Arsenal till the day I die!

You want me to come over, I got an excuse,

Might be holding your hand but I'm holding it loose,

Go to talk then we choke, it's like our neck's in a noose,

Avoid the obvious when we should be facing the truth,

Start to think it could be fizzling out,

Kinda shocked because I never really had any doubts,

Look into your eyes and imagine life with out ya'

And the love kick starts again... kick starts again!

-Example

I once read somewhere that love is like temporary madness. It erupts like a volcano and then subsides. And when the lava subsides, you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether the roots are so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part.

The Invincibles is distant memory now. A six-year trophy drought definitely indicates that the lava has subsided. And the nightmare that unfolded at the Theatre of Dreams (the irony, eh?) last night suggests that the honeymoon period is well and truly over.

And so I ask myself... Why do I put up with all this? All the pain, the agony, the humiliation? Why do I invite the jeers of the rival fans? Why do I lose my sleep and appetite over a club on the other side of the globe? Why?

I would be lying if I said I don't care about silverware. Ofcourse I do. Who doesn't? I pine for a time when they are hard pressed for space in the Emirates trophy cabinet. I wish Arsenal were ruthless on the field. Untouchable even. Or (God forbid) Invincibles again.

But like Nick Hornby wrote in Fever pitch... After a point, the brand of football that your favourite club dishes out cannot be compared to the food they serve at your favourite eatery. Quality takes second place. Consumption is top priority. It is all that matters. While I would be overjoyed if they won a trophy or two, I am happy as long as they take the field every Saturday night.

On nights like these when I've lost my appetite and sleep seems unfathomable, I just have to remind myself about why I used to rush home to the television after chemistry tution in tenth grade. Or why I took three buses to my friend's place in the other end of chennai when I barely knew the friend or the city well enough.

I think of these and a other million instances when Arsenal took centre stage and everything else in life was mere background detail. And then for a moment, I pause to think of how empty life would have been without Arsenal. Then the love kick starts again.

I am Arsenal till the day I die!

FAIRFURREN CESC FABREGAS!

And so you sailed away

Into a grey sky morning

Now I'm here to stay

Love can be so boring

Nothing's quite the same now

I just say your name now

But it's not so bad

You're only the best I ever had

You don't want me back

You're just the best I ever had

-Vertical Horizon

First things first, I harbour no ill feelings towards Fabregas. He is not deserting Arsenal, he is just going back home. Barcelona is where he grew up, where he learnt to play football, where he belongs. And eight (ultimately fruitless) campaigns is more than one can ask from someone destined to become one of the greatest playmakers in history. Anyone else would have left the first time Barca came calling. But credit to Fabregas, he was patient. He tried really hard for the Arsenal cause. Despite never having the teammates he deserved, he trudged on. There is no denying that ever single time he put on an Arsenal shirt, he played his heart out. He played through pain and injury. He played an entire match with a broken foot just to help Arsenal draw level with (of all teams) Barcleona. And that is the true mark of the man!

But it's sad nevertheless to watch a player with that kind of dedication and quality leave. All those defence splitting passes, all those spellbinding goals, all those heartlifting performances. And to think he hasn't even touched his prime.

Towards the end of the 1999 flick Fight club, Edward Norton’s character, in a moment of clarity tells Marla Singer: "You met me at a very strange time in my life!" In a slightly different context, that's exactly how I feel about Fabregas. He happened at a very strange time in Arsenal's history. Though he will always be regarded as an Arsenal legend, his stint lacked the one single yardstick that defines a great player: silverware. 

He joined in 2003 but was never really an Invincible. The 2005 FA Cup is the only medal that he won in eight seasons in London. Had he played in any other era at Arsenal, when trophies weren't so hard to come by, when there was genuine quality within the ranks, we would have seen the true potential of the man.

Football folklore abounds with stories of what might have been. This is one more chapter I guess. It is heartwrenching to see him leave. He was my favourite player since Thierry Henry. Hopefully Jack Wilshere will take over his mantle at Arsenal.

Fairfurren Cesc Fabregas. Thank you for eight years of magic. I hope you touch the skies. And I hope you return someday to grace the Ashburton turf. 

And even if you don't, you will always belong!

WHAT SHANKLY SAID!

There's nothing like taking on the English Champions in England and beating the pulp out of them. Both on and off the field. It doesn't matter if you take a few grazes yourself. Something to remember it by!

Champions League final: 28th May, 2011, Wembley, England. Manchester United 1 Barcelona 3.

Football is not a matter of life and death. It's much more important than that!

Sachin Tendulkar. God. World Champion. 'nuffsaid.

Silence!

Not just another match!

Words fail me.

I badly want to write something. I know I had decided before I commenced with the blog that I would only write when I felt like but it's India versus Pakistan for Christ's sake. It warrants an entry!

Ever since the quarterfinal draw was made and the possibility of such a clash was revealed, I have been waiting for this tie. As far as cricket is concerned, it really doesn't get bigger. Even the Ashes, for all its grandeur, pales in comparison. India vs Pakistan is the cricketer's equivalent of the El Clasico!

Before India took on Pakistan in the 2003 World Cup, Ganguly insisted it was just another match. Sachin reiterated his captain's line. Shoaib Akhtar also said it. Waqar Younis repeated it as well. A national daily observed that when so many players feel the need to say that, it only means one thing. That it is not just another match. Because when India clash with Pakistan, it is never just another match.

If anything, that was a group match. Eight years later, the odds are even bigger. While India vs Pakistan is big in itself, throw in the setting of a semifinal and it goes out of the roof.

MS Dhoni realizes that. After beating Australia to secure qualification into the semis, he spoke about the next match. Indians won't care as much if we lose a World Cup final but we CANNOT lose to Pakistan. His very words!

India have never lost to Pakistan in World Cups. NEVER. I hope we keep that record intact.

And I hope Sachin shows Akhtar again ki baap baap hota hai!

Tait and Tendulkar

Shaun Tait huffs and puffs. The going is not too good for him. He has just been belted for a boundary. Ricky Ponting runs up to him. A pat on the arm in support. And tells him to go for Plan B. The ace up his sleeve. The bouncer.

It won’t fetch him the wicket he craves. But atleast it will ruffle the batsman slightly. It will work him up. He will lose his coordination. It will force him into a mistake. Accordingly Tait storms back into position for his run up. Sprints to the crease and slams the ball on the deck. Hard. Forcing the batsman to duck.

Hit that one, he yells. Mission accomplished? Yeah right! Sachin Tendulkar turns and takes a step away to the side of the crease. He is more concerned about the flies hovering around his visor. They are the bigger threat to India's impending victory.

The Aussies might have mastered the art of sledging. But Tendulkar has mastered the art of countering it. Two dot balls later, Brett Lee runs to fetch another Tait delivery duly dispatched to the boundary.

Of running and walking

At the cost of reiterating an oft-repeated phrase, it's like flicking a switch.

He lifts his willow to the heavens, sending the crowd into a frenzy. 40,000 people of different castes, creed and colours erupt as one.

And then when the same 40,000 wait with baited breath and rapt attention fearing the worst, he turns around, tucks his bat under his arm and walks away as silence engulfs the stadium. It actually is like he flicks a switch.

It isn't just the runs he takes that add to his greatness. It is also the walks he makes.

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar: My Lord and My God.

Shut the **** up!

There's nothing worse than the feeling of utter helplessness. Knowing you're the better side and still being at  the wrong end of the scorecard. As the away crowd jeers and boos your lot. Anger welling up inside you.

But there's nothing much you can do about it. Time is running out. Faith seems to have done so a long time ago.

But then again, how much time does one need for a moment of magic. If that's all it takes to silence those bastards, why not? Ask for the ball, take a touch, feint past one marker, get past another, take one more touch and let rip. Wait for a second to watch it sail into the far corner. Before you wheel away in goalscoring glory.

Then comes the customary finger to the lips as you approach the enemy. STFU, y'all!

About fight and flight

Feb 26: Quadruple baby!

Feb 28: All we need is a goalless draw at the Nou Camp!

Mar 9: Third Double of the Wenger era!

Mar 13: Atleast the league is still alive!

Friend of mine says 'go get a drink'. I think I should. And while I am at it, I think Arsenal should try and get Carlsberg to sponsor them. Add a tagline like 'come drown your sorrow' or something like that.

But atleast take off that Fly Emirates for Christ's sake! They're definitely not going anywhere with this kind of play.

It's a **** joke!

You'll never walk alone!

It is a weird feeling. Supporting Chelsea and Liverpool in the same week. That too in the wake of a cup final heartbreak for Arsenal. Like they say, desperate times call for desperate measures I guess.

YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE!!! COME ON YOU REDS!!! KOP IS WHERE THE HEART IS!!!

And Lampard scores for Arsenal!

There is this thing about football, this unexplainable something. One day it breaks your heart and makes you feel like its the end of the world. And then the very next day, it lifts you from the dumps again. You don't forget the past, you don't move on, the scars still remain, but still there is something else to look forward to. Something new.

One night you cannot eat, you cannot sleep, in the wake of a defensive lapse that cost your club a chance to win their first trophy in six long years. You lose faith, you question your belief, you forget the hunger for football, the joy you derive from it. Or so you think! Because two days later you see your immediate title rivals collapse to a crushing defeat, a result which breathes new life into the title race.

To watch Chelsea come from behind and inflict a 2-1 defeat over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in a match that saw every decision go against the visitors, something that had Alex Ferguson fuming at the touchline, did not banish the memories of the Carling Cup final defeat to Birmingham City. But it soothed the pain.

Ferguson shook his head in disgruntled frustration as his face came close to resembling a radish. One of those rare nights when things didn't go his way and the referee appeared to have forgotten that he was on the Scot's payroll. It made my day just as it had spoilt his.

Frank Lampard's winning penalty means that with a win over Sunderland, Arsenal can close in to within one point of leaders United, who next take their susceptible away form to Anfield. Kenny Dalglish will be well aware of Liverpool's legacy and will want to halt United's charge towards an unprecedented 19th domestic title. If he denies United the points, he will be doing Arsenal a huge favour.

I never thought this day would come but for the next few days I wholeheartedly pledge my support and devotion to Liverpool. Come on you Reds! You'll never walk alone! King Kenny! Go Gerrard! Meireles the Merciless! Suarez is the Man! Carroll for President! and all that jazz.

Go now and beat those ****!

(To avoid a lawsuit, I believe I should mention that the title of this entry was inspired by a text message from Joshua Moraes sent soon after the Chelsea-United tie.)

The end is nigh!

Or so I thought!

I was 18 years old when Arsenal beat Manchester United 5-4 on penalties to win the FA Cup final in 2005. Having seen them romp to the title without dropping a single match the previous season and then relinquish the title to Chelsea, it seemed only fair that they should win something that year as well. My little knowledge about Arsenal's history had me believe that winning was a norm at Arsenal and it was something I could get used to.

I did not have an Arsenal jersey back then though I remember wishing that I did. I stood transfixed in front of the television as the players lifted the trophy and beckoned to Thierry Henry (who missed out due to injury) to join them in the celebrations.

Six years hence, I stand here in front of another television after yet another final. This time I have a jersey. What I do not have is a victory to rejoice. A defensive error in the 89th minute had gifted Birmingham City a 2-1 win in the 2011 Carling Cup final.

In 2005, I was only two seasons old as an Arsenal fan and I was under the belief that success was a way of life. Six years hence, I have grown up with the team, watching them improve individually and as a unit. I have rejoiced with every win, grimaced at every defeat, shed tears at every heartbreak. I have spent six seasons keeping the faith and then in the ensuing summer getting over the disappointment and consoling myself with the promise of the following year.

They say that you have to lose something to realize what its worth. But that's not true. Its not that you don't value what you have when it is still yours. It is that when you have it, it does not occur to you that you'll ever lose it. The thing about being the Invincibles is that you have to be invincible. In six seasons since 2005, Arsenal have been anything but.

Promise, quality, talent, faith, belief, maturity, tiki taka, ole ole one touches all amount to nothing if the trophies aren't wearing Arsenal ribbons at the end of the season. How long can Arsenal claim to be a work in progress? What is the point of flair football if you're bound to remain perennial underachievers, nearly men?

But as with other things in life, I guess we have to live in perpetual hope. There is always another match, another tournament. There is always next season. So much for keeping the faith.

WHEREVER. FOREVER. ARSENAL.

It's up for grabs now!

Hours remain before Arsenal take on Birmingham City at Wembley. Their first final since that fateful day in Cardiff in 2007. Six summers have passed since Patrick Vieira's last kick in Arsenal colours gave his side their last taste of silverware.

For a man who has won 3 Premier League titles and 4 FA Cups, Arsene Wenger has unfortunately had to spend a good part of the last half a dozen seasons baring the brunt of Arsenal's inability to win trophies. It's high time that stopped and just like his players, he will be desperate to get his hands on the trophy.

A cruel game football is as Cesc Fabregas will not get to captain his side for a cup final having pulled a hamstring in their previous tie. Theo Walcott, who opened his Arsenal account with a goal in the aforementioned final in 2007, is also out with an ankle sprain.

In Cesc's absence, Robin van Persie will lead his side out with a chance to finally win something. He will be flanked by the back-in-from Andrey Arshavin and Nicklaus Bendtner, who replaces Walcott. Birmingham will be especially wary of van Persie who is enjoying his best form in Arsenal colours with 12 goals in his last 12 outings. Arshavin's last goal was a winner against Barcelona and it doesn't take a goal to boost Bendtner's confidence.

Jack Wilshere and Alex Song will keep their place in the midfield while Samir Nasri will fill in for Fabregas. Wilshere, in his first full season, seems unfazed and has been in sparkling form and will look to put in another assured performance while Song will look to assert his influence in the midfield. While it is no mean feat to replace Fabregas, if there is anyone who can do it, it is Nasri, Arsenal's topscorer and best player this season.

Johan Djourou and Laurent Koscielny will continue at the back and will be supported by Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy. While the former two are steadily turning into a formidable defensive partnership, Sagna has been one of Arsenal's most outstanding players this season and Clichy kept Pedro Rodriguez quiet for 90 minutes just 10 days ago, something that will bode well for him in the final. Wojciech Szczesny will keep his place in goal. From playing for Brentford to taking on Barcelona in the space of a season and following it up with a cup final appearance ten days later is no ordinary feat for a 20-year-old, but then again this is no ordinary 20-year-old.

Arsenal have plenty of experience on the bench and if required can call up on the services of Marouane Chamakh, Tomas Rosicky and Abou Diaby, among others.

Birmingham play a physical game and will look to hoof the ball to their forwards. Cameron Jerome and Nikola Zigic are their two best players while Obafemi Martins lends more venom to the attack. Their midfield will have three former Arsenal players, Alexander Hleb, David Bentley and Sebastian Larrson. Each of them will have a point to prove to Wenger. Defenders Stephen Carr, Liam Ridgewell and Lee Bowyer will look to taunt the Arsenal players and nothing needs to be said about Ben Forster in goal.

Arsenal have already beaten Birmingham twice this season and despite the jitters of playing in a final, should make it three out of three. A win over Stoke City, another physical team who primarily attack with long balls, in their previous tie should hold them in good stead.

The recent inability to cross the final hurdle and the six-year barren streak will affect Arsenal mentally. They will also be weighed down by the favourites tag while Birmingham will relish being the underdogs, having last won a trophy in 1963. But if Arsenal keep their nerves, the obvious divide in class between the two sides will take them to victory.

Much has been said about how in these interim years Arsenal's maturity and resolve has  increased and how they believe that now they can go all the way. There has been a lot of talk about the evident potential in the youthful squad and how one trophy would unlock the doors to impending success in coming years. But the time for talk is over.

It's up for grabs now!

VICTORIA CONCORDIA CRESCIT

Agent Smith: Why, Mr Anderson? Why do you do it? Why get up? Why keep fighting? Do you believe you're fighting for something? For more than your survival? Can you tell me what it is? Do you even know? Is it freedom? Or truth? Perhaps peace? Yes? No? Could it be for love? Illusions, Mr Anderson. Vagaries of perception. The temporary constructs of a feeble human intellect trying desperately to justify an existence that is without meaning or purpose. You must be able to see it, Mr Anderson. You must know it by now. You can't win. It's pointless to keep fighting. Why Mr Anderson, why? Why do you persist?

Neo: Because I choose to.

-Matrix Revolutions (2003)

For six seasons, Arsene Wenger has persisted. He has been beaten, he has been battered, but he has never been broken. He has lost, he has seen victory being snatched away at the very last second, he has been denied victory unfairly, he has seen it all. But he has still persisted. He has been rebuked for his approach. He has been written off, despised, loathed and sneered upon. But still he has persisted. Because for him it is not so much about winning. It is about winning his way. The Arsenal Way.

It is unfair to say that Arsenal have been in freefall since the disintegration of the famed Invincibles. Since the 2005 FA Cup triumph, Wenger’s team has managed a European Cup final and a League Cup final and while other sides have faltered, Arsenal have always finished in the Top 4 and qualified for the Champions League knockout rounds.

But the measure of success in world football is the number of trophies a team can flaunt in its cabinet. Barcelona, their famed tiki taka aside, also have the unprecedented sextuple and multiple league titles under Pep Guardiola to showcase. The Catalans also field more than half a dozen World Cup and Euro winners in their starting XI.

While Wenger’s men can claim to be the only true proponents of ‘the beautiful game’ in England, asserting this fact is a lot like Liverpool, who haven’t won the league since 1990, incessantly harping about their legacy of 19 domestic titles. What is the point of mouthwatering football if it does not result in silverware?

There are those who argue that Wenger’s failure is his inability to copy the Barcelona model. But is the Spanish giants’ approach the long term solution? They have achieved success with big-name signings like Zlatan Ibrahimovic (69 million Euros) and David Villa (40 million Euros) while announcing losses at the end of every financial year.

Wenger, on the other hand, has been working on a relatively shoe-string budget. He has seen all his Invincibles move on or retire, has sold many of his main players (Adebayor, Hleb, Toure), shifted to a bigger stadium and yet has kept his side in the Top 4 and at the same time announces profits. In these times of managerial turmoil where coaches have been fired for much less, there has never been a hint from the Arsenal management that Wenger’s job is in jeopardy. And this is testimony to how much he means to the club.

But the barren streak may have just drawn to a close. Arsenal are at the threshold of ending their trophy drought. A win tonight over Birmingham City at Wembley is all it will take. While victory in the Carling Cup may not be the same as winning the Championship or the Champions League, one has to start somewhere.

The wait has been long and painful but this season the fruits of this long endeavour look more than achievable. With Arsenal going strong on all four fronts, this win would give them the much needed belief that winning isn’t beyond them. It will be poetic if Arsenal end the drought soon after beating Barcelona at their own game, on the field as well.

Recently the Guardian referred to Wenger as a man who seven years ago had found a glorious formula for success but then craved for an even better one. At long last he might just have arrived at one. And the reason that of all people it was him boils down to one simple reason… he chose to.