One Last Time

I remember it just as if it were yesterday. It was just one of those days when  even  if you try very hard to, you won't forget. It was the day me,my father and my uncle flew to Mumbai from Bangalore to watch the greatest cricketer of all time play his last game

It all seemed like it was a dream. I had heard of crazy fans who travel all across the country to watch matches, but never did I think for a minute that I will be one of them. Sachin was consecrated very early in my family; so i guess I had no choice but to follow in their fanatic footsteps. When it was announced that Sachin's last game would be played in Mumbai, the race for tickets started. Call it luck, fate, magic or whatever you believe in, we somehow ended up with 4 tickets for the test match. I don't think even Charlie Bucket protected his Golden Ticket as much as we protected our own.

And so on November 13th 2013,my father, uncle and I set off to Mumbai to watch the Master bid adieu to the game. Let me make something clear to the reader before we proceed ; I am not a big cricket fan, I prefer the game involving twenty two men running after a ball to kick it into a net. But cricket was an important part of my education at home. I have watched Sachin's straight drive off Shoaib Akhtar ( you know the one I 'm talking about) innumerable times, and been told about its aesthetic beauty as many times. I liked cricket, but it didn't get my adrenaline pumping as football did. 

But, as we walked into Wankhede on the first day of the match, I felt an excitement that is difficult to explain. There was just something in the air; the feeling that all of us gathered here were going to be part of something much bigger than all of us. There was a buzz; a buzz that was quite ineffable. It was impossible not be pumped up for the occasion; I know I was. Hell, I think even Michael Jordan would have been . 

The noise in the stadium when 'he' walked out to bat was deafening. Now, I knew that it would be bedlam when he came out to bat, but this was beyond expectation. Every person in the stadium, right from the most phlegmatic to the most strident, screamed themselves hoarse. No words will do justice to this moment. It was a moment only mean to be felt, not written about.  It still gives me goosebumps thinking about it. Sachin said in his farewell speech, that 'Sachin, Sachin'! will reverberate in his ears forever; he isn't the only one.

Now this is a man who has scored hundreds in world cups, finals, test matches against the best bowling attacks in the world but, to me those thirty odd runs he scored against sub standard West Indian attack on Day 1 is the innings I will remember him by. Every one of the 40,000 people in the stadium once again fell in love with them man, who had stolen their hearts on countless occasions. I swear, in that one moment, all of us in the stadium felt as one. We were all united by the Little Man in the middle. The stage was set for him, and boy!, did he give in a performance that drove us all in a frenzy. 

With his score at 20, which included three of the most 'Sachin shots', I turned to Dad, and said, ' Now all we need is a classic straight drive, and then we would have seen it all'. God heard our prayers, and the very next ball played a straight drive reminiscent of the one I had watched on my TV so many times . I remember looking up at my father and we both just smiled, no words were needed

The Prodigal Son

 To be honest, the game was a bit of an anti climax, more vapid than rapid. It wasn't a game to remember, but it was a moment not to be forgotten. The prodigal son finally returned.

He played with a covering to protect his nose, or possibly to 'mask' his emotions. Just like the intensity of the game, the booing also progressively reduced as we approached  the ninety. The Arsenal zealots seemed to lose interest in him. But, in the 90th minute, when he was finally hooked off, and started to to make his way off the pitch he once called home, it happened. 

It started from the North Bank end and disseminated ; applause from all corners of the stadium. And he reciprocated.  It was a final ode to the precocious youngster from Catalunya. It certainly wasn't a preempted gesture but was definitely ineffable. We have clapped and cheered for him countless number of times, but I think this is the one round of applause that he is unlikely to forget. 

Watching the Spaniard in Blue wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. It was hard, but certainly wasn't as gut wrenching as some of the other departures. I guess one of the reasons for that might be the circuitous path he chose to reach West London; not many choose to go via Barcelona. We were lampooned greatly by other fans, and in my opinion, they embellished the  'betrayal' story, and made it seem a whole lot  worse than it actually was. They seemed to have forgotten, that we had prized another player away from Camp Nou that very summer, and he has left all of us sanguine about the future. As one Arsenal fan rightly noted, ' We have moved on, it's time the others do too' .

But on that Sunday evening in the Emirates, we put all our animosity aside and stood up to applaud the Spanish midfielder. That gesture wasn't us welcoming back our ex-captain, it was us saying goodbye to him. We hadn't had a chance to properly do so four years ago. 

He left the stadium with his head held high, a tear in his eye and, a jersey of the player who replaced him at Arsenal wrapped around his shoulders. 

The Theo Conundrum

Theo Walcott has become something of a forgotten man at Arsenal, what with Arsenal playing some mind boggling football and turning defenses into ballad dancers, you can't say that the Gunners have been missing the speedster. 

  Why can't Theo make the starting XI?

   Unlike previous seasons, Walcott is no longer a vital cog in the Arsenal machine, what with Alexis, Welbeck and Chamberlain in Wenger's ranks, the Frenchman has been spolit for choice. Welbeck's arrival in the summer was the first indication that Wenger was planning for life without Theo. Welbeck has been deployed largely on the wings for the Gunners this season, and only very rarely has he been played through the middle. Granted that Welbeck may not offer the same speed as Theo does, but he more than makes up for it with his physical demeanor, his heading prowess and his surprisingly good link up play. He offers more to the team than Walcott does, and has also developed a good understanding with Alexis and co.
 Walcott has definitely fallen behind in the pecking order at Arsenal, and this was made evident when Ramsey was started on the right against Liverpool; a baffling decision considering that Ramsey is completely inept on the wings ( for reference, see Ars. vs QPR 2013). But the Welshman has reveled in his  new role, and with the midfield well settled and looking un displace- able, Ramsey looks set for a long run on the wing( pun intended) Theo isnt't the most flexible of footballers; unlike a Cazorla or Rooney he can't be played anywhere on the field. Very rarely does he drift towards the center of the park,and take part in the build up play or help out in defense. Inter changing of positions in the middle of the park has been one of the characteristics of the Arsenal midfield, with Ozil, Cazorla , Ramsey all trading positions throughout the game and waltzing through defences. Wenger won't risk hankering this trio, and bring in a player, whose style of play,to put it bluntly is very 'linear' and disrupt this Arsenal juggernaut.  But to be fair to Theo, he hasn't been bad since his return from injury, getting on the score sheet thrice, in only 5 starts in 13 appearances, but it's just that his
teamates have been better.


  Whats's the situation on the contract?

 Wenger seems quite up beat about the whole situation, stating that talks are on between him and  Walcott's embassy( Theo's agents), and he expects the negotiations to carry on for a while. There  have also been rumours of a reported falling out between player and manager, although both parties  have strongly denied such claims. It can be said that the Wenger- Walcott relationship hasn't always  been merry, and will be put through the wringer this summer when some tough decisions will have  to be made . No clarification has been made if it is the contact impasse  that has caused Walcott's   prolonged presence on the bench, but it seems unlikely that Wenger will put a personal issue above the needs of the team.
 Will it make sense to keep a player who is demanding a salary north of 90,000 , but is peripheral to the team's plans, and is struggling to make it to the starting XI?
With only one year on his contract left, Arsenal can risk losing Walcott for free next year; unlike last time, the contract discussions with Theo will have to be made quickly.

Will he, or won't he?

 Is Sterling the replacement?

Talks of a Raheem Sterling move to Arsenal are gathering fuel, and in the process has send ripples of excitement across the Arsenal communtity, In fact , 56% of Gooners said they will be prefer Sterling over Walcott, an online poll indicated. It can't be denied that the wiry Englishman, will give Arsenal an extra dimension and only make us stronger, but another attacker isn't the Gunners's most immediate requirement, and Sterling might be gratuitous for Arsenal's  future plans.

For now, it seems that Walcott will be stuck to the bench for a while, as it seems unlikely Wenger will want to make any big changes to his team, especially in the business part of the season. The summer could result in yet another Arsenal star leaving the Emirates, but this time, not too many Gunners might be cut up about it.


   

The Southampton Story

We all love an underdog, someone who just won't back down despite all odds stacked against them, someone who takes on the mighty and powerful with brevity and continues to march on. Southampton have a similar story to tell, a story that has captured the hearts and minds of all those involved with the beautiful game we call football.

  Southampton headed into the new season with as many as seven new players in the squad, including a new manager in the form of Ronald Koeman. The summer of 2014 saw a large exodus of players from the seaside town; Lallana, Shaw, Lambert, Chambers all made way for bigger and better things and Pochettino packed his bags off to Tottenham. The very crux of the team, that had taken years to grow and develop dissolved in a matter of days. They lost key leaders in the form of Lovren and Lallana and players who symbolized the club and its philosophy such as Shaw and Chambers. It is the equivalent of the Beatles losing John and Paul! But the summer will hold a very special place in the hearts of the Saints fans, for it saw the arrival of a certain Graziano Pelle to St. Marys

No one had heard of him before Southmapton signed from Feyenoord, but nine goals and a spectacular over head kick later, he became one of the most talked about strikers in the league. Pelle's record at Feyenoord is sublime, 57 goals in two seasons, its a surprise no other clubs snapped him up sooner. The big Italian has been creating havoc upfront and his daunting demeanor and skillful footwork has been crucial to his exploits. Another man who has been giving defenders nightmares is Dusan Tadic, the Serbian has already notched up six assists for himself and has struck up a good partnership with Pelle. He is the man who has made Southampton fans forget about Adam Lallana

Koeman has been very shrewd in his dealings in the transfer market, and has signed players who have the guile and the skill to perform for the club. Without spending truck loads of money, the Dutchman has brought in young and exciting talent, and has efficient in his dealings. Ryan Bertrand has been fantastic all season; with Bertrand it was all ways a case of being played out of position but under Koeman he has really come into his own and will be hoping to seal a permanent transfer to the club. Fraser Forster looks more assured than the unreliable Gazzaniga between the sticks, and the lanky Englishman has been good without being great. But, possibly the greatest job done by Ronald Koeman was to keep hold off Morgan Schneiderlin

The Frenchman was adamant to leave Southampton in the summer,and despite putting in a transfer request, he was made to stay. So far, he was been exceptional for the Saints, executing that holding role he is renowned for perfectly but has also added to his goals tally, something he has struggled with in previous seasons. The Southampton midfield hs become very tough to break down, with warriors in the form of Wanyama and Schneiderlin guarding it. Nathaliel Clyne has finally broken out from the under the shadows of Chambers and Shaw and his impressive performances could lead to an England cap from Roy Hodgson. Also, how can one forget his thunderbolt against Arsenal? One needs to be reminded that the Saints still have Jay Rodriguez still waiting to come back from his injury, the thought of a strike force of Tadic, Pelle and Rodriguez will be driving Southampton fans crazy with ecstasy

Apart from the obvious skill in the team, it is team spirit and togetherness that has taken Southampton to the heights they have scaled so far. Koeman has instilled fresh belief in the squad and has kept the squad upbeat and positive. It is always hard to claw your way  back up to the ground after losing big players from the team; one look at Arsenal's 2012-2013 season should give you sufficient proof of the same.

It is to be seen if Southampton can keep up their good form and possibly challenge for a place on Europe. Consistency is the name of the game of course, and Southampton will be keen to rectify the mistakes they made last year at a similar position. They are the team every neutral fan is backing,and it will be hoped that the Saints continue to march on.  

Reawakening of the Blue Lion

It's been only 5 games into the Premier League, and Chelsea is already being tipped to win the League. It is still early days but if the Blues do keep their scintillating start to the season, one can only wonder to what heights Mourinho will take this Chelsea side.

To me, Chelsea were the clear winners in the Summer transfer window, they got all their business done well before Deadline Day and in Diego Costa they look to have made one of the signings of the season. The striker has been an instant hit in West London and has adapted well to the Premier League. It was the striking options that lost Chelsea the title last year, and the current striking line up of Costa, Remy and Schuerrle looks much stronger than one of Torres, Ba and Eto'o. Diego Costa has looked sharp and clinical so far, as was evident from his spell bounding performance at Goodison Park, with his 2nd goal displaying all his class. Loec Remy will play an equally important role for Mourinho this year, Costa might be grabbing the headlines but it will be Remy who will get the goals on a cold windy night at Stoke. He is a clever striker and at 10 million Chelsea has got themselves a good deal. 

Cesc Fabregas's arrival at the Bridge sent shock waves all across the footballing fraternity and Gooners all over the world spewed hatred and fumed at this 'betrayal' by their star. It is still difficult to get accustomed to the Spaniard in his blue attire. Fabregas was brought in to fill in the void created by the departures of two fan favourites in the form of Juan Mata and Frank Lampard. Fabregas will have to win the Blues fans over, especially after all those derogatory statements he made against them when with Arsenal. But, the early signs have looked good, and Cesc has been good without being great, although I will grudgingly admit that his pass for Schuerrle against Burnley was beautiful! Fabregas will bring in bags of Premier League experience and will be the creative mastermind for the Men in Blue. Hazard, Oscar and Willian will all thrive playing along the ex Barca man, what with his sublime movement and a wide array of passes. 

One of the main striking features of Chelsea this year is their fluidity; hard as it may be to believe, but Chelsea are sure playing some very attractive football . Last year, they were described as drab and boring, but this time round they have been anything but that. There is finally someone to get on the end of Eden Hazard's crosses and the agile Belgian is looking as devastating as ever. Chelsea are passing the ball around more and one big noticeable change is that the ball remains on the ground more, making them easier on the eye. Nemanja Matic has been Chelsea's silent assassin and adds the steel and power to the midfield. Defense has never been a problem for Mourinho and the centre back partneship of Cahill and Terry is reminiscent of that of Vidic and Ferdinand in their hay days for United. Their form has been almost frighteningly good, killing off teams with apparent ease, scoring goals for fun. 

Confidence is running high among the fans and players, and it doesn't seem anytime soon that the wheels will fall of off their bandwagon. Their form is comparable to that of Man City 2 years ago, when it seemed like they were winning every game scoring four or five goals. Mourinho has re invigorated his team and is not going to leave any stone unturned in their quest for ultimate glory

The Wayward Wizard

Jack Wilshere, once upon a time, tipped to be the ' The next Big Thing' ,  expected to fill into the shoes of Steven Gerrard for the national team and lead Arsenal and England to success on the big stage, but the midfielder from Stevenage has fallen behind since, and has lost out on his starting place for both club and country.

The drive, the passion, the desire, expressions that you would automatically associate with Wilshere all seem to have gone missing. Those driving runs from the center of the park, those beautiful, Scholes-like pinged balls, and those inch perfect passes all seem like things from the past. Wilshere's problems have continued off the field as well, getting caught smoking TWICE, excessive partying to name a few. He has been developing a bit of a bad boy image and Wenger and Hodgson will be taking note of his latest antics.

Wilshere was a firm fan favourite. Local boy, came through the Arsenal Academy and made his debut at the tender age of sixteen , giving it his all in every appearance , Wilshere possessed the rare talent of getting the fans off their seats every time he came on the ball. You could see how much it meant to him to play for Arsenal, to play for the club of his dreams. He was the DNA of the side, a player who all Arsenal fans immediately associated with themselves.He was a player but first a fan. Jack Wilshere was Arsenal personified. He had a fire in him, one that could be seen in his eyes and identified in the way he played, almost Fabregasesque. Those tears after the loss to Bayern in the Champions League in 2012, stole the heart of every Arsenal fan . Jack was one of our own. 

There were games where he single handedly pulled us across the finishing line, games where he was the oasis in the desert, the ray of sunshine on a somber day. Check out some of his videos against Liverpool and Newcastle in the 2012-2013 season and you will know what I am talking about. He took the game by the scruff of its neck and asserted his authority in centre the park. He had Steven Gerrard in his pocket in that game against Liverpool. If you told me then, that one year on Wilshere would be in the bench for the FA Cup final and will be a substitute in the World Cup Finals, I would have had a good hearty chuckle. As it turns out, I didn't have the last laugh.

The slump started in early 2013, after Wilshere's return from yet another injury problem, that kept him out for 3 weeks. He made his comeback against Norwich, and after that performance I remember thinking that this was just an off day for him, and our man would be back soon. Who knew that these were the performances we would have to get used to from our number 10? He has lost that burst of speed that was valued so high, all his passes are sideways, no penetrating through balls, no more audacious long range shots and the lesser the said about his goals, the better. A total of 6 goals in two seasons is less that impressive.  Paul Scholes rightly said that Wilshere hasn't improved since he was nineteen, I will go further and say that he might have become worse. Tony Adams was spot on , when pointing out that the the arrival of Mesut Ozil should be taken as an insult by Wilshere. He seems a very jaded figure on the pitch, almost in reticence. He is no longer the man Arsenal turn to when they are down, Ramsey has long taken that place. Mentally, he seems to be in a different world, meandering around the field, not sure what he is doing there.  

The talent and skill is still present, as was visible from that exquisite goal against Norwich City. We fans still love him, but we loved the older version more. Come on Jack, show us that magic you posses, show us you are as good as ever, we all miss that nineteen year old who gave Xavi and Co a lesson in midfield on ' That night' in the Emirates. 

Living the Dream

Deadline day. Summer transfer Window. 2013. The day Arsene Wenger finally splashed the cash and brought Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid to Arsenal for a sizable amount. But the news that dominated the headlines the next morning was the other bit of transfer news, again involving Real Madrid and North London.

The long transfer saga involving Gareth Bale and Real Madrid had finally come to an end with the a deal finally being agreed for the meager 100 million euros. The Gareth Bale- Real Madrid affair had been the top story for quite sometime, will he go or will he stay  ? Comparisons can be drawn with Cesc Fabregas's move to Barcelona, the transfer rumours continued the whole summer and became quite tedious towards the end, with the negotiations becoming quite messy. Everyone knew Madrid are a rich and ambitious club but no one expected them to shell out 100 million for the Welshman.

Being an Arsenal fan, I was never too fond of Bale for obvious reasons, and thought that he wasn't worth even half of what Tottenham were receiving, and wasn't the only one with this opinion. Despite a goal on his debut, Bale had a rocky start to life in Madrid with constant injury problems and lacking fitness. His first El Clasico, a big stage to show the world that he was worth the money paid for him, ended poorly with him having no impact on the game and was subbed of at the hour mark. He seemed very out of place and almost too eager to impress.

If he hadn't moved for such a sizable amount, things would have been different, but with the 100 million price tag everyone expected him to score and perform each and every game, he wasn't given any time to settle in. It wasn't only the Spanish media keeping a close watch on him, the English media too kept him under close scrutiny, they still considered him their own.Winning over the Real Madrid fans isn't an easy job, even the likes of Ronaldo have fully won them over recently, what chance did Bale have then? I personally didn't think Bale was up to the job and would buckle under the expectations and pressure and would soon make a quick return back to the Premier League. Boy! was I wrong!!

His performances soon started to improve and he started to get among the goals and started settling into the team. But a slight slump in form followed and his place was taken up by the highly impressive Jese and Bale's appearances were restricted to the bench. But a long term injury to Jese put Bale back in the fray, who wasn't going to throw away this chance. The goals started to flow again and we were soon seeing shades of the Gareth Bale we knew all too well from last season. He became an integral part of the team and his pace and agility became a vital asset to the team's counter attacking style. 

The goal that made people sit up and realize what he was all about was in the Copa Del Ray final. Scoring a wonder goal against Barcelona in the final five minutes of the Copa Del Ray Final, it doesn't get much better than that. The speed and strength shown to beat Bartra was truly spectacular, and him charging down the left wing towards Bartra's goal was almost like a bull charging down towards the red flag being waved at him. With Ronaldo out injured, it was up to Bale to take up responsibility, and he sure did so, with some style too.  He had come a log way from that Clasico in the Camp Nou, that night in Valencia re defined Gareth Bale forever. 

Bale's passion and love for Real Madrid is what stands out. Every time he goes out to play, you can see the desire, the willpower in is eyes. He almost seems in awe of all the players he plays along with and how much it means to him to wear that famous white jersey. He seems so overwhelmed by Real Madrid and I think sometimes has to pinch himself to make sure that he is plying his trade in the biggest club on the planet  His performances and passion haven't gone amiss by the fans, and his fan base increases by the day. I am certainly a Gareth Bale fan now. The move to Madrid has taken him from the status of wonder kid to superstar.

His Champions League final goal was scrappy to the say least, but he won't score a more important goal in his career. The joy and ecstasy on his face was more than visible, scoring the winning goal in the Champions League final for the club you supported as a child is the stuff of dreams. Marcelo and Ronaldo's goals took the gloss off his headed goal, but in a Champions League final such things don't matter. If you opened the BBC sports page, it would seem that Gareth Bale had won the Champions League , not Real Madrid. Gareth Bale is still a young child from Wales living the dream with the club of his heart.