New mates and transfer news

It may look like it’s a depressing time for the Gunners right now, especially over here across the pond. With an extremely heart-breaking loss at Old Trafford over the weekend, as an Arsenal fan, I must admit that my sail has limited wind behind it. We get the majority of our English Premier League news from The Original Winger here in the States and today some exciting news is surfacing.

As Arsene Wenger continues to build a team that looks extremely shaky right now, the thought of having the American Clint Dempsey is outstanding. He plays such passion and dedication for his club and he would be a delight to watch with a Gunner badge. As we all sit and watch the newcomers enter The Emirates, keep in mind that this may in fact be a rebuilding year. With Chu Young Park joining the squad, it looks as if Wenger is looking to make some quality moves before the end of the month. Good luck Gunner fans and we are all very hopeful for the deal to go through for Dempsey. If you get a minute, go check out The Original Winger site and if anything, you can surf the site for all the beautiful women.

Article written by Daniel Mercer. You can follow Dan on Twitter.

Sick and Tired of the FAKE Arsenal Fans

As an outsider, we are supposed to sit on the sidelines and admire the talented abilities of the pros on the pitch.  As an insider, you ‘get to’ make your own judgments and have opinions because you are in the trenches with your teammates and managers.  And as a fan, you either decide to live and die by your team or you are called a ‘fake’.

Excuse my opinion, but Ian Wright, you are a fake.

Let’s all admit that Wright had his time, and since then, Thierry Henry broke his scoring record.  Now Mr. Wright, ‘you are just another player in the past media-guide.’  As much as you would like to put Arsenal down and claim that you know the club, it is a shame that you claim the Arsenal badge.

The facts are written on the wall folks; Cesc has wanted to leave for a couple years, but he is a classy professional and he has stuck by his club.  Maybe it’s time for him to make that jump.  It will be a shame if Nasri leaves, because we saw so many glimpses of brilliance throughout last season.  We will need to find a replacement for Clichy, but isn’t that exactly what the Gunners have done in the past?  We have players with great loan experience, up and coming youth players like, and we have a few prospects in the pipeline to bulk up our star power as in Alex Chamberlain. What about Cahill, Mertesacker, Samba, Jagielka, Dann, Subotic, Hummels??

If you are a TRUE Arsenal fan, (obviously not you Ian Wright) then have faith in what the club will produce in the coming month.  My predictions are that Wenger will stick by his club and continue to develop a strong side.  He will get his players working better as a team than they have in the past.  I see the Gunners in the top 3 all season long, and with all of the possible transfer scenarios, that is a great thing.

At the end of the day, at least Wright isn’t running our club.

Daniel Mercer is a soccer enthusiast that has been following the sport for 25 years. Daniel currently works in sports media for Time Warner Cable and dreams to one day work closer with soccer, travelling around England from Old Trafford and The Emirates.

Arsenal vs. The Kardashian’s

In the midst of our battle for fame, power and fortune, the United States often struggles to claim our identity. Sure Apollo Anton Ohno winning numerous medals in the Winter Olympics is great for us. Even though a guy like Tiger Woods drives his reputation into the water (pun intended), we still marvel at how good he really can be and we take pride in his accomplishments. When we heard the news the American soldiers had finally taken down the world’s #1 terrorist, we sang joy into late hours of the night because we knew we had made the world a little safer. But I often ask the question, “What is our identity?”

In most countries across the globe, soccer is what makes the clock kick- or tick. Children run outside to play in the streets, the park, the field and I’m sure hundreds of your mother’s would prefer that they don’t play in the house. Rain, snow, wind or sunshine, the boots are laced up and the ball is out, with or without a pitch. And that’s the identity! You identify with your teams colors. You identify with the chants of glory, win or lose. You find yourself in arguments whether the last transfer was financially sound or if you wasted money on yet another sloppy defender. Your identity comes from the time you enter this world and, more often than not, it’s without personal choice, but you live by your team anyway. And when a guy like Wayne Rooney enters The Emirates, you scowl at his presence.

In the United States, we receive a very small scent of that identity. We have basketball, baseball, American football, golf, tennis, soccer, Nascar, bowling, World Series Poker, Little League baseball, softball, and many other events that I could honestly care less about. The point is that I envy the pride and identity that you have as a European football fan. I am jealous that even when the English Premier league is over, you still get to been in the mix of the greatest sport on earth. When the EPL season is over, most of us soccer enthusiast’s go into hibernation. We would kill to be in rainy London for one day to see Chelsea vs. Arsenal. We would beg and scrape to have the passion and excitement that raises the hair off your arm when Walcott demonstrates a technical finish in the back of the net.

So continue to take pride in what you have Gunner fans, it could be worse… You could be watching the LeBron comedy series. You could be tuning into the LA Dodger break-up– ‘how a divorce ruins a franchise’. And if that doesn’t make you Arsenal folks feel better, come sit on my couch and watch Lamar and Khloe Kardashian. You will hate your life, but at least we could talk about the real football. I will bring the beers!

Daniel Mercer is a soccer enthusiast that has been following the sport for 25 years. Daniel currently works in media for Time Warner Cable and dreams to one day more closely with soccer, travelling around England from Old Trafford and The Emirates.

Wenger’s exit would be a shame

As American soccer (football) fans, we are often thought of as not knowing the game as much as the rest of the world. It’s hard to argue that American soccer is on par with the rest, let alone compete against the world’s best. I mean we don’t even call it football. As I tune in on Saturdays for the EPL games, every Champions League game, every FA cup game and anything else Fox Soccer Channel will bless me with, I find myself jealous of other football fans.

I want to be screaming in the stands at The Emirates. I want to be chanting as teams walk onto the Old Trafford pitch. I want to get chills as I sit in anticipation and hope that Chelsea loses (every game). I want to applaud as Nasri connects with Wilshire, who then laces a perfectly weighted ball into the stride of Walcott as he effortlessly volleys the ball into the side net.

Over here, we are so fixed on the next best thing. We are so fixed on replacing a manager because of a few losses, and often we don’t see the true value in loyalty and commitment. What Arsenal has is a legend! They have a manager that lives and dies by his Arsenal badge. Even on TV, I can see this loyalty and commitment in Wenger’s eyes as he paces up and down the pitch with his hands resting in his coat pockets.

The last couple weeks have been a rough road for the Gunners, no doubt about that. What the Gunners have is a history built around star players that have been groomed through the Arsenal school, and the teacher is an absolute legend. After a few games, all we are hearing over here is that Wenger should be out, and trust me, I understand the frustration. But don’t make the mistake of exiting the boss and take the risk of bringing in some slap of a manager whose heart doesn’t beat to the Arsenal drum. Don’t start panicking even if the trophy case is a bit empty, silverware isn’t everything.

After all, heart, pride, beautiful soccer and legends are what is important when things begin to fail.

Daniel Mercer is a soccer enthusiast that has been following the sport for 25 years. Daniel currently works in media for Cox TV and dreams to one day more closely with soccer, travelling around England from Old Trafford and The Emirates.

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