ARSENAL News

lovablemum · Joined: 02 Aug 2005 Posts: 4068 Location: Northants

Sol Campbell has been ruled out of England's World Cup qualifier against Poland with a hamstring injury - joining Ashley Cole on the sidelines in a major blow to Arsenal's title hopes.

Full-back Cole pulled out of England's squad earlier this week with a foot injury which could rule him out of action for up to a month.

Now Campbell, who missed the start of this season with a calf injury, could also be sidelined for several weeks after limping out of England's qualifier against Austria at Old Trafford.

That will give Arsene Wenger cause for concern as, although Rio Ferdinand is set to return to the starting line-up against Poland, Arsenal can hardly afford to be without their leading centre-back and left-back at the same time.

Eriksson, meanwhile, will also be without David Beckham through suspension after the England skipper was sent off against Austria.

The England coach revealed: "We will be missing a lot of players on Wednesday - Ashley Cole, Wayne Bridge, Gary Neville, Sol Campbell and David Beckham - although Wayne Rooney will be back. That's life in football sometimes."

~~debbydo~~ · Joined: 18 Jul 2005 Posts: 20005 Location: Hertfordshire

macs would like this hes an arsenal fan .. :smt012

lovablemum · Joined: 02 Aug 2005 Posts: 4068 Location: Northants

If ppl tell me their football teams, I can send ppl their teams news

Macs34 · Joined: 25 Mar 2004 Posts: 3467 Location: Kenya

~~debbydo~~ wrote: macs would like this hes an arsenal fan .. :smt012

yaah i did thatnks

en with our problems in our squod, Henry just gives us a life line!

Smashed in yesterday 2-0 against some team i cant spell their name in the EUFA group stages. :smt005

I gues we still have some life afterall!

lovablemum · Joined: 02 Aug 2005 Posts: 4068 Location: Northants

WELL DONE ARSENAL FOR YESTERDAY

lovablemum · Joined: 02 Aug 2005 Posts: 4068 Location: Northants

Ian Wright has declared Thierry Henry deserves to have beaten his Arsenal all-time goalscoring record as he is such a "fantastic" player.

Henry equalled Wright's mark of 185 goals for the club with his first goal in Arsenal's 2-0 Champions League win at Sparta Prague on Tuesday night before then eclipsing it with his second goal of the game.

Wright declared: "It couldn't happen to a nicer fella. He's a footballing person. It's all about the football and the fans.

"It would be different if it was someone you didn't like and he was a horrible person, giving it all the time, but he's not like that.

"He deserves it, he's a fantastic player. He's won everything, apart from the Champions League, which I'm praying he can do.

"It's no mean feat to come second to a player like that. It's not easy for me to say something like that, but when you're talking about someone like that coming along and beating you, it's an easier pill to swallow."

Wright took 14 fewer games to set his mark, having made 288 appearances for Arsenal, compared to Henry's 302, but he was 35 when he left the club - seven years older than the Frenchman.

The two players never appeared together in a competitive game, with Wright leaving Highbury in 1998, one year before Henry arrived from Juventus.

"I am a predatory striker. That is why people say they would have liked to see us playing together," Wright told Sky Sports News.

"He does what he does outside the box and I would be inside waiting to get bits and that would have been good to see."

lovablemum · Joined: 02 Aug 2005 Posts: 4068 Location: Northants

LIFE has been hard enough after Patrick Vieira. And last night proved that life without Thierry Henry would be simply unthinkable.

The Arsenal striker made a record-breaking return from injury as he single-handedly lifted the gloom which has been hanging over Highbury.

Henry, on as a 15th-minute substitute for Jose Antonio Reyes, hit a glorious double with a goal in each half to pass Ian Wright’s all-time Arsenal record with a tally of 186.

It confirmed Henry’s place not just in the history books but also as an Arsenal legend – his magic coming even though he is still not fully fit after six weeks out with a groin injury.

Boss Arsene Wenger, who has struggled to replace Vieira after selling him to Juventus for £14m in the summer, did not want Henry to play from the start and having him on the bench proved to be a gamble worth taking. No amount of money could ever compensate for Henry, because how can you put a price on such talent?

It was fitting that Henry equalled Wright’s record with a stunning goal which will go down as one of his very best and then he beat it with another typical finish after a lightning counter attack.

Henry, who joined Arsenal for £10.5m in 1999, used to worry about hitting the famous old clock at Highbury because his finishing was so wayward before Wenger helped convert him from a winger into one of the best strikers in the world.

Now Henry is the most sought after striker in Europe and his stalling over contract talks is a sign to the Gunners’ hierarchy that he won’t settle for mediocrity.

Mediocre

But the plain truth is that without Henry Arsenal are mediocre. But with him, they are spectacular.

As soon as he stepped on to the pitch the mood changed as he took the captain’s armband off Gilberto Silva, injected purpose and pace and within six minutes fired them ahead.

Reyes suffered a cracked rib after a heavy early challenge by Sparta Prague’s Adam Petrous to join Arsenal’s casualty list.

Without the likes of Freddie Ljungberg, Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole, it is easy to see why Arsenal have been stuttering. But Henry gives them a turbo boost with his pace, power and, more than anything else, his class. And the hallmark of quality was stamped all over his first goal. Kolo Toure’s ball forward found Henry who cleverly controlled the ball with a skilful flick on his heel and then swivelled and curled a stunning 20-yard shot into the bottom corner.

It sparked wild celebrations as Henry equalled Wright’s record when he least expected it. Half of the stadium had been shut last night by UEFA because of recent racist chanting and yet the Arsenal fans sung, chanted and toasted Henry’s brilliance all night.

It was hardly a classic match and yet Henry’s superb display will live long in the memory as will the superb performance of Toure who was a rock in the centre of Arsenal’s defence.

Many of Arsenal’s second string have struggled during their poor run and none more so than left-back Gael Clichy who was given the run-around by Sparta Prague winger Zdenik Pospech. But whenever Clichy was beaten, there was Toure to clear up behind him.

Despite Sparta Prague’s long spells of pressure, Jens Lehmann was only forced into one decent save all night – a smart tip over from Miroslav Slepicka. But as Sparta Prague began chasing the game, Arsenal were afforded space to hit on the counter attack. Then the record-breaking goal came in the 74th minute when Robert Pires’ superb pass found Henry who controlled the ball and then fired past Sparta Prague keeper Jaromir Blazek.

It was a goal which sparked joyous scenes among the Arsenal players and fans and Henry loved every minute of it.

He tried to write the figure 186 in the chilled air to celebrate his achievement. But Henry need not worry as his name will be forever etched in the record books along with the club’s all-time greats. The striker is already one of Arsenal’s best ever players and, at just 28, he is still young enough to establish himself as perhaps the club’s greatest of all time.

That is, of course, as long as he stays and God forbid he should ever leave Arsenal.

reddevilleanne · Joined: 20 Oct 2004 Posts: 13228 Location: Nottingham

lovablemum wrote: If ppl tell me their football teams, I can send ppl their teams news
Ooh, you can? :D

~~debbydo~~ · Joined: 18 Jul 2005 Posts: 20005 Location: Hertfordshire

well it was lovely seeing Ian wright hand over his trophy to terry henri on sat .. i think Ian wright is well hot .. :smt060

lovablemum · Joined: 02 Aug 2005 Posts: 4068 Location: Northants

Thierry Henry has reportedly told friends he's ready to quit Arsenal for pastures new.

Last week the Frenchman broke Ian Wright's all-time Gunners' goalscoring record with two in the victory at Sparta Prague.

But he's refusing to even talk about the possibility of a new Highbury deal until the summer.

Henry has revealed that the racism endured by black players in Spain recently would not stop him moving to La Liga - Barcelona are rumoured to be heading the chase for his signature.

And according to The Daily Express he's told friends that if he had to make the decision right now he'd be leaving Highbury.

The daily claims that challenge for Champions League honours could sway Henry, but he's more likely to quit the club.

A source told the paper: "Henry has told some of his friends there is no chance he would stay if he had to make a decision right now. He feels it is time to move on."

~~debbydo~~ · Joined: 18 Jul 2005 Posts: 20005 Location: Hertfordshire

Aw hes can come to liverpool i like him .. :-D

lovablemum · Joined: 02 Aug 2005 Posts: 4068 Location: Northants

NOT ALLOWED

reddevilleanne · Joined: 20 Oct 2004 Posts: 13228 Location: Nottingham

Wenger has money to spend
By Alex Livie - Created on 18 Dec 2005

Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein has vowed to back manager Arsene Wenger in the January transfer window.

The Gunners have made seamless progress in the UEFA Champions League, but their domestic form has not mirrored their European efforts as they lag behind Chelsea in The Premiership.

Arsenal have failed to replace midfield titan Patrick Vieira, but moves could be made to freshen up the squad in January.

Dein admits it may be tough to lure top class players to North London in January, but says Wenger will be allowed to open the chequebook should the Frenchman set his sights on a target.

"The January window is tricky because the best players don't want to leave their clubs and most will be cup-tied in the Champions League, which is a disadvantage," said Dein.

"But if there are players around that Arsene considers can improve the side then we will be in the market."

Arsenal face champions Chelsea at Highbury on Sunday, live on Sky Sports 1, and many feel it is a must-win encounter for The Gunners.

~~debbydo~~ · Joined: 18 Jul 2005 Posts: 20005 Location: Hertfordshire

They are though to the next round of the eruo champs league....
I hope they do what Liverpool did, it would be great!