I jest guys… it was a ploy to lure you into reading my well balanced and reasoned post… you’re here now, please… read on…
The scenario
Arsenal don’t have £100 million to spend.
Arsene Wenger
‘I’m fed up with people who think I have £100 million in the bank yet don’t want to spend it,” Wenger told Arsenal’s official magazine.’
‘How can people think that?’
‘We cannot pump £100 million into it, so we must keep faith in what we are doing as I believe this team does a lot of things right.’
The solution
Russian predator Alisher Usmanov proposes a rights issue to the board to raise much needed £100million.
Oligarch Usmanov, who has a 25 per cent shareholding but no director’s position, offers to fully underwrite the initiative… guaranteeing to buy all shares that are not sold… which will need the full support of the club to work.
Outcome
Gazidis:
‘The board, with its financial advisors Rothschild, considered thoroughly the proposal to use permanent equity capital to either pay down debt or to add to the club’s spending in the transfer market.’
‘With regard to debt, the conclusion reached is that the club has a very efficient capital structure with long-term debt on attractive interest rates. We can comfortably afford to meet the annual costs of this debt while at the same time generating surplus funds to invest in the club. Using permanent capital to pay down debt would not, therefore, radically transform the annual cash flow of the club.’
‘With regard to players, the board decided not to issue permanent capital in the hopes of signing one or two players in an inflated transfer market.’
The Red and white riposte
Red and white holdings
‘Based on financial information that only they have, the board have informed us that they are confident they have adequate financial resources to support the manager to strengthen the squad, to weather the property downturn, to renegotiate the Highbury Square loan on good terms and to deal with the continuing difficult economic conditions.’
‘We do not share their view but are prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt for the moment.’
‘However, we will keep the situation under close review and remain committed on behalf of interested parties in the club to ensure that there are sufficient financial resources for the club to succeed at the highest level and win major honours such as the Premiership or Champions League, while operating within a self-sustaining financial model.’
Conclusion
Well, well, well… it just goes to show. If you whinge hard enough… you never know what might come your way*.
Wenger constantly refers to this £100million he doesn’t have… then last month, claimed if he did have it, he’d spend it… then he gets offered it… then does what we knew he’d do…!
Reporter: What would you do if you were given £100million to spend on players?
Arsene: Give it back
So please… lets not hear any more of the, ‘poor Arsene’ stories. Lets not hear anymore of the, ‘We’re cash strapped for 17 years’… because Alisher Usmanov, for all his evilness and puppy beating (He started the Michael Jackson jokes too) has come out and called Arsenal’s bluff.
We now know that there is cash, we know that the property problems aren’t as bad as feared and we know that within reason, Arsenal can compete.
I’m not fussed that we didn’t accept the £100million, I’m really not. I’m pleased that I was right all along… Arsenal’s lack of spending had nothing to do with the stadium (Last 3 years at least) and all to do with Arsene’s faith in ‘Project Youth’.
The good news is, he seems to be deviating from that project this summer and if he signs Matiudi and maybe one more… I will be chuffed, charged and ready for a decent challenge on all fronts next season!
Today isn’t a day for moaning about the £100million we could have spent, today is a day for rejoicing! We’re well run, we’ve got enough cash to top up players contracts and buy new ones… and we’re well positioned to ride out this bastard recession!
Things are looking up Grovers and tomorrow I’m going to give you more reasons to get excited!
*Megan Fox never comes up to me, if she did, do you think I’d be stupid enough to refuse her? Oh, and no one ever gives me money… (I’ll get back to you tomorrow if this works)
Megan insisted she'd rather go naked than wear a Spurs shirt...
Last post on the topic, for sure(though its not my question to answer). A democratically elected view is not necessarily right, it just means that majority of the people think of it to be right. Before the civil war if you’d held a poll in the southern states that whether slavery should be abolished they’d vote against it, doesn’t make them right does it? Sometimes good judgement has to rise above popular choice.
Two good points, very well made. Not that you need my reassurance or ‘owt like that….
aaargghghh want to type……must not type…..!vduhfyeuuuhgh! Think it’s arrogant….and undemocratic….but will not say that….grumppgh!! muffle!!!
Mayank,
we’ll see if the flair players will win next season. In saying that Barca won a treble, but IMO, chelsea blew it by going defensive against a 10 man team.
chelsea got screwed!
Barca are a lot further along the evolutionary curve of the build your own team than we are anyhow. At least four seasons ahead. Are we supposed to wait 4 more years for some silver?
Chelsea blew itr because Drogba is a cheating wanker and everyone knows he is.
Chelsea are a very inflexible side…yep they shot themselves in the foot that night, but I prefer to give credit to Barca for being so brave.
Although if truth be told, they had nowt to lose
I think you need a bit of flair to win the final. I think almost invariably out of the two teams that make the final the more attacking will win. Of course the teams with the best defence have a better chance of reaching the finals.
melo deal neraly done marchionni all but signed
Baxter how did you calculate that and if so didn’t barca win it four years ago?
I’ve just had the privelige of watching a John Bayer and Faye White coaching sessions, he said to let Mr. Wenger know he did a good job, and he did a great job…..great session, I think many of our fans should see a full Arsenal training session and I can’t wait for the season to begin.
I was badgering him about any transfers happening but didn’t find anything out, sorry!
I wouldn’t say we’re far behind Barca in our own cycle, their current set up took a year really for everyone to settle, then won things last year. We got rid of flamini and hleb, it took a little while for a new side to develop and settle, and now we’re very ready to compete this season.
For all the talk about our team consisting of kids, our first team actually has very few youngsters in it.
In our first team the youngest player would be Cesc, who has experience that far outshines his years, then clichy and vermaelen, likewise have been playing regularly and more mature than their age, then sagna, gallas, rosicky, arshavin, eduardo, vp, who are all at or coming into their peak. Even the kids who would come in are much more experienced and developed than the last couple of years
How do you guys rate Song..??
I think her really kicked on big style last year, and he really surprised me even though I was willing him to(/knew he could do well) from the start.
Some of his performances were outstanding, especially in the 2nd half of the season. But he was also pretty damn good for our 10 men vs Liverpool at home.
Thoughts please..??
song has been doing ok, i think he could be a good defender,
it’s just that we saw flamini and his all out style, and song in comparison looks ‘lazier’
I’m a big fan Sharkey. Unashamedly admit I never thought he had any hope in hell of making it with us at the start of the season, but I was completely wrong and he has the potential in my eyes to be a top top DM, or maybe even a quality centre back. If there was no African Nations this year I’d be very happy with him as our first choice DM, but as he is I expect someone else to come in.
Song confuses me, he could be exactly what we need but so easily could be utter crap.
Whoever plays there should compliment Cesc. I don’t think Song does in the way that Flamini did. Its not about the individual player its about the blend and at the moment the blend does not seem right.
Choy – I think part of that is his running style, or sometimes its because he’s been caught out of position.
But I agree, he’s not blisteringly quick.
S.S you have to ask yourself would song be a first choice for liverpool.man-u or chelsea
A – Yeah the ACN in respect of Song is a pisser for me too.
Mk. How many crap games did he have since say Jan…??
I know whatyo mean Bax, Cesc and Flam, suported by Hleb and Sicky was some midfield.
Petit and Vieira…not sure I’ll ever see as well balanced a pair as those two for as long as I live
He’s not as bad as some say, but he isn’t the right player for us.
If obi mikel/Kalou can make it fletcher/oshea can then song can too.
I don’t see it while Cesc is his partner Mayank.
BBK – He could displace Mikel at Chavski on his better days…and I’m not sure who were comparing him to at Man IOU.
They defend more as a unit than most teams do….
yes the problem is cesc and song.. both not very fast..they don’t complement each other very well.
if you look a that lil list the only one’s that gets a proper go is fletcher and mikel to a lesser extent.
Well they don’t seem like the perfect combination but it might happen. That’s why i want a new DM and i’m sure Wenger can find the perfect one.
Not sure about Song. Going into last year, I was under the impression that he was being groomed for centre back, where he looked pretty decent. Then Wenger goes off and puts Silvestre back there, when Song would’ve been more capable. Anyway, Song showed some promise and is physical, but as I’m sure countless others have stated for the last several months, he wasn’t worthy of a starting midfield position for a top 4 club. IMO.
Song did vastly improve last season. His positioning greatly improved, and his forward passing at times was superb.
Having said all that, I still don’t think he’s ready to be first choice for us. I’d be comfortable having him as a backup.
Naah – I think Fletcher gets picked when Fergie fears the opposition…ie vs the Arse home or away, and CL away games. But not a regular PL starter
bbk mikel played in 34 of chelsea’s league games last season, he’s first choice there, when essien’s fit they both play. I’d say Song is on par with him, and on par with Fletcher.
HB…some of his passing was sublime weren’t it.
Snag is that he’s often high up the pitch when he does it…then I worry about his recovery pace.
Maybe he’s deffo a bring the ball out CB then, who’ll sometimes fill in at CM
Flamini and Song have different traits that can complement cesc. Flamini runs a lot so that saves energy for the rest. Song is more physical so that lets the rest be less physical. It takes getting used to though. So i guess it’ll be better to purchase a DM in the Flamini mould who’s better at passing.
Fletcher has great energy and drive, bit of leadership as well, but lacking in technique. Decent player though
you just googled that stat didnt you a lolllllll
PW – Agreed, he played the last 3 or 4 games of the previous season at CB..and looked pretty good
No BBK A’s got stat charts on his wall!!
Ha nah i knew it from yesterday or the day before when we were discussing relative injury records of the top 4 – stuck in my mind because I assumed that he would have come out of the team at least now and then when Essien was back!
you have to judge by who helps bring more success to a team and currently that is fletcher for obvious reasons followed by mikel,song hasn’t helped us bring success to us has he
ShSu, that’s what was so frustrating when we were so thin at CB he didn’t tap Song as his first choice back there. Going into this year, it’s really hard to envision Cesc and Song or Denilson playing next to each other in a 442. That’s why I’m wondering if Wenger just throws cautioun to the wind and run with a 433.
PW, i think he’d need to, because we can’t play a counter attacking game like we used to
Well then by that theory Anderson is better than Fabregas.
im off all
Who’s the 3 for you then PW…??
Night Mayank, although is prob morning for you..
BBK – Song at fault alone then is he??
Without Ronaldos’ 41 goals the season before last, do you think Fletchers good performances would have made up the difference..?? Naah thought not…
fletcher was part of the there team that won the league and champs league what was song part of
Nasri (left) Cesc Theo (right)
Ade RvP and Arshavin doing whatever he wants to do
Arshavin’s gotta be more of a striker than a wing. At some point Theo’s gonna be the same. Or at least he’ll want it to be that way. Anyway, you have to assume Adebayor will be here.
who’ win in a fight between a pirate and a ninja??????????????????????????????????????????
BBK – You’re kidding right. ..??
Nani..??
Pascal Cygan..??
Both world beaters using your well thought out theory..??
they we’re part of winning teams song hasn’t been
PW – I’m not sure myself.
Diaby’s the conundrum for me, cos he’d be the insurance policy, of decent skill and a bit of strength and pace. He’s shown flashes, but they’re like 3 lightning strikes in six hours of rain.
Not sure your MF3 would be too great at getting the ball back.
If played narrow, I’d go for Song(Diaby?) behind Nasri and Cesc. But even thats only a maybe…
I feel so fucking jealous of Real Madrid! Kaka, Albiol, Ronaldo, Benzema and maybe even Ribery and Villa!!!!! I would be happy with just one of them at Arsenal.
Errm …yeah… thanks for that BBK
i was thinking the same thing earlier g.p
whateva
Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but I’m picking Diaby as the most pleasant surprise this year. It’s now or never for him as an Arsenal player, methinks.
You’re probably right on the point about my mf3 getting the ball back. We’ll have to use that purely offensive lineup more sparingly. The way you suggest at the end is probably the more correct way of going about things. Oh, if Diaby could be a little more physical and a lot more consistent (or interested?), he’d have every club in the world foaming at the mouth.
GP. One deffo, but not all of them thats for sure.
How would you line up Ronaldo, Kaka, Ribery, Villa and Benzema…?? That leaves room for one DM.
Clever tactical teams in spain will pick that team off.
I really can see them winning fuck all next year
It’ll be fun rooting against Real Madrid this year. Very fun.
Villa will be at Barca seemingly, but I imagine they’ll have Kaka and Benzema up front, with Ronaldo on the wing. If they do land Ribery, I guess he’ll be in the center next to Ricky Martin, I mean, Ronaldo out on the right?
Sharkey, very good point but I actually think they will prove everyone wrong. I think they will win the lot, unless of course we play them in the UCL Final.
At the moment it looks like:
———–Casillas———–
-Ramos–Albiol–Pepe–Marcelo-
———–M.Diarra———–
-Robben——Kaka—–Ronaldo-
——–Raul—Benzema——–
Pretty strong if you ask me!
Bench:
Dudek
Garay
Gago
Diarra
Sneijder
Higuain
Huntelaar
dont forget at r.v.n, g.p
fuck that i would want all of them playing for arsenal
the signings they have made i mean
I feel RVN is on his way out. Apparantley Huntelaar is off to Stuttgart for £20m so maybe Villa will come in. I have a feeling they wont buy another striker and just go for a winger and a CM. They can then use Ronnie on the wing and upfront. Sorted!
Of all the big names out there, Benzema and Ribery would probably look the best in the Arsenal kit. Nasri and Ribery manning the wings, Benzema and RvP up front, with Arshavin roaming around too.
i think villa will sign for barca soon,the only other players i think madrid will try and bring are ribery and alonso.
Weren’t they talking about getting RVN at Blackburn to replace Santa Cruz? Huntelaar will be off to Man U or to Italy perhaps. They were also talking about Robben going to Man U as well, unless they’re dead set on Valencia starting in Ronaldo’s spot from day 1. Of all those leftovers, I actually like Sneijder the most. Though he’s not what Arsenal needs in the middle.
I think they should take care of Higuain and seriously not consider selling him. If they do I hope Wenger sells Ade and goes for him. That lad seriously has it in him. He will become better than Villa and will replace Raul at Madrid. Hes fully capable.
but bbk – fletcher was part of the there team that won the league and champs league what was kaka, albiol, benzema, ribery, and villa part of??
i really like him gp, but i’m not sure better than villa. Can’t see them selling him though
A I believe he has the potential to match or even better Villa. Imagine Argetinas established front three at the next World Cup.
Aguero Higuain Messi
Oh lord!
Alright, chaps, nice chatting today. I’m leaving work and dreaming of an Arsenal shock swoop for Ribery next week. Night all.
give them a chance a
PW I with you on the wishful thinking re Diaby. Sign me up please….
Top 5 young forwards in the world
1) Messi
2) Pato
3) Benzema
4) Aguero
5) Higuain
I would have Ronaldo in there but hes over 23 now.
A 22.00 Lol!
Night PW
certain people rate these average arsenal players way to much on here
GP. Ok that line ups not as bad as I thought, but think of Villareals keep ball passing style..not sure that defensively RM coud cope with that.
Interestingly you put Raul in that 11. Thatsthe big dilemna, how do you ever get him out of the team…??
Good shout re Higuain as well..he should take RAuls place, but Raul is practically Royalty in Madrid.
I’d take Garay off of madrid’s hands. He was quality at Racing.
Btw, Skybet slashed the odds on Ribery joining Liverpool from 66/1 to 8/13.
Skybet was the first to slash the Owen to United odds as well.
I wish we just stayed at Highbury. Emirates is bigger, but it seems even quieter
And certain people ask questions about fucking pirates and ninjas…whats your point??
Pat . I hear ya..but how on earth will they afford him..??
Bookies don’t often get it wrong do they…but it still don’t seem right
Vela can break into that top 5 GP…
Or is that wishful thinking on my part
s.s exactly
Thanks again BBK
the second part sounded about right
Anyways all… thats me out
good,bye
A,
Usmanov doesn’t own Gazprom, he owns a company called Metalloinvest. I don’t know where you’re getting your information, but it already sounds like your sources of information are somewhat dubious.
As I said before, Craig Murray is not some kind of neutral observer, and cannot be relied upon to give any kind of independent information.
The harsh reality of the world is that large mining and utility companies, especially those from ex-soviet states, ALL have somewhat questionable histories. I don’t quite know what we do with that, but the hypocrisy with which you treat his business past is astonishing, when you consider the history of the diamond business which our current shareholders are involved with. Scratch the surface, or indeed send a disgruntled diplomat in, and all sorts of skeletons will inevitably fall out of the closet, because frankly, the diamond trade is dirty as fuck.
BBK
I don’t kmow what you is on about but fletcher is shite.
Jimbo craig murray was certainly a neutral observer, who got involved because he saw something happening that he thought was very wrong. I’ll get some detailed information from him if I can, though he’s probably busy campaigning currently as he’s running in the Norwich by-election.
Usmanov is the owner/chairman of Gazprominvestholdings, the investment holding subsidiary of Gazprom, which basically means he does the dodgy dealing for them.
I’m not sure you understand the meaning of the word hypocrisy Jimbo – that would be if I was condemning Usmanov for being as dodgy as he is, whilst being that dodgy myself, which I can assure you I’m not! I agree there could well be skeletons in the closets of other shareholders, but I’ve never learnt of any, otherwise I’d be condemning them in the same fashion.
How come 1 very very very good player (Diego) and one other guy ive never heard of till June but apparently hes well sick (Melo) are going to Juve to play in an empty stadium in a shit league.
ARSENAL FC
come on we could easily attract these players get it together!!!
But saying that, if we have a bit of money as suggested by our chase of melo, lets give felliani a go, i really like his affro and hes pretty gooood
Jimbo
If you are part of the Diamond, tobacco, aerospace or countless other industries you could be said to have blood on your hands. Some banks fund all sorts of shit. With Usmanov it goes a bit deeper than that. At the time he bought his shares in Arsenal he was having Arsenal blogs closed down all over the place. The man is a cunt.
Its all about Monies Incesc. Thats why they go there. And Juve are 1 of 3 teams that can win the league…probably second favourite at worst. So great chance f silverware too.
A. Hi again. Took a while out myself for food and a bit of telly lounging. Checked back and I see the Usmanov thing is raging. Sensible debate is seldom a bad thing and the Devil you don’t know is always the one you fear most, As I mentioned before, I seem like a nice guy but am actually evil beyond belief. Go Figure.
pato is married!!
Ha i wouldn’t say still raging Lou – it went and just reared it’s ugly head again briefly, reckon it’s done with again now though. Hopefully anyways, though I do feel it’s all arsenal fans’ duty to inform the ignorant about his evil deeds!
I guess Stu
but as a football fan where do Juve lie right now?
1. Barce
2. Man U
3. Real Madrid (moneywise)
4. Arsenal
5. Liverpool
6. Chelsea
7. Inter Milan
8. AC ????????
even Bayern outstrip Juve
Arsenal through champions league achievement are lightyears ahea of Juve right now so we need/must take advantage why the going is good.So how come Juve have done some seriously good business and outdone us on Melo?
All these clubs are on a different level to the next
A. There are none so ardent as the newly converted. This is a saying that I use regularly in my job. The other one is that in the land of the blind the one-eyed man is King. Not really sure how these apply but they make me sound more sinister and evil, just like Usmanov.
to the next
*juve
sorry, blame family guy
ha yes they do Lou. What job are you in??
I joked on here the otherday about wenger getting Cygan back. Well apparently wenger offered him a return if he wanted when he left or something like that and now he has no club. please arsene no more silvestre signings
Believe it or not A. I am a journalist though not a sporting one. As such I feel free to indulge in cliche and nuance and suggestion. I do meet a few sports journos though and often what they have to say about the behind the scenes football happenings are fascinating. But as they are scum scribes I don’t believe a word of it.
http://arsenalcolumn.wordpress.com/2009/07/09/the-subtleties-of-arsenals-4-4-2-formation/#comments
It seems that “the Brain” thinks we are going to play 4-4-2 next season. Great read too…….
Ah ok Lou, nice! Got any internships you’d wanna throw my way?! Out of work at the moment, wouldn’t mind a punt at journalism!
‘Fraid not A. My problem is that I don’t drink more than the occasional single bottle of Bud and even then only on a hot day. Journalism of course carries a mandatory requirement of near or total alcoholism and this is when all the horse trading is accomplished. I also think that you sound far too nice and balanced to be a news journalist though writing articles for magazines could suit you as your passion is very evident. Strange to think that on match days we all wander past each other, never knowing that we communicate in the virtual world.
Decent read there Stu – though I don’t agree with the conclusion that we’ll be playing 4-4-2
Ah well, thought it was worth a cheeky ask! Contemplating doing some volunteering campaigning for Craig Murray in Norwich, could get the lowdown on Usmanov from the man in the know whilst I’m there.
It is a weird thought re walking past, maybe even sitting next to each other on match days. Pedro created the facebook group to bridge the gap slightly, but I’ve not really looked at it much.
A. It’s been a very nice chat today and I have enjoyed it. I’m in a kind of late-night round the old campfire type mood and this has made me become frighteningly honest. So I must confess that Lou is just my Blogname and that I am in fact Alisher Usmanov, the most evil man the world has seen since Uncle Joe Stalin. I could see that I was getting a bad press on this site so I figured I’d just like to show you that, at heart I am a decent guy who bears no ill will to Craig Murray.. So A. you’ll know me when you walk past my Maybach parked outside the Emirates. Do knock on the window and introduce yourself. I’m a 20 stone teddy bear really.
i have jacked off 3 times to that megan fox pic thanks to whoever uploaded it !!
eboue. That is a beautiful image to place in my mind before bed. Thank you.
no problem lou good night
Good night to all Gooners and thanks for the fun chats today. And a special goodnight to A.
good night to all them hoes
Played tonight with an old mate and top Gooner, he has spent some time lately with Nigel Quashie and I have a few stories to tell you all tomorrow!
Suffice to say I am trying to get him to rope Quashie into playing for our vets team at the tournament in Leeds! lol
‘Nah mate, of course it’s not him, just looks like him a bit which is why we have nicknamed him Quashie!
I actually fooled a mate of mine a few years ago that I had got Kwame Ampadu to come and play for us, even set up a hotmail account with his name and everything! He was convinced he was going to come as part of his pre season training, lol.
He was not impressed when I told him it wa sme pretending to be the Irish Nigerian winger!
the problem with wenger is EVERY single player he promotes has to make it ..
or be like Jeremie A , injured so much he is too old to do anything else but throw him into the deep end and see if he swims ..
the only way as a youth that you can get out of AFC is by being home sick or being really really CRAP ..
if your not home sick and your average you have every chance of making it .. or getting at least 50 games under your belt trying to do so.
IMO wenger has to be more judgmental more quickly … sure occasionally a Bentley,diarra or some other character with an oz. of class is let go too early .. but too play eboue for a season and a half out of position and in a role he clearly dislikes is just disrespecting the league .. going a full season with no DM , unforgivable to take that sort of gamble at this level …
not buying another goal keeper based on big Al’s
1 ok season … same can be said of ade and i saw it coming ..
the point im trying to make is with certain youths you just have to cut them .. you cant afford song this many games to become skilled ,it fucks up the season , sign him for 4 years and loan him out to Bolton or alike for those 2 years .. monitor his training and cross your fingers that way ..
dont burden our club,keep bert another season or 2 and let song take over in that form ..
my main beef with wenger is taking his project to extremes and failing to recognize the major wholes we have in the club ..
and ill tell you right now .. we will get a striker .. its a failing you all dont see
but in 6 -12 months youll all catch on !
strikers are my forte !
gotta disagree with you ethan but no point getting into the striker debate again, it’s been done enough times! I just don’t understand how we need forwards though, considering last season we would have won the league if it wasn’t for eduardo’s injury, with basically just ade up top along with eduardo, and now we’ve got both of those, along with vp, one of the best forwards in europe, arshavin, and bendy 2 years on and making a bigger impact!
The season just gone that was crap, in the league our forwards scored 41 goals between them, chelsea’s scored 30, utd 44, liverpool 47. With much better service from the midfield this season our forwards will score goals for fun, i can’t wait!
also re keepers, the reason we’ve not bought anyone is that Fabianski is being brought through, it’s nothing to do with almunia having an ok season
Whoever said bad about Almunia is right. Whatever about waiting for Fabianski but someone better should be holding the fort until Fab is good enough. And Al aint gonna help us win anything. We need a Lehmann. Someone at the end of their career who knows what to do etc etc.
I shall nominate either Frank Rost. Just turned 36 so would be perfect to step in and when he retires then Fabianski can take over. Anything like that would be better than Almunia imo…..
I reckon Fab is pretty much good enough Stu – and he’ll take over this season. Almunia is decent and reliable enough, if nothing spectacular, although goalkeeper isn’t currently a positive in our team, I don’t consider it a negative either, and I have high hopes for Fab
http://www.justin.tv/jrock_419
tropic thunder for anyone who hasnt seen it.
lol great film stu
Only just started. I really should be sleeping tho. Gotta be up before 8….ah well..
so, St. Etienne signed a new DM Gelson fernandes. That makes me think we are going to sign Matuidi from them as they already have a replacement. anyone think? They wouldn’t have them both. and Gelson is probably better
Well if Fernandes is better then why didnt we buy him instead. Exactly!
A
ill put it simply for you ..
NONE WE HAVE ARE GOOD ENOUGH bar dudu .
maybe if AA was made 2nd striker id agree ..
but RVP is injury prone
ade will no doubt be sold ..
and dudu has had a full season off ..
who knows what sort of player he will be …
prior he was a 2nd striker as well ..
a link up man …
so who will be our goto man ?
RVP ? if he can stay fit ????
and if your going to say nikb or vela , well you really are clutch straws now …
sorry it all adds up too = GAMBLE !
we gambled on a DM last season and at the top level its a chance you can ill afford to take imo .
i was hoping our football club would be ran more successfully after recent history ..
and there is no way in hell we can compete with the other top 3 on goal scoring talent ..
id also go as far as saying cant compete with man shitty either ..
jo-petrov – elano – cruz -robinho ..
torres – plus the new guy … kyte , gerrard
and no doubt man U will be getting a new man to accompany rooney and berba ..
chevs have drogs and epl leader anelka .
plus more midfield options than a battle ship
and what do we have ?
2 injury prone players in dudu and RVP
plus a bum called ade who scored 9 goals last term …
and the rest are juniors ..
if your fine with that .. well then all i can say is i told you so in capital letters once the transfer is made ..
also re keepers, the reason we’ve not bought anyone is that Fabianski is being brought through, it’s nothing to do with almunia having an ok season
———————————–
you make it sound like a training exercise .
THIS IS THE EPL ‘ TOP LEVEL ‘
… not football manager ..
if we were barnet id agree , you’d have to take things slowly .. given was available last season so was a number of others ..
and if your talking about stunting fab 2′s development then youve got it all backwards to begin with …
Arsenal is the penthouse floor .. it doesnt get any higher than this ..
you let the lower grade clubs deal with development .. we cherry pick the best , the other teams in the league have proved this works ..
development = down time .. and it seems perpetual down time at that !
we are not in a transition phase are we arsene ?
in fact i agree with arsene !, we aren’t in a transition phase , this is the NORM now !
Hi Guys
Only the one comment as I have work to do.
I agree Ethan regarding our Strikers although I think we could get more Midfielders scoring if he gets the DM cover which will allow them more freedom going forward.
Ithink our midfield last year didn’t know wether they had shit or farted to be honest, little discipline and poor tactics were to blame.
There are a few Strikers that could replace that whore that could work for us. Why can’t we ask the Chavs for Anelka, my favourite the Hunter at Real must also be pissed and if anyone on here comments on how slow he is then bollocks as the guy is a goal machine who cares.
Someone mentioned Crouch the other night too, which although not conventional would be better than the whore and Portsmouth would unload cheaply as they are in the shitter.
There are plenty of top guns around the world but if the whore goes we will probably get SChamack and I reckon he is crap.
Arshavin can play higher up or give Theo a try and sign a winger in his position.
A keeper for me is essential though because no matter how many we score he will concede and usually from distance. Lets see how Tommy V puts up with the cretin in goal, unless he has done his homework he has a shock coming his way.
My outs would be in this order.
The whore
Coco the Clown Tapas Bar waiter
Eboooooooooeeeeeee
Kolo
My Ins would be including Tommy V
Tommy V our next Captain (Signed)
The Hunter
Veloso
Hangeland
Anelka
The Flamster
Matuidi
Inler
For a wind up why don’t we pretend we want.
Messi
Xabi
Inniesta
Etoo
Puyol
Canizares
Higuain
Ribery
Sjneider
Robben
you get where I am coming from.
We would get a Eufa ban immediately for tapping up.
My prefered Keeper would be Jussi of Bolton or Timmy Tourettes of Everton formerly of the Mancscum.
IMO the only keeper worse than Almunia is Robinson.
Ethan last season VP, Bendy, and Ade ALL scored more goals than tevez, berba, and kuyt, and they had fuck all service! AND our most prolific striker Eduardo didn’t play a game, as well as our best player Arshavin only arriving for the final third of the season.
Our forwards certainly aren’t the best in the world, but we have more talent and certainly depth in our forwards than the other three in the league, but not more than barca, or madrid.
Eduardo isn’t injury prone, he just had a serious injury, which he got over.
I will be absolutely shocked if we aren’t the top scorers in the league this season, and I really don’t see any way that we won’t be!
Out of your list of ins the only player I would want would be Matuidi! Guess it just shows the differences of opinion!!
el tel both of those keepers are no better than almunia imo. The only keepers I’d have over Almunia in the prem are Green, Gomes (yes him!) and Reina. The rest are all pretty much the same, nothing special, can do spectacular saves at times but also drop clangers
my reflections on the post however is more interesting ..
my take on it is arsenal would love the money .
but don’t want the Russian involved , because it means less power to them , more % to him …
also if this business model is so ‘MANAGEABLE’
then why wait until hleb is sold prior to buying nasri ,why go without a dm ???, and if the club also agrees we need 2 signings , then why hasnt the 2nd one been secured yet ?
if everything is so manageable ..
it has been quiet a while now since we got our new defender .. and if we have excess funds then why isnt the 2nd signing secured if not for a money shortage , a shortage that the russian wants to rectify !
why does arsene come out and say we haven’t got
the money to compete with man U and the chev’s ?
isnt that statement saying we aren’t in the same ball park ? are we in the same league with a bigger ground than both of them ?
but somehow we cant compete on spend with them ?
yes and we all know the reason why !
THE HIGHBURY DEVELOPMENT .!
why does usmanov think like the fans ?
that we need 100 mil to get in a reasonable grade of player ?
for such a crocked jack ass like most of you making out that he is , he is the only one who seems to be questioning the quality of the club ,and as for questioning his money sources .. well all i can say to you is how many of you wear the Arsenal nike shirt ???
are you aware of the conditions of a nike sweat shop where the shirts come from ?!
dont start talking about money sources !
because the biggest abuser of humanity is our sponsor !
Ethan last season VP, Bendy, and Ade ALL scored more goals than tevez, berba, and kuyt, and they had fuck all service! AND our most prolific striker Eduardo didn’t play a game
————————————–
well all i can say to that is where did we finish in the league then ?
Nope ethan Nike are fuckheads, as all major corporations are, but they aren’t individuals going around raping and murdering people.
Nike are a far from morally pure company, but stating “the biggest abuser of humanity is our sponsor !” is simply ludicrous.
The bloke is a complete piece of shit, and is already too near to our club.
I havn’t spoken to any fans that come across as rational and articulate who think that we need to spend 100mil either….
Exactly ethan, despite scoring all those goals we finished 4th, because our DEFENCE was shite, that’s the only difference between us and the big boys. The stats show we were level with the rest in goalscoring terms last season, but I consider them to be misrepresentative, because imo we were comfortably above the rest in goalscoring terms, and much much more so right now than we were then.
Timmy Tourettes is a decent *cunt! player
Fuck!
i rate him.
mum you slag!
if dudu having 8 goals in 1 season prior to being struck down, qualify’s him as our top striker we are really in need of new personnel .
ethangunner Says:
July 10, 2009 at 02:44
if dudu having 8 goals in 1 season prior to being struck down, qualify’s him as our top striker we are really in need of new personnel .
what a load of bollocks.
Geoff, Pedro
I’ve seen off all the trouble makers and I’m going to lock up for the night.
There was the usual larging it from some of the locals but their arses soon went.
I’m going to knock it on the head for the night, I’ve got to sort out a couple of deals and keep the Canning Town underwold running.
be lucky
I know its Goal –
sorry if its repost – i just boughta mini daschund that kept me up all freakin nite… no sleep.
http://goal.com/en/news/9/england/2009/07/09/1373097/arsenal-boss-arsene-wenger-turns-to-valencia-outcast-ever-banega-
If anyones looking for me, I’m over on the cricket blogs taking the piss out of your journo’s. This is great fun
gg
enjoy yourself and fly the flag son !
hoowwwwwzattttttt?????!!!
I’m so sick of this debacle. All the lies and schemes and glass promises by wenger an the board would make a monkey with hernia sick.
We have the means and quality to succeed but we seem to be happy to settle for 2nd best. Wait a minute, Im sorry, I stand corrected. FOURTH best it is now. Maybe even fifth of tenth, maybe even the fiZzy drink league if the current
Mentality persists.
I would sack the whole lot in a heartbeat, but of course I can’t. So the next best thing I can do? Take a hiatus from the club. Arsenal just isn’t the same with these clueless greaseballs in the driving seat.
Geoff, pedro. Your persisting endorsements of the club in the form of subscription, tickets and jerseys are commendable. But bear in mind that you are inadvertently condoning the screw ups of the board and management as well. You can lambast them to Pluto on your blog, but in the end, money talks. And the longer you and any loyal fans continue to buy arsenalalia, the longer they sit on their thrones.
I have no doubt that fabregas will be leaving this season to further their money laundering schemes. We shall see.
I am now happily supporting andy roddick and I see him in my dreams everynight. He might still be 2nd, 3rd or 4th best. But the world can see him improving his game with every tournament. He has the tenacity, grit and class to work on his flaws unceasingly, and the future for him is bright. The same, unfortunately, cannot be said of the current arsenal.
Ok so Melo is gone…lets get te left footed Matuidi in and play a staggered 4-2-3-1 like Brazil
………………..Al……………….
Sagna……..Kolo/JD……Gallas/Verm……Clichy
………………………Matuidi……………
……………Fabregas……………………..
………………..Rosicky/Nasri……..Arshavin..
………..RVP/Theo………………………..
……………………Ade/Bend/Eddy………….