There comes a time in any young professional's career where he gets his chance to prove his worth.


For many Arsenal players this tie against Real Madrid has shown that the future can be bright. Arsene Wenger has constantly extolled the virtues of the young side he is putting together and on Wednesday night a lot of that faith was repaid by the players he sent out.
For me, Alexander Hleb had his best game yet in an Arsenal Jersey and showed for the first time why we paid so much for him in the summer.

Manu Eboue once again looked superb at right back. He was not phased by the opposition at all and looks better every time I see him.
Big Phil Senderos at the back also had a superb game, confidence is a big part of his (or any footballer's) game and he will benefit from the 2 games he has played in this Champions league tie.

Cesc Fabregas just plays with a maturity far beyond his years. How good he'll turn out to be, only time will tell but his ability is not in doubt.


While its apparent that Real Madrid are not the side they were, it should not be overlooked that over 2 legs Arsenal were the better side and the performance 2 weeks ago in Madrid was shown to be no fluke. Real Madrid still lie 2nd in La Liga, David Beckham, Zidane and even Roberto Carlos are still regarded as world class players. Lets remember - before the first leg not many people gave Arsenal a hope of winning this tie, so it's a testament to how this side is growing.


So now the key is to take this belief into the Premiership and keep it going until the end of the season. Liverpool on Sunday will provide another test, every game is now a big game. We'll be a lot closer to knowing whether or not we've turned the corner after Sundays game, then the Premiership still has to be the main focus and we can't afford to drop any more points.

Ok Gooners, I am working on a post for tomorrow about Arsenal, the future and where we are heading. But before I post it (it's not quite finished) I would like some views on who you would like to see Arsenal look to buy.


I know some of you say we need a strong midfielder, so who would you go for? and you can't say Gerrard because we can't afford him, it has to be a realistic target.


So come on who would you like to see in the New Arsenal Jersey next season?


Comments please.

Well at least this is the last time we see Bolton this season, its a big few days, what with Liverpool on Tuesday and Bolton Saturday. Its important we can win this one, but Bolton are not going to be easy especially when defenders Sol Campbell ( Ankle ) Ashley Cole (thigh), Gael Clichy (foot), Pascal Cygan (hamstring), Lauren (knee), Kerrea Gilbert (back) are all out. Bolton will no doubt pump in lots of high balls to try and disrupt a young defence so we need the Big German Mentalist to be on form for this one like he was at Birmingham last week. I am hoping we just sneak it.


Fancy a punt on the gooners ? here is the latest betting.


Arsenal to win 1/2
Draw 3/1

Bolton to win 5/1



Place your bet here

Yes its true, Arsenal new boy Abou Diaby, like to put himself about, and Ivan 'The Mop' Campo was the unlucky fellow on the end of one of them.


Of course 'Big Fat Sam' has had a pop with this little dig: "My ultimate search is on, given the very depressing news after the game on Saturday that Ivan Campo has broken his foot after what was a horrendous challenge on him" .


Well he would know wouldn't he. Yes Diaby was late, but horrendous is rather strong, you can see on this clip, he was a fraction late, and Campo's follow-through is what did the damage. It's a shame he broke his foot, but I'm still pleased to see we have someone in the midfield, that is going to put himself about. It's what has been missing.

I like most gooners feel, we have been on the receiving end a little too much, and perhaps now we can give a bit back if we have to.

We know Arsenal Fans worldwide want to show they are a true Gooner, but where is the best place to go to get your Arsenal Jersey?


We think it depends on your location, though both the shops we mention here will ship Arsenal Soccer Jerseys and other items worldwide.


Here is some information on the main companies we deal with, World Soccer Shop and Kitbag, if you order your Arsenal Jersey from either of these stores, you won't go far wrong. I've ordered from bothand wasn't disappointed.


WorldSoccershop is based in Birmingham, Alabama and deliver all over the USA.


It is a privately owned company, trading under the name of 365 Incorporated. According to them, they are a "Cutting edge sports company that serves North American soccer and rugby devotees through e-commerce and news, information and community websites. WorldSoccerShop.com are trusted retailers of gear and officially licensed merchandise for professional and amateur players, fans and families. 365 Incorporated also provides several high profile partners with Rugby and Soccer stores including, Amazon.com, Fox Sports, BigSoccer, Canterbury of New Zealand and PlanetRugby.
At the heart of their organization is a team of dedicated, passionate and caring employees, each of them totally dedicated to making interaction with their company a pleasure".


Kitbag are based in Ilkeston, UK and deliver to most European Countries. Kitbag reckon they want to make your visit to their site secure, fun and customer-friendly one.


Their objective, so they say, is simple, "To offer the largest selection of sports and fitness merchandise, National & International shirts, souvenirs and videos at competitive prices to a global audience, with high levels of customer care".


They've teamed up with a number of official suppliers to the worlds top sports teams to bring you a wide range of merchandise from around the world. The number of clubs and the range of products we supply is continually expanding to bring our customers the most comprehensive range available on the web today. With next day UK delivery on most items and supply to worldwide destinations, shopping on the web could not be easier.





UK and European customers can order from Kitbag here


USA customers can order from Worldsoccershop here