ARSENAL WASTE IT ALL

Having been the only team to take three points from the Gunners in the league this season, Gareth Southgate's side set themselves up for a famous double after 25 minutes, albeit in controversial fashion.
They scored against the run of play when a ball forward was met by Tuncay. Jeremie Aliadiere was alongside the Turkish star but was in an offside position.
The linesman's flag stayed down though and Tuncay accelerated into the box as the former Gunner peeled away to get into position to meet the resultant cross and redirect the ball into the net from five yards out.
All was going to plan as far as the visitors were concerned. Southgate had set his team up to defend in numbers and hit the Gunners on the break.
The resistance was determined and, with the pace of Aliadiere and the guile of Tuncay, the counter-attack threat was a worry.
Better officiating in the opening minutes too could also have put a completely different complexion on the match.
Emmanuel Adebayor showed a cool head to slot the ball past Mark Schwarzer after only five minutes, but his goal was chalked off for offside.
True, the Togo striker was in an offside position when he received the ball, but he was put in possession by Boro's George Boateng.
Adebayor's protestations fell on deaf ears and all the early signs pointed to it not being Arsenal's day, particularly as they needed a win to climb back above Manchester United in the table.
The Gunners had their chances. Emmanuel Eboue hit the bar, while Adebayor and Cesc Fabregas had efforts that were too tamely struck to worry Schwarzer.
The Australian keeper had more of a challenge with an Eboue shot that he could only half-clear after 15 minutes and, seconds earlier, Robin van Persie should have converted a volley from just six yards out, but instead completely mis-kicked his effort.Middlesbrough stuck to their game plan in the second half and stood firm under increasing pressure from the Gunners.
Arsene Wenger made a double substitution on the hour by bringing on Theo Walcott and Nicklas Bendtner for van Persie and Bacary Sagna.
Crosses began to immediately rain in on the Boro goal and Bendtner headed high and wide from one such delivery when he really should have hit the target.
Schwarzer kept his team ahead on 67 minutes when Fabregas was through on goal.
However, the Boro keeper was quick to narrow the angle and spread himself well to save with his legs.
Fabregas went close again seven minutes later when his header from Adebayor's cross bounced off the right upright with the visitors keeper beaten.
Wenger's team were camped in the Boro half for most of the remainder of the game, but they could not find a way through.
The visitors were resolute in defence and the Gunners seemed to want to walk the ball into the net.
However, the breakthrough finally came on 86 minutes when Kolo Toure rose highest to meet a Fabregas corner. He powered his header towards goal but the ball took a deflection off Andrew Taylor before going in off Schwarzer.
The temperature in the ground rose even higher just seconds later when Mido kicked Gael Clichy in the head and was shown a red card after only being on the pitch for nine minutes.
Arsenal lay siege on the visitors goal but, despite going close, could not find a dramatic winner.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger said: "The result is disappointing and I don't think we got the result we deserved.
"We played against a side that played very deep and defended very well. We were caught for the first goal and then it became very difficult.
"Today the team gave absolutely everything to win the game.
"Hopefully we will not regret these dropped points. It is not going for us at the moment but we have to go through a patch like this and show our strengths."
Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate said after the draw: "We're disappointed because we've got so close to winning, although we've had to defend for 65 minutes.
"Arsenal are a fantastic team but the character my players have shown this week is incredible.
"To give that sort of effort and commitment was brilliant. They've played ever so well, scored a fantastic goal and just dug in and managed to find the energy to hang on.
"We were wounded last week when we lost to Cardiff City in the FA Cup, and there are two ways you can respond. To come here and take a point off what's an outstanding team is a good performance."
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Arsenal: Manuel Almunia, Kolo Toure, Gael Clichy (Philippe Senderos 89), Emmanuel Eboue, William Gallas, Bacary Sagna (Nicklas Bendtner 61), Mathieu Flamini, Aleksandr Hleb, Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie (Theo Walcott 61), Emmanuel Adebayor,
Subs not used: Gilberto Silva, Jens Lehmann
Booked: Emmanuel Eboue 90
Middlesbrough: Mark Schwarzer, Emanuel Pogatetz, David Wheater, Luke Young, Robert Huth, George Boateng, Mohamed Shawky (Lee Cattermole 45), Stewart Downing, Gary O'Neil, Tuncay Sanli (Andrew Taylor 68), Jeremie Aliadiere (Ahmed Hossam Mido 78),
Subs not used: Julio Arca, Ross Turnbull
Booked: David Wheater 27, Gary O'Neil 80
Sent off: Ahmed Hossam Mido 88
Referee: Mark Halsey
Attendance: 60084

HENRY REGRETS LEAVING ARSENAL

FC Barcelona's Thierry Henry is not the player he was at Arsenal.
Henry said so himself Wednesday in response to press reports that he was unhappy with his playing time under coach Frank Rijkaard.
Arsenal's all-time leading goalscorer said Rijkaard and Barcelona's 4-3-3 system were not to blame for his current, even season-long, slump.
"I played for eight years with a team and a determined position and now I'm at another club, playing another position with another tactical scheme. Stop comparing the Henry of Barcelona with the Henry of Arsenal,'' the France striker said.
"This is the Henry you will see here.''
Former Arsenal teammate Robert Pires told reporters Sunday after Villarreal's 2-1 win at the Camp Nou that Henry was frustrated at being substituted so often this season after never being so at Arsenal.
Henry, who has been replaced 12 times during the campaign, was swapped for Bojan Krkic in the 65th minute -- moments before the Catalans scored to tie it at 1-1.
"I always expect more from myself and I'm never satisfied when a game ends,'' the 31-year-old Henry said. "But I'm used to living with criticism.''
Though Henry said Pires' words weren't completely accurate, he admitted he has endured a tough patch since his $32 million transfer last June.
Henry pointed to his divorce in September, which had left him unable to see his daughter more than "five times in the last eight months.''
"If I can see my daughter a little more, it will help me,'' Henry said.
Barcelona was expected to be an offensive juggernaut after adding Henry to a roster that already included Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o. Barcelona trails bitter rival Real Madrid in the Spanish league by eight points.
Henry scored 214 goals in eight seasons at Arsenal. He has notched 13 goals in 33 appearances since his move to Spain.

ARSENAL FC PROFILE AND HISTORY

Club Details:

Club Name: Arsenal Football ClubNicknames: The Gunners, The Gooners
Ground / Stadium:
Ground: Emirates StadiumCapacity: 60,432 Arsenal traditionally played at Highbury but when they were unable to redevelop the ground to a large enough capacity built a new stadium at Ashburton Grove and moved to it for the beginning of the 2006/2007 season.
Founded:
1886 (as Dial Square)

Notable Staff:
Coach: Arsene WengerChairman: Peter Hill Wood
English Premiership Champions:
1931, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1938, 1948, 1953, 1971, 1989, 1991, 1998, 2002, 2004
FA Cup Winners:
1930, 1936, 1950, 1971, 1979, 1993, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005
League Cup Winners:
1987, 1993
Other Honours:
Charity Shield/Community Shield: 1930, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1938, 1948, 1953, 1991 (shared), 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004European Cup Winners' Cup: 1994Inter-Cities Fairs Cup: 1970
About Arsenal Football Club:
Arsenal were originally founded in 1886 as Dial Square by workers at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich. They were renamed Woolwich Arsenal after turning professional and then after moving to their new home at Arsenal Stadium in Highbury in 1913 they were simply known as Arsenal having dropped the Woolwich from their name the following year. In 1925 Herbert Chapman was appointed as manager and is recognised for bringing the club its first period of success in the 1930’s due to his revolutionary tactics and his ability to secure the signings of star players. With the suspension of English professional football during the Second World War having been lifted Arsenal further developed their growing reputation with League and Cup wins. However as a club they were unable to find the form which had catapulted them to the top of the English game in the 1930's. Due to this dip in form the club failed to win any of the major trophies in the 1950’s and 60’s. Success beckoned yet again for the London club in the 1970’s as they lifted their first European trophy and secured their first League and FA Cup double in the 1970-1971 season. Again the club suffered from a loss of form in the late 1970’s and came out losers in no less than three FA Cup finals. The appointment of George Graham as manager in 1986 heralded a return to the glory days of the 1930’s for the London side and they enjoyed a period of success. However Graham’s good work and record were sensationally tarnished after it was dramatically revealed that he had accepted kickbacks from an agent for signing certain players. George Graham was duly sacked by the club in 1995. The recent success of Arsenal has been mainly down to the management style of the Frenchman Arsene Wenger who was appointed manager in 1996. A new training regime accompanied by new tactics and an injection of foreign players developed Arsenal into one of the strongest clubs in the Premiership. They famously won the title in the 2003-2004 season without losing a single match. In the 2005-2006 Arsenal reached the Champions League Final becoming the first club from London ever to do so in the competition’s history. However they were beaten 2-1 by the victorious FC Barcelona. They remain bitter rivals of fellow North Londoners and neighbours Tottenham Hotspur.
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