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Clean sheet good for our confidence

::::: Wenger ::::: I was delighted with the result on Saturday and it was good to keep a clean sheet too.

It's good for the confidence of the team that we did not concede against Wigan. Conceding goals is a little bit the price we pay for our style of play. We had maybe 10 chances on Saturday and gave two away. But I think we'll be more and more solid when we get used to the way we want to play.

Thomas Vermaelen is now our top scorer after his two goals against Wigan! What is good since the beginning of the season is that we have scored goals from all over the pitch. We scored four on Saturday but we could have scored more. Even in the away games - Manchester United and Manchester City - we could have scored more. That shows we have the potential.

As for Thomas, I thought he could adapt quickly to English football but not as quickly as that.

It is difficult to know who should claim the third goal because Eduardo took the shot and Emmanuel Eboue deflected it past the keeper. Spirit-wise I give it to Eduardo because the shot was on target. If this ball was deflected by a Wigan player would you give it to Eduardo?

We had this debate at UEFA. If the shot is on target but is deflected by the defender you give it to the striker. If the ball is missing the target, you give an own goal.
Eboue played well, he did what you have to do after the problems he encountered during last season's game with Wigan. You have to shut up, play and do well. Let people talk but shut up yourself. This is a job where you have to respond mentally. The supporters are behind him now because he plays well and with the right spirit.
He is a sensitive boy and an extrovert. He plays as a defender but he is a creative spirit in my opinion. That is why I used him in midfield because he has good acceleration and a good dribble. I believe he was a bit too nervous at the start but age will help him. He will get less excited and his vision will get better in the final third. He shows that now already.

Tomas Rosicky was another positive on Saturday and 'touch-wood' his problem is sorted. He had not played a game for 18 months. Now he has played with the Czech Republic and us. I did not leave him on the bench against Wigan because I was cautious. He was ready to play and for me he looks completely over his injury.

Thanks for your continued support.

Real MADrid and MAD City

Just when there’s a credit crunch two clubs step forward and blow everyone out of the water with their transfer dealings. Both clubs by the end of the transfer window will probably have spent past half a billion pounds in fees together .

No one else can compete or at least dare to compete with either side . Martin Allen and 99.9% of managers must look on with a certain amount of envy , even to have the tiniest percentage of their wealth would be nice.

However , spending vast sums of money doesn’t guarantee success but of course can go a long way to getting it. Henry Winter , from the Telegraph , maintained that “spending without blending is a dangerous game” . Many managers have had money to spend in the past but haven’t been able to come across that special blend of players that form a winning team.

We saw last season at Cheltenham , who pushed up the budget to try and keep the club in League One , that throwing money at a situation doesn’t always work . For me team spirit and a squad work ethic are far more important than the amount of money spent . If the money is well spent and you get that spirit embodied in the club then the recipe is complete . Interesting times are ahead not just for the expectant fans of these two clubs but the whole of football . My worry with both these two is , do they have a sufficient backbone ? Time and signings will tell .

Jack Wilshere

I wonder how many of you managed to catch a glimpse of the Emirates Cup at the weekend ?

Those that did would have witnessed one of the great English talents that will surely emerge over the next few years in Jack Wilshere. All the coaching staff at Arsenal have raved about him since he joined the club 7 years ago , and the evidence was there for all to see at the weekend as he showed a wonderful knack of consistently doing the right thing at the right time , a mark of a very good player .

I know its early days yet but he will have the right people behind him at the club , to nurture what he already has and he is ready to be pushed more into the first team this season . Liam Brady talking on Talk Sport the other morning says he feels he’s ready for a more regular inclusion and has come back from the summer break a far stronger player , having been given a programme over the close season to work on. Watch this space , the watching Fabio Capello would have been undoubtedly impressed over the 2 games . An English left footed player , if only I was 20 years younger ha.

Shane Duff

It didn’t come as too much of a shock to me , and probably the majority of Cheltenham fans , that Shane Duff is the new club captain . The obvious choice , someone who knows the club inside out and is the last main link now between the fans and the players.

Providing he can stay fit he will be a mainstay in the team and has been one of Cheltenham’s best defenders in recent years. He has very similar attributes to his brother Michael , comes from a good family and is a very level headed person with a maturity beyond his years.

Finners

Just recently has seen the departure of Cheltenham’s club captain John Finnigan , I remember the day he walked through the door some seven years ago and ever since has been a more than popular member of the dressing room ,

His work rate and application on the field were second to none and he played a significant part in many Cheltenham successes since then . He probably feels , like I did when I left , that he still has something to offer the club but football being the way it is people have to move on at some point .

He has played and scored in some of the most vital games in the clubs history , the Play off win v Rushden being probably his most memorable goal . His part in the run in when Cheltenham survived in League One two seasons ago was massive and proved his value to the club . He now moves on to Kidderminster under Mark Yates , a former team mate of ours , who will know Johns attributes inside out.