So season over… we kind of knew that anyway right?
We were put out of the Champions League and then the Premiership in the same week. It has been a disappointing end to what has been our most competitive season in 4 years. I’m not going to sit hear and tell you I am pleased with how this year has panned out, but I am not completely gutted.
We’ve played some beautiful football at times, some average players have come good and we’ve shown that with a few select additions we really could be contenders next year.
The key to next year being a success is that Arsene and his coaching staff learn from the failings of this season, and probably seasons past. I am going to give you a break down of where I thought things went wrong yesterday, and what I thought was great about yesterday.
There is no need to go overboard today, I think its time for some honest reflection and for us as Gooners to look forward to next season.
So what happened?
Well, who looked at the line up and didn’t say… SONG! At centre back! What that fuck… is he mad! Yes, Song at centre back. Arsenal, one of the greatest clubs in the world was playing an average player in an unnatural position for the 2nd time in his Arsenal career… against the Worlds form team.
Then blogger Geoff made the good point…
‘Its better than having Phil there…’
A good point, he can’t be any worse can he? Is that something an Arsenal fan should ever be saying? Is that what our squad has boiled down to? Playing poor players out of position?
Wouldn’t logic tell you that Eboue should play right back, Toure should play in the middle and Walcott or Cesc on the right?
Anyway we played great football and we had the best chances. We dominated the first half and should have been 3 up.
Adebayor missed 3 absolute sitters. It was unbelievable how guilt edged the chances were, but he is a man out of form and low on confidence. I am not going to slate him, because I rate him. He ran his socks off and he worked himself into the positions. I’d prefer a player to miss 4 sitters than a player who isn’t good enough to get into the positions in the first place. The goals will come, it is just not happening for him at the moment.
When we went 1-0 up after Ade’s hand balled goal, I went mad… but how many of you actually believed in your heart of hearts we’d hang on? I didn’t. Nor did the other Gooners I was sitting with. This team doesn’t know how to close a game off do they, maybe that’s what Wenger meant about maturity.
Sure enough we were right… 10 minutes later and Gallas handled a through ball and gave away a penalty…
Take note Gallas… No one walked away and kicked the hoardings did they? No one went and sat on the half way line and sulked did they? I don’t want to completely lambaste the guy, but he is 30 years old and was once regarded as one of the top 10 defenders in the world… what has happened recently? We have two of the best full backs in the world, you can’t really argue with that… but we’ve only kept 12 clean sheets this year and I can’t remember many Manuel mistakes.
Is the problem that Kolo and Gallas aren’t as good as we think they are? I don’t know… but it’s worth asking the question because we just don’t seem to be able to crack it defensively do we? What makes it worse is Sol Campbell is doing really well down and Pompey… and we let him go on a free!
Next up on my list of moans was the free kick Gilberto gave away. Gilberto is just not…
No, I am not going down that route, Gilberto was excellent today and I think the worst thing we can do this summer is get rid of him. Why are people so quick to write good players off? He is an asset and I think his dip in form was due to match practice and being sacked off as the captain.
Sorry, I went off the point.
My point is, we conceded our second goal for the same reason we conceded the first against Liverpool (Away). Lehmann watched the player not the ball. He didn’t even dive! He was waiting for Ronaldo to shoot! I hope I am not alone in my thoughts on that… it was a good free kick, but it merited a dive at least.
I remember reading that when Beckham took free kicks against Seaman, he wouldn’t asked for a wall because great players didn’t worry about the wall. I am unsure why Lehmann left so much free space for Hargreaves? His kicking was poor today, but he did make a few good saves. For me, he just cemented my attitude… Almunia is number 1.
So how about the good things? Well, we’re not that far off being a great team. I hope Wenger is bluffing when he says we only need one player… even the most ardent ‘Arsene Know’s Brigader’ can see that is simply not true.
If we sorted out our defence in the summer by my reckoning we would only be a winger and maybe another midfielder off being a great team. I accept that Vela is coming, but he is not the answer… let’s not pin our hopes on up and coming children. I’ve had 3 years of doing that. How many of these kids come in and have an immediate impact? Hardly any of them…
Up front Bendtner looks like he is very close to becoming a great player for the club. Adebayor is already a good player, he just needs a bit of confidence and a rest. RvP will start next season, so hopefully he can fulfill his world class potential. Theo could come of age next year and we still have Eddie to look forward to at Christmas. Maybe we could do with a bit of proven goal scoring talent? I don’t know… just someone to bang them in when our backs are against the wall. We don’t have as many match winners as our rivals do we?
In midfield Cesc is just Cesc, he hasn’t been on fire during the tail end of the season but you know he’ll be stronger for next year. Hleb was fantastic today; I wish he could motivate himself to play like that all the time. The only problem I have with him is that he is only 70% of what is required… if you won’t shoot as a midfielder… players will stand off you. No one fears Hleb from 30 yards out.
I may as well just start the player ratings now!
Player Ratings:
Lehmann: Made some important saves early on but he let himself down with his kicking and his player watching for the Manc free kick. 6
Toure: Caught out of position a few times and skinned by Rooney early on… clearly not a right back. 6
Song: Not great for an Arsenal player, but good compared to Senderos. It’s not a glowing endorsement is it? Why can’t we just buy a decent back up? Why put a DM in at CB… 6
Gallas: He was doing ok until he conceded that ridiculous penalty. Arsene just doesn’t seem to be able to get the best out of him at Arsenal. 6
Clichy: I really rate him, he causes all sorts of problems going forward and he is spot on at the back. He had a good game today and added a bit of stability to a shaky defence. 7
Eboue: The guy is an appalling player. He feigns injury at every opportunity and seems to be living off a cross he made last year. It was one cross people… One CROSS! Rubbish as usual. 4
Gilberto: I thought he was great today, his passing was on and his break up play was great. Don’t sell him Arsene, we need to keep all the experience we can. 7
Cesc: I thought he played well today, I wonder where he left his shooting boots? They have been missing since December… If anyone has seen them, drop me an e-mail. 7
Hleb: My gosh, did someone promise him a free Mr Whippy at the end of the game? The guy was fantastic today; the ball stuck to his feet like glue, his passing was brilliant… but no shooting as usual. 8
RvP: Non existent most of the game. He is taking a long time to settle back into things; maybe Euro 2008 will give him the boost he needs! 6
Adebayor: Missed 4 guilt edged chances, but he worked hard and caused Rio and Pique problems all day. He got his reward when he elbowed the ball into the back of the net, but on his report card there is a big…’Must do better‘. I have faith in him though; he is very close to becoming a truly great player for the club. 7
Subs:
Theo: He got a whole 30 minutes today. I think we were hoping for more of an impact, but hey… he is only 19. Even though his contribution was low, it was still twice as good as Eboue’s. 7
Nikki B: Caused almost as many problems as Ade when he came on. He squandered to headers at the far post, but his passing and link up play was great. I think if he stays this summer, we could be in for a treat next year. 7
Hoyte: To be honest, he was a freeking revelation… he marshalled the back line with Tony Adams like authority and made sure no one gave Lehmann anything to worry about. If he’d have started… we would have won. Fact. 10
So in conclusion, we lost but we expected it.
Let’s not go down the route of blaming our collapse on luck, it’s a weak argument. In football, as in life… you make your own luck. When you start blaming your demise on things out of your control you start to feel sorry for yourself. Arsenal FC is not about that.
Let’s not blame injuries. All the big teams have had injuries. Let’s be thankful Cesc, Flamini, Hleb, Ade, Gallas, Sagna and Clichy went majority of the season unscathed. Let’s hope Rosicky has successful surgery in the summer and let’s hope RvP is over his thigh problems. Instead of moaning about injuries, let’s think about what a bit of decent cover could have done.
Please don’t call for Arsene’s head. The guy has worked wonders for us over the years and he is close to pulling off his next miracle. Loyalty works both ways. How many of the doom mongerers were signaling the end of Arsenal when it looked like he was going to leave? Plenty!
At the same time, don’t be satisfied with a trophyless season. It is not our divine right to win something every year, but it is our right to have a team that can compete on numerous fronts. We pay enough money to expect a big enough squad. Hopefully Wenger will realise that in the summer.
Next season begins today. Try and be positive because it ain’t all bad!
Happy Blogging Grovers!
Bud.. Spuds/Bayern dont pay 100K per week .. Juve neither for the moment .. nor does Pool very often ..
Thiery is Not coming back to Arsenal, cos it would just be like when Rafa invited Robbie Fowler back to Liverpooh and we all know how that went. I understand Wenger wants to build a team and wouldnt want to distrupt what he has. but look at ‘Nando (Nancy)Torres, 1st season and he is banging in the goals!! When was the last time we had a player like that in Arsenal in his 1st season..?
Wenger has no excuse next season, he has the money to spend and we are now demanding for trophies not just beautiful football!!
I would prefer Benzema, end of.
Tailor made for us.
More than us is what I was getting at
We have a pretty huge wage bill, and the boys aren’t signing new contracts with us because they love the club… they get paid well.
Only a select few players get paid £100k plus… and most of them are at Chavski.
If we want great players, we’ll get them… We are an attractive brand. We just have to hope Wenger wants them.
You don’t need to pay £100k p/w to get experience.
Benzema V Henry? Benzema any day. Anyway, Lyon probably wont ask for more than what he is worth. Plus, Benzema is young, and is already a talent that needs little refining. Henry wont get younger, will want a huge pay (probably, look at flamini!) and we sell a player, go with out him for a season and then buy him back? How stingy does that look?
Ade has been great for us this season football has chaned and our formation requires a target man up front, he is maturing as a playerand will get better. Opposing defenders hate playing against ade because he is so much of a handful.
I think I heard on sky sports yesterday Man U won last years title then went out and bought Hargreaves, Tevez, Anderson and Nani, That says a lot about them moving forward we need top quality coming through the doorsof the emirates this year our performances have shown we can compete at the highest level we just need the back up in the squad to see out the season. Whilst drowning my sorrows last night a mate of mine pointed out that it all went wrong not at Birmingham but when we lost to the spuds in the Carling Cup and the Man U in the FA cup it upset our winning habit, I am looking at the positives for this year no silverware but it has been entertaining and I am sure is gouing to get better next year
As for Henry forget about it I think Wenger has a policy of not signing back old players or that was the excuse for not bidding for Anelka.
Come on Pedro, be realistic…… we are not great payers, never have been, never will be. Its a fact we miss out on players because of dollar……. we lost Ashley Hole because we would not pay 65K a week for Englands left back and at the time, renowned best left back in world football…… Ribery chose Bayern for more dollar than we would pay, Flamini will leave becuase he can get more elsewhere etc etc
The top players we have got in the past because we could get them are, errr, ummm errrr……. can’t think of any. The prestige of being an Arsenal player comes to player once he has played for us.
We get players an altogetrher differnt way. We got Henry because he was an unused winger a Juve, same for Vierra, Pires was in dispute and walked out on Marseille so others didn’t want him as was viewed as a trouble maker, Gallas the same, RVP the same, Flamini the same, Ade the same, the list goes on Pedro !!!
I would prefer Ben Arfa a direct attacking winger.
Its very evident that we need to strengthen our squad starting with a reliable keeper, because although Almunia has been sterling for the majority of this season but his previous goalkeeping atrocities and the fact i feel he doesn’t communicate well enough with the back four go strongly against him and makes him only viable for a back-up keeper. Lehmann has to go, i don’t feel i need to justify that as all Arsenal fans will agree other than German ones.
As for defence we need a player who is strong and dependable who can play RB and CB just as cover preferable young so that they can progress and give competition to Senderos as Song and Djourou are a long way away, and when i say young i mean 23/24. We need another left back as Traore is a long way away also someone in the mould of Clichy but more defensive about 22 years old as i feel Clichy has still a lot to improve on.
Into midfield, i feel we need a winger and a creative central midfielder if the Denilson problem doesn’t resolve and if Arsene still chooses to play Diaby on the wings, but definitely a winger who will get crosses in as well as being able to make off the ball runs and creative passes which will be hard to find and the only players i can suggest Quaresma, Modric, Ribery and Capel yes all players we’ve been linked with as i had time to look at them but Ribery tends to hold on to the ball to long and doesn’t favour crossing and i would paint Modric with the same brush. Quaresma seems to pricey as i don’t feel he’s worth £20m+ as when you buy a player your buying potential as well as current ability and i don’t feel he offers a huge amount of potential and as for Capel well i don’t feel he is completely ready yet and reminds me of a lesser talented Reyes who Arsene would have tried harder to hang on to like Diarra (who i have a picture with while he was at arsenal(email me for a copy)).
A dream signing would be David Silva of Valencia, who is an ideal age and is an extremely talented winger probably the best LM in Europe at the moment can’t think of any others (i no longer consider Ronald a midfielder) but it would cost a lot of money to get him probably about the same as Quaresma which would be Arsene’s stumbling block. As for forwards we need one, a creative player who comes deep but takes his chances so like a Hleb who shoots.
My suggestions are Huntelaar and Villa, but I’m living in dream world with Villa as he would cost £30m+ which Arsene would never shell out but also he’s too old at his standards though he’s only 26. Huntelaar would be cheapish and ideal but many believe he’s like a Van Nistelrooy type poacher but he has more to his game as in the Ajax squad he plays a more supportive striker role but misses very few chances, he’s too much in demand though and Arsene will never get his claws out in a bidding war.
Before anyone gets too nostalgic about Henry….we were paying him 130k a week, Barca are paying him more, he’s staying at Barca for the forseeable future, and we all know that Arsene sticks to his principles, he doesn’t by players back.
Barca would need to drop the buyout clause and henry would need to take a pay cut.
Henry might end up in France after his Barca contract expires, lets see, but the Premiership is an almost certain no no.
I agree with AL, Ben Afra is a good player.
I thought there were talks that Arsenal wegoing to sign french “wonder-kid” Yoann Gouffran…any news on that?
Why aren’t we great players?
Sol Campbell, Pires, Bergkamp, Freddie, Henry, Vieira, Cashers (60k a week is a lot for a left back).
They all did very well out of the Arse.
I think it is a myth that we don’t pay well. We are always in the top 3 with wage bills.
Fuck me, we pay Arsene £4-5million! He doesn’t come cheap!
And Eduardo’s out. Eduardo’s position?
1st striker
We’re going to get a first striker…as i mentioned earlier, we’ve had a regular top striker’s shoulders to stand on for years with Wright and then Henry.
We were going to have that with Eduardo, but back to square 1.
What don’t we have? A 1st striker………..so we need to buy one…
That is the ONLY position where we don’t have someone…
We can attract ANy first striker in the world, we have a position immediately vacant unlike other clubs where even a top striker would need to stand in line.
Every top team has their top striker, and it’s every top team’s glass jaw.
If Manyoo lost Rooney and Tevez they most probably wouldn’t be at the top.
Bud
So your saying you’d rather pay 5 times more for a player than wait an extra year or two for a player who will surpass the former?
For example Flamini and Anderson, and from what I’ve seen flamini does as good a defensive job and looks more creative than Anderson.
Or Adebayor and Rooney in term of goalscoring, Ade’s 32 in 75 games compared to rooneys 32 in 150 is a no brainer.
Exactly, Rooney is so over-hyped, but he is a class player and a good second striker.
Adebayor is also a second striker, if we can get him to repeat next season what he did this season + get a 1st striker we’ll be unstoppable, simple as.
We’re about 20 goals short…..we should have a goal difference comparable to Manyoo’s and it is perfectly achievable with Adebayor maintaining his form and a 1st striker.
I think wenger is a great manager for grooming youngsters but i think he needs to buy some class experienced stars(not OAPs though) also I’ve never liked Gallas as captain, the behaviour he showed at Birmingham proved to me that he was not passionate. He gave away a penalty yesterday but i didn’t see any Arsenal players acting like he did.
We can definitely improve defence with training, with Sagna not about it has capitulated.
but the ethos of an attacking team is to score more than the other team, so our first form of defence is attack, we need more goals, in our draws we were short of a goal…..
Nah
Adebayors first touch and passing is so shit hes no where near a SS.
I don’t believe Ade is as bad as many make him out to be…..you can’t score 25 PL goals and be a lame duck, thats ridiculous. He has his flaws and many advantages as well, and it’s a results based business. Why has Carlos Tevez not scored as many….or Drogba…
Personally seeing Song play at centre back has me worried that Wenger sees him as the answer to our centre half woes. We are all aware of his comments about only needing one experienced player in the summer and I am guessing he does not think it’s a centre half. In my humble opinion Gallas and Toure are not a premiership winning pairing and having Senderos and Song (plus Djourou) as back up I fear will not be good enough, just as it wasn’t this season.
When the dust settles we have come up short in all four competitions this season and imploded spectacularly in the last two months. If we keep the same squad plus one signing I can only see more of the same next season.
I can only believe that when Wenger goes home he must tear his hair out at some of the things the defence does! I hope so anyway.
I read somewhere 3-4 months ago that ADE-BARCA-REAL said that
“IF ARSENAL DON’T WIN A TROPHY THIS SEASON I WOULD
STOP PLAYING FOOTBALL”
So now you can fuck off ADE to BARCA so you can replace the great ETO’O(keep on dreaming). Great post Pedro but your comment about Ade is beyond me. How can he improve when he can’t even simply keep the ball down when recieving it and his goals, even i can score 20-25 if you get as much chances as ADE. Spot on ethan we need Dider drogba. As for your comment about HOYTE I recently heard that he is in contention for the BALLOON 4′ all trophy.
I want huntelaar in arsenal next season, even if i have stalk wenger and hold a board that clearly spells out the name HUNTELAAR on it. He’s a natural goal scorer, and i want to see him compliment our passing movement with those bicycle kicks he’s very good at. and together with a fit, on form rvp!! we know he’s a technically gifted player. Carlos vela is gonna be an arsenal legend i hope. .Adebayor, well i have never liked him that much, especially after what happened at birmingham. he’s first touch is never a controlled one, it just bounces of his legs and ends up giving away possesion. eboue, argh! i read somewhere here that you guys are starting to raise funds to get him out. is it still on?
anyways, a well written post as always, except for the ade part.
I dont believe that , Gooner From Pakistan. I’d like to see where you read that from.
Adebayor did say that didn’t he, I remember now !
Re our squad, we have a very good young squad, but we need a couple more experienced players that have won titles that know how to play at the business end of the season. Lets not rip up what we have, but no more promising players please. We will have Vela and Merida coming back to fill those voids, now lets sign experience !
And I thought Song looked good at the back yesterday, especially for an inexperienced young player !!!!!!
Ade did say that but he was just exaggerating the good position we were in the league and how it would be a disaster if we didn’t win it.
Gooner from pakistan should stick to cricket.
Well, not a bad day’s blogging. The only thing people seem to universally disagree with me on is Adebayor and some on Songs performance.
I’ll take that, it beats the response I got to the Liverpool game!
Ade infuriates me, but I don’t think he is far off becoming really good.
I don’t think the answer is a new striker, it is a goal scoring midfielder… and a beast of a centre back.
Someone like Senderos… but safer. What about this Mertesacker? THe 6ft8 guy for Werder. He is supposed to be no nonsense.
I haven’t seen enough european football to comment really.
Adebayor is so CRAP! He didn’t get the team 25 goals the team helped Adebayor score 25 goals. We don’t play beautiful football with this waste of space on the team. He has poor control and can’t even pass. Arsenal need a better striker to partner van Persie if he can stay fit.
and why is Adebayor torn to shreds for missing chance yet Robins hailed as a technical genius, atleast Ade’s been there to miss the chances but atleast score 20+ goals.
Robin has done nothing since returning. Geoff made the same point yesterday, Ade maybe missing them, but Robin isn’t even getting a shot away.
You know he’ll be on fire next season though… he still looks like he is suffering.
I’ve seen mertesacker a few times on setanta, good in the air, strong, and timing of his tackling isn’t bad. I’m not steve Rowley but he does look good, although i don’t know if he can keep up with the pace of english football then again the bundesliga is rather similar.
Likewise, I don’t know who the centre half is but there must be one out there who could do a job for us. Just imagine if we could keep clean sheets on a regular basis just how good we could be.
Did van Persie not assist 2 of Adebayor’s last 3 goals? van Persie has not even played as a striker maybe that’s why he hasn’t scored.
pedro.. i have never been overwhelmed by Song either .. yet I would like to point out that considering that this guy who has never performed for us or in fact who has hardly played for us, was thrown into ice cold water being played out of position as a centre back
how good is that?? and yes, he made mistakes yday, but no, he wasnt as bad as one could have feared to be.. I cant see Djourou or Senderos playing better than him
is he Arsenal material?? maybe not yet.. but then again who among the young crop
I would also prefer Benzema instead of TH14 .. one hundred million times over.. but we are not gonna get him
Yeah, but he bangs them in for Holland from the wing. He doesn’t even seem to register that many shots… and he has played striker numerous times since he has been back.
It is harsh… he has been out all year.
Yeah song looked better than Senderos… I like Djourou though.
I just don’t think a club like arsenal should stoop to the level of drafting youngsters into unfamiliar positions for massive games!
I have a feeling about Song… he is going to be a big surprise.
Rubbish, Van Persie was playing left wing yetserday, not left mid i remember Van Persie tracking back on 4 ocassions yesterday. If you can’t score from such a position then Ronaldo truly isn’t human.
You could see yesterday that Wenger had obviously instructed VP to hug the line, he looked very restricted. I think if you want VP to play out wide, he needs to come over to the right where he can cut in and let them go with the left foot !
Anyway, the guy has been out for a year, give hium a chance to rediscover top form………
Djourou has been around for a while now and needs to step up
pedro.. I hear you on the young inexperienced match winners that Wenger loves so much
did you see Eto’o s blinder on sunday .. boy can he shoot
Been back for two months now, how long do you reckon?
because Adom, van persie is really a technically gifted player, it’s a fact.call me biased but can you remember the goals he have scored. And he was in great form during the pre season tournament but injuries hampered his progress.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGshR6vgVEY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCepc7H8s1E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5GlS_2NzME
i could go on forever. rvp was arsenal’s top scorer last season despite missing out on injuries. Ade’s good too but sometimes i think he talks too much to the press,those woeful first touch and being selfish, it adds up to be quite annoying especially in this downfall period. we are all entitled to our own opinion. no hard feelings ya,
come on you gunners!!
2 games Adom… He got injured again before the Liverpool Trilogy.
Bud, maybe your right with that. He was very quiet yesterday… but at least you know he has match winner in him.
Rememeber that goal against inter? Fucking brilliant.
BB, I dream of a player like Eto’o on Ronaldinho… we’ll never buy players like that, but I am sure we could pick up players like that before they break onto the scene.
Vela springs to mind, I am not going to get my hopes up though.
Brendon, you’re not wrong about Ade’s motor mouth… keep it shut and get on with it man!
I like Gallas’s interview…..
You can play well, but if the luck is not there, then you will win nothing,” Gallas told Arsenal TV Online.
“The luck went from us a few months ago. People have to understand that.
“We drew too many games at home, and away we lost important points.”
Gallas has been particularly puzzled by Arsenal’s inability to hold on to a lead, which was again evident as Manchester United came from behind to win 2-1 at Old Trafford on Sunday.
“For a few months it has been difficult for us to react to conceding a goal, we have been going down very quick.
“When the season started we were not like this and I don’t know why we have been in trouble now after scoring a goal. We have to work on that for next season.”
Gallas insists there are still plenty of positives to take from a campaign that started so promisingly.
He stated: “What is very positive from last season is we should finish third in the Premier League, we went to the quarter-final of the Champions League, so we have improved.
“However, we cannot accept just that because when the season started we wanted to win everything, but then slowly, slowly we started to lose.
“Now at the end, we do not get anything. That is a great shame for the club.
“We have to speak together and to know what was wrong.
“We are not far away, but we will have to see what we can do next season.
“I hope we can get something. I am a competitor and want to win everything.
You remember only the people who win trophies.”
GREAT CAPTAIN !
You are a loyal man bud! I admire that greatly!
He ain’t all bad, things have conspired against him recently…
I would keep him as captain, we have to really. Cesc isn’t ready, the Flamster may be off and Bertie may go.
He is the logical choice and it hasn’t been a shocker of a year for his first crack at it.
What about big Phil?
What do you do with him?
Its Song or Phil… one must go, who is it?
Loan Senderos to and Djourou to Ajax next season now it looks as though we are going to have a tie in with them (by the way and for another day – I think Van Basten & Dennis will be the next Managerial act at Arsenal when Wenger steps up). They are the current Swiss Centre back pairing so obviously play well together, but need more competitive experience together in a good league…. they are both for the future and am sure both will come good !
Song I think will become an excellent player over the next 12 months, if you look at the rate he is improving, he could just make a lot of us walk round with egg on our faces !!!!!!
Foget all this negativity and stories about bad luck dodgy decisions and its all Gallas, Big Phil, Eboue’s fault it all went pear shaped when big Ade had his hair cut.
But I still think he’s fantastic and Gooner from Pakistan and someone says must be off their heads.
i have a soft spot for senderos. he’s not so bad aint he.. darn, who am i kidding!
still it’s a close call. have to agree with Bud,
we shld loan senderos and djourou out.
it’s hard to choose which is to go cause the first thing i really really want is for eboue to leave!
Great loan out 2 defenders who do we bring in? New players need time to bed in and adapt to arsenals style, it is not easy playing our fast passing game and new players need time to adapt to our playing style, no one should be allowed to leave in the summer just a few quality new faces coming in hopefully
An experienced Top Quality finished article centre back !
Everyone has a soft spot for him… its that vacant look on his face everytime he fucks up.
Not good enough in my eyes. I’ve defended him many times, but he is always going to be prone to car crash defending.
I think JD is ok? I have no idea why he has been out for so long?
What top quality finished article centre backs are out there or availiable?
Big Phil did a great job while toure was away in January the reason we have leaked goals recently is that Sagna who has been outstanding this year is out and Kolo has been played out of position. Also with the Flamster out injured the back 4 is not getting its usual protection.
It is not the personnel, it is the organisation. We need to get a better defensive coach
I was gutted yesterday… we played so well but again our defence has let us down… along with Ade’s inability to finish off the easiest of chances.
We seriously need some players next season… my choices would be.
Vagner Love… could pick him up on the cheap… currently playing for CSKA Moscow, plenty of pace, can finish with either foot and his head, strength and skillful on the ball.
Ben Arfa or Quaresma both quite similar but i fancy Ben Arfa to be a better player and has a better eye for goal. Robinho would be my ideal choice but i can’t see Wenger taking him away from Madrid.
And a big strong technically gifted CB… there are plenty out there… not got a specific one to go for but in feel we have to of the best full backs in the game and have the foundations for a very strong back line.
What was wrong with Martin Keown Raddy…! We have the greatest back four ever as ex pro’s of Arsenal, and we don’t utilise their experience and knowledge.
I heard that when MK was doing it a few years back, Senderos stormed of the pitch in a huff about being told off.
I can only imagine that he fell out with AW. The results when MK was coach were impressive. The Italians know a thing or two about defensive coaches, and as I wrote previously, Wenger should talk to Capello about it.
Just caught up on an episode of scrubs.
Why are Portsmouth benefitting from Tony Adams and not us?
It seems as though he’s working miracles there.
To be honest i feel it just looks like fatigue in the back four other than clichy plus inadequate cover. Toure doesn’t seem to have the recovery pace he had earlier in the season due to never getting a rest and the ACN and Gallas who played in i think every game he’s been available for this season even in the carling cup and he seems to be getting outmuscled by a lot of strikers he shouldn’t be i.e James McFadden.
Now I love TA, I even have a signed poster of his reaction post scoring Everton, on my bedroom wall !!
But, he seems to have turned his back on the club post retirement. Not to came to the last day at Highbury was unforgiveable. Plus, he didn’t even turn up for the DB10 testimonial. There must be something wrong, and I can only imagine he has a problem with AW or the board.
Sad really.
Just checked Youtube for some vidoe clips of Vagner Love goals and i am very impressed… looks like he would fit right into Arsenal’s style of play, I would love us to go for him but instead i bet Wenger will go for some unheard of DM.
Righfully so our manager is called the professor due to his footballing genius… but when it comes to transfers recently he’s about as bright as a Nuns night light.
How can a man with such understanding of the game not see where we are struggling when every Tom, Dick or Harry that supports the team all seem to be in agreement of our downfalls… if we can see it why can’t he?
Goonerjay.
As I see it……..
AW realised we needed a clinical fiinsher – signed Eduardo
A better right back – signed Sagna
A World Class CB – signed Gallas
A midfield cover for Cesc/Flam – signed Diarra.
How can you say he is unaware of the teams frailties? We shall see in summer who he signs, because despite not being a member of the Arsene Knows Club, I do have faith in him
i would concur with that big raddy.
like all human beings, nobody is right all the time, i am sure he will correct matters this summer.
Good to read such positive thinking in the post and comments, after a couple of weeks of depressing negativity.
Very unfair on Hoyte though – coming on late he had little chance to influence the game but that kick at Ronaldo’s achilles definitely deserved a 10 rating for defending the club’s honour.
Excited about next season – but with Flamini rather than Gallas as captain – maybe one CB and one winger to buy – but no new strikers needed – Ade has improved massively but we have been unfortunate that we had to rely on him as sole striker when he wasnt in top form over the last few weeks – that wont happen again……
I noticed a couple of things in the arsenal-manu match ..
1) The wall for the hargreaves free kick was one of the poorest I have seen. What’s with theo being part of the wall? Isn’t he one of the shortest guys in the squad? Did you notice none of the guys in the wall (including Ade) jumped. why?
2) Our whole next season might hinge on Ade improving his conversion rate (assuming this is a temporary blip in the defence, and they will be ok next season). Right now he seems to need 4 chances to score one.
Interesting that the player stats (Telegraph website) show Clichy with 5 good tackles out of 5 and Song 3 good tackles out of 3, while Gallas registers no tackles at all! Misleading no doubt but……….
Vagner love isn’t cheap neither.
CSKA have set a valuation of £16m for him.
Raddy… as i see it… at the bigginning of the season our main concern was wide players… in the summer nothing done, in january nothing done.
Brings in Eduardo as a goal scorer… more often than not sent out to the wing where he was largely ineffective to cover for wide players we don’t have which then again left us short up front whilst still not having any quality width.
Sagna has been brilliant.
Gallas arrived last season and wasn’t great then… in fact had several injury problems and was any decent cover brought in?
Don’t get me wrong… i’m one of Arsene’s biggest fans i think it is brilliant what he has come in a done for us but i just feel that every gooner in the country and every pundit has been saying this season that we are lacking strength in depth and nothing was done in January… when we apparently had a shed load of kitty for transfers. We let one player go and nothing came in and now that lack of quality options has cost us.
Adom… i’m sure you could get Vagner Love cheaper than that… the draw of a big club would have Love’s agent pulling out all the stops to make the deal happen… All the same i think £16m is a good price for a 24 year old Brazil International, proven goalscorer, 2 footed plenty of pace and tricks.
Especially when you consider we payed £12m for Reyes, £12m for Walcott.. what’s an extra £4m for a more experienced and proven Brazil International… still won’t happen
You should check out a goal of his though… on youtube type ‘vagner love zenit’
Vagner Love… now there is a name that excited me!
What a player! He always causes us problems… wouldn’t he be great on the wing!
What about Elano out wide?
£16 million is nothing… if the player does the job.
Raddy, liked your earlier point by the way. Wenger addressed the starting 11 issues, this close season he must address the depth issue.
Big Johann, I always pick on Hoyte… not for any reason other than its a bit of fun. I think I’d do it if I met him…!
I don’t agree with a lot of things that Arsene has done this year, but he’ll know… he isn’t stupid, well at least I hope he isn’t!
Its either going to be a great summer or a fucking slow one…
Two things I know… The mancs, Scousers, and the chavs will strengthen. I hope we follow suit.
problem is Pedro it won’t just be the Mancs, Chavs and scousers that strengthen… You can Guarentee Ramos will strengthen and i can’t bare the thought of the spuds gaining silverware again next season while we spend yet another season with our Emirates trophy cabinet not being put to use… it hasn’t been used yet and i would absolutely hate it if the scum down the road could win something 2 years on the trot whilst us… a member of G14 won’t spend and go 5 seasons without a trophy. It would be humiliating… i’m a season ticket holder and i want to see my money spent towards making our squad stronger not lining Hill-Woods pockets
Gooner Jay, I am not trying to argue with you, … we just see things differently. Dudu was bought as our ‘fox in the box’, and there can be little doubt that had he stayed fit, we would be talking of him as a brilliant signing.
AW felt (and rightly in my opinion)that he had enough CB cover, hence the sending out on loan of Djourou to B’ham.
He also felt (again rightly) that you cannot keep an unhappy player. Having bought Diarra, he must have been mightily p’ed off to see him do the biz at Pompey.
Had Mozart stayed fit, we would have won the league. Our dire form coincides with his injury, and how can you replace a genius like him? We had a too young replacemant in Theo, but Theo still needs time to become as cunning as Rosicky. And of course, it is not his natural position.
Raddy not arguing mate… just difference in opinion mate… i’ve been saying all season we need more quality… as one of the worlds top clubs we can’t keep having big games where we are playing young unproven players out of position due to 2 players being injured and we never seem to have any quality on the bench… and when we go to the bridge and see our bench consists of Diaby, Walcott and Bedtner whilst Chelseas bench consisted of players like Ballack, Anelka and Malouda and when we play the Mancs and they bring on players like Anderson, Giggs and Tevez it’s just annoying because we can’t do that but with the money our club makes out of us we should have.
Def agree on the Rosicky matter though… i used to comment a lot on BBC’s 606 forum and a lot of guys on there don’t rate him but for me he is one of a biggest players, creative genius and never loses the ball and a regular goal scorer but just can’t keep him fit for love nor money… i’d be surprised if he’s played more than a dozen games this season
Goonerjay, Hill-Wood hardly has any shares – and we havent paid a dividend for 1,000 years.
I’m delighted that my season ticket money is being invested in a sustainable legacy, establishing the club as one of the top clubs in the world rather than a bit player in the English league who went through a couple of good years followed by 10 years of bore draws etc etc
I for one believe we’ll be fighting for the title again next season. I think once we leave this mess behind us this will be our worst period over. Reading at home next, I reckon we’ll start there, we’ll finish off the season strongly and get funky again in August.
Many a time last year people were crticizing us for always changing our team whereas teams like United with Giggs and Scholes go for years with their tried and tested setups.
It takes teams time to gel, ours did instantaneously and with another season together and this tough experience which enivitably bonds them they’ll be fighting again next season. We all know the feeling, the title’s hanging before our noses and then suddenly your chance is no longer there. These kinds of troubled times happen even to the biggest of them, Manyoo for a few yrs before now, Real Madrid went many years without a title, Milan are struggling, Barca aren’t on top of things either.
real m went 5 years without a title…
little dash of optimism i know.. not enough right now.. later dudes…
theo has to get a run up front for the rest of the season
RVP / cesc / clichy / toure / hleb may aswell be rested for the seaon now… they got fucking euro 2008 to play yet.
that could yet knacker us for next season, drained players.
Stupid, I thinks that’s what Wenger has in mind, rest those who have already done their seasons work and try out those who are in need of games, players such as Song, Senderos.
Fabianski,
Hoyte, Djourou, Song, Traore,
Walcott, Diaby, Denilson, Hleb
Bendtner, Van persie
We don’t have anyone to stick on left wing apart from Hleb if we put Diaby in the middle.
RVP needs games to get back to his best.
it would be great to see that lineup…
i would rather he rests hleb as well… but diaby is suspended this sat as well so.. we’ll see gilberto there i guess…
Should we give the players that will go to the Euro’s a rest? It would make sense.
Gallas, Clichy, Sagna (?), Flamini, Cesc, RvP, Diaby, Big Phil, Djourou,
That leaves:
Almunia
Eboue/Hoyte – Kolo – Song – Traore
Theo – Denilson-Gilberto – Hleb (+ Mozart – if it !!)
Ade – Bendtner
Not too shabby ! And if Denilson isn’t fit, we could play one of the kids. And if this team cannot beat Reading/Derby, then we have problems!!
Chelsea 1 Wigan 1……..so nice….
I had a wierd feeling it was going to be a draw….didn’t think it was logical, but football often isn’t…
Ahh, poor old Chav’s!
Handing united the title! What a bunch of cunts!
So the reserves were good… Traore on the left… is this a clue to next season!
Finestcuts
i agree with you as far as the above line up !
But dont you think we can still finish 2nd ???
4 points off chevski ! and man U play them !
I definitely think we will see more youngsters now,
but i dont think we will see a team over haul !
If wenger can get 2nd spot !
he can turn around and say i told you so to the media and all the fans !
Our season fell apart when Beckham infected our training with his visit.
It’s not just a coincidance!
Finestcuts
or should i say ..
But dont you think wenger can still finish 2nd ???
normie
could of used beck’s instead of that eboue cunt !
i doubt eboue would of learned anything off him !
he was to busy taking drama classes !
or judo ! they teach you how to fall properly don’t they???
“Handing Utd the title! What a bunch of cunts!”
Hopefully thats irony, coz you can say exactly the same about us. 8 points from 24, and we’re 9 behind… take a point off Utd, and another off Chelsea (both of which shouldve been within our capabilities), and turn 2 of those 4 draws into wins against the utter rubbish opposition we faced and we’re licking our chops for the Chavs vs Utd game. Instead, WE gift-wrapped THE LEAGUE TITLE for Utd.
We carved Utd open yesterday, 18 shots, 1 every 5 mins, at Old Trafford. Their midfield couldnt hold a candle to ours. Their defence was bailed out by our inept strikers. The most damning statistic of yesterdays game was: 8 fouls committed, 6 yellow cards received. No freebies for our boys. Ive seen Scholes do more than 8 fouls in a game and not receive a yellow. Utd did 12 fouls, 50% more than us, and received 2 yellows. Its good isnt it? But there’s no consipiracy here…
gidster
i hate to say it pedro but your last entry stating
Handing united the title! What a bunch of cunts!
could be construed as talking about us too
Simple – if Wenger is really only going to spend on one player then he needs to go I’m afraid cos he’s living in cuckoo land of patching everything together and being a cheap skate. Bring back DD!
i agree 5am !
I think its time for a change ..
You know you have to realize this season
will be another season for clubs like spurs man city and Aston villa to build on there squads from last season , also you have the curve balls of rich Russian billionaires who are just waiting to see which clubs will still be in the fray next season , before they buy one club up cheap and start off another Major football
club challenger for the title ! D.D is right we will be left behind unless we keep up with the jones !
Man U and chelsea with good world class players who now have played together
another season is a scary proposition . When making statements about our club we must realize that other clubs will be trying there best too ,to advance and close the gaps ! These teams unlike us aren’t afraid to spend the money , like last season when spurs out spent us ! In fact im sure Sunderland out spent us too !!!
I mean even blackburn and middlesboro have better strikers than us , hell it wasnt long ago you could add bolton to that list too !
the spuds have definitely got better strikers than us .. !
and that pisses me orf
Denilson played last nigt for reserves.
ollie
im sure he will be seen in the 1st team before the seasons out then
Denilson
unless flamini signs i doubt we will see him again
and denilson should be taking over , one would think…
Ethan, with 4 games remaining we need not only Manyoo but someone else to do us a favour against Chelsea as well as winning all our games. It can be done, but not on our own, we need Chelsea to screw up more than once until the end of the season.
We’ll probably finish 3rd, we’re guranteed Champions League football because Everton have no chance of catching us up until the end of the season, so it’s 1 game at a time now.
We’ll never have a better opportunity to experiment, we’ve cemented a CL spot, we’ve got nothing to win…we might as well experiment and give some of the players who will be filling in for injured players some experience, it’s something that could repay us next season.
I think Everton can get a result against Chelski on thursday night at Goodison Park because Chelski’s players know they are out the title race despite what Avram Grant says. That will open up 2nd place for us as we have a fairly easy run in but chelski will stay have to play Man Utd at home & Newcastle away (who are on a good run). Of course if Man Utd have won the title by the time they play at Stamford Bridge then they’ll play a reserve side & lose as the CL would then be their main focus.
Spot on GMR. Second place is not beyond us. We can afford to be a little experimental, but not too much.
YEah i think you have been flat open and fair only that you blandered on the ade factor.sorry i just cant understand you guys who sympathise with this guy.i think we are the most linient club inthe world.even if you gave adebayor play makers like kaka fabregas iniesta pirlo and ronnie.he would still miss the sitters why?coz he is just not that good.he has missed these chances ever since his first match for arsenal.you see if i was to list factors why we have gone trophyless this season he would be among them because he has got many chances to earn us three points but this is what happens…goood ball from fabregas to walcott …..uses his pace…sets up adebayooooo and oh its over the baaaarrr or and it goes wide.and arsenal not for the first time this season waste another of the many glorios chances they get.by the way have you noticed that 80%of the goals ade has scored even injured eduardo can put them in i mean they are too obvious.the guy just needs competition from another hot triker,that would put some wisdom in him coz now he knows whether he mises the chances or not he wont be benched.ARSENE BUY SOME SERIOUS PLAYERS PLEEEAAASSSEE