Arsenal bid for Champions' League spot suffer...

Arsenal's Premier League frustrations continued as a determined West Ham held out for a goalless draw at Emirates Stadium.

Wenger acknowledge fans' frustration:

Abou Diaby saw an early header deflected onto the crossbar, and Emmanuel Adebayor missed two good chances in the second half, while even the introduction of leading scorer Robin van Persie from the bench could not conjure up a winner.

The Hammers, who continued their unbeaten run, defended well as a unit throughout and were worth a share of the points.

The Gunners, meanwhile, may have not lost in the Premier League since beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on November 30, but remain well adrift in the title race and, crucially, outside the top four.

It was a bright start by the home side, who almost snatched an early lead when Diaby's header from a corner deflected off defender James Collins and onto the crossbar.

West Ham - who became the first team to win at Emirates Stadium in April 2007 during their successful battle against relegation - continued to sit back and invite pressure.

Samir Nasri was causing all sorts of problem with his pace down the left, and Nicklas Bendtner was only inches away from connecting with his cross into the six-yard box.

The young Dane should have perhaps done better than to head wide when, in the 21st minute, he did get on the end of a deep centre from the busy French winger.

There was a hold-up when Emmanuel Eboue needed treatment after being flattened in a challenge with Scott Parker. The much-maligned Ivory Coast midfielder limped heavily on his return to action, and was eventually replaced by Mexican youngster Carlos Vela with 10 minutes to go before half-time.

Nasri moved into the middle as Arsenal looked to be more creative.

However, while it continued to be one-way traffic, West Ham held their defensive line well.

To their credit, Zola's men looked to counter attack as possible.

Collins sent a header goalwards from a corner, which was knocked away by Gael Clichy on the far post.

Arsenal again enjoyed a good spell following the restart after Hammers skipper Lucas Neill pushed over Vela on the left.

The free-kick was sent deep towards the back post, where Bendtner knocked it down and Green punched out.

Kolo Toure acrobatically hooked the ball goalwards over his shoulder, but Collins was on hand to head clear.

Arsenal were on the offensive again when some quick footwork created space for Diaby on the edge of the penalty area, only for the midfielder to then drag his low shot wide.

Denilson had two efforts blocked as Arsenal again threatened the West Ham goal.

A quick counter attack released Bacary Sagna on the overlap down the right.

His cross towards the near post was met by Adebayor, who slid in ahead of his marker, but could only guide the ball wide.

Denilson pulled the trigger again from just outside the box, and his angled shot flew over the top corner.

With 22 minutes left, Wenger turned to Van Persie - who has had a hand in every Arsenal goal this month - as the Dutchman replaced Bendtner.

It was then West Ham's turn to make an attacking change when record signing Savio Nsereko went on for Mark Noble.

Adebayor had another golden chance when picked out in the middle by Vela's cross from the left, but could only head the ball straight at Green.

Vela was booked for going down as he charged between defenders into the left side of the penalty box, which looked somewhat harsh.

With seven minutes left, West Ham introduced former Gunner Luis Boa Morte for David Di Michele.

Diaby was carried off following an awkward fall in a challenge with Savio and was replaced by Song.

The Gunners pressed for a winner, but the visitors remained resolute to the final whistle during four minutes of stoppage time.

Wenger acknowledges fans' frustrationsArsene Wenger maintained he could not fault Arsenal's spirit despite watching them fail to break down West Ham.Wenger decided to leave leading scorer Robin van Persie on the bench for more than an hour, but felt it was just one of those afternoons where effort was not rewarded.''We gave everything for 90 minutes and restricted them to nothing,'' said the Arsenal boss.''There was a great desire and I could not fault the spirit, but we did lack some creativity in the final ball and some sharpness because we had played a difficult game on Wednesday night at Everton.''The Gunners may have not lost in 10 Premier League games, but they remain well adrift in the title race and, crucially, outside the top four behind Aston Villa, who also could only manage a goalless draw today.Some boos rang out around the stadium at the final whistle, and Wenger can ''understand'' the frustrations of the supporters.He said: ''Fans want to win the game and when you do not win, they are not happy, we understand that.''Wenger, whose side face an FA Cup replay against Cardiff on Tuesday night, defended his decision to leave in-form Van Persie on the bench.''It was done not to get him injured,'' said Wenger.''We have to be cautious with him and he had played every minute against Cardiff and also Everton.''We have bad experiences when we pushed him to play lots of games.''Arsenal lost both Emmanuel Eboue and Diaby to thigh injuries, but Wenger hopes neither are too severe - although midfielder Diaby looks set for a couple of weeks on the sidelines.Much has been made of the protracted transfer saga of Russian international Andrei Arshavin from Zenit St Petersburg.The deal will be concluded one way or another by close of business on Monday.''Nothing is happening - maybe, maybe not. It doesn't worry me either way,'' said Wenger, who insisted the player was not on his way to London to finalise the deal.''We are not far away and we have a bit of time now until Monday night.''We will see what we can do in the next 24 hours.''I don't know if I am confident or not. With the experience I have, anything can happen in a transfer.''Wenger, though, rejected suggestions Arshavin would be the answer to all of Arsenal's creative problems.''He can unlock defences and maybe we needed him today but we have other players who can do that, who are not available at the moment but who could be in the next two months, like (Theo) Walcott and (Cesc) Fabregas.''The Hammers, meanwhile, continued their own unbeaten run which now stands at eight games in all competitions with 14 from a possible 18 points.''It was good. We kept our shape and defended well but it's just a shame we couldn't create a bit more,'' said assistant manager Steve Clarke.''The team played very well as a whole, the work ethic was fantastic and every defender played well.''Clarke insisted: ''We didn't come here just to defend, but sometimes you end up doing that against very good sides.''The Hammers have been busy in the transfer market, with new signing Savio Nsereko coming on this afternoon.Radoslav Kovac, the Czech Republic midfielder, is the latest arrival and Clarke hinted at the possibility of more fresh faces before the deadline.''There will be no more departures before Monday but we would like one more body if possible, probably in midfield,'' he said.

Arsenal and West Ham United

Arsenal are set to be without defender Mikael Silvestre for up to another three weeks because of a thigh problem.

Manager Arsene Wenger has indicated he could rotate his team for the visit of West Ham, with Kolo Toure pressing for a recall to the starting XI

after being on the bench at Everton in midweek.

Striker Eduardo continues to build up his match fitness, while Theo Walcott (shoulder), captain Cesc Fabregas (knee) and Tomas Rosicky (hamstring tendon) remain sidelined.

Wenger insists no deal has yet been agreed to bring Russian international Andrei Arshavin to Arsenal - but remains hopeful of a successful conclusion to the protracted saga before the transfer window closes.

Zenit St Petersburg have made it clear they are willing to sell the wantaway 27-year-old playmaker, at the right price.

However, the Gunners remain resolute in their offer of £12million plus add-ons and, as yet, no further improved bid has been tabled amid reports of Arshavin being ready to slash his wage demands in order to push the move through.

Asked if Arsenal had agreed a fee with Zenit, Wenger declared: "No, and we have not applied for a work permit yet for Arshavin or anybody else.

"Whether we are close or not has little meaning - it does not matter how close you are, what is important is that you agree. At the moment, we have no agreement with anybody for any transfer.

"We are always confident, we try our best and respect our budget. If we can find an agreement, we will do it, if we cannot we will not overspend what we have planned to do.''

Wenger, though, indicated there could yet be movement ahead of the midnight deadline on Monday.

The Arsenal manager added: "These kind of stories sometimes develop in the last minute on the final day of the transfer window. It is very difficult to predict.

"I can only give you the way we think on our side. I cannot give you what other people think.''

West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola must decide whether to change a winning side.

Carlton Cole and David Di Michele were both on target in the 2-0 win over Hull on Wednesday, but new signing Savio Nsereko could be brought into the starting XI after coming off the bench in midweek.

Midfielder Kieron Dyer - who had been out with a broken leg - will continue to have further checks on a muscle injury and misses out. Striker Dean Ashton (ankle) and defender Danny Gabbidon (groin) are long-term absentees.

Gianfranco Zola feels Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger should be revered for the job he has done in bringing young talent through - and hopes to emulate his achievements at Upton Park.

The Hammers boss came up against the Gunners in all their might when he was a player at Chelsea, losing the 2002 FA Cup final at the Millennium Stadium.

Wenger's squad is, though, now much changed from the days when Tony Adams, Patrick Vieira, Freddie Ljungberg, Dennis Bergkamp and a certain Thierry Henry swept all before them, the high point of which was an unbeaten Premier League campaign in the 2003-04 season.

With the Gunners now outside the top four and some eight points behind leaders Manchester United, who have a game in hand, there have been suggestions the respected French coach has lost his way with continued faith in the potential of youth rather than spending on big-name signings as their title rivals all have.

Zola, though, sees merit in what Wenger is trying to accomplish - with the likes of new captain Cesc Fabregas, currently out injured, France full-back Gael Clichy and 13-goal striker Robin van Persie having all grown in stature as they matured into first-team regulars under his guidance.

"The Arsenal I played against in my time was a very strong side,'' Zola recalled.

"It had more experienced players, with good defensive players like Tony Adams, [Martin] Keown and [Nigel] Winterburn, plus they had players like Bergkamp and Henry. They were very difficult to beat.

"Right now Arsenal are very talented, but young. However, I am sure they will become a winning team.

"They need time to improve because the Premier League is a tough place to be a winner in.

"Personally I believe he is doing a great job and he is one of the managers I look up to.''

Zola added: "It is more or less the same way as we are doing here.

"You can either spend £200million and get top-class players and win titles like that, or you can do it another way - you go around and get young players, develop them, build up your team.

"We want to develop the players we have got and make them better, and to achieve success by doing that."

The match result:

I couldn't believe this. Yet another draw for the Gunners. 0-0 the score is not what I expecting....I guess if this continue, Manchester United will be having the upper hand.

It's kinda disturbing and I'm really out of words. Anyway, we'll have to wait for the results of the other teams.

Late Van Persie to the rescue....

In the end both these sides stretched unbeaten runs to nine matches - but Everton will wonder how they let victory slip from their grasp.

The hosts had emerged from a poor start to dominate the game, and were deservedly ahead through Tim Cahill's header on the hour.

Everton grew in confidence from then on, but with seconds ticking away, Van Persie - Arsenal's best player - stole in behind the defence to lash home an angled drive for a draw.

Arsenal desperately needed something from this game with a fourth place finish looking in serious danger as Aston Villa continued their march into the top four last night.

Everton had record signing Marouane Fellaini back from a two-match suspension, while fellow midfielder Mikel Arteta had recovered from the rib injury which kept him out of Sunday's FA Cup draw at Liverpool.

Arsenal made six changes from the side that drew in the Cup at Cardiff, with Manuel Almunia returning in goal and defenders William Gallas and Gael Clichy back from injury and suspension respectively.

Fog was swirling around Goodison Park at the start, and Everton saw little of the ball in the opening spell - due to Arsenal's neat passing and possession.

But the nearest the visitors came to an opening goal was Van Persie's 20-yard free-kick which was deflected wide when it looked to be heading into the top corner.

Everton finally responded with a Cahill header wide from a corner, and an effort from the same player at full-stretch which ended in the arms of Almunia.

It took a lunging block from Gallas to stop Fellaini reaching a near-post cross from Leighton Baines, after Steven Pienaar had played him in down the left.

Arsenal still had the edge but Arteta and Pienaar started to have an influence on the game, nether afraid to run at defenders.

Pienaar was cut down by Abou Diaby after 26 minutes, the Arsenal man receiving a yellow card from referee Andre Marriner.

Samir Nasri's 33rd-minute cross from the left created an opportunity for Van Persie - but the Dutchman was stretching and could only hit the ball down into the ground and up over the bar.

Nasri was booked three minutes later for kicking Tony Hibbert's ankles as the full-back ran away from him, the half failing to produce a single shot on target.

The second period opened with more swirling fog as both sides fought to break the deadlock.

Cahill had a close-range shot charged down in the box, while Van Persie set-up Denilson at the other end, only for the Brazilian to lift his shot high over the bar.

Cahill was coming to life, and a quick turn in the box onto an Arteta pass ended with the Australian firing a fierce drive into the side-netting.

After 61 minutes the Australian put Everton ahead - Baines crossing from the left and Cahill climbing above Clichy to power a downward headed past Almunia.

Cahill has now installed himself as Everton's top scorer this season since being moved into attack as a makeshift centre-forward due to Everton's chronic injury problems in that department.

The Gunners responded with a strong Van Persie header which provided Tim Howard with his first save of the night.

Arteta was booked for a foul on Denilson before the north Londoners made a double substitution after 73 minutes, with Nicklas Bendtner and Emmanuel Eboue replacing Alexandre Song and Bacary Sagna.

Tony Hibbert was booked for a foul on Nasri after 76 minutes, with Everton going forward with confidence in search of a second goal.

Cahill limped away with an ankle injury to a rousing ovation with four minutes left - Victor Anichebe taking over.

The victory looked assured, but in injury-time Van Persie got on the end of a long ball from Diaby and blasted an undeserved equaliser past Howard.

Unfortunately, both team has to settle for a draw

Late slip upsets Moyes
Everton boss David Moyes was furious with the late error which gave Arsenal an undeserved 1-1 draw at Goodison Park.Moyes said: ''In the end we should have run the ball into the corner rather to concede possession like that. We did not need to give them ball away in that situation.''We are disappointed we ended up with one point when we were so close to three. To concede a goal in the 93rd minute is hard to take after we had played so well.''Overall we deserved the points. Now we have conceded a late goal to Arsenal not long after we did the same thing against Aston Villa, and that game we lost.''We have been caught by very late goals by two of the teams we are challenging with for a place at the top of the table.''But it is worth saying that it shows how far we have come when we are upset about only drawing with Arsenal.''Those two points would have been crucial to us if we were really going to make a bid for a Champions League spot.''That would have put us much close to the teams above us, and I feel Aston Villa will be the team who are more delighted with this result than either us or Arsenal.''It is a long way to go to catch Villa or Arsenal now. But we are playing well enough to do that, we are showing confidence and we just lacked that little bit to finish them off.''But good players like Van Persie can do that, he took his chance very well.''Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger conceded that the last-ditch equaliser has increased their chances of clinching fourth spot, and also holding off Everton's challenge.He said: ''After the result last night (Aston Villa winning at Portsmouth) we knew we could not afford to lose this game.''It was a game of quality and we were playing against a good team, and we needed character to come back like that in injury-time.''You cannot predict you will score that late, but I knew the team would keep going and we have shown that again.''It was very important not to lose. We needed to keep Everton at a distance from us, and three points would have put them very close to us.''Van Persie's finish was an exceptional one. But when you see the ball dropping like that towards his left foot, you always think that he can hit the target.''He will make the keeper work, he will never put the ball into the stands from a position like that.''Wenger also revealed there had been no further progress in his bid to bring midfielder Andrei Arshavin to the Emirates.He said: ''There is nothing new on Arshavin, I have been concentrating on the game and not taking calls.''But the deal is maybe 90% completed. However, the final 10% of any deal can be the most difficult.''Maybe in the next two days. In this kind of job it can be difficult at this stage because people can change their minds completely.''

My verdict:
I think that Arsenal has done their best against Everton and in fact, from this game, we can see how Everton has improved their standard in football throughout the years. A deserving one point for both the teams although I would hope to see Arsenal taking all the three points. Nevertheless, another game of fine performance by the young Gunners!!

Random photos

Fabregas, the new playmaker for the GUNNERS

How the heroes in Arsenal evolve....=)

Arsenal, one football club that play with pride and honour!!

Our wage structure won't be broken

By Richard Clarke

Arsenal will not break their wage structure to buy Andrei Arshavin or anyone else.

Arsène Wenger has been strongly linked with the Russian playmaker in the media. However, speaking ahead of the game with Everton, the Frenchman said he had not agreed a fee or discussed a salary with the player. If and when he does, the 27-year-old will have to fit in with the Club’s existing arrangements.

“The players who come in here are all on our wage structure or they do not come in,” he said. “It’s as simple as that. Nobody will come in above the highest level we have here."


My verdict:

One of the thing that the Gunners should be praised for is their ways in handling the transfer matter. If one look into Arsene Wenger squad, one will realize that these players are playing with passion and not out of greed.
Such is the passion that one can see the energy, passion and enthusiasm in their game. You won't get to hear about 100 million for a single player sort of issue. And Wenger never over valued any football player.

I think this is good for football as it could avoid the domination by super rich clubs. Just look at the transfer lists this season and you will realize how foolish Manchester City had made themselves. Before City, we have Chelsea. It's time for the rest of the football clubs to follow Wenger's character and mentality towards the transfer season.

Everton-Arsenal Preview

Mikel Arteta is "50-50'' for Everton's Barclays Premier League match against Goodison Park against Arsenal on Wednesday according to manager David Moyes.

The Spanish playmaker is still struggling with the rib injury which counted him out of Sunday's FA Cup 1-1 draw with Liverpool and he could miss his first league game of the season.

However, it is not all bad news for Everton as Belgian midfielder Marouane Fellaini is eligible to play after serving the two-match ban he received for picking up 10 bookings this term.

The Gunners may be off the pace in the Premier League this season but Moyes has warned they are still capable of punishing his side.

He said: "I think people think that [they are in decline] because you normally see Arsenal in the top one or two and right on the tails of the top teams. I think people are thinking they are not as close as they were in the past.

"But I think Arsene Wenger is still thinking about winning the Premier League and he thinks they still have a chance so it is still a very strong Arsenal team.

"They have talented individuals and we don't need to remind our players of that and how good Arsenal can be.

"On their day and given time and space they can be very fluent and open you up."

Everton sit five points behind Arsenal but Moyes has urged his side to keep "attacking'' the clubs above them in the hope of a place in the top four and Champions League football.

And the former Preston manager does not want his players worrying about anyone's performances but their own.

He added: "We have not thought about anything else but us.

"I have said before that we would like to be in the top six if we can but we are certainly not going to give up attacking the ones above us.

"It will be hard with the form of the teams above us but we will keep going.

"There is always a chance to pip somebody so we will try and catch Arsenal and Aston Villa and whoever else there may be, but we will have to go on a very good run to do that."

Arsenal will have full-back Gael Clichy available following a one-match ban.

Goalkeeper Manuel Almunia is set to be restored to the side after sitting out the FA Cup fourth-round tie at Cardiff, while fit-again centre-back William Gallas is pressing for a place in the starting XI.

Mikael Silvestre (thigh) is still out, while striker Eduardo continues to build up his match-fitness. Theo Walcott (shoulder), captain Cesc Fabregas (knee) and Tomas Rosicky (hamstring tendon) remain sidelined.

Wenger declared the on-going Andrei Arshavin transfer saga was "of little interest'' as he focuses on getting the best out of his current Arsenal squad ahead of the trip.

While Wenger remains keen on signing the Russia international, suggestions from Zenit St Petersburg that a deal is imminent were today rebuffed by the Gunners boss.

"It is not true a fee has been agreed. We are not close to concluding any transfer; Arshavin or anybody else. At the moment it is all quiet,'' Wenger said.

"For me, it is of little interest. I can understand that when the transfer window is open, it makes headlines.

"I like quality football, and for me that is more important than having one more player here.''

Wenger added: "Time is getting short and at the moment I am more focused to win the game.

"We know we are in front of a big game and the most important thing is to focus on that.

"For me, it is not a distraction because what is important is the team continues to focus on the championship, the FA Cup and the Champions League.''

The Gunners boss believes such continued speculation has taken the attention away somewhat from his team's improvement in recent weeks.

Arsenal head to Goodison Park three points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa, yet only two wins away from overtaking leaders Manchester United, who do still hold a game in hand.

"I feel it has overshadowed things, yes, but let's be quiet, focused and continue on,'' said Wenger, whose side must face Cardiff again in a fourth-round replay next week at Emirates Stadium following Sunday's goalless draw in Wales.

"We are in a strong position in the Premier League, the Champions League and the FA Cup - so let's take advantage of that and let people talk.

"Our job is to focus on what we want to achieve.

"We got fair criticism this year, but we have overcome that and we are now hungrier than ever.

"It is a good opportunity to show that Wednesday."

Arsene Wenger comment: Team-mates don't need to be friends

By Richard Clarke

Friendship is not the most important commodity among team-mates, according to Arsène Wenger.

It was reported recently that Arsenal centre backs William Gallas and Kolo Toure had fallen out. Certainly the statistics suggest the manager has been reluctant to pair them together in the past few months.

However, Wenger claims the duo have a perfectly friendly relationship and argues that the either/or decision he has been making between the two was down to their collective lack of height. He went on to add that some of the world’s greatest footballing partnerships did not see eye-to-eye.

“They get on OK,” said Wenger. “In football you don’t have to go on holiday together but you can still play together.

“[Real Madrid legends] Alfredo di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas never spoke to each other. They didn’t greet each other but when you saw them play together you would never guess that.

“Kolo and William talk to each other but it is always very difficult to assess how much people are friends or not. What is essential is that, on the pitch, football is most important and they should respect the game. If you want to win, you do what it takes.”

The issue has arisen because Gallas has recovered from the hamstring injury that has kept him sidelined since the win over Plymouth in the FA Cup Third Round. The Frenchman is likely to join Toure and Johan Djourou in the squad for the Fourth-Round tie at Cardiff on Sunday. It means three players are competing for two positions.

“I'll consider [playing Gallas and Toure] but I have not decided yet,” said Wenger when asked about the equation. “I might rest one of the two as well, I don’t know.

“I believe they can play together but we have a little handicap in the air when they do.”

My verdict:

Being the fan of the Gunners for so long, I couldn't believe that I'm hearing this from Arsene Wenger. After all, he has been the coach for so long. In every way, I respected the man who brought and gave life to Arsenal in their football culture, and yet he was saying something like this today. Being in a football club is something special because it's like a family. Just like when you supported one team, you're part of that family and embrace the culture in it. So if you're the team-mates and can't even see eye to eye to one another, that will prove to be a great challenge for the entire squad. Just look at the current position we're in at the moment and we will certainly be sure that the problem exists....I hope Wenger will see that sooner...if not now.