My first choice England line- up

I do get wound up by England's line- ups at times, their defensive tactics and robotic player selections.

By 'robotic' I mean changes like bringing Ashley Cole in for Leighton Baines when Baines played well for England when Cole was suspended and is in better club form. Also, he's frankly a better player currently, in my opinion. But because Cole's available again, it's like a robotic instinct to put him back in the team without thought despite other influences like form and quality.

Players like Lampard and Gerrard also have automatic places in the England team no matter what form they're on and they keep persisting with the likes of Milner instead of playing much better and effective, dangerous players like Chamberlain, Walcott and Adam Johnson.

Therefore, this is what my first choice (so no injuries or suspensions, everyone available etc) England team would be:

                                                                    Hart


         Walker                         Jagielka                          Lescott                        Baines


                                              Cleverly                         Wilshere


       Walcott                                            Chamberlain                               A. Young



                                                                   Rooney

I would be tempted to play Defoe given his current form but in big games I think you're better off with 5 in midfield. Plus Chamberlain's a more long term option, given his age compared to Defoe's.

Yes, I've left Gerrard out because it simply ain't worked with him in the side, he's always under performed for England and I think his absence would bring the better out of the likes of Chmaberlain and the wingers by making them more senior members with more licence to do what they want, rather than everything running through Gerrard.

Carrick and Parker would be contenders, depending on form but this would be my current England starting 11, with the likes of Jenkinson, Carrick, Parker, Defoe, G. Cahill, Welbeck, A. Johnson, Milner and Sterling making up the squad.

It's time to finally go with an 'out with the old, in with the new' policy.

(Picture from: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/09/08/article-0-14E5E003000005DC-955_468x309.jpg- source: Daily Mail newspaper.)

Arsenal NEED a striker... but who?

So far this season I've been pleasantly surprised by Arsenal. I thought when we sold Van Persie and Song that we were destined for Liverpool FC standards of failure this season. However, I've been impressed by the defence and the new ways of playing and defending brought in by Steve Bould, as well as Santi Cazorla, Gervinho and the midfield in general.

The problem is, like Jamie Redknapp rightly said after the Man City game, we haven't got that striker anymore who can grab a game by the scruff of the neck and rescue a result for us signle handledly. We haven't got the top class striker that's necessary to win major trophies like the Premier League.

Olivier Giroud will probably improve, but he isn't top class and certinaly isn't in the Van Persie league of striker whether you like it or not. Lukas Podolski's good, but not top class. Gervinho's good, but not top class. Therefore we need a top notch striker or the equivalent*. Man Utd have got Van Persie and Rooney, Chelsea have got Torres, Man City have got Tevez, Aguero and Dzeko. We need a player in that league.

I know it's easier said than done, we can't just go out and buy Lionel Messi for £20 million. But there are quality players that I think we can realistically go for. Lewnadowski at Borussia Dortmund, Llorente at Ahletic Bilbao (who aren't in the Champions League), Jelavic at Everton (who aren't in the Champions League) and there will be others.

*We don't necessarily need a world beater- that's the ideal scenario but it may not be possible. If it isn't then we still need to buy genuine, ready- made, proven quality like Jelavic and go from there. Hell, why not even two if the finances allow it?

We could even change formation, which I've been begging for us to do for months now. Get two up front and really worry opposition defenders with genuine goalscoring ability, strength, pace and movement. Imagine Jalevic up front with someone like Walcott or Podolski or Gervinho. Cazorla and Chamberlain out wide with Arteta and Wilshere in the middle. There's a side capable of challenging for the title.

But at the moment we are NOT capable. I hope I'm proved wrong but we simply ain't good enough up top. We have an excellent array of midfield talent (although not enough defensive strength or experience in my opinion) and, irrespective of what happened on Saturday, a very good defence and assistant manager to help improve our defending.

So for once with the Arsenal, the concern is mainly up front and not at the back. January has to be the time when we show serious ambition and buy at least one prolific goal scorer/ top class striker. Otherwise I can't see us finishing any higher than 4th. And Everton and Tottenham are threatening that even.

Proud to be a part of Everton FC

I've just got home from the Leeds v Everton match and I'm very disappointed with the result. Gutted actually. I'm an Arsenal fan but I do have affections and allegiances towards Everton. I come from a heritage of Evertonians and I've been going to Everton games regularly for about 6 years now.

It gives me tingles and makes me proud when I look all around me and see passionate, supportive, principalled Everton supporters in their masses cheering on the team and urging them on, with their arms in the air, whilst also protecting the honour of their club from scum like frankly pathetic and deluded Leeds United fans. They supported the team throughout and 5000 Toffees travelled to an away League Cup 3rd round game, which shows quality support.

It's just brilliant to be in among those Scouse rapscallions, who don't get the praise they deserve by the way. Passionate, loud, principalled, supportive and they even have a lot of humour- more than most.

I always feel at home when I go over to Liverpool and am around Everton supporters, whereas I feel like a stranger in Leeds. It's just an area that breathes football, the people there are generally a lot nicer and are, in a way, like brothers. Brothers of Everton FC, brothers of Liverpool city. And I love going there and being a part of Everton football club.

Tonight I'm filled with regret and frustration, but also pride and honour. My first club is Arsenal, they're the team I fell in love with, but Everton also have a big place in my heart. I don't think you can be in a better place in the country than around there- in terms of the people that inhabit it.

So there you go, there's my soppy Everton story!

Uni Ventures

I haven't submitted a blog post in what feels like ages. I generally convey my outbursts of emotions and thoughts on Arsenal on Twitter nowadays so don't feel the same urge to blog about them. I'll still try to blog at least every now and then about my red and white beloved, but for now I've decided to blog about my first week at Leeds Metropolitan University studying English Literature.

I officially started last Monday after a brief induction the week prior to that. It's been quite good so far and I've bedded in quite well. The old cliche about 'making new friends' isn't working out too well, everyone seems nice but you've got to let these things develop over time. How weird would it be if I went up to someone and said 'will you be my friend?' But most people I've encountered seem nice and polite, students and tutors. Fortunately, I'm not all alone as I know a few girls from college, some of whom are in some of the same classes as me.

My favourite tutor is the bloke who leads the 'Writing In A Time Of Violence' module, he scored points with me today when we were discussing Northern Ireland's history (yes, on an English Literature course) and he put up a picture of margaret thatcher (she doesn't deserve capital letters) and he encouraged us to have a margaret thatcher bashing session for a few minutes as she came up. Too right too, the woman's an absolute disgrace. We all enjoyed taking the piss out of the old cretin.

The other thing about him is he look like the actor who plays 'The Thing' in 'The Fantastic Four'. Obviously not when he's transformed into 'The Thing'! But when he's Ben Grimm. My 'Postcolonial City' tutor is hot to be honest, it's a she by the way! There's plenty of totty around the place, a lot more than there was at college, so it's not that bad at the moment.

I've read a (slightly boring) 244 page book in three and a half days, which I'm immensely proud of. Reading has never been my forte and I'm very proud that I disciplined myself to read a whole book that quickly, and during a weekend no less. Now I'm getting started with the next fucker.

Excuse the French, but I do like the use of swear words every now and then. I've learnt watching stand- up comedy that they can occasionally brighten up a statement or joke and actually make it that bit funnier, or add emphasis. So don't mock the use of the word 'fucker', just grow up and get on with it- in the nicest way possible of course.

I'm rambling, I sometimes do that. In fact, I'm doing it again. Just go off on a tangent yapping about some unrelated topic... meh.

Anyway, onwards and upwards to tomorrow's grand total of 1 hour worth of seminars and lectures! I've only got 6 hours of lectures and seminars a week, which is pretty awesome. But I also will be working a lot out of lesson hours to be fair. Oh, and I'm also very excited about Leeds v Everton tomorrow night, can't wait to go!

Up the Toffees... and the Gooners on Wednesday and Saturday!

Marouane Fellaini is a disgrace

Marouane Fellaini has been made into the top quality player he is now by Everton FC. When he arrived at Everton, he looked like a clueless oaf who appeared well out of his depth and I remember me and 40,000 other spectators at Everton wondering why on Earth Everton had spent £15 million on this afro topped lost midfielder. However, Everton then transformed him into a much better midfielder, a much better player. He has become one of the best midfielders in the league in my opinion and he has Everton to thank for this.

So how does the Belgian repay them? He expresses his desire to leave. Nice one Marouane. It just sums up the typical modern day footballer for me and us Arsenal fans can relate a lot to this because it's just like what players like Hleb, Nasri and Van Persie have done to us in recent years. Arsenal make the player, have faith in him, give him first team football, a sparkling contract and the fans show him such huge, overwhelming support and the player turns his back on each and every one of them as soon as he sees pound signs and has visions of trophies.

What Fellaini should do is honour at least most of the five year contract he signed earlier this year and show some loyalty to the club and the supporters that have supported him throughout his Everton career so far.

Modern day footballers need to stop living inside their own little personal bubbles and show some unselfishness for a change. He owes Everton and the Everton fans, he certainly shouldn't be walking out on them just because the prospect of joining a better team may be coming along.

It's not even like Man City or Man Utd or Real Madrid or any other other top team has put in an offer for him, he just seems to have randomly said he wants to leave Everton as soon as possible. Just over a week after the transfer window has shut, just after Everton have got off to a good start, just after the season has started- what a stupid time to say these things. My suspicion is that the likes of Eden Hazrad and Vincent Kompany have been tapping up in the Belgium squad this week.

Arsenal need a more trophy driven manager

Yes, Wenger lovers, you might want to turn away now and hide behind your chair because I am saying that Arsenal need to get shut of Arsene Wenger. I think he's basically dismantling the team and not putting up a big enough fight to keep our best players. He lets them get down to the final year of their contract and then just sell them, often without properly replacing them. It's getting tiring, and it will be unbelievably ridiculous if he doesn't buy a top class striker to replace Robin Van Persie and a top defensive midfielder to replace Alex Song.

Last year Fabregas, Nasri and Clichy, this year Van Persie and Song (and possibly Walcott yet). It's becoming an impossible task to achieve success as we keep losing our best players and not properly replacing them. We need a manager to stand up to player power and keep his best players, but what he can do to make this a much easier task is by finally being serious in the transfer market and showing players that he has the ambition to try to sign players that will help the club win the Premier League and the Champions League. That's what Man Utd do.

Man Utd have just gone a season (ONE season) without a trophy, so Alex Ferguson has gone out and bought Shinki Kagawa, a highly thought of midfielder from German champions Dortmund, and Robin Van Persie, one of the world's best players. That's proper ambition, take note Arsene. Arsenal wouldn't do that, they should, they have a decent amount of money, Gazidis bangs on about it quite frequently. Maybe not as much as Man Utd, but the point is that at Man Utd, a trophyless season is disaster and there is an immediate urgency to put that right the next season and win at least something. Whereas at Arsenal, there is more acceptance of it and less of a determination to put it right. We're too contented and happy with simply qualifying for the Champions League and having a healthy bank balance. What us fans and players want are trophies and success on the pitch. We don't sign big name players usually, we usually buy players who take a year to settle in and we buy young most of the time. We need to buy world class players, who can hit the ground running, to win trophies and we just don't do that. Arsene Wenger is too content with finishing 4th and qualifying for the Champions League, whilst keeping hold of the delusion that the players he has such as Diaby, Ramsey, Djourou and the strikers are good enough to win the league, or at least challenge for it.

It's not on. We need to be more ambitious and get a manager with an Alex Ferguson/ Jose Mourinho like attitude of 'winning trophies is imperative and not winning them is not an option'. What winds me up is that we've lost Van Persie and Wenger comes out and says he's already replaced him with Podolski and Giroud. Two 'good' strikers. That's not enough, you need at least one 'very good' to 'top class' striker to achieve proper success. Podolski got relegated with Cologne in the Bundesliga last year and failed miserably at Bayern, whereas Giroud is only proven in the French League and will probably need a few months to properly settle in and find his feet. Therefore we need at least one top striker. We never seem to excite the fans and players with big signings and big signs of ambition. Cazorla is perhaps the first exception for a long time.

I'm not saying we should spend £35 million on Andy Carroll before you start quoting transfers like that to me, but I would like to have seen us sign players like Mata, Tevez, Van Der Vaart, Suarez and Kagawa. We've become a 'stepping stone club' and I'm fed up of seeing Wenger take us fourther away from success each year whilst I watch Man Utd, Chelsea, Man City and others winning trophies and bragging to us about it.

Now, we should be going for the likes of Fellaini, De Jong, Heitinga, Llorente and Lewandowski. Obviously I know it's not realistic to get all of them but we should try to sign some of them. Players like De Jong and Llorente would be big indications of where this club is going and would give us a much better chance of success, whilst also sending a big message of intent to our rivals and other players.

However, I can't see this happening with Wenger. He seems to be dismantling the squad and is too keen on making financial profit rather than really, I mean really, going for titles, trophies and top players. The league is getting harder what with Man City and Chelsea throwing their weight around now, with teams like Tottenham and Newcastle even getting better. We need to spend well and big to compete with the likes of Man Utd and City, and Wenger needs to accept this and act on it, or go.

Overall, I still think Wenger's time at Arsenal should come to end and we should replace him with a more ambitious, trophy driven manager. Whether that's Pep Guardiola or even an ex- player like Patrick Vieira or someone else, it'd at least be worth trying. We need to start moving forward and finally win trophies and we look highly unlikely to do that with '4th place is a trophy' man in charge. He's tactically inept, deluded about some of his players and ridiculously stubborn, as he refuses to adapt to the current ways and demands of top level football.

It's either sign some top players Wenger, or go.

Cazorla's a brilliant signing... but what next?

That's the permanant question in football: 'what next?' Arsenal have made 3 very good signings this summer in my opinion, and are so far keeping hold of Van Persie and Walcott. Last season, our attack was excellent, this season we've still got that attack... plus Podolski, Giroud and Cazorla. That's pretty darn exciting if you ask me!

So, as for the attack, I think we're pretty much sorted now. The only thing remaining is to try strengthening at the back, which is generally Arsenal's problem area of course. But how many good defenders are out there who would be willing to come to Arsenal to just play second fiddle to Koscielny and Vermaelen?

The answer is 'not many'. I think Heitinga and Jagielka would be good signings for Arsenal, but I'm sure they'd rather be playing first team football somewhere. I think Arsenal's best bet is to go for an up and coming centre half, a younger player that has time and the determination to try to work his way into the team over time, and eventually become an Arsenal regular.

To be honest, I'm not sure who fits that bill. Maybe Mahamadou Sakho, or is he too old now to be described as 'young and up and coming'? I think Arsenal should do the sort of thing Man Utd did last summer with Phil Jones and Chris Smalling, that sort of signing. Then we'd have 4 good or very good ecentre halves and wouldn't have to worry as much about them getting injured and the likes of Djourou and Miquel getting into the side.

As for Cazorla, I'm very pleased. Pleased and surprised. The reason for that is that Arsenal have spent around £15 million on a 27 year old, established player. Not only is he that, but he's also a reasonably big name. A player that has made a number of appearances for the Spain side that has dominated Europe over the last few years. I'm genuinely excited about seeing him play in an Arsenal shirt.

The other positive thing about him is that he's the sort of signing that makes players like Van Persie and Walcott want to stay more and other players want to join Arsenal more, we're all of a sudden a more attractive club with more potential to win trophies in the near future.

The other thing about him is that he's such an Arsenal-ly player. He's technically gifted, creative and versatile. He can play right, centrally and on the left (though I'm assuming not all at the same time) and scores a few goals and sets a few up while he's at it. He's a passer and mover, a typical Spanish player and I'm very excited about seeing him at Arsenal, especially if he plays centrally in the Fabregas/ Rosicky role of recent times.

It's beginning to (look a lot like Christmas, toys in every store) feel exciting at Arsenal and I hope that continues, because with the squad we're building at the moment, we could genuinely win trophies again.