Adebayor gives Arsenal ‘fans’ a ‘Swivel on This’…

The first player to score two hattricks against the same opposition within the same season, ever. The first player other than Thierry Henry in donkey’s years to score 30 in a season for Arsenal.

To reiterate - a 30-goal a season striker.

His name is Adebayor. He is 24 years old. He’s from Lome, Togo.

And everyone wants to get rid of him.

To be fair, the word ‘everyone’ is a bit of a broad brush to stroke across the myriad of Arsenal supporters out there. But read the comments of Arsenal blogs and forums around the net - dominated by pubescent, Championship Manager addicts - and you would forgive me for getting a hint of that impression.

Sure, next season he should aim for 20 goals and take it from there (second-season syndrome can be a nasty mistress), but what Emmanuel has achieved this season is phenomenal.

Thirty goals. Count them, you impatient temprementals out there. Thirty goals.

“But hark! Six of those - twenty percent - came against Derby!”, I hear you shout.

No-one took Fernando Torres’ hattrick that he scored against the same opposition away from him. No-one even mentions how he did not score against Derby the second time round.

Not to take anything away from the force of nature that is Fernando. It’s just that, well, our own Togolese gladiator has scored the exact same amount of goals in all competitions. Leading the line on his own. Under the disproportionate heckling and unfair pressure sustained by ungrateful, Johnny-come-lately Arsenal ‘fans’.

The PFA acknowledge him, my life-long Manchester United-supporting uncle fears him, and my Liverpool mates shake their heads with a muted disbelief that Arsenal fans are the way they are given the amount of goals the young forward scores.

How many goals would Benzema or Huntelaar have scored in this season, were they playing for Arsenal? Adebayor’s power, hard-work, troublesome dribbling and all-action displays make him one of the world’s top strikers. Like it or not.

He has his faults, but he’s young, still. Tractor-comparisons are unfair, given his other qualities. He’s a match winner, a storm-trooper, a rolling boulder. Very few defences have proved to be an Indiana Jones in the face of his efforts.

This certainly is a season to remember for young Ade. He will only get better. That is frightening.

He’s scored 30 goals for Arsenal. Arsenal fans bemoan his ‘mere presence’ on the field. That too, is frightening.

A Tribute to Eboue’s Hand (artist formerly known as)

Arsenal stand at a crossroads tonight heading into tonight’s crunch second-leg decider against Liverpool at Fortress Anfield™, with our season gone all Zimbabwean on us since my continued cyber-absence. I guess we’ve all learned now that Mr Jammathon is a plastic fan who is really a closet Chelsea-supporter (what can I say, Zombie managers just do it for me), but such is life.

Some Serious Dusting Off Needed, But No Time to Overreact…

Football can often dictate the mood I carry with me for the rest of the day in my more normal life. AC Milan saw me buzzing for the whole weekend leading up to Wigan, and life’s cruel balance just had to see that come crashing down, didn’t it?

Truth be told, I had quite an excellent day, in spite of a very frustrating stalemate between Wigan Athletic and Arsenal. With Manchester United and Chelsea fluffing their lines very badly in the FA Cup, this was a chance to pull four points clear at the top of the table.

Instead, we’ve only managed two points. The opening exchanges did not suggest this would be so, when, in the opening minute, Adebayor was sent sprinting clear after a lovely through-ball from Fabregas. Adebayor had only the keeper to beat, but shot straight at Kirkland, with the onrushing Bendtner unable to get to the rebound.

Defensive Mentality may be Key to Unlocking Tenacious Wigan

We’re just a few hours away from our date at the JJB - famous for scrappy games of Rugby Union’s poorer cousin being played on its already tarnished surface - and there’s a huge chance of a big European hangover waiting to hit Arsenal in the face in this match.

Hypocritical Media Reaction must be Ignored - Gooners Must Keep their Heads

A quick one while I sit here between lectures - studiousness and scholarship are all admirable traits, but sticking to the long haul is another that needs to be drilled in to me at times. In short, this is the only time today that I have to pen something, so lets make it a little interesting…

Awesome Arsenal Enough to Pry Third-Gen out of its Stupour

Before I begin, let me apologise for not only the complete lack of posting for exactly a fortnight, but for also an absence bereft of apology or explaination as to why I was not posting. In short, I could not bring myself to writing down to personal reasons (at least Bacary Sagna eventually revealed what his were, though mine were not nearly as grave), which were a culmination of a number of things, and writing was not possible to prioritise.

Third-Gen’s ‘Great New Blog’ is: GunnersLive

This is proof that recommendations sent through the email is encouraged greatly at this site. Just less than a week ago, a nomination for the second ‘Great New Blog’ award came through recommending Chris at the new ‘GunnersLive’ blog - and boy, was I more than impressed.

There is not much to say, other than the site is exceptional in content, clarity, writing style and design. This is all coupled with fantastic analysis and focussed angles on news stories surrounding Arsenal FC.

The Blog has already been listed as one of the ‘fastest growing’ on WordPress, but give it some further impetus, and pay it as many visits as you can. Favourite it, even. I already have.

Chris at GunnersLive: Exceptional work. May the blog last longer than a Lindsay Lohan rehab session. Good tidings…

Third-Gen’s Blog of the Week: YoungGuns!

With a computer up and running once more, the old graphics can be tinkered with here and there. This week’s award goes to Jamie Sanderson over at YoungGuns, after some continued sterling work following the popular team known better as The Arsenal Reserves.

Simply put, the work the young renegade puts in following players on loan, reserves plying their trade within Arsenal’s fence and the work people like former-gunner Danny Karbassiyoon are up to outside the club has been exceptional, and the quantity of articles that the kid is able to churn out a day is matched only by their quality.

This is no tribalfootball operation - Sanderson has produced a blog rich in content, high in information and completely in-depth in its analysis of players trying to make it big at Arsenal. Though he, myself, and the rest of us are prone to hype our reserves up too much every now and then, you cannot blame yourself when you read through the news YoungGuns is able to source up.

To YoungGuns and Sanderson - Keep up the excellent work.