A few Stone Cold Arsenal readers have asked about Chamakh, what type of player he is and what he could bring to Arsenal. As the deal is almost done and Chamakh is set to become an Arsenal player, we thought we’d share our two cents about the Moroccan star.

Moroccan star, Marouane Chamakh

Marouane Chamakh was born on 10th January 1984 to Moroccan parents in Tonneins, a small town 75 miles south east of Bordeaux. At the age of 16, he entered the academy of Girondins de Bordeaux and a year later he started playing in their reserve team.

It took him only one more season to join the club’s professional squad and he played his first game in the top flight barely a month after his 19th birthday. During that 2002-03 season, he played in 10 league matches and scored one goal.

The subsequent season, despite the arrival of a new manager, Chamakh confirmed his status as a first team player, taking part in 25 matches in the league and 8 in the UEFA Cup, scoring 10 goals in the process. Having opted to play for Morocco (he has a dual French and Moroccan nationality), he reached the final of the 2004 African Cup of Nations with Les Lions d’Atlas, but lost 2-1 to the host nation, Tunisia.

His performances and the 10 goals he scored in the 33 league games that he played in 2004-05 drew the attention of French champions Lyon. Chamakh wanted to go but Bordeaux were reluctant to sell him. The young and promising striker was unsettled and was relegated to the bench for the best part of the following season.

Nonetheless, he made a further 29 appearances and scored 7 goals, with Bordeaux finishing as runners-up in the league.

During the 2006-07 season, he got his first taste of the Champions League but Bordeaux were no match for Liverpool and PSV, although they beat Galatasaray to third spot in the group stage. Chamakh, who had only scored 5 league goals, was offered a new contract until June 2010.

The 2007-08 season was a turning point for Bordeaux, who appointed Laurent Blanc as their new manager but was somewhat unremarkable for Marouane who only managed 4 goals in 32 league games and as many in 7 UEFA Cup matches.

The following season, Bordeaux were back in the Champions League and had Yoann Gourcuff on loan from AC Milan. The two players hit it off and led Bordeaux to their first champions title in ten years, breaking Lyon’s uninterrupted seven-year dominance of French football. On the score sheet, Chamakh was back to double figures finding the net 13 times in 34 league appearances.

As soon as the title was secured, Marouane publicly stated his desire of leaving the club and Arsenal emerged as the most likely destination. However, Bordeaux who had exercised their buyout option to hold on to Gourcuff, were desperate to keep Chamakh on board too.

Whatever happened behind the scenes, Arsenal gave up on signing the striker, who then chose to stay at Bordeaux to see out his contract but refused to sign a new deal. It is probably fair to say it was around that time that the Moroccan international’s reputation in Europe started going beyond the French borders.

Not a typical goal poacher, Chamakh is comfortable playing as a target man. His obvious strength is his aerial game, not only because he culminates at 6ft2” but also thanks to his great leap and timing.

Chamakh may not be as clinical a finisher as Torres or Drogba (and clearly adequate training will help him improve that part of his game), but he is far from being clumsy with the ball at his feet and has the ability to keep it, to dribble past opponents and to link up with teammates.

Most importantly he has the intelligence and the coolness for making the right decision, even under pressure, and is rarely caught giving the ball away cheaply.

He is also a combative player, a fighter in the very noble sense of the term and he is not afraid of harassing the opponent’s defenders. All these qualities make up for his relative lack of pace, which is the only real flaw in his game.

This season, Marouane has scored 5 goals in 9 Champions League appearances and so far 10 goals in 37 league games. Bordeaux have already surrendered their title to Marseille and there is no doubt that Chamakh will be a Gunner next season, joining Arsenal as a free agent.

To impose himself in the Premier League, Chamakh may need to make his tall frame a bit more muscular but the most important aspect of his integration is likely to be his understanding with at least one of the current key players.

Robin van Persie and Samir Nasri have already welcomed him but it will be interesting to see how he will be used by the manager and whether his incorporation will induce, at times, a shift in the style of play or even a change of the system if he ever becomes indispensable to the team.

Marouane seems to be the type of player who needs the confidence of his manager and his teammates to do well. At Bordeaux, the players, the technical staff and the fans hold him in high regard and the reception he got for his last home game was a testimony not only to his achievements on the pitch but also to his human qualities.

It is worth noting that as a practicing Muslim, Chamakh does not drink alcohol and fasts during the month of Ramadan, which requires a specific training regime. This year Ramadan stretches from mid-August to mid-September and could impact the striker’s adaptation to the pace of the English game. Therefore we should not judge him too quickly, be patient and give him time to settle in.

With a first name that translates to “rock”, one can hope that Chamakh will become the anchor of Arsenal’s strike force. I for one, welcome him and look forward to celebrating the many goals that hopefully he will score and set up.

As another season concludes, the clouds gather over N5, less hope than before previous seasons seems to be prevalent this time though. It is hard to gauge the overall feel amongst fans, so extreme are interpretations of the status, potential and future of our club.

A full range of predictions are available, from Arsenal being well placed to be a super power for the next decade, through being a work in progress right down to the thoroughly disgusted and exasperated fans who feel that a substantial change is required in both the squad, but most significantly the manager’s position.

There are several charges laid at the door of Le Boss at the moment by those dissatisfied with his performance over the last few years.
I shall deal with them in a semblance of chronological order. I don’t imagine that there were too many dissenters around 2004, I think the rumblings seem to start at the end of the Invincibles side.

In the most iconic image of the season, Arséne Wenger remonstrates after being unreasonably sent to the stands at Old Trafford

Wenger – The Dismantler

I have read time and time again in the sports pages and on blogs the phrase “Wenger dismantled the Invincibles”. A hugely successful team, a team that made history of course, full to the brim of winners, of athletes, of strapping six footers. Of players that understood what it was to play for the Arsenal. And certainly they were.

However, Mr Wenger saw fit to take this team of men at the peak of their powers and scatter them to the four winds, to Spain, and Greece, and the west and east ends of London, the south coast, even put them out to pasture.

Is this really a fair charge? Even a sensible one?

In order to really analyse this criticism, let us take the main figures in that ’Invincibles’ side, case by case;

Jens Lehman

His time was up early in the 2007/08 season after a couple of costly errors saw Almunia given the goalkeepers position. Firstly, this was now three seasons after the unbeaten run, and Jens was now 38 years old, I think it’s fair to say that his time at this level of competition was drawing to a conclusion.

Given that in that season we put up a considerable title charge, I think we can say that (at the time) Almunia was worth his starting place.

Bisan Lauren

Sadly, Lauren’s time at Arsenal came to a close after a huge amount of time out with a knee injury, and left in January 2007 for Portsmouth. At the time Eboue had featured prominently in the run to Paris in 2006, and in my opinion looked a phenomenal prospect at right back.

Since then of course we have also had Bacary Sagna join the team, and he certainly has been solid, if not always hitting the heights of his first season.

Ashley Cole

There really isn’t much to be said here. I certainly don’t think Arsene can be held culpable for this departure in 2006.

Sol Campbell

Well, perhaps now he’s back and been a real injection of fighting spirit as well as putting in some outstanding performances (his goal celebration at Stoke will stay with me as an iconic Gooner moment, where the players and fans are in total empathetic harmony), this could be perceived to have been a massive loss.

However, at the time, I feel that the club treated him well. I’m still not entirely sure what was at the root of his loss of form, I believe he was having personnel problems. Gallas was brought in that summer, and at the time this seemed more than adequate replacement for a player who seemed to be on the wane.

Kolo Toure

A substantial profit has been made on a player who it is looking very much like we got the best years out of. A real Wenger find, a right midfielder transformed into a calm centre half, who never really asserted himself, but was a superb player to have alongside a more naturally gifted defender.

His timing & commitment could be outstanding at times, and he is a player I thought would finish his career at Arsenal. The big money came knocking, and the chance of a final payday as well as the disharmony with Big Bad Billy G saw Kolo skipping up the M1 with a certain Mr. Adebayor.

This of course has seen Thomas Vermaelen take over at the back, and he certainly looks like a significant improvement.

Freddie Ljungberg

Freddie is another player in this list, who was into his twilight time at Arsenal when he left. He participated in the first season at the Emirates, but had been injured consistently for some time, and had certainly lost some of his “mojo”.

Alex Hleb, was starting to produce some fine performances, and gave the side a capacity to beat a man in a fashion we have not had consistently for some time. A fabulous dribbler of the ball, although infuriating at times, between him, Eboue & Theo we had cover on the right side when he left in 2007.

The Arsenal 'Invincibles' Team - Premier League Champions 2003 - 2004

Robert Pires

In my opinion, Bobby Pires is the only member of the ’Invincibles’ who left too early, directly as a result of club policy. So many times the season after leaving Highbury I saw the ball roll diagonally, and fruitlessly past the far post, exactly where super Bob would normally be gliding towards to steer it home.

His reception when we played Villareal last year was incredible and deserved and I feel warmer than those extended to Vieira and Henry for this reason. Both Henry and Vieira had courted moves, and this took a little sheen from their return. Tomás Rosicky’s addition to the squad tempered the loss, but Pires’s quality and value to the squad was a big gap to fill.

Patrick Vieira

I don’t think there’s much doubt that Patrick left at a good time, the previous summer’s wrangling over his transfer didn’t sit well, and although he has seen some success since he left, most people will agree his impact on games was diminished.

Who can forget the game against Juventus when he was disposed by Pires of all people? A sublime tackle that was the origin of a passage of play that led to Juventus chasing shadows before Cesc Fabregas slotted in a peach of a goal from just outside the box.

Gilberto Silva

After Pires, I think Gilberto Silva was the only other player who maybe would have been of benefit to keep within the squad. With the clumsy manner of the captaincy being given to Gallas coupled with the energetic rise of Flamini, I think his days were numbered at the club.

Dennis Bergkamp

Well, there was a wonderfully symmetrical sense of destiny with Dennis choosing to hang up his boots to coincide with the retirement of Highbury. Certainly his playing time was largely reduced, especially with Reyes still looking to be an excellent attacking player, and also Adebayor arriving and having a minor impact.

Thierry Henry

As with Vieira, Titi’s courting episode with Barcelona the previous summer had meant this wasn’t as crushing as it might have been. It even seemed the season afterwards that his presence had been a hindrance.

I remember on several occasions in his final year with us, he looked disinterested, although he was still producing the goods in bursts; his demeanour can’t have been a positive influence in the dressing room or on the pitch.

So overall after Vieira left having lifted the FA Cup, another 4 players left/retired in 2006, 2 in 2007, and by the start of the 2008/09 season only Kolo was left. Most of these players were the wrong side of thirty at the time of departure, and although valuable experience was undoubtedly lost, it is worth noting that after Henry left a substantial title challenge was registered.

I would say that the departures after the 2007-2008 season were more damaging in a way, losing Matthieu Flamini, Lassana Diarra, Gilberto Silva & Alex Hleb meant that only Cesc Fabregas remained of that midfield after Rosicky succumbed to the early stages of his injury problems.

I would never wish to seem that I am rewriting history, or bad mouthing former players who gave us all so much success, and played for the Arsenal with outstanding distinction. I am merely using these points to illustrate what I consider to be an injustice towards the manager.

Saying that he dismantled the Invincibles almost implies Arséne Wenger is some sort of saboteur.

The ’Invincibles’ team had peaked together for all our benefits, but sadly it faded together too, and the gradual disappearance was rather more organic than sometimes reported.

In the next instalment, we’ll examine the next charge laid at the feet of the Arsenal manaager, Mr. Arséne Wenger the Gambler.

My highlight of the pedestrian 0-0 draw against Manchester City at the Emirates on the 24th of April was the banner in the stands that screamed: ’VOTE EBOUE ON MAY 6th’.

The irony is not lost on Gordon Brown when a section of Arsenal fans clearly think Emmanuel Eboue has a better chance of becoming Prime Minister. I can just picture Arsenal’s resident comedian sitting back left in that Jaguar riding into Buckingham Palace on May 7th to formerly ask Aunt Liz for the keys to Downing Street.

But yet behind the satire and comedy, is the story behind one of the favourite chants of the season – ”We only came to see Eboue”.

Arsenal's 'Goal Machine' - Emmanuel Eboue

This season, the Ivorian has had the most remarkable transformation from ’villain du jour’ to cult hero at the Emirates. His lowest point was last season’s home tie against Wigan Athletic when he came on as a substitute and swiftly suffered the humiliation of being substituted himself for a woeful performance that could only be described as criminal.

When your fans boo you off the park, more often than not, the only way out is a transfer to another club, in another country. Extreme credit has to be given to Eboue for knuckling down, dealing with his demons and getting on with the job the manager requires of him.

It’s not that Eboue is a flashy player who employs jiggery pokery to mesmerize the opponent – far from that. I submit to you that he is one of the most valuable players any manager could want in a squad.

I say this because I believe he is one of the best utility players in the league. Very few players if any, can competently do a job in different parts of the field and be able to keep the team ticking.

Though Eboue ordinarily plays as a right full back, he is often employed as a right winger. He can also play left full back and in recent games, has covered the role of left winger. My sense is that if Wenger asked Eboue to stand in goal, the Ivorian will look at Vic Acres with that ”where are the gloves kept?” look.

There is a lot that the entire team can learn from this young man this season, and it’s not necessarily about the football. Eboue does a great job like many unsung heroes in the squad, most notably Neves Denilson, who keep the team ticking without any razzmatazz. Their job is not to go all ’Hollywood’ during the game, but it’s to do the simple efficient things that many don’t notice but are necessary to keep the team moving.

The Ivoirian’s determination to prove to the Arsenal faithful that he is worthy of an Arsenal shirt is laudable and shows a strength of character that some members in the team can emulate if they’re going to make the next step. Lukasz Fabianski for one can’t do any worse than ’doing an Eboue’

In Friday’s post, Saloner and other readers suggested that Fabianski will benefit from game time as opposed to warming the Arsenal bench, and perhaps a lone spell like his compatriot Tech 9 is doing at Brentford, is the right way to go for him to ’do an Eboue’.

A respectable performance in goal in the next two games against Blackburn Rovers and Fulham won’t do his confidence any harm. Despite the disappointment in the way the season has petered out for Arsenal, we have an expectation that the next two games will provide some joy and entertainment. Hopefully, we’ll get to see fringe players like Craig Eastmond and Carlos Vela get some game time and show us what the future holds.

Meanwhile, don’t forget to vote for Eboue on Thursday May 6th.

Who would have thunk it?

Not more than a few short months ago, the veteran England defender and former Arsenal vice-captain was getting accustomed to the reality of plying his trade in the 4th tier of the English football hierarchy.

Playing in front of a measly crowd of 6400 fans (and that’s 1200 if you get anal about just the ones who can sit) at Christie Park when Morecambe hosted his retirement club Notts County, was a far cry from the glory days that Campbell enjoyed at the top echelons of English football.

Many eyebrows were raised when Campbell sought a retirement package with the Magpies following the deceptive lure of his former England manager Sven Goran Erikson. The footballing world was left even more baffled when Campbell walked out of Meadow Lane into the reservation after only a few games, bringing his League 2 adventure to a premature end.

What people least expected was that Campbell would be playing in the Champions League again, not least for Arsenal. The distance between Meadow Lane and the Nou Camp isn’t just a literal one, it’s a journey never been travelled before and never likely to be travelled ever again.

The decision Sol Campbell took of returning to familiar surroundings in a bid to keep fit while on gardening leave was the start of a chain of events of such a remarkable revival. I was pleased about Wenger’s decision to grant Campbell’s request to train with the Arsenal team at London Colney to keep his fitness in check.

I never thought in a million years that the Arsenal manager would turn to the veteran defender to play a crucial role in the second half of Arsenal’s season. Besides, Wenger doesn’t do re-signings; well, at least that was his M.O up to that point.

I don’t doubt though that from a physical and mental point of view, Arsenal would have never called upon the services of Campbell if the staff at London Colney as well as the other Arsenal first teamers didn’t feel he was up to the job.

The fact that he’s still playing, albeit as cover for injured players, is a testament to him as a consummate professional and role model to many young players, not least in the Arsenal squad and academy.

I‘ll go as far as saying that the more games that Campbell has played, the better and sharper he has become. What he lacks in pace, he compensates with intelligence, and you really can’t ask for any more. I think it’s fair to say that Campbell has been Arsenal’s best player in April.

So what is it about this 35 year old veteran who refuses to go away with a whimper.

Recent reports suggest that Campbell is angling for a contract extension at Arsenal. In January, I would have questioned the wisdom of even contemplating giving Campbell more than a 5 month run out, but now, I think extending his contract for one year will be one of the best moves Arsene Wenger can make.

There’s just something about Sol that is infectious and my sense is that this young Arsenal squad needs to develop and nurture this characteristic. It’s a mental strength and fighting spirit that is different from what most of the young team have experienced, and it’s a determination to earn the right to wear the Arsenal shirt.

I don’t expect that Campbell would play many games in the new season, and I fully expect that Arsenal will sign a defender (maybe 2 if Gallas and Silvestre leave), but I would suggest that keeping Campbell in the squad will be one of the best moves Wenger can make to improve the squad.

I would also suggest that there is a level of respect that Campbell has earned by his endeavours these past few months and this stands him in good stead with his colleagues and Arsenal training staff. From this point of view, I would be very supportive of Campbell’s role at Arsenal evolving into a player/coach function and that he continues to influence the squad even if he is not on the pitch.

Wenger clearly trusts the veteran and I hope he can use him to bridge the gap between Arsenal’s reality and aspiration. What Sol has achieved in his few months back at Arsenal has in no way harmed his chances of continuing a long relationship with the club and extending his legendary status.

Coaching to me seems a natural progression for the 35 year old defender and where better to start this than at Arsenal. We couldn’t do any worse than having him impart his leadership skills, quality and fighting spirit to the team. Thomas Vermaelen for example, has already expressed his appreciation and acknowledgement of what Campbell brings to the team, and the fact that he is learning a great deal from the former England defender.

Meanwhile, there’s a small matter of a world cup a few weeks away. I’m shopping for a good price already because the hottest ticket in the book making industry will be the one holding the odds for Sol Campbell to be recalled to the England squad for the world cup.

It’s not just his form and dependability, Fabio Capello hasn’t been blind to the revival of the veteran and who would argue that Campbell’s form is not better than some of the inexperienced names being touted for defence duty for the 3 Lions.

Campbell’s fitness for example, is more of a certainty than that of the England captain Rio Ferdinand.

Wouldn’t it be great to see him complete the revival from Meadow Lane in the throes of the 4th tier of English football, to taking part in England’s bid for the ’Coupe du Monde’? Dare I even say crown it with a freak opportunity to captain the 3 Lions.

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In recent times, you wouldn’t be mistaken if you thought you’d heard echoes of the chant ”Bring me the head of Arsene Wenger” bellowing in the alleys and corners around Holloway Road.

It’s the sort of chant derived from a lynch mob mentality of red-eyed, blood thirsty doom and gloom merchants who have perfected the art form of spitting fire and brimstone. They seek to rationalize their actions by suggesting that their collective negativity is indeed the true way to voice their passion and support for the club, and they dare anyone who would challenge their loyalty to the Arsenal.

I’m always reminded of the old adage that you should never under-estimate the power of stupid people in large numbers. Dooming and glooming in recent times has given credence to this very notion.

A natural response would be to take the view that the actions of this ’Armageddon’ brigade amounts to nothing but a hill of beans. Doing nothing though and failing to provide a voice of reason gives a modicum of credence to the doom Sayers.

Here’s a Stone Cold breakdown of the anatomy of the modern day Arsenal doom and gloom merchant:

1. They suffer from Defensive pessimism

I would define defensive pessimism as a motivated cognitive strategy that helps people manage their anxiety and pursue their goals. Individuals who use defensive pessimism generally set low expectations, and play through extensive mental simulations of possible negative outcomes as they prepare for possible disappointment.

Take the example of Arsenal’s current league campaign. As I write this, the Gunners are 6 points off the top of the table with a great chance to claw their way to the top by winning the remaining 11 games.

Doomers would rather focus on what ‘could have…would have…or should have…’ – instead of throwing their collective weight behind the team to help them over the finishing line.

They spend their time and energy looking for every little thing they can criticize to rationalize their extremity and refuse to accept to work with what’s in hand.

It wouldn’t be at all surprising to know that this kind of individual applies defensive pessimism to all aspects of their lives whether it be at work or in their relationships. They are likely to be inherently sad people with the propensity to depress anyone around them with their negativity.

2. They use lack of trophies as justification for their vitriol

”We haven’t won a trophy in 5 years” has become as legendary as ”One nil to the Arsenal”. I would start by saying this:

Anyone who can’t appreciate the constraints Arsenal has faced since moving to Ashburton Grove, and anyone who finds it difficult to acknowledge the bigger picture and general direction Arsenal is heading on and off the pitch – has bigger issues than Arsenal can provide solutions for.

If you really strip this perceived crisis down to its core, for most of the doomers, the gripe is actually to do with the loss of bragging rights. What’s more important to them is a selfish motivation to avoid the humiliating taunts from their mainly Chelsea and Manchester United friends and colleagues.

They will more often than not make unjustified comparisons between the current team and Arsenal teams of latter years to illustrate the perceived flaws of the current team.

Their quick solution to resolving this matter is for Arsene to whip out the cheque book and send the club to the dogs like Portsmouth and others staring at the abyss of irreparable financial ruin. They represent a very dangerous breed of ’Johnny come lately’ customers who demand an immediate return for what they spend – citing the excuse that Arsenal has the highest ticketing prices in the land.

The truth is that Arsenal in the latter years of Graham, Rioch, Neill and Mee (if you have the patience to go that far back) have had periods longer than the current 5 years without a trophy.

Arsene’s successful era has clearly surpassed those of his predecessors, yet he continues to build the foundations that will ensure Arsenal dominates the landscape for years to come.

3. They are like lambs to the media slaughter houses

I agree with the notion that the media is the last bastion of imperialism. Sports media in its related arena does nothing to improve the perception that expecting impartiality and objectivity from them is like expecting to find a 21 year old virgin in Sodom and Gomorrah.

The media have a struggle to fill the air waves and news columns to feed an unforgiving 24 hour news cycle. The inevitable result is that journalistic integrity and balanced perspectives are thrown right out of the window.

Sensationalism and publication of male bovine faecal matter is mistaken for sports journalism. Unfortunately for all of us, it is then shoved down the throats of the masses as different agendas are driven by the media protagonists for different reasons, not least self preservation.

Arsenal doomers have perfected the art of believing such falsehoods peddled by the media to be matters of fact. A perfect example is the perception of Arsenal’s performances this season. Apparently, according to the media we’ve done so badly that we’re only 6 points off the pace, and still with a realistic chance to pip United and Chelsea to the title.

This of course is the same media circus that wrote Arsenal off not to even make the top 4 this season – before a single ball was kicked.

4. They typify customers with a decadence that threatens the very essence of being a supporter.

There used to be a time when supporters – you know – supported their team. This they did come rain, shine or thunder. They supported the team whether the team won, drew or lost.

They shared the joy and excitement when the team beat its fiercest rivals. They shared the disappointment and heart-break when the team lost games. They found a balance that promoted healthy debate and discussions about the strengths and weaknesses of their team, while continuing to show solid and unconditional support when the team crossed the white line and stepped onto the pitch.

I guess the notion that the customer is always right got to their heads. They started demanding that Arsenal justify the income they were generating from them and that they show this by achieving instant success with trophies.

They defended their right to a positive customer experience by demanding that the team entertain them otherwise they will leave the stadium en mass – if the team didn’t score 8 goals without reply.

They started pointing at the artificial and perceived success of teams with ’sugar daddies’ and insisting that “if they can make it then so can we”. This of course, they do without the fore thought of the implications of such recklessness, or the fact that Arsenal can’t actually afford to buy a trophy.

Speaking of modern day football customers, I ask whether Arsenal has supporters or whether they are customers.

They of course want us to spend big bucks not realising that the era of brazen ‘cheque book’ management is over. It was less than 3 months ago when I suggested that football is not immune to the economic downturn. Today for sure, Portsmouth becomes a statistic of football financial failure.

Our modern day customers don’t even seem to acknowledge and appreciate that where Arsenal leads, others will follow.

And just in case you’re not aware of my weekly column, today is Stone Cold Friday over at ACLF – check out today’s column on tanacity and holding our nerve.
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April 18th 2009 and January 24th 2010 are two days ‘Wookash’ Fabianski dreads to recall, even though the former date is the Pole’s birthday.

It has something to do with the fact that on those two days, Arsenal were shown the exit sign and asked to unceremoniously leave the FA Cup. They were days that the young goal keeper had ’howlers’ that any professional sportsman would want to forget very quickly.

A mad rush of blood to the head from Wookash gifted an empty net to Drogba last April, and at the Britannia a few weeks ago – he wisened up to the folly of waiting for a Rory Delap throw to come to him.

Let’s face it – keeping goal is a thankless job. More often than not, the keeper spends long periods doing nothing constructive and requires constant discipline and focus to keep up with the game around them.

The problem for goalies is that mistakes they make or momentary lapses of judgement almost certainly end up with them picking the ball from the back of the net. Also, in this media savvy age where cameras cover every nook and cranny on the pitch, the actions or inactions of the goal keeper are easily amplified.

If Bob Wilson was keeping goal for Arsenal today and he had the howler that led to the goal at his near post in the 1971 cup final, Wilson would have had to go into exile, for the Sky cameras would have made is life a misery.

Goal keeping seems to be a subject that divides many observers when it comes to the Arsenal. I don’t recall it being that much of an issue in the past times of Lehmann, Seaman (who was the goalie that I most identified with), Jennings or Wilson.

There’s a cliché often used to say that a good goal keeper can save you at least 12 points a season, and Almunia doesn’t seem to jump out of the page for some when it comes to Arsenal goal keepers. Off the top of my head, I can think of 3 points saving interventions that Almunia made in 2010 – when Denilson collapsed and Everton had a one on one with him; saving Agbonlahor’s shot across goal at the match against Villa on 27th of Jan; and his fingertip save of Ryan Babel’s shot last week against Liverpool.

All of those saves prevented Arsenal from losing or drawing a match and gained us points in that respect. Even so, it’s more than likely that Almunia’s transgressions will be the more amplified for it’s those mistakes that end up with us conceding goals.

Fabianski has had his high profile moments to impress and he has shown signs of a great goal keeper, and signs of poor judgement on occasion. This is not uncommon for a 24 year old goal keeper, and I think it’s important to acknowledge that some things will only come with experience. Good judgement is one of those aspects that will only develop with time and mileage on the pitch.

For the record, I think Fabianski is a very good keeper and will become one of the best keepers in the world. You can see this when he has a good game – the way he commands the box and the way he marauds around like he owns that piece of real estate within the box; the way he comes for crosses and the way he sweeps behind his defensive high line; and his general presence in the box.

What has eluded him so far is the consistency in good decision making. His individual skill and agility is not in question. The only way we’re going to find out if Wookash is really the answer to Arsenal’s goal keeping dilemma is to let him get on with it.

Some may argue that he’s not yet there and needs some more experience, but short of farming him out on loan at the risk of not having a 2nd choice keeper – Wenger seems to be convinced that the Pole is a good enough understudy to Almunia.

The manager has certainly gone out of his way to pump up Wookash by waxing lyrical about his ability to hold the fort. Definitely good people management and confidence building skills on the part of the manager.

My sense is that if the team defends properly as a unit and each person takes their responsibility seriously, it will make the life of a goal keeper a hell of a lot easier. There will be times during the game that the keeper is called upon to do something extra-ordinary and it’s on those occasions that Wookash can stand up to be counted.

Maybe tonight is a chance to prove that it’s 3rd time lucky for him and he can help propel Arsenal to a good position before the return leg against Porto in 3 weeks time.
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It seems just like yesterday when festivities in Ghana culminated in a final that pitted Cameroon, 4 time winners of the Africa Cup of Nations crown, against Egypt, the most successful African nation in the tournament. Egypt went on to win their 6th title since the inception of the biennial competition in 1957.

We’re at it again, this time in Angola. Arsenal has only 2 players representing their respective countries this time round, and whilst they’ll be thoroughly missed in the cold throws of the English Premier League – it’s always positive for our players to have good games in continental tournaments. The confidence and experience that they pick up in such tournaments bodes well for Arsenal and makes them better players all round.

In 2 instalments, I’ll briefly examine the prospects that Cote d’Ivoire and Cameroon have during this world cup year. Both of these countries have qualified for the World cup finals in South Africa, and the Arsenal stars – Emmanuel Eboue for Cote d’Ivoire and Alex Song for Cameroon – are pivotal players for their country.

Cote d’Ivoire

Ivory Coast are considered by many bookmakers as outright favourites to win the Africa cup of nations. The most logical reason given for this is their star studded squad of elite players and their free flowing football. I don’t think that it’ll be that straight forward for them and it’s somewhat simplistic to look at the team sheet and say that the Ivory Coast ’Elephants’ are strong on paper. Football is played on grass, and I believe the Cameroonian’s, Egyptians and the ’Black Stars’ of Ghana will have something to say about the final destination of the ACN title.

Emmanuel Eboue

Nevertheless, with Didier Drogba, Salamon Kalou, Kolo Toure, Emanuel Eboue, Yaya Toure, Didier Zokora and many other stars seen week in week out in European club football – the ’Elephants’ will pull in the crowds. From the point of view of a spectacle, Vahid Halilhodzic’s team does carry the sign ’Come see Hollywood here’ if you will.

In Angola, the ’Elephants’ face Togo in the opening game of the tournament. They will also face Burkina Faso and The ’Black Stars’ of Ghana.

Expectations are high, especially with the combination of the Yugoslav coach Halilhodzic, and a group of players perceived to be the most talented in Africa. Halilhodzic is renowned for running a tight ship and employing no nonsense boot camp tactics in training. With this being his first major tournament as manager of the ’Elephants’, much is expected from both team and manager. Although this is Ivory Coast’s 18th appearance in this tournament, they’ve only won the competition once in 1992. However, the expectation, especially after their humiliating exit last time round at the hands of Egypt is quite high – no pressure there for Emmanuel Eboue and his team-mates then.

Eboue will join former Arsenal star Kolo Toure in defence and the tournament is undoubtedly a stage for Eboue to express himself. Last season, no one would have blamed the young man if he wanted to throw in the towel and move away from Arsenal, especially after a nightmare of a game against Wigan Athletic, when Wenger substituted him for well, his own safety. He had a howler of a match and was booed off the pitch by the Emirates faithful.

Eboue though, has knuckled down and proven to himself, his team mates and Arsenal fans that he indeed has value to add to our Arsenal team. Not only is he very effective in covering for Bacary Sagna, his penetrative runs and power in midfield have proved a valuable tool for Arsenal’s style of play. Wenger once said that Eboue is in the squad because he adds balance. And without a doubt, it’s now clear to see what Wenger meant. Eboue is our most versatile utility player who can do a very competent job in at least 4 positions, and is the sort of player every top team needs in their squad.

It’ll be interesting to see how he influences play for Cote dIvoire as they try and fulfil the huge promise and expectation on their shoulders.

Also, if you don’t already know, I right a weekly column about Arsenal on A Cultured Left Foot. Make sure you check out my piece today outlining 8 reasons why Arsenal can win the title this season.

At the beginning of the season, the biggest noise that could be heard in and around Holloway Road was the audible exasperation of the doom and gloom brigade. Arsene Wenger yet again, failed to sign the much touted world class defensive midfielder that Arsenal needed. What was it with this tight fisted egomaniac and his ’youth project’, they asked on radio, on the blogosphere and to anyone who would listen.

I honestly doubt that the issue was that Wenger didn’t know that defensive midfield was a key part of his team’s stability. Far from that, he totally believed that the defensive midfield position was perhaps the most important anchor to the 4-3-3 formation that he was going to employ this season. The only difference is that he already knew that he had that ’world class’ defensive midfielder on his payroll under the name of a one Alexandre Dimitri Song Bilong.

At the beginning of the season, if Wenger even tried to make a case for Song, he would have been probably lynched by the doomer nation who were convinced that Song was not and was never going to be the answer. 6 months later, the same doomers are on Wenger’s back to demand that a relief midfielder is in place just to cover, and absolutely not replace the young Cameroonian. It’s funny that the young man who wasn’t supposedly ‘good enough’ or ‘world class’ enough for the Arsenal has been Arsenal’s most consistent player so far this season turning out imperious performances in the heart of the Arsenal midfield. The way that Song has run the midfield like a military general has arguably made him the best defensive midfielder in the league so far this season. There’s clearly a reason why Wenger is the manager and we’re not.

The only problem you’d have with Alex Song is that he chose to display his top form yet in the season that he has to jet off to Angola for the Africa Cup of Nations. I’m sure there were many gooners who’d have loved him to lose his passport or who would have loved Cameroon to be kicked out of the tournament early and for Song to be shipped back to us immediately. But I’m one of those who believe that it will be to Arsenal’s benefit if Cameroon go all the way and challenge for the ACN title.

My rationale for this is that a motivated Alex Song who has lifted the ACN trophy will do a much better job for Arsenal in the business end of the season as opposed to an Alex Song disappointed by being kicked out of the initial stages of the tournament. Meanwhile, there is the small matter of what to do in the Arsenal midfield during the absence of our Field Marshall, General Alexandre Song.

Step forward Neves Denilson Pereira. Possibly the most underrated midfielder in the EPL, and unfairly so. To think that at his age, he’s already clocked over 150 appearances, Denilson is by no means a lesser alternative. He’s one of those players who is only appreciated when he’s not in the team. He is a stealth operative who is a master at reading the game and so far removed from the stereotypical caricature of the defensive midfielder that the establishment demands. I’m talking about the leg breaking, shin crunching, rib cracking beast of a human being who is built like a brick shithouse and has a Chuck Norris type of super hero destroyer mentality who really can’t play football but has that trademark grafting ability that will break anything that moves towards our defence. No no no! Denilson is certainly not one of them.

He’s the kind who prefers to read the game more intelligently and use his interception skills to start attacks from defence. Of course he’ll tackle, but why do it when you can intercept too. Last season, Denilson was the player in the EPL who touched the ball the most and had the best interception and midfield pass rates. This year, he’s added a haul of 3 sumptuous goals to his account with Arsenal. And with Diaby and Cesc/Ramsey alongside in the middle of the park, there will indeed be a seamless change of guard in the Arsenal midfield while General Song is out representing his country.

In my first of the player profile series, the spotlight falls on one of Arsenal’s unsung heroes – our young defensive midfielder.

Alex Song - Arsenal's defensive midfield lynchpin

Born:
Alexandre Dimitri Song Billong (Alex Song)
9 September 1987
Douala, Cameroon

It’s no exaggeration to state that Alex Song has had a baptism of fire through his induction to the Arsenal first team. Even to this date, he still has many doubters, most of whom unfairly formed a lasting judgement on him based on his initial indifferent performances at the beginning of his Arsenal career.

Plucked from the obscurity of the French 2nd division by Wenger’s scouting system, Song underwent his trial at Arsenal during the pre-season training of 2005-2006. His potential had already been noticed by big clubs like Lyon, Inter Milan and Manchester United – but it was Wenger who took the plunge by inviting Song to stay for the season on loan from his club SC Bastia. He only made 5 appearances for Arsenal while on loan but this convinced Wenger to part with a £1 million transfer fee to sign him permanently.

I suppose I took particular interest in Alex Song because he was the nephew of Rigobert Song, whose career I had followed from his stints at Liverpool and with the Cameroonian national team.

Like most youngsters developing in the game, Song had a patchy and indifferent start to his Arsenal career, but we are now seeing the fruits of Wenger’s confidence and faith in the young man. It would have been understandable if the manager had lost faith in him and not persisted, but Wenger at the best of times likes doing things the hard way.

The lowest point of Song’s stint with Arsenal so far was his performance for Arsenal against Fulham a couple of seasons ago. It was one of them performances that any player would wish for the ground to open up and swallow them – if only to avoid the wrath of the seething fans who were very vocal about his poor performance that day. Many voices were adamant that Alex Song was not fit enough to wear the red and white of the Arsenal.

Wenger sought to manage the situation by shipping Song off to Charlton where he played 12 solid games for them before they were relegated. The loan spell however, seemed to work in lifting up the young man’s confidence.

Despite these initial indifferent performances, there was something very noticeable about Song’s talent and potential, and it was only a matter of time before they were unleashed. He was certainly with the best manager in the world capable of cajoling and encouraging that skill and talent out of any young player.

There was one particular match for me, when Song was filling in at centre back, that convinced me that Wenger was on to a winner with his decision to persist with this young man. The particular match escapes me, but I remember it being a very high pressure situation that the best defenders in the world would opt for safety first and agriculturally dispatch the ball into row Z of the stands. Song however, decided to dribble the ball out of our box. My first reaction was to jump at the TV while screaming “Jesus Christ!!! What do you think you’re doing?”.

But after calming down and reflecting on what just happened without a loss of pace and passing precision, I concluded that Song was either absolutely brilliant, or absolutely stupid and got away with murder. There was however something very unnerving about his calmness and composure as he dribbled out of the box, and even so, I confess that it was a neat piece of skill (if you take the argument that it was born out of brilliance and not stupidity).

Two other similar memories linger – firstly in a recent game when he was facing our own goal just outside our 18 yard box with opposition players breathing down his neck to close him down. He calmly executed an ecstatic 360 degree turn with the ball stuck to his feet leaving at least 2 opponents pissing in the wind before completing a simple pass to a team-mate to launch another Arsenal attack.

The other joyful moment was during the game with Standard Liege last week on match day 5 of the CL. Song skilfully rolled away on the ground from an impending tackle with the ball firmly stuck between his feet, and confidently recovered to pass the ball on to another Arsenal player to launch an attack. Saying that it was a high pressure situation is an understatement, but it was sweet to watch.

His game isn’t just about those exquisite moments. There is no doubt that over the last two seasons, he is probably the most improved player at Arsenal. It wasn’t so long ago – in fact just a few months ago – when many voices in and out of Arsenal openly expressed the fact that they thought Song was not good enough and Wenger needed to buy a world class defensive midfielder.

I’m one of those people who think the ’world class’ label is bandied around too much and at the best of times, the so called world class players leave a lot to be desired. What does world class mean anyway? The concept is as nebulous as the suggestion that ’normal’ is a recognizable state of affairs. At the moment, the same folks who called for Song to be benched because he wasn’t good enough – are debating what solutions Wenger will employ to cover for Alex Song when he is on duty for Cameroon at the African Cup of Nations in January and early February.

If ever there was a compliment to the young man – then the recognition (explicit or not) of his status as the invaluable lynchpin of Arsenal’s defence in midfield – then it’s the fact that there is a clamour to figure out who will understudy him during his absence and not who will replace him.

His massive improvement and performance this season is no surprise to anyone who has observed him through last season. He clocked a respectable amount of games giving him more confidence to express himself, particularly during Arsenal’s 21 game unbeaten run in the second half of last season.

It isn’t just his improved footballing intelligence, or his improved defensive nous and presence just in front of our back 4. Song’s overall game is much better and more well rounded if you will. His tackling and interception rates have significantly improved – and he is not averse to taking one for the team and getting a yellow card for his troubles – for the art of spoiling is indeed a dark art of the defensive midfielder. Song’s tactical fouling has got better though (he gets less yellow cards for stopping play) as he has shown that he can intelligently slow the game down to break opposition counter attacks.

So far, Song has played 98 games for Arsenal with his improvement complimented by his career 3 goals and 6 assists, with his best individual goal coming in the 4-1 mauling of Wigan Athletic last season when he waltz through the Latecs midfield and defence before unleashing a screamer that buried the ball in the back of the net.

There’s no question that he has room for improvement – quality players always seek to improve – and he has already shown significant improvement in the last year alone to set aside any doubts about his intentions to make his mark on this Arsenal team. However, his improvement will only be cemented by additional game time which he his accumulating, and this will undoubtedly have a positive impact on his confidence.

What is interesting for me is that Alex Song doesn’t get the recognition due to him for his contribution to Arsenal’s shape and solidity. Every so often, lazy journalism and punditry prefers the easier route of equating class and stature with a price tag that bears little if any resemblance to a player’s true worth. Until Song either wins a title with Arsenal or Cameroon, he is likely to be seen as ’just another Arsene Wenger project’. Yet this far this season, Song has already shown that he is right up there mixing it with the best defensive midfield usual suspects.

Consider this, at 22 years old, Song is matching the defensive midfield darlings of the media. Javier Mascherano, Michael Essien and Yaya Toure who are all in their mid 20s are often touted as the SI unit of the world class defensive midfielder. Yet, it’s possible to argue that this season, Song has matched and in most cases surpassed this SI unit of measurement. His overall game and contribution to the team has been much better than the 3 protagonists I’m comparing him to – whether it’s pass completion, interceptions and tackles, contribution to attacking play – or even comparisons of the number of mistakes he has made leading to goals against us.

I’ll even be bold enough to suggest that when Song is at the age where Essien, Mascherano and Yaya Toure are now, he is going to be a much better player than any of them are – if only for the simple reason that at 22, he’s a much better player than any of the 3 were at 22.

And despite the learning that Song still needs to do, and his continuing experience as the lynchpin of Arsenal and Cameroon’s defence in midfield – I would suggest that in a year or two, Alexandre Song Billong will become one of the world’s best defensive midfielders.
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Even though I often complain about some of the uses of our controversial ‘licence fee’ to the BBC, I took a more open minded approach about the fishing expedition that BBC radio 5 were carrying out in Denver. Maybe I’m just used to anti-Arsenal journalism at every available opportunity, and I hoped that whatever Brian Alexander fished out of Denver would highlight some new info about the ever elusive Stan Kroenke.

Based on the promotional headlines, an assumption I made is that after spending all that money sending a crew to Colorado, the least they’ll achieve is manage a cup of tea and a sound bite with Stan the man. But I should have known better I guess, and I only had myself to blame for expecting too much.

You can listen again to the In search of ‘Silent Stan’ documentary by Brian Alexander. It’s a 30 minute piece with some preamble and network news up front and the piece starts about 4 minutes in.

I didn’t learn anything new except for the fact that Stan can’t see the Emirates stadium from his high flying penthouse at the Pepsi Centre in Denver where the Nuggets and Avalanche play – but I guess that’s neither here nor there. I suppose it was useful information to those who had no clue about KSE and their collection of sports franchises. Speculation of course has hit fever pitch in the UK about an imminent takeover of the club by the American billionaire – but let’s face it, none of us have a clue what the dude wants to do and it’ll stay like that.

Kroenke didn’t walk into the world of billionaires barefoot from the central reservation, this is a dude who is used to playing his cards quite close to his chest, some would hazard a guess that he prefers to play them from inside his chest. Trying to figure him out at this stage is an exercise in futility.

What caught my attention though was Brian Alexander’s masked attempt to look for a negative aspect on Kroenke to report on, or more interestingly, start a rumour or seedy story on. There were times he came with an edge in trying to seek out that negativity, but it was clear that those he interviewed had mortgages to pay and kids to feed and they were unlikely to commit professional suicide by unleashing any dark side of Kroenke that is perceived to exist. Nice guys don’t usually make good copy.

Credit to Stan for side stepping this expedition as I suspect anything he says will be chopped up left right and centre and interpreted by any hack or pundit to suit what they want. It doesn’t even matter that Kroenke has an obligation to conduct himself with integrity at a delicate time where a takeover could be an option though not necessarily one he would take.

You can just imagine the question from the journalist: “Mr. Kroenke, can you confirm or deny here and now whether you will take over Arsenal? The Arsenal fans deserve to know what is happening to their club?”

Somehow I don’t think Kroenke is a mug to answer such a question and the endless speculation about his intentions will do just fine. The media would have a better bet going down to Thames House and making a freedom of information request from MI5 to release ’Silent Stan’s’ File from the archives in the basement if they want to find anything seedy to use as fodder for a story to unsettle the Arsenal.
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