Walcott7
Arsenal appeal means Wenger has no confidence in Podolski?
I know Arsene Wenger wants all his players available for the closing weeks of the season, but I am honestly surprised that Arsenal have decided to appeal the sending off of Olivier Giroud in last weeks game against Fulham .
Many Arsenal fans think that he should have been dropped after that performance anyway, but this announcement on Arsenal.com this morning makes it clear that Giroud is still Wenger’s first choice for centre-forward in the Gunners starting XI.
The statement read: “Arsenal Football Club have lodged an appeal to the Football Association for the wrongful dismissal of Olivier Giroud during the Premier League match against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
“An FA regulatory commission will hear the claim and make a verdict on Tuesday afternoon.”
Well Giroud reckons he slipped when he connected with Stanislav Manolev but there is no doubt it could have caused a serious injury to the Fulham defender, and definitely warranted a straight red.
I wonder how many Gooners will actually want Giroud to lose the appeal as everyone seems desperate to see Lukas Podolski given a chance as our new centre-forward, but it would seem that Wenger doesn’t have the same confidence in the German international as we do.
Well whatever happens we will know for sure this afternoon…….
Courtesy of JustArsenal.
Signing of the season: Walcott's contract tribute and other memorable real-life celebrations
When Theo Walcott celebrated scoring in Arsenal’s 5-1 win over West Ham on Wednesday by imitating the action of signing his new contract, he became the latest in a line of footballers to re-invent a real-life episode into the art of honouring a goal.
There may well have been some personal relief in doing so, of course, given the months of uncertainty that had surrounded his future before Walcott committed to a further three-and-a-half years in North London, but in a footballing world riddled with cliché, character – even if this wasn’t a spontaneous incident – is to be welcomed.
Hoping to see further flair follow, Sportsmail has compiled a list of other memorable personal incidents that were repeated immediately after scoring.
1. Paul Gascoigne's dentist's chair
In preparation for Euro ’96, England manager Terry Venables took his squad on a pre-tournament trip to Hong Kong where one of the players’ drinking games included the 'dentist’s chair' in which an individual sat as copious levels of alcohol were poured into his mouth.
Having scored such a stunning volleyed goal, possibly England’s finest ever (incidentally, one today’s team could only dream of producing), and in a crucial match against Scotland which went a significant way towards securing their qualification to the tournament’s knockout stages, Gascoigne and company celebrated by re-enacting the same scenes that took place in Hong Kong, albeit without alcohol on this occasion, to cap one of the most glorious and memorable moments in Three Lions history.
2. Craig Bellamy's golf swing
In 2006/2007, Rafa Benitez took his Liverpool squad to the Algarve to prepare for a crucial Champions League tie at Spanish and European champions Barcelona.
Another alcohol-fuelled incident was the outcome when Bellamy allegedly attempted to attack team-mate John-Arne Riise with a golf club after the two squared up following the latter's refusal to sing during a karaoke competion.
Liverpool incidentally won the match 2-1, when Bellamy celebrated his equaliser by replicating the swing of a golf club before Riise's winner. Given Bellamy was sold to West Ham that summer, Benitez almost certainly did not share his amusement.
4. Robbie Fowler snorting the touchline
Another celebration of Liverpool origin, Fowler simulated snorting a line of cocaine after equalising from the penalty spot in the Merseyside in April 1999.
The prolific striker insisted he was responding to taunts from Everton's fans who falsely accused him of drug abuse, but he was regardless fined £60,000 by Liverpool and given a four-match ban by the Football Association for the incident.
5. Bebeto rocking the baby
This is now one of the most tiresome and overused celebrations in football. When Bebeto first produced it at the 1994 World Cup, however, to celebrate a masterful finish and, alongside Romario and Mazinho, remind the world of the birth of his third child just two days earlier, it was original and widely admired.
That that child, Mattheus, received his first call up to the Brazil U-20 team in November is perhaps of greater concern to readers of a certain vintage (Walcott back then wouldn't have been capable of signing a contract had he a brand new pack of crayons in front of him), but that shouldn't stop enjoyment of an iconic moment of Brazilian brilliance.
The goal, to give Brazil a 2-0 lead over Holland in a quarter-final they eventually won 3-2, is one that even fans of the Oranje can enjoy, even if only to smirk at Dick Advocaat's hair back in 1994 (in this instance, the years have been kind).
6. Emile Heskey's DJ
Back in his ever so short, one-season prime, Heskey actually scored a surprising number of goals. In his first full season at the club , 2000/2001, the striker scored 23 times as Liverpool won the treble.
The crucial cup final goals may have been left to Michael Owen and Fowler as Liverpool secured the League Cup, FA Cup and Uefa Cup, but Heskey's consistency surpassed both.
It's just a shame he chose to celebrate his goals with the cheesy impersonation of a nightclub DJ , inspired by a holiday in the summer of 2000 when he and some friends went to Ayia Napa. And then repeated doing so in England colours, too.
arsenal vs bayern
1. Theo Walcott vs David Alaba
Theo Walcott, who has a reputation for being inconsistent, has largely improved this season, so Wenger will be hoping that he will put in another big performance. With blistering pace down the right, Wenger has someone who he can depend on to make a difference at any point in the game. His crossing has improved tremendously and with Olivier Giroud lurking in the centre, Walcott will have a prominent target to aim for. The England international has been found guilty of losing concentration and phasing out of games. So he will have to put his best foot forward against Bayern
Strong in the tackle, he holds the ball well and also has the ability to judge when to dive in for a tackle. He will be more than a match for Theo Walcott as he is quick and is often seen making overlapping runs in tandem with winger Franck Ribery. Walcott tends to make diagonal runs between the centre-half and full-back which the Austrian has to keep track of. Thus, Walcott could be set for a tough night as he may be required to track back to help out Bacary Sagna who hasnt had a great season defensively.
Theo Walcott signs new long-term Arsenal contract
The England forward rejected a five-year offer worth £75,000 a week in August and could have left on a free transfer at the end of the season.
Talks stalled after Walcott turned down that proposal but progress was made in the last two weeks.
Arsenal top scorers this season
| PL | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Theo Walcott | 8 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 14 |
| Lukas Podolski | 6 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| Olivier Giroud | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| Santi Cazorla | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Gervinho | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
"I have made it clear from the start that I wanted to stay at Arsenal so I am pleased we have agreed a deal that everyone is happy with.
"Thanks to everyone for their continued support, especially the manager, everyone at the club and most importantly the fans."
Walcott, Arsenal's top scorer, has also been rewarded with a £3m signing-on bonus.
He signed the deal at the club's London Colney training ground on Friday afternoon, ending months of speculation about his future.
Arsene Wenger spoke of his relief that 23-year-old Walcott has committed his future to Arsenal.
"Theo's contract extension now gives us a strong nucleus of ambitious young players who have committed to the club and want to be successful with us as a group," said the Arsenal manager.
"Theo is a strong player and also a great person, and the combination of his ability and pace always make him such a valuable asset either from the flanks or down the middle.
"He joined us as a 16-year-old and since then has developed very well to become an extremely important player for both Arsenal and England."
Arsenal lawyers and the player's advisors spent all of Thursday in negotiations before agreeing on most issues by 19:00 GMT.
The club had tabled a five-year contract worth a reported £90,000 a week, while Walcott favoured the three-and-a-half-year deal on a salary above £100,000.
But a consensus was reached and the legal formalities - including an agreement on the complex area of image rights - were completed on Friday morning.
Walcott was upset with manager Arsene Wenger's decision to use him mainly as a substitute earlier in the season, but he has since regained a regular starting place.
It marks the end of another protracted contract saga involving the north London club, yet this time they are keeping their player.
Last summer Arsenal lost Robin van Persie to Manchester United as he entered the last year of his deal, and in 2011 they sold Samir Nasri to Manchester City when he was in the same situation.
Mathieu Flamini was in an identical position to Walcott in 2008, and he chose to see out his final six months before joining AC Milan.
Arsenal also saw Cesc Fabregas move to Barcelona following lengthy speculation about his future, although the Spaniard had longer left on his contract.
But Walcott has instead committed his future to the team who signed him from Southampton as a 16-year-old in 2006.
Arsenal rebuffed a bid for him from Manchester City towards the end of the last summer's transfer window, while Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United had also expressed an interest.
Arsenal have now agreed new deals with Walcott, Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, Kieran Gibbs, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Carl Jenkinson as Wenger seeks to build his squad around a British core.
rsenal's Theo Walcott issues rallying cry for manager Arsène Wenger after bitter defeat
Theo Walcott has reiterated claims that Arsène Wenger is the best candidate to manage Arsenal after their Champions League defeat and FA Cup exit.
Best man: Theo Walcott has reiterated claims that Arsene Wenger is the best candidate to manage Arsenal.
"We've had some good points, very important points, so we've just got to start believing again. I think that's one of the main things – believe in how good we are, because we didn't show it against Bayern."
Arsenal have just one win to their name in 2013 and are in a straight fight for fourth spot, having never previously failed to qualify for the Champions League under Wenger.
"If you are a top team, and with the saga of not winning anything for such a long time, it's always disappointing if that happens," Walcott said.
"But I don't want to focus on the negativity about that. I just want to focus on the positive side of the team, because I know how good those guys are, and get to where we should be."
One of the biggest recent issues has been Arsenal's inability to hit the ground running, with early goals too often putting them on the back foot.
"It's happening most weeks," Walcott said. "We didn't really have a slow start (against Bayern). It was just sloppy goals – goals that could have been avoidable, I felt.
"Bayern, we knew how strong they were going to be ... they're very well organised, they did their job, they took their chances which is the most important thing.
"We had a few but didn't manage to take it. In the Champions League you need to take limited opportunities, but, like I say ... got to take the positives out of the second half. There's a lot we can learn from that, learn from Bayern as well because we want to be like that.
"They're not fazed by anything. Like I say, they did a job."
