Does Tony Adams have a point about winning ugly?

By Avenell Dave

Twitter is awash with comments about Tony Adams today and rightly so.

A forthright interview in yesterday's Evening Standard highlighted his frustrations with Arsenal and his ambitions to become Arsenal manager one day.

Adams is a curious figure.

A superb player, by his own admission he spent years in an alcoholic blur before quitting drink and finding poetry and music. I met him once and he asked me about Ben Okri, bemused that not everyone shared his literature loves now that he had discovered them at almost 30.

Adams was a leader, a winner and there is no doubt that he had a great part to play in our success over the years.

I love how loyal he was and wish some other players showed the same commitment, especially as he was brought up a West Ham fan, so no family loyalties.

But he didn't even have the decency to turn up for the unveiling of his own statue at the ground last season, such is his beef with some aspects of the club who had supported him through illness and incarceration.

He's right, of course, that Arsene Wenger should spend a bit more time drilling the defence, a bit more time urging the midfield to shield the back four and that full backs should defend first and attack later.

He talks of strong defences winning titles, citing Ch*vski as a prime example, when there are plenty of sides who use flair to win titles (Barca anyone?)

Now we all know that we don't quite have the personnel to emulate either of the afore-mentioned sides and we have to get more of a balance.

But you only have to look at how close M*nure came last season to winning the title to see that a balanced side is not a bad way to go.

How would a George Graham side do today, after all?

His first teams with the likes of Thomas, Rocastle, Marwood, Richardson, Davis, Anderson and Quinn won trophies and then he lost his bottle and focused on Ian Wright as the focal point with everyone else mere workhorses. No wonder he's out of work.

We saw last night against Montpellier that we are starting to gel, that players are finding themselves with intricate balls that carve open defences.

We faded badly in the second half, which begs the question why so few fresh faces were introduced at the start and when the need for subs became apparent.

But we survived. We won. And we won ugly.

The longer Steve Bould has with the team, the stronger we will become in that respect, I am sure.

And didn't Wenger employ Patrick Vieira and Manu Petit to shield the defence which became the cornerstone of our 1998 Double-winning team?

Nothing is perfect in football, and there's huge room for improvement both within Arsenal's team and squad.

But after his ignominious stints at Wycombe and Portsmouth, I do hope Tony Adams sticks to columns rather than sniffing around the hot seat in N5.

Are Arsenal taking Montpellier too lightly?

By Avenell Dave

There's a theme evolving here.

I get scared, based on previous experience, of Arsenal taking teams too lightly.

We have a relatively straighforward Champions League Group on paper but starting with an away match against Montpellier, last season's surprise French Champions, may not be the walkover we want it to be.

I don't share Graham McNorthbank's concerns about Vito Mannone, who in my mind looked pretty assured in two tricky away games.

But with rumours of players being rested and a trip to champions Citeh coming up, it's vital that we get a good start and keep the positive momentum going.

Much has been made of the renewed focus on our defence and that has to be a bonus, but one away victory and three home wins ensures we go through so this is a hige game to put us on our way.

What I know about Montpellier can be written on a postage stamp, but the fact that they've lost their best defender, Emir Spahic who we were interested in at one stage, and of course their striker, our very own Olivier Giroud.

How fitting it would be if the man who fired them to the title last season breaks his Arsenal duck at his former home.

It's so difficult getting a balance between resting players to keep them fresh and not taking a game seriously enough.

You look at who M*nure left out in their 4-0 demolition of of Wigan and it shows it can be done (and the players who played were not exactly world beaters).

If we toil, Wenger will come in for criticism for not taking the game seriously, but the fact that he is banned from the first three games due to outrageous Draconian UEFA rules doesn't exactly help.

I suspect Theo Walcott will come into the side in place of the Ox and I certainly wouldn't risk Abou Diaby after the knock he took on international duty. He is far more important for the Citeh game and we really have to wrap him in cotton wool.

I can see Laurent Koscielny coming in as well to give him a run-out, possibly at the BFG's expense, but I do hope there aren't too many other changes.

Let's have a nice comfortable win with no injuries, no controversy. But this is Arsenal, right? We don;t always make it easy for ourselves.

Addict XI

Mannone

Jenkinson Koscielny Vermaelen Santos

Arteta Ramsey Cazorla

Walcott Giroud Gervinho

Who would you chose to face Montpellier on Tuesday night?

What the papers say: Wenger's patience running out on Walcott deal

We're all about making your life easier here at Arsenal Addict, where our team of Addicted editors spend every spare second scrutinising news coverage to make sure you're kept up to date with what's going on at our beloved club. So if you don't have the time to trawl through the UK's national newspapers for Arsenal stories, be sure to check back here where we'll do the work for you.

The Sun - Wenger: RVP can haunt us
ARSENE WENGER fears he will be haunted by Robin van Persie.

The Daily Mirror - Mon dieu! Arsenal facing goalkeeper crisis ahead of Champions League clash
Wojciech Szczesny has suffered an ankle injury leaving Vito Mannone to deputise and former fifth choice James Shea to make the bench.

The Daily Mail - Commit to us or else, frustrated Wenger warns Arsenal contract rebel Theo
Arsene Wenger has expressed his irritation at Theo Walcott’s contract stand-off, warning the winger must commit his future to Arsenal as soon as possible.

The Daily Express - ARSENE WENGER: I’M WORRIED FOR THEO FUTURE
ARSENE WENGER has hinted he is running out of patience with the Theo Walcott contract saga – and is worried some Arsenal fans might have turned against the England man.

The Daily Star - WENGER'S PATIENCE HITS A WALL OVER THEO
ARSENE WENGER has hinted he is running out of patience with the Theo Walcott contract saga.

The Independent - Wenger places trust in Bould on his return to familiar territory
Arsenal manager must watch from the stands as new campaign starts with French champions.

The Guardian - Theo Walcott's contract wranglings leave Arsenal manager exasperated
Arsène Wenger's excitement at the onset of another Champions League group stage was undercut by exasperation, and it was not only directed at Uefa, the governing body, which has banned him from the touchline and dressing-room for the first three matches, beginning here against Montpellier on Tuesday night.

The Daily Telegraph - Steve Bould to stand in for banned Arsène Wenger for Champions League opener
Steve Bould will make his Champions League debut as a coach on Tuesday – and also take charge of his first senior football match — as he stands in for the suspended Arsène Wenger.

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