Start of something great for Arsenal

For the first summer in a long time involving Arsenal Football Club, fans can sit back and soak up the Sun (or lack of it) and enjoy Arsenal making strong statements of intent in the form of large sponsorship deals, players committing their future to the club and hopefully make the kind of transfers that Arsenal and Arsene Wenger have not made. 

The transfer saga so far has mainly included Gonzalo Higuain. Following news in Madrid that Real are to appoint Carlo Ancellotti as their new manager a sense of optimism almost hit fever pitch as Arsenal fans had been lead to believe that this appointment would signal the sanctioning of Higuain to Arsenal. As of yet this has not materialized yet but if this does come to pass as all sources seem to be pointing to it will signal the biggest act of ambition showed by my London club since they swooped for Dennis Bergkamp from Inter Milan in 1995. Higuain like Bergkamp would be arriving at London during his mid 20's and with a couple of years before he reaches his "peak" it shows there is still time for him to improve and become wiser. With a great work ethic and a deadly eye for goal he would definitely bring quality and something that is drastically lacking from Arsenal in recent years. Genuine competition. 

At times last year the goal scoring pressure fell on the shoulders of Giroud as the lone striker. While Giroud had a positive first season adjusting to a new league it was impossible to expect him to solely replace the goals of RVP. So thankfully the likes of Walcott/Podolski/Cazorla all stepped up and helped the void with all 3 scoring over 10 goals each. But with Higuain in it gives Arsenal the ability to say to the others, are you not cutting it upfront? Fine, someone else is coming in. It will mean to each player who wants to play upfront you need to perform instantly or our record signing will be pushing you out of the team.

The signing will also galvanize a negative section of the crowd, who to their credit are paying crazy figures of money to watch their Arsenal play each week and are entitled to wonder where their money is going. Hopefully a signing of this stature proves Arsenal aren't just happy with replacing big names with equal or lesser names as has been the case over the last 3-4 years. A satisfied and happy crowd will definitely help us transform a couple of draws into wins throughout a season.

So is Higuain the final solution? Far from it. There are still 1 or 2 positions up for grabs in the Arsenal first team and would 2-3 genuine proven players brought in we could finally have the squad that could last the length of a season while competing on all fronts. No longer viewing this competition as irrelevant and needing to rest players for that important champions league match. One of these positions is one of the holding midfielder positions. If the papers are to believed Fellaini is the next target. I am a big advocate of the massive Belgian, not only does he offer us a huge physical threat that we have been lacking but it gives our midfield a nice fluid balance. A midfield of Arteta, Ramsey, Wilshere/Cazorla can't expect to dominate the midfield at all times during the game with just passing and possession, sometimes you need someone to win the headers, hold off their opposite man and with the Belgian in the heart of midfield he definitely brings that option. Also his versatility gives us options to push him forward in times of desperation. 

Another position is the goalkeeper one. While Szczesny has come under massive criticism from fans and the media I feel this is very unfair on the young Polish keeper. At 23 years old he is a keeper with a bright future and potential to be one of the best in Europe but the Premier League is unforgiven to a keeper but while I don't agree with him being dropped during the season, when Wenger has previously persisted with other keepers (almunia and fabianski) for longer spells after a number of costly errors, it clearly worked wonders for him as it offered him competition and competition, as I have said before is something we lack. When Fabianski came in he did a stellar job but with a year left on his contract it would be great to add a genuine older header to help provide Wojciech with this competition and also someone he can learn from. Julio Cesar appears to be on our radar and at 33 years old he offers 2-3 years of competition, but signing the Brazilian would incur a big transfer fee and potentially extravagant wages that I don't think we should shell out on a stop gap keeper. Personally I would prefer to see a Brad Friedel/Mark Schwarzer/David James type to come in fill in for 10-12 games maximum while at the same time showing professionalism and a wise old head for Szczesny to learn from.

Finally we move onto the CB position. This position shouldn't be in question, since the superb duo of Koscielny & Mertesacker were undoubtedly the main reason we secured Champions League football for this season. They offered a good double act. Kos could mark the striker tight and drop off to win it up higher then Mertesacker could sweep up with ease. However if Mertesacker was left one on one against a quicker striker Kos' fantastic recovery speed meant he could get him out of danger. It is no surprise they didn't lose a single game together when they played, their styles compliment each other well. But again where is the competition? If our big German got injured only Vermaelen could fill in, but how will he react from going from our captain to being a second choice defender? Only time will tell.  What would happen if Kos got himself a suspension in the time another defender was out? We would have no cover without dipping into our reserves. A premiership defender who is familiar with the league's physicality, pace and style is necessary if we are to compete. The talk is Ashley Williams is also being targeted. While he ticks all the boxes of what we need, 10 million for a player with 2 years top flight experience is definitely a bit of a bargain and he would understand our philosophy of playing the ball out of defense when needed having being coached under rodgers & laudraup. But would he happy to go from being Swansea captain to fighting for his place? The attraction of champions league football would likely sway his opinion and at 28 years old it is definitely coming to his peak and would want to ply his trade at the highest level.

Could three signings + Higuain transform our season? Definitely. Proven quality players with top flight experience are a must though. If Wenger chooses to sign 20 year olds from Ligue 1 they will need to have proven themselves for a number of years on the spin ala a Hazard but if Wenger really wants to be ambitious. Only Premiership players or "Super Quality" will do. This is the first summer since our 2006/7 season when I was delighted with our activity. We signed Rosicky, Gallas, Baptista and I finally thought it was to be our great year, while only Rosicky and Gallas were modest successes there is a definitely feeling that this could be the start of a new era for Arsenal Football Club.

Man of Steel Review

So last Friday I managed to go see the new Superman reboot, Man of Steel so thought I'd share my review with the world. Having been let down in the past by super hero reboots and perhaps even growing tired by the non stop factory that is Hollywood churning out Superhero film after superhero film I went in with lowered expectations following from an initial feeling of super excitement (pun intended). 

My fears were instantly put to bed during the opening 20 mins of the big budget movie. The first scenes are set entirely on Krypton and quickly help establish the movie in a darker and gritty more realistic light (I use this term realistic loosely as it does feature an Alien Russell Crowe riding on a space Dragon Fly). The scenes help to establish a whole world that has its own politics, laws, civilisation and also society that is doomed to fail. Not only does it establish Krypton as a massive world but it helps us understands everyone's motivations. Jor-El knows Krypton is doomed and there is nothing he nor anyone can do about it but if he gives his only Son a chance maybe he can grow up to be better than his generation.

General Zod, played immaculately by Michael Shannon, also displays his motivations, he wants the Cortex, a Kryptonian Skull which essentially holds all the DNA to Kryptonian people and can help rebuild civilisation after it will end but he is a military man and he will let nothing stand in his way to do what is best for his nation.

We are then introduced to Clark Kent/Kal El, as a wandering nomad, trying to find his place on Earth, he is looking for answers to where he is from, what he was sent to Earth to do and finally understand his potential. He finally comes across a potential answer in the form of a Kryptionian Spaceship frozen under the Arctic. It is here where he finally meets Jor El and his legacy is explained to him. Before donning the cape to become Superman.

Henry Cavill more than fills the physical side of the role as he stands well over 6 feet with a hulking frame to put most heros to shame. But does he come across as believable, likeable and charismatic enough to play the role? Truthful we aren't sure yet, he certainly fits the bill as Superman but as Clark Kent we are not sure yet, as his reporter at the Daily Planet is only hinted at the end of the movie, but from the ability of Cavill as an actor I am sure he will nail it in future sequels. Credit must go to the younger Clark Kent's in flashbacks as they capture every aspect an isolated person most feel like, from trying to come to terms to their superpowers, to trying to be better when they know they are capable of great, almost miraculous feats. 

After our hero dons the cape and the suit the action begins and it takes us on a thrill ride that I didn't want to get off from. Let me just say this, visually this film is unlike any film you will see in the next 5-10 years. The talk has been it is a Terrence Malick film with Michael Bay action, while this description is very lazy it actually kind of sums it up. The flashback scenes, shots where we learn about Clark's younger years and also his 'earth family' are shot beautiful. Really giving life to Smallsville and making you think this place could actually exist. They also help to capture the tender moments perfectly as the shots are close up to keep focus purely on the actors and the moments between one another. But when it comes down to action, boy you are in for a treat. Think the Matrix 2&3 action scenes mixed in with the Avengers grand finale showdown and you are almost on level with the wave of action that is dished out in the last 90 mins of this movie. Towns are decimated,  buildings are brought down with ease, debris is scattered like rain and it keeps giving. If you are like me and hated Superman Returns you will be more than pleased with sheer amount of action in this film. 

The action shows us just what Superman should be, a God. He is able to fly, dish out damage of unspeakable might and travel at speeds that can't be tracked. So when the destruction happens it only makes sense for it to be on this large scale. I definitely need to go back and watch this film in 3D to see if the action is as splendid second time around and also in 3D.

While I found the film to be great it is not the perfect film. I still had my doubts of the actions of Father Kent and also felt Lois Lane went from being this great representation of an investigative reporter to damsel in distress too quickly. However what this film does more than anything else is sets up the world/universe for a sequel, a Justice League film and possibly even other Superhero films set in a similar universe. We are giving nods to Lex Luthor's presence, even to Bruce Wayne. 

I have to end this review on one note, as I normally do I get very defence when people's views on films, tv shows and other views completely differ to mine and one of the common themes I have heard is that Superman wouldn't do this or Superman wouldn't destroy cities. But what people need to understand this is a young Superman, one who hasn't quite understood his powers until he finally fights Zod & co. So the devastation he has left behind is something to be expected. This isn't Superman retrieving a cat from a Tree or stopping someone from building a crystal island off the coast of America. This is him saving the world from a Supervillain of equally impressive power. SPOILER ALERT - Superman kills Zod at the end and I have heard enough people claim Superman would not do this, he is too good etc. However what we need to understand he was placed in a situation he didn't want to be in fighting for the life of humans and the world he has come to love or kill Zod. He chose to kill Zod and by his reaction we understand there was a sense that he didn't want to kill Zod, as it not only killed his link to Krypton he showed himself as a monster to the world, but what we also need to appreciate is he SAVED the world. People died, granted, thousands probably but he saved the world. He can't be everywhere at once and this weakness should definitely be a big part of the sequels and the DC universe they have built. Also to the critics, if you have followed the comics you would know Superman has actually killed Zod before so I find that argument very lazy, I feel people were still hoping for some 70's Superman throwback where he flies around with Lois Lane and contains rescues everyone from grandmothers crossing roads to petty crooks who are escaping with a bag full of cash.

What the film needs to do now is have Lex Luthor show himself, give him a reason for the world not to trust Superman, maybe even point out the trail of destruction and target Superman as a villain but keep it the same universe and don't focus on Villain Villain Villain. Make sure Clark Kent is still the soul of the series, make him question himself, his actions and make him realise he is not the finished Superman yet. In the film Clark said the S on the Superman suit stands for Hope. Well I hope they continue to make the series in the same way and this really gives a stern challenge to future action/sci fi/super hero films. The bar has been raised in terms of scale and also in terms of introducing characters. Don't half arse it, hint hint Green Lantern, hint hint Daredevil.

8/10

"England & FA blame culture shows head again"

Following England's elimination from the 2013 UEFA under 21 championship at the group stages for the second time in a row there has been the usual fall out from media, pundits, fans and former professionals. Some have blamed the crop of foreign players in the premiership as the reason, some have blamed the attitude of the under 21 players, some (myself included) have pointed figure at the manager, some have even blamed the attitudes of the FA for not forcing mainstays of the national team into the under 21 tournament.

As usual instead of taking a step back and analysing the short comings of our football as a nation we have done the quick fire point finger blame game routine. With this article I hope to put some things into focus.

England topped their qualifying group with an almost flawless record. One loss out of 8. 24 goals scored and 3 goals conceded.

2013 UEFA Under 21 Qualification Table

 Averaging 3 goals a game and with a +15 goal difference over our nearest rival. Not all doom and gloom there is there? So why the failure at the tournament? The general consensus has been that we have missed key players who are unavailable or those who are now plying their trade in the full national team and these players should have been brought back to further their development.

Having tracked England's under 21 progress for a long time I found this view to be a bit odd considering that England were only missing Oxlade Chamberlain and Jack Rodwell from their full tournament squad compared to the one that qualified for the Tournament with relative ease. The starting line ups are all freely available be seen. Would these two players suddenly changed England from a long ball team into a passing slick tika taka style nation? Oxlade Chamberlain by his own personal admission has not had the season many expected and in fact he has found himself on the fringes of the Arsenal first team this season. Jack Rodwell can even say the same about himself. Frozen out of the Man City team following a high profile move and a number of injuries but with a string of appearances towards the end of the season it looked like he may have a part to play. However to say these would have made a huge impact to the lack of technical ability England showcased in Israel is a cop out.

The second argument is that the likes of Jack Wilshere/Phil Jones/Danny Welbeck should have all been playing in this tournament in order to further their development. Now I personally don't see how regulars for the national team (a national team that was derided for not embracing youth or willing to freshen up the squad) should have to take this step back to help out an England Under 21 team. If they are mainstays of the full team, and all likely to grace many a full tournament should England qualify, what benefit will it have on their development to play in an underage tournament? These players play at the highest levels in club terms and quite frankly they don't know how to adapt to tournament football from playing in the Champions League with Manchester United and Arsenal respectfully what hope have England got?

There is also the Pearce factor, while I am not his biggest fan he does deserve credit for his outstanding contribution to England Under 21 team and his overall record at qualification and even his record in his first and second tournament. However the way he has conducted himself throughout the last couple of years has been downright poor from a great servant. To constantly demand players make themselves available for u21 duty to even going as far as blaming individual players for shortcomings is nothing short of cowardice. Yes I am sure a team with Wilshere/Welbeck/Walker/Jones would have helped the team play better but to pin abject performances on key players is a stretch. Premier league managers would not dare come out after a loss and say well you gotta look at my team, if I had 5-6 better players in my team and not these boys we wouldn't have lost. Not only does it create a negative effect on morale but you lose respect of your team. You did so well to qualify with them why not say this wasn't us today but we will work on it and come back stronger. Then after another abysmal performance against Israel completely change your blame target and point a finger at the ones who are here. Sadly it seems like Pearce's time is up. No win in 6 tournament games should settle it. Fresh mind needs to come in, get a real identity of how England should be playing. Whether this be Glenn Hoddle, Phil Neville or some foreign nation youth academy coach so be it. Let's get englands second string playing possession football with penetration.

Finally the less heralded view is that simply put our youngsters are no where good enough to be challenging for a tournament. While this view can be quite extreme after watching the three games closely I have to side with this argument. I don't think a single player can possibly come out of that tournament with a raised price tag or an enhanced reputation. Wilfred Zaha has had a long season following play off exertions but to say he is the next big thing in English football is absurd. At the moment he is a raw player. Full of power, pace and close control but unable to effectively combine these on a regular basis to consistently terrorise defenders. Hopefully under Moyes and United staff they will get him focused on turn those raw skills into talent. Tom Ince was also meant to shine brightly but did nothing to suggest he is one of the best prospects in the championship. Connor Wickham clearly has so much to learn before he show the promise that gave him the coveted best player following England's Under 17 triumph in 2010. No player showed that had that X-factor to excite a crowd, make that clever pass to unlock a defence or show that determination to drive past their opposite number. Is that down to confidence or is it down to ability? After watching Group B's matches with the exciting dynamic talents of Isco, Holtby, Wijnaldum, Hermann it is hard to disagree that there isn't a clear gap in ability that you can't just learn from playing more games at a higher level.

So who is to blame for another tournament of failure? To the players who had a great chance to show they could break into the first team, you are to blame. To the players who aren't available to play at this tournament. You could have and maybe should have made a difference but to associate blame when they are not there is foolish. To the manager who has failed to improve from their last tournament. You clearly lack an overall idea of a style of play you want to implement. A defender is not a striker with 20 mins to go. You have played a goal keeper as a striker before, you have a lot to learn and are to blame. To the FA who don't make the first steps and implement a coach who wants to get us playing football correctly no matter the result. Don't allow yourself to be blamed.

"There's always a lighthouse, there's always a man, there's always a city"

So this is my first post on a video game I have recently completed. The game in question is Bioshock Infinite. In a nutshell I thoroughly enjoyed the game, it was something I haven't experienced in a FPS before. A clever story that is smart, keeps you guessing and makes you want to replay it. For anyone who hasn't played the original Bioshock, you probably need to play it and complete it to really appreciate Infinite. So spoilers from here on out. Bioshock Infinite sets you in the world of Columbia, the city about the clouds. While it is a complete different city to that of Rapture, in terms of colour and scope from the original Bioshock (think Disneyland with heavy religious imagery), the similarities are actually there for everyone to see. From the freaky enemies you face to the dark corridors, elevators and special items you collect you definitely remember your journey to Columbia as you did with your first visit to Rapture.

You are Booker DeWitt, a man with a troubled past who is sent to retrieve the mysterious Elizabeth from Columbia as a means of "repaying a debt" you owe. Apart from flashbacks that don't make sense and a few stories we don't know much about Mr DeWitt. We just know he is a man on a mission and needs to retrieve Elizabeth. The girl in question is something so rare, a NPC that we feel emotion for. We find her locked away in a tower by her father (definitely goes with the Disneyland feeling of Columbia) but this girl has a gift. An ability to open wormholes into other timelines and alternate universes. Jumping through alternate universes where different choices would occur becomes a regular occurrence as you try to return Elizabeth to the people who want her and clear you debt. This is probably one of the biggest themes of the game, the idea of choices we make and fate and outcomes. As the story unravels we learn that Booker DeWitt is actually the big baddy (Comstock) but an alternate universe version of himself and he is the father of Elizabeth. The alternate universe Booker/Comstock actually travelled back in time and bought the child of Booker in order to pay off his debts to bad people. Sound confusing? Well it is but it is explained perfectly. If it goes over your head, go back and play it again and be sure to listen to all the videotapes! Plot holes are explained very well via these.


Summary

I really liked Bioshock Infinite. The story however really made me really appreciate the game and appreciate the first Bioshock even more so. It isn't every day I can say that the creators of a game went away and said how can we make a game that is different to the original but pays homage and also expands on a universe we have created? But with Bioshock infinite they have done exactly that. More importantly they didn't water it down. They could have just said here is our story, and you will make a choice at the end that determines the outcome. They were bold. They made a game that was designed for existing fans and had a complex story that would reward you for picking up all the voice clips so you could understand the entire history of each character and also could tap into a new audience.

That is not to say I didn't have faults with the game. I found the combat way too easy. Along the way Elizabeth helps you with everything, if you running low on health, she will help you. If you die, she will help you, running low on ammo? Guess who helps you. It is a great function to have an AI partner who doesn't get in your way during a game but I found it to be quite frustrating that you were never really in any danger you couldn't handle.

Also the special skills such as Vigors felt a bit rushed and just a way to cash in on the Plasmids from the original. I found myself sticking to the same 2-3 vigors throughout the game and felt you could get by with the same combinations.

However the above didn't spoil the adventure for me. It was a great game that will be remembered for a long long time, thanks for the thoughtful fleshed out story, great voice acting, stunning visuals and solid action.

9/10

So where do I begin with my blog? I know, what has recently been in the news and caused me to sigh really loudly? Football. Don't get me wrong, I love, live and breath football. However there is still one thing that always grinds my gears. So called experts discussing what is affecting international football. I read a lot of articles today (see link here) discussing the short comings of the amount of english under 21 players and their playing time in the premiership, which is somehow causing the downfall of the national team. Now I find this articles so profoundly frustrating to the point I can only think of them as if buzz killington was ruining a perfectly good evening resulting in me rubbing my temples in agony.

Not only do these types of article not allow for time and development of new young players they seem to ramp pressure on existing players and take a bash at foreign players and foreign coaches and owners (surprise!). 

My frustration with these articles stems from this, what do you want to see? A sub par league where every player is english/homegrown and the football suffers as a result and the global brand becomes weak due to the top players being pushed out or do you want to stand tall as advocates for the superior brand that has possibly become more out of reach with the common fan due to the mass influx of money plowed into it? I know which one I would choose as bad as it seems.

This notion that playing young English players in the premiership/europa league/champions league will somehow turn them all into world beaters who can perform on the international stage is embarrassing. You don't get better by simply playing at a higher level, you get better by playing with or learning off superior players. I'm pretty sure I could learn twice as much playing with Paul Scholes than I could have from Scott Parker. Same way if I played and trained alongside Dennis Bergkamp I would reaped the benefit as opposed to training alongside another player I broke through the youth academy with. Want to be the best? Learn from the best? Want to stay average? Play with average?

Which comes down to another point of coaching. The Elite Performance Plan that has come into place is the first step. Increase the hours of players at a young age are being coached, decrease the size of the pitch football is being played on. Get them used to mastering the ball before they worry about running around the pitch all day. If English players came through who were technicians on the ball first and foremost then I guarantee this next generation would be able to play football that can be classed as possession football. 

Hello and welcome to my blog. If you happen to know me or if you have stumbled onto my blog thank you for reading. I won't bore you with details but my blog will consist of Football chat, Video game banter, tv and film talk and that jazz. 

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