The boss came out after Henry said he would only come back to Arsenal, he said ‘never say never’ before you all laugh, think about it.
He could be the signing we need, a proven finisher, he won’t be captain, he’ll be very humble, and he won’t cost a fortune, he could be the 2 year gap striker that we desperately need until Theo, Nick and Ade grow up.
Flamini has been offered a new and improved contract and Wenger says he’ll stay, and I believe him.
Big Tone says he wants to come back, he is just what the defence needs, get him boss, he’ll be perfect.
Hleb I’m not sure about but if I was a gambler, I’d say he’ll stay, I’d put money on it, if he wants to go though, we’ll get a fee, so it won’t be all bad.
It seems that Gilberto will go but we won’t have any problems replacing him, there are plenty about, I just want to see us replacing big Phil with a world class big nasty centre back.
I think in this next 2 weeks, the rumour mill will go bananas but should also see how the future pans out, if we don’t bring TH14 back we should go for David Villa.
Let’s hope they (scum) draw today and we win our last three and get something out of this season, I noticed some pictures in the comments section yesterday Grovers, very creative, very colourful.
Pedro
Geoff
April 26, 2008 at 09:11
Clichey says you have to respect his decision if he wants to leave, thanks Gael, never mind about the fans eh!
April 26, 2008 at 09:17
Morning chaps. Just back from another holiday, which included the Reading game. Atmosphere left much to be desired, but I do sit in the ‘prawn section’ !
Interesting post. Can we really challenge next season without Hleb/Flam.? We have seen how long it takes some players to bed into the team (Sagna excepted). If these boys leave, I fear for another potless season
April 26, 2008 at 09:18
can i ask i am only 12 so who is big tone ?
April 26, 2008 at 09:21
If Hleb leaves the fee won’t be very high.
If he does a ‘Webster’ it could be considerably less. Hearts received nothing near the level of compensation they believed was fair.
April 26, 2008 at 09:24
So Hleb is reportedly leaving…
Spurs have officially signed Modric for £20million, that is 80% of our summer budget on 1 player.
This is going to be a shite summer if we don’t watch it.
It’s great having stability in the boardroom, but stability in the team would be better? If we lose Flam and Hleb, we basically start again?
How come Spurs continuously invest, season after season… but we can’t? We couldn’t compete with them financially at Highbury… and now, at the Emirates.
What a load of bollocks.
April 26, 2008 at 09:24
what the chilchy is quiet true..chilchy and flamini is a french and they know each others how to play in this team..
April 26, 2008 at 09:25
This team so feckin needs big T back, i hate ‘wat ifs’, but feckin hell if the defence was more marshalled this season we all be sitting back in the caribbean drinking mojito’s (im a fiend 4 mojito’s – bonus points if you know which film).
April 26, 2008 at 09:28
Tony Adams…
April 26, 2008 at 09:30
Get the donkey back… Big Tone will inject some bollocks into our back 4.
Spurs sign Modric… nice… why is it a smaller club with smaller income can spend all this money on transfers yet one of the biggest clubs in the country has brought anyone of note in years?!
take a look at this guys… made me chuckle
Link
April 26, 2008 at 09:31
oh dear…… another legend is consigned to history….. or was that a joke?
April 26, 2008 at 09:33
I was hoping that was a joke…
I think even at 12 there are certain prerequisites being an Arsenal fan… I think he is on TV enough!
April 26, 2008 at 09:34
cannot believe spurs have signed modric
April 26, 2008 at 09:35
Can we really get Henry on the cheap? Would he take a pay cut to come back?
Flamini has already pushed Arsenal to offer their very best, he’s saying a little bit more, but Wenger isn’t budging.
Neither player has done enough to cool speculation.
What about the money?
If Hleb and Flamini stay they will be useful but they’re not as world class as they think.
I expect both Hleb and Flamini to go, if they don’t it’ll be a pleasant surprise,
Regardless of whether they go, we’ll patch things up.
I listened to Kevin Keegan’s interview about getting Henry and he has the right idea, he’s not looking for squad players, he already has plenty of those, he’s looking for players who will fit into his first 11 and do a good job. Wenger must be thinking along the same lines.
Spuds have been ripped off again, they paid more for Modric than we paid for Eduardo, Dinamo Zagreb are making fortunes for a club their size.
April 26, 2008 at 09:39
modric is pure class, genius little player.
i can’t believe he would sign for spuds, wenger has tracked him for a while… if hleb has signed for inter, luka would be the ideal replacment.
i have a sick feeling about this summer.. already
April 26, 2008 at 09:40
Big Tony Adams aka Mr Arsenal aka The Greatest Living Englishman. It’ll all our Christmas’ at once of he came back. First he can sort out the defence, then Wenger can groom him as his replacement, possibly with Dennis as co-coach. Dream team
Is it wrong to point out I’ve been banging on about re-signing Henry since about November? Would be great to have him back at the club and there are precedents, I’m thinking Mark Hughes and Ian Rush, both came back from crap spells abroad to play fucking well for their old clubs
April 26, 2008 at 09:43
problem with henry is, as outlined before, he can only play 10-15 games a season now with his back spasm thingy majiggy.
April 26, 2008 at 09:43
I agree. It is a huge fee for an untested player. But then Sp8rs get ripped off every summer !! Hope Modic turns out to be another Bent
April 26, 2008 at 09:43
Shame Modric has gone to Spurs, as people have said he is the perfect replacement for Hleb if he fucks off. Although I hear Vela can play that role too
April 26, 2008 at 09:44
Hleb has been very good this season, but I wouldnt be too arsed if he was sold. Especially if he was replaced with a more direct goal scoring winger. Seeing as we are gonna have Tone and Henry back, why don’t just go and get BobbyP back from Villareal then!
April 26, 2008 at 09:44
doubt it… see the way he ran the show for croatia at wembley
April 26, 2008 at 09:44
Stupid, don’t make me come round there
April 26, 2008 at 09:44
Its funny in a an unfunny kind of way.
If Flamini and Hleb both leave…
Modric and Diarra could have been their replacements!
We had one of them, and we let the other one slip through the net! Excellent planning King Arsene.
April 26, 2008 at 09:44
Modric? Nah, he may be a decent player, but he is yet another lightweight short arse we can well do without!
April 26, 2008 at 09:45
Bobby P has had a very good season
April 26, 2008 at 09:46
We’d definitely make better use of him than Barca, Henry has saved many a day, we could have done him when we were in trouble, we don’t have a “save the day” player.
I had a feeling Henry would miss Arsenal in a big way, being a superstar he lives in a bubble and expected the transition to Barca to be smooth, that people would treat him like at Arsenal or better. He was the biggest fish in the pond here, now he’s one of many big fish.
Will Arsenal’s prodigal son return?
April 26, 2008 at 09:47
I aint one to slate Wenger (much) but IF Flam does go, that makes the sale of Diarra to be one of the biggest fuck ups by the boss. Seriously effin stoopid!
April 26, 2008 at 09:47
pop round jimmy… nice cuppa on the go
April 26, 2008 at 09:47
second best signing ever for arsenal .. the resigning of TH14
me thinks there is a 50% chance it will happen
listen to what Galliani said about Ronaldinho and whether he is past his best
“Form is temporary, class is permanent” .. totally applies to our own man as well
April 26, 2008 at 09:48
Pedro
It is never nice to see your neighbors spend that much money on a player, but I just wonder where they are getting the money from, they are certainly not making that much profit. I also question Modric’s logic as it was only a few months ago that he was dreaming of Chelsea and Barcelona, and his coach said that they turned down 35m in January. Why did he not wait until after the Euros, he could have used it as a shop window for a move to a big club.
Maybe the spuds are trying what Leeds did years ago and look where that got them. They may even have lined up Berbatov for a summer move and are just spending his fee now. I dont pay much interest in the spuds but I would have thought defence is where they need to invest.
I think you are right, this is a big Summer for Arsenal, we need the right investment as I think another trophyless season/year in transition will not be accepted by the fans.
I think Henry and Adams back would be the start of the lift we need, I agree that TH14 would be a perfect stop gap until the others fully progress and is proven unlike Villa who would blow the budget. Adams too would be a huge lift, although it must be as a coach and not as number two unless Pat Rice is retiring or wants a less invovled role.
April 26, 2008 at 09:50
Pat, I’m reading that Woodgate is comparing the feeling at Spurs to the feeling at Leeds when he was there, when they almost won a couple of things then sunk, almost without trace. We can but pray
Sure Stupid, just don’t say anything bad about Terry or else
April 26, 2008 at 09:50
i would love to see henry come back to arsenal. Tony adams would be another good thing if he comes to arsenal. he could tighten up the defensive line. would also love to see villa signing. a decent defender and a winger and we are good to go.
April 26, 2008 at 09:50
http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8652_3473755,00.html
April 26, 2008 at 09:51
Tony Adams is out of contract at Portsmouth come the summer so Arsenal should be in there now getting him back before he agrees a new deal with Redknapp. Of course it won’t happen because Adams actually has an opinion & isn’t scared to voice it so Wenger wouldn’t ever entertain that idea.
I can already hear Wenger talking before we next play Tottenham it will go something along the lines of “We nearly signed Modric, but we couldn’t match the 16 million Spurs offered” .
April 26, 2008 at 09:52
I think we should rebuild the invincibles: get Terry, Bobby, Freddie, Lauren, Sol, heck, lets even resign Kanu
Ashley can fuck off though, unless we re-sign him just so we can beat the shit out of him
April 26, 2008 at 09:52
this is the same old boring th14 argument, ffs!!
living legend etc etc
but he is NOT the player for us, anybody who even thinks there is a 1% chance of him being re-signed is deluded.
btw – there is an extensive interview with the great man today on football focus (1215pm bbc1) seen some clips of it, he speaks VERY highly of Arsenal.
April 26, 2008 at 09:52
Wheres all this chat about Adams wanting to come back to the Arse from?
April 26, 2008 at 09:55
We all know next season is massive, it’s make or break for us. If we go another season without a trophy, Wenger will need to go back to the drawing board as most of our big names would leave. We’d get a lot of money for them and it would help pay for the stadium but next season is trophy season, progress is imperative at this stage of our development.
We’ve been hearing about the young guns for the last two seasons, Wenger can’t used that old hackneyed line anymore, they have experience beyond their years,
we made a decent challenge for the title, we have to finish it off properly next season.
April 26, 2008 at 09:56
I am with Stupid. Signing TH14 would be a mistake. We just don’t play that way anymore, and I fear he would tarnish his legendary status at THOF. Look at Fowler at L’pool.
April 26, 2008 at 09:58
Patthegooner, I don’t think I am that bothered about Modric. Some players will only look good in great teams… I don’t think Modric looks like a world beater. I am sure Modric said he wasn’t interested in Spurs because they were a small club earlier in the year?
The fact is, if he was that good, the big guns would have been knocking on his door… Newcastle and Spurs are not big guns.
I am more annoyed that Spurs can afford to spend shed loads every year without going deep into debt… yet Arsenal seem to have issues every year?
I agree, Adams would be perfect. Not because he has said he’d like to come back, but because we have a leaky defence and one of the greatest defenders this club has seen asking to help out.
Don’t sniff at experience Arsene. Tony Adams has done a good job at Pompey and he is Gooner through and through. Keown was responsible for sorting it out a few years back on the Champions league run to the final. BRING HIM BACK!
Still, Arsene has a list… lets hope it has some great players on it!
April 26, 2008 at 09:58
What doom and gloom. Flamster – don’t want him to leave but the big bonus ovr the past few weeks has been Alex Song. He can do that job and Denilson ain’t bad either.
Hleb – I suspect he’s fed up with being kicked, just as Reyes was. You may remember AW saying that the pundits ought to see Hleb’s legs at the end of every game. I think that he has done superbly to keep coming back for more.
I hope that Adams does come back as a defensive coach [good grief, it sounds like the NFL] but the club has Bould and Rice who are as experienced as any could be., Keown also did a bit of work early in the season, I wondwer why he did not stay longer?.
AW’sbig decisions involve Rosicky, Gilberto and Eboue, all three of whom are liabilities in their way. Will they be better next season?.
April 26, 2008 at 09:59
Hush now Stupid, don’t spoil the dream. It’s Saturday, I’m hungover and have to work later. I need something to cling onto
Where is this stuf about Big Tone BTW? I’m-a looking but-a can’t find it
April 26, 2008 at 10:00
Finestcuts, you say wenger can’t use that excuse anymore but he only recently said that in 3-4 years time they will be better, so based on that he’ll be using that excuse for at least the next 3 years & he expects the fans to think thats ok.
April 26, 2008 at 10:01
Agreed Alan, i really think Song can step up and battle Diaby for the CM berth alongside Cesc.
Both a re big tall imposing figures that won’t get bullied easily off the ball, for all his drive and energy.. flamini was still outbossed in games against more powerful midfielders.
There is no surprise to learn we have not lifted a trophy since Paddy was running our midfield.
April 26, 2008 at 10:02
Rosicky’s injuries are the liability with him, so IF he could stay fit, then he is a quality player, which we’ve missed big styleee.
As for Eboue? He can fook rite orff!
April 26, 2008 at 10:02
http://sport.setanta.com/en/Sport/News/Football/2008/04/25/Prem-Adams-on-FFS/
there you go, lazy fuckers
April 26, 2008 at 10:03
The Tony Adams stuff is from Setanta sports.
April 26, 2008 at 10:03
on ANR, Myles Palmer is saying that Hleb hs signed for İnter and that a statement will come out shortly..!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this is breaking news
April 26, 2008 at 10:03
Henry would only be a stop gap option, but yes that would be going against the grain of Wenger’s macro philiosophy on building a team, it’s a possibility that Wenger won’t rule out so neither shall I, but Wenger isn’t thinking about it at the moment, if it happened it would be near the close of the window rather than near the beginning,.
I’m sure Wenger has a hit list already and Henry won’t be near the top. We actually have more money to spend than we did at Highbury after all bills paid, and I don’t think the board would put a limit on players Wenger wants to sign. He can ask for as much as he likes, he haven’t spent any money for the past few seasons and in that same space of time other clubs have spent tens of millions.
April 26, 2008 at 10:04
BB – has been on ANR since about 4pm yesterday…
April 26, 2008 at 10:05
thanks .. never good to let alcohol get the best of you
April 26, 2008 at 10:05
Myles Palmer is the biggest twat out there. He is wrong 99.999999994% of the time.
April 26, 2008 at 10:09
Wenger’s shopping list probably includes :
16 year old Cameroon striker
15 year old Dutch Defender
14 year old Vietnamese winger
19 year old goalkeeper
April 26, 2008 at 10:10
this is just depressing.
April 26, 2008 at 10:11
same mess every summer, every fucking summer.
April 26, 2008 at 10:12
Finestcuts, there is also a principle which I believe is held by the board more than Wenger that Arsenal don’t re-sign players. Supposedly that is the reason we didn’t move for Anelka in the summer. Wenger wanted to, Anelka wanted to come and expected us to move for him, but the board vetoed it. That said I doubt they would veto Henry because he didn’t leave in the manner of a cunt like Anelka did and he’s a legend. We’ll see, I have my fingers crossed
April 26, 2008 at 10:12
Bit of luck Tony Adams will come in as manager. Be like Wenger, but ultimately, even better!
I suppose if Hleb and Flamini stayed, Wenger would class them as new signings and reckon he won’t need anyone. When the joke is, they have never won anything at Arsenal. Both of them all. Says it all. Way it is going, we will finish outside the top 4. I dread to think who Liverpool, Chelsea and United etc are gonna buy.
April 26, 2008 at 10:13
Hang on Stupid, last summer we got Eduardo and Sagna. yes one got nobbled but the other must be a contender for player of the season. We sign two players as good as them this season and I’d be happy
April 26, 2008 at 10:14
I would be surprised if Inter have tied up a deal that quickly… especially without Wenger being aware!
I think it would be a good thing anyway… when you have midfielder who doesn’t score goals, doesn’t really assist that much… but looks great… maybe it ain’t such a bad thing?
I’d like to see some goal scoring ability brought the midfield.
I am getting pretty distressed at all things arsenal at the moment!
This made me laugh though… (Not football related)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGOohBytKTU
If Hleb goes, will we bring in a proper wide player? Or will we go and find a cetre midfielder to play there again? Or put Kolo out there… or Bertie!
We don’t need to sign anyone!
April 26, 2008 at 10:15
‘I tried to install in the team a kind of ‘over our dead bodies’ kind of attitude’
Gotta love the Big Man. Get that attitude into our back four and we’ll win everything going. Bring Mr Arsenal back!
April 26, 2008 at 10:19
What are people thinking regarding the captaincy.
Now the season is over, I think it is time to reconsider?
Was Willy G a good captain? Or did Wenger make a mistake?
April 26, 2008 at 10:19
jimmy – my point was more related to the inevitable summer charade surrounding our great club. We had it with PV4 for about 5 season, then with TH14, now with flam anf hleb.
No doubt if RVP plays 40 games next season and scores 30 goals, we will have to battle off real madridor barca.
thats what i meant about the same every summer.
April 26, 2008 at 10:23
Put Cesc in.
April 26, 2008 at 10:23
interesting quotes from Kolo, regarding the captaincy.
Toure said: “Gallas was really good for us at the start of the season. But then after this Birmingham game he made a mistake, he knows that and we all tried to bring him back to the team and he came back well.
“But when you make a mistake it is difficult after that – it was a really important part of our season.”
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has said he will review the situation in the summer and the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Toure have been linked with the role.
“I would be really, really proud to be captain,” said the Ivorian centre-half.
April 26, 2008 at 10:25
Wenger doesn’t seem to have control over his players and their agents?
It doesn’t really happen to any of the other top 4?
Why do we never tap up other clubs players? I understand the moralistic stand point… but doesn’t there come a point where you say… fuck, we get fucked over by big clubs every year…?
If you can’t beat em, join em?
We don’t act like a big club… we have the big stadium… the big ticket prices… the big manager… the biggest cash surplus
The smallest transfer budget… the lowest wage ceiling… the youngest rawest players… the smallest pool of world class talent… the smallest squad…
Lucky Arsenal have the worlds most patient fans…
April 26, 2008 at 10:25
sorry, was not a deliberate mistake with the “RVP playing 40 games” in one season.
huge oversight.
April 26, 2008 at 10:26
Yeah… if you want to be taken seriously on this site, you can’t talk fantasy Stupid…
April 26, 2008 at 10:27
my apologies, won’t happen again
April 26, 2008 at 10:27
True Stupid, but every club gets it: Gerrard, Fat Frank and Ronaldo all have rumours circulating them. Paddy was a cunt for continuously making us sweat, then got his just desserts when Madrid won’t pay him Galactico monay and then we sold him when he wanted to stay
As for Gallas, he can fuck off as Captain. Toure said it right and staked his claim for the captaincy. Not sure I even want Gallas in the squad: if we buy, as hoped, a top centre back, then I’d prefer Toure to be his partner than Gallas.
April 26, 2008 at 10:29
Only problem is Pedro our patience seems to be wearing fin
April 26, 2008 at 10:30
Great News about Mr Arsenal (remember that one?) Would love to see him back, and with Bergkamp taking his bages we could have a great pool of knowledge to draw from.
Modric. Forget it, too lightweight for a team of, well lightweights! His best position is creative CM and for the flanks, we all know we need pace and goal threats, not another lad who can “pass it well” ffs.
And what’s this shite about TH14 coming back? We are a foward looking club, someone mentioned the whole back spasm thing, Henry is good for about 10-20 games a season. For 80-120K a week, that is erm. Well Chavski economics.
I’ve cooled on the David Villa thing too, he’s too similar to Eduardo for me, and wont offer the squad anything different IMO. If you believe what you read, bench warmer Robinho has been touted about by Madrid, and that is EXACTLY what we need, though how we are to get him with out Madrid asking for Cesc, etc and so on i dont know. I can almost hear that fuckwit of a president now. Glorious day fellas, check it out, and up the Arsenal Ladies (ahem) they just won the title again!
Hey what are we thinking about the Krankjar thing? (apologies for spelling)
April 26, 2008 at 10:30
Pedro’s cup is definately half-empty today
April 26, 2008 at 10:30
*wearing thin… i’ve got such a bad hangover today it’s untrue
April 26, 2008 at 10:32
erm the transfer window is not opened yet. also to remember that every season spurs outspend us but we still finish higher than them. But this year they have got a really good coach.
April 26, 2008 at 10:32
Robinho is lightweight for the Spanish league, which makes him a wisp of smoke for the English league. He’ll do a Reyes: get kicked a couple of times and run home crying for his Mum
Kranjar sounds like a good bet tho
April 26, 2008 at 10:33
yangkamp… with you 100% mate… Robinho is the man we need… i think he is even worth the club taknig out a loan… it will get paid back with shirt sales anyway
April 26, 2008 at 10:33
my biggest fear for this summer is Benzema signing for utd.
he will be the best striker on earth within 3 years, and we need him.
April 26, 2008 at 10:35
Jimmy i take it you haven’t seen much of Robinho these days? He’s about as lightweight as that cunt Ronaldo… goes down when he can get a free kick but if he can beat his man he will stay on his feet and he isn’t that small so would just need a bit of toughening up
April 26, 2008 at 10:36
Hey Pedro, cheers for the funny vid, here are a few for you lot if you fancy a laugh:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ap8SGeChGOA
http://www.thehumorarchives.com/joke/Prick_ghost_riding
http://www.saynotocrack.com/index.php/2007/09/12/korean-baseball-fight/
April 26, 2008 at 10:36
my biggest fear for this summer Stupid is that this becomes the year that we really are left behind and over taken
April 26, 2008 at 10:37
Not that I’m bothered that the spuds have signed Modric but I just hope that we don’t wait all summer to see if Flaminin & Hleb stay, only for them to go elsewhere leaving us just a few days to sign replacements.
This summer should be about making a statement of intent, to show Chelsea & Man U that we will be back stronger with a deeper squad, full of players that will last the whole season. We do need to add to the squad, we need experienced players who can compliment the kids currently occupying positions.
We already have players like Modric in Rosicky and to be fair I can understand why we didn’t go for him. What we need are wingers like Pires & Overmars who can run with the ball, at pace with plenty of tricks and can score goals.
April 26, 2008 at 10:38
I am also absolutely flabbergasted about where spuds got the money from.
Joe Lewis, the man behind Tottenham Hotspur owners Enic, is thought to have lost huge amount, asmuch as $900m in recent months, making him one of the biggest individual losers from the crisis surrounding US investment bank Bear Stearns.
Anyway, would it be too much of a dream to have TH14 back here?
He’d be perrrrfect..
April 26, 2008 at 10:38
robinho benchwarmer. he been real best player for most of the season. unfortunately he has not been affected by injury recently so his form has dip.
April 26, 2008 at 10:39
edlass, 900m at the lows of the stock price, at present the loss is arounf 500m.
besides, drop in the ocean for him.
April 26, 2008 at 10:40
i mean he has been affected by injury
April 26, 2008 at 10:47
henry won;t come mate. villa won’t come mate. flam will stay love hleb will stay love we need a 30 mil great striker like torres love who can score goals love
April 26, 2008 at 10:47
haha, thanks for the links Finestcuts! Ghost rider was hilarious!
Enki… just becuase the window isn’t officially open, it doesn’t stop players and clubs agreeing deals.
Jimmy, you are right about my cup… its the hangover!
The worst thing that Arsenal could do this summer is wait until August 31st… I really hope we dont go bargains shopping again. Get all your players early doors like Fergie did last year…
Secret Squirel, complimenting what we have is exactly right… but with world class… not average cheap players that will take two years to shine.
April 26, 2008 at 10:51
Shame can’t have a team combined of :
Seaman
Lauren Campbell Adams Cole
Ljungberg Vieira Petit Pires
Bergkamp Henry
Dreaming lol. And 4 British steel players.
April 26, 2008 at 10:52
GoonerJay, and Stupid. TBH i think if we were going to get left behind it was supposed to happen 07/08. Henry out, nobody in. RVP out all season? We were supposed to be fcuked this year!
I think we have a fantastic base to build on;
Defence; quick and reliable fullbacks but we need Height and composure in the middle and a real leader. I dont have confidence in either centre half mentally.
Midfield: The most creative in the league, but needs more goals. And directness. Vela will help, walcott WILL be fantatic, i believe that now. One goalscoring signing should make the bundle complete, and i dont mind sacrificing Hleb’s passing or Rosickys injuries for it.
Forwards: Ade is ace. End of. He missed a shed load and still might get more than Torres in the league. He needs a class partner. RVP may deliver next year. One signing needed. Dont forget we have Theo to explode into a striking role too.
Squad: Just needs strength in depth.
April 26, 2008 at 10:54
oh its, pat ‘flamini will sign’ gooner !
good to see he still cant find a pen in north london ..
I think flamini has gone .. Or he would of put the media to bed by now….
its time for him to suck the bucks , im just peev’d that diarra left ..
Even thou he was a bit of a cry baby he would have filled the gap with a certain amount of quality.. Now who’s arsene going to sign / take from the reverses…
Geoff ..
I think that arsene said he’s confident he will sign article is a photo copy of his last
statement .. Looks like the same old news to me …
A lot of talk that AC .. have signed him .. or so rumors have it in italy ..
Either way it just creates even more holes to fill in a already holy lineup ..
April 26, 2008 at 10:57
This summer if we can keep Flamini and Hleb and then add to the team with:
either of Robinho/Ben Arfa or Quaresma
A defender of either Kimpany or Zapata
And a goalkeeper of either Gomez or Boruc
And i think we would be sorted for next season
April 26, 2008 at 10:57
I detest this man more than any other Arsenal player, EVER, more than cuntley.
———————————————————————————-
His furious response to the spot-kick award led some to question his suitability as skipper, and the St Andrews stalemate kicked off a run of five league games without a win which effectively any hopes of the title heading to Emirates Stadium.
But Gallas has defended his actions, telling the Daily Mail: “They [the media] can say what they want – they will not bring me down, I’m stronger than that.
“It makes me mad because I don’t think (what happened in Birmingham) was our problem.
“How can you summarise our season with that thing at Birmingham? That is not why we stopped winning matches.”
April 26, 2008 at 10:58
hlebs seasons officially over ..
a 3 match ban , i wouldn’t be surprised if its all made official pretty soon .
April 26, 2008 at 11:00
If the Flamster leaves, then we have to sign to replace him. Without someone with pace and the ability to break moves up in the middle of the park, Cesc becomes half the player. In fact he becomes a bit of a liability IMO.
Yaya was aweome against Manure in the week. Gutted we again couldnt get him. Amd potential replacements you guys have seen?
Song and Diaby but have great potential but it is a key position, would be a huge risk…
April 26, 2008 at 11:01
Yaya was trialled by wenger about 4 yeara ago… did not cut it.
April 26, 2008 at 11:02
You might just as well look around some small & medium sized clubs reserves teams for new players because thats the only place Wenger will be looking.
I’ve seen the names Robinho, Benzema, Ben Arfa, Amauri, Modric (before he joined spuds), Villa & Kranjcar all named but its pointless. They are players the fans would like to see but they aren’t the players Wenger will be looking to sign. He will only buy unknowns so he can claim he made them!! Its all about the ego!!
April 26, 2008 at 11:03
How about the Madrid Diarra?
He’ll be off somewhere this summer.
April 26, 2008 at 11:04
don’t rate him at all, think with diaby, denilson, song and gilberto we are covered in the middle.
defence and flanks are of MAJOR concern
April 26, 2008 at 11:05
That works for me Gooner Jay. No striker? Or would you use Robinho in the Bergkamp role?
If we loose Flam for free then we have to use 10m+ from the budget to replace him, absolute nightmare senario. Give him 60k. He IS worth that.
Not too fussed about Hleb, Quality through balls et al, but you must score from the positions he gets into, and we NEED goals from midfield. His over passing slows our attacks and lets defenders get back into posiiton. 15m to Inter. Sounds like good business to moi.
April 26, 2008 at 11:06
Ethan
I think the majority of Arsenal fans think he will stay including the author of this blog, and I still think he will re-sign.
but surely if he was definately off to Juve or Milan, then he would have signed for them by now too. But something is keeping from that and I believe that you have to view that as a positive indication that he really wants to stay. If it is down to our wage structure then maybe that is another question that needs looking at, because if we really are still in that boat that we cant pay players market rate or even close to it then we will have a repeat of this every year.
As I said back in November, if he stays then great and I hope he does but if he leaves it is not for football reasons. He is playing for a great club in the best league in the world. Serie A is still on decline and most games are played in front of half empty stadiums. If he leaves he will regret it for the rest of his life.
As for Diarra, I am pleased he left, he had no bottle to fight for his place and regardless of whether or not he is a good player we dont need that, he should have knuckled down and as it turns out he would have got a run towards the end of the season.
April 26, 2008 at 11:06
even rosicky could be played centrally.
we need at least one winger
one nutcase, no nonesene centre half ( keown styley )
and a out and out goalscoring goal hanging selfish arrogant striker.
April 26, 2008 at 11:07
Stupid according to Wenger in his pre derby interview with Arsenal.com he wanted to sign Yaya Toure and everything had been agreed but he couldn’t get a passport so couldn’t qualify for a work permit. Wenger asked him to serve his 5 years in belgium to get his EU passport but apparently he was too impatient and wanted to move to a bigger club
April 26, 2008 at 11:08
I´ll believe that Flamini and Hleb will stay when I see it. We need them both, they are great for the team. Why didn´t we go for Modric?????
Henry was great in his day, but now that he is older he has lost a lot of his incredible speed and he is injury-prone – go for Villa.
We also need a world-class goalkeeper and cnetre-back.
April 26, 2008 at 11:10
Cancel all the speculation, I’ve found our man!
He wont cost much, marshalling is his forte, he is experienced and he a bit rough round the edges!
New Signing!
What do you think?
April 26, 2008 at 11:10
oh ok, never knew that goonerjay.
always thought he got rejected.
April 26, 2008 at 11:11
goonerjay, he did say that but did you also hear him say that Yaya was impatient because the wages are low at Beveren. If Arsenal were so serious about him they could’ve helped pay his wages until such time he could join us. They are paying Vela’s wages so that excuse by Arsene doesn’t really wash. He didn’t want him.
April 26, 2008 at 11:11
stupid
you cant really blame gallas that we didnt score enough goals ..
we play attacking football without scoring .. thats why we lost the title race ..
sure our defenders lost there spirits .. but i would too! seeing chance after chance go begging ..
We are light on in the attacking department .. and squandered way too much possession
away to the opposition .. you loose possession in our style of play , of course they will have more chances to score .. more chances to be tested ..
alumina fell off the pace too ! not distributing the ball properly ..
i agree gallas shouldn’t be captain .. but how could you not get emotional that day
with what happened too dudu !
it was almost like the Kennedy assassination .
and clichy made a HUGE blunder .. just like toure in the C.L !
but thats been our season .. hasnt it .
April 26, 2008 at 11:13
Until the Hleb situation is clarified then there’s no need to think too much on Modric. We have an abundance of central midfielders and until Hleb needs replacing it’s the wings and defence that need the most attention
April 26, 2008 at 11:15
I don’t think anyone apart from Wenger and the Arsenal board knew that until that interview was put out yesterday mate… i assumed the same as you that Wenger didn’t want him but again it’s this rubbish about work permits.
Why is it our country lets in more illegal immigrants than any other country and gives them houses and lets them live off the government but when a football club wants to bring in a fottballer who will pay thousands a month in tax they refuse to allow them into the country… instead we have to send them off to any other EU country to get an EU passport to qualify for a work permit… it’s rediculous… if it wasn’t for this rule we could have had Vela training with the Arsenal team 2 years ago to start adapting to the english game but as it stands he will get his first taste of the EPL this season
April 26, 2008 at 11:15
gallas is not to blame for the whole mess, but he leadership leaves a lot to be desired.
i will never forgive him for that brum incident, the way he erupted at a young clichy, yet he himself gave away a soft pen at old traff.
lead by example, he leads by bullying.
that bullshit team rallying charade at stamford bridge, where the rest of players were looking at him thinking “shut the fuck up you nob” , was the last straw for me.
cunt. end of.
April 26, 2008 at 11:20
So what happens next week if Flamini doesn’t sign?? Is Wenger going to pack his locker up & kick him out the club??
April 26, 2008 at 11:20
I’m with Stupid
Laters everyone, off to work
April 26, 2008 at 11:23
yes yaya couldnt get a WP ..
Shame .. it would have been one of arsene’s better signings ..
but hey we probably would of sold him already anyhow ..
Pat
And if back in november when we had this discussion he gave flamini a signing ultimatum
or played diarra we wouldnt be worrying so much now about our midfield ..
Diarra is a great player , regardless of his attitude , he was obviously promised some regular matches , thats why he got spiteful .he was let down by arsene !.. and left .. like i said he would ..
now flamini is being linked in Italy with AC … its already in the papers there ..
but for some reason we still have faith !
arsene has brainwashed you with the faith talisman again mate ..
April 26, 2008 at 11:24
Quite a similar style to Henry then Stupid?
Making people feel like shite…
Who is the answer? I really don’t believe cesc is! He is way to young… Kolo or the Flamster (If he signs) would be the best options for me.
GMR… he will be marched off site and flashed with the memory wiper from MIB… then he will go on to flop at his new club…
April 26, 2008 at 11:29
Think Kolo is great, but is a little to erratic at times, maybe the captaincy will calm him down a bit… but for my dosh, it has to be our little spanish maestro.
He feels for the club like we do, you can see that in him, and he would defo lead by example. He has already shown more than enough maturity for his tender footballing years.
But it aint gonna happen, wenger would never have the balls to take it off gallas, not a cats chance… etc
April 26, 2008 at 11:31
but he said he would reassess.
If the team are unhappy with him… he can’t go against that can he?
He had the balls to take it off Berto.
April 26, 2008 at 11:31
Pedro, thats what I thought would happen.
In reality though its just an empty threat & Flamini knows it. He can sign a new deal at Arsenal anytime he wants or leave when he wants. If he comes to Wenger on 1st August & says “I want to sign that contract now” Wenger will allow him to!! What should happen though is that the contract offer is withdrawn as of May 1st & we sign a replacement & Flamini has to find a new club, but we all know it won’t.
April 26, 2008 at 11:32
geoff
I dont want a draw !
i want a ( my skins crawling to say it but ) Man URE win !
we cant catch them .. but we can pass the chev’s
we have superior (by 1 ) goal difference , but we are playing derby and i think 3 or 4 nil isnt out of the question .. providing wenger plays his strongest team available ..
Not having to qualify for C.L .. and 2nd spot .. is something i think we can achieve
and im sure its arsenes goal to try too achieve also .. so im sure if you asked arsene
he will be backing red nose today …
having said that the chev’s havent been beaten in over 80 games at home !
quite a scary record .. but im willing to back red nose .. He must think this game will
ensure the title race, if he wins today..
April 26, 2008 at 11:34
yup he took it off berto, but he is a pretty relaxed mild mannered charachter… can you imagine billy’s response to having the captaincy taken off him?
April 26, 2008 at 11:34
Its funny… we need 2-3 world class players now…
If the Flam and Hleb leave, we need 5 new players… can you see that happening?
Never…
April 26, 2008 at 11:35
would cause more unrest, the only way would be to flog the cunt (literally)
April 26, 2008 at 11:36
goonerjay..dont know about the taxes mate.. me thinks these boys get a nice low tax deal sorted out for them .. by their clubs
would agre though that their VAT bills must be quite astronomical
big holes then it is..no Flam..no Hleb .. but maybe the big man will turn up
as for Wenger not resigning ex players, he will make an exception in Titi’s case
he also said that he decided not to resign Anelka, it wasnt the board vetoing him
April 26, 2008 at 11:36
Myanmar might be a good place to hunt for skillful up and coming squad players
(well not really because of work permit issues, but an impressive vid nevertheless):
http://www.footymedia.com/videos/Soccer_Freestyle/Extreme_Freestyle_Soccer
Here’s an interesting article about the match fixing scandal allegations, don’t tell me Capello didn’t know at the time:
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/makings-of-a-scandal-juventus-matchfixing-system-copied-by-their-rivals-407996.html
Is it possible to root corruption in a single season?
April 26, 2008 at 11:39
They only pay tax on the first million at arsenal…
We were investigated over it a few years ago.
April 26, 2008 at 11:39
stupid
totally agree with you on the captaincy .. I didnt like the way arsene did it either
gilberto was at the copa and has the rug pulled out from him .. then the greedy flamster
steals his spot .. You have to admire bert for still being loyal as hell to the club its a shame others dont have that affinity ! cough (HLEB!)
Arsene gave the captaincy to gallas just to shut the fucker up ..
to stop him bagging his teammates .. the inexperienced youth , and other outbursts to many to quote . ..he was vocal enough at chevski ..
I think it was also to stop him from leaving last seaon when TH 14 did!!! I think if he gets the captaincy taken from him , it wont be the last we hear from the man !!
He will go down screaming ..
it will be a field day for the tabloids .
April 26, 2008 at 11:42
i think in years to come, wenger will look back upon this period of his management and admit to grave errors.
April 26, 2008 at 11:43
Ethan
Arsene has not brainwashed me at all, I am not a believer in the Arsene knows theory at all. My faith is based on the belief that I have that Flamini wants to stay at Arsenal. My concern is that we are a big club with a small clubs wage structure
The Italian Press is just as ridiculous as the English and I would never believe a word of it.
We have differing opinions in that you say if he is to stay he would have signed by now and i say if he was to go then he would have signed for someone else by now.
I guess we will see next Friday
April 26, 2008 at 11:43
in reality, gallas has let down wenger BADLY.
April 26, 2008 at 11:51
Ethan, you’re right a Manc win and the chavs will lose their record.
April 26, 2008 at 11:55
One thing I do agree with you on Ethan is that yes a Man Ure win today is what I want
My heart says a draw and both clubs come down with a 3 week food bug from the after match meal, they both lose their remaining games, we win ours and win the league, but alas it would never happen
April 26, 2008 at 12:03
I think utd could go down 1-0 today.
April 26, 2008 at 12:06
stupid
yes gallas is NOT captain material .. toure would be better .. but i still think he isnt the answer either !!!
Yes geoff we can make 2nd .. i hope for arsenes sake he does it !
Le boss is coping too much shite even for my liking .. it would be a minor victory
if he overtakes the chev’s
Pat , got to start believing some rumors or theres no point blogging !
April 26, 2008 at 12:08
ethan – i prefer cesc to be captain, as stated above.
April 26, 2008 at 12:32
got to love thierry.
got emotional watching the interview.
April 26, 2008 at 12:39
That was a good interview, he definately is not happy
Anyone abroad can see the whole interview on the football focus website
April 26, 2008 at 12:40
Sorry
Click on my name to see the TH14 interview
April 26, 2008 at 12:41
Lets hope Arsenal fancy brokering a deal… Barca will probably be keen to get him off the wage bill!
I don’t like going back to old players for help, but he really would have won us some extra points this year.
Ade would be happy to… he is such a Thierry FanBoy…
New widgets in the sidebar.
April 26, 2008 at 12:42
Pedro or Geoff,
Whichever one is doing the ‘Silly Season’ on the right hand side, don’t forget to include the following players that have been linked so far:-
Amauri – Palermo
Zapata- Udinese
Dimitrov- Levski Sofia
Albiol- Valencia
Perrin- Saint Etienne
April 26, 2008 at 12:45
Cheers GMR, sorted.
April 26, 2008 at 13:07
Nice addition Pedro!
April 26, 2008 at 13:10
love the widget,
a tooth thru the lip ha ha ha
here is a mormal link to teh current bore fest that is manu chelsea, for those poor souls in work and cant use software tv
http://bitcast-d.bitgravity.com/justintv/static/widgets/jtv_live.r6324.swf?channel=mstv3
April 26, 2008 at 13:11
*normal,
as u can see IE is working today!
April 26, 2008 at 13:25
test
April 26, 2008 at 13:44
what a shitty match.. some 300 million worth of players on the field and this nonsense that we have to go through … give me arsenal any day!
April 26, 2008 at 13:49
so money doesnt equate to entertaing football choy?
but its good to see man u buckle
April 26, 2008 at 13:50
Chelski winning, a bad weekend just got worse. Man Utd will still win the league regardless of what happens in this game but a win for chelski means no chance of 2nd place for us.
April 26, 2008 at 13:53
dont discount the euro hangover GMR, there is more points to be lost in the league by these two teams, not saying we will win but you know what i mean
April 26, 2008 at 14:01
stupid
I have mixed emotions about cesc as captain, it seems every captain we chose recently its becomes the armband of doom for … henry – bert – gallas .. all got the arse end of arsene
well there goes our shot for 2nd spot ..
ballacks header .. plus stupid red nose has got ronaldo on the bench ..
typical Man U defend and counter .. boring game to watch it must be said ..
April 26, 2008 at 14:43
Well… if we win all our games, then we could finish 4 points shy of first?
Not terrible? A marked improvement on last year!
Not that it matters… 2 key players leaving would fuck all our progress up!
April 26, 2008 at 14:45
hey chris, how can we find links to matches like you kindly posted?
April 26, 2008 at 14:49
http://www1.myp2p.eu/competition.php?competitionid=&part=sports&discipline=football
finest cuts, the definitve site for all options
April 26, 2008 at 14:51
Where can we get the Derby game? I know it’s Setanta but I don’t subscribe.
I know, go watch it in the pub!
April 26, 2008 at 14:54
So 3rd place it is!!
April 26, 2008 at 14:56
Damn.. nothin 2 tease me cousins about tomorro… damn Chelski supporters…
(BTW guys that detention i got was from the art teacher cos i couldnt be stuffed cutting somethin out antd sticking it on a piece of paper.. If i wanna do that ill go to pre-school!! I hate my school… )
It being school again next week
anyway, I can only get up and watch one game in the CL, What do you guys recomend?
April 26, 2008 at 14:57
I’m in pedro’s boat, not much to look forward to…
April 26, 2008 at 15:02
Cheers chris, much appreciated!
April 26, 2008 at 15:17
here you go geoffrey
http://www3.myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=11067&part=sports
click that link 15 minutes before kick off and bingo
April 26, 2008 at 15:23
is the common denominator to be a chelsea player to be a scumback
my god, every time i watch them, i realize what horrible arseholes their players really are
its really not about football with them, its warfare
terrible terrible
why on earth did red nose play his reserves
and Bryan Robson on Sky.. you cannot criticize red nose’ team selection
get fukked u alcoholic
come on Barca..they can get done twice in a week
April 26, 2008 at 15:27
we all need 2 club together and write to the club and let em no how pissed we r with waiting for the team to win somthing and get the players we bloody need.
April 26, 2008 at 15:51
i agree BB
they didn’t play there strongest team .
and they got burnt !
ronaldo on the bench for the 1st half ? what sublime wizardry that was from red nose,
He never went into that game as a WINNING priority .. Either that or he was over confident in his 2nd stringers .. Ether way i hope they choke .caught resting players for C.L as a priority BUSTED ..
. as for ballack and drogba,
gimps .. the both of them ! If ade is touted as the young drogba we should sell him now !I wouldn’t want a aggressive liar, cheater , hand balling tosser playing for AFC.
And cashley is just a big girls blouse !
and that goes double for ferdinand and hardgraves & terry
English or not there presence on this pitch makes gallas look like a golden book story!
Shit game .. Chevski’s home run continues .. 81 games without losing !
and now the top 2 are clear .. resigned to 3rd spot .
time to drink top shelf stuff
Oh geoff .. download the whole game using a torrent file ..
burn it to cd .. you just need a torrent client and download the lot ..
or get cable
April 26, 2008 at 15:53
Thanks stupid, much appreciated!
April 26, 2008 at 15:54
Tsk Tsk .. Geoff .. Too bad, the scum won today.
The cheating chavs are a bit like me, full of shit, talking of which I’m off to eat a turd.
April 26, 2008 at 15:55
I don’t understand that Ethan, but I know a man that does, many thanks.
April 26, 2008 at 15:56
Shit game .. you got that right, boy am I a wanker!
April 26, 2008 at 16:02
What a strange bloke he is, still it takes all sorts doesn’t it?
April 26, 2008 at 16:04
Is there any benefit in coming 3rd rather than 4th?
April 26, 2008 at 16:06
Yes, more money and I don’t think we need to qualify this year.
April 26, 2008 at 16:11
well, it appears we need the money !
April 26, 2008 at 16:12
We do need to qualify.
Its next year that 3rd place will qualify you straight into the group stages, thats why 2nd spot was important.
April 26, 2008 at 16:14
Finishing 3rd this year gives us approximately 18 million more than finishing 4th last year due to the new prize money!!
That 18 million could buy a bloody good player, but it won’t. Only other clubs use prize money to strengthen. Arsenal see it as a bonus to fill the accounts with!!
April 26, 2008 at 16:21
christ, 18 million more?
thats an extrodinary sum.
April 26, 2008 at 16:52
Wow draws all round, what a wierd day.
April 26, 2008 at 17:00
I spoke too soon, 2 last minute goals, one for Fulham and Sunderland.
Sunderland are safe, Fulham have as much chance of staying in the Prem as us winning it.
April 26, 2008 at 17:22
Drogba must be the most horrible cunt on earth..and he captains the ivory coast
no surprise then who our own eboue gets his private lessons from
and toure comes back shell shocked
luckily cunt drogba will fukk off to pastures greener next year
wonder what new cunt the chelski shiit will come up with
but i have full confidence that arselicker Kenyon will sort them out
April 26, 2008 at 17:55
I’ve a feeling that if Hleb goe’s, wenger will “promote” Vela into the side.
At first he’ll be on the bench and then used alot more in the second half of the season.
Reckon we maybe in for a surprise on the superstar signing front. Got a gut feeling about Robinho for some reason! we’ve been linked with him loads of times so there must be some substance to it.
April 26, 2008 at 18:01
Yes geoff need to qualify .. only 1st and 2nd spots are auto entry ..
GEOFF
its pretty easy – download bitcomet – goto http://www.isohunt.com or any other torrent search engine . type in your team (eg . chevsV manURE ).. download a small connecting file called a torrent .
add it to bitcomet by dragging it into the main program window.. 2-6 hours later you can watch the whole game .. .. on WM Player .. or burn it to cd .. dvd .. choice is yours .
I ususally download the UK football focus ..
as i only get the crappy richard keyes and john dykes football focus on my cable here .
its about as interesting as watching paint dry .
BB
rumors are they(chev’s) like david villa !
so thats why i wanted arsene to get him !
but villa is interested in us and liverpool ..
mind you so was babel .. ( interested in us )
So if drogs leaves im sure villa will get an offer from them ..
PLEASE ARSENE STRIKE FIRST
April 26, 2008 at 18:06
ethan..me thinks its gonna be TH14 or nada ..
i heard already over christmas from somebody inside football that chelsea had mandated the famous pini to get villa at any cost
leaves us with no chance
April 26, 2008 at 18:18
BB
Yes , your right TH14 is probably on the cards for arsene . However
Arsene has stated TH14 doesn’t want to leave there a failure ..
But i cant see us signing him the season after .. its either now or never ..Surely ?
Will be interesting to see it unfold .. And we all know that wenger never EVER signs known super stars .. Even if the time calls for it .. Id rather see villa than TH14 .. but As long as he doesn’t stick with only what he’s got currently , ill be happy with any additional striker ..
Ive always been of the opinion that we are an attacking team ..
i think we really need experience upfront .. TH can supply that again for us ..
He’s no winger .. barca haven’t got a clue .. He and eto would be a killer combo ..
What pisses me off is barca head hunts him for 2 years then once they get him they play the cunt out of position !! Like an extra .. he’s been missed here and over in spain they don’t appreciate him .. Maybe its for shirt sales ?!
April 26, 2008 at 19:07
How was Spurs allowed to sign Modric or even talk to him before the transfer window. If he was on a Bosman he wouldn’t have cost £16 million.
How does that work and why haven’t we started yet?
April 26, 2008 at 19:16
Exclusive! Following all the speculation relating to what transfers we’re going to acquire,
heres how we’re going to improve the team and where we’ll be gertting our transfers from owing to our limited budget.
http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=673181
April 26, 2008 at 19:17
Can’t really see Henry re-signing for us.
it’s just like when Vieira left. When he was at Arsenal he was linked with a move away from us every year.
since he’s left we have been linked with him re-signing every summer!!!
April 26, 2008 at 19:29
cuts, fucking cricket players coming to arsenal? ha ha ha,
April 26, 2008 at 19:49
I can name football clubs from all over the world…
Not one from India though? Not even one! I can’t even name a player!
I suppose they see India as the next big talent pool?
Wrighty, I have a feeling about Robinho too! He is bartering for wage parity at the moment though, so any speculation will be purely that.
I could see Thierry rejoining. Anelka was ruled out immediately as we don’t resign players… Thierry speculation was not quashed in the same manner!
We’re going to be surprised whatever happens… it’s never an obvious signing is it!
At least we can finish within 4 points of the leaders now!
April 26, 2008 at 19:58
Well, Man U. lost. Chelsea won. Liverpool drew. Arsenal go another season without a trophy. So now what? There have been so many rumors with talks of Villa, and now Henry. What is the reality of the situation . . . I would like to draw your attention to the Blackburn Rovers. Let’s take a quick stroll down memory lane shall we . . .
1992/1993 – Promotion into PL – Finished 4th
1993/1994 – 2nd Year in PL – Finished 2nd
1994/1995 – 3rd Year in PL – Finished 1st
It’s all about the fluidity and cohesive nature of the squad. If you can keep a good team together (Which by the way . . . we have a great team . . . some tweaks necessary I am sure, but good all the same), and build on previous years, you can put together a squad that can win trophies. Lets look at our squad’s record during the same “situations” like Blackburn:
1999/2000 – Runners Up PL
2000/2001 – Runners Up PL
2001/2002 – Winners PL
2002/2003 – Runners Up
2003/2004 – Winners PL
What the crux of all of this. Consistency. No crazy trading of all our players (Like some suggest), impactful additions, and a focus on development. Arsene is not perfect, and I don’t expect him to be. I expect him to develop this team into a trophy winning side.
Don’t loose hope Grovers. Yes, we are going to loose some players, and yes, we are going to get some back, but at the end of the day, we can do some impactful things next year, and it starts now. Remember back to the beginning of the season, when they said we would finish out of the top 4. We went on a beautiful run, and I too started to believe that we could actually win it all this year.
So, what is the moral of this story? We need some impactful players. Yes, I remember the glory days on Henry. Would he come back? I don’t know. But one thing I do know is that next year we will be a team to reckon with. So, here we are . . . 2 games left. Lets get to 83 points . . . have a pint . . . and remember:
ARSENAL, ARSENAL FC . . . by far the greatest team, the world has ever seen!
April 26, 2008 at 20:02
Old joke…..
Why don’t India play football?
Because every time they get a corner they build a shop.
But seriously, India is an emerging footballing nation, there are plenty of potential Arsenal viewers, and all we need is one super player. There are already clubs in Vietnam Arsenal are linked with so it looks like a long term strategy, something that might come into fruition 5-10 years down the line.
April 26, 2008 at 20:42
another 2 goals tonight for benzema, this kid is pure class
he is a better finisher and out and out striker than henry ever was… does not have henry overall genius though.
but as powerful, clinical, young french strikers go.. this kid is the best since anelka.
April 26, 2008 at 20:50
If Hleb leaves the fee won’t be very high.
If he does a ‘Webster’ it could be considerably less. Hearts received nothing near the level of compensation they believed was fair.
http://www.datenplatz.de
April 26, 2008 at 21:18
That is great new word that I will introduce to my vocab with immediate effect:
IMPACTFUL
Love it! I like reading this blog, not only fun but educational at the same time!
Nice post Maryland Gooner, I wish I shared your optimism.
At least we can’t lose on Monday. 6 please.
Stupid, lovin Benzema, but will we splash mega dosh on him?
Lets keep the gap at 4 minimum, maybe we’ll get 2nd?
Come on you reds!
April 26, 2008 at 21:50
Mindful of the Frenchman’s anger about the situation and the controversy in March that saw Inter accused of tapping up the playmaker, Mancini has now sought to assure Wenger he has made no such blatant attempt to court the player.
“I have never made any declarations regarding Hleb or other players who are under contract with other clubs, for whom I have the utmost respect,” said Mancini on Inter’s official website.
“Everything reported in the press in these last few days has been done in the form of questions, which were asked by journalists and which regarded the transfer market.
“I have always answered these questions in the same way, and have replied that our attention is focused on the championship only
April 26, 2008 at 21:50
James . . . I am an Gooner . . . therefore I have to be an optimist (My sister asked me if I always think that Arsenal are going to win . . . I laughed and said of course). Ok, so I am going to get really deep and thoughtful for a minute. We have slapped Gallas for his lack of leadership this season. He came unglued during the Birmingham game, and his spell as the Captain has . . . well . . . been less than stellar. Lets take a step outside of the footballing world. Leadership is more than just performance. Leadership can be characterized as optimism, encouraging, a presence under pressure, and the list of adjectives could go on and on.
What does Arsene always talk about . . . “spirit, willingness, commitment.” I believe that you not only have to bring great players to a game, you also have to bring the long list of adjectives that I listed above and more. So, what kind of players do we need? I will take you down one more street off of memory lane . . . January 2007 . . . Arsenal v. Manchester United. United had the title in hand. We were playing for pride and bragging rights. We were down a goal into the 80th minute. Eboue makes a run down the right . . . chips it across . . . Thierry Henry heads it in. I was going nuts. But, what happened after the goal was scored? A leader stepped up. If you remember, Henry was yelling to the lads . . . “focus and be smart.”
We need a little more “focus and be smart” these days.
Gunners 6 – Derby 0 (At least the optimist in me thinks that will be the score line). I would love 2nd at this point. We will need a miracle, but wasn’t the Bolton win a miracle. It takes 3 miracles to become a saint right? We’ve already had one at Birmingmam. If Barca knock Man U. out, that would be miracle number 2, and if we finish 2nd . . . well, you know the rest.
April 27, 2008 at 00:04
Maryland, nice posts, but we have 3 games left, 2 away, 1 at home, keep the faith!
April 27, 2008 at 00:31
Maryland,
I’m in Maryland ! Howard County
April 27, 2008 at 02:13
maryland or fairy land ??
We will never be the greatest club in the world whilst he have too many restrictions in
salary , in age and that stupid over 30’s rule, the current board ,the list goes on .. Also if other clubs continue to spend more than us every season naturally the gap will get closer , Looks like we are stuck on 3rd spot .. and no real advance on last season .. NONE .. slightly more money(3rd spot) that will no doubt go to the same black hole that all other money disappears to within the AFC coffers ..
Light at the end of the tunnel ? we might get TH14 back , the club MIGHT spend 25 mil on new transfers .. but then so will west brom ..
However if flamini and hleb leave a good portion of that will go in simply replacing them
as i hear Hlebs transfer fee wont be large …
Didnt we have 1st option on modric ??
April 27, 2008 at 03:19
arsene wats the use of buying youngsters when they will leave when they are in their best form??? i remeber when we had flam..we all said the future was bright…now it looks gloomy
April 27, 2008 at 04:46
Ethan . . . too funny. I agree with your comments. We are going to a gun fight with a knife. As long as we continue to buy players at the ripe old age of 15-16, we are never going to be in a place to win the title, or any title at that. Arsene’s youth policy worked well in a day when you could win the league with 80 or so points. In the day and age that we live today, you have to win, and loosing is simply not an option. Look at the losses of the big four . . . 3-4 losses each . . . with the season as long as it is, we have had a very difficult time fielding a fit squad.
Even Sir Alex noted that this is the first year that they have been able to compete on both the CL and the PL fronts, and he attributed it to the fitness of his squad. Man U. have depth on the bench. We “had” depth, but ran right through that earlier in the season. If you have a manager that is unwilling to spend, and every team around him is . . . well, I think our 3rd place results speak for themselves.
I was listening to World Soccer Daily last week, and they had an Spanish correspondant on the phone. He made an interesting comment about Arsene. He stated that if Arsene was managing a Spanish club, that he would have been tossed out long ago. Not that the EPL and the La Liga are the same, but some food for thought. Capello won the La Liga last year, and how did they reward him?
So are we going to pin our hopes on Flamini and Hleb staying? Will Henry come back? Will the greatest of all things happen in the coming weeks . . . Man U. getting knocked out of the CL and Chelsea winning the league? I could be a cynic, but what fun is that. Ethan you can be the realist, and I will be the dreamer. It’s like an Arsenal yin and yang.
Trinidad Gunner, I play football in Howard County during the week. Small world.
April 27, 2008 at 07:17
http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=673105
Looks like we are going to miss out on this one… still, it was a nice dream.
Maryland Gooner – Some nice comments mate – You summed it up nicely with “going into a gunfight with a knife”. Not just a knife, but a blunt one at that!
As for Robinho, Im thinking that we might get some luck in our favour. But, would you rather Robinho or Villa?
April 27, 2008 at 08:46
Pedro,
I’ve just noticed you haven’t got David Villa on that ’silly season’ list!! How can you have missed that one?? Its been the biggest rumour so far.
Out of the players linked so far I’d love to see Benzema arrive, but it won’t happen. If we do sign anyone from Lyon it’ll be Ben Arfa who I’m not sure about. As for Robinho he is fantastic at times but hasn’t been consistent since he arrived in spain. Whatever happens though we do desperately need a tall, quick & extremely powerful defender.
April 27, 2008 at 09:00
I think it means we’ve signed him already!