Vintage Rivalry Review - Manchester United vs Arsenal, 29th August 2009

1990 – The Beginning
In reaction to a late challenge, McClair kicked Winterburn repeatedly, as he lay prone on the ground, igniting a 21 man fracas. FA docked Manchester United a point and recouped two points from Arsenal (who went on to win the 1990-91 league title). The Arsenal-Manchester United Rivalry was officially inaugurated!.

1996-2001 – The War of Words
The war of words started between Arsene and Fergie. Some of the exchanged verbal attacks included:

“I’ve got a 15-year-old boy from the Ivory Coast, he speaks five languages.” – Fergie, on arrival of Arsene in England in 1996.

“It’s wrong the league programme is extended so United can rest up and win everything.” – Arsene complaining about Manchester United’s fixture list in 1997.

“They wouldn’t have waited for three months if it was a United player…….our disciplinary record is tremendous. I’m very proud of it.” – Fergie on the delay of disciplinary hearings on Patrick Viera and Thierry Henry.

“One thing I will say is that he doesn’t disturb my nights at all. We didn’t do anything, but if we are clever, that’s a compliment.” – Arsene responded.

2001-2005 - The Tiffs, The Kicks and The Pizzas
10 years later after the first official kick, came the most fiercest period of rivalry between the two clubs. In the course of 2001-2005, EPL witnessed Kanu leaping over Wiltord to claim the title for Arsenal in 2001-02 at Old Trafford; Van NistelRooy missing the penalty and antics of Lauren and Keown; much-yearned battleground tiffs and the famous tunnel incident between Vieira and Keane before the kick-off; Neville’s frolics to kick every Arsenal player in the midfield, Rooney’s dive to break the gunners’ 49 unbeaten in league record and pizza chucked at Fergie after United 2004 victory at O.T.(In his autobiography, Ashley Cole made us yawn by giving the hint that the arsenal player behind the pizzagate incident was neither english nor french. Loser! i just can’t avoid him) and the list goes on.

Champions League Semi-Final 2009
After defeating Arsenal on aggregate 4-1, Evra declared “We were 11 men and they were 11 children.”. And these words are still alive in the heart of every gooner

Today - 29th August, 2009

Arsenal and Manchester United are back again today to lock their horns at Old Trafford. And, God and I yearn once again for a footclassical clash of the titans and the march of two clubs to the warpath of old rivalry.

Both the clubs have been weekend in the summer. As a tradition for both the clubs – Heroes came, Heroes Left.

But clubs will continue!

Today’s tie is just not just Arsenal against Manchester United for 3 points. Its beyond that.

Today’s tie could give a massive boost to Arsenal squad to firmly set on 2009-10 title challenge.

Today’s result may bring back the old days of Arsenal’s premier league authority.

Today’s tie may rekindle the old but subdued rivalry.

Today’s tie can prove it once again that Arsenal Manchester United Rivalry is indeed a Vintage Affair to cherish about.

Come on Gunnersssssssssss, Show them what you’ve got!
Roll on 9:45 pm !

Here is a preview video compiled by Comp-Art using latest clips.

Ciao.

God is a Gooner. Cheers!

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Arsenal News: Fabregas to miss Manchester United Clash and Arsene is set to defend Dudu

I”ll start with the bad news first. Cesc Fabregas’ hamstring injury will keep him out of Saturday’s clash with Manchester United.

In an interview with Arsenal Online, Arsene confirmed Cesc’s absence and said,

“Fabregas is out and his test was not conclusive this morning.“Therefore he will not travel.

Ideally you want him to travel and to play but he would not be 100 per cent.

Everybody else who played on Wednesday is ok.”

Issues:
Will Arsene continue with 4-3-3 at Old Trafford?
I guess, he will. We should go roaring into this fanastic tie.

Now, the expected news. Arsene has called UEFA’s decision to charge Dudu illogical and is ready to defend the striker. Dudu has been accused to dive in Arsenal’s 3-1 Champions League Play-off round victory over Celtic when Bhoys’ keeper Boruc appeared to bring down the striker. The referee awarded the penalty to Arsenal and the croatian converted it in 28′ minute

Speaking in Friday’s pre-match conference, Arsene was vocal and vowed to fight against the decision. He said,

“He’s been charged, not charged guilty. We’ll defend our player.
It is completely [a] lack of logic in this case. Why? Because people have reacted emotionally, which I can understand.

Secondly, because this case has been rule by the media.”

Now, to me, I don't care much if Eduardo dived or not. Probably, boys have learnt the hard or dirty way of playing football. Hell, yeah! But, surely I won’t like any gunner doing that again on the pitch (unless you tell me its Champions league final and arsenal trailing 1-0 in 90′ min)

Singling out a single player and charging him for diving doesn’t make sense. It has to be a football-associations-wide movement. There have been obvious cases of diving (Did i say ronaldo? When did i say Drogba?) and English FA didn’t raise its eye-brows. They might have seen that too as a busineess opportunity in some way. But i guess Scottish FA is furious over Celtic’s elimination and Platini of course needs a reason against Premier League.

Expecting a debate.

Anyways, God is a Gooner. Come on you Red and Whites! Cheers!

Any club for David Bentley? He is (un)done at Roflham Lolspurz!

Words of a £15 M signing at Spurs in 2008, the footballer who couldn't wait to rise through Arsenal youth ranks before he moved to Ewood Park, Blackburn in 2006, rung around London.

"We can do anything we want, anything we put our minds to."

Quite exactly, Spurs want to sign everyone at the moment!

Once hailed as "The New Beckham", the former Arsenal trainee is a miserable figure to be seen at the White Hart Lane these days (if at all, he is at the bench). Leave aside the chance to showoff his boots embossed with DB7 slogan, he is even struggling to get a chance to kick a ball. He has been stripped off his number 7 to give it to Lennon and the icing on the cake, few days back, he was punched on the face by some unknown lad (must be a gooner) while he was dining at a north London restaurant.

You are out, Bentley! Where will you go? Stoke? Join Larsson at Birmingham, Bentley? or would like to play under another like-minded bulldog with a headset at Hull?

I even doubt that. And forget it, that City will come for you. You are not even going to earn bucks.

Being at the most confused club of the EPL at the moment, what more can you expect!
Presenting to you, The Roflham Lolspurz!:

• Sold Defoe to Pompey in for £9 M only to bring him back after an year for £15 M


• Bought Giovani Dos Santo from Barcelona for around £5 M and ultimately loaned him out to Ipswich Town to avoid the further payments to Barcelona. According to the transfer clause, Spurs may have to pay Barcelona as much as £8.6 M for Giovani, depending upon his appearances for the club. When they didn't know what to do with him, they loaned him out.


• Pascal Chimbonda resigned for Spurs in Jan09 having lasted only 6 months at Sunderland


• In Jan09, Robbie Keane was back to White Hart Lane after 7 disappointing months at anfield

And now, they want to sign Patrick Vieira, the cult figure among Gunners - their fierce and arguably the most intense rivalry in the Premier League at the moment.

What can i say Levy? Its not real estate business. Why don't you just make some use of your Land Economy degree to find a better place for your fans to sit and watch your players?

Arsenal desperate for Arshavin?

Lets talk from Arsenal point of view. Why are we behind him ?

1. Russian league Player
2. That too 27 years old
3. Arsenal's record breaking transfer fee
4. High salary demand - for what?
5. Totally desperate and would surely sulk in future

And compare Nasri at 21 who came for around 11 miilion. Thats Wenger. Then why Arshavin?

Because
1. For fabregas, who might think of leaving this summer (quite likely)
2. To increase the atendance and restore the fans' faith (unlikely)
3. In Arsene's words, just to add the creative spark in midfield (I doubt it, why didnt he move for him in last summer then?)

Please enlighten me with any other reason or argument in favor of this transfer. I am sick of reading, he is in... no, he is not.. he will come.. he refused..his gay agent wants more money..his mood changed..he will talk on monday..he wants a cradle too

Can Arsenal turn it around?

Arsenal have always had a consistent approach to the way they play their football. They have never differed from their footballing philosophy but consistency is something that hardly goes in conjunction with Arsenal FC nowadays. Results and performances such as the wins against Manchester United and Chelsea and matching Liverpool brilliantly after being a man down would have every football fan believe that they are having a great season. But a quick look at the points table reveals the other half of the story when you see them fighting for the fourth place with Aston Villa.
Arsene Wenger, Arsenal’s talismanic manager and probably the manager with the least pressure to perform in this world of pressure cooker sports has always maintained that his side is good enough to mount a serious title challenge and his belief in his team was almost justified last season. Arsenal might be tempted to cite the recurrent injuries to their team as a reason for their derailed campaign but it is no secret that champion teams are not made by the starting eleven alone but by having an excellent squad. Wenger doesn’t have to look beyond his team to justify that cliché. Arsenal led the table in the premier league last season until the last third of the season and it was their trophy to lose from there. Injuries, lack of form, lack of a leader allowed Manchester United and Chelsea to cruise past them in the last third of the season. Wenger surely should have brought in a couple of more players in the summer, even more so, considering the departure of two his best players last season, Flamini and Hleb.

Arsenal had a great chance on the Boxing Day to remind Villa that they still have a long way to go before considering themselves as a potential team in the Champions league. But as we have come to know them this season, they squandered a two goal lead and have instead given Villa a huge boost. There was a sense of purpose from both the teams
as the match started but only one team had actually issued a statement of intent. Aston Villa had to show the world that they are no mere flash in the pan and are actually capable of achieving a top four finish. They could have finished the match within the first half an hour when they were denied thrice by the woodwork. But like any other good team, Arsenal, stayed in the match, displayed their mental fortitude and took the lead against the run of play. Diaby added to the first one within ten minutes of the second half and that surely should have wrapped up three points for them.

Amidst the amazing come back by Aston Villa, people have forgotten the generosity displayed by Arsenal after they bagged the two goals. With the kind of experience they have at the back, they surely, more than anyone else on the pitch, should have known how to defend the two goal lead. Mind you, none of the goals scored by the Villains belonged to the bracket of outstanding or to the level of unstoppable football. Both the goals were conceded largely due to the lax and callous defending by Arsenal. Arsenal on that day had most of their experienced players, Almunia, Gallas, Toure and Silvestre playing in the defence yet they would have conceded many more goals if not for the heroics of the outstanding Sagna. Lee Dixon, Arsenal’s former defender and great had been reiterating all week the need to defend deep when a team does not have the required personnel in the mid-field to pressurize the opposition. Arsenal, clearly, should have defended deep that day especially when they were up against Agbonlahor, the quickest in the league. As a manager one can only work out the tactics and the game plan but what goes on in a players mind on the pitch is widely out of a manager’s control. Gallas, should have learnt from his mistakes from the game against Liverpool when they conceded a goal to Robbie Keane from a similar set of play. They allowed him to run behind the defence, collect the long ball and dispatch it home. Gallas should have definitely had that in mind as he was up against a player who is quicker and in better form than Keane. Such naivety from an experienced defender led to a desperate plunge which in turn into a goal and a ray of hope for Villa.
If the first goal was a mistake in the game plan of the defence, the blunder committed for the second was even more elementary. Aston Villa gave their all, pulled all stops to get the equalizer and they had four players in the box, rightly so, when Zat Knight received the ball. To everyone’s amazement there were only three Arsenal defenders defending against those four Villa players and this was in the final few minutes of the match when they were sucking in the Villa attack. One is tempted to ask where the other defenders were when the ball was being whipped into the box. Arsenal had five established defenders at that point of time and along with Denilson and Diaby they had enough numbers to deal with any sort of threat. If only they had a clear game plan and answers for these questions.

Villa have certainly showed us this season that they are good enough to be in the top four one day. It might not happen this season, as I, for one, believe Arsenal have too much quality to let that happen. Neither are good teams made in a fortnight nor the good ones become bad overnight and Arsenal certainly is a good team.

What happened and what next for Arsenal??

After a long break, owing to my professional and educational demands, I am back. I thought I would summarize the feelings going on in an arsenal fan’s mind(at least mine), given the roller coaster ride that arsenal is going through and how confused and irritated we are with the recent results and incidents . Also I will try to come up with solution(s) from a fan’s perspective and leave the door open for more discussion.

Firstly I am not that optimistic as I was at the start of the season regarding the chances of arsenal winning any silverware. Inconsistency brought out of lack of motivation and failing to learn from mistakes, contributed to the recent lackluster performances, and has seriously undermined Arsenal in becoming a serious title contender. I still don’t write them off, as we are still in the first half of the season and there is ample time to make amendments (if at all Wenger wishes to make any).

Now coming to my musings, though many pundits are of the opinion that the defense is the major culprit (came across explanations like fragile, leaky, clueless, feeble defense) for the current disappointing situation. I would like to differ. The midfield and the striking departments also should share the blame equally. I have never seen Arsenal with such a weak midfield in the recent past. Even at the start of last season I had the same feeling, but the formidable combination of Fabregas and Flamini proved me wrong. Hleb, Rosicky (for whatever less time he played), Gilberto played their supporting roles well and Arsenal was never found short in creating ample opportunities for the strikers. The midfield was always energetic and was fighting till the last minute of the game. And thanks to that, Arsenal was the team which scored the highest number of goals in the final 15 minutes. They were out of steam in the last quarter of the season but that is another issue. Now, this year, they already look tired and lack the sharpness to compete in the toughest league. I think part of it is because of lack of motivation and part due to inexperience.

Players like Song, Diaby and Bendtner will be strolling around the ground leisurely as if they were invited to witness the match from close quarters on the pitch, rather than being involved in it. Talented they are, but I feel that they are far less committed to the cause than others. There is no energy in their play and their nonchalant nature pisses me to the max. Denilson is one of the most talented among the Arsenal’s youngsters. He plays his heart out and tries to contribute as much as he can. Though very good his intentions and determination are, he is not ready for the biggest stage and it is evident in the innumerable errors he commits and such an inconsistent form he enjoys. He could not carry his early season form and has been quiet mediocre (forget about him replacing Flamini).

Coming to the striking department Persie has been good(though I don’t know for how long he will stay injury free), Adebayor has been in and out of the team and can’t really find any fault with his performances. That leaves us with Bendtner who has played most number of matches as a striker, either by starting or by being substituted. But he had done less than vela or Wilshere or Ramsey who were far better in creating some impact. I am not being harsh on him just because he didn’t score many goals, but because he is so inept at creating chances or taking them and doesn’t show any signs of improvement, and as I mentioned before his lack of commitment.

Defense, lot of people had spoken about it and I don’t want to dwell on that for long. Toure has been out of form ever since the African nations cup, Gallas inconsistent, Silvestre by no means great but has been doing a decent job, Djourou chipping in well when required. The thing is that the two of the best defenders we have had indifferent form and that affected us the most. And nothing has been sorted out regarding the long ball threat and the set pieces. The full backs have been great till now, but this year they are frequently getting injured than in last year, which is a bit of concern.

So What should Wenger do now. Though I agree with him about the fact that this team has enough talent to beat any other top flight team, the question is how consistently they can do that. As we have witnessed they are not able to do that on a regular basis. And there is not enough bench strength to give rest to some players and make them regain their sharpness. The only solution i can think of is to buy one experienced person in the defense and mid field departments. If not both, then at the least in the midfield. I feel that with one experienced, energetic CDM, Fabregas will get the necessary freedom to go forward and create more chances. And the defense will also feel more secure.

I think with the return of Eduardo, which will be like a new signing according to wenger, we will have enough fire power in the striking department. Also his finishing prowess should reduce the wastefulness in front of the goal. So no need of any additional purchases here.

The lack of motivation is still a big worry. The captaincy change surely should have great impact on that, given that Gallas has never been a natural leader. But there is a need for some more experienced players in dressing room for the younger ones to look up to. Keeping all the responsibility on Fabregas is unfair.

Sometimes I feel Wenger is expecting that most of his youngsters can do a ‘Fabregas’ (break into the first team at very young age and become a consistent and key member of the team). Fabregas is one in a million and Wenger is completely wrong if he is thinking so. Also the club should show enough ambition, so that players like Fabregas will be motivated and in turn bring out the best among the rest. And right now I can’t see a better solution than bringing in a fresh face and give an impetus to this beleaguered team. But given that the toughest part of the season happens to be in December, I am a bit worried if the signing would be too late. Nevertheless it will improve our chances in the Cup competitions.

Done with Porto, Next is Sunderland

A brief analysis on the mid-week game before we discuss about the Sunderland fixture. Well we(arsenal fans) got the response expected from the team after the ignominy of losing to Hull City at home. It was a good team effort and everybody looked sharper(including Gallas) this time compared to the previous match. Though responding well is a sign of any good team, as i told time and again arsenal needs to be more consistent to win any trophies. They were consistent until the last quarter of the previous season and lost the title because of taking the foot off the gas after that. So imagine what it would be like to lose matches in such early part of the season.

Moving on to more cheerful things, apart from the goal scorers (Adebayor and Persie) Theo Walcott did really well, playing with a lot of confidence and pace. That one incident where he starts well behind the defender, kicks the ball to ahead of the defender, overtakes him and passes will stay in my memory for long time. He would have been credited for two assists had his team mates been more accurate. Certainly he deserved a goal or an assist from the match apart from the thunderous reception he received every time he got onto the ball. Also we need to appreciate the hard work done by fabregas in orchestrating the midfield so well. He looked tired by the end of the match with the extra defensive work he had to do. I feel that Denilson should be the guy who should trace back and win the ball rather than Fabregas, as it will take a lot out of Cesc and he is the best midfielder we got. We need to exploit a player in his area of expertise and certainly defending is not fabregas’ cup of tea.

Rest all played their roles perfectly. Even the defence looked better except for a couple of incidents (one on the counter and one corner). The partnership of Adebayor and Persie upfront worked really well and hopefully it will get even better with time. Same time last season they had a really good partnership blossoming between them but then Persie got injured and after that he never played for more than two matches at a time to develop that telepathic understanding with Adebayor. Lets see if they can do it this time. Forgot to mention about Almunia. He made a couple of good saves and was critical in keeping a clean sheet. He has been going with his work silently without much fuss and i have no complaints. He is confident during the corners and has that assured presence at the back which Lehmann lacked at the last phase of his arsenal career. Overall it was an entertaining match and after the Hull disaster it was a good confidence booster, which the team can carry forward to the weekend fixture.

Now coming to that match, RoyKeane has always been a tough nut to crack for Arsenal and his team was no different last season. Nevertheless Arsenal won against them in both the legs after lot of struggle. In the first leg at the emirates, after leading them by 2-0, arsenal conceded the advantage and was on level terms before Van Persie’s strike restored the lead and arsenal won 3-2 at the end. Even at the stadium of light on the very last day of the season,it was a hard fought victory and we came out with a 1-0 win , though i would like to mention that many of the first team players didn’t play in that match. I can’t see it to be any different this time and Arsenal need to be at their best to return with all the three points.

Sunderland didn’t have a bright start to the season (losing to Liverpool at home) but had mixed feelings after that(WLDWL). They have good attackers like Cisse, Jones, Diouf etc and with the addition of Anton Ferdinand and Chimbonda they have a good balance in the defence too. Especially Diouf was a tormentor of Arsenal when he was at Bolton and i hope keane has put some sense into him and make him play proper football, else arsenal need to deal with his antics too.

So it is going to be tough with Sunderland, which as many teams do will try to be more direct and frustrate Arsenal. Arsenal has to be sharp in their counters and has to finish whatever opportunities they get. Being wasteful as against Hull will be disastrous.

Prediction: My prediction is that Arsenal will continue their impressive form away from home and come out as the winners. But the score line may not look as exciting as that in Bolton and Blackburn. Sunderland 1-2 Arsenal.

Talking about the Arsenal line up Wenger will stick to his winning combination, without any changes. Though Song is back i can’t see denilson or nasri being sacrificed for him. Eboue would have been in the starting eleven but for Arsene’s feeling that Arsenal will have more penetration and right mix with Walcott in the team instead of Eboue, away from home.
Line up: Sagna-Toure-Gallas-Clichy
Walcott-Fabregas-Denilson-Nasri
Persie-Adebayor

Men to Watch: Theo Walcott was the person who set up the winner at the emirates and who scored the only goal at Sunderland last season. Even this time he would be the person who will unlock their defense. For Sunderland Cisse would be the man to watch out for.

Salute to Hull, But Arsenal will bounce back

If I would have given everything to be at Emirates in mid-week when Arsenal ripped-apart Sheffield United , my commitment was same for the loss, which broke the 25 games unbeaten at home streak, in last game against Hull City. I guess its same for all the matches anyways.

They say arsenal needs to win even when they dont play well? Yes they should. If you ask me I want arsenal to win every hell of a game against any tom-and-jerry club in any penny-used-for-toss competition with our yet-to-pass-middle-school kids !

But why can't Arsenal do that? They do, but rarely. Not as frequently as Chelsea or lets say, Manchester United manages the same. Majority of the current Arsenal squad is shaped and dressed up in last 3 years. They are young, they have grown together and share the same metality on pitch. It forms the basis for their link-up and free-flowing football on pitch. So when they play good, they do it in team and when they suck, they suck together. All teams have
their bad days in offices. But if we see Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea, they always have someone on the field who can change the course of the game on his own, when the rest of the team's performance is below par. Ronaldo for Manchester Unite; Gerrard, Torres for Liverpool and Lampard or may be Ballack for Chelsea. I see no one like that in Arsenal. Not even Fabregas, not even Adebayor. The reason is their playing style. HOw many times we have seen a goal from Arsenal as a result of totally one man's presence? Not many instances are there, as Wenger's play is purely a team-play.

I give full credit to Hull City for showing their courage and play at Emirates on Saturday. They have showcased what other mid-table and low-table English Primier League teams haven't dared to do at Emirates. They followed their system of play and scored 2 wonderful goals and just not dedededededefendeing (its defending with 10 men out of 11 on pitch) and banking on catching Arsenal at counter-attack. Where the first goal by Giovanni was a typical example of flamboyant long-range curl, the second inch-perfect header by Cousins (sadly hasnt received as much appreciation as the first goal got) was equally commendable. Now Arsenal or any other top team couldn't have done anything about the first goal. And the second goal came so soon (Gallas waited for 4 minutes to spectate that) after the first, like some cast was spelled which turned the match upside down within no time.

Unlike last season when Arsenal mastered scoring in last 15 minutes and everybody expected them to level-up atleast, they failed to do so. Arsene Wenger brought on Vela and Bendtner and i guess, i was seeing Arsenal playing with four strikers for the first time in my football fan life. It was bizarre atleast for me. I guess Arsene Wenger should have stuck to his system and might have brought one striker instead of two. You just cant put all 4 in or around the box and expect a goal. But he is the boss and boss knows. They came close when the captain hit the bar and Vela failed to guide it inside. Interestingly, he was smiling afterwards.

So, one shocking result and should the fans demand an explanation? (as this article suggests http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/columnists/steven-beacom/steven-beacom-arsenal-fans-need-answers-from-wenger-13987492.html - somebody please kick him).
Should Arsene Wenger be forced to make considerable changes? I dont guess so. I understand that. Fans understand that. And Boss understands that. Nasri is back and he will certainly play a part. Lets see. But I am fully confident our guns will be loaded enough to bounce back and bounce back beautifully against Porto.

Come On Gunners..You want to go to Rome or not ??

The boss knows

It feels so apt to refer to Arsene as "The Professor". Often we hear Arsenal fans say "the boss knows" - man, he sure does.

I remember having a discussion with Harsha (co - gunner) few months before the start of 2007 season. All we thought was Arsenal badly need a central midfielder - gilberto was too old, flamini was inexperienced and may be not good enough. I was trying to spot players who could potentially partner the magical Cesc in the center of the field. But Wenger had different thoughts. He decided to stay away from the transfer market. The 2007 season started, with no other options in the mid, Wenger went with flamini. And what did flamini do ? He gave no chance for gilberto to get back into the starting 11, He established himself as the best central defensive midfielder in the EPL, He became a part of the French national team, He moved to Milan for a lucartive 5.6 million euros a year deal.

Over the last few months I had similar discussions with Harsha. We dont have a central midfielder to support cesc - Diaby is always injured, Gilberto is gone to Olympicos or Panathanaikos or something like that, Ramsey is a kid and Denilson is inexperienced and may be not good enough. Once again Wenger's ideas were different. He decided to use the transfer market for young and costly teenagers. Those teenage transfers seem to be paying off (Vela, Walcott and many more to come). With hardly any options he decided to go for Denilson. 5 starts - 2 goals and 3 assists in the premier league. That is better than what flamini did in the entire season. The young brazilian seems ready to give cesc a run for money. I dont want to jinx it, but he is destined for some good times this season and eventually, may be a transfer to Real or Juventus or Barca or, who knows may be even Chelsea. I hope they make some good money selling Denilson, unlike Flamini.