Ade: I feel bad for you, I do

Good afternoon, Gooners

I'll make this quick and to the point. To be fair, I felt the match could have been won by either team. It was the type of match that any team who took advantage of their sparse attempts would get the result. As usual, the Arsenal had loads of possession but if time with the ball doesn't yield goals it doesn't matter. For long periods of possession we didn't register a knifing run or any diagonal movement suggesting even an attempt on goal. The Arsenal really are missing both Theo and Arshavin but offensive players like Diaby ought to spend less time dancing with the ball laterally and move forward. I also feel that Bendtner and RVP should switch roles as B52 can win more balls in the air and physically in a central role than delicate RVP. As much as B52 has improved on the wing he is simply not built for that role.

Worth mention is that this match comes after Internationals. What we didn't experience was mass injuries but in replacement it appeared as if the entire squad was lethargic, lazy and very Ade-like. Most teams struggle after these breaks due to the lack of training and team socialization that is needed to put in a coherent performance. Psychologically, I never felt the urgency or effort until the Arsenal were chasing the match, courtesy of another Almunia blunder. A soft, floating ball should probably always be parried wide or caught at this level. Of the shots that were not directly kicked at Almunia he had another poor outing conceding all shots that made him attempt a save. These continued blunders cannot continue if the Arsenal are to make a serious attempt at any silverware. They are not good for team morale, especially the defenders, but we simply don't have a back-up of his caliber. Let's just support him and hope he makes amends mid-week.

I am deeply disappointed in our captain, Cesc Fabregas. After the go-head goal was scored by Bellamy the match became very chippy; in particular, Arsenal players were duped into lunging at and trying to get stuck in on Donkeybayor. I felt that when we lost our heads, we lost the match. As captain, Cesc really needed to calm the manic behavior of the match down but his leadership was absent. Donk got away with stomping Cesc's ankle early in the match, and then cleating the face of RVP; Song kicked out at him and got booked. Usually cool Clichy clearly got agitated and started lunging at players, over committing on the tackle the sprung Wright-Phillips wide to pass to Donk. In short, the players stopped playing the Arsenal way and began to react in a negative manner: kicking out at players and over committing to the tackle. Perhaps if Cesc had cooled our tempo and we had regained our focus we would have been able to equalize before the third goal was conceded. Hopefully, lesson learned and behavior won't be repeated in the future.

And, finally, I wanted to make a brief statement about Donkeybayor's classless celebration. After his goal, which really any small boy could have finished with the amount of space he had...he decided to run the entire length of the pitch and celebrate in front of our Arsenal Away fans:



Later, Ade would apologize for his goal celebration There is a saying here in America, "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me". If this character hadn't pitched himself to big clubs such as Barca and Milan the previous season he may well have still been an Arsenal footballer but instead he decided to not address the rumors and wait till the end of the transfer window. Stringing along the fans like we are some sort of fools is not the best way to win over our hearts and minds. After the deals didn't materialize only then did he decide to pledge himself to the Arsenal. It is not because of his laziness, ego, African-heritage, or stupid dances that the fans felt so detached from him - we felt betrayed by his unwillingness to come out to the press and simply say, "I am an Arsenal player...I am on holiday...and I have no intention of leaving". I think we just wanted the confirmation that he wanted to wear the shirt and bleed Arsenal red.

I will not accept his apology today because it is clear to me that the celebration was pre-meditated and meant to inflict the most damage possible to the hearts of Arsenal fans. As a fan who was angry about the way he handled the rumors, I will not be fooled again. Today's celebration and display of petulance was in lines with the classic "I'll show you" mentality, which we are all likely familiar with...when we were 10-years-old playing football during recess when the last guy picked got the game winning goal as the school yard bell rang. He usually ran into the classroom full of glee but ya know what happened to this guy? He got picked last...again.

In my opinion, Ade's ego is far too big for his own good. This guy hasn't won anything yet he feels he is special and entitled to superstar treatment. Due to the fact that he is so self-absorbed he doesn't have the cognitive capacity to think beyond himself; hence, he fully believes that the fans were in the wrong for doubting him because, to him, he did nothing wrong. Since the guy doesn't think he did anything wrong it is no surprise that he displaced his poor performances on we the fans of the Arsenal. It is because of this deflection of responsibility that I don't like Adebayor. To me, he is not a man but a petulant, immature boy who wants praise, hugs and kisses because of the name on the back of his kit...and not for hard work, honor, or character.

Today, I feel bad for Adebayor. I feel bad because he only confirmed what the Arsenal fans had been thinking: his behavior may not be money driven at all but it is most definitely conceited, and Ade-driven. I feel bad that he doesn't even understand how this behavior and reputation will follow him throughout his career. I feel sick that players like him, who lack basic goodness and respect for the sport have been presented the opportunity to play football at the highest level and disrespect football and its fans in return. I certainly hope he gets everything he deserves, including all of the negative karma that is sure to follow.

And, for today, Ade has his day of glory with his new team, with his beloved fans and they will soak it up and claim to be a Big Four team. That's fine because there was a time when the Arsenal loved Adebayor when he scored goals and worked hard for the team but as we found out the honeymoon was over before it started. I can only predict that at some point City will struggle, Donk may go through a scoring drought and he won't have anyone to blame...but himself. He'll probably throw his teammates under the bus or start picking at the local fans; it's only a matter of time before the agents come courting his services from afar and he does the same to City. And I'm fine with him continuing to talk about the Arsenal in whatever negative way he needs to because it only confirms his ignorance and small-name stature. So, until we meet again...

ArsenaLOS