the cusp of 2012 casting an eye on the coveted spots occupied by those above us (included the hated Spuds) while looking over our shoulder at those nipping at our heels.  And while we have experienced a growing confidence in our team, I am looking forward to a time when some of our injured players can come back and fill their roles properly thus allowing our out-of-position players a breath of relief as they move to their more natural roles.

As much as I love seeing my Vermie play every game, even I can acknowledge that his talents are more of a use to us in the center of defense where his gritty play and incredible vertical leap are even more beneficial. 

And although our Dutch of Class and Captain is having the season of his career, we wait with baited breath every game for him to show a hamstring strain or suffer a horrendous tackle.  What would we do if something happens to him?  Chamakh is still suffering from a lack of confidence (or being blackmailed into becoming a complete shambles of a striker for going on a year) and is leaving in January to participate in the ACN along with one of our goalscorers, Gervinho.  Who is on the bench to give Robin some rest?  Arsene shows no confidence in Park playing him only one time in a Cup match and once in Champions League.  Having never set foot on grass for a Premier League game, he is, it seems, a last resort.

Which brings us first off to Thierry Henry.  Having arrived at London Colney  back in mid-November for fitness purposes, Titi has gone from merely being happy to train at his former club to now being a very possible - and very short term- loan move for Arsenal.  Our cagey manager denied rumors of a move back in November, he has now revealed it was his idea to try and push through loan move with Henry's current team the New York Red Bulls. The deal sounds basically done except for the insurance details being finalized.  If the deal goes go through, Henry may not be ready to play until the Leeds game on January 9th with Wenger admitting his fitness still needs a little work.

I'm of the mind that Henry will be a great but temporary option from the bench, and cannot fully be the missing striker that we need.  Van Persie and Arsenal need a proficient scorer who can give Arsene an option when RVP needs a rest and perhaps give the Dutchman a reason to extend his contract at the end of a season.  Arsenal have been linked with two strikers for the January transfer window:  Lukas Podolski currently playing for his home club Cologne in the Bundesliga and Olivier Giroud from the Ligue 1 club Montpellier.  Below are compilations I have found on YouTube that I think highlight their skills as best as possible.

What's interesting is that both are left footed players which gives us the same option at corners and free kicks that Robin provides us.  I have to admit that from limited ability to view these players, I would opt for Podolski in that he seems strongly built and could endure the physical rigours the Premier League requires while having pace and a rifle of a left foot.  He also is used to playing on the wing as well.  So while Gervinho is gone, he could additionally be an option on the left.
Giroud seems technically gifted and a good finisher, but as he is currently on a goal scoring run, he probably would be pricey and difficult to pry away from his current club mid-season.  According to the Metro, Montpellier's owner is asking a hefty fee as he has two years left on his contract. Knowing Arsenal - this alone could obliterate our pursuit of him.

Podloski is having a great season as well scoring 14 goals in15 matches but is out of contract at the end of next season (sound familiar?).   The club's director would like him to sign an extension, and Lukas has been quoted as admiring Arsenal while admitting that there had not been any talks held.  Well, that does not bother me as talks are not to officially take place for two more days.  If Cologne (or Koln) are in any debt they could use this opportunity to balance their books and have an extra few months to scout Lukas' replacement rather than be put through a protracted negotiation at the end of the season.  Podolski is 26 years old.  He's peaking and, if he has any ambition, needs to hone his skills in a more competitive league with what could be his last professional contract.

All in all, I hope Podloski signs.  I saw him play the 2006 World Cup when he was only 19 years old and thought he was wonderful.  Plus, he'd have a comrade in Mertie who rates Podolski as well:

"He is a great player, especially for the national team," Mertesacker said. "He scores a lot of goals, and he has a very good finish with his left foot. His left foot is unbelievable and I'm a fan of him. This year, he has scored a lot of goals. He is powerful as well."

As always, I guess we'll just have to wait and see.  Tomorrow we play QPR and the big question is whether Arsene will rest RVP in the middle of this fixture congestion, or will he play him, thus allowing him the chance to tie or break Alan Shearer's meaningless record?  More details on that in tomorrow's post.  Plus, I'll be writing about the state of affairs with our full backs in the coming days so stay tuned.

Take care Gooners.  Feel free to tell me what you think about our striker situation in the comments.  Until tomorrow...

It's All About The Baby Steps

I don't know about the rest of you Gooners, but after watching the Arsenal exodus this summer, I had real doubts about us competing for the Top Six in the League. I definitely had doubts about qualifying for Champions League and felt unsure about the intentions of our board and our manager to set the Gunner ship aright once again.


And then came the humiliation to end all humiliations at Old Trafford followed by a rather heart-stopping closing to the transfer window. Whew! And due to the lateness of five signings, the question of the team's ability to gel in time to rise from the relegation portion of the table and compete for the title was in question.

And parts of that question have been answered since Saturday. While winning against the newly promoted Swansea 1 -0 didn't leave us with tons of euphoria, I for one, exhaled in a bit of relief. We were better. Maybe we weren't astounding in our play - we could have been more efficient with a few more goals - but, we moved up the table from 17th to 11th, and I saw a small ray of light at the end of the bleak tunnel that breaks onto the Emirates. I saw an improved team that with more time together could provide the foundation for snagging fourth place this year and maybe a cup title.

I think it's of the utmost importance not put the cart before the horse. Let's not kid ourselves. We are NOT going to win the title. We probably won't beat out either Manchester team for points, and overcoming Chelsea could be impossible. Taking fourth place make require putting up with Liverpool and Spuds nipping at our heels and a cup title will probably be done to mostly the luck of who we draw, but it is doable and attainable if we continue to take tiny yet important baby steps forward with each game.

Robin is firing in goals again. History shows that our Captain usually needs about four to five games under his belt before he consistently finds the back of the net. Tonight was only his second Champions League appearance this season, and he scored, but the Swansea game was his fourth which means he should be making goals left and right starting Saturday.

Arshavin showed last weekend that he still has the chops to have unbelievable finishes and energy when his head is screwed on straight. We have been missing the magical moments he can provide regularly ever since Russia lost out on going to the World Cup 2010, and Andrey subsequently  lost his confidence.  Arsene thinks he's ready to go this season, he's set a personal goal of netting 15, and I think he could make a real difference.

Gervinho loves to run at defenders and attack the goal but needs to improve his final product. His lack of finishing was apparent at Newcastle, but improvement was easy to recognize at Udinese. He seems a quick study and although his finishing was not at the calibre we needed today, one has to remember he has not played for Arsenal for almost three weeks due to his ban, and the rust is probably just temporary.

Mikel Arteta is just excited to be at Arsenal and his urgency to help the side is apparent. His almost mythical reputation at converting free kicks hasn't come to fruition yet, but his tenacity and fight on the pitch is welcome. My favorite Mickey moment so far is when he went up fearlessly for a header today against a Dortmand player in the 57th minute and got his skull cracked for his effort. He left the pitch bleeding and came back on patched up and ready to go. He looks like a pretty boy, but I think he's tough as nails.

Song was back today picking player's pockets almost as effortlessly as a thief on busy New York sidewalk. No stupid tackles or lazy fouls. He just always seemed to come up with the ball. That kind of beast-like performance is what is needed from him every time he plays to help our team improve. If he now feels the pressure as a leader because there are so many new players, let's hope today's performance is a sign of how he will respond to that pressure.

Koz continues to improve. Today, I saw him as the leading center back even though he had a German giant alongside him. He made some mistakes the first half as Dortmund attacked, but he was smooth and calm the next 45 minutes. I had no idea why Wenger spent nearly 10 million pounds on him last year as he was so unproven, but if he continues to learn after being thrown in with sharks last year, he will provide competition to Mertesacker for a place and quality of depth once Vermie returns.

My only real concern is Theo. While small progress is being made by most of the players and the group as a whole, our pacy right winger worries me. He seems unhappy and petulant on the pitch. Against the Swans, he got dispossess while being tugged at the shoulder. He stopped to complain to the ref while the Swansea player left with the ball instead of fighting to get it back. He had a nice assist to Robin today, but with all the new wingers available to play at his spot, he needs to turn it around and quickly. He has voiced once again his desire to play centrally as a striker, and maybe playing on the wing again this season has brought out the bad performances, but he has too much at stake to allow disappointment to affect his game. We need him. And he needs good perforamces to keep his place in the England squad as well. Theo's has taken a lot of flak over the years about his supposed disappointing development. And he's taken it with grace while seemingly having his feet firmly planted on the ground. I hope he can return to that unaffected state of mind.

I guess that's it for now.  While reading this report over, I'm reminded of many a season previews that I read a month ago. I didn't write with a preview in mind, but as far as my mindset goes, our NEW season started last Saturday. And after today's match, I am much hopeful now than in August. If we keep building week after week upon small improvements, we could end the season with our heads held much higher than thought possible. Remember, we're not going to get there in leaps and bounds, but with small, steady, consistent movement forward.

You know - baby steps.

That's it for tonight. Take care and enjoy the pitter patter of little bits of improvement. Cheers.