Let me explain, you are all thinking Arsene has lost the plot and we should be employing Gus Hiddink right? And that his intransigence at being abroad commentating instead of dealing with club issues is the equivalent of Nero fiddling whilst Rome burned.
And Adebayor and Hleb must be respected if they want to leave for more money and what we want doesn’t count for shit as we’re just stupid sheep like fans.
That he said we didn’t need a centerback was the worlds biggest denial since the naked emperor paraded his birthday suit, well let me tell you why you’re all wrong.
Arsenal, the official magazine has listed 10 potential transfer targets, amongst them are Akinfeev, Van der Vaart and Ruben de la Red.
The three wise men Charlie George, Kenny Sansom and Lee Dixon have all said that Wenger has spoken of a new centerback as a priority and have named Richard Dunne and Micah Richards as targets.
Charlie even went on to say we should never have let Diarra go, so all you AKB’s out there, go and buy the Arsenal magazine, June issue and burn it, because three of my all time heroes agree with Le Grove.
Now surely the Official Arsenal magazine is like Arsenal.com and isn’t allowed to say anything without the managers say so? So it must be true, eh?
So we all agree that we need to sign at least 3 players, make an example of Hleb and Ade and stick them in the stiffs, sign Micah Richards and tell Howard Hughes that he doesn’t own our club, we do, and we are fed up with selling our crown jewels and buying babies.
It’s time to step up Arsene, no wonder Nasri hasn’t signed, he doesn’t know how many players we’ll have by the time he gets here.
Stand up to players and other clubs boss, we need you to act like the Arsenal manager and not a recluse that builds shitty aircraft that take forever and never get finished.
Don’t be a Goose, be a leader, a strong one that doesn’t take shit from all the big clubs and all the players you nurtured.
For those who haven’t a clue what I mean, the Goose was the worlds most expensive seaplane built by the worlds maddest man, it took forever, it cost billions and was never used, sound familiar?
Happy domingo Grovers, Pedro’s birthday comments were memorable yesterday, let’s hope the boss reads this. It’s last chance saloon this week to sign some decent players.
June 22, 2008 at 8:47 am
1st again 2 days in a row?
June 22, 2008 at 8:55 am
2nd and well said geoff …..the arsenal magazine is way better than arsenal.con…….if at all ade and hleb leave i dont care let them fucking leave but wenger should buy those kinda players like david villa,akinfeev,micah richards,arshavin and then that would mean arsenal fucking f.c is back in business big time……….arsene wenger wherever the fuck you are relaxing those goody two shoes of yours better get back to the club and sign,seal and deliver.
we the fans want justice and by god we will take it.
June 22, 2008 at 9:01 am
27 days till the barnet game, less than 4 weeks, the bloody cheque book better come out soon!
June 22, 2008 at 9:05 am
haha! What will the AKB’s say… The Arsenal Magazine is reporting on GOSSIP!
There will be a few Gooners spitting their cornflakes out when they read that!
Especially the bit about letting Lassana go!
Great post though… loving the bit about the burning empire. So true and so irritating!
June 22, 2008 at 9:05 am
Word has it Wenger sold the cheque book to Barca, because they wanted it!
June 22, 2008 at 9:07 am
Great post Geoff.
Lately I feel I cannot even be bothered blogging due to everything surrounding Arsenal being so depressing. You just feel you’re saying the same thing over and over again due to the fact Arsenal don’t give a dam about the fans and don’t keep us in the loop at all. Even when new players are signed we don’t get a press conference like every other club, instead we get a few irrelevant lines posted on Arsenal.com.
June 22, 2008 at 9:11 am
Geoff , Top stuff, The way our players are tapped up is disgraceful. Heres this plonker Blatter talking about sorting out Englands woes internationally with the 6-5 rule (more like he wants to stop the EPL’s domination), yet he turns a blind eye to this taunting of our players by these poxy club s who say come to us, we have more money to give to you. Real Madrid & Barcelona why don’t you go phuck yourselves. Your legendary amarda got shat on by Drakey, just come to terms with it, The English have looked down on you ever since.
June 22, 2008 at 9:16 am
Diarra should have never left agreed, look at all he achieved at the euro by moving
June 22, 2008 at 9:20 am
Any AKB’s out there care to comment on ‘my prority is to keep this group of players together’……………..
June 22, 2008 at 9:22 am
GMR, the board do look at us fans that follow and sing for the club as sheep… …my ex-wife worked at DD’s law firm about 10 years ago and as a transfer was going through with the other DD present, they were sitting and chatting about how sad football fans were, paying their cash to watch players they woould never own etc.
She relished telling me this although she wasn’t supposed to because she hated me going to football…. …as I always say it’s bettter than going to Church/Synagogue/Mosque/Temple (delete appropriatly)
June 22, 2008 at 9:23 am
Gunner8, I don’t get your point. So what if Diarra never got any time at the Euro’s at least he made the squad but can’t be blamed for the humiliating performance of the french there. Domenech is an idiot, hence why Clichy & Sagna weren’t even included.
The fact he has an FA cup winners medal to show & our players have f*** all would justify the move in his eyes!!
June 22, 2008 at 9:24 am
socceroos 1nil down - kewel still looks fit to me, could be worth a cheap purchase perhaps?
June 22, 2008 at 9:24 am
Everyone in the wide world could see that Diarra should have stayed - except Diarra. Whadyagonnado? By the way the Goose was awesome! The aviational equivalent of Philip Senderos, could only move in a straight line and never went above six inches in the air. Beyond that I have just three words for AW: Please buy Arshavin!
June 22, 2008 at 9:26 am
The Nero comparison is a bit wide of the mark (even alluding to it is unnecessary).
This is time that other managers would be spending on a beach somewhere. Wenger’s spent June at a football tournament. I think that shows a dedication that you’re not really acknowledging.
Seems like you’ve succumbed to the silly season hysteria. It happens to the best of us. Why is it last chance saloon, when the window has only just opened?
June 22, 2008 at 9:26 am
dennisdamenace
I was an AKB until Jan, I knew we needed to sign a player or two to replace Robbin and Tom but no we sold Diarra and then Eduardo was out for the season.
I realized that while AW is a great man who has achieved so much in his ten years that he is a stubborn old mule that can not see where we need improving… …his persistance with Eboue on the right also baffled, he is the most rubbish Arsenal player since Kowimya.
So yes I feel lied to and expected some quick dealings so that we could prepare for next year, not as Geoff mentioned yesterday, the August 31st deadline.
June 22, 2008 at 9:28 am
GMR, yes he won a medal that Pompey would have never one without him… …yes he maade the squad but he hardly played and IMHO Flamini was better off on holiday.
To say you are happier being a big fish in a small pond says a lot about your character… …but we needed him in the run-in showed even more by flimflam’s injury and it was a mistake letting him go
June 22, 2008 at 9:29 am
timao, nice analogy
June 22, 2008 at 9:30 am
Evo, is Australia playing china right now?
June 22, 2008 at 9:31 am
any1 got the new kit by the way?
June 22, 2008 at 9:32 am
stonroy - yep in sydney
June 22, 2008 at 9:34 am
ARSENAL TALK: Gunners linked with Kranjcar again
June 22, 2008 at 9:35 am
Gunner8… whilst I understand what you are saying regarding the character flaws of Diarra… I would say it is Arsene’s responsibility to manage those insecurities.
The boy wanted to play football… he didn’t want to switch benches. We could have loaned him out at the very least or we could have demanded he stay till the end of the season. He would not be disruptive… he is a quiet player.
Wenger sold him because if he loaned him out… his value could have dropped further.
If you let players go everytime they ask… you set a precedent… which is clearly being followed.
Gunnar… 27 days till our first match of preseason… we have lost Flamini… Ade wants out, Hleb wants out and we haven’t signed one first team player.
There maybe 2 months of transfer window left, but how many players bought on the 31st of August settle?
June 22, 2008 at 9:37 am
Gunner8, I agree we did need him or at least someone else to be brought in. Clearly he didn’t have the right attitude but Wenger should have made him stay until the summer at least.
June 22, 2008 at 9:38 am
Kleb may want out, but Wenger is playing hard ball on him…we all know that, the info has been around for weeks!
June 22, 2008 at 9:39 am
Morning All.
What a cracking game last night. I was rooting for the Dutch at kick-off, but by the end I was swayed by the brilliant Russkies.
RvP didn’t get a look in against a superb defence. The commentary over here is piss-poor. Can anyone tell me and preferably AW, who stood out ?
Perhaps the DM we need is a Russian.
And Arshavin !! 4 weeks ago we had never heard of him, now he looks the best thing since Maradonna.
June 22, 2008 at 9:40 am
We need new players for the start of pre season. The CL qualifier could prove difficult this season, I don’t know who’s seeded or not but if Zenit aren’t we could end up drawing them.
Whats the point of buying players 2-3 games into the season when you could already have slipped up & given an early advantage to your opponents?
June 22, 2008 at 9:43 am
Can I point out that no-one has bought their new players (aaprt from the Spuds). There must be some bidding wars going on for the best players available.
June 22, 2008 at 9:45 am
there appears to have been 15 deals done in the premiership so far!
June 22, 2008 at 9:48 am
Pedro, thanks for the response.
But most summer signings don’t happen until late July/August. Some of our best transfers have been around the end of close season: Thierry Henry was an August arrival.
Recently, Eduardo, Sagna came in July. Diarra left Chelski in August.
That’s just the way it tends to happen.
I’m not on here to attack the blog, but can you really be sure that Ade wants out, or that either he or Hleb will actually leave. I’m not saying that they won’t go - I don’t know - but speculation gets the better of everyone sometimes.
I admit Wenger has his flaws, but isn’t it better to wait and see, before writing him off.
June 22, 2008 at 9:50 am
Do we reckon that Diogo news is real or not?
June 22, 2008 at 9:56 am
Any big signings Evo ? apart from Modric, Santos and Boswinga
June 22, 2008 at 9:57 am
good morning people….
AR SHAVIN.. wow… and that pavluchenko…
their prices would have sky rocketed!!!
June 22, 2008 at 9:57 am
morning all and great article geoff , it’s ok building but WHEN THE FUCK WILL IT ACTUALLY BE BUILT !!???? . Dennis menance , great point about trying to keep the squad togeather . going well is,nt it !! I am so pissed off with this . If Nasri was in London for a medical and agreed terms , WHY has he not signed !!?? The thing is we have seen Villa etc and Arshavin last night , fantastic player , perfect player to replace hleb but deep down you know we won,t get them . And thought now we have a big ground , we would compete for some top players .
June 22, 2008 at 9:58 am
Pedro and GMR
I agree he needed to be firm for a change, after seeing Gilberto in the few chances he got looking llike he was playing for the other side Diarra was a necessity for us to keep until the summer
June 22, 2008 at 10:01 am
The speculation isn’t started by the blogs… it is started by the new sites. The blogs just allow the fans to discuss what is going on.
No one is writing the coach off… I’d just like a response to what I feel is an attack on our club.
Hopefully we will see a busy July… just not in the sense that 27% of last years first team leaves! I think even the most optimistic fan can see that both players want out…
The Arsenal PR machine leaves a lot to be desired. To me, there is no benefit in silence… It makes us look weak.
June 22, 2008 at 10:01 am
Question - How can any manager profess to build a team, and as soon as a relative nobody/unknow puts in ONE good season he either is flogged or he wants away - either way it’s two steps forward three steps back, and my question is the money made from these sales is hardly ever ploughed back into the first team, so where the fuck does it go?
Oh yeh, wages on 17 year olds!
June 22, 2008 at 10:01 am
I agree Gunnar. I have yet to see any direct quotes from Ade saying he wants out. In fact, the very opposite. As to the Barca story - if a journo asks ‘would be flattered if Barca want to sign you?’ , any positive response is taken az proof that he wants to move.
Only two weeks ago the Togonator put out a statement confirming his love of Arsenal, and his commitment to the team. If he is leaving, it is because the club want to sell him.
June 22, 2008 at 10:05 am
Big Rad - those 3 plus Degan to pool and Ramsey to us!
June 22, 2008 at 10:05 am
ddm , excactly ! we have actually made profits out of the last two transfer windows haven’t we ?
June 22, 2008 at 10:05 am
I have to ask this though. What’s with all these newpapers hating Arsenal so much? They defend Man united and call Ronaldo a traitor, but when it comes to Arsenal they try and weaken us with every little thing. For example Clichy going to Italy. Wenger managing PSG… This is fucking ridiculous. Why are we so fucking hated..
June 22, 2008 at 10:06 am
big raddy… ade wants out simple… and so does hleb..
look at what fabregas did…. he sacked his agent….
you can’t go on 80k a week with one year of brilliance… fabregas has been doing it for 3 years and i think he just got a hike or not….
same with flamini… if you love the club you will stay …
having said that.. we are definitely acting like skints…
we’re trying to race ferraris and porsches with our toyota corolla!!!!
not that its a bad car…. but you get the point!!!
June 22, 2008 at 10:07 am
Socceroos are playing like there C side on the pitch!
June 22, 2008 at 10:08 am
Gunnar apart from Ramsay we haven’t bought anyone Diarra excluded, for nearly a year.
Anyone with a business brain would be buying before the Euro’s, Wenger himself has said that, anyone with a footballing brain wouldn’t need the Euro’s to see how good a player is, Arshavin for instance, you could see his worth in the UEFA cup, what would he be worth now, same with Villa.
If you’re happy with our defence then good luck you’ll need it.
June 22, 2008 at 10:10 am
Pique has left Man scum and gone back to Barca
June 22, 2008 at 10:12 am
Exacto, Pedro and Big raddy!
Arsenal has the worst PR team at any premiership club.
It doesn’t help that, unlike the Spanish clubs (as well as Manure and Chelski) we don’t give the press any tips about our transfer targets because we can’t afford to go into bidding wars.
Hence all the crap that gets printed about us. Silly season is damaging for Arsenal, more than any other club and it is something that needs addressing. Of course other teams want our players, but the fact remains that they’re willing to stoop to methods that a club with Arsenal sense of class and dignity would never even consider.
Our website should be more fan-oriented and set-up to deal with our cloak and dagger transfer policy. And to communicate the necessary message to Barca an their ilk: Something along the lines of, “Back the f*ck off”.
My point is that I’m not an optimistic fan. It isn’t much fun, but the best thing to do in the Summer is avoid being optimistic or pessimitic about the any rumours. It’s better for your health.
June 22, 2008 at 10:13 am
Raddy, who said this?
“We are a new generation, we have to create a new history. I want to be part of this history, so I hope I will be here for next season. At the moment my advisers are talking with the club, so I really hope that everything will be okay.
“I cannot put a time on it, but I really want to stay here.”
AC Milans new left back!
Its the same scenario with Ade. He isn’t going to come out and say he wants to leave… that is tantamount to a transfer request and Ade losing £2.3mill in kick backs.
They’ve both done their apprenticeships and they want out… its sad… but it’s true.
That is why I would prefer ready mades to join who give us 5 years of great football then leave… Like Sagna or Thierry.
I don’t want Arsenal to become the club you go to to learn your trade.
June 22, 2008 at 10:13 am
geoff , i don’t get it . i thought wenger highlighted the defence as a problem cl exit and now say’s he dose’nt need anyone !
choy , more to the point , like i said with our great stadium but no big signing’s
no point in having a ferrari with a gearbox from dicks auto ,s
June 22, 2008 at 10:13 am
Choy,
I see evidence for Hleb, but what are you basing your assumption about Ade upon?
I am not saying he will not leave, after all IF we are being offered £25m for him, it is great money for him. Personally , I think the figure is massively inflated, and again I would ask where it came from? The Sun/Mirror/NOTW ?
June 22, 2008 at 10:17 am
Gunnar… you are spot on regarding Arsenal.com.
It takes 2 seconds to issue a denial.
Arsenal fans don’t want to be told about who we are chasing, but at the same time… we don’t want our hopes raised with talk of a defender (We all know we need) - Then dashed 3 weeks later without good reason.
Keep it zipped or stick to what you say.
There is no clarity.
Does anyone even know if Arsenal have a PR firm?
June 22, 2008 at 10:19 am
If we get 25 mil or more for kanu jnr, it is truely another cash in! I like him, but you cant turn down that amount of coin!
It would all come down to what happens with the coin, if it ends up in the bank, then thats the cunts! If we buy 1-2 class players with it, then ka pow! Bang!
June 22, 2008 at 10:20 am
That’s why we moved to the new stadium, so we compete with the big teams and not get left behind, so why the fuck are we not competing?
June 22, 2008 at 10:20 am
Pedro, the same answer to you…. I want proof not assumption !!
As has been written extensively, Flam moved for bigger money. He said he would try to get the money from AFC, and when we were £30k a week short, he took a better offer. (who can blame him!!)
But would he have moved had AW offered a similar wage? I believe he would have stayed.
As to the ‘game’ played by agents - you are absolutely right. And of course there is a possibilty you are right about Ade. But without evidence to the contrary, I prefer to believe in his integrity.
June 22, 2008 at 10:21 am
pedro , its called Hill Wood and partners . silent partners
June 22, 2008 at 10:22 am
Not sure. I work in advertising - I reckon I could make the jump. Talk about a dream job eh!
Although I did hear that Kroenke owns half the site. And that it’s having a massive overhaul this summer.
June 22, 2008 at 10:23 am
I’d like to refer to the point I made earlier - buy Arshavin!!! By the way Big Raddy the commentators over here slagged off the Russian defence for failing to defend set pieces - and they did look vulnerable to a ball lobbed in from the flanks..? We don’t need any more of that. That left back Professor Zhirkov looked like a worthy back-up for Clichy. Maybe Colodin is worth having as a 40yd dead-ball specialist, what a shot that guy has! Shame he can’t head the ball in his own box.
June 22, 2008 at 10:25 am
i wouldnt be surprised if wenger went in for arse shavin - he mentioned him in his interview yesterday
June 22, 2008 at 10:26 am
hope so evo , he looks a great player , perfect replacement for hleb if / when he goes .
June 22, 2008 at 10:27 am
there we go again , getting our hopes up .
June 22, 2008 at 10:28 am
BR… we are basing what we write on blogs as speculation… we do not know for a fact that what is going on.. as I personally have no inside information from the club…
we read from sports news and so on and so forth…
now ade was interviewed recently and i was made to believe that he would not like to comment on the current situation..
now he has told us that he would personally like to stay here.. on arsenal.com
but I remember TH14 saying something along similar lines….. arsenal forever and stuff like that… this from a man who had broken all club records.. given his best for the club….
if a person like him could make promises and leave… what guarantee do we have that a flash in the pan one year wonder would not leave..
when he has always stated that he is in for the money!
June 22, 2008 at 10:28 am
Evo… that would be one hell of a signing. Could he become the first Russian superstar? (you lot are too young to remeber Lev Yashin!)
June 22, 2008 at 10:28 am
yeah definitely better than kleb, as he actually shoots and scores goals!
June 22, 2008 at 10:29 am
The fact is Pedro they come here to ply their trade and when they leave turn back to dross… …but yeah some consistency would be nice for a change
offski
June 22, 2008 at 10:30 am
get ready for 1.5 million jean jaque weah abib , the 16 yr old from the congo ,
June 22, 2008 at 10:31 am
Thanks Timao.
June 22, 2008 at 10:32 am
“Andrei has told us that he wishes to change clubs,” said Advocaat. “At present in the way of offers it is quiet.
“The situation may well change after the game against Holland for the national side.”
June 22, 2008 at 10:32 am
who he, Jules?
June 22, 2008 at 10:32 am
“There is not a player who could say no to Barcelona. If Barcelona make an offer for me and reach an agreement with Arsenal, I would be delighted to go there.”
That is one quote I found Raddy.
Then you have the quotes from Bronzetti… saying Arsenal want to sell to Barca not Milan. For me… all it would take is a 10 second clip from Wenger saying he is not for sale at any cost.
Case closed until the next round of quotes. Then you reiterate that point.
Raddy… you were joking when you put the word ‘integrity’ the same sentence as a footballer?
Bergkamp had integrity… Cesc seems to… but other than that… you are struggling!
Here is my chance to show I am not bias when I talk about footballers.
I think Ronaldo has treated Fergie disgracefully. He made him the player he is today and at the first opp… he is off! What a joke… absolutely no class.
At least Drogba showed a bit of decency. He let everyone know his plans at the start of the year… no gossip, no ambiguity, no fan stress.
That is how to do it in my book of principles!
I’d be a shit agent wouldn’t I?
June 22, 2008 at 10:33 am
and carlos vela scored again for his country!
June 22, 2008 at 10:33 am
Don’t forget before the break up of the Soviet Union, Hleb was Russian and would have played for them.
June 22, 2008 at 10:33 am
evo , without playing 28 passes ! sign the bloke ! ffs
June 22, 2008 at 10:34 am
China just had a penalty awarded and scored it, but the ref awarded encroachment and to take it again, so he missed it on the re-take! wanker!
June 22, 2008 at 10:35 am
big raddy , our next signing us gooners are desperate for , (was joking )
June 22, 2008 at 10:40 am
question of the day:
When will our club have the ambition to make a 50 mill pound or more transfer deal on a single player?
June 22, 2008 at 10:43 am
If I was a player and had confidence in myself, I would not talk to anyone about signing before the Euros were over.
Take Arshavin, before the Euros it was Newcastle and Everton who were looking at him. Now, he has all the top clubs in Europe after him and his signing on fee and wages must have gone up by 50%, as for his fee, well Zenit are likely to get 50% more too!
Now look at Modric. Signs for the scum. Why? He played well enough for some much better clubs to be interested in him now. Serves him right!
Makes you wonder about Nasri! Maybe he realised he might not get much playing time; how right was he!
June 22, 2008 at 10:45 am
sorry , i am being very flipant and negative this am . frustrating though is,nt it ! ?
just want to win badly next season and not have to tolerate those petulant mancs
in my face again . Come on Arsene , SORT IT OUT .
June 22, 2008 at 10:46 am
Fair point Pedro. I don’t want to hammer on about this. We shall see.
Ronaldo …. as I wrote yesterday. I am looking forward to his fight with MU. United have this myth of being a club you cannot fuck with (see, Stam, Horseface, Becks). We shall see.
But ……. MU came out in the press and were very clear about their feelings about Real’s approach, and how they would respond to a positive reply from the Winker. Now, they are betwwen a rock and a hard place. So how did that help them? If AW continually rebutted rumour in the press, he would look a total dick, if his assurances turned to shit.
If MU give way - no matter how enormous the transfer fee, the Hard Man SAF’s reputation will be shattered.
Player power …. we shall see
June 22, 2008 at 10:46 am
Choy:
Answer: Never
June 22, 2008 at 10:47 am
choy , play station 3 ?
June 22, 2008 at 10:49 am
lol.. i just want our club to make a super signing… the hopes will be up.. maybe players would not want to leave…
success attracts people you know and as a club we’re having very little of it…
June 22, 2008 at 10:51 am
Arguably though Raddy… Have ManU ever had a player as talented?
I know that is a controversial thing to say… but Ronaldo is an amazing player.
He is as big as Beckham regarding marketability and twice as talented.
June 22, 2008 at 11:00 am
bang on choy , imagine the lift we would all get if we went out and got someone like villa , that would also be a statement of intent of aspiration/ ambition.
June 22, 2008 at 11:02 am
choy_kwok is right we really need a super signing.
June 22, 2008 at 11:05 am
yep , come on wenger show some balls .
June 22, 2008 at 11:06 am
maybe lehmann will be playing in the friendly against us for stuttgart.
June 22, 2008 at 11:08 am
hahah mad jens…. what a character he was!!!
June 22, 2008 at 11:08 am
am suprised to see david villa linked with spuds
if spuds do sign him, am going to shoot wenger
June 22, 2008 at 11:12 am
gunnershabz… the spuds wanted to sign eto too.. we all know what happened!!
June 22, 2008 at 11:12 am
i read that villa wants to stay at valencia now, hard to believe seeing their results this season
June 22, 2008 at 11:12 am
I just wish we buy somebody, as long as it’s not Martens.
June 22, 2008 at 11:12 am
Stam, RVN & Beckham were all kicked out the club, it wasn’t them that wanted to leave. If Man Utd weren’t under the control of the Glazers I think Ronaldo would be stuck in the reserves for the next 2 years, however due to their debts I don’t think they’d be allowed to do such a thing with Ronaldo now. There is no way the banks would allow them to f*** about with a minimum 45 million pound fee.
June 22, 2008 at 11:13 am
True Pedro. But is any player bigger than the club. Especially in MU’s case.
This is enornous for footabll and I do not understand why not more is being made of it (at least over here!)
1. Man Utd are the biggest club in the World, both financially and in terms of Fans. Ronaldo is asying he wants to go to play for the better team, how can he justify that.
2. Ronaldo is unquestionably the best player in the World. He is also the most marketable. How much will MU be affected if he leaves?
3. How do Real balance the enormous cost of his signing.? OK they will sell a lot of shirts, but you can be sure Ronaldo’s agent will be making sure he has a major slice of that money. And they are mainly Thai copies !
If Real get the Winker, it shows every other player the power they have over their clubs.
As to MU ‘nurturing’ him. He was (maybe is) the most expensive teenager ever. He would have made it playing for Barnet !!
June 22, 2008 at 11:13 am
At the moment with respect to The Arsenal, the tail is wagging the dog. The Club is being fucked about by the players’ egos & agents. So, for me, its time The Club took a stand, made a statement & reclaimed the upper hand. Look @ Barcelona. They have said they don’t need Ronaldinho & Et’o etc, players that 99% of clubs would gladly have. That says that Barcelona is in charge. Ofcourse it appears the opposite with The Arsenal.
Get strong Arsene Wenger, we all know you have been given carte blanche @ the Emirates.
June 22, 2008 at 11:14 am
Whats the betting that Arsenal have agreed to sell Adebayor & when the real transfer fee gets released it’ll be somewhere closer to 13 million!! Its always the same with Arsenal & then Wenger will tell us all how he has no money.
June 22, 2008 at 11:15 am
sounds like adebayor!!!
June 22, 2008 at 11:15 am
Morning Grovers - great read Geoff
I wonder how many of us would prefer to still be at Highbury, the good old days when big players signed for us, food and drink not so expensive, and we could all get home easy on a Saturday evening -
If big stadiums = no ‘big players’ then i for one would still be for Highbury
I am fed up with Hleb, Ade and Nasri saga, its lasting longer than the lifeline of a Duracell battery!
Arsene knows - yes, F ALL!!
June 22, 2008 at 11:16 am
True GMR. My point was about the danger of coming out in the press with statements like ” he will rot in the reserves”.
It has put the club in an impossible situation.
June 22, 2008 at 11:17 am
And why the F doesnt AW do away with his stupid 1 year contract rule for the over 30s - we would have kept Sir Bobby but for that!!
June 22, 2008 at 11:19 am
Rico, how you have changed ! When you first came on here, you were a ray of positiviity. Now you have become a Grumpy Old Woman.
June 22, 2008 at 11:22 am
rico , i hate to say this , but i was thinking that too . highbury , bergy , pires , adams ,
henry , etc etc , a cheese bagel in the east lower for £2.20 and you could get a pint without walking a mile . more to the point SUCCESS !!!!
June 22, 2008 at 11:22 am
June 22, 2008 at 11:23 am
duracell battery was top notch rico
June 22, 2008 at 11:24 am
seriously . i love the new stadium , its great , i just want to not be bridesmaids in the best church .
June 22, 2008 at 11:24 am
I think things went downhill when we got rid of the marching band before the game !!
June 22, 2008 at 11:28 am
Well Big Raddy, that big crocadile that runs round before the home games doesn’t really inspire;)
June 22, 2008 at 11:29 am
what sucked thou, was no booze at champions league games!
June 22, 2008 at 11:30 am
Evo, did Australia C win, lose or draw?
June 22, 2008 at 11:30 am
Big Raddy - I am not grumpy, just frustrated. I suppose before I joined all you Grovers I was a bit of a AKB - always thinking that AW would get it right eventually. But you old buggers have made me see things so differently, and very seldom can I disagree with ‘Grovers’ comments that are made -
I look back on some of the fine players that we have lost, either for free or little money, and then look at those we have bought in, and those ‘used to fill in’ when we suffer injury.
Look at Gallas - ok we got him eventually, but five years too late
Cashley - he was worth a lot more than we got for him
Pires - still playing well in Spain
Edu - free
PV and TH - cheap sales, and had they have stayed with us, maybe they would hev not taken a dip in form as they have. You have to be happy in life to perform well
Same with Petit and Overmars…….
I could go on and on, but you will think I am more grumpy, I am just very down hearted as players seem to want to leave our fine club and no-one on the board seems to give a damn. So many things need sorting out, and it does not always mean it relates to money….
I just wish the boss would get the squad together, ask who wants to leave and then sell them. Then use the money and replace them with experienced players and get this club back where it should be.
Maybe then I will stop moaning!!
June 22, 2008 at 11:33 am
Diarra wasn,t good enough what he was was a good investment cheap good reserve & maybe make it or at the least always a profit waiting to happen at that price it just happened quick so terrific dozens of better options than Diarra
June 22, 2008 at 11:35 am
I do not believe that becks was kicked out at man u. I think the day the boot flew into his face signalled the end of his time there. Also you might remember that he was left out against real in the CL that season when he alledgedly made the phone call to his agent that night to make the move happen.
Whatever the case real made there money back in 3 months, so it wasnt excatly a shrewd decision from united or fergies POV.
June 22, 2008 at 11:35 am
Arshavin has a £10M buy out clause in his contract - so his value may of gone up - but he is still available for that price.
June 22, 2008 at 11:36 am
I agree Rico about the desire to play for the club. But beyond signing a contract , how can Arsenal guarantee their loyalty ?
As Pedro says, there is no integrity left in football. Sadly, money corrupts
June 22, 2008 at 11:38 am
Diarra refused to play in two cup games and refused to go out on loan.
Evryone is saying season ticket prices are too high but if you are a season ticket holder and you see a player raking £25,000 a week sittng in the stands for two years with his value decreasing would you be happy?
June 22, 2008 at 11:39 am
Sorry but one guy agreeing that letting Diarra leave as a mistake does not mean that the whole of the Arsenal magazine agrees with everything Le Grove say! It’s nothing new to do interviews and publish the opinions of ex-players, just because their opinion on diarra is the same as yours does not mean they share all of your opinions!
June 22, 2008 at 11:41 am
george - OZ C lost 0-1.
June 22, 2008 at 11:41 am
Big Raddy - my point exactly, that is what the board should be doing - asking why these players want to leave - my guess its because of, obviously money, but they want to play with big names, big players etc - when we had DB, PV, Manu etc, we were that club that big players wanted to come to - we need to get back to that status…
I am not for a takeover by the Russian, but I guess that is what DD means when he says we need an investment.
Is Stan the man ‘really’ joining the Directors, and if so, will he be handing AW some money to spend this summer…
Right, no more moaning for me, I promise to be more positive and fall right back in love with Barry Manilow - I mean AW!!
June 22, 2008 at 11:43 am
Ambitious Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg are ready to throw their hat into the ring for unsettled Arsenal midfielder Alexander Hleb, according to reports in Germany.
Barcelona and Bayern Munich are believed to be leading the race to sign the Belarus international, who wants to leave the Gunners.
June 22, 2008 at 11:46 am
I only want wenger to spend the money he as got, we don’t need major investment just a tweek and a bit of back up.
£600 million and a winning manager has hardly got Chelsea a million miles ahead of us a couple of points, no cups and shit football..
June 22, 2008 at 11:48 am
I take it Wolfsburg is a nice quiet rural market town….
June 22, 2008 at 11:48 am
rico ,
i feel the same , it is not being negative , just realistic and like me you just want to see your club win . our rants are frustration not negativism if that is a word.
June 22, 2008 at 11:52 am
Arse&Nose, where has Geoff said the whole of the Arsenal magazine agrees with everything le-grove say??
Why do you bother with this site anyway when you go & slag it off on other blogs??
June 22, 2008 at 11:53 am
the press is rife with bollocks….
just had the best roast dinner ever washed down with a bottle of sparkling red!
Bloody ripper!
June 22, 2008 at 11:57 am
Evo… sounds great.
Frustration is part and parcel of being a fan. Thank goodness we don’t suport the Chavs. They buy all these superstars and still end up playing boring fotball and winning FA.
June 22, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Yes I’ve had 29 years of that with my other footy club.
June 22, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Slagg it off ? I appologise if I have hurt your feelings GMR.
I read this blog everyday, do i not have a right to have an opinion?
I agree with some things and disagree with others, thats the whole point of having a debate.
June 22, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Afternoon all.
Hope you had a good one on your birthday Pedro, and you’ve got a thumping hang over!!
So have we signed anyone yet?
Has AW made any noises on who he’s signing?
What’s the latest gos?
June 22, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Some big names for others to want to play with?
We’ve got Cesc, Sagna, Clichey, Eduardo, RVP, Walcott plus the new kids on the block who are the pick of the talent out there coming through and maybe Adebayor, Hleb, Nasri……….. Everybody drools at our football! OK no successes i.e. silverware as yet but another season of that football + success and we’ll have it all!
We just need that CB…………. Ever the optimist….. Been happy with the football to date, obviously would have been happier with a success or two but far better than watching the coach parked across the goal type football of other teams not too far away!
June 22, 2008 at 12:03 pm
…Top post again btw Geoff, where are my manners!
June 22, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Rico, our players ARE big mnames. Otherwise why would they be cherished by other big clubs?
Let’s not put ourselves with Villa, Everton, Blackburn etc.
There are only perhaps 4/5 teams bigger than us, and sadly they always will be . Man U, Barca, Real, AC Milan, and maybe Bayern.
The Chavs have more money, the Scouse have more silverware, But we are a bigger club.
I would put us the same level as Inter.
June 22, 2008 at 12:04 pm
BigR - now thats more like it, and I would hate us to be owned outright, the ‘family’ feel will go -
The Chavs - what a load of money they have spent, and they have destroyed players by buying them, thats what happens when too many players are in a squad.
Sidwell
SWP
Shev
Bridge (now better than Cole I think)
Alex
I am sure there are more, but all went for the money, and to keep their bums warm on the bench….
June 22, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Big R - they are not big names, they all have only four or five letters in them….
No moaning
June 22, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Big Raddy, Wolfsburg is an industrial city built by the Nazis, a ‘new town’, and was called City of the People’s Car when it was started, referring to the VW Beetle that was built there.
It has nothing to recommend it apart from the VW factory.
Hleb would be none too pleased by this move.
I hope we sell him to Wolfsburg.
June 22, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Would also say that juve are bigger than us, and liverpool probably.
June 22, 2008 at 12:13 pm
mmmmm there is a bit of a lull after yesterdays excitement with Arshavin & co. And of course Pedros birthday.
June 22, 2008 at 12:16 pm
True GG9. Any topic you fancy chatting about?
June 22, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Yes, where do you live in Denmark?
June 22, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Thanks Odub, sorry for the new bloggers taking a while to get on, I’ve been out for a bit, but welcome to Le Grove, you’re on now.
June 22, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Arse&Nose, You haven’t hurt my feelings, I don’t run the site.
Its you that comes here saying Geoff has said things he clearly hasn’t, so why don’t you try keeping your opinion to things that have actually been said.
Was it not you who was posting on young guns about how le-grove deleted your comments because you didn’t agree with them??
June 22, 2008 at 12:21 pm
AFC, I think, and it is just opinion, we are probably on equal footing to Juve.
To say we are a smaller club than LFC sticks in my craw ! After all, when was the last time LFC won the league? Mobile phones weren’t invented, nor was the internet. In fact most of the bloggers on here weren’t born !! Does a very, very, very lucky CL win make them a bigger club?
June 22, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Arse&nose of course it does, what makes you think that Arsenal magazine doesn’t agree with everything we write, our posts are both witty and informative, but always bang on. I thought you knew that.
June 22, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Is that true Arse&nose?
June 22, 2008 at 12:24 pm
BigRaddy, all opinion, of course.
juve are bigger though, although it sickens me to say it, and I’m in my 40s now, so I remember Liverpool being quite good…until ‘89ish, and 5CL wins is more than lucky, sadly.
Have no fear though, by the time we have paid for the Stadium and sold our soul we will be ready to try and catch them up. I figure around 2015 we should be ready.
June 22, 2008 at 12:26 pm
lol yes of course we all agree with you.
June 22, 2008 at 12:27 pm
last chance saloon this week to sign decent players? i thought the window closed at the end of august? unless you mean in terms of getting them in for pre season.
good article yesterday by the way.
also the 3 wise men as their column is titled , always say plenty in the mag each month, but last time i looked none of them were managing a football team?
as for the cb comments, it wouldnt be the first time wenger has said one thing and done something different, im sure hed said we werent signing anyone in the window we signed ade walcott and diaby, so it could be a plan like that or something else like he plans to promote nordveit (who the manager and steve bould have both said is ready in terms of ability mentality positioning technique etc but a bit behind physically, perhaps hes spent the summer eating creatine and going to the gym
) or use a tall defensive midfielder to givew the defense aerial protection. whatever it is so mething has happened to make him change his mind and the only thing we can do is wait and see..
no mention of the ade news today?
what do you reckon? seems to be way too much smoke with no recent denials from club or player for there not to be some substance?
25 m for a 3 m player whos had 1 great season is good busines but only if we use that cash to improve the team, signing santa cruz seems like a bad step due to his injury record we already have rvp and rosicky in permanent residence with diaby owning a time share in the remaining bed in the sick bay and cant see how wed replace like for like as theres no one about with ades height strength and pace, or ability to always score against the spuds!
what do you reckon?
June 22, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Preston North End, Blackpool, aand Stoke City are bigger than Chelsea then.
lol
June 22, 2008 at 12:30 pm
oh and im with you 100% on durham being a massive ginger twat, this isnt the first or even 10th time hes talked aload of bolocks about arsenal or people related to the club, i reckon hes a spub and he claims to support some lower league team cos hes too embarrased to admit it
June 22, 2008 at 12:32 pm
david: Preston North End are far bigger than the chavs. FACT.
June 22, 2008 at 12:33 pm
GG9. Copenhagen. A beautiful city.
June 22, 2008 at 12:35 pm
The trouble is Dan we always hang on to the hope that Wenger is bluffing, but he never is, we’ve needed a centerback for some time now.
You don’t have to be a manager to have an opiinion, I’m not!
June 22, 2008 at 12:36 pm
AFC. I was talking about their recent win over AC.
Burnley are bigger than the Chavs….. Fact
So are Huddersfield, and Wolves !!
June 22, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Wenger is definataly bluffing he said he would keep the team together..
June 22, 2008 at 12:40 pm
It certainly looks that way, why can’t the Senderos’s want out instead of the Helb’s and Ade’s?
June 22, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Up with Gus Hiddink should be Carlos Qeuiroz if the manager decides to take the French job after Domenech gets sacked - that way he’d be reunited with Diarra too!
June 22, 2008 at 12:41 pm
BigRaddy, I know you were talking about the win against AC, but they are still bigger than us due to their silverware, and 5CL’s is very impressive.
Enough about those bin-dippers though, making me feel all sicky inside just typing about them.
Huddersfield Town for sure, in fact chelsea are not in the top 20.
June 22, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Senderos is on a cushy number, he aint going no-where, and who would want him if he were to go ?
Ade and Hleb though know they can earn more money at another club.
Our wage-structure has got to be changed.
Not rocket science to see that when we had our big earners in the team…Sol, RP, TH, PV, etc., we were bloody well near Untouchable, and now we are running after the ‘promising youngsters’.
June 22, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Us fans are always told by AKB’s that we should just wait & see what happens & that the transfer window is open until the end of August. Then come mid season when its all going horrible wrong again & we dare to suggest that Wenger should have bought players all the AKB’s come out saying how easy it is to say that with hindsight.
Do these people ever realise how ridculous they sound??
We’ve been waiting for Wenger to keep his word for the past 3 years, isn’t about time he was forced to keep his word?? He treats the fans as mugs, just look at his recent Q&A session with the shareholders, he sat there & lied through his teeth about what he was doing. He has since said he would sign 3 players, that we would be reassured & that he would do that in 3 weeks, again nothing happened. I can accept that maybe 1 of the deals was more difficult than he thought to complete, I suppose its even possible that two of them went wrong, but all three?? I don’t think so.
June 22, 2008 at 12:45 pm
How are AC Milan able go after Arshavin and pay Ade £80k a week? where do they get all their money, they aren’t even in the Champions league.
June 22, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Geoff: Berlusconi.
June 22, 2008 at 12:49 pm
that wasnt really what i was trying to say, more that they have to answer aload of questions every month and if every answer concurred exactly with what the manager said it would be pretty suspect at best
for my opinion richards and dunne have been made out by all the paper hype to be more than they are, there is no way in a million years that richards is worth 15 to 20 million, he obviously is a beast of a man and has alot of pace and is good in the air but his positioning alot of times last season was suspect at best and his pace helped him out of alot of mistakes, dunne wouldnt be a bad buy if we could get him for the tiny fees that are knocking about in the papers but hes hardly world class and was considered a bit rubbish a few years ago so he hasnt been so good for all that long.
But with that being said he could be just what we need, good in the air, experienced cheap and knows the premier league, wouldnt be completely outraged if he was on the bench if gallas and toure were playing well and hes old enough that it doesnt necessarily mean we have to get rid of promising youngsters due to him being 23 24 and them having no way of getting a chance in the team for ages..
sort of player that does no harm either way really, same sort of thing i can see us doing for a third choice keeper, wether we like it or not it seems almunia (who i thought had a solid enough season last year, not the sort of keeper who stand out but he didnt really make any massive clangers either) is going to be number one, after getting his new contract etc, much like he did with poom if he doesnt see vito mannone as an adequate third choice hell probably bring in an older keeper for a free or small fee and theyll perhaps battle with fabianski for the second choice spot
June 22, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Spurs seem to do better than us (spending wise) in the transfer window and they make a profit.
Never been in the Champions league and hopfully never will..
June 22, 2008 at 12:51 pm
to be fair gmr we have signed 2 players and nasri is virtually in the bag, wether you consider yourself reassured by ramsey coquelin and nasri is a different matter though!
June 22, 2008 at 12:53 pm
dan: WORD. Don’t know what GMR is moaning about. That’s 3 signings right there.
June 22, 2008 at 12:55 pm
im off to watch the GP and then bed lads, catch you all tomorrrow!
cheers!
June 22, 2008 at 12:55 pm
But even if they was big names we have lost three more players since Arsene said three players..
June 22, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Nasri hasn’t signed & the longer it goes on the less likely it looks.
I don’t consider Ramsey or Coquelin signings, clearly they aren’t for the first team.
June 22, 2008 at 12:58 pm
looks like we’re not gonna be signing many players.
“I brought my cheque-book (to Euro 2008) but, having looked at the prices, I’ve realised it isn’t big enough,” Wenger - who is also hoping to keep hold of Alexander Hleb - said in the Sunday Mirror.
“But I will use my cheque-book first to keep the players I already have.”
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_3722269,00.html
June 22, 2008 at 1:00 pm
spurs are proof that spending big sums doesnt always buy success like chelseas,
bent got about 4 goals for 16 million, zokora made a big show of saying hed turned us down 12m for him how glad are we now that he did!
kp boateng? adel taarabt who some of their deluded fans reckon is better than fabregas cant even get a start and just falls over alot when he gets off the bench,
thank god they havent sacked commoli yet!
i know he had some success, berbatov for example, but his flops outnumber the good ones at least 3 -1
and lets not forget modric has done nothing in the prem yet and they paid nearly twice the original asking price for him (9M) hed already said hed rather go to spain than england so clearly he wasnt considered worth it by the spanish clubs.
June 22, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Gunnersunited, I’ve just read that article as well. What a joke, talk about letting us all down again!! Hope the season tickets are going to be reduced accordingly!!
June 22, 2008 at 1:02 pm
im not saying they were what we were hoping for when it was said or that theyre particularly reassuring (though if man u wanted ramsey that badly then he cant be bad, though completely unproven…) but he basically has signed 3 players, hopefully there are at least another 3 to come or our squad will have less numbers and less experience than last year
June 22, 2008 at 1:03 pm
But the point is they have spent the money , they have less income, and they still make a profit.
Our revenue is far higher than theres so where is our money going??
June 22, 2008 at 1:04 pm
gmr: nasri is over here having a medical, its been confirmed by the marseille chairman, the arsenal press office seem to take weekends off the lazy fuckers so expect it to be announced next week assuming hes passed
June 22, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Come off it, there isn’t a fan anywhere that would be reassured by those signings & if thats who he was talking about then he is clearly taking the piss & deserves the boot immediately.
June 22, 2008 at 1:10 pm
dan, Papa Diouf didn’t confirm that at all.