Arsenal U21s v Wolves U21s

Arsenal fight back to keep the Wolves at bay

As the old saying goes, football is a game of two halves and the old adage certainly rang true at Underhill, where Arsenal u21s faced off against Wolves U21s in a league encounter.

 The first half was shockingly poor with the game bereft of all quality, despite the willingness of both sets of players to play the game properly, with plenty of running from both squads.

Most of the first half was played in the air, with Wolves young striker Anthony Forde particularly impressing, but both defences came out on top following the early exchanges.

With the crowd resorting to cheering offside decisions, something definitely needed to be done during the interval, but both managers would have probably been happy that they hadn’t conceded any undeserved goals.

The game roared into life immediately after the restart, with Jake Cassidy opening the scoring for Wolves to take the lead with less than a minute gone.

Arsenal’s heads didn’t drop and they managed to get the equaliser they so desperately craved in the 54^th minute with a tap in from Chuba Akpom, after some good work by Sanchez Watt on the byline to get the cross away.

It was evident the next goal would be crucial, as both teams battled for ascendency in the tie, but it was good to see more urgency in both sets of teams play, especially when juxtaposed with the turgid affair the first half had been.

With the home crowd stirring to the battle unfolding in front of them, the young Gunners were able to push on and were rewarded a couple of minutes from time when Hector Bellerin stormed into the area and fired emphatically into the roof of the net.

The goal must have been a sucker-punch for the young Wolves, who had led or been on even terms for most of the game and they had no time to mount a comeback of their own.

Arsenal had come from behind to take the game at the death. While some may say Wolves deserved something from the game, sometimes you just have to take your chances and the Gunners mental stability was impressive to behold.

With players like the impressive Akpom, Craig Eastmond and Serge Gnabry earmarked for the first team, the next stage of Arsenals production line of young players must be heartening for the fans and games like these give young players great experience.

Report by – James Milin-Ashmore

MOM  - Sanchez Watt

Terrorism in sport

Terrorism in Sport

With news of the Boston bombings still fresh in the public’s memory, terrorism on the world sporting stage must be a major worry for event organisers.

The London marathon was quiet in comparison with no major incidents, but for the average spectator it is an added risk to what is supposed to be an enjoyable occasion.

The close proximity and sheer number of people at many stadia means potential attacks could be devastating, but the amount of security at the average sporting event coupled with the (relatively) low chance of an attack in the first place leaves organisers in a real predicament.

Do they tighten security even further, leaving fans feeling the force of the change, or do they leave things as they are and hope for the best?

The families of those affected by the shocking events at Boston would probably wish for more stringent methods, as you can’t put a price on human life.

Attacks at events such as the marathon show that the impact of terrorism can be felt worldwide, but is that necessarily helpful to their cause?

The focus as ever tends to be on the actions themselves, not the cause they wished to promote, which inevitably leads to more anger on both sides.

To some, sporting arenas are as sacred as any place of worship and should be afforded the same reverence, but the attention given to sport by a lot of the public means attacks will be publicised.

With the world as it is, peace seems to be a long way away and attacks like these may indeed continue to occur in the future.

Terrorism has no place in sport and it isn’t the best platform to purport a political ideology. Ideals like discipline, team-work and fair play are the more likely candidates, rather than viewpoints on war, policy or the economy.

Stories of England’s wartime game of football against Germany come to mind when the idea that sport can transcend politics is put forward, but does sport deserve such special dispensation?

Sport can be used as a great tool to bring people together, but terrorism in sport only serves to drag people further apart.

On the sporting stage, all competitors are equal before they start. When the worlds inequality spills over the threshold and threatens to take centre stage, well.. Maybe there are more important things than sport going on in the world at the moment.

Why did United Win the Premiership?

Why did United win the Premiership?

With the 3-0 rout of Aston Villa complete, United have strode purposely on to complete a 20^th title triumph.

As great as their triumph is, at the moment they stand 16 points in front of City, who truth be told haven’t defended their crown as vigorously as expected.

Chelsea were expected to be resurgent with their formidable attacking talent, but fell away in the league as inner turmoil and conflict took hold and left the club stricken.

Arsenal made the same mistakes as always, selling talent only to be replaced by questionable personnel.

The loss of Van Persie was a gap hardly any player would be able to fill and you have to wonder if things would have been different if Wenger’s reported pursuit of David Villa proved to be fruitful.

Everton were the surprise package after Swansea fell away early in the season, but the chronic lack of investment seems to have left its mark, leaving David Moyes unable to add to his single Champions league qualification with Everton.

With Rooney looking more and more jaded this season Van Persie had to take up the mantle and he has been as inspirational as ever, putting Villa to the sword with a three goal salvo against Villa.

Alex Ferguson as ever proved to be a big factor in winning the title, despite sticking with his questionable number one David De Gea, which has been vindicated in some matches with some top-class saves.

However, the young Spaniard has shown he has a lot to learn if he is to make it in the top flight after his bruising tussle with West Ham’s on loan striker Andy Carroll.

As with most title winning teams, their spirit is evident and the way United keep churning out results must be commended.

As Sir Alex’s time starts to draw to a close, he must savour these moments more and more. To see him shouting at his troops from the touchline (despite his massive lead over new rivals City) at Villa was a sight to behold and shows the high standards that he expects his teams to adhere to.

There is no doubt in my mind that United deserve their latest title win as they have been the pacesetters and came back at City this season with renewed vigour.

With his classic mix of youth and experience Sir Alex has done it again, possibly not for the last time.

Is Petr Better?

Is Petr better?

Petr Cech has been commanding between the sticks for Chelsea since his transfer in the 04/05 season, recovering from setbacks such as his major head injury and blips in form to become one of the highest rated keepers in the top flight, as well as internationally.

But with Thibaut Courtois impressing on loan at Atlético Madrid (including setting a new record of 820 minutes without conceding for the Spanish side) is Petr Cech’s time as Chelsea’s undisputed number one over and if not, does he have a significant amount of time left?

Time is definitely on Cech’s side, as he is only 31 in May and goalkeepers are renowned for their longevity, just look at the shining examples of Brad Friedel at Tottenham and the world-class performances Van Der Sar put in for United in his late 30s.

Is looking to the long-term the right thing to do in this situation? Cech won the Champions League last season and a couple of the saves he made in the recent quarter-final replay against United were world class and showed exactly what he brings to the team.

Cech has been a part of the ‘solid’ Chelsea spine of the Mourinho era and he still gives the team an air of calmness at the back at a time when the Chelsea back five haven’t been as commanding as teams of years past.

This calmness shouldn’t be overlooked, as the new look, younger Chelsea squad have at times looked twitchy and the experience Cech provides is also reflected in his role captaining the side at times this season.

Courtois is also doing very well at the moment and some say he is one of the hottest young properties in European football.

Wearing David De Gea’s old number 13 shirt, Courtois has established himself as Atlético Madrid’s number one and has gained enough experience playing in La Liga to establish himself as a serious contender to Cech as Chelsea’s undisputed keeper.

He will only be 21 in May but the 6’6 stopper seems to be willing to accept that Cech will be hard to dislodge for now, preferring to stay on loan rather than play understudy to Cech for a few seasons.

This type of attitude is understandable, especially when you consider how high his stock is at the moment.

 If rumours are to be believed Chelsea have slapped a £20 million pound price tag on the young Belgian and he has to keep playing in order to improve as a player, especially at such an important time in a young players development.

Cech or Courtois? Who knows what the right decision will be? I hope that if Cech does leave he is treated with the respect he deserves and all good things, including careers, have to come to an end.