Arsenal Review USA

Gooners the world over got just that little bit closer to a worry-induced ulcer as Arsenal struck very very early and then left the door open very very long for QPR in another nile-biter on the road, a result that keeps them in a very undesirable sandwich between underachieving Chelsea and trademark-happy Tottenham in the chase for a top four finish. Helping us evaluate the pedigree of Arsenal's offense, the secret recipe for their newfound consistency in defense and where exactly the squad may need strengthening in the summer (don't act like you haven't been thinking about this for the last 8 months) is returning guest Tim Clark of Arse2Mouse.com, followed by some quick-firing Arsenal trivia

The sheer ignominy of publicly saluting former-sicknote-turned-world-beater Robin van Persie sparks a lively first half performance from the current Arsenal squad, who then turn around and extend his guard of honor by gifting him the equalizing goal in a tense 1-1 standoff at the Emirates. Discussing this feisty encounter along with the topics of a declining Sagna and an energetic but ultimately static offense will be returning guest Garry Bowman aka Twin Cities Gooner, followed by the (anti-)Man U contest winner announcement and a truly dishonorable Wanker of the Week...

Things get decidedly scrappy in Arsenal's unbeaten run as first Everton eek out a nil-nil draw at the Emirates before 10 man Fulham bring out the Gunners' misfiring worst in a narrow 1-nil win at Craven Cottage, leaving us wondering what exactly to expect in Sunday's grudge match against top-flying Manchester United. Helping us explain Arsenal's 1-man-up-Achilles' Heel and sort out a Giroud replacement for Sunday will be Brandon and Michael of the Queen City Gooners, followed by some extra handsome Man U trivia and some not-at-all handsome Wanker of the Week nominees

Arsenal bypass Norwich's beavering little backup goalkeeper 3 times in the space of 6 minutes to grab the points necessary to leapfrog Chelsea and Sp*rs in the table and in the process attract the ire of basically just the people who don't like seeing any officiating go Arsenal's way. We'll live. More specifically, we'll talk over Arsenal's vital win, best performers and squad selection headaches ahead of the midweek Everton game with returning guest and Arsenal America blogger Chris Jenkins, plus offer some variety in the way of prizes with our preparatory Arsenal > Everton trivia

It's all fun and game until someone plays it over the top of Per Mertesacker, and so proved to be the case for Arsenal at The Hawthorns as a comfy, Rosicky-powered 2 goal lead turned into a hard-fought 2-1 nail-biter after the BFG got his marching orders midway through the 2nd half. On this week's pod to discuss loose possession, uncharacteristically no-nonsense defending and the possibility of a goalkeeper shuffle is 7amkickoff.com's Tim Bostelle. We'll also apply some (semi-)hard science to Arsenal's run-in schedule, let the Arsenal scarves flow like wine and name everyone's favorite deadlifting referee as the Wanker of the Week

The majority of the Arsenal squad manage to preserve their Zen place over two weeks of the most desolately uneventful International Break ever as they return to thrash hapless Reading at home, a win that would prove vital to their top four aspirations as Chelsea meanwhile forfeited three points. Joining us to discuss Arsenal's strongest lineup for the run-in, the Enigmatic Forehead and the oasis of interlull football that was the NextGen series is ESPN Soccernet Arsenal Blogging Correspondent Sam Limbert, along with a Reading-caliber contest challenge

Arsenal revive their form by stuffing Bayern in Germany and Swansea in Wales, a brace of wins that augments their end of season momentum and moves them just that little bit closer to a top 4 finish. Examining the origin of Arsenal's suddenly-watertight defense and reliving memorable commentary moments will be Arsenal matchday commentator Dan Roebuck, followed by a discussion with returning guest Elliot Smith on squad competition, momentum spoilers and the team's efficiency in Swansea, plus some decidedly "geizig" German trivia

Suicidal defending again throws away all three points for Arsenal, this time crucially against Dr. Zaius and the 10 other guys who play alongside him at White Heart Lane. We'll make a half-hearted attempt at gaining some perspective on Arsenal's defensive and offensive problems ourselves before enlisting the help of returning guest Martin Tomlinson as we discuss Arsenal's ability to actually achieve consistency worthy of the top 4, puzzling sources of offense and who looks most capable of solving the problems currently within Arsenal...

[*Insert any one of several past statements made about Arsenal setting the bar even lower*] as they crash out of the FA Cup against a toothless Blackburn, leaving us to wonder what on earth can possibly stop the motivational rot at Arsenal on the eve of a monumental challenge against Bayern Munich. The necessity of rotation, the difference between FA Cup rhetoric and FA Cup desire and the keys to derailing the German juggernaut in the Champions League are all discussed with returning guests Garry Bowman of the Twin Cities Gooners and Ben Smith from WeAretheNorthBank.com...

Arsenal sprout another follicle on their increasingly hairy chests with a hard fought 1-nil win at the Stadium of Light after going down to 10 men early in the 2nd half, a result that both leaves us giddy over Arsenal's newfound grit and serves as a massive crutch to our latest scarf contest. Sharing our euphoria over the squad's suddenly stingy defense as well as our concern regarding the over-use of Jack Wilshere is first-time guest and Arsenal America blogger Chris Jenkins, who will also gives us his outlook on Arsenal's ability to contend for a top 4 finish while staving off injuries...

Arsenal's unparalleled unpredictability continues as they combine anonymous defense with scintillating offense against Liverpool before grinding out a disciplined, old-fashioned one-nil win over the cro-magnon men of Stoke, with a surprise January transfer signing snuck in between. To talk over long term left-back selection (in a little more depth than simply a "no Santos" verdict), uncharacteristically docile Stoke attack and the perhaps underrated depths of Arsenal's offense will be returning guest Kevin Mooney of USA.Arsenal.com, plus some trivia involving Sunderland's minefield of a pitch and a real tee shot for the Wanker of the Week

Post-Chelsea criticism pricks the ears of Giroud -- as well as the rest of the summer signings -- and causes the Frenchman to go on a 4 goal rampage over the course of 7 days as Arsenal first blitz West Ham before turning in a slightly more drama-filled performance against Brighton & Hove in a narrow FA Cup win just 3 days later. Shew. It's all enough to make you wonder if it's just a little picky to wish for more signings before February 1, and the conclusion we've come to on the podcast is: not a bit. We'll therefore discuss the best of the returning players Arsenal will have to make-do with, check up on the Jekyll & Hyde Ivorian Gervinho and bite our fingernails in preparation for Liverpool with returning guest Miriti Murungi of NutmegRadio.com, plus unveil the January contest winner and Most UnVanPersie-est Player of 2012.

Arsene smashes the tea cups a little too late as Arsenal's first half performance again condemns them to a loss against top 4 opposition, this time the Original Oil Barons themselves, Chelsea. We'll try to deconstruct how exactly bad starts, on-again-off-again midfields and everyone's favorite -- the refs that only hate us when we lose -- led to Arsenal's demise on the weekend after such a hard-fought FA Cup success in midweek, and we'll be assisted by 7amkickoff.com's Tim Bostelle, plus some January contest clarification and mandatory applause/golf clapping for what's looking more and more like our only "signing" of January. Excited? There's absolutely no reason you shouldn't be

Arsenal start their crucial showdown with Man City one vertebrae short of a proper backbone as Mike Dean gets pedantic and Laurent Koscielny just gets sent off, leaving the rest of the squad vulnerable to 2 devastating goals from the champions. We'll pick back over the events of Sunday with perspective from ESPN Soccernet Arsenal Blogging Correspondent Sam Limbert, plus discuss the possibly premature return of Abou Diaby, the current squad's ability to endure sans January signings, and we'll also do our best to evoke the best non-Van Persie memories of 2012 from your minds for the End of January Contest

Arsenal hits that break-even form their club is so well-known for with draws against Southampton in the Premiership and then Swansea in the first FA Cup action of the year, leaving us all to wonder where exactly their mid-winter shot in the arm will come from. Needless to say we'll be talking mostly (lack of) squad depth, the likelihood of incoming transfers and the usefulness of outgoing loan moves, and we'll be doing that with returning guest Martin Tomlinson, plus your Newcastle hattrick headscratcher revealed