My Take on the Fabregas Tranfer Saga and How Fabregas could be a man who shaped our club!

Warning: Extreme Optimism coming your way. Do not attempt to read, if can't take it.

First, let me get some things cleared up.

1. Fabregas loves Barcelona.
2. Fabregas loves Arsenal, Arsenal Fans and respects Mr.Wenger.
3. It was his childhood dream to play for Barcelona shirt.
4. Barcelona may be the club that taught the basics of football to Cesc, but, its Arsenal who made him a star that he is now, at this age of 23.
5. Wilt all the talk from Barca, he was hopeful that a deal might be struck between the two parties. He has great respect for both clubs, that is the reason why he did not make any comments about the situation in the media. Being a true professional, he decided to wait and see.
6. Barca weren't able to negotiate a deal with Arsenal.
7. Cesc knew that a deal cannot be completed because of the financial situations at both clubs and the tactics that Barca used to persuade Arsenal to sell.
8. He released a statement saying that he is focused on the coming season for Arsenal.

Now, initially I was glad that Cesc had decided to stay. How long? It doesn't matter. A player of that qwality will definitely make a difference on the pitch, no matter the circumstances. We, Arsenal fans have clearly seen that when he was injured after the Barca game at the Emiates.

My whole thought process is useless if Arsenal don't genuinely challenge for honors in major competitions. If we do and perhaps win a title(except the Carling Cup), then I think that Fabregas may be convinced to stay. He is driven by success and if we can show that we can win some trophies, I think he will be happy to stay.

Arsenal have been gaining a reputation as a selling club in recent past. The debt for the construction of the stadium is a factor. Now that the clubs finances are looking up, there is no reason to sell our best players. But, our manager needs to show that in the transfer market by starting to get world class talent into the club. I think the whole Fabregas saga might have an effect on how the club performs in the near future. If we maintain our stance in this issue, it will be an indicator to other clubs that we cannot be bullied into selling our top performers. Furthermore, if we can please Fabregas by bringing in a couple of top quality players, we will be more of a super power than a selling club.

So, that's how I think this whole Fabregas transfer saga can effect our club in a positive way. If you are one of the pessimists, there are plenty of Arsenal blogs out there covering the case in a negative(or as some opposition fans call it, realistic) manner.

Come on you, Gunners!

Final FWC Standing

So, the world cup has finished and Spain are deserved winners. I like the Dutch but, you have to accept that the Spanish showed them why they were pre tournament favourites. Anyway, on fantasy terms, I've finished 2,491st overall. I am reasonably satisfied and I hope to get on with the Fantasy Premier League too. I heard that it was open a few days back but I could not check because I was away from home. Kpk and snehil, bring it on!

I have a telephonic interview today, so I'll have to prepare for it. Till then.

:)

The GOTT: Giovanni van Bronckhorst vs Uruguay

This has to be it. A sensational shot right into the top corner from distance. Forlans' goal can also be given a mention here.





Then, there is this well taken set piece to finish it off.

GOTT: Luis Suarez vs Korea Republic

What a curler!

GOTT: QUAGLIARELLA vs Slovakia

The Italians are out but, this is something they've left for the tournament. A good game, overall.

GOTT: Holman vs Serbia

Great strike mate!

GOTT: Mesut Ozil vs Ghana

I was looking at the highlights of some of the matches that I've missed and I've found this to share with you...

Fantasy Footy Update

The group stages of the world cup have come to an end and I am relieved that Spain somehow avoided Brazil in the round of 16. That doesn't make things easy for them, but we still have a possibility of the dream final alive.One of Germany and England have to go out this round. I'm rooting for the Germans to stay, because I do not like the hype that is associated with English team.

Here is another goal from an exceptional player. Kicking the ball into an empty net is easy, but it has to be mentioned today.



Here is a little snippet of how my fantasy team is doing.

I am getting points quite consistently, and am ranked 381 at the moment. There is a difference of 30 odd points between me and the 1st placed team. Hoping to close him down.

:)

GOTT: David Villa vs Honduras

Simply stunning.



And what brought even more joy to me is the fact that he was my captain for round 2. Here is a quick look at where i stand now. Round 3 looks to be challenging and low scoring.

Later!

Arsenal Start their Campaign in Anfield for the 2010/2011 season

The fixtures for the coming season have been released a few hours ago and Arsenal start their campaign at Anfield, facing Liverpool.

Check out the full set of fixtures here.

One can notice that we do not have Chelsea, ManU and Liverpool on a row, like last time out, but the end of November and most of December look to be quite challenging with trips to Everton, Aston Villa and ManU going along with home games against Spurs, Chelsea and Stoke.

GOTT : Tshabalala vs Mexico

A great counter attack finished with a powerful shot into the top corner of the net.

GOTT : Maicon vs North Korea

You think its a fluke? Watch this,

GOTT (Goals of the Tournament) Diego Forlan vs South Africa

I would like to share some of the best goals of the tournament so far. These are only my picks, but if you have something to share, you can post it in the comments section.



It did take a deflection off the defender but, it was great goal.

The Dust settles

What a day of football has it been. First off, we were treated to the attacking splendors of the Chileans. Then, we have got what everyone was waiting for. An upset. Yes, Spain have been beaten 1-0 by the Swiss. A great game for the Swiss. They stuck to their game plan, let Spain keep all the possession and struck them on the counter. This upset brought both, joy and sorrow to me. The sorrow was in a fantasy world that I keep visiting when there is football on TV. My Spanish contingent return miser results. The joy was in the real world. I've started to get frustrated by Spain in recent time. Especially with the Catalans. The way in which they were trying to get Fabregas away from Arsenal is the obvious reason.

Round 2 of football has begun and the signs are looking good for the tournament. We've got 3 goals from Uruguay against the hosts, South Africa. Hope this trend keeps up throughout the tournament. I've only seen the first goal before I turned off the TV. It was brilliantly taken by Diego Forlan.

I finished Round 1 ranked 60th. Not bad at all. Eh?

Fantasy World Cup Update & the Samba boys

I do not have any work to do at office as the end of my internship draws closer. I can't help but engage myself in blogging to keep away from boredom. The matches that took place yesterday were:

New Zealand  1 vs 1     Slovakia
Portugal          0 vs 0     Ivory Coast
Brazil              2 vs 1     North Korea

I had only watched bits of Portugal vs Ivory Coast before watching Brazil vs North Korea. I was hoping to see some good football from the Samba boys but, I was left disappointed. This was largely due to the way the North Koreans played. They were organized and defended well as a unit, not allowing the Brazilians any room. I should say that they weren't a team intimidated by Brazil. When they had the ball, they tried to create their own chances on the counter attack. Maicons' beauty and Robinhos' inch perfect pass sealed the game for the Brazilians while, North Korea grabbed a well deserved consolation later in the game.

Kaka and Maicon were the players of interest, as they were in my fantasy team. They did not disappoint and grabbed 5 attacking bonus points each.There are two more games left before the round finishes. I'm currently 15th in the world. Can I finish as the round winner? I will have to wait and see.

Till then.

It gets better! I'm surprised :P

Van Der Wiel, RvP and Zambrotta played for me in yesterdays' matches. Only VDV produced good results while the others faltered. I thought that my rank is going to drop, but to my surprise i found out that I've climbed to number 48 in the world. I have a few good players to come in, lets see where I will finish at the end of this round.

The Arsenal Away Kit 2010/2011

The new Arsenal away kit is here.

That looks good enough and a lot better than the current away strip. Haven't seen reaction from other fans but, a few of them are pleased with the new kit.

Update: One more picture of the kit.

Kick Off

Well, the world cup has started. I watched a few matches already and I should say that Germany were absolutely ruthless against Australia(thats what I've gathered from the first half). I'm keeping myself engaged with fantasy football and the Germans have provided me superb returns.

Messi was fantastic against Nigeria. So was the Nigerian keeper, Vincent Enyeama. I did not watch any group A matches but, I was impressed by the way Ghana played against Serbia.

Round 1 hasn't finished yet, in the McDonald's FIFA Fantasy game and I'm ranked 176 in the world. I do not know how it will last, but I'm enjoying every moment of it.

:)

We have Netherlands vs Denmark today and I'm hoping for a few goals from the Dutch. Take care, all.

PES 2011

I was just having a look around gamespot and I found these:

 

The lines accompanying some of the pictures suggest that Konami might have something really big lined up to try an battle with the other industry leader EA Sports FIFA. By looking at the screens, I predict we can expect better control. The graphics look neat. I am not a PES fan boy, but, I can't wait for FIFA and PES2011 to be released!

Going to get a lot tougher

Well, what can you say? Life is tough and you have to deal with it. I am almost at the end of completing an internship, during which i have put aside my hobbies (mostly because of my laziness and because it is difficult to find people who share my interests at the place where i work). I have had some tough times recently. The work that I've been given is not that challenging, but, frustrating. There are no openings here. And, I know that there is a high probability that I may have been placed by now if i hadn't meddled with the PS station preference order given to me by KPK.

Then there is Cesc Fabregas, whom i adore. The arsenal captain. He feels that he needs to go out to Barca. I respect Barca for the way they play football but, the way they tried to tap up Fabregas and drive down the price was absolutely disgusting. Atleast, Real Madrid pay for what the player is worth. (OK OK, they pay more than his worth).

It has been quite some time since my parents shifted to a somewhat rural part of Vijayawada. I would like to call it a suburb. But, I cannot. There is no broadband, because, there are only a few houses in the colony. An apartment is being built. A hospital and an educational institution are also under construction nearby. I would have to wait for some more time before the cable operator feels its feasible for him to provide internet in the colony.

"I am very thankful to my parents for their support through these hard times. They are being patient and I wish to re pay their faith."

On a lighter note, the above sentence might be familiar if you are a football fan. Most footballers say it, referring to their manger and fans. Speaking about football, we are about 8 days away from the world cup. And I'm one day away from being able to set up my team in the official FIFA World Cup fantasy game. Do join up, if you like fantasy sports.

Ooooh, thats a lot of gold!

I would have supported Spain for this years' world cup but, then I realized that it is only when Fabregas goes to Spain that all kinds of crap floats around in the papers. So, fu*k off Spain. There are only a very few teams in the world that have as much popularity as the Brazilian football team do. They are one of the favourites for the trophy, and I'll be watching them closely. Another team that I like to watch is the Netherlands. I hope they achieve success in this tournament. I do not believe Italy, France, Portugal and England can win it this time, but you never know. "You never know". What a phrase. You can predict whatever you want to and also be on the safe side.

Just had a quick look at the teams again and here is my final prediction.

Winners: BRAZIL
Possible Winners: ARGENTINA,NETHERLANDS,SPAIN

Well that is all for now. I will share my views on the tournament, when it actually kicks off. Till then, have a great time.

Who do you think will win the world cup? Share your opinion int he comments section.

My Vote goes to....

Do Vote for your favourite...here!

Dhoni Blooper!

This  was heard during the presentation ceremony after Chennai vs Kolkata match in IPL3 on 13th April 2010.


Harsha Bhogle: I know you've come from Ranchi, but, I would never believe that you've come from anywhere other than Chennai today.

MS Dhoni: Ya, I think the people in Chennai...they just love me. In the firt IPL, when I used to go out biking at night... wherever I used to stop...aah, in the RED LIGHT AREAS(he means traffic signals!) or...you know they used to come up to me and speak to me in tamil. So, I think they really love me over here!

Try to find it in Youtube!

My EPL Final Table Prediction

Just in case if it comes true.

First Post for the new year?!

I am working on a post currently. Don't know when I will be able to finish it. Work is taking out a lot of time. For KPK and all my Fantasy League opponents! Here's my highest scoring game week. If you are a football fan. You should be playing FPL. Join @ Fantasy Premier League. One you have joined ... follow this link, enter the code 80618-407373 in the text box and click the join Private league button. If you are already playing the game, do join this mini-league or give me the code to your league.

Cheers!