After the success of the last thread (which will probably get merged with this one) I thought to while away the hours without football this summer we could review Arsenal's season. I've included a poll for Player of the Season, but I want to hear your answers for the following awards: Player of the Season Donkey of the Season Result of the Season "Match We Should Have Won" of the season (also known as the "how the f*ck did we lose that?" result of the season) Moment of the Season Overall grade for 2006/07 That should keep ya going!!
Here's my votes anyway: Player of the Season Already said that, although it was tight, my vote goes to Cesc. Donkey of the Season Surely only one man deserves this. Julio Baptista. "The Beast"? More like "beast of shit" (terrible, I know). Three penalty misses, numerous fcuk-ups when trying simple things, and the missing of sitters constantly...jeez how does this guy get paid to play?? Result of the Season Manchester United 0-1 Arsenal Simply because we were on a poor run, everybody wrote us off because TH14 wasn't playing, and we played an excellent game, pouncing at the right time to win. This should be how we play every away game, with that level of motivation!! "Match We Should Have Won" of the season It's difficult. The only one that really comes to mind is the 0-1 reverse at home to West Ham. We dominated, had enough chances to win three games, and a combination of poor finishing and a superb goalkeeper ruined our unbeaten record. The 0-0 draw with CSKA at the Emirates is a very close second...TWO open goals in one game!! Moment of the Season The comeback to beat Man U at home. Our boys had everything asked of them when faced with the billing that "a Man U win would near enough give them the title". To come back from a goal down and win in the manner we did...amazing. Games like that make me proud to be a Gooner. Overall grade for 2006/07 B-. We played some excellent football at times this year - still lacking that cutting edge at times, but the team are really bonding well as a unit. Getting rid of the money grabbing cnuts and the people who don't want to win games has helped, but I am really looking forward to seeing who we get in next year. Come on you Gunners!!
Player of the Season: Gilberto. He's been a quality stand in skipper and allows Cesc too be so awesome by doing the dirty work. He's chipped in with goals and has just generally been quality. Donkey of the Season: The Beast, you don't need an explanation!! Result of the Season: Either of the United wins....prob the home one. 1-0 down, 10 mins left then TH14 nods the winner!! I went ********in crazy!!!!! "Match We Should Have Won" of the season (also known as the "how the f*ck did we lose that?" result of the season): CSKA @ home, no doubt!!! how we didn't win was beyond me?? We didn't lose i know but even so. But, to be fair - how many times have we said 'How did we not win??!!?) Moment of the Season: Strange maybe... but Theo's goal in the Chelsea game. He was clearly delighted with it and i went mental again!! But he is someone who is under such pressure. I'm 3 weeks younger than him and (because of course, i do have the ability ) there is no way i could handle it. But, thinking about it there have been a few good moments... all the times we were beatin chelsea, all the times we didn't let spurs beat us, all the times we beat united (well twice, but hey lets milk that!!) and TH14 skinning Carragher in the FA Cup to score a beaut!! Overall grade for 2006/07: C+
I agree with the Theo goal. You could see the pressure was visibly lifted off him...hey, no better way to get a monkey off your back than scoring in a cup final!
Yeah it was excellent!! Great thread by the way. I don't know if C+ is a little harsh? Considering we could've finished 3rd, it may be. But we all know we are better than what we have seen this season. I am of course biased, but we're going to win the league next year!! C'mon the Gunners!!!!!!
I expected a lot better to be honest. In some ways I think B- is too generous considering we weren't realistically competing for anything by March.
Player of the Season Clichy for me. Has improved immensely at left back, cemented his place in the starting XI and has made everyone forget about Cashley Cole. I would have picked Cesc but he hasn't scored enough goals for me. Well done Gael! Donkey of the Season The Beast, doesn't score enough goals, worst touch I've seen from a pro footballer. can't believe we almost paid for the guy 2 summers ago! Result of the Season Manchester United 0-1 Arsenal Outplayed Utd throughout the game and deservedly got the winning goal at the end. "Match We Should Have Won" of the season Far too many for my liking. Moment of the Season TH14's goal to beat Utd at home. Couldn't stop jumping and screaming. Overall grade for 2006/07 6/10 or C grade. Overall disappointed with the numerous draws at home and losses to crap teams away but I'm optimistic for next season with TH14 and RvP leading the line with hopefully some few additions.
Player of the Season Gilberto - Was the only player from the midfield who contributed with goals, it wasn't his fault that the defense faltered. Had a very good year. Donkey of the Season A lot of people will say Baptista but Arsenal didn't need him to play well to win a trophy, he was just a back-up. Hleb was atrocious at times, didn't chip in with hardly any goals and was one of the main reasons why the offense sputtered in the final third. We didn't get any help from the wings this year and that is something that will have to change in the future. I expected a lot more from him, great at close control but we've gotta have him be more effective in the final third. Result of the Season Winning at Old Trafford 1-0. We were fantastic against the other members of the big four. If we would have had the same mindset against the lower teams we would have been in contention for the league all season. "Match We Should Have Won" of the season (also known as the "how the f*ck did we lose that?" result of the season) Champions League against PSV or CSKA. Thank you Hleb for that stupid foul and Adebayor for botching easy chances. I still can't believe we went out to PSV. Moment of the Season Theo Walcott scoring his first goal against Chelsea in a Cup Final, Adebayor's goal at OT or Henry at home against the Mancs. All had me jumping for joy. Overall grade for 2006/07 An overall B-. Carling Cup Run = A+ , the campaign that made us all proud of our youth. Watching our kids beat the yids first team. League = C+. Great results against the Top Four and Spuds, kept all important CL place. Champions League = C - , getting out of the group but than faltering against PSV. Very disappoiting. FA Cup = C, winning at Anfield and Bolton was nice, but F, I can't believe we lost to Blackburn. Terrible. Ranking out of 10 1. Jens Lehmann - 6 2. Abou Diaby - 7 4. Francesc Fabregas - 8.5 5. Kolo Toure - 7 6. Philippe Senderos - 5 7. Tomas Rosicky - 6 8. Fredrik Ljungberg - 4 9. Julio Baptista - 6 10. William Gallas - 6 11. Robin Van Persie - 8.5 13. Alexander Hleb - 4.5 14. Thierry Henry - 6 15. Denilson - 7 16. Mathieu Flamini - 6.5 17. Alexandre Song - 6 19. Gilberto - 9.5 20. Johan Djourou - 7 21. Mart Poom - 6 22. Gael Clichy - 8 24. Manuel Almunia - 7 25. Emmanuel Adebayor - 6.5 27. Emmanuel Eboue - 6.5 30. Jeremie Aliadiere - 5.5 31. Justin Hoyte - 7 32. Theo Walcott - 6 45. Armand Traore - 7 Goal of the Year RvP's volley at Charlton.
Player of the Season Gotta go with Gilberto. He is the man who does his job with no fuss and does it quietly. Without him we would suffer immensely i believe. Also chipped in with double digit goals this season. Donkey of the Season Gotta go with "go the f*ck back to brazil and play for Sao Paulo" aka the beast aka Baptista if anyone didnt get it by now. Result of the Season Manure 0-1 Arsenal. We won, the season wasnt to s*it yet, and RvP didnt get injured. That is why i gotta go with this one over the 2-1 win at home. "Match We Should Have Won" of the season Um...any from the long long list. Moment of the Season Probably RvPs f*cken wonder goal to level the match against Charlton. I just sat there in stunned silence. Close 2nd is Henrys header against Manure to give us the comeback win over Manure 2-1. Overall grade for 2006/07 C Some may think this is harsh but here in america C is average and thats all we were this season. Sure we had moments of brilliance but that is all they were, moments. We finished 4th, again, and 21 pts off the champions. That is a full 7 games. Pretty shocking when you look at it this way. Also we limped out of the FA cup and CL to opponents we should have beat. The only bright thing is our run in the CC which looking back i wished we would have won but chelsea can have it since they played their 1st team against our 2nd team. Be proud of that one.
Player of the Season: Fabregas. Gilberto was great for an important stretch, but he's near the end of his Arsenal line... Fabregas' brilliance at least gives hope for the future... Hope for the 30 million pounds Barca will be giving us for him in 3 years. How many U17s can we buy with THAT much money? Goat of the season: Hleb. Don't really like anything about him. At least Baptista provides comedy. Hleb doesn't even make you laugh as he attempts one woeful cross after another. Result of the season: Either of the Man U victories or 6-3 at Anfield. "Match we should have won" of the season: Away at sheffield. Couldn't get a goal in with freaking Jagielka in the net. Moment of the Season: Henry - goal 2 against Man U at the Emirates Overall Grade: C+. Judged on its own merits for this season alone, they're a D or an F, but with injuries and revealed potential taken into account... a solid C+.
Player of the Season Cesc Fabregas. Pulls all the strings. The effortless genius he posseses is just astonishing at times. Donkey of the Season Baptista. It had to hit its peak today when it was quiet at Fratton Park, Baptista went up for a header, collapsed/tripped, and all you heard was the laughter out of a fans mouth. Result of the Season 1st Leg: Scum 2 - Arsenal 2 2nd Leg: Arsenal 3 - Scum 1 "Match We Should Have Won" of the season 2nd leg vs. PSV Moment of the Season "Fabregas to Eboue, Eboue to Rosicky, Rosicky to Eboue, Eboue to Henry.....HENRYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!! WITH A MINUTE TO GO, THE GREAT MAN PRODUCES A GREAT MOMENT FOR ARSENAL AT THE EXPENSE OF MANCHESTER UNITED!!" *sigh*...... Overall grade for 2006/07 C+ - Not being in contention for a trophy at the end of March, with a squad we know is capable of beating anyone is upsetting. We played extremely well against our toughest opposition, but found ways to lose to Sheffield, West Ham, etc. Summary of our season would have to be: talented squad, plagued with injuries, who couldn't find anyone that wasn't in a stretcher to finish.
Well, the way I grade out a season is to look at who played better than they usually play and who played worse, as well as who stayed the same improvement-wise. Championships are won by good teams who stayed healthy and had good or great players who had career years. Look at Chelsea and Man Utd. For Chelsea, Drogba had a stellar year, and Essien can lay claim to be being the best midfielder in the Premiership. For Man Utd, Ronaldo was stellar and Rio had his best year in 3-4 years. Players Who Were Markedly Better This Year Clichy -- My player of the year, beat the injury bug, played well, was seemingly the man in the cross hairs for most opposing teams, and was the feel good story of the year as he proved to be so much classier than Cole. Gilberto -- Wore the Captain's mantle well (he should be captain even in the presence of the Henry), proved to be a stellar PK taker, and played very well in front of the back four. I'm sort of dismayed by his lack of service to Cesc, but given where he was 3-4 years ago, I'm immensely pleased with his growth. Hotye -- Last year, I wrote that Hoyte seemed scared on the big stage, that his body English betrayed a lack of confidence. While he's still not as good on the left as he is on the right, he had a fine year, and he's easily my choice over Eboue. Players Who Were Worse this Year Henry -- Yes, he battled injuries, and yes he was tired this year from the WC, but his impact was minimal, certainly not we've seen before. He's our captain, and many would consider him among the greates couple of forwards in the world, but I think he as much, or more, to prove next year as Shevchenko. Cesc -- Great player and the future of the Arsenal, but he was much more transcendant last year. He logged tons of minutes and battled fatigue well, but we're going to see a better Cesc next year. Eboue -- His defending is marginal at best, and he's a twat: always ready to take a dive or slap an opponent. I still blame him for the action that got Adebayor suspended when we needed Ade the most, and anytime this young man is in the game, we could finish the game down a man. His crosses got markedly better and he was a better attacker, which is why he's so attractive to Wenger. Freddie -- I love the guy, his hustle and his ability to run onto the right ball, but between Rosicky's arrival, age and injuries, it's been a while since we've seen his best. Big Phil -- Love the guy, love that he got the #6, always thought he'd be a future captain, but he certainly took a step back from his development last year. For a big guy who is supposedly good in the air, he doesn't win many contested aerial head balls, and that's probably too big a liability. Jens Lehmann -- Made the big step up last year to become the 2nd best keeper in the Premiership, but this regressed back to his madness and inconsistency. I'm happy enough to have him for one more year, but only one. Flamini -- One of my favorite players on the team, and I loved his great goal vs Chelsea, but with the arrival of Rosicky, Denilson, Diaby, plus Cesc eating up minutes and Clichy staying healthy, he rarely got to play. His imminent departure is a major disappointment for me. Alekasndr Hleb -- It took a while for Hleb to grow on me, he certainly was important to our CL run two seasons ago, but his first touch has deserted him since his return from injury. Given the absence of Henry and van Persie, Hleb's inability to shoot certainly hurt our team. Stayed the Same Kolo Toure -- Great competitor, great heart, really the rock of a constantly shifting back line, but then our defense was never really lights out this year. We've seen better from King Kolo, and we'll see better yet again. Robin van Persie -- Made the leap with several stunning goals and has made progress with his temper and poor decision making, but his season injuries render this season asterisk-worthy. Since Adebayor proved he's not a #2 striker on a team with Premiership aspirations, the job has fallen to RVP. If he takes the job for granted, he could slide back, my biggest fear for next year. Adebayor -- Lots of hustle, never gave up, scored some important goals, really respects the fans. But... he's not that good, and I don't see a lot of upside, and by not taking his red card with a little more dignity (though hard I know) his suspension really left us lacking. Johann Djourou -- I like him and I want to see more of him, but with Phil, Gallas and Kolo in front of him, maybe he should revert back to DM. Frustrating First Years Theo Walcott -- He had way too much pressure at an insanely early age, and then he was stupidly selected for England in the WC, but Walcott came in more with a whimper than a bang. A great goal for us, but lots more evidence that he needs a couple more years before he makes anoyone forget Marc Overmars. The Beast -- At least he got enough games in the end of the season for us to all realize he's not Premiership material. His quote explaining the English defensive players should sit back so he can be allowed to do his tricks was the most dispiriting thing I've ever read by a supposedly quality player. He can go back to Spain. Tomas Rosicky -- I'm all ready to love him, I loved his goals in the WC, but he never got untracked with us this year and was more black hole at the left than Mozart. Certainly willing to give him more time. William Gallas -- I would have given Cole away for the kitchen sink and an Oyster pass, so to get Gallas and 5 million was a steal, but for me, his performance was mixed. He's versatile, he seemed to like attacking more than he did at Chelsea, but he can be mouthy and air his dirty laundry in the press. I expect a lot more from him next season. Diaby and Denilson -- Glad to see Diaby recover, but these two get incompletes. Wenger played them on the left and right to give them PT, but that was with Hleb, Rosicky and Walcott injured. Where's the PT going to come from. The Heat's on Next Year Arsene Wenger -- Man Utd handily wins the Premiership, and the next day SAF talks about "3 major buys". Needing a striker, SAF went and got Henrik Larsson to fill in. And then there's Wenger saying he doesn't need anything and not to expect any major buys. If he thinks this season is the best we can do given our finances and who we are, well then, I'll have to adjust my sights downward (which I can do, I'm a Pirates fan for goodness sake), but if he wants to play with the big boys with the team we have now, he's going to have to kick some major butt this offseason and shake some serious complacency out of our team because our fiestly players are leaving (Freddie and Flamini) or are not first team quality (Adebayor). It's three years in a row we've been out of the Premiership race by Christmas. The buck stops with Wenger.
Player of the Season Gilberto. At a time when injuries were killing us and we had trouble finishing, he was the glue that held the team together. He also has to be the most fundamentally sound player we have, particularly defensively. Donkey of the Season Baptista. If there's a poster child for this season, it's him. We could have put a lamp post up front and had better finishing. The Pompey game was a microcosm, with him missing chance after chance. We were lucky that all the missed chances didn't result in us losing, as it has earlier in the year. Result of the Season Either Man U game. I loved the first one for Adebayor's goal and Lehmann's save of the season on Solskjaer. And the second one was just amazing for the goal Henry got at the death. Either one of those games is firmly entrenched in my memory banks. "Match We Should Have Won" of the season Away to Sheffield. Another microcosm of the season. We can't finish to save our lives and end up giving away all three points to a club that got relegated (at least for now, until their pending lawsuit is heard). If we played the bottom clubs like we played the top ones, we'd have been at least top two. Moment of the Season Henry's goal to beat Man U. The bright spot in an otherwise disappointing year. Overall grade for 2006/07 It's a solid C. I was probably expecting a little more after last year, with the kids having another year under their belts. Injuries didn't help, and the two big acquisitions not panning out obviously hurt as well. The fact that we tended to fade against the lesser clubs hurt a lot as well. Hopefully, the lads now realize they need to play every minute of every game, and not just the ones against the big clubs.
Player of the Season 1. Cesc - All he needs to do next season is score a few goals and he'd be the Player of the Year .. 2. Gilberto - Handled responsibility pretty well .. 3. Clichy - Definitely didn't expect so much from him .. I thought it would take anotehr couple of years for Clichy to reach cole's standard .. But he's possibly one of the best LB in the prem. now .. And by that, i mean he's better than Cashley .. 4. Toure - Had a few bad games but dominant in defence almost all season .. Donkey of the Season 1. Baptista - Guess we were expecting too much from our 4th choice striker .. 2. Eboue - His defensive errors have cost us a few times and his diving has made me red-faced lots of times .. 3. Hleb - I like the way he plays but i guess missing RvP and Henry really highlights Hleb's weaknesses .. Result of the Season Prem: 1. 0 - 1 against ManU .. We dominated the whole game .. CC : THe whole run, including the final .. Really proud of the kids .. "Match We Should Have Won" of the season CL : We had 24 shots on goal and no goals ?! Prem : Lots of them .. CC : The final .. Moment of the Season RvP's volley .. Watched the replay liek some 10 times to realise that its possible to score a goal like that .. Overall grade for 2006/07 B- .. Like Wenger would have said/always says, we have shown great quality .. You can see the potential in the team, but its the finishing that s costing us ..
Player of the Season Cesc Fabregas. To ask a 19 (now 20) year old to play in 50+ matches in one season, and expect him to lead the attack is pressure enough. But to do it on one of the world's best team and do it superbly, only Gilberto even comes close. Donkey of the Season Baptista. I was so excited when we got him, and i was one of the people saying that he deserves a chance when he kept coming on as a sub. To play in the majority of games from January to May was chance enough and he didn't do anything to make me think that he was worth it. Result of the Season Cesc to Adebayor, enough said. No not Wigan away. "Match We Should Have Won" of the season CSKA. The whole game i was thinking how much are we going to win by, when the 80th minute came, i realized that we really were not going to score. It was probably the best we played all season, and we even had everyone healthy. But that result was inexcusable. Moment of the Season Eboue to Henry. No, not Sheffield at home. Overall grade for 2006/07 Its hard to grade this team. compared to any season from 2001 until 2006, i could easily give a D+. No expectation was reached. But, realistically, considering the resources i'll give the 2006/2007 team a solid B. I love the way we play football, we are really spoiled by our team. I'd kill myself if i had to wake up every Saturday morning at 7am to watch Bolton football. I know we didn't get the results, but the pure fact that we played well enough to win potentially 2 or 3 trophies is pretty good. We'll be back next season, and if we do win the trophy, any one, that we have been waiting for, for the past 2 years will feel so sweet.
Player Of The Season - Kolo Toure Spirit, leadership, character and not a bad defender to boot. If we had eleven Kolo Toures on the pitch we'd have one the Premiership, FA Cup, The Champions League, The League Cup, The Grand National and the Boat Race. And probably The Superbowl too. The man's will to win is unquenchable. Donkey Of The Season - Julio Baptista Not much more to add to what's been already said about him, but his third penalty miss of the season yesterday just summed up how totally wretched he's been. Result Of The Season - Chelsea (A) 1-1 We had so many players missing that day and still almost won. Yes, it would have been against the run of play, but it was a great, resilient defensive performance. If we had had a few more away days like that where the team refuse to lie down then maybe we could have put together some sort of title challenge. Match We Should Have Won - West Ham (H) 0-1 It should have been about 5-0 after 20 minutes. A ridiculous game where our good approach work and then lack of finishing was a microcosm of the whole season. Moment Of The Season - Walcott scoring in the league cup final I'll go with this one too, he was so happy when he scored. It showed his calmness on the big occasion, it's just a pity that he went to have his shoulder operation straight afterwards, he might well have had a good run into the end of the season after the confidence he would have gained from that. Overall Grade For 2006/2007 Season - B It would have been a C except for the development fo so many young players. We played some great football, but lacked the killer instinct in front of goal. Yes, we had a lot of injuries, but we still shouldn't be chasing the game against Everton, Middlesbrough, West Ham etc. at home. The emergence of players like Diaby, Denilson, Djourou, Clichy, and Walcott was good for the future. Let's hope the manager doesn't have to rely so much on them next season, but we know they can do a job when called upon.
Player Of The Season - It was hard for me to decide between Fabregas, and Gilberto, since Gilberto has scored cruicial goals, and has a played a huge role in the squard. Gilberto hasn't missed many games, and provided leadership. However Fabregas, at the age of 20 now?!?! his vision on the pitch has been excellent. his passes are extremely accurate, especially the backheel he did the other day against chelsea that ade failed to control. Also Fabregas has provided lots of goals this season for Arsenal, recording 15 assists, 13 in prem, 1 in cup, 1 in europe. Donkey Of The Season - Julio Baptista. he just couldn't prove to Arsenal that he can be an Arsenal player. He just can't seem to score when he gets the chances. Maybe his positioning is good, since when he receives a pass he is at the right place at the right time to shoot it, i dunno mayb luck. Result Of The Season - Man Utd (H) 2-1 I was so proud that Arsenal had done a double over man utd, especially in the last minute, henry scoring with his head. Great moment, great feeling to beat man utd twice Match We Should Have Won - way too many, starting from astonvilla, mancity, middlesborough, and on and on Moment Of The Season - Walcott's goal in the Cup Final. I was looking forward toward walcott's goal since Arsenal had signed him, i really wanted walcott to score, a fast pace youngster that looks promising for Arsenal and England. When walcott scored i went crazy, celebrating like heck, the goal was absolute class, just like seeing a younger Henry. I could see Henry enjoying it even more than walcott during the celebration. Overall Grade For 2006/2007 Season - B Not so great in the league, not great in the CL, not great in the FA cup, but we got to the finals in the carling cup, did a double over man utd, and many promising youngster developed. Im really looking forward to next 2-3 years, imagining how Arsenal would become the "invincible," and extending their 49 game unbeaten streak. I hope Arsenal can mount a serious title challenge next season, and try to go as far as we can in all cup competitions. Very looking forward toward the emirates cup, hoping to see some youngster improved
Player of the Season: Cesc Donkey of the Season: Gallas (more for his postseason comments than anything) Result of the Season: The win at Old Trafford "Match We Should Have Won" of the season (also known as the "how the f*ck did we lose that?" result of the season): All of the matches v Chelski Moment of the Season: Henry's goal v ManUre at the Grove Overall grade for 2006/07: B
Player of the Season: Cesc Fabregas Donkey of the Season: Baptista Result of the Season: The win at Old Trafford "Match We Should Have Won" of the season (also known as the "how the f*ck did we lose that?" result of the season): PSV Moment of the Season: C-ron's playing Cesc in Overall grade for 2006/07: B- my more specific thoughts: http://jackiemanuelsposse.wordpress.com/2007/05/15/progress/
I agree with you on this. If wenger repeats the exact same season for the third year in a row by his refusal to shake up the team, then perhaps he should leave at the end of his contract(which I suspect he will do anyway). Manutd won the title with 89 points, are in the FA cup final, and CL semi, and they see the need for significant improvement, while wenger thinks his 2 years running 4th place squad is just fine. It better be a negotiation tactic for snagging players cheap, or he needs to prove that this squad is good enough as it is, and should be in contention for the title come next april.
Rather than to repeat what others have said, I will post my thoughs for this season. I think this season is much more fustrating than last season, because IMHO the team is clearly much stronger. Cesc and Gliberto are playing better, we have improved greatly without Reyes, the defense is better, but the results have been poor. There are just too many games we should have won but didn't. We underperformed greatly, while Man U has overperformed greatly. I guess the root cause would be the injuries to Van Persie and Henry, without them the team struggled with goals. Not only that, I think the defense has to put up some blame for conceding so many early goals. Once teams like Everton and Man City got their early goal, they bunked up and we can't break them down. The positives would be how good we have dominated most teams all season. I think the only match in which I could say I was disgusted by the performance was the match at Fulham. In summary: Positives this season: - Cesc has become world class - Gliberto has improved greatly - Game is breaking down less without Reyes - Clichy is playing with much more heart than the ******** - Gallas is better than Campbell - Diaby is showing that he is the real thing - Denilson shows how good a talent he is - Djourou showed that he is the best talent of his age - I am starting to see Adebayor's value for us - We did a double over Man U - A lot of comebacks this season, showing that we have the fight in us - Teams are struggling to get possesion from us - We showed that we can handle physical teams like Bolton better towards the end of the season - Chelsea flopped Negatives this season: - Baptista sucks - Ali sucks - Song sucks, although I still believe that he can surprise us - Senderos sucks, for the first time I want him out of the club - Walcott was a huge disappointment - Rosicky was somewhat a disappointment - Hleb was struggling towards the end of the season - Eboue turned from my favourite Arsenal player into the most hated player in the league by most people - Injuries to Van Persie and Henry - Reyes wasn't good enough for Madrid to want to keep him - Ljungberg should be planning his retirement - We are still not direct enough in our play, although I would say that we are improving - Defense is too weak in the air - Conceded too many early goals I expect much more next season, especially from the players in our wings.
Player of the Season I went with Kolo Toure, there's something about his consistency that appeals to me. Match after match, he has been doing a great job. Donkey of the Season For me this is a toss up. First, off the Beast was probably the crap-est player. But I think Gallas has been the biggest disappointment. We are still shakey on set pieces, and have never really had a great defensive form all season. Just too many confused, nervous moments, where we were lucky not to get punished. (and plenty of moments were we did get punished). Gallas isn't too blame for this entirely, and he did battle injuries all season, but I had higher expectations. Perhaps this is just my frustration that we haven't really improved on defense in years. Result of The Season I think the 2-1 over United at home. There were so many things I love about football, and about this team in that game. Frustrating we couldn't show that heart and resolve in other games this season. Moment of The Season RVP's goal against Charlton. I thought that was going to be a turning point, when we finally started to get our act together. Match We Should Have Won I have to go with the match against Sheffield United, or the PSV match at home. Not much more to say about those. Overall grade: I have to go with a C or C-, and I think that's generous. We didn't really show any improvement over last year. Despite the injuries, our kids were supposed to get better, and only about half of them did. The defensive problems we've had for years haven't been solved, and our finishing (which was something of a problem last season too) hasn't improved. I kind of think that next year is a "put up, or shut up" kind of year for many of the kids.
Player of the Season: Cesc, for his hard work, creativity, constant fitness (no breakage, really) and, on occasion, fire. I'm glad he apologized for his "Barcelona" insult, but I'm also happy he showed the appropriate edge and frustration too: some players seem too chill when we aren't playing well. I loved his goal off the volley, and I believe that with better strikers and a constant defence behind him, he will find chances to be a 10 goal midfielder. Donkey of the Season: Baptista. I can't stand that guy. Please, please don't let him stay. I swear, if he does, we should run a cash pool, create a fake team--"Real Fancy Flick"--and buy him, then lock him in a basement somewhere far, far away. Result of the Season: 2-1 over Mancs. Real fight and pace, goals from great strikers, and a double over one of the strongest teams in the league this year. We'll do it again next year too. "Match We Should Have Won" of the season (also known as the "how the f*ck did we lose that?" result of the season): West Ham 1 Arsenal 0, at home. Can't believe it. Somebody's kickball lob causes our first defeat at home. Moment of the Season: agree with other post--Ronaldo plays in Cesc, who perfectly gives Adebayor the chance to score late in the game, and he does. Theo's CC goal vs Chelsea was nice too. Overall grade for 2006/07: B. We end in 4th, which is pretty freakin' good.
Player of the Season Cesc Fabregas. He's irreplaceable. He's the engine in the Arsenal freight train, where he goes, we follow. Donkey of the Season So much hate for the beast, but his 4 goal game in the League Cup and the fact that he was out there at least TRYING to lead the line gets him a little leniency in my book. So for my money it's Senderos. I've never had less confidence in a CB than big Phil, and though he's likeable enough, he's a HUGE liability. Result of the Season Arsenal 2 Manchester United 1. Never prouder to be a gooner. What a stirring comeback! "Match We Should Have Won" of the season (also known as the "how the f*ck did we lose that?" result of the season) PSV at home. After we tied it on aggregate late, I thought for sure the Emirates magic was fully flowing. However, it wasn't to be as one Alex made a silly foul, and another headed home brilliantly destroying our hopes. Runner up: West Ham loss...mostly because I was there and couldn't believe they'd do that to me! Moment of the Season Henry's header vs. Man Utd. Simply majestic. Overall grade for 2006/07 Gotta give us a solid B. We qualified for the Champions League, had a beautiful run to Cardiff in the League Cup, and at times played the best looking football in Europe even without our two best strikers. Got alot of holes to plug, but the future's bright.