HOW DO YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE ARSENAL?

What happened?

Whatever happens next Sunday at Craven Cottage, I'll be looking back at yet another disappointing season for Arsenal Football Club. A season that at one stage promised so much is ending in embarrassment, and as every man and his dog keeps reminding me, trophy less for the sixth consecutive year (is no-one counting the Emirates Cup then?). Only Arsenal could take just a point after a 4 goal head start. Only Arsenal could be 2-up and cruising against Spurs and lose. Only Arsenal could lose so spinelessly to West Brom, Newcastle and Villa all at home. And of course, only Arsenal could contrive to lose the Carling Cup Final in the way we so memorably did. We were eliminated in the other two cup competitions by the two Champions League finalists and for me, the best 2 teams in Europe right now so no disgrace there, but that day at Wembley this February won't be forgotten in a hurry.

Where are we now?

In our 13 games since the Carling Cup final we have won a measly 3 - against Leyton Orient, Blackpool and Manchester Utd. A month or so ago we were still in the title hunt but now we're on course for a 4th place finish which would mean going through the unpredictable Champions League Playoff in August just to reach the group stage. Unhappy voices from the stands have grown louder and are as widespread as I can remember during Wenger's reign. The discontent came to head at yesterday's game with chants of '6 per cent, you're having a laugh' directed at the club's recent announcement of a ticket price hike - why should we be paying more money when we see no investment and no success? At half time and full time there were a chorus of boos (from the crowd that remained, the ground was half empty at FT) and the ill timed 'lap of appreciation' was given by the players to a near empty stadium. A banner was placed near the stadium tunnel which read - 'Football manager, not bank manager.' And speaking of banners, the well known 'In Arsene We Trust' flag has been renamed unofficially amongst regular fans as 'In Arsene We Rust.'

Wenger.

Wenger out? Sack Wenger? No not for me, or not yet at least. For me his best years are behind him now, the game has moved on a long way since 1996 and Wenger has struggled to adapt, but that doesn't mean that he hasn't got have another title or even Champions League in him. His biggest flaw is that he is a stubborn man, seemingly unwilling to admit that he's got some things wrong, some players wrong and he's made some ill advised statements over the last few months - 'I would sign for 2nd place for the next 10 years' springs to mind. Is 2nd place a disaster? Obviously not, there are of course many other teams who would like to swap places with us, fans who tell folks like me to shut up and stop moaning, to appreciate the great football we see every week etc, but for every one of those statements, there are countless Chelsea, Utd and Spurs fans ready to remind us Arsenal fans that our trophy cabinet is full of nothing but cobwebs. It's time for Wenger to admit that this policy of bringing talented youngsters to the club has not worked, or at least that he needs something else to make it work. Do we give him another season? But didn't we say that last summer, and the summer before? For me, I'll know all I need to about our chances of winning something next season by the 1st September. This is the most crucial 16 weeks of Wenger's Arsenal career, if the problems aren't addressed and we come out of the transfer period with a similar squad with the same attitude, we Will win NOTHING.

Players.

The manager is in charge but the players have a massive amount of responsibility for the way things have turned out. If you can press and tear round the pitch like we did brilliantly against Chelsea in December, why can't you do it away to Stoke in May? The world admires Barcelona's wonderful attacking talent and mesmerizing 'tiki taka' passing, but it's their high intensity pressing game that wins them matches and trophies. We barely got out of our box during our game at the Camp Nou in March, and that wasn't because we tried to play negatively or defensively (as if we could!), it was because they didn't stop getting at us. On too many occasions have too many individuals let us down this year by not working hard enough - mistakes happen but I see no excuse for a lack of hard work.

Current squad.

There is serious work to be done in the next 16 weeks. Without question I would cut the following players from the squad: Almunia, Squillaci, Denilson, Eboue, Rosicky, Bendtner and Vela. None of them have made a significant contribution this season and all of them have had plenty of opportunities to do so. Almunia was always Lehmann's understudy and was promoted to first choice when the German left the club with no competition and no record of sustained quality - he's clearly last choice GK at the club already. Squillaci was a cheap acquisition who has been poor, we've all had enough of Eboue's antics (the Liverpool penalty was the nail in the coffin), Denilson not good enough, Rosicky not good enough/made of glass, Bendtner not good enough/arrogant prick and Vela not good enough to even get in the West Brom team. There should be serious questions asked of Arshavin who we can all see is super talented but is the most guilty of all regarding not working hard, Diaby can't stay fit for long enough to be any use, and Clichy who's defensive lapses and stall on a new contract make him vulnerable. Nasri is another who is seemingly undecided about committing another 5 years to club, but who can blame him? A sparkling start to the season has tailed off somewhat but we have to keep hold of him. Cesc and his rubber band hamstrings have been missing far too often, and when they have been present he has failed to live up to his high standards. And where would we be had RvP been fit all season? He's as important to us as Rooney is to Utd or Tevez to City.

Transfers.

There is a fundamental lack of characters and leadership in the team which needs to be addressed. As good a player as Cesc is he's not an Adams or Viera, we should just let him play and not get weighed down by the armband. We need some guys in there who are going to shout, who when you go 3-1 up at White Hart Lane can say 'right Samir, Theo, you tuck in, Robin push on the centre backs and hold the ball up, Alex and Jack, drop in for 10 minutes, we're not conceding a goal before half time.' This should obviously be being done already by the manager and the players but it isn't. Starting at back, we need to buy a keeper. Szczesny looks a good prospect, hasn't made a lot of mistakes (the decision to take Lennon out in that Spurs game probably his most notable and costly) but he's just 20 years old. He won't like it but he has to be on the bench, that is where he belongs for now and in 5 years he'll be ready. Given is surely available, Green probably too, or there are more expensive options like Lloris or Buffon. A new centre back. Djourou has done well after missing all of last season with a cruciate, and Koscielny has done okay whilst playing far more games than the manager had expected or wanted him to, due to Vermaelen's injury. Chris Samba would be a good and relatively cheap buy, Gary Cahill more expensive or you look to Europe at someone like Chiellini possibly - Samba and Cahill have the bonus of knowing the league well. A defensive midfielder. Song has done okay this year but has no competition for his place whatsoever, and frankly I think there are better players than him out there. Scott Parker is a must for me, he's available for probably a knock down price, great age/experience, English, and would jump at the chance of Champions League football. There are no better options for me, but a De Rossi, Senna or Felipe Melo wouldn't go a miss either. Those are the 3 key positions that need addressing, and throw in the bonus of picking up one or more of an Eden Hazard, Lucas Podolski, Radamel Falcao, Romelu Lukaku or Mario Gotze, and we'd be looking at a good squad again.

The rest.

It's not all about spending money, the club should be pleased that Pat Rice has decided to delay his retirement for another year, but I can't help but think bringing in another new face in the coaching setup would help. A defensive coach in the shape of an Adams/Keown/Dixon, or the well regarded Steve Bould who is in charge of the U18's if they prefer to promote from within. Wenger's refusal to do this seems to come from his reluctance to lose control, he is a man who wants to be involved with everything that club does which has been both a help and a hindrance in recent years. Ivan Gazidis seems to be an intelligent and realistic man but maybe he needs to stop being an enabler for AW and start to help this club move forward. Gazidis and the board have basically been happy not to be asked by Wenger for a large transfer fund, and are content with Champions League football every season. You only need to look at what City, Liverpool and Spurs are investing to see that a top 4 finish is not guaranteed anymore. After tying up the contracts of those mentioned above and shuffling the squad about, AW needs to address the team's work rate misgivings and have a rethink as to how we play tactically. Some games we need to go 2 up top, some games we need to sacrifice playing both Cesc and Wilshere and drop another defensive body in there. I'm sure he thinks about all these things, and I nor most other fans know what really goes on behind closed doors, but to me it seems that our preparation for our opponents is not thorough enough. You never hear enough about Mourihno's detailed preparation in every game, while Wenger is constantly banging on about us being in the right mental state and getting our own preparation right.

The future.

I love my club, what we stand for (Victoria Concordia Crescit - Victory through harmony), the way we play, the values we have, the way we respect our finances, but I want nothing more than to see some success on the pitch. Had Koscielny put the ball into row Z as he should have done, and we'd gone on to win THAT match, who knows where we'd be right now, but all we can do is affect the future. Anyone who knows anything about football knows that success ebbs and flows. Looking backwards Utd and Chelsea have dominated lately, we had a lot of success around the turn of the century, then it was Utd in the 90s, Liverpool in the 80s, Leeds in the 70s and so on. Forest, Villa and Ipswich have all won European trophies in the last 50 years, and where are they now? I'm not trying to put those teams down, I'm trying to illustrate that football is an unpredictable beast, that's why we all love it. The frustration has come from being so close for the last 6 years, 3 defeats in finals, another 3 or 4 semi finals, and even more quarter finals, but as Ricky Bobby would say, 'if you ain't first, you're last.' Hopefully, not for much longer.

Why Arsene should dig his heals in this time

It seems like every summer Arsenal seem to go through the same transfer merry-go-round like no other top European side. 'Will 'Player X' leave and join a better team to win more trophies?' You can insert Viera, Henry, Hleb, Flamini, Adebayor and Toure in where necessary. While the aforementioned players' departures were disappointing and sad, there has always been a sense that Arsene knows best. Have all those players been past their best? Maybe. Have they all gone on to do bigger and better things? Certainly not. Henry had spent a long time in North London and his dream move to Barca was inevitable - most fans were surprised we kept him as along as we did, Viera's post Arsenal career has been plagued by injury and bad form, Hleb is now back in Germany (nuff said?), Flamini's great potential has been warming Milan's bench, and if I'm being kind then Adebayor and Toure have both been inconsistent in their first season away from Arsenal. Generally you can see that Le Boss has a decent record when it comes to letting players go, but he must not let Cesc Fabregas become part of that list.

If you believe what the papers are saying this morning, then Cesc flew into London yesterday to tell Wenger that he wants to join Barcelona. The Spainish sport papers are know for their mischief making, not to mention the ridiculous presidential system whereby some bloke with loads of money says, 'elect me and I'll buy Villa and Cesc' - see Florentino Perez last summer at Real Madrid. But this time it seems different, it's the first time that Cesc has gone public with his desire to leave and rejoin his boyhood club. We knew this day would come, but we hoped it would be in another 4/5 years, not now, no, please not now Cesc. He is contracted to the club until 2015 I believe, and Wenger has to be strong and tell him he's not going anywhere. Arsenal are in a strong financial position with no need to sell, there are decent funds available to strengthen the squad this summer, and Cesc is integral to the future of this football club. Le Boss will probably have to offer a pay rise, he'll have to outline his own future (Wenger's contract has 1 year left to run), and he'll have to say 'we're gonna buy the Chamakhattack, Akinfeev, De Rossi and Mexes, and we're gonna win the league next season.' If he really does want to leave then no, he won't be very pleased about being made to stay, but no-one put a gun to his head to sign that contract, he chose to commit to this club and be paid handsomely for it. Managers don't like to make a habit of keeping unhappy players around, but Wenger has be strong this time, he has to, dare I say it, do a bit of a Fergie. As much as I hate them, you never hear this kind of thing happening at Utd. Ronaldo went last year for £80million, but that was Fergies call. He'll be disappointed but I'm convinced that by September 1st when the transfer window is shut, he's a professional who will get his head down, play his genius football and the prospect of losing the heartbeat of our club will safe, for another year at least.

Premier League round-up and preview

Another tough game yesterday for the Arsenal yesterday, but another good performance in the face of difficulties. A 2-0 home win sounds a bit routine, and after Denilson's good opener 5 minutes in, it was looking like it might well go that way, but West Ham played pretty well and made it hard for us. Close calls from Diamanti and a dangerous cross that no-one got on the end of were warning enough, and as the first half came to a close the ref sent off Vermaelan and gave a pen to the Hammers. I've seen the incident several times and it's a difficult one to call. My instincts were that it was good call but the more I see it, the more I think that if you look at Franco's legs he practically trips himself. That was after a bit of contact between the two players, but they were still dealing with a quick bouncing ball, you can't really say Franco had it right under control. Anyway the pen came and our dodgy keeper finally had something to cheer about with a brilliant stop from Diamanti. We started the second half a little sluggishly and only really got some control on the game when Bendtner was replaced by Diaby, who once again proved what a good player he is. One man who didn't impress yesterday was Andrei Arshavin. The little Russian has unquestionable talent and vision, but he is one frustrating customer. He'll do a little back heel flick to play someone in, but then just stand still almost in admiration for himself - he is downright lazy. He's the kind of player who is a luxury at 11 vs 11, you forgive his lack of tracking back and fight because you know he'll do something amazing soon, but at 10 vs 11, we're practically playing with 9 men. What makes it more frustrating is that when we lose a game, it's always him I'm reading about, saying we need more fight or to work harder or to be better at seeing games out. Pot kettle black, mate. I don't wanna come down too hard on him, but if it was Eboue or Bendtner putting in that shift yesterday, the crowd would be all over them. Carlton Cole came on and hit the post (why was he on the bench?) and things were finally settled when Cesc stuck away a pen after an Upson handball. So we sit top of the league for a few hours at least, and it's down to our rivals to respond. I will enjoy watching them both today and have a feeling that at least one of them will drop points.

It's very much advantage Spurs in the battle for 4th, it's not easy to win at Stoke and they are now 5 clear of Liverpool (on the same number of games) and Man City (who have 2 games in hand). Villa will be disappointed with a 2-2 draw at home to Wolves, and there were wins for Sunderland, Everton and Wigan in the other games. Have I forgot someone? Ah yes, Hull. The Tigers (aaahhhahahaha) lead Pompey 1-0 and 2-1 but still contrived to lose the game in the last 5 minutes. They will need plenty of Dowie's 'bouncebackability' if they have any hopes of being a Premier League club next season.

Utd v Liverpool today then, always a big game regardless of the league permutations. Despite their disappointing league position (16 points separate these two) Liverpool come into the game on a decent run and I expect them to give Utd a really good game. I fancy a 1-1 draw but naturally I hope it's a 6-0 win for the scousers. Chelsea have a tricky game at Blackburn, a side who aren't pretty on the eye (you wouldn't expect anything else from Big Sam) but are very affective at home. The Blues have the Champions League effect to deal with, are they mentally ready for what will be an aerial rape today? I certainly hope not. Take her easy.

Champions League, UEFA Cup

Woah! Arsenal v Barca then eh? Different ways of looking at that one - 1. Oh fuck this is impossible, 2. What a fucking game we've got on our hands, 3. Thank fuck we didn't get Utd and 4. Let's fuck these guys up! Stating the bleeding obvious this is a tough tough tie for the Gunners, Barca are the defending champions and probably the best team on the planet right now. Somehow we've got to stop Messi while keeping an eye on Henry, Ibra, Xavi, Iniesta and many more, while making sure we stick the ball in the net a few times ourselves. To be fair we've had some pretty kind draws in recent memory, Porto could have been worse, Villareal in the quarters last season, Roma the round before that, so we're almost due a big one like this. It'll be 2 teams playing similar systems, similar styles of football and just going for it, the 2 games will be a pleasure to watch. It's not the forgone conclusion that some voices have already suggested, we've got plenty that can hurt them too, their defence (like ours) is the shakiest part of their game, so it will probably come down to who defends the best over the two legs. There are naturally some interesting subplots beginning to rumble, it's a rematch of the 2006 final where we led for so long, but in the end never really felt that we got a proper shot at the big boys because of the red card for Mad Jens. We've got Henry coming back to North London, something that I don't particularly expect him to relish, as his love for the club is so much and so emotional that his head might not be quite right, we'll see. One man who I don't think will be feeling such emotions with be Fabregas, from memory he's had some slightly dodgy things to say about his time at Barca, how he wasn't looked after properly and never felt loved etc etc, no question that the Camp Nou leg will be massive for him though. Looking further afield we're on the same side of the draw as Inter and CSKA, you can't imagine anything other than Inter progressing but this season has seen some strange results so you never know. Utd face a tough trip to Bayern, the old dark horse of the tournament, but again they are favourites particularly because they play the 2nd leg at home (a luxury not afforded to Arsenal), and they'll be delighted to find either Lyon or Bordeaux waiting for them in the semi final. All 3 of Utd's big dangers are kept apart on the other side of the draw. Some super football to look forward to over the next month or so, here's hoping for an Arsenal v Utd final in May.

I watched some UEFA Cup last night (no, I won't acknowledge it's new stupid name) mainly because I had nothing better to do, but I'm mighty glad that I did now. Much respect has to go out to Fulham who have made it through to the quarters (where they meet Wolfsburg) after a thrilling night at Craven Cottage. After going 1-0 down to the mighty Juve in just 2 minutes, Fulham were 70-1 to go through, but they defied the bookies with a storming 4-1 comeback. Super goal from Dempsey, Zamora was unplayable (so much so Cannavaro decided to stop playing all together) and great finishes from Gera have put Hodgson firmly back on the map. If Arsene Wenger knocked it on the head tomorrow morning I couldn't think of a better candidate than the old boy. Liverpool followed Fulham into the last 8 (a tie with Benfica) with a 3-0 win over Lille, a score line which flattered them to be honest. If Eden Hazard had put away the chance he should have done then it may well have all gone horribly wrongly. The match was surrounded by some quite incredible quotes coming out of Spain, claiming that Albert Riera (another of Rafa's failed 5-10million purchases) had been mouthing off about Benitez and what a shit manager he is. Far from me to disagree with the reasonable views of Riera, but buddy, really?! You're gonna slag off your CURRENT boss, to the SPANISH press? Really? What an idiot.

Off to the Emirates for Arsenal v West Ham tomorrow, so I'll blog ya on Sunday. Take her easy.

Arsenal, Terry

Forgive the self indulgence but this is the first Arsenal piece I've written since my triumphant return to blogging. Since my last stint in January things have moved on quite dramatically for the Gunners, we're now in with a real chance of winning the league and Champions League. It would be too much to expect them both this year but I can make a real case that we have great chances in the two competitions. Our Premier League run in is considerably easier than our 2 rivals', the trickiest games will be Spurs away and Man City at home, the other fixtures are West Ham (h), B'ham (a), Wolves (h), Wigan (a), Blackburn (a) and Fulham (h). Yes yes the old cliche of 'no easy games' and the teams in that list will be 'fighting for their lives' blah blah blah, but really, would you rather have these or trips to Old Trafford and Anfield on the horizon? That's who Chelsea have to deal with, on top of Spurs away and Villa at home. It'll be interesting to see how they react to their European exit, some are arguing that it will make them more determined to win the league now. The other thing to consider is that the Man Utd v Chelsea game falls in between Utd's Champions League quarter final legs, how will Fergie approach the game post first leg? Utd have a tough run in too, we've already mentioned Chelsea at home but first they must face the old enemy Liverpool this very Sunday, at Old Trafford mind. Liverpool are a wounded animal, they've taken a lot of knocks this season but their good win and more importantly good performance against Pompey on Monday showed that they can still play some good football. Rafa finally played the team everyone has been wanting to see all season; Aquilani, Torres, Gerrard, Maxi, Babel all got in the team, and finally he saw sense to give Lucas and Kuyt a 'rest.' Don't forget that Liverpool battered Utd in this fixture last season, a crushing 4-1 win, I'd give my right bollock to see that happen again. Utd have other tough games away at Fulham, Bolton, Sunderland and Man City. As for Europe, English teams have recently been our nemesis, so the fact that there is only 1 other team left to face as opposed to the usual 3, has to improve our chances. I think there's only 4 teams who can win it now and that is Arse, Utd, Barca and Inter. If we avoid those 3 tomorrow it will be magical, and don't forget that we also get to see the semi-final split so we'll know the route to the final. Is this being too greedy - Arsenal v CSKA, Lyon v Bordeaux ---- Man Utd v Barca, Inter v Bayern. It's long been the belief that Europe is our best chance of silverwere, mainly because the European sides tend to come out and attack more, leaving themselves vulnerable on the break to our fast forwards - a little bit like the way we play. The big boys in England are big and strong enough to soak it up and then fuck us on the break, European teams don't tend to be as smart. In fact, last year Pep Guardiola said the one team he wanted to avoid was Arsenal. Now, I don't know if he really meant that, I suspect that Utd would be a tougher proposition (particularly over 2 legs, not like last years disapointing final) than us, but he clearly recognises that we would be a threat to his team. What a final eh? Arsenal v Barca, at the fucking Bernabeu, all the Madrid boys would be backing us, it would be a special night. I'll probably blog post-draw tomorrow so we can have a proper analysis....

The players have responded fantastically since those shocking defeats to Utd and Chelsea in January. We're unbeaten since then and have picked up the useful habit of scoring crucial late goals, see Stoke and Hull for details. Nick Bendtner has come back into the team and scoring goals, save for one day to forget against Burnley. As I said a few days ago, the fans who watch their team week in week for 90 minutes know who is playing well and who isn't. He gets a lot of stick big Nick, and yes at times he can make you shake your head in disbelief but he's still a young lad who is scoring goals. He's got 9 for the season, scored 15 last year and 9 the year before that, all when he's not a regular starter and about half of his Arsenal appearances have been from the bench. Our captain Cesc is doing superb, he looks bigger and stronger now, like a real leader. I think we all felt when Gallas had to go that making Cesc captain was more about keeping him here, keeping him happy and keeping him central to the future of the club than his natural leadership qualities, but it's a role he's grown into and is now florushing under. I could go all around the pitch but there's not a lot of point, our fringe boys have taken a big step forward this year and some of the older heads are proving what class they have. I'll stick my neck out and say yeh, we'll have a winners medal at the end of the season.

Finally, John Terry's season goes from bad to worse, as he's leaving Stamford Bridge after getting done by Inter, he hits a steward with his monster 4x4 and breaks the poor guy's leg. Furthermore, he didn't even stop (apparently not realising) and has yet to make any kind of apology. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, we didn't get an apology from him after shagging one of his best mates girlfriends (and the mother of his child) so why should we expect one now? I'm not saying we should have him hung drawn and quartered but as the England captain he was in a position on privelege, the most priveleged position you can have in English football, he's a role model and an example to all the kids growing up and this is how he behaves? Everyone makes mistakes but come on mate, you get paid £120,000 a fucking week, play football for a living and you still wanna be a complete tosser? What made it more hilarious was that Terry refused to step down (which would have got him some respect from England fans) and had to be sacked by the boss. I don't think his recent decline in form is any coincedence either, and the fact that what he did is forcing others to turn down international call ups is just a joke. Terry, you're a disgrace. Take her easy.

Inter, Champions League, Dowie

Looks like my prediction from yesterday's blog came to fruition in the big game at Chelsea last night, not in the score (I went for 2-2 aet) but in the realisation that Inter are no mugs. They played a superb game and thoroughly deserved to go through for me, Sneijder was outstanding, Eto'o and Milto always dangerous and they defended just as well as you would expect any Mourinho side to do. Despite his subdued touchline performance and absence at the final whistle, he'll be one smug bastard this morning, and as Gooner I really don't fancy getting them in the quarter final draw. He did a terrific job at Chelsea and it was probably his own success that cost him his job in the end, the expectations were lifted and anything other than perfection was not tolerated by Roman and the board. Sure he had a lot of money to spend, but there is something undeniable and infectious about his personality, you really get the impression that he and his players are like brothers, or something gay like that. While Inter march on, Chelsea are left to asses the damage of another season without that elusive European crown. Ancelotti is a good boss and speculation that he will be sacked is pretty unlikely, but if he ends the season without the league then the big impatient boss man might get a little trigger happy. Scolari only lasted 6 months, why would Carlo be any different? And then you look at the team - Terry, Lampard, Ballack, Anelka, Drogba, Deco - all these guys are/were great players but too many look past their best. Was this the last chance for these ageing superstars? I've long thought that they need some fresh faces in the club, get some talented youngsters in there, because the much lauded young academy has produced no-one of any note. Where do they go from here?

Inter join Lyon, Arsenal, Man Utd, Bayern and CSKA in Friday's quarter final draw, along with probably Barca and Bordeaux, who have to see off Stuttgart and Olympiakos this evening. That seems a distinctly unfamiliar looking lineup to me, we're so used to seeing Liverpool and Chelsea in the last 8. We have 2 sides and surprisingly France will be the others with 2 sides (come on Bordeaux, don't make me look foolish now...) and we miss the more traditional European giants in Milan and Madrid. With my Arsenal hat on, I'll say right off the bat I don't want to play Utd. I just hold no hope whatsoever that we can beat an English team over 2 legs, we've lost to all 3 of the big boys at some stage in the last 5/6 years. Inter and Barca would be the next ones to avoid, and then the dangerous Bayern, then the 2 Frenchies, which leaves everyone wanting to draw CSKA Moscow. The surprise package of the tournament this year, they impressively dispatched of Sevilla last night and got a draw at Old Trafford in the group stage. It will be a long away trip and playing a fresh team who have just started their season, but I'd rather have that on my plate than the Camp Nou.

Finally, it seems that Ian Dowie will be appointed the new Hull manager today in what is a completely unsurprising appointment. Dowie has hardly been much of a success since getting into football management, getting sacked practically everywhere he's been. For Hull it's a perfect scenario. I'd be gobsmacked if the deal was anything other than until the end of the season, where if they stay up they look like geniuses, and if the go down it's a quick (and cheap) cut and run job on Dowie, then they can spend the time bringing in a long termer like Southgate, Curbs or Coppell. Sneaky. Take her easy.

Inter v Chelsea, Ramsey, England

Tonight in the Champions League we see the return of the 'Special One' Jose Mourinho to Stamford Bridge, with a 2-1 first leg lead for his Inter side. The first leg was a little cagey (as first legs tend to be) but I was generally impressed with Inter Milan, something I wouldn't have said last year or the year before. I heard a lot of folks claiming that Chelsea deserved at least a draw from the game but I put that down to the typical warped view that the British press have when it comes to European games. From the back they have a class goalkeeper, up there with Gigi and Iker for me, the best right back in the world, solid old boys in Lucio and Samuel and their captain Zanetti has played something near a million games of football. In the middle I've always loved Cambiasso, Stankovic is a really good player, but the jewel in the crown has got to be Sneijder. Why o' why Real Madrid felt the need to let him go is beyond me - sure they had Kaka and Ronaldo coming in but this guy is good enough to be competing with them for sure. He ran things in the first leg, Chelsea will have to make sure he's well shackled tonight if they want to progress. As for the lads up top, Eto'o is a class act who will always be able to nick a goal, Milito may not have a big profile over here but I really like the look of him, Pandev is a creative and hard working lad brought in from Lazio, and then there's the new kid on the block Mario Balotelli. The Ghanaian born Italian is the new enigma in Italian football, he shows touches (and goals, just ask Rubin Kazan) of brilliance followed by angry tantrums and poor discipline. Unfortunately the 19 year old prodigy hasn't travelled with the squad to London, I just hope that Lippi takes a punt on him in the summer. With that Inter love in out of the way lets look at the game. I really do believe that Inter will go through tonight, it could turn out to be a long old evening - I'll go 2-1 Chelsea, into extra time and Inter grab the crucial goal for a 2-2 draw on the night. Chelsea are strong at home but I just fancy Jose to pull something out of the bag and cause a bit of an upset. I've always said that at this stage of a tie, the away side have 90 minutes (or maybe 120) to score an away goal, and the home side have none. With unproven Ross Turnbull in goal I have to fancy Inter of getting at least one. I watched Jose's press conference yesterday and he was back on great form, slipping seamlessly between English, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. There will be no running down the touchline antics from him tomorrow if they win, he has a lot of respect for his old club and their fans, I just hope Arsenal get them in the next round and batter him. Forza Internazionale!

'One Aaron Ramsey' and 'Do it for Aaron' were just some of the banners I saw at the Arsenal v Porto game last week, fantastic support for our Welsh Cesc Fabregas. Ramsey was really having a good season, the boss had set him a target of 20 appearances at the off, and he had already made 29 scoring 4 goals, before an all too familiar night at Stoke. He was breaking into the first team picture with some really good performances, not the kind that you can judge from a Match of the Day but when you watch the 90 minutes of your team on a regular basis you can see who is doing the business and who isn't. Although still raw and capable of giving the ball away, he has a great eye for a pass, can chip in with the odd goal and isn't afraid of taking a shot once and a while. He was having another good game at Stoke when he suffered a horrific double leg break following a challenge with Ryan Shawcross. The scenes were sickeningly familiar, Aaron in massive pain, his leg hanging at an awful angle, players signalling furiously to the bench, others just shaking their heads and walking around in disbelief. Sky were not showing replays of the tackle but it was no surprise to see Shawcross sent off, he's just broken some one's leg. With some 3/4 weeks to reflect on what happened, here's my 2 cents. Clearly Shawcross didn't intend to break Ramsey's leg, there was no lunge or stamping motion, he's going in to get the ball and unfortunately Ramsey's leg is planted. We saw from Shawcross' reaction as he left the pitch how upset he was. He does though go in with terrific pace and aggression (he's a big guy) and without much control or skill in his tackle, for that he can be accused of being reckless. As the boss has pointed out, a great tackle is as pleasurable to watch as a great strike of cutting through ball, it's a skill in itself. The incident has highlighted some bigger questions than just broken legs though. It comes back to this phrase and state of mind that 'Arsenal don't like it up 'em.' Obviously Pulis hasn't gone to his team and said 'go break his fucking leg,' but you can be sure the dressing room have been told to 'get stuck in' and 'let them know you're there' and 'hit him the first 5 minutes' and so on. We all love the physical side of the British game, it's what sets us apart from the jessie's in Spain and Italy, but this mindset and philosophy to get stuck in can breed the over aggression that caused the serious injuries to Ramsey, Eduardo and Diaby. I have no real problem with Shawcross to be honest, despite some less than clean tackles on Adebayor and Frannie Jeffers that have been brought up since the Ramsey incident - he seems very sorry for what happened, as he should be. However, all we heard for the next few days was 'he's not that kind of player' and what a lovely lad little Ryan Shawcross is, and how fantastic and smashing the other England lads had been with him while on international duty. 'Ryan Shawcross hasn't got a bad bone in his body,' well Aaron Ramsey has 2 bad bones now. But imagine for a moment that Ramsey had just got fouled in that incident, yellow card for Shawcross and the game goes on. Another Delap throw in gets nodded in by Fuller and Stoke win that game 2-1, what would the headlines be the next day? 'Arsenal didn't fancy it,' or 'they weren't up for it' or 'couldn't handle Stoke's physical game.' We've heard all these sorts of things after games with Bolton, Hull, Blackburn etc, and we've now suffered a double leg break, a leg break with open ankle dislocation and a broken ankle. That's where Wenger is right when he says he doesn't believe in coincidences. Eduardo hasn't been the same player since, Diaby is doing well but both players' bodies are still recovering from the trauma they've been through. Little calf tweaks and hamstring pulls are regular for both lads, the body isn't used to the amount of hard work you're asking it to do after 6 months sat on your arse. So we can only wish Aaron a speedy and problem free recovery, he's a young lad so he should be back on his feet soon enough and itching to kick a football again. Let's win it for the boy.

Finally, this is my 16th March 2010 England squad. I did this a few months ago and I'll do another one just before the Capello 30-man provisional squad, and then make my final 23 before he picks his, see how good of a manager I would be. This presumes that all the players are fit and that Wayne Bridge doesn't make a U-turn on his exile decision.

Keepers: Green (1), James, Hart
Defenders: Terry, Ferdinand, Johnson, A.Cole, Brown, Baines, Upson, Lescott
Midfielders: Gerrard, Lampard, Barry, Walcott, J.Cole, Carrick, Milner, Lennon
Forwards: Rooney, Heskey, Defoe, Crouch

Keepers: No big surprises here, Hart has made that 3rd spot a cert with some excellent performances for B'ham this season, if anyone is vulnerable it's James for me.
Defenders: Assuming Cole is fit, if not then Warnock is a candidate, Capello might try and beg Bridge, but we have other options in Barry, Lescott and Milner there. Brown will go despite how uninspiring he is, let's just hope Johnson gets fit for fuck sake. I'd rather leave Lescott behind and bring Downing/Young but I think Fabio will err on the side of caution and bring the extra defender.
Midfielders: I'm always gonna take my boy Theo, plus he can double up as the 5th striker if we need him there, Joe Cole is worth the gamble for me, he hasn't set the world alight this season but he's a great player, Milner is a shoe-in and Lennon's early season form has convinced me he's the man to replace Becks.
Forwards: Pick themselves really. If the boss does some juggling in Def/Mid to make room for the extra striker I'd probably take Carlton Cole. Take her easy.