SHORTS
Arsenal get BBC Sports Personality Team award
(Sun) Only 7 teams in 39 have got the award.
Arsenal beat off competition from athletics, rowing and tennis.
Awards will be presented on Sunday.
Bosman floats towards Arsenal like an iceberg
The Evening Standard broke the story about Dennis Bergkamp deciding on his future in the last year of his contract.
There are two and a half years to run on his current one.
Earlier this year Dennis was quoted as saying he wanted to stay at Arsenal for the rest of his playing career.
Maloney acts for Hudson
(D.Express) Boxing promoter Frank Maloney is putting on a special boxing match for accident victim and ex-Arsenal player Alan Hudson, who is recovering from a serious op.
Belqola won't play ball
(Mail)World Cup final ref Said Belquola has decided not to sell the match ball.
Emmanuel Petit was said to be interested at £15,000 in the Christie's auction.
Young'uns for Greece
Mark Overmars and Martin Keown have been added to the injury list for Greece, says the Standard.
Seaman and Anelka are the only members of the first team available, although Steve Bould probably fits that category as well.
Set to come in are Upson, Grondin, Cole, Vernazza, Riza and Lincoln.
Highlights - ITV 11.25pm Wednesday. Also check out Carlton Select.
Jones link
The People say that Arsenal are closing in on Rob Jones, 27, Liverpool's right back, whose career of late has been badly affected by injury.
It posits that Jones may move in the New Year for £250,000, or on a free in the summer.
Arsenal have been continually linked with Jones over the last year.
Fowler
The News of the World say Arsenal are "about to lauch a sensational bid" for Robbie Fowler.
The argument is that Roy Evans has gone, and the usual Owen pecking order stuff, and the unsigned contract.
The piece posits a £9m fee, but wages of £45,000/wk could be the stumbling block.
Upson
The Express on Sunday says that Matthew Upson has requested a loan move to a First Division side - so desperate is he for first team football.
Thanks to: Myles Palmer, Adrian Barker, Bob Bateman and Gary Jacob
Press - at a glance 10 Dec
Panathinaikos 1 Arsenal 3
Historic victory in Athens, tinged with sadness over the death of a 16 year old fan who fell from the stands.
More than one commentator has said this could prove to be a turning point in Arsenal's season - particularly after the Chelsea match.
Upson and Grimandi, and the front two come in for special praise from Wenger.
The press generally raved about Vernazza and Mendez. Only Seaman, Bould and Anelka were regular first teamers.
Intereresting that Wenger is quoted as saying that Panathiaikos played better at Wembley, leading to suggestions that playing the games at Wembley was a mistake.
Yesterday's tie made £400,000 for Arsenal according to one paper.
But what about Wreh, Anelka and Boa Morte doing the "three bum swagger" goal celebration. Never seen that before.
Team Injuries
Week-end 07/12
Bergkamp -2 weeks
Vieira - 2 weeks
Petit- 3 weeks
Winterburn -13 days
Adams - January/February
Keown - back (?)
Overmars - groin (?)
Keown - top defender
Martin Keown is the Premiership's top defender, according to the S.Mirror's interpretation of Carling OPTA charts.
Key passes - 3
Successful tackles - 42
% of tackles won 84
last man tackles 3
interceptions in air 164
Arsenal - five in OPTA's top ten leagues
Arsenal have five players in OPTA's top ten leagues.
Keown - 1203
Winterburn -(2nd) - 1182
Bould (5th) - 1082
Vieira -10th (midfield) -1050
Anelka - 5th (attacker) -1055
Miscellaneous statistics
Nicolas Anelka is 8th in the striker charts with 8 goals
Ray Parlour has had 15 shots on goal this season without scoring
Arsenal have the best defence in the Premiership.
Arsenal are 16th in the Mail on Sunday Euro-league, based on domestic/Euro match stats.
They are ahead of Barcelona, Liverpool and PSG.
Arsenal are currently sixth in best behaved league.
Currently they have no players in the Dirty Dozen.
Food and drink mentions in Arsenal reports in Sundays
Tripe
Stew
Bread and water
Empty plate
Blackcurrant jam
Doggy bag
Steak and chips
Artificial food
Champagne
Red wine
Statistics - (Premiership games up to Boro, from Carling OPTA)
Matches -14
Goals -14
Shots 189
% on target 49
%goals/shots 7
Short pass 4902
long pass 724
crosses 224
%complete 21
goals against 6
tackles 476
%tackles won 70
blocks etc 962
Fouls - 161
Yellows -25
Red cards - 3
Player - most shots: Anelka 55
Player most on target: Anelka 26
Player with most off target: 29
Nigel Winterburn -1088 (3rd best defender)
Tony Adams 1067 (4th best defender)
Emmanuel Petit 1225 (best midfielder)
Ray Parlour 1002 (3rd attacking midfielder)
Nicolas Anelka 1009 (3rd best forward)
So Arsene Wenger signs his contract for four years, taking him past the 2002 World Cup.
It makes him - some say (D.Mail -£1.2m) the third highest, others say (D.Star £1m) the fifth highest paid manager in the Premiership. The Star says Graham, Vialli, Gullit and Robson are ahead. The Express says its worth £5m.
Arsene said he was confident and excited about Arsenal's future, and said that Arsenal have to stay in the top three in the Premiership, and try and win the European Cup, by the time his contract ends.
He is quoted as saying he'd like to own his own club after Arsenal - it may his last coaching post - either as president, director or md. This is most probably in France.
He did say he'd had approaches from three or four Euro clubs, and had turned down the post of technical director with the FA.
The Sun says he has £40m to spend.
The Independent speculates that it might be the first time Wenger has tried a back five tonight - with a central three of Bould, Grimandi and Upson. Mendez looks to be in for Parlour.
Lot of coverage in other papers on Upson and his chance to emulate Tony Adams, It is o nly his 12th appearance for Arsenal.
Meanwhile the name Cyril Domouraud, Marseilles u-21 defender, crops up. Both Houllier and Wenger seem to be interested in the £2m rated centre back, so says the Mail and Independent.
Press at a glance 5/6Dec
So most press say Wenger will sign his contract, tomorrow, Tuesday.
There was even a back page speculator linking Wenger with Barcelona, yesterday - something to do with his would-be assistant. One paper threw in Juve, for good measure.
On the park Arsene Wenger said that Arsenal need to get more accurate crosses in and be more clinical finishing.
He said they could have won the Derby game in the last 15 minutes.
There's a lot of talk about the motivation of the older players - how they keep Arsenal going in the tough times, and how difficult they will be to replace.
There's a good article in the Mail on Sunday, based on Pat Rice's quotes.
It says Wenger is settled in N London; has grown to love the club and what it stands for; he shouted in the dressing room after the Wimbledon match and there was a stony silence.
Rice says the famous back six's attitude and enthusiasm for winning things is infectious and carries through to the Vieiras, Petits, Bergkamps etc;
Rice says Arsenal make inquiries about players and get the response. Will you sell us Dennis Bergkamp?
Review of reviews - Derby
Paper
People
S Mirror
NoW
Total
Seaman
7
7
6
20
Dixon
6
6
6
18
Keown
7
7
6
20
Grimandi
6
6
6
18
Garde
5
6
6
17
Bould
6
6
8
20
Wreh
6
6
6
18
Anelka
6
6
6
18
Lunjgberg
6
5
6
17
Vivas
6
6
6
18
Parlour
7
7
7
21
Seems like the analysis was correct. Parlour got the Man of the Match in the Daily Mail, Daily Mirror and Express of Sunday, with the Sunday Mirror giving it to Bohinen and the People giving it to Dorigo.
Latest rumour - ANR heard: Fowler in: Seaman the other way. Allegedly, a house has been purchased in Totteridge, for/by the Liverpool man. Plausibility rating 4/10..