By Carl Conway-Davis, Arsenal fan, 4th November 2002
Should Arsenal stick with Seaman? - Have your say in the footieNews chat room

What has happened! Our 30 game winning streak is over and we look like going on a 30 game losing streak. I had forgot what is was like to lose a game as it had being that long. A 16 year old has not only stopped
the record but knocked our confidence. We are not the same Arsenal that started the season. The return of Pires should mean even faster, flowing football but now we are trying to force things that 2 weeks ago were
coming so natural. It was obvious we were not going to go the full season unbeaten, but to lose four games on the bounce shows cause for concern.

We need a victory, and fast and I am not greatly confident that it is going to come at Fulham. No doubt Junichi Inamoto will come back and haunt us. How can Liverpool be 7 points clear at the top! The suspension to Vieira was always going to be costly but I thought we had a team that could cope with the loss of a player.

I think Edu is a good player but that own goal was a absolute classic. In the 10 years of the Premiership we have only scored THREE own goals and all them have come from Brazilians. Edu has two to his name and Silvinho scored the other. Gilberto, another Brazilian scored one against B. Dortmund as well. Are we cursed?

Why is Seaman suffering so much by the public. I admit he is not at the peak of his career but he is good enough. Every goal that we let in at the moment is blamed on him. His confidence must be low but he has only made mistakes for England. I cant say any recent goals Arsenal have conceded have being down to him. I have heard people calling him Dracula now, because he is scared of crosses!!

Arsene needs to get that team spirit back now as we are entering that dreaded November month were we always seem to drop points. Surly we can't lose again 2-1 although I wont bet against it

Cheers,

Carl

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By Carl Conway-Davis, Arsenal fan, 2nd April 2002
Can Arsenal win the double? - Have your say in the footieNews chat room

We are on for the double! It was a massive blow to be dumped out of the Champions league but life goes on. Maybe that was a good thing in the sense of now we are favourites to do the double. The one trophy I want to win is the Premiership and I am desperate to put the heart break of last year’s F.A. cup final behind me with victory in the competition this year. The Champions league is important but I am confident that we can win that next year. I will easily settle for the double as long as Man U end up trophyless!

We are in a fantastic position to do the double this year and I think it is vital to do it. I don’t think I will be happy with just one! The news about Pires I thought could wreck our season but Saturday's performance was very comforting. 2-0 up after 4 minutes is fantastic and it was good to feel the game was won early on instead of hoping for a late goal. Pires will be missed but I feel we have the strength to win games without him. I just worry that he could have made the difference on F.A. cup final day if we get there. I thought Arsene may have stuck Henry left midfield as that’s where he learnt his trade growing up but Lungberg slotted in perfectly. Edu has become almost a permanent fixture in the centre of midfield. I am not sure if he will keep Ray Parlour out when he returns but he certainly is a great player to have on the bench.

News this week broke out that Peter Hill-Wood said that up to SIX players will be axed from the squad and that there will be no pay rises. WHAT THE HELL IS HE TRYING TO DO TO US!

Without the squad of players we have we wouldn’t be on target to win the double. He must be referring to players like Steponovs and Edu but they are almost the hidden heroes of the season. Without these reserve players we would be mid table. We have suffered a lot of injuries and these guys have kept us on track. I can't believe Peter Hill-Wood saying things like that. He can't love Arsenal if all he is thinking about is the money side of it. We are trying to be one of the best sides in Europe and he is saying that players are going to have to go! It doesn’t make sense. If anyone sees him in the street, pull him to one side and ask him what the hell he is thinking. This quote about the pay rise is silly as well!! How are we supposed to attract the best players in the world on £30,000 a week wages!

Arsene Wenger did cheer me up though saying that he is looking to strengthen, not sell. After a rumour broke out that Arsene has 20 million to spend this summer I have heard lots of rumours about players that are being eyed up in the summer. Mark van Brommel is said to be a top target but he is also looking at West Ham's Michael Carrick and Joe Cole. I am a massive fan of Joe Cole and I think he would be a great signing. I have also heard that Frank de Boer is a target as Wenger is a fan and he isn’t interested in staying at Barcelona.

Probably the biggest news of the week was one I had being dreaming of - Patrick Vieira announcing he has no intention of leaving and he wants to sign a new contract. He is the heart of Arsenal at the moment and he could be the man to lead us to world domination. Pires also said his intentions of staying but then there was a rumour that he said on French radio that he would think about his future in the summer. I was worried that all our stars would walk out after crashing out of the Champions league but it seems to have made them more determined to stay. All our hearts are set on the double and we have never had a better chance of completing it, (except for 98).

Cheers,

Carl

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By Carl Conway-Davis, Arsenal fan, 19th March 2002
Can Arsenal win the treble? - Have your say in the footieNews chat room

What a huge week! This one week could decide so much! It not only could decide our status as one of Europe’s top teams, but it could decide how treble ambitions, the future of certain players and how this season will turn out. Wednesday night is going to be so tense! Our champions league future will be decided by something happening in another country! Wednesday night I will be supporting Deportivo La Coruna as well as the Gunners! Why did we struggle against them at home! Victory against them would have meant we would have been home and dry! It is vital that we progress to the quarter finals of the champions league. If not we could lose players like Vieira!

Then Saturday morning it back to the best cup competition in the world, The FA cup! A competition I, and every other Gunners fan wants to win, especially after last year! I really feel that Wenger made a mistake leaving Pires and Bergkamp on the bench last Sunday! I feel we would have been in the Semi’s if they had played! They made such a difference when they came on!

I still feel we can do the treble but it is not fully in our hands! The Premiership is though and with 9 games remaining, we are in control! If we go unbeaten in all them, the title is ours! I suppose I don’t have to say that to Arsenal fans but it goes through my brain everyday ‘Who will we slip up against!’ We are bound to somewhere! There just seems to be too many games coming thick and fast! The squad is coping well and I am proud of some of these reserve players! Steponovs has shown his worth along with Luzhny and Edu! They are putting in 100% every game and you could say Edu’s goals have kept us on track!

All in all, next week, we could be still on for the treble, gunning for the double or will just have to settle for the Premiership!

It was announced today that we are taking a Japanese teen scarlet on trail. Is this future planning or a signing to get the commercial business over in Japan. Lets hope he can progress to be a player like Vieira. Robert Pires has said that he wants to spend his best years at Arsenal. That’s means a two year extension would be signed to his current contract and we would have him until he is 32!

It was reported this week that Arsenal officials were starting to discuss a new contract with Patrick Vieira worth between £60,000 and 100,000 a week! Different papers say different things but I saw Wenger in a interview and he said, ‘A contract was being organised but as with any other Arsenal deal, it would be kept quiet until anything was signed!

It was great to see David Seaman make that save against Villa! Not only did it win us the match but it must have put one arm in the England shirt for him! I am just worried some of the players who have being ever present for us this year don’t suffer a burn out or a serious injury as they won't get much of a break! Whatever happens in the next week I am sure we can beat Newcastle in the FA cup! We have too!

Come on Deportivo

Cheers,

Carl

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By Carl Conway-Davis, Arsenal fan, 6th March 2002
Can Arsenal win the treble? - Have your say in the footieNews chat room

'We can win the treble'! These are the words from Arsene Wenger this week. I have to say, the form we are in at the moment makes me convinced we can do it. We are in a fantastic position and are the best form of the season. Victory last Saturday against Newcastle was backed up with a win tonight (Tuesday) against Derby. We are now top of the league and above Man U. The destiny of this season is in our hands. With 9 games remaining in the league, victory in all of them would hand us the title.

Then there is the FA cup! Victory against Newcastle on Saturday would put us in the semi's and with Man U, Leeds and Liverpool out, we must be capable of going all the way.

Then there is the Champions league! a competition that, at the beginning of the season, I thought we wouldn't do to well in, but victory against Deportivo La Corunia would most likely mean quarter final football. At home we know we can beat anyone.

It's certainly the position every top team wants to be in. I think if a treble was to happen it would give us the status of one of the biggest clubs in Europe. We have the manager, the players and will soon have the stadium to be up there with Barca and Real Madrid.

We still seem to be suffering from players getting injuries. The news about Van Bronkhorst was a massive blow as I feel he had just settled and we was starting to show his world class quality. Saturday morning I woke up to the news that Henry wouldn't be playing against Newcastle, I was mortified! I thought we wouldn't have the style and confidence to beat Newcastle without Henry but I was proved wrong by the squad.

It's great to see Bergkamp playing world class touches and scoring quality goals, he is breathtaking! Another player that is showing he is a vital piece to the jigsaw is Pires. He is playing his heart out every game and for me is player of the year. His goal tonight put us top and he deserves some more recognition.

On the transfer gossip front Lee Bowyer seems like a top target for Wenger. I think he is a great player but one player I feel we would benefit from, is Leeds' Oliver Dacourt! I feel he would be great to play alongside Vieira as they are both French, best mates and could form a great partnership. I remember a few years ago we were linked with him when he played for Everton, and I wished we had got him then! Come on, sign Dacourt!

The next two games are vital as we have Newcastle in the quarter finals of the FA cup and Deportivo in the Champs league.

I think victory in both of them would show the world what a great force we really are!

Come on Arsenal sign Dacourt!

Cheers,

Carl

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By Carl Conway-Davis, Arsenal fan, 24th February 2002
Will Pat Vieira stay with the Gunners? - Have your say in the footieNews chat room

One thing that is starting to irritate me now is the amount of paper speculation that surrounds players at the club and supposed transfer targets. For the past few months every time I have looked in the newspaper, Arsenal are on the verge of making a multi million pound signing. All Arsenal fans will know that these claims are well off the mark as Arsene Wenger has openly stated that there will be no signings until the end of the season and that finances have reached a limit so he will be not making huge signings.

But, just this morning, Nicolas Anelka is on the verge of signing in the summer in exchange for Sylvain Wiltord and Lee Bowyer is a top target for Wenger. Even though they haven't been denied by the club, in the next few days a statement will come out denying any interest.

Mr Wenger has made it openly known he is not interested in any players and is not thinking about making any signings! So why do the papers link players to the club? The only reason that comes to mind is that it disrupts the team. If any one of us was playing for a club and been constantly linked with big money moves away for the team we played for, it would effect your form. With strikers being constantly linked to Arsenal, (David Trezaguet and Nicolas Anelka) it must be effecting players like Henry, Wiltord, Kanu, Bergkamp and Jeffers (when he gets fit).

A good example is Vieira! Many people have noticed his dip in form this season with all the speculation about his future but despite him saying no decision will be announced till after the end of this season, newspapers all over the world are talking about him! I can understand why Mr Wenger doesn't really have to worry about making any signings as the depth and spirit of the squad is great. Why should we have to sign any more players with the quality of our reserve players. If we can get Vieira to sign another contract, along with Henry and Pires, we don't need any more players.

I do have some evidence to suggest that Vieira is going to stay though!! Robert Pires claimed he would walk out of the club if Vieira left, understandable as they are both French and good mates! But last week, both Wenger and Pires claimed a contract was close to been signed by Pires which means he may have been told by Pat that he will stay!! Some more evidence I thought up that Pat might stay was the fact the Wenger said, don't expect major signings this summer as cash is tight! Maybe Wenger is investing all Cash to keep Pat at the club! Lets hope I am right!

It was good to see the Highbury spirit, yesterday against Fulhum! A great performance was capped of by a great scoreline. a victory against Bayer midweek would really set up the season nicely!! I knew we couldn't go a game without a Red card or injury! Last week, against Bayer, Parlour gets sent off and against Fulham Gio Van Bronk gets injured! Lets just hope its not serious as he is starting to shape up to be a nice player!

thanks again,

Carl

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By Carl Conway-Davis, Arsenal fan, 17th February 2002
Is Van Brommel a suitable replacement for Pat Vieira? - Have your say in the footieNews chat room

The injuries and suspensions may be mounting up but we are still pushing in all competitions. It seems to be one of them areas in the season when everything goes wrong, and at the moment nearly everything is going against us but somehow, team sprit is pulling us through a rough patch.

With a host of first team regulars out at the moment, people would bet against us to lose pace in the title race and maybe be on the receiving end of a cup upset but we are in a very promising position at the moment. Last week, we really had to dig in hard against Everton, but we dug in and got the result a championship winning team would get, a 1-0 win, despite playing poorly and having first team regulars missing.

Today (Saturday) we dug out a good cup win against a team we should be walking all over, but Gillingham played well and I think deserved to be drawing 2-2 60 minutes into the game. We managed though to step up a gear and eventually win the game 5-2. I think these results show how much depth is in the squad now. Although we had 8 first team regulars missing, we had a fantastic squad on the pitch, a squad which some managers would take as a dream team. It shows how important Robert Pires and Thierry Henry are to the squad as they just changed the game when they came on after 63 minutes.

Edu finally seems to be settling in but is no where near the quality of Pires, Vieira, Lungberg or Parlour!! Defensively we still seem to have problems as we did let in two goals against a lower division team. a couple of years ago it was always 1-0 to the Arsenal but now its, we will have to score at least 3 as the other team is bound to score! It may be just Arsene Wenger's way of playing but I still fell we are poor defensively!

It was good to see Tony Adams playing again and scoring a vital goal. It will really give the team a lift now we have Mr Arsenal back.

This week I have heard news about the French quartet! Henry and Pires and expected to sign new four year deals but Vieira and Wiltord are reportedly on there way out. Wiltord is quoted as saying he is unhappy at the lack of first team chances and that Valencia are interested in his services. This week it was reported that Vieira was organising plans with Nike to make training facilities in Spain but this was thankfully denied by Nike.

Van Brommel seems to be keen on a switch to Highbury after admitting that Arsenal are a massive club, the sort of club he would join. As much as I want Vieira to stay, after seeing Van Brommel play I feel that he would be the perfect replacement for Pat! I believe he would form a great partnership with fellow Dutch player, Gio Van Bronkhorst.

Another Frenchman at the club, Mr Wenger, has admitted that he would put his family before football and has said if his health is at risk he would quit! Lets just hope we can keep winning every game by 5 goals, then that way all our blood pressures will go down!!

The funniest story of the week was Spurs's Rebrov claiming that Wenger wanted him, this was denied by Wenger!!

We have made a signing this week! An Ivory Coast player! He is a utility player so obviously Wenger is worried about the injuries!

We are still in the title hunt, favourites for the FA cup and doing decent in the Champions League. Next week the Champions League resumes and I believe this will be the time the depth of the squad will be tested! A result midweek could really get the players going but our record away in Europe isn't great!!

A trophy is a must this season and I have a good feeling that some silverware may be on its way to north London!

Come on you Gunners!

Cheers,

Carl

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By Carl Conway-Davis, Arsenal fan, 3rd February 2002
Can Arsenal still win the title? - Have your say in the footieNews chat room

Well it has been a week of highs and lows!!

Beating Liverpool was definitely a massive high, a great way to gain revenge for last years encounter and then victory over Blackburn despite all the obstacles. Then there was the news about Martin Keown, out for six weeks with a broken leg! THEN there was the news that Patrick Vieira will be charged by the FA and face a three match ban. Then there was today (Sunday), drawing against a team that we should have walked all over and picking up injuries to Ashley Cole and Patrick Vieira.

This was definitely a day to forget. With all the injuries and suspensions now, it looks as if we may lose the pace and momentum we had to keep up there above the rest. Injuries in recent games to Lungberg, Keown, Vieira and Cole plus Henry, Vieira, Luhzny, Keown, and Bergkamp all facing suspensions - it is not looking as perky as it did at the beginning of the week!!

Parlour and Van Bronkhorst are also facing 1 match suspensions if they pick up 1 more yellow card!! - who replaces players like that! We are looking at Edu, who could be to blame for the draw today, Upson who is still not really good enough for the first team!!

We have enough defensive problems anyway but now it gets a lot harder as the Champions League is just round the corner!! We will be definitely tested to the limits in the next month but in a months time we should be more clear on if we can really beat Man U to the title!!

On a more positive note, we set a new Premiership record today thanks to Sylvain Witord, for scoring in consecutive games!! The new crest was unveiled and after 2 hours of studying it, I have finally decided its not too bad!! Its simple, traditional and looks modern!! I was just thanking god that I never went with my instincts and got the Arsenal badge tattooed on my leg a few weeks ago, as now I would be gutted!!

On the transfer gossip front, we are just been linked with midfielders to replace Patrick!! This week I have heard we are after a Argentina wonderkid named the new 'maradonna', Gerard from Barca and Mark Vom Brommol again!! Its getting so boring and I will put my life savings on the fact that there will be no transfer action till the summer!!

I just have one worry, the new badge doesn't have the old Latin words on it anymore!! They say something about staying together as a team, I just hope our team doesn't fall apart!!

Cheers,

Carl

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By Carl Conway-Davis, Arsenal fan, 30th January 2002
Will Vieira leave the Gunners in the summer? - Have your say in the footieNews chat room

PATRICK VIEIRA - will he stay or go?

Every Arsenal fan knows who this guy is! - some say he is Mr Arsenal, some say second to Tony Adams, but with all the speculation surrounding him, nobody knows if we are going to see another summer of the best talent leaving!

We have seen it with Anelka, Overmars and Petit, and it looks as if Vieira will be added to that list! Wenger has done well so far in replacing them, probably replacing them with better talent - Anelka-Henry, Overmars-Pires and Petit-Lungberg, but can he do it it again?

Many names have been linked with the club over the past year, each one supposedly the replacement for Pat! - Micheal Carrick, Barry Ferguson, Mark Von Brommel, the list goes on!! Maybe the signing of Inamoto was the replacement for the future!! Who knows?

What we all know is that by the end of this summer, possible before the World Cup all this speculation will be over!! However, the worrying thing is that he has never come out and openly admitted that he wants to say!

All I know is that if Vieira leaves and a new player comes in, its 'gunner' be another 2 years before that player settles at the club in which time the team may have fallen apart!!

Will Patrick stay at the club that made him into one of the best midfielders in the world? Don't ask me as I think Wenger is in the dark as much as we are!!

Glad I got that off my chest!!

Cheers,

Carl

Ends

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