Arfa, Robinho, Barry, Henry and a centre back - pick 2 from these.
I really believe we will add to the squad, but it won’t be by much, Flamini is key to who he buys and I think if he goes, Barry will join. Robinho or Ben Arfa will come in on the wing and now Barca are out of Europe, Henry’s chances of an emotional return have rocketed, he will though look for an experienced centre back to bring in whilst the kids develop. I can’t see Senderos or Eboue going and I think we’ll hang on to Gilberto until Denilson develops.
Hleb will stay but Lehmann will seek pastures new.
The additions will come from the reserves, who I don’t know, but he really believes in his kids.
We can still win the league, but only if the other two collapse, 2 draws should do it but don’t get your hopes up.
I think he’ll make his signings the week after the Sunderland game and I think he’s been sounding them out already, well that’s what I would do, but with Arsene, who knows? …he does right!
We need a winger for sure, Rosicky can’t be relied upon, if Eduardo comes back early, he won’t sign a forward, with Bendtner and Ade showing signs of being the strikers we can rely on I can’t see him going for Benzema or Villa and that’s why I could see Henry coming home, a bit of experience to help them along.
We do need Adams back though, a defensive coach is what we’ve been lacking and if we can shut up shop at the back, and then we will win the quadruple next season…
Interesting that we had no chavs in the EPL team of the season, and more Arsenal players than from any other club, it shows that we’re not that far off, even if we don’t believe it ourselves sometimes.
There, now I can’t be more positive than that can I?
Good day yesterday Grovers and welcome aboard several new commenter’s, sorry it takes so long to approve sometimes, it’s the system, not us.
Let’s wish the cheating scousers luck over the cheating chavs tonight, they always have the refs on their side so maybe tonight as well eh?
April 30, 2008 at 9:14 am
15 hours of F-Day left, will he, wont he?
Is it a midnight deadline i wonder?
whats the chances of a press conference tomorrow?
April 30, 2008 at 9:16 am
High I imagine and he’ll do a lap of honour on Sunday.
April 30, 2008 at 9:18 am
hes already gone, milan have offered him 1mill euros more then juve and they were offering more then us. i cant see him satying for the love of it especailly when the likes of milan come calling.
its a silly policy at Arsenal sometimes. we will now have to spend 10mill to but a replacement cos we also sold diarra, how perfect would he have been.
why didnt wenger loan out diarra?
bollox
April 30, 2008 at 9:20 am
Morning and thanks for the post. Only reason I would have wanted Barca to win last night would be for Henry,if he played the 90,but that wasnt going to happen.
True, if Man-Ure and Chavskie lost/drawed their final two games AND(a big AND) we WIN both our final games, we’ll be laughing all the way to the pub and podium.Its now done to our boys to finish strong and hope that Manure take their eyes off the title race and Chavskie do the same to concentrate on CL,if the chavs win tonight that is…
April 30, 2008 at 9:21 am
who knows. Diarra is history - if the dozy git has so little ambition and belief in his own talent, then AW was right to show him the door.
Portsmouth ….. FFS
April 30, 2008 at 9:22 am
Geoff, no way on earth will Henry be brought back. He has a long term injury & Barcelona would want 12+ million because they are still smarting from paying 16 million for him in the first place. Bringing him back would ruin the team spirit & would put players like Cesc & Hleb back to square one always looking to pass to Henry. I gurantee that won’t happen, the only way it could be possible is if Barca release him on a free which they won’t.
Flamini will leave but Barry will join Liverpool. Its a lot closer to his home than we are & moving south would mean uprooting his family.
As for reserves moving up, thats a safe bet. It doesn’t mean they’ll be any good but its a definate because he needs 8 or 9 new players, with the likes of Gilberto going.
Marseille have reportedly offered a straight swap to Lyon for Ben Arfa for Nasri. Who knows if that will appeal to them, what is sure though is that the 2 million Arsene would offer for Ben Arfa will be laughed at!!
April 30, 2008 at 9:26 am
I’ll be glad but surprised if Flamster signs,cos its like the fight to sign him is between Inter and Juve, we Ia, afraid are not in the picture as we have a wage-cap which is below what the above two are offering. Looks like the carrots look juicier in Italy for Flamster lads.
April 30, 2008 at 9:27 am
lol where did you get we need 8 or 9 players? we need 3 at the most. robhinio, a CH and another midfielder.
April 30, 2008 at 9:27 am
Why do people keep talking about Mannone as being good enough for our 3rd choice keeper?? The guy is probably one of the worst keepers I’ve ever seen.
He was an absolute laughing stock at Barnsley on loan, even throwing the ball into his own net & last night against the reserve league champions he gets himself sent off!!
He’ll never be good enough for even a championship team.
April 30, 2008 at 9:28 am
Thierry was hopeless in his cameo appearance last night - no sign of the genius we knew and loved
April 30, 2008 at 9:34 am
Dear fellow Gunners,
Last night I posted a link to an article on the BBC site about a significant event in
footballing history. In 2000 Manchester United were beaten in the World Club Championship finals by Vasco da Gama of Brazil. Vasco da Gama picked up the trophy thanks to a 3-1 win against the Mancunian side. I wanted to bookmark it so I tried to get onto the site.
Alas, overnight it has been erased, there is a 404 message. As this is an important historical archive and should not be erased overnight, I’ve sent the BBC some feedback on this issue, I don’t think we should sweep such things under the rug just because what happened causes someone dis-pleasure. It worked last night and it has been taken down literally overnight.
99/12/99/world_club_championship/manchester_united/595844.stm
This is the address of the page, I clicked through to it via google.
Please cold you let the BBC know about this broken link since if they get feedback about this page from multiple people, they will not be able to just ignore it.
Should they not respond by repairing it, that would clearly display they want to erase history when it suits them and a blatant bias toward Manchester United, which clearly would be unacceptable from a public media broadcaster.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/front_page/3701180.stm
This is the feedback page, it should be directed to “football - web coverage”.
Regards
FC
April 30, 2008 at 9:36 am
Only because it looked like the whole team disliked him!
I felt sorry for him! He could still do a job for us… It would be like inviting your Nan to help you with some filing… she can do the job, just not as well as she once could!
In fairness, Eto’o looked shite and Messi just looke plain greedy.
Did anyone see a bit of Paddy in Yaya?
April 30, 2008 at 9:37 am
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1999/12/99/world_club_championship/manchester_united/595844.stm
April 30, 2008 at 9:38 am
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1999/12/99/world_club_championship/manchester_united/595844.stm
Sorry this is the broken link, didn’t copy and paste above correctly.
April 30, 2008 at 9:38 am
Hi.
Hope your’re right on Helb.
I take Barry as Flamini is gone - Money money
For the defense: 2 solutions:
My first:
I can see Wenger bring on Thuram on a free to play some part and coach the defense
Or (but I doubt it)
Buying a proven center back and get rid of one of the youngsters (He won’t bring one unless he sell one)
With Barry, Denilson and song, you can let Gilberto go for a few millions (as Barry being english, he will cost twice his real value)
And finaly, for Thierry, I don’t see that happening.
April 30, 2008 at 9:39 am
good wrap up of things will probly lay out
i rekon he’ll stay and so will hleb…not s sure abt henry tho…
diarra wuda been handy to have now…but his poor attitude wudv popped up sooner or later, so maybe wenger thought its best to offload him…but yeh a loan wudv been betr
April 30, 2008 at 9:39 am
I tried to post the broken link but it’s not coming up in the comments.
April 30, 2008 at 9:40 am
test123
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1999/12/99/world_club_championship/manchester_united/595844.stm
April 30, 2008 at 9:41 am
Amazing. All that attacking talent, worth squillions of pounds and yet Van de Saar didn’t have a save to make.
One MU shot and they score (typical)
April 30, 2008 at 9:41 am
Pedro - unfortunately i saw none of Paddy in Yaya…i was actually thinking during the game i was glad we didnt make it a double brother act at Arsenal by bringing him in when the rumours were around….
April 30, 2008 at 9:42 am
Ok it’s come up now
April 30, 2008 at 9:43 am
I got it too FC
April 30, 2008 at 9:45 am
What we need to bring experience player other than Arfa & Robinho(do we think possible) are of good age as for Barry & Henry they will be there to help the lads. Anyway Tony will be great along with Pat Rice.
April 30, 2008 at 9:46 am
While I’d like TH to come back I think that his injury issues [which I bet were behind AW selling him in the first place] mitigate against it. Can’t see Flamini staying so we need another MFer but can’t see why Barry is the answer. He’s certainly not a holding type and Song can do Flamsters job equally well in my opinion. A good winger might be useful - Robinho is terrific but will he cope with the EPL?. Vela has been playing wide left for Osasuna so he may be the answer.
I like Villa and we could do with a bit of experience.
Still think that he ought to let Eboue [no more than a squad player] go as long as Hleb stays.
I was not impressed with Fabianski against Derby but I guess they see something in him. Then again it’s not too long ago that Bob Wilson was tipping Stuart Taylor as the next England keeper. I do like the look of the Polish lad who plays for the u18’s. He does look the business.
April 30, 2008 at 9:49 am
Good post and got me feeling positive Geoff.
Just imagine if the chavs and manwho lose this weekend and we win……all down to the final day; maybe just maybe the pressure will tell on those two, who knows.
Flamini is gone so we can forget him.
Felt sorry for Henry last night; will he come back? I can’t see it myself. And if he did my only concern would be how that effects the rest of team. Although I do think he’d be much more humble and maybe act as a true mentor, who knows.
April 30, 2008 at 9:49 am
God I hope you are wrong again. We must except that players who chat to other clubs whilst being paid by AFC should go, and sod em. I think Flamini, Hleb, Gilberto, Jens and Big Phil should go….Arsene would get approx….£18 mill the lot My own personal wish is that Gallas is also offered out which would give AW another £7 mill.
Now the easy part….If Arsene does not buy a world class centre back or two, who are great in the air and fast on the ground, it will not matter who else he gets because we will win nothing until we can do a Man U or a george G, and hold onto the lead. If you have any doubts just add together the points we have lost AND TO WHOM, after outplaying them home & away and then collapsing ??
It actually adds up to an extra 14 points! And thats not counting the Boro loss at all!!
If AW gets the defenders we need more than anything else, he can the utilise Kolo in the makelele role he is suited too. Barry should be signed to replace Flamini. Kirkland would be my choice of first team goalie, and finally I would sign Robihno because Arsene tried to sifgn him before Madrid had heard of him.
Total cost would equal approx £56 mill…..lest sales would leave £ £32 mill which our kitty would cover. Some of this will be recovered with the sales of a few others who may not like being used as subs.
The team I would therefore like to see start next season for every away match is:-
Kirkland
Sagna New New Clichy
Kolo
Walcott Fabrigas Barry Robihno
AdeB
Subs: VP, Vela, Djorou, Eboue, Bentner, Denilson.
Rosicky would always be in the squad but like Eduado we have to forget them until fully fit.
For Home matches I would revert to 4-4-2Replacing Kolo with VP or Bentner.
JUST TELL ME WHO COULD BEAT THAT LOT????
April 30, 2008 at 9:49 am
I saw Paddy in Ya Ya when he got booked!
Barry would come because anyone with a brain would want to be at Arsenal.
If Flamini was a cert for the Lira of Italy (I know its euros) he would have already gone, I think he can see what this team can do, but to be honest, I sooner have Barry.
April 30, 2008 at 9:53 am
I want ROBINHO, we need a winger who can be replaced as a striker if needed.
Plus, we need a creative -dribbler-brazilian touch at front. This year it would have helped so much to concrete so many occasions.
So Bring him on !
2nd choice would be BARRY because we lack an English player and Flamini is on the Go anyway. We do need an efficient, strong and experimented like Barry.
Yaya Touré would have been good but I’m sure Barry is what we need.
Now…Let’s wait and SEE…
April 30, 2008 at 9:53 am
Well it is going to be a long summer of speculation, and everyones views are great to read.
Here is mine - Flamster will stay, my reason for this is that Arsene is so cool over the situation, either that, or he knows he is going and the deal for a replacement has already been done - Makou (whatever his name is, maybe the one - his agent has said talks are very forward with a london club) Either way, I think the boss has this sorted already.
Hleb - well I havent a clue, he gives nothing away, but has said that it is a bit too physical in EPL, so he may go. I think this stems from Dudus injury - Hleb was almost green in colour. If that is his reason for going and not money then I wish him the best…
I think Barazite Nordveit, maybe Thomas, Simpson and maybe Wilshere will be drafted into the first team squad - used to cover injuries and rotation in the ‘lesser’ games (no disrespect meant) A few more or the reserves ie Sunu, Fonte, Dunne will play the CC games.
Vela and Merida will be back from loan.
Hoyte, Senderos, Lehman and maybe Djourou will leave, they should be playing each week, but sadly not for Arsenal - Lehman, well he needs to retire in Germany GRACEFULLY!!
I hope Eboue stays, yes stays, he is more than good cover for Bac, but ONLY used in that position, NOT as a winger.
So we have to not expect toooooooo much, but what we all agree on is that we can score goals, ok we miss a lot, but Ade will be better as will Theo, RVP.
Dudu will need time to get his confidence back, but after Christmas should be his time, fingers crossed, and all the best to him.
Yes, no mention of Nik - Well, I hope he goes this summer. Dont shout at me, but I watched his interview on ATV, he does not come across as a guy who loves our club. Each question asked he had just one word answers, and appeared disinteresed.
Who is your footballing hero - ‘dont have one’
What team do you watch when you are home - ‘Dont watch football’
He is boring and if I were Ade, I would have slapped him too, for being so arrogant.
So, I would like to see him replaced by either Villa, Titi (he will be so different second time around) or Robinho
Defence - We need a ‘Thuram’ style player, over 6′ tall and about 27 years old. I havent a clue on who fits this description, but I believe Arsene already has him signed…
On the wing - well we all would love Ben Arfa, but if Hleb stays, i dont see him buying anyone in this position - we would have Theo, Hleb, Rosicky (he will be healed by then) Vela, Merida, Barazite who can all paly on either side. Yes I hope I am wrong.
So - In for me : Ben Arfa, Villa/Titi, CH and if Flamster goes, whoever the boss has already bought - I think it is either Makou or Barry - hipppeeeeee
Happy days ahead Gooners
April 30, 2008 at 9:53 am
By the same logic though Geoff he should already have come out and said he’s staying.
Agree; Barry would be the better bet
April 30, 2008 at 9:55 am
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2000/jan/08/worldclubchampionship3
If the BBC want to pretend it didn’t happen, so be it, above is a link to the text commentary of the game in which Manchester United were beaten 3-1 by Vasco da Gama.
April 30, 2008 at 9:57 am
Theater scuba, pure theater, that way we’ll be conned into thinking he’s a new signing.
Good post Rico, I agree.
April 30, 2008 at 10:01 am
for the last day of the league, ive gone as far as to take the monday off as A/L incase there is a miracle.
As in OZ all the games will kick off at Midnight (1500 for you guys), so i can watch 4 games at once on my new 58” plasma, so im having a night on it!
April 30, 2008 at 10:02 am
morning people… so rijkard is surely off now .. and barca are gonna have a shake up… can we get messi?
April 30, 2008 at 10:03 am
58 inches eh? I know all about that!
April 30, 2008 at 10:04 am
We know that Moaninio will go there so he won’t let him go, but we should be trying to attract those sort of players, I mean we have Cesc Fabregas!
April 30, 2008 at 10:07 am
i got a Cesc away strip this season, he is the ducks nuts!
So we reckon the signings will begin after the sunderland game, i hope so!
April 30, 2008 at 10:07 am
Any idea what the price tag on Gareth Barry is guys?
April 30, 2008 at 10:11 am
12-16 million
April 30, 2008 at 10:11 am
If we keep Hleb and Flams then Ben Arfa & a centre back will do.
There’s no need for wholesale changes.
April 30, 2008 at 10:11 am
The papers are saying £15mil, but Wenger will go in with 2 plus 2 more if he captains England and wins the next world cup!
April 30, 2008 at 10:11 am
I met Gareth Barry in a bar about 5 years ago and asked if he would ever play for Arsenal and he said,
‘I wish… but I’m not good enough!’
I don’t want a player like that at the mighty Arse!
I hear £15million for his signature.
April 30, 2008 at 10:13 am
I’d say that was very humble, I like him already!
April 30, 2008 at 10:13 am
no way we will buy Barry .. too expensive for us
think more along the lines of a French young promising stud
like Loic Perrin ..
the game last night was quite poor by all standards
one point I would like to make here is that even youngsters like Bojan, unless they are super talents like Messi, will need time to show their qualities
we shouldnt judge our ones too harshly sometimes..me included..but you dont win with youngsters
thats the bottomline
we are kidding ourselves if we think that we will ever win with a crop of 20/23 old ones
this is not a negative statement .. its reality
look around Europe
when Bayern failed, they invested 80MM Euros .. and they are always winning coz they got more dosh
look at every European league and you will realize that the teams that are always top are the money spenders .. without exception ..
Mila/Real/Juve/Inter/Barca/ .. and even in smaller leagues, Ajax/Anderlecht/Benfica/Porto ..
if you are the richest club in your league, you will win titles
Chelsea and ManU are living proof over here ..
we managed to compete under Wenger as the underdogs in the beginning due to very very shrewd management and a couple of top buys .. TH14/Bobby/Paddy
now we cant and the competition has increased.. it has become very very difficult to knick players on the cheap
David Dein is perfectly right when he says that we need more money to win trophies
he is only stating the obvious .. dont know why people slate him for that
winning football games is not about ownership/management..etc.. its about being able to field the best players ..
April 30, 2008 at 10:13 am
arsene dont be stubborn…!!!!!we need..need…NEEDSSSSS others player like ROBINHO,BARRY,RAMOS and bring back HENRY1!!!!wwe also can bring the free players hav more experience like THURAM…we need strenght the squad…
April 30, 2008 at 10:13 am
t-buzz - 15mil i think
April 30, 2008 at 10:15 am
I’d like to see Barry arrive but it won’t happen, although he’s actually from Hastings originally his life is now up north & Liverpool are probably just as attractive to join as Arsenal. He may even feel joining Liverpool will be better for his England career as he’ll be playing every week with Gerrard.
April 30, 2008 at 10:17 am
Not a bad price, he’s the kind of player that gets recognised by his effort on the pitch, not by the papparazzis for falling out drunkingly from a night out.
I think its high time we got some more british blood in the centre cos we’ve already got the eagle eyes of Cesc, the cheetah-ish pace of Theo, we need Spartan attitude drive the boys forward to attack! lol
April 30, 2008 at 10:19 am
Or benched like Pennant, Crouch and Kewell. Gerrard’s not in the same league as Cesc.
April 30, 2008 at 10:20 am
lol
spurs want eto in a swap…
http://www.teamtalk.co.za/football/story/0,16368,2483_3496941,00.html
on a side note what is wrong with him… he looks really bad these days!!
April 30, 2008 at 10:21 am
on the same site.. elano petrov and a host of others plan to leave man city…..
elano would be a good buy.. he even plays at right back!!!
April 30, 2008 at 10:22 am
lol, as if that swaps gonna happen, id rather have eto’o any day!
April 30, 2008 at 10:22 am
We need a true world class centre back, two wingers, another world class forward at a bare minimum & thats if nobody apart from either Senderos or Djourou leave. Even if Flamini goes I think Denilson or Diaby can cover that position.
Vela is coming, so thats one. I’d like to see Barry & Benzema arrive, plus a really top quality centre back.
April 30, 2008 at 10:24 am
Jasonz, thanks to back my point on Thuram. I see that coming.
GMR, Benitez will never drop Mascherano. Then it depend if Barry wants to play a game every 4 weeks and between CL matches.
April 30, 2008 at 10:26 am
I just read that Portsmouth have issued a hands off Kranjcar statement.
Ungrateful cunts, all the players we’ve sold them.
April 30, 2008 at 10:26 am
man c players are behind sven, and will walk if he is sacked.
i love sven, best results of a manager of england for years yet gets sacked - dont blame him for the displays of this country, the players are mostly boring, cant change them….. as capello will find out, they are all too slow…
April 30, 2008 at 10:26 am
If Milan sign Flam, then where does Gattuso play? Probably WHL !
April 30, 2008 at 10:27 am
I’ll leave all my speculation for another time. But lads, get your math right while you’re waiting for the “miracle” league title.
If Mn U drew twice and we win out, we’d still lose the league on goal difference. We COULD catch Chelsea on goal difference if they drop four points.
To win it, we need United to LOSE a game and draw the other one. Good luck there. I’m sure West Ham can turn them over at OT, no problem.
Just wanted get the points straight.
And I’ll just say this about changes in the side. Forget wingers, strikers, etc. We need to tighten the back, sort out the centre half positions. That alone cost us the title, leaking silly goals after we had leads. We threw away at least 10-14 points. We should have won the league EASILY — even without a point at United or Chelsea.
Very, very frustrating.
I’m praying that the boss is ready to spend on some reliable, experienced, talented help at the back. The middle of our back four is a shambles — and Gallas was the worst player on the team in the second half of the year. How many of those cheap goals were on him?
Right this moment, assuming Flam leaves, Alex Song is our key replacement at TWO positions. I love his potential, but he can’t play ‘em both.
I’m hoping that the lack of rumours about Christian Zapata from Udinese means that AW is doing some business.
Cheers to all.
April 30, 2008 at 10:27 am
Well I think Alonso is on his way out at Liverpool. He could be a good buy.
April 30, 2008 at 10:28 am
Unless we score a lot Steve!
April 30, 2008 at 10:29 am
Good for Portsmouth. I don’t want Kranjcar he really isn’t that good.
April 30, 2008 at 10:31 am
What about Pirlo?
April 30, 2008 at 10:33 am
we usually do… second highest in the league at the moment…..72 and counting… but unfortunately we’ve conceded 31 goals…man u have conceded just 21.
April 30, 2008 at 10:34 am
Now there’s a player Geoff. Why not?
April 30, 2008 at 10:35 am
Whatever else happens I want Wenger to sign Benzema. The guy is awesome & if we don’t sign him he’ll end up at Utd, Chelski or the spuds!!
April 30, 2008 at 10:38 am
i don’t think we have a striker on the to-buy list this summer.
April 30, 2008 at 10:39 am
Netither do I choy. I see an attacking midfielder and a centre back
April 30, 2008 at 10:41 am
He won’t pay for Benzema, not when he’s got Bendtner, Ade, Theo, Eduardo and RVP.
What about swapping Bendtner for Arfa and Benzema plus cash?
April 30, 2008 at 10:43 am
I agree Wenger won’t sign a striker but I’ll be totally gutted to see Benzema end up at one of our rivals.
April 30, 2008 at 10:46 am
i would love barry in our team. he’s british and improving in every single game!
if flamini leaves maybe it’s a blessing in disguise.
i dont want titi back, prefer villa or huntelaar or benzema.
the worst that could happen is if manutd sign benzema and liverpool sign villa,
and spurs…. sign eto’o ; hah! (yeah right, those deluded fans)
cb, i’m not too sure whose the best one and available right now
on a lighter note, here are some new ads with our future captains (fabregas) and other arsenal players in them.
you guys probably have seen it but here goes
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Tlz-P40IH1Y
http://youtube.com/watch?v=iLigMXkl0E8
http://youtube.com/watch?v=RfIgpNpvyok
April 30, 2008 at 10:47 am
if we stop the goals leaking at the back.. we win the league simple..
cause we always score…
why do you wanna swap bendtner… he’s a 4th choice striker and doesn’t make too much noise.
April 30, 2008 at 10:49 am
Just the only way we’d sign Benzema, if one of ours was sold.
April 30, 2008 at 10:50 am
alonso is injury prone and we havd denilson who imo will be better.
we dont need to make wholesale changes, just tweaks. we nearly won teh Pl with this team , dont forget it wasnt all teh teams fault we have had some horrendeous decisions against us in that period of games. starting with clichys penalty at brum, drogbas goal offiside, ade and rvp both givben offside for villa and boro games. even ferguson said that we have been very unlucky with decisions and that saying saomething.
in the majority of the games we dropped points we still played well and outplayed the opposition. the chavs werent in the game till the last 15 mins and the game at man u was ours they didnt turn up till we scored.
on teh back of that we had several players missing thru injury and ANC duties, none of the other contenders ahd our injury problems then on top we had the assault on eduardo from that brummiee cunt.
give the kids a break they did really well and exceeded most peoples expectations.
next year they will be a year older in experience and physical strength.
I hope big phil stays and fights fore his place cos he has done well barring afew mistakes dont forget players like rio and adams at his age were also making howlers.
people just dont have patience anymore thank fuk we ahve a manager who does.
have faith ARSENE KNOWS!!!
April 30, 2008 at 10:51 am
If Bendtner was playing in the French 1st Division he’d be scoring goals as well.
I think sometimes as Arsenal fans, we forget that what we already have is quite good.
If we are going to sign a striker, lets get an experienced great striker… we have bags of potential already, and in my eyes, anyone who plays in the French league is purely that… potential.
Top quality centre back, a speedy winger and a some extra wedge for Flamini and Hleb.
If that happened, I’d feel pretty good going into next season!
April 30, 2008 at 10:51 am
he’s not going to replace a 20k a week player with a 80k a week player…
hahah
April 30, 2008 at 10:53 am
Happy 2 see Barry in as an experienced Englishman in Arsenal squad next season & Robinho is definetly the type of an attacking midfielder we need 2 boost our goal scoring.
April 30, 2008 at 10:53 am
Bendtner is not a team player, he is arrogant, and his return on goals is shite, he will never be Mr Arsenal, and i to would like him to go……
April 30, 2008 at 10:55 am
rico… what do u mean by return on goals… he has scored like 8 goals this season..with some 8 assists…. with the limited amount of starts he gets and 10 mins here and there…
and he’s 19!!!!!
wtf…
rvp was arrogant when he arrived… look at him now….
April 30, 2008 at 10:55 am
I don’t think you will get too many Mr Arsenals going forward Rico.
His return hasn’t been great in his first season (How many games has he started though?), but he is improving rapidly and he is only 19. I bet you, if he stays, he will score a bundle of goals next year.
I have to disagree with you regarding him being a team player, his is totally a team player, more so than any of the other Strikers.
*Well said Choy.
April 30, 2008 at 11:02 am
as my previous entry, his interview was horrid, disinterested in being where he was, dont forget this is only my opinion, he is out of his depth, at brum he was confident but now he has none.
trust me, if he stays and proves me different then i will be the first to put my hands up. he and ade just dont work at the moment - all barr derby which you and i could probaly have scored, they dont seem to have any understanding of eachother - in my opinion
but hey, what do i know…..
April 30, 2008 at 11:02 am
pedro.. dont know where you get the idea from that Nik might score goals in the French league.. what about I turn your argument upside down and tell you that he only scores coz he plays for the most offensive minded team in England and that if he had to rely purely on hos own talent, he would not make the grade in France ..
as even Wenger said, ANY forward will score goals at the Arse coz we craete chances
you are aying that any French player in the French league is only a potential player.. what about the English boys then??
surely France has a better track record than England in winning international trophies
wrong again .. what about our top players ..or ex-top players..Th14/Bobby/Paddy .. where did they emanate from??
Benzema/Ben Arfa/Nasri have more talent than the entire English divisions put together.. fact ..
sagna .. clichy.. where do these boys come from?? and dont tell me that they needed to come to the Arse before they learnt how to play..
btw I am NOT French .. so there is no nationalistic bias in this ..
we are better off buying decent French talent than some overrated overpriced English crap.. think about the summer .. and where the Rio/JT/Rooney..etc will spend it
April 30, 2008 at 11:06 am
I hear you BB and Rico, I don’t have the faith in Bendtner that Pedro does, he’s just a lump, I like my strikers to be like RVP or Benzema.
April 30, 2008 at 11:07 am
Wed definitely need a striker because even though Adebayor is class, every striker can have a dry run, Rooney has had loads. Wenger mentioned that we couldn’t expect him to get 50….cos if he mentioned that figure he must subconsciously or consciously believe he could have got at least another 20. So do many fans…
Carlos Tevez has over a 60% conversion rate with shots on target, he would have done better than Adebayor with our service. So would Huntelaar, he would be perfect. RVP would still be useful but Huntelaar with Ade up front would be perfect.
Ken Friar knows.
April 30, 2008 at 11:07 am
California Steve - im sure we’ve all done the maths, it would be a miracle indeed!
April 30, 2008 at 11:09 am
I don’t think anything f**ks me off as much as idiots who post “Arsene Knows”!!
What exactly does he know?? Well I suppose there is one thing he knows & thats how to con idiots who hang on his every word!!
April 30, 2008 at 11:10 am
Well said Pedro. Bendtner links up with another forward better than any of our other strikers. He sets up more chances for the rest of the team than anyone else in the squad bar Cesc and Hleb, and will be by Xmas ahead of Adebayor.
There is literally no chance Arsene will try and sign Barry, that’s a laughable notion. A 27 year old, average, no room for improvement, English, overpriced midfielder that doesn’t have the attributes to fit in at arsenal. It just won’t happen.
Likewise Henry, never in a million years. Henry was crocked in his last season at Arsenal, and was therefore sold, not playing him in the last half of the season for fear of showing his injuries had done permanent damage. There is no chance whatsoever Arsene is even looking at Henry, but out of respect for an absolute legend he wouldn’t reject the notion when questioned following Thierry saying he’d like to.
We have six fantastic forwards now for next season, any of whom could get 15+ goals
April 30, 2008 at 11:11 am
The Frenchman also gave some insight into the contract situation with midfielder Mathieu Flamini, who is the subject of a bidding war with a couple of continental clubs.
Wenger added: “I’m waiting for him to come back to me and tell me whether he’s going.”
April 30, 2008 at 11:12 am
At one point I personally saw no good in NikB as I saw him as too sluggish on the ball and didnt look like a team player. I thought the same thing about Adebayor in his 1st season too but look at him now.
Lets give the lad a chance,Steve Bruce desperately wanted him to stay at Brumm and Wenger was desperate to bring him back.
Brendon gooner, the 1st two clips were cool and very funny!!(:o)
April 30, 2008 at 11:13 am
I am saying the French league is weak comparably (To the Prem).
Nik played for Birmingham last year and scored 11 goals and made 7 assists? At 18 that is quite an achievement.
Do you not think Benzema plays for quite an offensive dominant team in France?
Since when did winning international trophies reflect on the quality of a national league that boasts the most international players of any league in the world?
‘Benzema/Ben Arfa/Nasri have more talent than the entire English divisions put together.. fact ..’
How can make such an outlandish comment with a straight face? Ronaldo, Joe Cole and Gerrard are weaker than 3 players who have won fuck all in the grand scheme of things?
And when did I say I wanted to buy English?
French League flops:
Malouda
Guivarch
Cisse
Wiltord
Diarra (Madrid)
There are always exceptions to the rule and at no point did I state that good players do not come out of France, I merely said that basing your whole opinion on one good season in France and a youtube video is naive.
April 30, 2008 at 11:13 am
But does he know how to stop players leaving on a free GMR? I don’t thinks soo, but we’re about to find out!
April 30, 2008 at 11:14 am
In terms of the French league argument, it is a weak league. That doesn’t mean that a player scoring goals in France isn’t good, but that a player doesn’t have to be good to score alot of goals in the French league, so to quote the goals a player has, and say there look how good he is, is wrong.
April 30, 2008 at 11:15 am
Well said A.
To say Arfa, Nasri and Benzema are better than all the players in the Prem combined is also laughable.
Especially as even the most Ardent football nerd cannot say they watch them week in week out.
April 30, 2008 at 11:17 am
Henry will not go back to Arsenal no matter how much he dislikes being at Barcelona. I do agree that he will leave but he will probably go to AC Milan or some big Italian club because he would probably feel guilty about leaving them and then making such a bad descision.
Robinho and Arfa will also not go to Arsenal as they want to win trophies and the English game does not suit their style of play. I could see Barry going because he is English and knows what arsenal are capable of when they are playing well and he knows that Arsenal are more likely to get trophies than Aston villa.
Wenger has been quoted saying that he does not want Villa and it seems that Liverpool do, plus they have Torres, a regular Spanish international that is friendly with Villa.
Now onto outs for the ‘gunners’
Lehmann will bugger off back to Germany
Sendseros will stay but doesn’t deserve to be playing for Arsenal
Eboue doesn’t deserve to be playing in the Championship let alone the EPL.
Bentner doesn’t deserve to play for in the austrian second division and teams should be paid to have him.
With all this talk about ‘nurturing the kids’, get some talent and then maybe you get guys to start coming in and teaching them. Wenger has had years at the helm and had the same plan; get players that show promise for Austria Manga and chuck them in the EPL against world class teams. People do not realise that again he has failed and refused to spend money that he has on real talent.
And on the fact people thinking that Arsenal have depth, what a load of balloni. 4-0 against the mighty Red Devils (Manchester United for those that do not know anything) in the F.A cup when BOTH sides played their B sides because of league games.
The fact that Arsenal crumbled after december in every competition shows that they have no depth.
One last thing, referring to my comments before, people who want to swap Bentner for Arfa and Benzema plus cash (I may have missed the joke), I do hope you are joking.
April 30, 2008 at 11:17 am
Hang on Pedro, Wiltord won us the league at Old Trafford.
And Benzema scored a cracker against the Mancs.
I think I could name more English flops than you just named French ones!
April 30, 2008 at 11:18 am
Exactly
You can have very very good players in the French League, but you can never know whether they’re actually that good until they play in a much stronger League
April 30, 2008 at 11:18 am
Was Wiltord the goal scoring sensation he was in France?
Was he worth the £13million? He ended up as a midfielder!
He was not as good as we had all hoped, he scored some good goals and some important one… but he wasn’t the player we had hoped for.
April 30, 2008 at 11:19 am
Ade is better than Nik fact .. look at Derby .. why did Nik not score a hat trick
and the pass to RVP on the 1st goal was poor .. he should have played the ball ahead of RVP .. rather than square/behind him.. luckily RVP is a great 1/2 player and gave him a perfect return ball from which he scored
whatever you think about the dikkheads on setanta, I shared their point of view
in particular Nik did nothing to claim a 1st team spot
April 30, 2008 at 11:20 am
Geoff, my original post did not say buy English, that is just BB assuming something different.
I am saying if you want a striker, sign Villa, Eto’o or Henry. Player that have done consistently over the years in the biggest competitions in the biggest leagues.
April 30, 2008 at 11:21 am
BB, when did I say Ade was a worse player than Nik?
He is 5 years older and one of the best strikers in the league! Why would I compare them?
April 30, 2008 at 11:21 am
Yes I think he was, he served a purpose, what was bad management was letting him go on a free, but that seems to be an Arsenal trait.
April 30, 2008 at 11:21 am
You couldn’t name many players who were touted as world-beaters having taken the Premiership by storm but were found to be pants when playing in a proper league. You can with the French League.
Wiltord scored important goals etc but was no a top world player, which is what he looked like and was touted as in the French League
April 30, 2008 at 11:23 am
So ‘A’ are you saying that Arsene doesn’t know?
April 30, 2008 at 11:26 am
I think Ade is a worse striker than Niko
This season Ade did an absolutely fantastic job, but he doesn’t have the all round ability to play regularly for a top team, and especially not in any sort of forward partnership. He can’t play foil to another forward, he just doesn’t have the intelligence, doesn’t know when to pass, weight his passes correctly, know where to run etc. Players like Eduardo, Bendtner can set him up, but the number of times he messes up easy chances to put a goal on a plate for others is incredible. However his attributes make him a fantastic plan B, he can change the game if things aren’t going our way or start and win us games up north where we need his physical presence. That’s what Arsene expected him to be this season, but injuries and such like forced him to be our main focal point, and play our plan B to an extent the entire season.
April 30, 2008 at 11:26 am
Our record signing at the time scored 49 goals in 175 appearances.
12 goals a year!
April 30, 2008 at 11:29 am
Thats more than Theo and he cost £12mil when he was 15.
April 30, 2008 at 11:30 am
Doesn’t know what Geoff?? Arsene is a fantastic judge of players ability. People point to Reyes and Wiltord as failures of his judgement but Wiltord did a job, and he never expected him to be Henry-like, and Reyes was incredibly talented but just didn’t settle and had personal problems etc, something which is near impossible to predict. What I’m saying is that idiots watching youtube videos and having Benzeama score 60 goals for them in a season on football manager deciding they know better definitely don’t know.
April 30, 2008 at 11:31 am
We didn’t buy Theo as a ready made goal scorer with proven international experience!
Maybe if he’d played Theo down the middle he’d have score more than 12 this year?
April 30, 2008 at 11:32 am
I was being ironic!
April 30, 2008 at 11:33 am
Theo cost £5 million, and is much more than a £5 million player. Just like Reyes cost £7 million up front, and was much more than a £7 million player
April 30, 2008 at 11:33 am
Why did we spend £12mil on him then?
April 30, 2008 at 11:34 am
Because he has the potential to be worth £30 million plus….
April 30, 2008 at 11:34 am
pedro .. I meant the English players .. I didnt know that Ronaldo would qualify for an English passport .. but then maybe red nose will get him a scottish one ..
as far as Ben Arfa is concerned, I dont need youtube to watch him
I have seen enough to know that the guy is pure class
nobody is denying that the French league is weaker than the EPL
dont make me say things that I didnt mean to
my point is very simple .. do you think its easier to play in a league where none of the participating sides is perfect .. ie you need to rely a lot more on your intrinsic talent orather than playing for the mighty Arse where you got top players around you to support and direct you all the time
yes and I will concede you this..Lyon are a fairly dominant side .. hard to argue the case gainst winning 6 possibly 7 titles in a row .. but then Geoff made the point already .. look at the Mancs game and realize that Benzema is a good young player.. you might think that Nik is better .. your call.. you aint gonna convince me though
finally I never pretended that every French player is a genius .. as far as Diarra is concerned, he is NOT French..rather from Mali I believe
Pape Diouf .. henry’s ex agent .. apparently wants to swap Nasri for Ben Arfa
he is the current president of marseille .. thats how good he thinks he is
and he should know a few things
April 30, 2008 at 11:35 am
You love Theo Geoff! You have been his biggest supporter this year!
£12million on Theo represents much better value than £13 million on Wiltord!
April 30, 2008 at 11:37 am
Chris Sutton of Chelsea, that should top the league Geoff. Oh, what about Franny Jeffers of Arsenal also in contention .
April 30, 2008 at 11:37 am
can we talk defenders now please.. we are not not not going to get strikers…. we don’t need them…
April 30, 2008 at 11:37 am
I love all the Arsenal players with the exception of Song, Senderos and Lehman, but Wiltord did a job for us, just like Theo, I’m not as yet convinced of Nikki.
April 30, 2008 at 11:38 am
Yes and we went after Chris Sutton, who was in fact a centerback, so that answers Choy as well!
April 30, 2008 at 11:38 am
Ben Arfa is a very very good player, and could very well be on his way to the Emirates in the summer. Benzeama is also a fantastic player, better than Niko at the moment, but that’s irrelevant, Benzeama is very much out of our price range, and wouldn’t be signed anywhere in place of Bendtner because Bendtner has adapted to the Arsenal style of play, Benzeama could take a while, and we don’t want another transitional season.
April 30, 2008 at 11:39 am
Why don’t you love song Geoff??
April 30, 2008 at 11:41 am
He just looks ordinary to me A, and I can’t see how he was signed on the basis of exceptional talent.
April 30, 2008 at 11:44 am
BB, I have never argued about the qualities of nationalities. I have been arguing over the French league being weaker than the Prem.
Diarra is a product of the French league, just like Adebayor… etc.
Nasri, Arfa and Benzema vs Joe Cole, Lampard and Gerrard
I don’t think it’s even a competition? 3 upstarts vs 3 with trophies and pedigree.
Why are you arguing over English players quality?
Lyon are the dominant force in France… but they would not be top four in the Prem. So if you are the dominant force in the French league, you will be playing with the best players that league has to offer… so there is not difference? Lyon are a weaker team than Arsenal, playing in a much weaker league.
If you are a average player for Lyon, you will still score goals in that league.
We all know how great Nasri looks… so good Lyon are prepared to swap him for a player you rate as better than all the English players in the league?
Says a lot about how much Lyon rate Arfa…
April 30, 2008 at 11:46 am
A .. if you like to call me an idiot .. thats your choice .. FYI I hardly watch youtube unless you would like to call it redtube or youporn .. and I dont play football manager
got better things to do in my life if you follow me ..
fact is Nik struggled gainst Derby .. so did Theo for 45 minutes
when Ade came on, the whole team improved .. somehting that RVP cant produce either .. RVP is your real support striker .. I still think that if he was fit, he would be perfect for Ade in the way DB10 was for Thierry ..
Nik is young .. agreed, but he got his fair share of games this season .. has he improved?? up to everybody else to judge … but we will win zilt trophies with him spearheading our attack .. that much I know
April 30, 2008 at 11:46 am
I’ve personally never thought he looks ordinary. Prior to january I thought he looked like he’d end up partnering Christopher Wreh for Bishop’s Stortford, then in the African Nations and reserve games after he suddenly seemed to be replaced by a player who had exceptional technique, and coordination (the two things that made him look like a sunday league player beffore), to go with his strength and power. I still don’t know if he’ll make it at Arsenal, and improve into a top top player, but I do see him as a good player nowadays, and if I see his name on the team sheet nowadays it doesn’t fill me with dread. If he leaves Arsenal he’ll still be a good player. He’s the sort of player who could go to Lyon and be very good for them
April 30, 2008 at 11:48 am
redtube, now you’re talking! what’s football manager anyway, I’ve heard that before, is it a computer game?
April 30, 2008 at 11:51 am
I wasn’t calling you an idiot BB, I was calling the bandwagon jumper-onners who have decided Benzeama is the best player in the world from the media/youtube/football manager.
Adebayor can make an impact, coming on like against Derby, but is no Thierry, and VP is no Bergkamp. A fit VP would score 25 goals a season, and whoever is playing alongside him could get 15-20 too, as well as the midfield scoring alot more goals. With Adebayor starting regularly he can score goals, especially against crap teams like Derby, but the rest of the team scores alot less goals, because if Adebayor isn’t putting the ball in the back of the net, unless we’re playing long ball or from set pieces he offers nothing to the team, and moves break down as a result.
April 30, 2008 at 11:55 am
Pedro.. we bought Sagna from Auxerre .. not exactly a French heavy weight ..
lets be honest here as well .. Diarra is not exactly a complete afilure at Real either ..
if you take this argument forward, you will end up saying that TH14 was the crappiest player ever coz he plays shiit for the Catalans
as far as your judgement on Gerrard/lampard etc goes, I leave this up you again .. fact is no English side in ECC this summer .. you just wonder why??
and the trio of Benzema/Ben Arfa/Nasri are 20 ..
We dont really need Benzema, but we do need a Ben Arfa type player
we dont need Nasri either as we got Cesc
April 30, 2008 at 11:58 am
French players are generally better than English players. But players in the English league are in general much much better than the vast majority of player in the French league
April 30, 2008 at 12:03 pm
A .. RVP is as yet unproven .. after 4 years at the Arse .. funny you dont see the DB side in him.. he is by FAR our best short distance passer .. quick and precise balls played into his team mates feet.. the radical opposite to Ade btw .. I am not building a throne for Ade here .. I am just looking at our options upfront ..
I am very unsatisfied with RVP .. people in general give him a lot of credit for very little achievement .. and as I said here before, bring the big man back every day .. TH14 forever .. he would be fantastic next year in ateam that has grown in confidence and doesnt need to play every ball to him .. plus would be good for Cesc as he gets on well with him .. also all the nightmare stories Thierry will tell Cesc will make him stay forever with us ..
April 30, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Now Milan are after Ade, we should say ‘no fuck off, but we’ll buy Kaka and Pirlo’ at least they’ll get Champions league football with us.
April 30, 2008 at 12:06 pm
I don’t think it’s fair to write off Bendtner as being useless at the age of 19. He was always going to need time as understudy to the top 2 strikers(whoever they are) before he develops into the finished product – there aren’t that many who are top notch at that age, Rooney for example.
Whenever I’ve seen Bendtner play I’ve always noticed he had a much better first touch than Adebayor and he can hold up the ball, in the way Smudger Smith could (although Bendnter is obviously nowhere near as good as that yet).
As for him being a bit monosyllabic in an interview – a lot of teenagers are- I really don’t care how a footballer comes across in interview – it’s how they perform on the pitch that matters. Why do we expect sportsmen to be professional orators ?
If we want insightful speaking we should listen to people who specialise in that.
Like interviewing Beckham – ask a dumb person some dumb questions,what do you reckon the answers are going to be like ?
April 30, 2008 at 12:07 pm
The fact is, France did not qualify because the players you put forward put them through.
I wouldn’t take that argument forward to that level, because that would be dim.
Thierry was a flop a Juventus, we took him and turned him into a striking sensation.
There are no French teams in the Champions league final either? 3 teams left in the competition… all English, all with English players:
Gerrard, Cole, Cashley, Bridge, Terry, Scholes, Carrick, Hargreaves, Rio, Carragher, Rooney, SWP, Brown…
I think that says a lot about the quality of English players doesn’t it? Having a shite manager and injury problems had a lot to do with our failings on a national level.
I’d say the quality of the Champions league will be higher than Euro 2008, that is the opinion of Arsene anyway.
April 30, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Geoff..good news .. selll Ade and buy Villa.. what do you think?? or shall we promote Rui Fonte .. or maybe Gilles Sunu?? .. that ugly cunt Ade wants more money .. so all our transfer funds will go to paying bigger wages .. u really made my day now
April 30, 2008 at 12:10 pm
As your headline mentioned the other day, Pjanic, he seems like just the kind of player that Arsenal would buy, young, talented and from a French club, I read a while ago that we were scouting him pretty heavily.
April 30, 2008 at 12:10 pm
No BB, i do see that side to him, but that isn’t the role he’ll play, as he’s a goalscorer more than DB was. He needs to be playing with a DB type player who’ll link up with him, and I think Bendtner is that player more than anyone else at the club.
I’m sorry but Henry will not, and should not return. He was crocked at Arsenal, Barca bought him not realising it, and were then pissed off to find it out. He isn’t nearly good enough for us anymore, and wouldn’t fit in with the way the team plays now.
Next season VP will be fit and our number one striker and could get 25 goals, along with the rest of the forwards getting in double figures
April 30, 2008 at 12:11 pm
BB
You said:
as even Wenger said, ANY forward will score goals at the Arse coz we craete chances
What’s gone wrong then?. By that token we should have walked the EPL, unbeaten and maybe we should sign Kevin Davies. The fact is that apart from Adebayor no-one has scored regularly despite the chances and Ade is the biggest culprit.
He scored a goal against Derby that was virtually identical to a chance he had against MU when he missed.
No, goalscoring is an art in itself. Pires had it, TH14 had it, Eduardo has it but Ade is not a natural. Of course he will score more than the rest because he is the player who has regularly been deployed up front.
I think that Theo and Nik could have score as many had they played the games he has and RVP certainly would have.
April 30, 2008 at 12:15 pm
I’m sorry Pedro but the standard of English players is very poor at the moment, there are precious few English players that have the technical ability to play for Arsenal. If we get a big offer for Ade I think we’d definitely consider selling. He isn’t the future as Arsenal, and will never be used in the same way, or be as successful as he was this season. Then we would definitely consider signing a forward. Fonte isn’t going to make it, Sunu has not even had a full season in the reserves and is far from ready yet, he may make a carling cup appearance next year as a sub.
April 30, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Geoff Wiltord was top class and he heldhis own with players like Henry, Trezegate,Anelka and Cisse (sorry about the spelling) plus others. He was played out of position at AFC and I will take a bet he was more prolific than that over rated tosser Freddie. How did a Manc twat get a comment in mate. The jealous bastard is looking at the wrong team.
April 30, 2008 at 12:17 pm
maybe stu… but give the guy credit for what he has done…
arsene acknowledges it too…. the strikers get great service….
and milan think 25 mill will is enough for him to join…
now that is tempting money
April 30, 2008 at 12:18 pm
http://www.arsenal.com/article.asp?thisNav=News&article=490918&lid=NewsHeadline&Title=Walcott+is+the+O2+Arsenal.com+Player+of+the+Month
Well done champ! Take every award you can get!
Anyone have any links or updates on Flam? Typical, probably going to do a Diarra, and sign in the last 5 minutes of his deadline. Though tonight isnt it is it? Is he completely gone after midnight? or is he still redeemable?
April 30, 2008 at 12:20 pm
The English teams almost got a bye to the final and I predicted the Chavs to get there at the beginning of the season when I learned the venue. I would dearly love the cheating Pool to prove me wrong about this. England players are so fucking over rated its untrue. Sven couldn’t do any more than he did with these no brainer tossers.
April 30, 2008 at 12:22 pm
If we had Wiltord now instead of Eboue we would have pissed the League. I was so happy after his winning goal at OT when we won the League there. Fucking Awesome.
April 30, 2008 at 12:23 pm
A, if technical ability won you the premiership… marvellous, we’d win it every year.
Why are the two teams with the most English players better positioned than us in the league and on course for the Champions league final?
Passion? No way… it’s ability.
Collectively, the English players may not have it… but they don’t seem to do too badly for their club teams.
Can you honestly say that all those players are weaker than their Foreign counter parts?
No way, Joe Cole, Rio, Rooney, Terry, Scholes, Cashley, Hargreaves, Carragher, Gerrard could all play for Arsenal.
Don’t drag me into a debate about English players, I am not anti Foreign but at the same time I am not going to sit here and agree with people that English players are not technically gifted… on the whole maybe, but at the top level, they are all as good as the foreigners.
April 30, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Lets get Huntellar and Robinho plus a Goalkeeper. We can buy a CB cut over the past few weeks it seems that not many people have an idea who. Is there a CB that we all know that could do the job. I like Alex at the Chavs.
April 30, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Pedro.. TH14 was part of the WC side in 98 .. under which coach at Monaco??
you know the answer ..
all these brave boys from our shores .. when they played the frogs a month ago, how good were they??or rather how embarrasingly poor were they??
even your so called flop Malouda was better than any of the English boys on the pitch
we are having a sterile argument here .. I dont want to say that every British player is crap .. by all means not
but when you mention potential and you think that Benzema/Ben Arfa are only potential plyers, stricto sensu techinally speaking you might be right, but to me their potential has been confirmed and they will be big big players in big big teams in the future .. I have no doubt about this .. maybe not for us .. same as Ribery..
there is a lot of quality being produced on the other side of the channel .. much more than here
and the reason why the Mancs are winning the league has got one name behind it .. and that guy is from Madeira .. some rotten island attached to Portugal .. not a Channel island
April 30, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Cashley could play for us…….seem to remember he did once but we got rid of him cos Clichy is better
April 30, 2008 at 12:26 pm
adebayor hes scored 30 this season but look at the ones hes missed. if hes finishin wont see shit maybe we would off bein playing 2night. its coz off him and eboue we ant won anything. and vp hes bein back for 2moths now how many goals hes got? they need henry back. the season ant over yet and adebayor is saying we gonna win it next saeson this is whta he and wenger said its allways about next year.
April 30, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Guys, hang on here - who cares what nationality these players are, what we want is three good solid players who can fill the roles we currently lack in -
On Ade, what he does is hold the ball well, and has a big engine - no one else has that ablility - no - one else can play as well up front on his own. Nik looks lost right now, and against Derby he should have been out to prove his ability, but apart from his goal, his passing was poor and his finishing is not good. Like Theo, missed a good chance or two, but Theo has shown what he can be, he doesnt give up, looks for a good pass, and is not afraid to go for goal.
RVP was awesome at the beginning of the season, and but for his injury he would have got 20+ goals. We didnt have someone to fill that role after Dudu got injured - that is why in my opinion we need a ‘drogba’ kind of forward (ah, now he want to leave the russian empire……. OUCH!)
Sadly, it is cheaper to buy non english players and thats why the boss does it, also it is cheaper to buy ‘potential’ thats why the boss does it…..
what he MUST buy is players with experience, players who WANT to fight for a place, not those who will sulk when rotation is required - Lasagne (spelt for a reason)
at least this coming season we have no copa cup and no african nations cup, so we will not have late returners or players missing in january.
Sdaly though, a lot of our boys will be in europe, just pray they all dont get injured.
if arsene brings in three players on the cheap to fill the gaps and they all have the attitude and ability of Bac, then i for one will be chuffed - he has been awesome, and was he that well known????
April 30, 2008 at 12:30 pm
The reason they are winning things and lets forget the Pool players cos they haven’t done much domestically is because they get preferential tratment from the Refs. How many on your list are regulars for their own teams? Yes J. Cole has terchnique and maybe Cashley and Gerradr but the others you must be joking. Rooney is not better than Ade and we all know he isn’t liked by a few of our fans. Only Rio, Carragher, Terry, Gerrrd are regulars for their teams. How many of your list were in the Premier team of the year too.
April 30, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Yeah Ollie, welldone to Theo, Iam glad he wasnt sent to the championship to gain experience as some had suggested. He’s proving himself to be a true fighter.
I for one am tired of the whole Flamster bizness.
Flamingo can go/fly/ p!ss-off ,as much as I love the player, having to make us wait this late is annoying and unfair to the fans and the club as a whole!!Didnt Cesc extend his contract not too long ago? Did he make us wait this long? NO!!
Comrades, lets just assume he’s gone and fantasise about a possible replacement…or just go to youporn or boobtube and get ourselves excited!!! lol
April 30, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Jean Tigana BB, what is your point?
April 30, 2008 at 12:38 pm
I wouldn’t put any of our pups in, but I would have Villa or Benzema. As far as the current debate on English vs the rest, Arsenal had 4 players in the EPL team of the season, that’s more than anyone and none of them were English.
I think we should have more English in our team, like Barry and maybe Kirkland or Carson, with Micah Richards at the back.
I would like Joe Cole, but that won’t happen, and he’s a cheating chav cunt.
Anyway I remember Cashley, he was English, the best, but a disloyal toe rag, Clichy is miles better and got in the EPL team above Cashley as well.
There are arguments for both, but we have both so who cares?
April 30, 2008 at 12:38 pm
i dont think wenger is gonna buy anyone this season. everyone feels sorry arsenal we are lke a joke team now. arsenal wel never win anything under wenger again. and how the fuck does ade no we are gonna win something next year? its bein 4 years since we last won anything but wenger keeps getinn away with it buy sayin next season we are gonna win the title.
April 30, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Fucking English foreign cunts, sell them all, we will, and Arsene knows.
Well we won’t sell them all as we’ll give one away, know who I mean?
April 30, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Kamel Ghilas - this name has just popped up as being Flamsters replacement
Spoof or true i wonder, never heard of him so it could be true…………….
off to do some research
I love this blog Pedro
April 30, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Benzema is a fantastic player, anyone that can’t see that really doesn’t have a clue about football. He has a lot to learn undoubtedly but he is far more than just potential.
I don’t base any of my opinions on youtube its a pointless exercise. By all means go & have a look at a player after he’s signed to get some idea about them but nobody should use that to form an opinion.
I’ve seen Benzema play numerous times now & the bloke will be suited to premier league football, whether he can adapt to the country & everything else that goes with it, I can’t answer that, but from a pure footballing point of view he is a top quality player!!
April 30, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Sorry bob, we won the FA Cup in May 2005 - not 4 years ago.
April 30, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Kamel Ghilas? Where the hell did that come from Rico?
April 30, 2008 at 12:42 pm
beg your parden, he had a trial with us in feb - i must be getting old!!
April 30, 2008 at 12:43 pm
That’s what I said, he’s like a young Henry waiting to happen.
April 30, 2008 at 12:43 pm
A .. I hear you .. next season he will be fit .. this must be his last chance season
ElTel .. thanks for backing Willie up..maybe we would have won the league this season had we had a similar player to him in our team .. and he wasnt a light weight either
he also scored super goals for his national side .. winning goals!!!!! I like that type of player .. not the Rosicky/RVP who are constantly injured .. or the Hlebs who never take a shot
Stu .. Ade is far from perfect .. and there are quite a few aspects I dont like about him .. first and foremost his lack of passing skills .. dont care about his personality .. most footies are greedy cunts .. see Flam
but point is he came on against Derby and improved the team .. scored 3 goals.. whilst