Arsenal Top In CL Group H

Arsene Wenger got the response he demanded as Arsenal earned a place in the last 16 of the Champions League with a 2-0 win over Standard Liege.

The Gunners boss had called for his side to raise their game at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night in the wake of a lacklustre weekend defeat at Sunderland - and his pre-match rallying call had also included reminding Arsenal's World Cup hopefuls of just who pays their wages.

Even without injured Holland forward Robin van Persie, the Premier League side - who host leaders Chelsea on Sunday - had too much class for the Belgians.

First-half goals from Samir Nasri and Denilson, smashing in a 30-yard strike, set the Gunners on their way to the knockout stages of Europe's elite club competition for the 10th campaign in succession as they won Group H with a match to spare.

The tone had been set from kick-off as Arsenal started brightly with a string of quick-passing moves.

Nasri cut a pass back rather than shoot when played into the right side of the Standard penalty area after five minutes - by which time in Liege, the Gunners were already 2-0 behind.

Arsenal then somehow failed to put the ball in the net during a goalmouth scramble following a corner.

First, Andrey Arshavin's header was saved by Sinan Bolat, with Mexico teenager Carlos Vela, deployed tonight as the central striker, lashing the rebound against the post.

The Standard keeper then twice denied William Gallas' follow-up before Thomas Vermaelen drilled his shot towards the top corner - only for the ball to cannon off Arshavin on the goalline.

Emmanuel Eboue went down under what looked minimal, if any, contact from Eliaquim Mangala, but Austrian referee Konrad Plautz was having none of it.

The travelling Standard fans had seen little to cheer about during the opening 20 minutes, but were almost celebrating when Congo striker Dieudonne Mbokani rattled the angle after cutting inside from the edge of the Arsenal area.

Arsenal were, though, soon back in the ascendancy.

Arshavin headed over, and in the process, collided with Gallas, which left both men needing treatment and Arsenal temporarily down to nine men.

Gallas came back on nursing a cut to his eye, while Arshavin needed some staples to close up a bloody gash on the top of his head.

As the Russian jogged back along the near touchline, Arsenal took the lead on 35 minutes.

Vermaelen's long ball forwards was missed by Landry Mulemo after the defender slipped on the edge of the penalty area, which allowed Nasri in, and he made no mistake, lashing a half-volley past Bolat.

Arshavin almost doubled the lead when his first-time shot from the edge of the box flew only inches wide.

There was, on 39 minutes, an almighty let-off for Arsenal when Gallas clearly bundled over Reginal Goreux as he dashed into the penalty area - but the referee waved play on.

In first-half stoppage time, Denilson - just returning from a back injury - crashed home a second goal from 30 yards, the ball swerving through the air as it flew over Bolat to give the young Brazilian something to remember in his 100th Arsenal appearance.

Gallas was replaced for the second half by veteran Mikael Silvestre, making only his fourth appearance of the season.

Standard midfielder Axel Witsel - who has served a lengthy ban following an X-rated tackle which left Anderlecht's Marcin Wasilewski with a broken leg - collected a quick free-kick on his chest, but, just four yards out, could not guide the ball past Manuel Almunia.

On the hour, Nasri made way as Wenger introduced Theo Walcott, the England forward hoping to keep fit for the rest of the campaign as he targets a place in Fabio Capello's World Cup squad.

Walcott almost had an instant impact when he drove a low shot across goal from a tight angle.

Standard substitute Gohi Bi Cyriac struck the base of the post, before the visitors were reduced to 10 men when Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez pushed his forehead into the face of Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas, who creditably did not go down, and was shown a straight red card.

Arsenal created chances to add a third, through Eboue and Alex Song, but had already done enough to make sure of safe progress ahead of next month's trip to Olympiacos.

Fire In The Hole Mashed Potatoes!: Grenade Shaped Salt & Pepper Shakers.

Make meal times a blast with Taste Explosion, the grenade salt and pepper shakers. Produced from quality porcelain, this pair of shakers will definitely add a bit of boom to your dining room.

White grenade for salt & black grenade for pepper.

Whether you want to bring a bit of bang to your breakfast, blow up your brunch or detonate dinner times, these Taste Explosion salt and pepper shakers will ensure your meal times are memorable.

Packaged in a secure ammo box to avoid disaster.

Game Controller Ornaments: Controllaments

Each set comes with 7 ornaments, including 2-dimensional cutout versions of Wii, N64, Xbox 360, Dreamcast, NES, PS2 and Sega Genesis controllers. The ornaments each measure between 3 and 4 inches wide, so they're a bit smaller than the real deals.

They're available in 6 colors, including red, white, yellow, black, clear, and red-tinted acrylic, and can be found over at Digits' Ponoko or Etsy shops for just $20 bucks a set.

BPL: Sunderland 1 - 0 Arsenal

Arsenal suffered their first defeat in 14 games as Darren Bent fired Sunderland to a 1-0 win in the Premier League at the Stadium of Light.

Bent struck 19 minutes from time to seal a tight contest after the Gunners had failed to make the most of the possession they enjoyed.

It might have been different had Marton Fulop not denied Tomas Rosicky with a vital fifth minute save or had referee Alan Wiley pointed to the penalty spot when substitute Carlos Vela went down in the box in injury time.

But the Black Cats battled all the way to the whistle to condemn the visitors to defeat for the first time since September 12.

At the start of the season, Sunderland had not beaten one of the traditional big four clubs since their return to the top flight, but their victory in front of a crowd of 44,918 came after they also beat Liverpool on Wearside on October 17.

The Gunners were without star striker Robin van Persie, the subject of much discussion this week after opting for treatment on his injured ankle which included the use of horse placenta.

His absence, coupled with that of Nicklas Bendtner, left manager Arsene Wenger with few options in attack, although his team-sheet still made for impressive reading.

The Frenchman opted to field Rosicky and Samir Nasri in support of lone frontman Eduardo, and that meant he still had Andrey Arshavin in reserve on the bench.

But opposite number Steve Bruce had problems in central defence with Michael Turner suspended, and Paulo da Silva and John Mensah, back after six games out with a calf problem, found themselves fully extended at times during a tight first half.

Rosicky and Nasri repeatedly linked with Eduardo and skipper Cesc Fabregas, while Aaron Ramsey and Alexandre Song kept Lorik Cana and Jordan Henderson occupied in the middle of the field.

The Gunners might have been in front as early as the fifth minute when Fabregas expertly turned Bacary Sagna's deep cross into the path of Rosicky, who forced a good save from Fulop with a well-struck volley.

Fabregas whistled a 13th minute drive just over the bar, but Fulop was a relieved man after Song and Eduardo had combined to carve their way into the penalty area with 32 minutes gone.

The pair exchanged passes on the edge of the box and Song continued his run, only to just fail to get a touch to Eduardo's shot as it ran agonisingly wide of the post.

In the meantime, Sunderland had created two chances of their own, both of them falling to Steed Malbranque from left wing crosses.

The first saw him fire just over from full-back George McCartney's ball in, but he skied the second, with Andy Reid this time the provider, high over the bar.

Arsenal resumed in much the same vein as they took the game to Sunderland, although they were still unable to pierce the Black Cats' defence.

But Sunderland produced a flurry of their own, full-back Armand Traore just managing to cut out Henderson's 52nd minute through-ball to Bent and keeper Manuel Almunia coming from his line to claim possession with Reid putting William Gallas under intense pressure seconds later.

Almunia's goal came under threat once again five minutes later when Reid drilled a long-range free kick just wide, and the Irishman then skied a snapshot high over the bar.

Wenger's response was to replace Ramsey with Arshavin, and Bruce quickly followed suit when he withdrew Malbranque and sent on Fraizer Campbell.

But it was Sunderland's newcomer who made a swift impact with 71 minutes gone, although he did not know a lot about it.

Bent's header from a Reid corner cannoned back off Campbell's legs at the far post and fell perfectly for his strike partner to smash it home before Almunia could get there.

Wenger immediately sent on Theo Walcott and Vela for Rosicky and Eduardo, but it was Arshavin who very nearly came to their rescue with three minutes remaining.

The midfielder got to Song's cross at the far post, but he could only direct his shot into the side-netting.

But the Gunners could not believe they were not awarded an injury time penalty for Campbell's challenge on Vela with referee Alan Wiley waving their appeals away.

Inner City Bike Sports No Chain, Comfort

Because bike chains (and gold chains) are such a hot commodity in the inner city, the Inner City Bike doesn't have one. Or a comfortable seat. Or much practicality. I have to have it!

Bicycling to work may be the way to go for some, but parking could still be an issue. That's why Jruiter Studio has come up with the "Inner City Bike". It boasts an ultra compact design and has no chain to boot.

Handy, Creepy: The Hand-le Door Handle

The Hand-le is a door handle created by Amsterdam designer Naomi Thellier de Poncheville. It reminds me of the dog leash hand and is a slap in the incredibly handsome faces of lefties like myself.

A bit late....Babe Of The Month of November - Olivia Wilde

Olivia Jane Wilde born Olivia Jane Cockburn March 10, 1984 is an American actress. She began acting in the early 2000s, and has since appeared in a number of film and television parts, including roles on the series The O.C. and The Black Donnellys. She currently portrays Dr. Remy "Thirteen" Hadley in the TV drama House.

Wilde was born in New York City on March 10, 1984 as Olivia Jane Cockburn. Her mother, Leslie Cockburn (née Corkhill Redlich), is a 60 Minutes producer and journalist, and her father, Andrew Cockburn, is an Irish journalist, as are her paternal uncles Alexander and Patrick, all of whom are contributors to the political website CounterPunch.org. Her half-aunt was the late writer Sarah Caudwell. Her paternal grandfather was the Irish-born novelist/journalist Claud Cockburn. Wilde has said that as a result of her family background, she has a "strong journalistic streak", being "really critical and analytical".

Both her parents were prominent in the Washington social scene, hosting dinner parties. Her mother once recounted a story of a young Wilde eavesdropping one night on a conversation between Richard Holbrooke and Mick Jagger until Mick noticed her and shooed Olivia to bed.

She has wanted to become an actress since the age of two. For a short time, Olivia's family had a house in Guilford, Vermont, USA. Wilde attended Georgetown Day School in Washington, D.C., as well as Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, and subsequently moved to Dublin, Ireland, where she attended The Gaiety School of Acting. She initially began working as a casting assistant.

I'll Be The Prettiest Girl At The Ball And Everyone Will Notice Me!: LED Dress

Just to let this chick know that her LED wedding dress doesn't hold a lumen to a REAL LED dress, somebody went and created the GalaxyDress, which is being touted as the world's biggest LED-covered dress. Yay? Hip hop hooray? Ho -- hey -- ho. I'M NAUGHTY BY NATURE!

The GalaxyDress was constructed using 24,000 LED lights and, to add an extra bit of glitter, another 4,000 Swarovski crystals were included in the silk garment's design.

The dress is currently on display at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry as part of the FastForward: Inventing the Future exhibit.

Glowing Booze!: Electroluminescent Bottles

Ballantine's new "Listen to Your Beat" campaign includes an electroluminescent label with graphic equalizer display. Designed by London-based "The Core," this label is more evidence of a trend towards animated, self-illuminating liquor labels. Similar to these battery-powered T-shirts, audio references seem to occur frequently in youth-oriented liquor packaging. (The J&B bottle above is another example.)

BURN IT DOWN!: The Bender Head House

The Bender House looks like Bender's dome from Futurama. If you've never seen Futurama I'm going to assume you don't have a television or internet so you probably aren't even reading this. Unless they print out copies of Geekologie and distribute them in Africa, which, I think we can all agree, is the best idea you've ever heard.

Don't Touch My String Cheese!: Fridge Locker

The Fridge Locker is a little lockbox that you put in the fridge to keep your broke-ass roommate from eating all your string cheese and pudding packs. I need one. No, make that two. I have lots of pudding and I like it cooooold.

The metal combination lock keeps your food safe from "Refrig-A Raiders" (poor joke courtesy of the manufacturer). It measures 7.5" wide, 7.5" tall and 11" deep. At $20, it could easily pay for itself with all of the food it keeps safe. Granted, your roommate will not take kindly to seeing this. Purchase and install at your own risk.

Early Computing: Children's New Alphabet

There were the days when A stood for Apple, the fruit. Now it stands for Apple, the company that makes widely used iPods and Mac. If you are kid these days, you will most probably learn the alphabet this way.

Transfurniture: Couch Turns Into Bunk Bed

A SOFABED THAT DOES DOUBLE DUTY, Mobelform's Doc folds out into not one, but two twin sized beds stacked one atop the other: in short, a bunk bed. Included are the necessary mattresses as well as a ladder and short rail to prevent mid-night tumbles.

Gunners second after taming Wolves

Arsenal moved up to second in the Premier League on Saturday evening after a comfortable 4-1 win over Wolves at Molineux.

Unbeaten in 13 matches in all competitions, Arsene Wenger's side are a clear and positive threat to Chelsea and Manchester United. They are scoring goals for fun - but not all of them are of their own making as Wolves will sadly testify.

The newly-promoted team were bright and lively until the 28th minute when they were undone by their own hand.

Ronald Zubar deflected the ball for an own goal and Jody Craddock followed suit seven minutes later.

Goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey looked totally bewildered and was beaten again in first half stoppage-time by Cesc Fabregas - his ninth of the season.

Andrey Arshavin added a fourth in the 64th minute only or Craddock to score at the right end in the 89th minute.

Wolves, however, came close to making the breakthrough in the 10th minute when Nenad Milijas delivered the corner.

Sylvan Ebanks-Blake peeled away from his marker but failed to test goalkeeper Manuel Almunia, his close range header going wide of the post.

It was a good chance for the striker, who was back in the side with Chris Iwelumo absent.

Wenger's side again found themselves on the back foot in the 18th minute and Milijas picked out Christophe Berra with a free-kick - but he got his bearings wrong and the ball was scrambled away.

Arsenal went ahead in the 28th minute and there was a stroke of luck about their effort.

Fabregas swung in a corner from the left and the ball took a deflection off Zubar, under pressure from Eduardo, for an own goal.

The home side tried to regroup but were undone again seven minutes later and by another own goal.

Eduardo was allowed plenty of space and raced forward only to see his chip deflected off Craddock.

The momentum had swung Arsenal's way and they were now firmly in the driving seat with the advantage of a two-goal cushion.

They extended their lead in stoppage-time when Fabregas scored in front of the posts after a simple ball from Robin van Persie.

Arsenal went on the attack at the start of the second half and Arshavin tried to pick out van Persie in the 48th minute, only for Hennessey to make the interception.

Five minutes later Thomas Vermaelen hoisted the ball forward towards Eduardo but he failed to get a decent touch and the opportunity was lost.

Arsenal had taken the sting out of the game after their three-goal spell in the first half.

Wolves were finding it hard to string their passes together and there was an air of resignation among the home fans.

Fabregas then tried to release van Persie but Craddock was alert to the danger in the 63rd minute and made the clearance.

Arshavin came close to extending Arsenal's lead in the 63rd minute when he cut inside, only for Hennessy to turn away his effort.

The Russian got his reward in the 66th minute, latching onto Hennessey's clearance from a corner by Fabregas, thumping the ball beyond the goalkeeper.

It was becoming a rout as Arsenal were beginning to find gaps as Wolves tired.

Fabregas should have added a fifth goal in the 76th minute but sent his effort over the top from close range after van Persie had squared the ball into his path.

Substitute Tomas Rosicky was also wasteful in front of the posts before Wolves got a consolation goal on the stroke of full-time.

Craddock scored at the right end this time when he powered home a header from substitute Matt Jarvis' corner.

ABSC "North London Derby" Live Match Gathering 31-10-2009 (Full Version)

The Arsenal Brunei Supporters Club held yet another gathering at the MyNest Cafe' in Kg.Serusop. It was the "North London Derby", Arsenal entertain Tottenham Hotspurs at the Emirates. The Gunners won the game by 3 goals to nil. 2 goals from Van Persie & a quick extender by Fabregas saw Spurs "shutdown" early.

Thanks to the Gooners who came to show their support and made the gathering a total success.
Gunners4life!!!

ABSC Faces

The Spirited Gooners!!!

Bro Fauzi..senyum lebar

Kick-Off..nervous sorang2

Nervous...Spurs are doing their counter attacks.

Arsenal 1-0 Robin Van Persie!!

Fit3, sAmir, Jiddik & Zharfan light up the gathering

Mamat..our "super striker"

Arsenal 2 - 0 !!!

FT Arsenal 3-0 Spurs!!! Woohooo!!!

Our Secretary Bro Jal with the ABSC jersey for the LSCB 5 a side tournament,
We finished 6th but we beat the Reds 2-0..sweet,sweet victory

Bro Ejal receiving the "Coolest Gooner Award" from our President
Tuan Hj Yusuf..gunners mug tuu..

True Gunners Fan

New Gooners get together with Bro Ejal

4 "eyed" gooners

The ABSC poses after the match

Halloween derby treat for Gunners

Robin van Persie struck twice to earn his Arsenal side bragging rights in north London as the Gunners beat Tottenham 3-0 at Emirates Stadium.

Spurs have not won a league game against Arsenal since 1999, and they fell away after Van Persie opened the scoring at the Emirates Stadium and Cesc Fabregas added the second after winning possession straight from the kick-off.

Both sides went into the weekend level on points, albeit with Spurs playing a game extra, but talk of the gap between the clubs being closed was well and truly ended when Van Persie tapped in the third after the break.

"It's difficult to judge just how good this Tottenham team is but they certainly have potential and they have a big, talented squad," wrote Gunners boss Arsene Wenger in his programme notes.

Unfortunately for Harry Redknapp, three of his most attacking talents were unavailable as Luka Modric and Aaron Lennon were injured and Jermain Defoe suspended - so the Spurs boss chose to match Arsenal's formation and play Peter Crouch up front on his own and Robbie Keane on the left.

The plan worked well initially, with the home fans starting to get restless in frustration until the two goals in as many minutes just before the interval.

Spurs did not create much themselves but limited their rivals to half-chances, aside from when Ledley King's tackle on Andrey Arshavin fell for Fabregas with most of the goal to aim for. Even then Heurelho Gomes threw himself to his left to save the effort and grab the rebound from Nicklas Bendtner's toes.

Keane's pre-match comments suggested Spurs' squad was as good as Arsenal's, although their gameplan relied on stifling Wenger's side through hard work and punting the ball forward to Crouch.

Former Arsenal winger David Bentley, predictably jeered throughout, typified the work ethic. He snapped at heels on the right flank and was fortunate not to receive a booking when he cynically tripped Thomas Vermaelen, with referee Mark Clattenburg happy to keep his cards in his pocket during a feisty opening.

Clattenburg was referee during Arsenal's last defeat, seven weeks ago at Manchester City when Emmanuel Adebayor kicked Van Persie. Despite dropping points since, Arsenal have shown massive improvement since that match and eventually they came good against Spurs.

The match totally turned just before the break, with Van Persie firstly giving Spurs a warning after Benoit Assou-Ekotto's error. The Cameroon full-back gifted possession to Fabregas on the edge of the area, with the Arsenal skipper weighting a pass through to Van Persie, who had Gomes to beat but scuffed his finish wide.

Arshavin then had an effort deflected over by Vedran Corluka after cutting in from the right - but the hosts were not made to wait long for the opener.

Bacary Sagna's cross from the right, after being allowed time to steady himself, was met by Van Persie and crept in at Gomes' near post after the Dutchman got across King.

The second came 11 seconds after Spurs kicked off. Wilson Palacios tripped over himself and Fabregas took charge, bursting through challenges from the Honduras international and Tom Huddlestone. The Arsenal skipper then skipped around King and planted his finish coolly past Gomes.

It emerged during the interval that the Spurs bench complained to stewards about the behaviour of Arsenal fans near the dug-out.

In the second half Arsenal looked to extend their lead. Eduardo, a replacement after Nicklas Bendtner picked up an apparent groin injury, was sent through by Fabregas and Gomes stood up well to save.

Sebastien Bassong cleared off the line from Abou Diaby, then the third came after an intelligent advantage played by Clattenburg.

Eduardo had been floored by Assou-Ekotto, the assistant referee flagged for a foul but Clattenburg allowed Sagna to continue after most had stopped.

Sagna's cross went through the barrier formed by Gomes and King, with Van Persie tapping in.
All Spurs had to show for their efforts was a Bentley free-kick which was saved, while Crouch was booked for throwing the ball away in frustration.

Eduardo should have added another when he broke the offside trap but his finish went just wide. Bassong picked up a hamstring injury in stoppage-time as Arsenal counter-attacked.

L.S.C.B. FOOTBALL CARNIVAL 2009

Update:

We place 6th overall from 8 teams competing where we won two (2), draw one (1) and lost four (4) games. Congrats to players involve for a good, clean and spirited game throughout the tournament, and also to the ABSC members that come and support our team, thank you.

Thanks also to ABSC members that could not make it, we appreciate your support.A big thank you for our ABSC President, Hj Yussof for sponsoring and giving advice plus moral support for the team. To the management team of ABSC, good job. Full report have been posted at our forum, please any constructive comments are most welcome.

Live Match Gathering:

From the management team of ABSC, we like to say a big thank you to all ABSC members and Arsenal fans for making this live match gathering a blast and we do really enjoy the night out.Congrats to Arsenal for winning a sensational game against our bitter rival, Spurs with a convincing score line of 3-0.

Reports by Bro Jal

Busy....baaaah...

The days was hectic in the last week of October, Memos pouring like rain, where usually i will receive 3 memos per day..those were the days, but now dark clouds appears to be on top of my head, memos are like stalkers..they can smell you..imagine this,30 memos in the morning and even in the afternoon.

But that's what i do & it is my responsibility, gotta get things done, no fret.

To blog readers, i really apologize for the delay, but look at the bright side, atleast im squeezing things in between & Arsenal won the "North London Derby" against pathetic Spurs. "Sweet revenge" ain't it?. What has these two things have in common? Yup, Exactly nothing what so ever..so cheers!! & Enjoy the day.

Well...for some of us really..chow!!