I know several people have asked me when I was going to restart the normal spot but there have been several life changing issues over the past few weeks that I won’t go into. Excuse the run on… and the sentence fragment. It seems like my own 2011/12 season has been just as rocky and incoherent as the Arsenal’s.

Personally, I’m waiting for the world to end. S*urs may finish top 4…

I’ll let that sink in for the gooners and wannabes out there…

And now for the knife:  They may even finish above the Arsenal.

I guess the only possible good thing to come out of this is Good Ol’ ‘Arry is doing himself no favors on the stand. If you haven’t been following; allegedly Mr. Rednapp decided to take a few quid as a bonus for the Crouch deal. Not a bad thing on it’s own, however putting in an “investment” account in Monaco and not reporting it on your taxes is something a little, let’s just say, suspect.

Reading a few reports from the Guardian, I swear it sounds like something out of a Guy Ritchie movie. I know I’m not doing it any justice. So, as a rule I don’t trust any geezer who owns a pig farm. Ol’ ‘Arry might be one to own a pig farm or two.

More locally, has anyone noticed the excitement around the pub lately? No, well I guess I’m the only who pays attention. We have quite a few new faces showing up in the crowd; some falling right in step and others still lingering in the periphery. It’s good to have new blood, especially once they’ve lasted a few weekends and learn to order a pint without stuttering.

As SlainteLOSC stated, ‘No one is going to bite you.’

I hope to see everyone out this weekend and to Mr. Suarez…. no biting

For The Love Of All Things Holy DO NOT Sign Tevez
The rumor has already been quickly stamped out by Liverpool, but sources reported that the Reds approached Manchester City for a straight loser-for-loser swap.  Lets just hope this passes and we never hear of Tevez playing for Kenny Dalglish ever again.

Napoli Wont Let Go Of Cavani…
…because they know they need him if they have a chance of knocking Chelsea out of the Champions League.  As cool as it would be to see two Uruguayans playing up front, if the Reds sign him they will end up spending a fortune and possibly breaking Carroll’s own record deal.  It could work, but would the cost be worth it?  Carroll is not the only need that the Reds should address, so back-to-back record signings might not be the smartest business decision.

Stick It To Newcastle And Get Ba On The Cheap
Reports are in that Tottenham and Liverpool (as well as a few other clubs) are interested in what could be the best deal of the window.  Demba Ba will not be playing for Newcastle next season but is expected to stay in England where he can be picked up on the relatively affordable side of things and then practically double his salary.  Despite his knees being an issue, the Reds will make out like bandits if they make this deal happen and may even find themselves with a team willing to take Carroll back.

Wishing for Wesley Sneijder…
…is the only thing a fan can really do.  Wesley has not had the best season at Inter, and rumors temporarily surfaced that he was being looked at by Fergie.  With his value lower than ever it would be a risk a fan-boy like me would love to take, but an unlikely move from the Reds.  Even after Sneijder himself ruled out the Manchester United rumors I still hope for a surprise like this. Any reputable attacking player would suffice.

If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It
With an appearance at Wembley for the Carling Cup Final secured and the huge win over United in the FA Cup, the Reds might actually accomplish some of their goals set for this season.  Trophies and a Champions League berth are what fans were told to look forward to, and the Reds might actually deliver the silverware with Andy on the team.  Bellamy has stepped up when he has been needed, Gerard is looking better every week, Suarez will be back on the pitch tomorrow, and Kuyt has finally broken his goal drought.  Despite fan and media disgust for Carroll, Dalglish has continuously praised his forward and has made it clear that they plan on keeping him around.  It is quite possible that Liverpool does not see the same problem fans see with Carroll which would mean a quiet January transfer window for Reds supporters.

Stay tuned!

Friday,  January 27th

FA Cup:
2:30pm Watford v Tottenham
2:45pm Everton v Fulham

———

Saturday, January 28th

FA Cup:
6:50am QPR vs Chelsea
7:30am Liverpool v Manchester United
12pm Brighton & Hove Albion or Wrexham v Newcastle United

Bundesliga:
9:30am Bayern Munich vs. VfL Wolfsburg

Serie A:
12pm Catania v Parma
2:30pm Juventus v Udinese

Liga:
12pm Rayo Vallecano vs Ath. Bilbao
2pm Real Madrid vs Zaragoza
4pm Villarreal vs. Barcelona

———

Sunday, January 29th

FA Cup:
8:30am Sunderland v Middlesbrough
11am Arsenal v Aston Villa

Serie A:
6:30am Fiorentina v Siena
9am AC Milan v Cagliari

Bundesliga:
11:30am Stuttgart vs Borussia M’gladbach

Liga:
4pm Malaga vs Sevilla

Ligue 1:
3pm Stade Rennais FC v Olympique de Marseille

Suarez, as we all know, is still going through his eight-game ban for the race row with Manchester United’s Patrice Evera, while Balotelli is beginning his four-match ban for allegedly purposefully stamping on Tottenham Hotspur’s Scott Parker on Sunday morning. Some camera angles would show him trying to regain his balance, while others imply a deliberate knock against the former West Ham midfielder.

The question, I pose, however, is the severity of the punishments.

I have always questioned how the FA’s investigative team was able to determine that what Suarez called Evra – “negro” – is racist, while handing out only a four-match ban to Balotelli for what seems to be more violent conduct.

Uruguayan friends I have spoken with affirm that negro is a commonly used word in their society and that no racist or derogatory suggestion is ever implied. One can argue it is a different society and culture altogether from England’s.

As I’ve discussed with others at Slainte, this extreme reaction to Suarez’s comments reflects the overly-PC culture that pervades everywhere. Footballers wind each other up on the pitch and if every comment were to be examined and punished, football would stop. Far from condoning racist chants from spectators and abuse on the pitch, one asks for a more reasonable approach.

On the other hand, Balotelli gets to sit out only four games for an act that could have proved to be more dangerous than it turned out to be. It may not have possessed the deliberateness of Roy Keane’s attack on Manchester City’s Alf-Inge Haland, but it could prove to be just pure rash.

For speech one is severely punished, while for a physical act one is punished.

Carling Cup Semi Final: Liverpool (1) vs Manchester City (0)

Copa del Rey Quarter Final: Barcelona (2) vs Real Madrid (1)

International Friendly: Panama vs USMNT

After the 2-1 loss at Old Trafford, all eyes turned to Wenger and Arsenal’s front office… Is it the end of an Era?

Wenger has now been Arsenal Manager since 1996 for a total of 881 games and 502 wins. This season, and after a heavy loss 8-2 in August against the same Man United, Arsenal does not seduce. Van Persie and Chamberlain are probably the only hopes to “save” the season. Arsenal is now 5th, 10 points behind the Spurs who are sitting on the 3rd place of the table. Wenger’s philosophy is to stay away from becoming a new Man City by spending billions during the transfer window. He believes in Youth which made him become one of the best Manager of the World the past decade. However, it seems now that the recipe does not work anymore…. Talents are leaving Arsenal who ended signing veteran Henry back during the MLS break. The situation is not catastrophic… 5th in EPL, still running in Champions League and FA Cup. But Arsenal has been title-less since now 2005!

The next couple weeks will probably decide for Wenger’s future… A tough FA Cup match up vs Villa, three “easy” EPL matches until the Spurs Derby and AC Milan in Champions League.
I always respected his philosophy regarding the recruitment but a 7th year without a title will probably end Wenger’s love story with the Gunners.

It was the last day for Bret Holmes for quite a while, as he and Mrs. Holmes are expecting their first child in the next few weeks. Congratulations to them both and Mr. CITEH will be missed. It’s up to Ms. CITEH, a.k.a. Karen, to lead the uproar.

I entered Slainte just as the first big match of the day, Manchester City v. Tottenham Hotspur, was finishing. This would have been an opportunity for Spurs to close the gap on the league leaders. But Mr. Showman, Mario Balotelli, put them in the lead with a late penalty given away by Ledley King, ending the match 3-2. Manchester United, no doubt paying attention to the proceedings in the Etihad Stadium from down in London, would have wished for a different conclusion.

United were to play away at Arsenal in the second and final big match of the day. In recent days the talk had been of a revenge for Wenger’s men who were humiliated 8-2 at Old Trafford in the opening weeks of the current campaign. A repeat performance was too much to expect.

The match, which was televised on local Fox affiliate WBFF Fox 45 as a way of spreading the English Premier League, began with both sides feeling each other out. It really was not the best beginning to such a game as this. But finally, a goal came at the end of the first half when Valencia out-jumped Vermaelen to head into the net. Arsenal returned in the second-half and Van Persie equalized. It was shocking, however, to see Arsenal’s best player, Oxlade-Chamberlain, substituted for the unloved Arshavin, to the dismay of Van Persie. It was the Russian’s mistake it was that led to United’s second and decisive goal, scored by Welbeck.

When all was done, two big matches and big fun at Slainte.

I can watch those highlights again and again (City v Blackpool)….. that second half had so much life it was unreal.

Silva is such an important player and his talents on and off the ball benefit the team so much

We have a lot of depth and we have injuries so we truly do not know our side at 100%.

But in what we have seen so far there are pillars to this team. There are several spots up for grabs but some things are certain…

???? Tevez (obviously… without him we have nothing. he must be up top, best when alone or paired??… we haven;t revealed yet)

Silva (although he has played in the hole and on the wings we aren;t sure exactly how he will fit, only that he must be apart of the game)

??? ????
????
??? ???? Kompany ????
Joe

Slowly we are learning that J-bo is a talent and will lock down rb position, while still being versatile to play opposite wing or in the middle (huuuuuuuuuge for us down the stretch, hes like zab + talent/size/speed)

Yaya/Barry/Nigel all are hammers in the midfield, but there roles all depend on opposition…. they can take all three spots in the midfield, and will probably next week and against the rags, but in a game like yesterday we need to bring the game to opponents(second half) and all 3 enforcers are not need

Milner/AJ/SWP – just as the enforcers roles depend on opposition so too does that of our attacking minded midfielders

Up top with tevez is where mario comes in…. Adebuy could be off if yesterdays performance repeats itself…. either way to have adebuy and mario fighting for same spot…. sick

I think adebuy gets one last shot on thursday and will prob start with silva off him

Some good things-

Mark Hughes loses that game 2-1 in typical city fashion

Robinho maybe gets by one(maybe) of the defenders on Silva’s goal before taking a dive on the ball

Lesscott is much better inside then play out on the wing, but still a bit shakey

Great great game to take us into Arsenal

Call me Willy Worries but I feel the exodus of Tevez coming soon… his remarks about not wanting to play for the National team paired with his lack of pairing… make for an angry Argentine… and with 7 or 8 illegitimate children and a brother in jail across the pond… I can see a Boja Juniors spot for him in 2011.

Ok so Wigan this weekend – if we don’t beat Wigan this weekend I’m going to wear a jersey of the first commenters choosing to the Chelsea game… book it.

B