Marouane Should Be Playing!!!

Watch his goals from last year and tell me he shouldn't be starting for Arsenal.  If the players could cross the ball like they did then and actually set up Marouane, he could score even more.  But the players are selfish and shoot stupid balls (Arshavin, Bendtner, Walcott, Gervinho, RVP) and never include him.

He is a great header, but they can't cross a ball to save their lives...

Not a Good Start

Today Arsenal played their first match of the season and definitely DID NOT impress.  Looking limp from the starting whistle, the Gunners could not find the right organization to score.  Marouane, again, did not play at all so I'm really hoping that Arsenal lose every match this year.  Wenger has completely lost the plot.  I'm sure he will blame the transfer sagas for part of their inability to score today, but in reality it had nothing to do with that.  They played this poorly last year with and without Cesc and Nasri.

Joey Barton was of course a lightning rod in the match.  First, he was stomped by Alex "Skunk" Song, who is now sporting an even more heinous hairdo than last year.  After Barton went down, Skunk deliberately stepped on him.  The fourth official did not make a call, which is hilarious, as he was within yards of the incident.  But the fact that Skunk was not called for the offense means the FA (if they have the cojones) could cite him post-match for the missed call.
Barton, as you can imagine, was not happy about it and complained vociferously in a way only Barton can do. 
Later on in the match, Gervinho (whom I call Gerbilinho) dove in the penalty area and Barton got really mad.  He marched over and pulled the Gerbil off the pitch and yelled at him, then everyone else had to get involved and in the fracas, Gerbil took a swipe at Barton's head, who then fell to the floor as if he'd been smacked by Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson.  The ref came over and issued a red card to the Gerbil, and then gave a yellow to Barton.
On Twitter, Barton traded jibes with Jack Wilshere (who was injured, but obviously not too injured to tweet), Robbie Savage (another idiot), and Piers Morgan (an avid /rabid/stupid Gooner).  Barton has become somewhat of a Dalai Lama with spiked boots...spouting Nietzche-esque quotes littered among his biting tweets.
My favorite of his today was this one directed at Piers "Moobs" Morgan:
"I was merely helping him regain his obviously dodgy balance #cheatingbarsteward"  hahaha

The overall opinion of this incident from the MUFC fans on twitter was..."how dreadful, but entertaining!"

No Marouane, No Care about Arsenal...

Chamakhing Me Crazy!

Last season ended poorly for the Gunners and Marouane.  Fading down the stretch has become a hallmark for the once-unbeatable Arsenal.  Manchester United ran away with the title toward the end of the season, proving once again to Arsene Wenger, that you can't rely on youth alone.
Arsene has promised the Gunner faithful for too many seasons now that he will buy buy buy in the transfer market.  Just last week he said that a player of "super quality" would be arriving soon...who is this player?  Nobody knows.  But one thing the fans know is that by the time the first match is played this weekend, two of the Gunners should be well on their way to different clubs.
Cesc has been a wantaway for several seasons now and it comes as no surprise that he engineered a move once again this summer.  It seems that Wenger has his hands tied at this point because his "captain" (in name only) wants to return to Barcelona where he can sit on the bench collecting splinters until Xavi and Iniesta feel tired in the 85' and want to be subbed off...
Arsenal has no leverage with Cesc at all.  He hasn't produced for the club and has been a serial crock for the last two seasons.  No trophies (last year's Emirate's Cup doesn't count).  Dumped out of the Champions League (albeit by a cheating/diving Barcelona).  Losing the Carling Cup final to Birmingham (a team that was relegated at the end of the season).  It's not like Cesc is Cristiano and has won every trophy there is to win, personally and collectively.  At this point...Cesc has been discounted, I'm sure.
Nasri is another who is on his way out.   Marouane confirmed this in an interview with l'Equipe the other day.  His destination seems to be Man Poo, even though he/Arsenal turned down a chance to sell him to Manchester United.  You can be certain that the owners of Middle Eastlands splashed more cash (their modus operandi) prompting Wenger to acquiesce.
So what is the problem?  Teams sell players every year. 
The problem is...who is Wenger going to get to replace these two?
I would hate to think that Wenger is thinking of dropping Marouane back behind van Persie to fill in for Cesc.  Hopefully that won't happen, but I'm not sure when Marouane will get playing time.

My prediction?  Arsenal 5th in the standings

Finally Some Pitch Time!

I haven't posted on here in a while because I didn't have anything to talk about.  But with Marouane's recent match with Morocco and his 25 minutes on the pitch with Arsenal yesterday, I can finally say something!

MOROCCO

Marouane played in a friendly against Niger during midweek.  He played very well and almost scored a few times.  One was an easy feed to him with an open goal, but the pass was slightly behind him and he couldn't manage it.  That was his best chance to score.  He did have a few other good shots at goal but they were saved by the keeper.
Morocco won the match and I was impressed with their marked improvement from recent games.  Maybe they are finally back on track and will push for the ANC title and possibly a World Cup berth in 2014.

ARSENAL

I've made no secret of my displeasure with Arsene Wenger for leaving out Marouane in the side.  Wenger publicly said that Marouane needed a break because he had played too much in the first half of the season.  I believe that maybe 60%.  I still think that the big mouths of Robin van Persie and Niklas Bendtner had a bit to do with it.
van Persie has been scoring so you can't fault his appearance in the side, but Bendtner is utter crap.  The commentators in yesterday's match said just that, as have the others in previous matches.  One went so far as to say that "Bendtner has a hugely inflated opinion of himself....telling everyone that AC Milan are interested in him...when I would bet it's more like Newcastle are interested in him."  Hahahahaha...couldn't have said that better myself!
In yesterday's match, Marouane played very well and set up two near-goals...one by Fabregas and another by Clichy.  Bendtner just sprayed balls left and right and lost possession.  Let's hope that Chammie gets more chances in the near future.  Arsenal play Barcelona at the Emirates on Tuesday.  The Champions League has always been a goal-boon for Cham...maybe he'll prove me right!

Where is Marouane Chamakh?

I have to say that I'm a little miffed at Arsene Wenger and the Gooners of London.

At the beginning of the season they were down several players (two who are serial crocks, and one who is serially stupid), so they asked their new man, Marouane Chamakh, to jump in with both feet and take over the striker position.
Marouane did so with great aplomb and managed to score 10 goals for the Gunners, several which salvaged points leaked away by their pathetic defense.
But once the serial crock with the big mouth, Van Persie (van P**sy to me) returned (still not fit) he started flapping his gums about how much he wanted back in the starting lineup.  Arsene Wenger obviously listened to him and started dropping Marouane to the sub bench (citing that Marouane was exhausted).  I don't believe the tired story.  Marouane played every match with Bordeaux last year (save for a few he was rested), so I can't see why he would be unfit to play.
Another idiot with a big mouth (Bendtner) who is widely-regarded to be WORTHLESS on every account, also spewed off in the press about his lack of playing time, citing Marouane's starter status. 

Marouane was getting good service in the first part of the season until these mooks started spouting off.  It sounds to me like there is a bit of jealousy in the Gooner ranks...which wouldn't surprise me.  They seem to fade down the stretch, and their infighting/pettiness might be the culprit. 
So now Marouane is barely getting playing time.  When he does, he feeds others to score, or in Arshavin's case, feeds the dumb Russian who manages to miss every shot he takes!
My point was proved tonight when Marouane was subbed off in the 71' for Fabregas.  Minutes later someone fed van P**sy a beautiful cross to head in for the goal.  Why didn't that person do the same for Marouane?  Marouane is far superior in the air to just about anyone in the EPL, so you would think the Gunners would capitalize on that.  But no... 

It pains me to watch such a good player being treated as a second-class and third-class player.

Would he have been better off staying at Bordeaux?

I don't know.  Maybe Gourcuff wouldn't have left to go to Lyon had Marouane decided to stay.  But I think the deciding factor for both was that manager Laurent Blanc was going himself...taking over for the ousted and useless Raymond Domenech at the French National Team.

If the Gunners continue to waste their resources like Marouane, they will find themselves lacking in the trophy department once again.

Singin' About Chamakh

This is a video uploaded by a Moroccan fan of Marouane's.  It shows Arsenal fans in England singing his song.
Some of the comments suggested it was racist.
It starts out, "He's not white and he's not black, he comes from a place not far from Iraq."

I don't think Marouane would find it offensive, but maybe a little ignorant.  He's from France, not Morocco, which by the way isn't close to Iraq either.  Obviously the Iraq reference was due to the rhyming scheme.
"He plays up front, he loves to attack.....Marouane Chamakh"

Marouane Receives Award from Bordeaux; Bonne Anniversaire!

How appropriate that Marouane received the Best Player of 2010 award from his former club, Bordeaux.  The fans voted on the award, as it's obvious that they would have liked Marouane to stay...but understood why he left.
A contentious relationship with club president, Jean-Louis Triaud, meant the Aquitaine club lost their best player on a Bosman free transfer last June.  Chamakh had considered staying, but after his ridiculous treatment by Triaud and the club's hierarchy, he decided to skip off to the much more high-profile English Premier League.  He has netted 11 goals for the Gunners, even though a recent dip in form (probably due to the loud mouths in the press of van Persie and Bendtner wanting their spots back) has meant he hasn't started a match since early December.  He has struggled to score from the head with Arsenal, something for which he was renowned at Bordeaux, because quite frankly, the Gunners suck at crossing the ball!  Marouane definitely misses the pinpoint accuracy of Yoann Gourcuff's crosses...as do Bordeaux, since Gourcuff left as well to join Ligue 1 rivals Lyon.
Hopefully Marouane will be able to shut out the pathetic criticisms of Arsenal's official Glass Jaw (van Persie) and Box Choker (Bendtner) and find his winning form that he displayed in the first half of the season.

Arsene Wenger admitted a few weeks ago that Marouane was tired (having started almost every match since the beginning of pre-season).  Used to the break over Christmas enjoyed in Ligue 1, Wenger decided to rest him during the same period this year to let him ease into the harrowing schedule kept by the Premier League.

Marouane will turn 27 on Monday.  Bonne Anniversaire!!!!!

To read the article about his award, click the link below:

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2011/01/06/2293492/marouane-chamakh-named-bordeauxs-player-of-the-year-for-2010

Marouane and Yoann...Chamcuff!...sniff sniff...I miss these two together!

Wenger Confident of Chamakh

Arsène Wenger admits Marouane Chamakh’s form has dipped recently but is confident he will be back to his best sooner rather than later.


If anything, the Moroccan striker has been the victim of his own success after raising expectations with a flying start to his maiden Premier League season.
The summer signing led the line tirelessly in the absence of Robin van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner in the notoriously demanding top flight and scored ten goals in his first 17 starts for Arsenal.
Chamakh’s last goal came in the 4-2 win over Aston Villa on November 27 and Wenger expects him to rediscover his scoring touch soon.
“I think he had a little dip very recently because he gave a lot since the start of the season,” said the manager. “But he will come back very quickly.
“He played most of the time on his own up front fighting for every single ball.
“He was highly decisive in many games and of course that’s why in the last two games he was a little bit jaded and had less capacity to make a sprinting difference.
“I’m very happy we have him at the Club.”

Mid-Season Update

The 19th week it's of the EPL season is upon us and that means the teams will be pushing to finish strong in the second half of the long season.

Arsenal have had many ups and downs and Marouane has done very well for his first season with the Gunners.  They haven't finished the first half like they wanted to, dropping too many points and losing a match at Old Trafford, which conceded the lead to United.  The Gunners have a huge matchup with Chelsea after Christmas.
But the season still has many games left and it's no team as of yet has pulled away from the pack.
With the Champions League knockouts to begin in February, and Arsenal still playing for the Carling Cup, the schedule will get tight.
Recent snow cancellations will not help with the schedule, and Marouane should know this after Bordeaux' slide at the end of last season due to their jammed schedule.

I'm very pleased with Marouane at Arsenal, although I still miss seeing him with Yoann.  A Chamcuff reunion would be very nice!

Here is a Holiday greeting from the Arsenal bunch...Marouane appears a couple of times, but the end piece is hilarious with his hat!!!!  Enjoy!

Happy Holidays to my readers...and many blessings for the New Year!

Chamakh Has Heart; Sets Sight on More Goals

by Chris Harris of arsenal.com

Marouane Chamakh believes that Arsenal's fans have taken him to their hearts because he puts his heart into his performances.


The Moroccan striker has been a revelation in his first season in English football, scoring ten goals in 17 starts for his new club, including four in his last five games.
Chamakh's aerial ability has given Arsenal another route to goal and he clearly relishes the physical challenge of the Premier League. The 26-year-old thinks this has helped endear him to the supporters.

"I think the fact that I give everything [is why they have taken to me]," he told Arsenal.com.
"I give 200 per cent, I play with my heart, I've got guts, I give everything I've got. I don't cheat or cut corners, that's my strength, my character and I think that they like me for it."

When Arsène Wenger swooped for Chamakh in May, no one described him as 'prolific' - sure, he scored his fair share of goals but his role was as much about linking play and creating space for others.  That reputation will need reviewing if the Moroccan continues his current run and, having reached double figures already, Chamakh has set himself a personal target before the end of the season.
"Personally, I've never been a great goalscorer, I've never scored more than 20 goals a season, but it's up to the manager as to how he uses his players," he said.
"For me, if I can weigh in with 15 to 20 goals, it would be a very, very good season. Whatever happens I hope to continue my progress, which went really well under Laurent Blanc [at Bordeaux] and long may it continue.
"It's gone really well with the set-up here, I hardly knew anyone when I arrived but they've all made me feel very welcome. It has been easy to settle in and this has allowed me to express myself and that's very important.
"Personally, I'm happy. I can do better but yes, I am happy."

Marouane confers with new manager, Arsene Wenger

Scoring a well-earned goal against Spurs

Chamakh Man of the Match vs. Aston Villa

For the fifth time this season, Marouane has been voted Man of the Match.  He garnered 41% of the votes, and edged out Andrey Arshavin (37%) for the award.  Samir Nasri was a distant third with 11%.

CONGRATULATIONS, MAROUANE!!!!!  Well-deserved in my opinion.

Arsenal will play a Carling Cup match tonight...but Marouane will not be playing.  Wenger has decided to rest him.

Marouane Playing With Injuries

Marouane has said repeatedly that the Prem League is much tougher than Ligue 1.  Apparently he has been playing with niggling injuries since his Arsenal debut.  It hasn't hurt his goal tally, though.  Last year for Bordeaux he only scored 16 for the season...but he has scored 10 already for the Gunners.

Read the article here:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/3250043/Marouane-Chamakh-struggling-with-injuries.html

Arsenal Victors at Villa Park; Chamakh Scores His Tenth!

Having come off two successive losses, the Gunners had to be on target at Villa Park if they wanted to stake their claim for the Barclay's title.
A devastating home derby loss to rivals Tottenham, after leading 2-0 was followed closely by a 2-0 defeat at SC Braga in Portugal.
But Wenger must have rallied his troops because they came out blazing today with a lot of aggressiveness.  Missing Captain Cesc Fabregas to injury, Wenger chose Rosicky, Wilshere, Nasri, and Arshavin to feed Marouane Chamakh up front.  It paid off.
Although Wilshere and Rosicky were woeful for most of the match, Arshavin was on song as well as Nasri.  The Russian scored the first goal after juking the defense.  It got a lucky touch from Villa keeper Brad Freidel, but it was probably going in anyway.
Nasri made it two on a very fortunate shot.  Struck hard from the top of the box on a bounce from a lobbing pass, Nasri buried it in the net.  At 0-2 the Gunners looked to be cruising, but with recent memories of blowing leads, their fans and manager could not have been resting easy.  They had good reason to be frightened.  The Villains clawed their way back into it with a Ciaran Clark strike.  The sad part was it should have been called offside, as John Carew was standing in the box blocking the goalkeeper.  At 1-2 Villa now seemed to be alive and they were on the attack.  But their attack left the back open a bit and Marouane Chamakh pounced outstretched on a feed from Arshavin and tucked it under the onrushing Freidel.  1-3 Arsenal.
They seemed to have turned the corner, but Villa was having nothing of it.  They once again closed in on the Gunners with another Ciaran Clark goal.  2-3.  Gerrard Houllier's men looked very dangerous and with several corners could have equalized.  The Gunners on the other hand seemed to be on their back feet, as they often do when in fear of losing.  But late in the game Chamakh took a ball from Rosicky, passed it back to him and Rosicky shot.  The blocked ball landed at Chamakh's feet and he calmly lobbed it over the box to a waiting Jack Wilshere, who headed home for the fourth goal.  That was the ending score, 2-4. 

Nobody looked as relieved as Arsene Wenger, who has taken it from all sides in the press this week, and even had a war of words with Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho.  The former had said Mourinho's tactics in the 4-0 win over Ajax in their Champions League match made los Blancos look "horrible."  UEFA agrees and has charged J-Mo and Ramos, Alonso, Dudek, and Casillas with unsportsmanlike conduct.
When Mourinho heard what Wenger had said, the Portuguese firebrand called Wenger a "loser," and said "his fans should be asking their manager why they haven't won a trophy since 2005."

The Gunners' win today puts them atop the league for a few hours, as Manchester United can take an outright lead with a win against Blackburn.  Chelsea do not play until tomorrow but will be away to a pesky Newcastle side.  The Blues have lost 3 of their last 4...here's hoping Toon can make it 4 out of 5!

To view all the goals click this link, then scroll down to watch each goal.  You will have to watch a short commercial first.

Photos of Marouane:

Marouane battling with former Gunner Pires

It was a physical game...but Marouane is up to it

Number 29 in action

Working against Pires again

Marouane takes a feed and slots it under Brad Friedel

Goal number 10 of the year for Marouane! (and it's only November)

Marouane's goal deflates the Villa fans but excited Rosicky (7)

Who then celebrates with Marouane

Marouane could have scored another, but lobbed a beautiful pass to Wilshere, who scored his first Premier League goal with his head.

Another Loss; Braga Win in Late Flurry

All the Gunners needed was a draw.  Wenger had chosen a less-than-powerful first XI to play against Braga in Portugal.  EPL teams have not faired well, historically, in Portugal.  And Arsenal had not won there in many tries. 
The commenters on fora are not happy with Wenger at the moment.  He blamed the loss on horrific refereeing (I agree with that assessment...complete donkeys), but he has to take some of the blame with his choice of players.
When you have a player who is a prolific goal-scorer in the Champions League, then why would you leave him on the bench to start the match?  That's what he did to Marouane.  And Wenger also left Samir Nasri there as well. 
The Gunners were playing boring ball and seemingly looking for the draw, but Fabregas and Wilshere in particular couldn't keep possession at all.  I lost count how many times each of them passed to the other team!
While stretching for a ball in the box, Fabregas aggravated his hamstring...again...and subbed himself off (leaving the side to 10 until Nasri could come on).  When Wenger put on Vela and Chamakh with 13 minutes to play, taking off Walcott and Bendtner, both of whom were useless, it was too late.  They changed the tempo of the match and brought life to the dull side and should have garnered a penalty taking the score to 0-1.  Chamakh nodded down a ball to Vela in the area and he was clearly taken to the ground by Rodriguez of Braga.  But the donkey ref gave Vela a card for simulation.  Unbelievable.  The Gunners seemed to unravel from there and Braga scored two late goals, both of which were given up by the soft defense.
One very true comment that came from the soccernet Gamecast commentary:
"Chamakh comes on for Bendtner, who really did little to justify the inflated opinion he has of himself."

Bendtner has been on about not getting enough time and basically saying that he should be playing in place of Chamakh.  So Wenger benched him for a match.  Then he started against Braga, and DID NOTHING AT ALL.  He was never where he should be (to receive crosses) and just loped about the pitch.  But Wenger should shoulder the blame for not replacing him earlier.
What does the 2-0 loss mean?  That Arsenal are even on points with Braga and must equal Braga's result in the last match.  The Gunners could still top the group if Braga beats Shakhtar Donetsk, but a loss or draw by Wenger's men in that case would mean they finished third in the group and their Champions League dream would be over.

Chamakh Scores But Arsenal Fall to Third

What a difference a few days make.  On Wednesday, Marouane Chamakh scored an all-important goal for Morocco's National Team, securing victory.  On Saturday he scored against Spurs in the North London derby, but it wasn't enough for the Gunners.

Arsene Wenger's side started off brightly enough opening the scoring with a gritty strike from Samir Nasri.  The French national, who also featured for his national team midweek, took on two defenders and the keeper and just barely squeaked the ball into the net from an impossible angle.  The goal was all his and jumpstarted the Gunners.
It wasn't long after Nasri's opener that Chamakh took a feed from Arshavin and outstretched Younes Kaboul and poked it past Gomes. 2-0 Gunners.
It's often said that 2-0 is the most dangerous score to lead by, and unfortunately for the Gunners' title hopes, it proved correct today.
The Gunners seemed to take their feet off the gas, and all were guilty of missed chances that should have been goals.  Their passing became less effective and the midfield broke down.  With no midfield, the strikers were devoid of clear chances.
Tottenham took full advantage of Arsenal's lack of focus. 
In the second half, the Gunners came out flat and the Spurs turned up the heat.  In the 50' Gareth Bale jumped on a pass from Rafael van der Vaart and pulled one back for the visitors. 2-1 Arsenal.
Spurs could now smell the blood in the water and it took a monumental mistake from the Gunner captain, Cesc Fabregas to level the match.  As van der Vaart took a freekick, Fabregas and Chamakh raised their arms to protect their faces and the ball hit Fabregas' arm.  Referee Phil Dowd pointed to the spot and van der Vaart scored a penalty.  2-2.
So Arsenal's chance to jump ahead of Chelsea in the standings (until the Blues' later match) looked in danger and the Gunners would be lucky to take a point.
Both sides had chances, but the Spurs were running the show now.  And in the 85' Younes Kaboul, who had allowed Chamakh to score in the 27', headed in a freekick from van der Vaart.  Arsenal 2-3 Spurs.  An historic win for Tottenham, and a real slipup from the Gunners.  The result put them third in the table, with United level on points with Chelsea after the Blues lost at Birmingham.
The Gunners will have to play more focused if they're going to reignite their title run.

Chamakh v Kaboul

Former Gunner William Gallas pulls down Chamakh

Chamakh misses out on a chance when Gomes clears the ball

Chamakh pokes home their second goal around Kaboul

Marouane and Cesc raise their arms and the VDV freekick hits Fabregas' arm.

Wenger can't watch as his Gunners give up a two-goal lead and lose at home once again.

Northern Ireland 1-1 Morocco; Chamakh Scores!

Marouane is using his skills as an Arsenal striker to pounce on loose balls in the box.  He did that today in a friendly against Northern Ireland.  A mistake by the keeper put a ball near Marouane, and he killed it to put the Atlas Lions up 1-0 in the 55'.
But a lame penalty given to N. Ireland late in the match meant Morocco would have to settle for the draw.

But way to go, Marouane! 

Marouane celebrates his goal against Northern Ireland

Wenger: Marouane in Good Form, Bendtner Can Wait

Arsene Wenger has hit back at Nicklas Bendtner's apparent threat to quit Arsenal if he doesn't get more game time, insisting the striker must be patient for his chance in the Gunners' competitive frontline.

Bendtner, 22, has just returned from a groin problem which sidelined him since the World Cup, with five substitute appearances in the Premier League but no starts.
Bendtner - who scored against Manchester City and in the Carling Cup win at Newcastle - claims he is in the best shape of his life and lamented during an interview to a Denmark newspaper he was "wasting my time on the bench'' suggesting he could look elsewhere for regular first-team football. Wenger, though, has heard it all before and would expect nothing less of a confident young man.
"Have you ever seen a player who is on the bench and not frustrated?'' the Arsenal manager said. "When you try to convince a player that he has to be patient, then you waste your time, but that is what you have to do. You ask a player if he is fit after two training sessions and he says 'yes'. That is normal. I was the same.
"I have been very pleased with Nicklas' attitude and spirit. He has to continued to work, and when he is completely match fit he will play. I can understand because he has put a lot of effort in. Now he has to be a little bit patient. Nicklas has a good level of confidence and that is not bad, but you have to justify it on the football pitch. He is getting sharper in training. He will play games. But we are a big club and we have big strikers - you cannot start the season with one striker. You decide and, unfortunately, you can only play 11.''
Part of the reason Bendtner has found himself on the bench is the continued form of Marouane Chamakh. The free transfer summer signing from Bordeaux has adapted quickly to life with the Gunners and his brace at Wolves made it eight goals from 17 appearances. With Theo Walcott and Robin van Persie also now back in the frame, Wenger has plenty of attacking options as he prepares for Sunday's trip to Everton.
"When you look at the number of times Chamakh was decisive, you can only say that if you are not happy you must be very difficult to please,'' Wenger reflected. "I am extremely satisfied I signed him. Chamakh is a guy who gets others involved, who creates chances, who is collective in the final third. He is a very collective player and even if he doesn't get 20 goals I am sure the players around him will score because of him.''
The Morocco striker has, though, drawn some criticism for the way he is perceived to go down too easily in the penalty area, most notably away in the Champions League to Partizan Belgrade and also against Birmingham. Wenger, however, insisted Chamakh was no diver.
"I spoke with him and said, 'In England it is not tolerated, the English people become very aggressive about it','' the Arsenal boss revealed. "He said 'I don't dive. Since I was young people ask me why I dive, but I don't even know the way I go down and when I do it is because I have been unbalanced'.''
[end story]

Well put, soccernet.  Marouane is playing well so why would you change that?  Bendtner has always been up and down and never consistent.  Some Arsenal fans screamed last year to sell him. 
Wenger is smart enough to understand that with Marouane's form and maturity, he can influence he game much more than a prima donna striker who feels he is he cat's meow.

Chamakh Man of the Match vs. Wolves

Once again, Marouane is the Man of the Match for Arsenal...his fourth time this year.

http://www.arsenal.com/match-menu/3293518/first-team/wolverhampton-w.-v-arsenal?tab=motm

Congratulations, Marouane!  Well-deserved!!!

Arsenal Downs Wolves; Chamakh Bookends Two!!!

Bravo, Marouane!!!!  What a great day at the Molineux for Marouane Chamakh.  He didn't waste any time putting the Gunners ahead, when he headed in a cross from Song.  They must have been reading my blog, because I have heavily criticized the Gunners for being poor crossers/cornertakers.  I didn't see the rest of the match, but Marouane secured the win in the 90' when he right-footed a ball in the box after a breakaway by Fabregas.
So happy for my favorite French-Moroccan!  Tres bonne.

Marouane scores Arsenal's fastest ever goal in the Prem League in the 1'

Another angle of the goal...

Marouane celebrates with assist-man Cesc Fabregas for his second goal in the 90'

Congratulations, Marouane!  So proud of you!

A Bad Day in London; Arsenal Fall to Toon

Many people at the beginning of the season were seeing a new Arsenal, one with vigor.  Hampered by injuries last year and a certain lack of polish, Wenger's boys seemed to have a new life and some new blood at the Emirates.
But today it all fell apart, horribly.  I didn't watch the entire match.  As you know, I'm not an Arsenal fan.  I am a Marouane Chamakh fan.  I've been a diehard Manchester United supporter forever, and that will never change.  But I followed Marouane at Bordeaux and couldn't give up supporting him even though he transferred to a team who vie against mine for the EPL title. 
How can I do that?  Well, it's easier than you think.  I just hope for Marouane to play well, but in the end I want Manchester to win the title.
As I said above, Arsenal looked to be a big contender, but in recent weeks they seem to have lost their steam. 
When Marouane exited before the hour mark today, I stopped watching the match.  He seemed frustrated from the opening whistle, and I don't blame him.
His forte has always been to be a physical player (even in France, where finesse is the name of the game), strong in the box and in the air.  Arsenal have been a "short" team, which doesn't serve a team well when they're knocking about in the box with bigger players.  So when Arsene got Marouane on a free this summer, their chances during set plays increased ten-fold.  But...
To be successful they have to have good crosses and great cornering skills.  They have neither.  At the start of the season, Marouane was doing well to head in balls (even when they weren't he best).  But in recent weeks he hasn't scored and that is because he doesn't have any help!
Wenger has left him languishing as a center-forward with no help on the wings!  Their crosses are pitiful and their corners are even worse.  When you have a tall player with exceptional heading abilities in the box, you need to get a high lobbing ball into him so he can bang it home.  But instead, their corners consist of line-drives straight to the near post.  Marouane has no chance at all to get to the ball, unless he were on all-fours.  What a waste!
What I hate about it most is that as a striker, Maroune is expected to score.  So when he doesn't it is noticed and then the fans start to say "put someone else in."  But it doesnt' matter, because they don't have any help either.  And today they scored 0 points, despite changing lineups in the second half.

As a United fan, this is wonderful news.  But as a Maroune fan, I am gutted.  I hope he doesn't get down on himself, because it isn't his fault.  Yes, at times he could be more aggressive in the box when others have the ball (anticipating the pass), but most of the time he is waiting, waiting, waiting, for someone to take the initiative (other than an Arshavin, Nasri, Fabregas, or Walcott BLAST over the net from long range).
If they keep this up, again they will be back in third or fourth place, wondering where it all went wrong.

Sorry, Marouane!  I wish you had come to United!