or you can tell the truth and not leave out the hatrick he scored vs Sheffield united with one of hes goals being in the top 50 arsenal goals ever, he also scored the first goal in the fa cup 5th round reply vs burnley in 2009,

Who cares if he scores the 1st,2nd or 8th goal in a game, the fact he is scoring goals is the main thing, id be more worried if he wasnt

ive got a soft spot for both due to them ripping it up at a carling cup game i was at in a 4-4-2... vela is a bit like arshavin in that he is more suited as a second striker than on the wing... similar to eduardo really...

bendy if he stays fit will probly have a pretty solid career... to have achieved what he has at his age cant be underestimated... taller strikers usually take a while to develop...

its hard to know what to do with vela... specially with more players coming... wellington silva? ashley young?

if young comes... vela will almost certainly find himself in spain or somewhere...

ps.. im getting a bit frustrated at the press hyping us at the moment... the guardian is trying to jinx or something

The only position I can see us buying for in January is for a CB if Vermaelen is out for the season.

[size=6]Preview: Arsenal - Sp*rs
[/size]
By Richard Clarke

In essence, every derby is simply a matter of self-respect.

No matter how well your side is performing, if they lose a head-to-head to their near neighbours then honour is tarnished.

Defeat at White Hart Lane in April not only shunted Arsenal out of the last season’s title race it also demonstrated that Tottenham had closed the gap on Arsène Wenger’s men.

In the end, the Emirates Stadium side did maintain a 17-year run of finishing higher in the Premier League table. But they left it until the last game of the campaign and, by then, Tottenham had secured a spot in the Champions League for the first time.

Harry Redknapp’s side have gone to prove themselves in the competition this term, most notably by beating Inter at White Hart Lane. However European exploits have undermined their Premier League form.

They will start Saturday’s 147th league meeting between the sides down in seventh place. Defeat would leave them a massive ten points adrift of Arsenal and allow the red half of North London to suggest that the division between the two teams is satisfyingly wide once more.

Of course, this shift may be down to Arsenal’s upward movement as much as Tottenham’s downward drift. Chelsea’s defeat to Sunderland last weekend left Wenger’s men two points off the lead.

But the manager knows his side still have their own status anxiety to overcome. Arsenal have not truly sustained a title challenge since they last lifted the trophy in 2004. This season they are shaping up to be much more than nearly men – but they still have some way to go.

“Like every team we want to be respected and taken seriously,” said Wenger. “When people do that, we are happy.

“We are conscious that only comes through our attitude and performances which is why it is important for us to be consistent now.

“Tottenham have always very had good teams and good players like Darren Anderton and David Ginola. But it is the first time they have finished in the top four since I was here, so it means their achievement was better than before.


“But you always take them seriously, especially when it is a derby and there is a bit more edge to it.

“I do not consider their overall record against us. You just know it is a game where you want to be at your best.”

That White Hart Lane win was Tottenham’s first in 21 games against the ‘Old Enemy’. Their last victory on Arsenal territory came in May 1993 when George Graham was resting players ahead of the FA Cup Final against Sheffield Wednesday. Of the last 33 points available in this fixture, the red side have taken an incredible 29.

Of course, all those statistics were built up against a Tottenham side without Gareth Bale and Raphael van der Vaart. The duo have been among a handful of stand-out performers in this season’s Premier League. But, as usual before a big game, Wenger was happy to keep the hype at arm’s length.

“Yes, it will certainly be important to keep Bale quiet,” he admitted. “But Tottenham have many good players in their team – Bale, Van der Vaart, Modric, Defoe, Pavlyuchenko. Let’s not focus on that too much.

“They have good players, we know that. But they are only good players if they perform. For us it is important to produce a team performance and not to focus on one player. Then we have a good chance to win.”

Jack Wilshere passed a fitness test on Friday and will be named in the squad. Laurent Koscielny is back from suspension but Wenger may not choose to break up the centre back partnership of Sebastien Squillaci and Johan Djourou that withstood tough trips to Wolves and Everton last week.

Robin van Persie had 45 minutes more football with Holland this week but is highly unlikely to start. Nicklas Bendtner is also working his way back to full fitness and will be saved for the trip to Braga on Tuesday.

Victory over Tottenham will put Arsenal top of the Premier League for a few hours at least. Defeat would mean Arsenal had registered back-to-back losses on home soil for the first time in 13 years. Though it must be said that the second reverse – 3-1 against Blackburn in December 1997 – precipitated an unbeaten run that only ended when Arsenal had taken the title.

Wenger admits his side have performed poorly in their last four home league games – two of which they have lost. He even suggested they may have to look for longer balls to overcome the issue. All very odd.

But then this particular Premier League is proving a peculiar beast. Right now, Arsenal’s title credentials are not 100 per cent convincing but they are as good those of their main rivals and vastly better than the lower two-thirds of the table.

“It is open,” said Wenger. “I’ve said since the first six games that it looks like the most consistent team will be rewarded.

“That is why I feel we have created a certain consistency in the last six games. Let's just build on that and continue our momentum.

“The players will feel it is important to win the big games and tomorrow is a big game.

“So, for us, it is just an opportunity.”

Of course, for the rest of us, it is much, much more than that.
http://www.arsenal.com/match-menu/3315504/first-team/arsenal-v-tottenham-hotspur?tab=preview

There is no point in us buying Ashley Young and just don't see it happening. It just wouldn't make sense.

I'd rather see JET given a go ahead of Vela. Carlos has had time to prove he's not up to it, JET neds to be given a chance.

heard young was looking at property in hertfordshire... not sure if there is any truth...

you just never know... if wenger likes someone and thinks they are a bargain... he will go for it even if its not a squad priority

edit.. he might see it as a good time to move arshavin on...

Edited by bypopulardemand: 20/11/2010 03:05:44 PM

Yeah but Young isn't exactly a bargain is he:lol:

Pretty sure Arshavin won't be going anywhere this season at least. In the end if we get Young I'll be happy because he is a quality player but won't be to fussed if we don't get him.

Arshavin over Young any day.

[size=6]Bendtner axed from Spurs clash - Exclusive[/size]

Nicklas Bendtner has been frozen out of today’s north London derby.

Bendtner has been out in the cold since his outburst last week when he admitted he wants to leave unless he is given a more regular starting place.

Arsenal also fear Bendtner may have been “tapped up” with German giants Bayern Munich monitoring developments closely.

Bendtner's father and agent Thomas admitted he believes Wenger is leaving his his son out in the cold for his outburst as he says he is fully fit.

When asked whether Wenger was dishing out punishment, Thomas Bendtner said: "Well, it looks like that, doesn't it? There is nothing wrong with Nicklas, he is 100 percent ready to play that match.

"It is surprising for me to hear, that Nicklas will not be playing that match. Partly because Nicklas is now fully fit, and partly compared to the things, Wenger has said about wanting to use Nicklas and being happy that he could now have him back."

Thomas Bendtner refused to comment on whether Bayern had 'tapped up' the Arsenal striker.

Bendtner senior added: "I have no comments on that issue. You would have to ask Bayern about that, because they are the ones being accused of doing that."

Mirror Sport revealed this week Bendtner is fit despite missing last Sunday’s defeat at Everton and being omitted from the Denmark squad in midweek.

Bendtner, 22, has trained all week and will now serve out the remainder of his punishment by being axed from the north London derby.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said: “I’ve not a lot more to add. I believe that he will not be involved on Saturday but he will play on Tuesday in Braga certainly.

“I rotate the squad and I decide sometimes the players I want to get into the squad for the next game, it’s better that they practice rather than sitting on the bench doing nothing especially when they’re coming back from injuries.”

Bayern Munich have been tracking Bendtner but Wenger insists that, despite the latest fall-out, he does not want him to leave.

Wenger added: “Nicklas Bendtner is just coming back from injury. He played at the World Cup without being at his best.

“From what I can see he is very close, he is 95 per cent of his best and we hope he will contribute on our side to help us win football games and trophies. We do not educate players to let them go.”
http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Nicklas-Bendtner-has-been-axed-from-Arsenal-s-squad-to-face-Tottenham-with-his-dad-suspecting-the-striker-is-being-punished-by-the-club-article632579.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

abou Diaby !!! love the way our annoucer says his name