I thought it quite amusing that when Bobby Zamora threw a wobbly after he scored at the weekend, he blamed the blogs for digging him out, well whilst I have no idea what they said, he has to understand that if us fans, who ultimately pay his wages, have a dig, it’s because we are fed up watching highly paid footballers not doing the business and it’s the only way we get a chance to have a say. It’s our voice.
I’m glad it came up because it shows we are read by them, he wouldn’t complain if they wrote great things though would he? And it does prove my point that the players and the management do read the blogs.
Well done for letting us know, we appreciate you acknowledge our hard work. Perhaps you should question your own performances from time to time.
Check out Wrighty7′s view on diving England players if you get the chance.
Onto Arsenal, we are fielding a young team tomorrow in a match that doesn’t matter, save seeing our beloved team in action, they get a second chance to show how good they are and I hope they play well. I really hope they win as I would like to think Standard Leige still feel they have a chance.
We are being linked with many players in the window and Dzeko, Chamakh and Bojin are on the list, as long as we buy someone I will be happy, I would be happier if we went for a keeper, a defender and a defensive midfielder, but I can’t see that happening somehow.
Bojin is an interesting one as many of you see him as too small, I see him as a Barca player and it would be nice to nick one of theirs for once, my first choice though would be Dzeko as he is a proven goal scorer and we have needed one of them since Henry went. Though Cesc would be delighted if we signed Bojin.
Talking of Cesc, he says we need a different type of striker, he says a Drogba would make all the difference, the only one like Drogba out there, apart from Drogba of course, is Dzeko, maybe we’ll all get a nice Christmas present from the boss, who knows eh?
I watched QPR last night and I’m not sure we’ll be recalling Simpson, I like him a lot, but he is the same sort of size as what we have and I think we need some height in there, the good thing is we will always need striker because we always get injuries, so whoever we get, we’ll use.
I’m not at all fussed about them being cup tied, because they would only be affected by one competition, we are still in three and the chances of winning the ECL is remote, I’m not saying we won’t, I’m just saying our priorities should be domestic, if we went all the way, they would get plenty of games and teams like Bordeaux and Wolfsburg stand no chance of winning it, so I couldn’t see that as an obstacle for them joining us.
Interesting times, I just hope we don’t sign another kid that has potential, if Wenger has learned anything with Arshavin and Vermaelen, it’s signing a grown up helps the team, screw the future, as Arshavin says, we have enough youngsters for that already.
Enjoy today Grovers, tomorrow we get to see the future…again!
Le Grove is now smart phone compatible!
Pedro
Geoff
BbbooooooMmmm……. …… ….. …. … .. .
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Hattrick
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TOP- 10 all mine
sorry couldnt resist
off to read the post
Morning grovers!
I just noticed Ljungberg gave an interview, what a legend he is!
Good job Sabeel!
Arsene
we dont necessarily need a worldclass player,just a good enuf player
Bozin – thanks
okay what do you all think of Le Prof bringing in Adriano? He would have a point to prove, he will want to get back in the Brazil sqaud, he has his head on right and he’s exactly what we need and big strong CF … It could be a good
Geoff
Good post,
I do hope that ego doesnt come in the way of wenger for not following advantageous messages from le-grove,when he is reading.
i am glad to know u would be happier we get some men at back at higher priority
we need a CB at the very least,if not a CM
good post geoff!
the boss is getting the stiker and a CB to replace senderos, and i have a feeling he’ll get a good one!
I’d love to hear Wenger talking to his staff about potential new players!!
PR – Boss, I think we need to sign a new goalkeeper!
AW – Hmmm, how about Marouane Chamakh?
PR – Yeah, I dont think he is the answer. We could also do with a new defensive midfielder, you know, one of proven quality.
AW – I see, maybe Edin Dzeko could do that job?
PR – I don’t think so. I was thinking more along the lines of Yaya Toure or Daniel De Rossi?
AW – Bojin?
PR – No. And if we really want to improve lets bring in a beast of a centre back that can solve our aerial frailties!
AW – Aaah, I know the perfect player! Carlton Cole!
PR – Oh dear lord!!
Granted, that scenario clearly wouldn’t reflect the true colours of ‘yes man’ Pat Rice but you get the point! With Wenger its attack, attack, attack!!
How the fock do you do it Sabeel
TAIG
with wenger it is not only attack,attack,attack…
with wenger it is also, be shrewd,shrewd,shrewd .. one can only fantasize here till jan transfer window ends
wazzap…top ten technically??
Zamora is shite. Hello bobby – your shite.
Would be great to see Marseille win by a 3 goal margin against real
We have a big, powerful forward.
Only problem is that Wenger thinks Bendtner is a winger.
If we sign anyone this January I’ll be happy.
Proper doom and gloom in the Arsenal camp at the momement…
Think the players are realising that just because we try and play like Barca… we just don’t have their team.
All very happy Cesc saying Chelski will suffer without Drogba….. but we’re loosing Song.
Whatever you say about him, he is a player we need. We have no replacement for, and where as Chelski have Anelka to replace Drogba… We have no one to replace RVP.
Worst season for injuries. Try worst season for signings or winning. And worst season for dreaming…..
Dear Santa,
i’be been a good boy this year,i didn’t jeer the arsenal players,i stayed up late in the morning to catch the game,i’ve poured my soul to the club that i loved..
so what i want for xmas is manuel neuer, dzeko, robben, PV4 and chiellini..i know it’s too much to ask but i don’t mind it being a belated xmas(jan 1st 2010)..
Hi Geoff
I think his name is BOJAN, like it says on the back of his shirt. otherwise good post.
Ryan
Morning all! I think that when Wenger and the players read Le Grove, they will understand all we are is Arsenal fans, we all want what’s best for the team and players only get criticised when they play badly.
We don’t need a centre forward that scores goals because Robin is out and Bendtner isn’t ready, we need one because we needed one in the summer, when we sold Ade.
I was a bit disappointed today. First of all its Bojan I presume you mean. I also trust that you remember we pinched CESC FABREGAS and Fran Merida from them while we got silly money for a past it Thierry Henry and a never had it Alex Hleb
Let by bobby zamora,
he might be shit but at least he will be on le grove everyday so we can insult him.
Bojan!
does Santa read Le Grove??
Dzeko is nothing like Drogba!
He is a Berbatov type.
Hus name is Bojan Krkic
Oskar, who is Hus?
Oh what happened to my manners???
Morning all.
Chipo I think he’s more like Drogba, bi lump and a goalscorer, Berbatov is more your fancy boy type luxury player.
And he’s a spud greasy haired pikey cunt as well.
Geoff don’t u think we should change the Le Chump??
geoff
dead right ..
everyone gets criticized , be it work , art ,music
,sport .. and players like alumina or diaby even ade prior have to face the wrath of fans who expect more every week .. i did !
especially if you buy into wengers bullshit about how fuckin great we are …
many still are buying it ..
izham, direct that question to Pedro
A lot of the side bar should be updated, like the Rosick list and tickets and other stuff.
Good stuff geoff!
im expecting us to sign absolutely no one in jan and im surprised everyone else is thinking the boss will spend!!
he’s already ruled out chamakh as unavailable and dzeko & gignac as too expensive!!
arshavin is our new CF
r everybody out shopping/sleeping
will do duke..
Bojan, Bojin…..who gives a fuck!! It doesn’t matter how you spell his name, he still ain’t coming to Arsenal!!
I agree with Tom. Just can’t see Wenger buying anyone in January. He will see every player returning from injury as a “new signing”.
The reason being why we signed only one senior player in the summer…to protect the development of the kids.
Atom if AW doesn’t spend then it’s time for him to say goodbye,i’m sick and tired of his spunning out bulls of bulls week in week out..stop saying that we’re skint, coz we’re not.. we should stop giving average young players luxurious contracts..
i read an article once about AW can’t remember where..it says we’re Monaco Mark II..i do think we’re going down that road
bentdner will be like a new signing when he’s fit again
taig, as usual I was just thinking the same fucking thing
Morning all
I wont be surprised to see Andrey go on scoring & assists run in his new role. And i expect it to be launched with a bang on Sunday at Anfield. That defence will not be able to keep the comrade out, especially as they are shorn of confidence.
and wenger’s already covered himself by saying…
“its very hard to find world class players in jan, and thats what we need to improve this team”
izham.. yeah thats a pretty popular comparison (the monaco thing) but he got rid of one similarity (lots of africans).
on the kids thing though i guess is that he tried to do it at monaco and got pushed out because they lost patience where as our board havent cos they are all about to get very very rich!
I wonder if AW might consider Dzeko’s partner Grafite considering he scored 28 out of the 54 goals they both scored last season in the bundesliga…and also maybe Neven Subotić for CB.
taig it kind of does matter how you spell his name.
How would you like it if someone called you Tiny Adams?
AT,
I hope he doesn’t go that route because i dont think fans have the patience any longer
Chipo, you read my mind
Morning all, A Tom – that is Wenger’s transfer policy flaw in a nutshell – in the positions we need replacements we don’t need world class, just better than what we have.
We have the amazing, creative class already – we just need some big, committed workmanlike players to complement the skill we have. Oh well, we live in hope. I’d like a decent goalie as I have no faith in the Clown anymore. Every time an oppo striker is one on one with him it’s pretty much guaranteed to be a goal.
When Wenger says he will buy in January, do you think he is referring to Bendtner and Diaby being like new signings?
Chipo – don’t even dare to think that !
Team for tomorrow:
Fabianski
Coquelin Bartley Silvestre Emmanuel-Thomas
Ramsey Eastmond Merida
Walcott Vela Wilshere
That should be it, apart from LB and RB – could be anyone!
Eagle… unfortunately what the fans want and get are a million miles apart these days at arsenal mate!
just look at the last 2 summer transfer windows!
Atom..that’s the problem,the board doesn’t put him under pressure to deliver, in fact he’s got a job for life..how can a man have a job for life if he doesn’t deliver success,where’s the ambition?? The board are just happy to be making more dough..
AW is a string puppet being pulled by the board i think..I don’t know who to blame..the board or Wenger??
Board – for not being ambitious enough and is all about the money
AW – for being deluded thinking he can win with this crop of players and being stubborn..
if arsenal win with these group of players,he’ll be saying ‘i told u so’..
ffs to be the best,u got to play alongside the best,among the best and against the best..not with average players
AAARGGGHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
No thanks to Wenger Arsenal we are now reduced to buying ONLY to cover for injuries.Where went our plans for European domination and conquest through extended studying of players, selling and replacement of nonperforming or underperforming ones like Senderous? Say, if Wenger has so completely lost faith in Sendy, why the uncanny dedication to the likes of Diaby?
No offence, but if we are so emotionally tied to players who wont even get a starting shirt in a midtable EPL side not to talk of a top Four + Citeh, Spurs and Villa, then no suprise if this winless seasons stretch to a decade! We are really to dedicated to our so called ‘longterm plans’ that we fail to recognise that if they promise and dont deliver, they are better sold and replaced.
We have so many similar attacking midfielders who shoould actually be made to put in their share of work learning how to simply defend for 90 minutes if that becomes what is needed.Barca did that against Chelsea home and away like season and showed it away to Rubin Kazin a few weeks back.Yes, we have an attacking philosophy at Arsenal but we lack discipline to do the basic work of tight, rigorous, boring man-to-man defending when that becomes the necessary way to win.This has cost us more than any other thing.
Every top club has this ethic-Man Utd marked away at Chelsea and the chances fell to a late header by JT but they worked hard for the entire match. When they met Barca two seasons ago in semis of the CL, the same thing was the story.
When the Invincibles went to the finals of the CL, we went ten matches without conceding-thats the stuff champions are made of and it wasnt just the solidy of Sol and Toure, it was an entire team working for 90 minutes to win or draw against powerhouse like Real, Villareal, Juve and others.
Until we work this out, we are not going to win a thing.We have sensational players all over the pitch who will lose their places in other top teams simply due to indiscipline in ddefending.Drogba is one of the deadliest strikers in the world but do we need to check the records for how many goal line clearnces he puts in for the team?
Thats why you dont just buy skillful players who can flip, turn, dribble and play beautifully, you also need ‘dirty’(I mean that) Harry, no-nonsense, relentless, I-am-on-your-case-for-90minutes kind of players who when the going gets tough, press the star players of the opposition and unsettle them like Flecther effectively did with Arshavin when we played ManUtd.Amazing that that was the only Utd player Wenger singled out. Why? He ran everywhere to ensure Arsenal doesnt play.How many times did we see Rooney run all the way back to tackle and win the ball back?
Or what else didnt we learn from Bellamy when Citeh beat the kids? He fouled us so constantly JW was forced to get dirty with him-thats the spirit that wins such macthes.
I love Arsenal and always will but unless this area is worked out, we may not win anything without going unbeaten for a whole season again and we may never go unbeaten for long without this discipline anyway.
Chary… couldn’t agree more mate!
he doesn’t realise that to be a great DM or great CB you dont have to be an amazing ‘world class’ footballer, just hard working and committed to your job and posistion
What about Luca Toni ?? and you can bet we will be getting a centerback in January.. since Senderos is not playing anymore.
Bojan can’t cut it in epl
izham , i think they board have become wengers puppet now! they’ve brought into the whole youth thing and now they’ll see it through with the same conviction he will!
to be fair they’ll back him where he wants to spend but theres no real pressure from anyone bar the fans to improve
he’s under no pressure, gazidis is just another puppet always saying what the fans want to here but theres no meaning behind the ’4th isnt good enough’ statements etc
morning all….top post Geoff…finally da captain admits we need a striker…lets see da amount of influence he as on wenger
wenger and player might read blogs but as we know he dont bother what his player says. (TH14 earlier and now AA23 and fab 4)
We clearly do need a Drogba, but at the moment powerful players who can actually play good football are very rare and the top clubs who possess those players wont them go cheaply.
Wenger should be scouting for massive players rather than tiny tricky ones.
I would like to see Jay Emmanual Thomas start in Greece tomorrow night. He is a beast, and we need beasts.
I think the time has come for a complete overhaul of the team. AW even said he would change things if we didnt have success this season. What are the chances he uses the injury excuses to duck out of making them changes.
If I was him I would drastically change things, bring in some big strong players who are in their prime. The only players that I think are good enough to start in our first XI are;
Sagna
Gallas or Vermaelen (not both)
Cesc
Arshavin
RVP
Thats it. The other 6 positions IMO need a new player brought in.
Morning all..
Steven.. what a post! very true!
There’s only one Arsene Wenger!!
Its just a shame he’s managing Arsenal FC!!
Atom if that’s the case, then we’re in for a long road..how can the board buy this crap for 5 years,we the fans are able to see what’s gone wrong..why can’t they??
someone give me a billion dollars and i’ll buy over arsenal..
Chairman Izham – “AW it’s time to deliver silverwares,we’re a big club and big club win trophies. We’re not gonna win anything with these kids,so project Youth have got to end..i’m not interested in making money,it’s about the fans..they pay for the club to run,so it’s time we repay their support..AW,it’s my way or the highway.”
sigh..if only
gambon – I’m not even convinced about Sagna. I think he is getting lucky with the massive lack of quality full backs about. He just isn’t that good. Alright at defending and quite poor at going forwards.
izham – throw a few fucks into that and you’ve got the perfect speech!
I’m telling you people…..there ain’t nout wrong with making a bid for Gerrard!!
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_5754749,00.html
TAIG i’m trying to please Santa so i’m not gonna swear..LOL
izham, i think the baord know whats happening but they also know kronke’s gonna be in charge probably by next season which means they may as well sit back and go out as the nice guys… theyll be thinking…
why force wenger to spend money that’ll affect the value of the club just as they are about to cash in?
why rock the boat and piss him off, what if he leaves? will that affect kronke’s decision to buy the club?
and if he did leave the arsene FC supporters might fuck off to and they’ll have to find the new manager during a world cup summer!
its a shame but this board are just biding their time and they’ll let kronke come in and make all the hard decisions and be the bad guy if there has to be one
izham, a million dollars? What’s that? About 10 pounds?
taig,
No point bidding for Gerrard. He wouldnt go to another prem club now, and the likes of Real, Inter would pull the big bucks out the second they heard about us being interested.
And lets face it he is exactly what AW wouldnt want. He’s tall, physical, a natural captain, he isnt french or african and he’s 29/30 years old…..all things that Wenegr hates.
Any way he probably thinks Denilson is as good as Gerrard.
spot on..arsenal tom….da board needs a fall guy
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/sport/jeremywilson/100004291/arsenal%e2%80%99s-jack-wilshere-should-go-out-on-loan-for-the-rest-of-the-season/?
Steven
Good passionate one dude,
I hope u r aware that we have almost 10 players out with injury,thats a lot of players that cannot be predicted to be injured…they are just too many players injured to prepare for there backups in summer for..
i remember everyone saying at start of season,they are happy with team offensively,and that they dont need to buy up front…
and given our shrewd transfer policy it is even more tuf to plan for tens of injured players
How about signing former wigan loanee Amr Zaki?
He is accustomed to playin in Prem League and would cost less than 10m. although i personally want wenger to sign Dzeko, but that seems impossible as wenger feels he is overpriced!
mandar… zaki is a total cunt mate. he’s up there with adebayor
A Tom, I’m hoping all this stuff he’s coming out with about not signing so-and-so because he is too expensive is just subterfuge to help us get our players easier – a bit like his stamina doubts about buying the Arsh. You can live in hope !
Talking of silly notions, would the Stoke forward Beattie who had a bust up with Pullis be any good to us, to give us a battering ram if we needed a plan B now that he’s out of favour at the Potters ?
Steven – good post.
I’m an AKB and I recognise that Arsene’s biggest fault is that he is too soft on his players. Players who put in a half hearted shift WILL play the full 90mins, and WILL get picked for the next game.
He needs to be more ruthless with subbing and dropping players, to ensure they put in maximum effort.
sabeel… with rosicky, diaby, eddie in our squad … thats 3 players you can definately rely on to be injured at some point!
gambon – ha ha! Im serious though…..like I said yesterday, you never know! I’d offer £80m for Gerrard & Torres. Wenger would probably offer them £9.37p + a set of training bibs!!
Chary – save the ‘James Beattie to Arsenal gags’ til Friday.
I’m looking forward to the punchline on that one already.
Sabeel,
The injury card has been used way too many times to get any credit anymore.
I agree we do have a lot of injuries, but its getting to the point now where its way more than bad luck. Frail kids are much more likely to get injured than tough 28 year olds.
Gambon, Gerrard does get injured quite a bit, so there’s something for Wenger to like there !
Atom agree on that..the board are gonna play the nice guy card and blame fuck all to Kroenke when everthing goes down on a spiral, me thinks..
chary… in a word… no! he’s another crock though mate! everton got rid cos he was never fit!
he’s probably got a target for the CF but it worries me that itll just be 1 player and if we cant get him then itll be no one.
You guys wanna know a player like Drogba???
ADRIANO, and he’s free in January.
But Edin will be a better buy, He’s world class and has the potential to be better than Drogba. Lets keep our fingers crossed.
Sharkey “…and then we sign Mr Creosote as a goalie as he’d certainly fill the goal”
How’s that for a punchline ?
izham, i reckon kronke will come in be a nice guy to get everyone on side… but he’ll also have to shake it up a bit because he’ll know that allot of fans want big proper players brought now instead of more kids and midgets
Pynoo – Wenger would never sign a party-boy coke-head like Adriano, it offends his ascetic sensibilities.
Sharkey/A Tom – I did say Beattie to us was a “silly notion”
i hoped Santa read my post at 09:30..later guys see ya on the flip side
Adriano is fatter than yo mama!!
TH14 would run back and get the ball when he lost it. remmbere his tun all the way back and tackles. none of our players seems to do it expect fabregas
taig,
I can exclusivley reveal than Arsene did enquire about signing these 2 players. I have a transcript of the conversation.
AW; “Rafa I would be very keen on signing Torres & Gerrard and I know you have money worries, can we do business”
RB; “Arsene I should warn you, neither are african and they are a bit too old for your liking”
AW; “Yes but the guys at le-grove have had enough of project youth, it may be time to change, i think these guys are super super class”
RB; “I can throw Babel in as well”
AW; “Fuck off”
RB; “OK, what will you pay, i value these guys at £80m”
AW; “HA HA HA, Oh lordy you’re way off, I was thinking £6.5m”
RB; “I tell you what Arsene, throw in Eboue and its a deal”
………Wenger hangs up……….
we’d be better off with someone like yakubu or jo from everton… players who we can get the ball into and they’ll hold it up well.
i did read adriano is an alcoholic so maybe it could be a return to the good ol’ days?
there’s one player we should look to buy in jan and he goes by the name of Dieumerci Mbokani,but only if they have not qualified for a.c.o.n
Tom,Gambon
i agree with what u guys are saying,
Dont u think we are unlucky in the sense that all the injury to all offensive players have happened at “SAME TIME” <–
knowing injury problems of rosicky,dudu,diaby we all had banked on them getting injured "exclusively"
except these 3 there are so many other offesive players who have got injured with them at "SAME TIME" <-
this "SAME TIME" injuries is the real reason i guess,else do we need a 40 member squad???
gambon – probably not too far from the truth I’m afraid!! Very sad times.
catch u guys from home…
hahaha gambon so realistic mate
don’t think congo qualified for a.c.o.n,so i think we should make a bid for him
Sabeel – With RvP’s, Rosicky’s, Diaby’s & Theo’s injury records, luck is the last thing that has anything to do with it!! And to rely on Eduardo staying fit is stupid too. As for Bendtner, well he isn’t the best at staying fit either!!
Chary – Mr Creosote….thats a cracker !!
Well played Sir.
sabeel… not really mate, they all play different positions so being injured together or separately shouldnt really make a difference.
through in players like JD, clichy & gallas who have all had injuries every season and theres no excuses.
Gooby – Legend that he is, I’m not sure that you’re trying to paint TH14 as ‘hard working’….??
Not in my eyes.
Occasionally he’d do that chase back that you mention, but to me he seemed to do it ‘for show’, and only when the mood took him.
Hi Guys,
I follow this blog and read most comments , one thing i do not understand is what do you guys mean by arsenal. You guys hate arsenal managers and most arsenal players and the arsenal board . And you want players from all the clubs around the world. I do not really understand what do you mean by “we love arsenal”. Thought it sounds like offense, that is not my intention. This is my honest question for which i am not able to find any answer. Hope this gets through moderation.
I’ll let everyone else answer SRG…!
Morning by the way!
Sharkey… Theirry was a hard worker, he just made everything look easy.
Gambon…that ‘transcript’ is pretty funny !!
Pedro – Thierry hard worker..??
Yeah right !!!!
You’ll be telling me he gave all the CBs a tough time with his physicality and non stop effort next…
SRG… we mean the club. arsenal FC… i dont think many people hate wenger they just dont agree with what he says/thinks is doing.
some players are hated by some people but not by 95% of the people on here… not rating a player isnt the same as hating them!
whats your take on arsenal at the mo then?
SRG – Thats over stretching it a bit. Where Le Grove differs from the usual, run of the mill, everything is great blogs is that the bloggers on here only want the very best for this club.
At present we are 5 years without a trophy! How long should we give Wenger? And Wenger himself makes matters worse by using the same strategy that fails him season after season.
No one hates the players. But too many Arsenal players are simply dead weight. Song, Denilson & Co are not good enough to play in the positions that were once filled by legends such as Vieira, Petit and even Parlour!
Then there are the players who give even less to the cause. At least Song tries. Rosicky can’t try because he is forever injured! Is it a suprise that we have these injury concerns now that Wenger’s usual choice is a slender little kid that gets knocked all over the park?
And who, above everyone else, has the power to change things?? The board of course! But why would they when they are making so much money!
The club is rotting from the very core. Its as simple as that.
SRG – for me, it’s not about “hating” some Arsenal players or hating the manager, it’s about expressing our dissatisfaction about the way the club is being run – or appears to be being run. We all, as Arsenal supporters, have an emotional investment in the club, if not a financial one(via season tickets, match tickets)and when we see things that seem to show a disregard for the greater good of the club steam needs to be let off.
On match days though when I ‘m at the stadium I will press the team on in any way I can and be as supportive as possible, but if I think a player has not been pulling his weight, or has not warranted selection, I’ll say so here.
As for other more extreme shows of negative emotions toward Arsenal – I get where people are coming from and even though I don’t like the personal nature of some of the insults that fly around here directed at the manager it is each bloggers prerogative, with the proviso that it us up to Geoff/Pedro to chick off anyone they please (as they run and own the blog).
the board treat the fans like silly little school kids, especially hill-wood. gazidis talks to us like we’re gullible as if his ’4th isnt good enough’ statements actually mean something.
and the only person who seemed to genuinely care what happened on the pitch was booted out (dein)
You’ve got it spot on SRG
Regarding Thierry, sometimes when he lost the ball, and felt wronged, or got a kick he went absolutely mad and sprinted non stop for a good 30 seconds covering most of the pitch. In terms of hard working overall, making runs for the team, closing down etc he was far from a hard worker, especially in his later years with us.
The problem with blogging sometimes is, criticism are not constructive, anyway Zamora should keep scoring bcuz they are playing Man Ure, Spuds and Chavs soon.
Oops “chuck off anyone”
Just for a few minutes put your Premier League loyalties to one side and ask yourself this question.
If someone told you to ‘f*** off’ – or words to that effect – in front of other people would you want to shake their hand afterwards?
I wouldn’t.
And yet, in the furore following THAT flashpoint last week, Arsene Wenger was painted as the bad guy.
So credit to the Arsenal manager for standing his ground in the face of intimidation from my own profession this week. Credit to him for standing up to the jibes and the brickbats and maintaining it is his right to shake the hand of anyone he wants.
Some time ago in the distant past, someone, somewhere in the media decreed that if you don’t shake hands with a rival manager in this country then that makes you rude, arrogant and a bad loser.
And last week, in order not to be the one to break ranks, every manager asked about the Frenchman’s refusal to shake the hand of Mark Hughes last weekend condemned Wenger.
Fans up and down the land allowed themselves to be brow-beaten by the pundits who supposedly know best into agreeing with the majority. I’d imagine some people who hadn’t even seen the incident weighed in because it gave them an opportunity to knock the Arsenal manager.
The argument was that when youngsters see the Arsenal boss refusing to shake hands on TV then they copy that behaviour in school, parks and clubs. As a father of three myself I’d like to think that I bring my children up a bit better than for them to use football managers as reference points on how to conduct themselves.
And anyway, does that mean that – by the same token – young players will think its okay to wander into an opponent’s technical area or dug out and, on being asked to stay in their own space can respond by telling the complainant where to go (check the TV footage to see Mark Hughes’ behaviour)?
The whole affair was one of those many Emperor’s New Clothes moments that English football is full of. You know the ones, where a few, supposedly influential people in the game pass judgement – and therefore it must be true.
There have been a few, such as when Premier League bosses used to convince the wider public that African players were traitors for turning their backs on the English game in January and wanting to go and play for their countries at the Cup of Nations.
(I’d have loved to see someone tell David Beckham or Michael Owen during his time in Spain that he couldn’t go back to England to play for the national side).
There is also this myth that Wenger doesn’t like English players – even though the Frenchman has had his fingers burnt with the likes of Francis Jeffers, Richard Wright and Jermaine Pennant over the years.
And lest anyone think I am pro-Arsenal or anti-Manchester City, there was that Emmanuel Adebayor incident at the City of Manchester Stadium back in September when Arsenal fans behaved disgracefully, hurling – in some cases – racist abuse at the Togo striker then crying foul at his goal celebration.
The subsequent condemnation of Adebayor was universal, yet nobody thought to wonder why grown men would think it right to throw chairs at a footballer who kneels in front of them after scoring a goal. The Gunners fans who came out with that racist song escaped without punishment.
Instead people kept putting the boot into Adebayor, calling the run he went on before he came to rest in front of the Arsenal fans a ‘crazed sprint’. Holding him to blame for the photographer hit by the chair thrown from the stands. Pantomime villain nonsense.
Other Emperor’s New Clothes issues include the myth that diving was brought into the English game by foreigners. That our players don’t – and would never – cheat to gain an advantage over their opponents. Or that X or Y’s fans are the most knowledgeable in the game.
This is not about the ins and outs of any specific situation. So please do feel free to disagree with me if you want about the wider context. But before you think about posting a comment to argue the toss over the handshake or the Adebayor incident, don’t bother. This is an issue bigger than that.
Because it is fascinating, yet at the same time sad, that football fans are so actively encouraged to think in one dimension. That if you deviate from the norm you are some kind of loose cannon, a maverick, stubborn or – in the case of Wenger, plain rude and a bad loser.
The truth is that fans in the game need to start thinking for themselves. In the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes, it takes a small child to point out to the ruler that although everyone has persuaded him that he is wearing a fabulous new suit, he actually isn’t wearing anything at all.
Its just that everyone else is too scared to break ranks and tell him. Far easier to go with the majority instead of thinking for themselves.
SRG, couldn’t agree more.
Sharkey, blasphemy wont be tolerated on this blog.
Please, go away and read your Arsenal Opus and pray to the footballing gods for forgiveness.
SRG, we all hate Arsenal.
hi lads how are we 2day? am in london cant wait to watch boys live at liverpool.were you guys goin to drink for the champions league game?
pedro were u guys drink for the games?
A… you too… footballing hell awaits you.
You’ll be down there, with all the Chav’s, Mancs and Spuds.
The Board – Has no ambition for on field success and its only aim seems to be that of making money. Such heavy investment in property is a clear indicator of this!! When did we stop being a football club and start becoming a property developer?? They love Wenger because he makes them money. Simple as that.
The Manager – Same methods. Same results. Kids that aren’t good enough. “Give me until May” he says. May comes and we have failed. So it turns into “give me 2 years”. ” 2 years will go by and we will have failed. His philosophy on ‘killing kids’ is so misplaced it is untrue!! Bringing quality doesn’t kill the kids. It sets them anew benchmark of quality that they should be aiming for. It also provides them with an invaluable source of experience and guidance….something that is clearly missing at present. If the kids don’t make it, they aren’t good enough. We’re not a football charity, we are a football club. Trophies and success is paramount. Favouritism is rife at Arsenal. If players like Vela had been given the playing time that Wenger gives Diaby, Eboue, Song and Denilson he would probably be one of our best players by now. These standards are not good enough.
The Players – Hard to blame them when the manager provides them with no guidance, no leaders and no experience. If Wenger played me, I’d be shit. But I’m not going to suggest he drops me, am I!! Some do not pull their weight when it matters and some do not have the mentality and determination of a winner that is often required. Wenger has softened these guys up so much that they are beginning to believe they have a god given right to win trophies. Wrong.
What needs to be done? We have 2 options.
1) Wenger realises/remembers what brought him so much success. Big strong, physical, determined players that can put up a fight when it matters and that can also play very good football. Not many of those types of players out there right? Who better than the guy that found Anelka, Henry, Vieira etc then!!?? Stop wrapping the kids up in cotton wool and give them a real challenge!! I believe Wenger is too stubborn and too far gone to be told and to accept that he has failed.
2) A complete and total removal of Wenger from this football club. We start again from fresh. A new manager with new direction and philosophies. Someone that recognises the importance of signing proven quality and someone that recognises that NOW is the most important time of the club. Not next season, not next week. NOW. Is there life after Wenger? How can you even ask this question! This club was built and then strengthened by far better men than Arsene Wenger. Herbet Chapman for example! We found a great manager before. We can do it again.
We are Arsenal. We always will be.
http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/columnists/darren-lewis/Why-the-abuse-aimed-at-Arsene-Wenger-over-the-handshake-row-shows-that-football-folk-just-can-t-think-for-themselves-article248667.html
Aussie, we now drink in the Che… I’m not sure of the road, but it’s close to Holloway Road.
When are you over?
SRG – Very good question, and very well put. That ‘I hope this gets thru moderation’ was also very clever
Over the summer I actuially had to ask a few on here to name ten things about Arsenal, cos like you I cold only see constant critism of the club in bothe the comments and the posts.
The balance is a lot better now and if you look quite closely yyou can see where the real negativity comes from, its a select few.
Although if you come on here after a loss and you’re not wearing a WAC badge, then you’d better bring a tin hat, even if its only the Carling Cup
Sharkey, you’ll need tin pants in footballing hell…
am here now for the next week and 2 weeks but go up to liverpool and burnley games then back for the hull game
*Ten things they liked about Arsenal*
Cool, well make sure you join us for a beer!
i will try you watching the champions league game there? or just before the hull game?
A – spot on about those 30secs of ‘ooh looking at me working so hard for ze team’.
For me it was bilious to watch, and I couldn’t believe that people fell for it.
I’ve said for a long long time, that had Thierry applied himself more intently he would have wrapped up the Ballon D’or at least a couple of times, and he would NEVER finish behind Frank Lampard.
Blasphemy Pedro…?? Oh you mean as in ‘there is only one truth’, and it must not be questioned..??
You went to a ‘Christian Brothers’ school in Essex..how odd!!
It should be a case now of signing players then worry about it later, as in I mean let the 1st team and those on the fringe of the squad fight for their place, this attitude of “it will kill” other players is bollox and that is why this club wont win anything with that attitude.
Hate to say it but redknapp has it spot on, let them fight for their place, Keane on the bench for them at present cant get a start.
This is Arsenal and the club come 1st it’s upto the player to show his worth and if it fucks off players like denilson/diaby along the way then so be it
Listen to cesc/arshavin they are talking from the heart.
Pedders – so the S + B is no more? Could explain why when I’ve gone past there at the Alkmaar/Liege games there was no one around. Do they do Peroni at Che?
Taig. Respect to your well thought out post.
But your only comparison for Wenger is Herbert Chapman…?? From the 1930′s !!
Thats not really concrete evidence for the prosecution is it..if you have to go back 80years.
Wenger has revolutionised so many aspects of English football, and this is not restricted to Arsenal Football Club.
Big Dave I wish all Arsenal players could play from “The heart”.
I have a feeling that if Arsenal do not win anything this season then Wenger is going to have to answer to some very upset people. I really do not see this situation lasting beyond this season.
Big Dave – Totally agree mate. It is a job. If you do not perform to the level required, you get the boot. Just like every other industry in the world! If there is someone who can do a greater job then you either work hard to become better than them or you look else where.
Sharkey, blasphemy wont be tolerated on this blog.
Please, go away and read your Arsenal Opus and pray to the footballing gods for forgiveness.
SRG, we all hate Arsenal.
@Pedro,
I was not trying to tell that. Any was as i already told that was a honest and innocent question. I started watching football 2 years back and all these concepts are really new. I liked arsenal’s play for some reason as a novice it was more silken and smooth if watch cricket compare that to Sachin Tendulkar’s batting. For me till now arsenal is a team playing really smooth football , just stands there. Probably if Arsenal are to stop doing that may be i would not be watching arsenal, and trophies are not so important for me. You must have been watching arsenal for years, I really could not understand what you guys were meaning. That is why i raised the question, I do not intend any offense there.
SharkeySure – if you really follow Wenger so blindly when do you actually have time to support Arsenal football club?
If I’m correct, when Wenger moves on, do you move on with him?
Sharkey – The list of great managers is to big to go through. Chapman was just the pick of the bunch. I’m not sure what level of knowledge you have of Chapman but he too “revolutionised so many aspects of English football, and this is not restricted to Arsenal Football Club.” Have a read up on him.
I am not trying to prosecute him but now that you have mentioned it in those terms I guess Wenger is on trial right now. With this is mind what does he have in his defence to counter the 5 years without success??
SRG – You wont offend here my friend! At least you’re putting across a constructed view of things!!
taig – how about the fact that this club has had much longer periods without success, and the consistently being up at the top of the table in those five years, deemed an absolute disaster by many, has only been equalled once in the club’s history?!
Wenger is a victim of his own success, because of the invincibles people think we’ve got a god given right to win everything every year, when in actual fact on paper we shouldn’t ever finish above Utd or Chelsea!
Sharkey – And don’t bring up the trophies he has won or The Emirates stadium as these are all things I’m greatful for but we’re talking about now. What in the last 5 years has he achieved? I wish he would go back to his old ways but I think we all know that he wont!
A – So because we are not over-achieving, everything is good at Arsenal?? I don’t get that mentality.
My mate mentioned the fact that we are so close to greatness again. Whats the point in being close if you cant make that final leap??
A,
when was the last time we finished above these two?
afternoon all
wenger doesnt help himself though by claiming that we’ll be going for the CL and premiership and then not even coming close to either like last year.
also throwing away the FA cup semi was ridiculous
GW1 What the fuck makes you write shit like that ???
I’m an Arsenal fan, have been since about 1971, first went to Highbury in 1977.
Cos I think Wenger’s a genius who has brought us the most glory that I’ve seen in my lifetime, and I ain’t a member of the WAC brigade – you think I’ve confused Arsene with Arsenal…??
Seriously, what makes you think I follow Wenger so blindly…??
Did Pedro go and support Barca when Thierry left…??
A… victim of his own success? or resting on his laurels to pursue project youth?
Same methods = same results. Nothing will change that.
taig no everything isn’t good, but it certainly isn’t bad. It’s just ok, the last 5 years aren’t a disaster, they aren’t as good as we’d like them to be, but they’re better than where we could be. We don’t have any god given right to even be competing at the top of the table and in the champions league year in year out. Once the Emirates’ debt is paid we’ll be up there with the Utd’s of this world, and anything apart from silverware would be a big failure, but we aren’t there yet.
we havent over-achived for years!!….
60,000 seater stadium, 100m wage bill, 2 of the best players in the top 15 in the world (fab & arsh) and a one of the best managers around and we’ve won nothing for 5 years.
hardly over achieving!!
Sharkey – But its hard to understand how you can be satisfied with what Wenger is doing or where he is leading us?
Seriously now. How long would you give him without trophies before you gave him the boot??
TAIG..I know all about Chapman, and the floodlights, subs corner flags etc….
My point is you picked out someone from 80years ago, and mentioed no one else. In my opinion no one comes close to either of those two.
What was Chapmans demise like, did it end with everyone thinking he was a complete money grabbing c**t, who no longer had the clubs best interests at heart. .??
Or do we still revere him 80 years on..??
A victim of his own success obviously Arsenal Tom – if we’d had the last five years straight after Wenger arrived at the club then they would be considered five very very good years for us!
TAIG – who says I’m satisified with the current state of affairs.
Just cos I ain’t a WAC don’t mean I’m whoopy do about losing at Sunderland, or not winning nowt for FOUR* years.
* Fuck knows why everyone says 5 years, Ethan even had it down as six the other day
Sharkey – Just asking mate…!!!
You so far up Wengers ass it’s hard to see how you actually get a chance to see any of the football we play.
I never asked you how long you have been supporting Arsenal as that is fucking irrelevant to me.
You see the thing is, The Arsenal were around before Wenger and they will be around after Wenger, so he is not the be all and end all of Arsenal.
A… without his early years though would he be bale to experiment recently like he has?
SRG,
I think you are making some incorrect points.
To support a club isnt the same as supporting the players, the board or the manager. You can have contempt for numerous people at a club and still support the club. Just like you can support a political party whilst hating people within that party.
The problem is a lot of fans, especially younger ones, support individuals within the club more than the club itself, that coupled with fear of change/progression leads people to attach themselves to people like Arsene Wenger.
There are also people that feel the need to defend the honour of all things Arsenal, and refuse to hear any criticsm of anyone at the club.
The 2 examples above for me arent real fans of the club. To be a real fan you have to support the club itself, you support Arsenal, not Arsene, and if you feel an employee (lets get that right, Arsene is an employee of the club – no more) isnt doing his job right, if you really support the club you should want that situation to change.
In terms of my problems with the club, they are;
Players – Its hard to criticise them unless they do something stupid. Ultimately thay are doing their job, if some of them arent good enough thats not their fault, its the manager who picks them. Lets face it, if AW asked me or you to play at right back for £2.5m per year we would probably accept. Although I think there are numerous players in our squad that shouldnt be there.
Manager – I think he was a great manager, WAS being the operative word. The quality of the league has improved, and his managerial ability has decreased, along with the team itslef. He is stuck in his ways and scared of change, and there are numerous weaknesses in our team that he has refused to correct for years now. He has a deeply flawed philosophy that hasnt worked and wont work. He is constantly selling us a future that wont happen. I think he’s our greatest ever manager, but its time for someone new. This doesnt mean Im not an Arsenal fan though, just means im an Arsenal fan who thinks our manager isnt good enough.
Board – These guys care about one thing, making profits, football isnt something that interests them. We have only had one director that was a true football fan, and he was kicked out for courting a guy that is now best buddies with the board.
None of the above means im not as much a fan as anyone, I just see the club differently to you. I see ridiculous potential being thrown away by a board and manager that have agendas that dont involve winning. The club has stagnated, and when a business stagnates a change of management is the first change that is made.
A – How is not winning anything for years not bad? Its terrible! We didn’t even deserve to win that last trophy!
The old emirates argument again! If this is true now I do ‘hate’ Wenger! Wenger had no right to take Arsenal FC on this route knowing that we would not compete for trophies for years on end!! That is not his decision to make! He is taking away many, many years of happiness from thousands of football fans!! How many fans have said they would rather be at Highbury and win things than where we are now! Lots! And it wouldn’t have killed us! We would have less outgoings and considering we never spend any money then whats the big deal. It all just goes to show that the club is now a money making machine and not a football club striving for success.
SRG… lots of clubs have fans who support them but not the manager/players/board just look at bolton and newcastle!
With the eight Madrid players supposedly earmarked to leave in January, I wonder if we’ll be interested in any of them.
I’d take a real look at Garay and Gago
Sharkey – So you are not satisfied or content. So why aren’t you asking for reform??
People say 5 years because no trophies are there to be won in the middle of the season. If we do win a trophy this year it will be in May 2010, making it 5 years. That seems unlikely however right now so our next best shot may be in 2011 making it 6 years. Simple really.
After CL semi final exit, Wenger admitted that it was the lowest moment of his entire football managing career. You won’t see any football manager saying that after reaching CL semi final cos getting into a CL semi final is itself an achievement. In 2006-07 CL semi final 2nd leg, ManU were hammered by AC Milan at San Siro, and we beat the same Milan side at the same venue a year later.
Gunner Win 1.
Have you got a personality disorder..??
You start with ‘Only asking mate’ like I’ve misread your animosity, then you talk about my head being up Arsene’s arse.
Stick to answering the questions I asked you, insults are for kids.
A, they is such a negative way of looking at things.
I’m pretty sure we’d begrudge a 5 year stint without a trophy regardless.
George Graham delivered plenty of silverware.
You seem so content with averageness… it’s almost like you thrive on it sometimes…
Slating Henry… yet you’d defend just about any other player in our current squad no matter how weak their contribution…
taig before the emirates we didn’t compete for trophies every year, and if we hadn’t built the emirates then we would’ve been left behind, and ended up never in a position to compete for trophies! The emirates wasn’t wenger’s decision anyways! He designed and took part in the project, but the decision to build a new stadium wasn’t wenger’s doing….
Not winning trophies isn’t even bad, and terrible is a ridiculous adjective to use….
Compared to the invincibles yeah it’s terrible, but that isn’t par for our club. Where we have been for the past 5 years is probably par for where the club is now, pre wenger the last five years would’ve been much better than par for the club
lol saying that Henry didn’t have a good work rate is slating him?!
That’s like claiming that if I said Bergkamp wasn’t the best headerer of the ball I was slating him….
Pre-Wenger, if we’d have five trophiless years, but played in the Champions League every season, and never been below 4th place, it would have been a very successful 5 years, it wouldn’t be begrudged in the slightest! People have very short memories….
I’m not content, I want us to win things, but if we fail to win things it isn’t a disaster, it isn’t terrible, and it isn’t reason for Wenger to leave the club
A,
Is he a victim of his own success though? Cos there isnt really any success anymore is there.
One thing that i would like to know from all the AKBs is when will it be time for a change? How many more years of finishing 3rd/4th and winning nothing will it take before you say OK maybe it is time for a change?
The biggest worry isnt the lack of success, its the lack of improvement, year after year nothing changes, we’re the same team with the same problems, and the manager s just either;
a) Unwilling to change things
b) Unable to find a solution
Now if he cant find a solution to something as basic as a lack of height then he really isnt the great manager he is claimed to be. If he cant see we havent got a good enough GK then he is a championship level manager, as even Malchie Mackay could tell you we need a new GK.
A – Fuck me, you are so happy with mediocrity its untrue! If you don’t see winning as the objective of football, what is then?? Why would we be left behind? We could still afford the tiny amount we spend on new signings as we’d still be selling for huge amounts. We don’t spend the extra money we now make on gate receipts so what difference would it make. We even played better on that small highbury pitch.
A Says:
December 8, 2009 at 12:15
taig before the emirates we didn’t compete for trophies every year,
————————————————–
WOT ????????????????????????
A – So Wenger is here forever basically. he doesn’t have to win things!!!!! That has got to be the fucking funniest thing I have ever heard!! I cannot name another fan of ANY club that says they do not mind if they win trophies or not!
You are in the wrong game mate!!
the manc’s the spuds(C-C) , even pompey have bagged an FA cup .. since weve came to the Emirates !
if you think we were erratic at getting silverware prior to moving into the Emirates what the #### do you call it now ?
A – That attitude is ALL that is wrong with Arsenal right now. You’ve been brainwashed by all of the shit that Wenger and the board feed you and you have fallen for it hook, line and sinker! Fucking class!
Week in week out the AKB’s wave their Arsene Knows Best banners at the games…this is the main reason why Wenger will not change his stance on buying recognised players because he has this group of people who blindly follow him.
Sharkey you guys are following Wenger on what he has done for the club and not what he is doing now…which is actually NOTHING!!!
gambon being a victim of one’s success doesn’t mean there’s success now…. He’s a victim of the success he achieved with the invincibles and that period, if that hadn’t happened then the last five years would be considered a very successful period for the club, challenging for the champions league for the first time in the club’s history, staying in the top 4 places in the league, something that only happened once post war before wenger arrived!
taig obviously it’s the objective, but not winning isn’t necessarily a failure, otherwise all the clubs outside of the top four should just disband, along with every lower league club
ethan – You must be on the verge of exploding mate! My lord……:D
A, in the last 20 odd years I think we’ve finished outside the top 4 3 times.
So if George G had been about now… we’d have been in the champions league more often than not… and he’d have had the money to really make an assault on the league.
Different era though…
Not to mention the champions league was a knock out competition not geared to making clubs mega rich.
Implying Thierry wasn’t a hard worker is saying he was lazy… what a load of bollocks.
taig what does wenger have to do with anything, i dont remember him saying what i’ve been saying?! i remember the mid 90s, when people were talking about relegation, that’s why i feel as i do. i want to win things, but won’t feel like it’s a disaster us being at the top of the table even if not 1st
TAiG
So Wenger is here forever basically. he doesn’t have to win things!!!!! That has got to be the fucking funniest thing I have ever heard!!
——————————————–
as ludicrous as it sounds mate !
your spot on the money ..
keep up 4th spot , get those C.L fixtures each season and arsene your safe as houses
rob the fans, feed em BS .. keep the economic wheel churning …
A – NEWSFLASH: NOT WINNING IS FAILING!!
Or would you rather say we are the best at losing??
A, people were talking relegation?
We finished 13th once! No one was talking relegation!
A,
Re; Your comment about the Emirates.
Define “wouldve been left behind”
We spend less money now than we did at highbury, our results are worse than when we played at highbury & our wage bill is about £10m more than the invincibles season.
Since we have moved we have fallen away as a force.
lol no it isn’t Pedro, are you seriously that defensive about Henry?! He was our greatest ever player, but wasn’t a hard worker at all, especially in his later years, he certainly didn’t work for the team, and should never have been captain imo. It’s not calling him lazy
A – We must strive for success. Winning campaigns must be the main objective. If we don’t then we must return to the drawing board and see what can be improved. It seems the club and now the players have lost any sort of competitive edge. Football is about winning. It is about being better than everyone else. Winning is the be all and end all and when you do when you do not have to pay attention to anything else as the club will run itself. If the board want money, start winning the on field battles. Its as simple as that.
2nd place is the first loser
gambon – My point exactly!!
ATom – It most certainly is!
tonyadamsisgod Says:
December 8, 2009 at 12:23
ethan – You must be on the verge of exploding mate!
———————————
mate .. saw it coming ..
wenger makes one Top player a season by playing them into stardom (and wrecking our trophy season at the same time) ,it was never going to happen with diaby – eboue – song – denilson etc ….
unfortunately most on here were just dreamin !
For me, its the feeling that Arsenal and Arsene are not doing all they can to win trophies.
Clearly I understand the financial restrictions on the club, but I dont feel we are doing everything in our powers to put out as strong a team as possible.
Wenger is taking us further and further down this same old route – call it project youth if you like. He has this image in his head of the way to acheive things but its detached from reality. The Prem League is reality and its a hard place to win games win one arm tied behind your back.
I think 5 seasons of going along this path is enough. I completely understand there is the youth development side of the club but those kids aren’t winning us trophies, and trophies are what we are all ultimately here for.
A, you’ve only got to look at his stats to see he worked for the team.
How can you say a player that bagged almost as many assists as goals was not a team player?
His last season was bad… but he was injured playing with a poor, inexperienced side.
Pedro going backwards, pre wenger –
5
12
4
10
4
1
4
1
6
4
7
7
6
10
5
3
4
7
5
8
Those are the 20 years pre wenger….
No A thats where your wrong !
we are so OVER DUE for a win ..
if you are to maintain the mantle of a
TOP FLIGHT CLUB, then you MUST win things ..
every year we lose , we damage morale , club standings , Lose fans …
Sorry the rot needs to stop NOW !
A, is that not 3 times in the last 20 years?
Pedro off the ball he didn’t work hard for the team at all, closing defenders down etc. He was a fantastic team player on the ball, very un-selfish, got ridiculous numbers of assists as well as goals.
ethan you mean top 4 club, not top flight club….
Ethan I agree with you mate…we are soooo overdue a win it’s actually getting me depressed.
Fuck potential and mental strength…I want trophies, yes trophies is what you measure a team on.
TAIG – How many more years would I stomach no trophies for til I asked Wenger to go..?? I really don’t know.
If I watched us regularly losing games and playing shit football, with NO CHANCE of success, then that would be the time.
Was 2007-08 a complete failure for Chelsea in your eyes cos JT slipped and the ref kept Scholes on at Wigan giving Man U the PL title…?? Thats not failure to me, but they sacked Avram Grant. Would you want him sacked..??
And re five years in May, that will be in May, unless you can already see us winning nowt.
I don’t want Henry to come back to arsenal as a player. He was a legend but we are just dwelling on the past.
Get George graham in to sort out the defence!!
Pedro – is that semantics I smell.
Why would talk about the last 20 years.. which includes 13 for Wenger, instead of the preceeding 20…??
My memory had us not competing for many years, and that ‘preceeding 20′ list is a better representation.
Interesting! Surely no one is saying that Henry wasn’t hard working when going forward, so if that is the case then the criticism must be aimed at his defensive duties? My memories are of him always chasing back but very sensibly never lunging in, and thereby, percentage wise, staying fitter than most would expect considering the amount of games he played.
Sharkey – But hasn’t 5 years of the same methods and the same results shown you that we have NO chance of winning?? Like I said earlier, what is the point in getting so close if you cannot make that final leap?? To me that isn’t having a chance of success, its just maintaining the gulf between us and the winners.
Read an interesting comment by Chary… Something about not having confidence in Al in a one on one situation. For all his faults i actually think this is one of his strong points. His ultimate folly is that he has no natural instinct to come for crosses.
Which part of winning do people not understand..??
Going to the final of a competition and losing is in my opinion FAILURE…unless I’m wrong.
Winning a final in my opinion is ACHIEVEMENT…unless I’m wrong again.
We can debate all year about the ins and outs of our beloved Arsenal but at the end of the day, fans are going to start demanding success and that is something Wenger is failing to deliver.
TAIG – Chelsea had Mourinho winning titles in a boring fashion.
Roman wanted more.
Roman wathed the bnore fests in the cL semis with Liverpool…and said fuck this.
Winning is everything ‘eh….
Re your ANY fans comment. What do the Scunthorpe and Barnsley fans expect to win at the start of each season..?? Look at Leeds attaendances over the last 5 years. What have they won..??
Whether we win stuff or not I support Arsenal, I have no choice, haven’t had for nearly 40 years now !!
Sharkey, because that was the stat I put out there. I wasn’t talking about prior 1990… becuase both myself and A wouldn’t have been old enough to make a comment.
The point was, in the last 20 years, Arsenal would have only missed out on Champions league football 3 times going on today’s model.
How much money was in football the preceding 10 years? How much was a season ticket?
London… very well said.
cheers Gunnerwin 1
also how you gauge the greatness of a club is by immediate winning history .. barca doing the double , the manc’s domination ..
winning 1 game in the last 15 V’s the chev’s !
isnt qualification
once the stats , figures and trophies start swinging in our direction , THEN, only then.. can you say we have MADE IT !
even pompey can win a bit of silverware out of the blue surly if we put our minds to it we can do the same ?!
wenger chases unrealistic targets due to his delusions of grandeur state regarding his squads quality .. (and fitness)
If your honest the past 4/5/6 years have been shit !
its a fall from grace ..
no matter which way you look at it !
Mayank – Yep agreed! I think Almunia is woeful but I have always, always said he is the best at 1 on 1′s!!
Sharkey – Abramovich didn’t sack Jose because of how they played!! He did it because he wanted the CL and he thought he could get a manager in to do that!! Do they play better now than they did then? I can’t see it.
I think Jose got sacked because he thought he was bigger than the club.
ethan – yep!! People dont consider Milan, Barca, Madird, Mancs the greatest clubs in the world because they consistently qualify for the CL for fucks sake! Its because they won trophies and had massive on field success!!
Pedro, that’s 3 times in the 7 years before wenger then…. The reason we’ve not missed out once in the last 13 years is Wenger, at any time previously in the club’s entire history we wouldn’t have even managed five consecutive years qualifying for it….
Just because we aren’t old enough to remember those times doesn’t make them irrelevant. Just because Wenger has given us success in his time at the club, and whilst we’ve been following the club, it doesn’t mean that the club will automatically be at the top of the table year in year out without him.
Right – Lunch, back soon!
London – ‘sensibly never lunging in’…lol
Thats a great euphemism for rarely made a tackle !!!
He didn’t compete for headers on our goal kicks, or on crosses if a defender was ready to challenge, he didn’t chase many lost causes, and he weren’t the bravest CF you’ll ever see.
In SPITE of these ‘areas for improvement’ he was one of the best strikers EVER seen in World Football.
With a bit of Ian WWW’s hunger and spirit he could have surpassed the incredible stats that he did achieve.
That looks like 3 times in 8?
Sharkey, when you’ve got Paddy and Gilberto in the middle of the park, do you really need your fastest player on the pitch knocking on headers?
That’s almost as tactically inept as crossing high balls into a box of midgets!
A – Henry did what he was employed to do…score goals.
Maybe he did not run hard enough for you or backtrack as much as you wanted him to, but he fulfilled his contract and that he cannot be faulted for.
He gave me and many Gunners some moments I will never forget, especially when he beat Bartez with his back to goal is a moment I will treasure forever and no amount of negativity towards him will make me think otherwise of the great HENRY!!!
Wenger has said Henry was one of hardest workers in training and always wanted to improve. So i think you can call him a workhorse in that sense, but on the filed he was efficient but not lazy like the RvN’s and Berba
I seem to recall comments about ‘style of play’ from both Grant and Scolari…
But if you guys think differently then so be it..
Well said GW1.
Too many blasphemers on here today!
A… the point it, the dark days of the nineties weren’t really that dark.
I was raised on that football and loved it…
An American e-mailed me the other day saying the ninties were the dark days and GG was a cretin.
What a cunt…
yeah pedro 3 in 8 if you wanna go back 21 years rather than 20 to pull in that other one in the top 4! Or you could go back futher and say 9 in 15
Gunner win 1 when did I say that he didn’t backtrack enough for me?! We were almost a one man team with him in it, he did much more than score goals, he was superb in all areas of his game on the ball, an amazingly unselfish player and one of the best strikers of all time, certainly the best ever striker in the premier league in my eyes.
Why is it that people are so set in players being either amazing or shit, that if you say an amazing player had a weakness you’re completely slating him, and saying he isn’t good enough, and if you say a shit player did something good then you’re somehow claiming he’s the best player to ever live?!
I think the failure to deploy low crosses has more to do with the space available than tactics. High crosses require lesser time and space on the field than low crosses. Chelsea weren’t giving us much. No technical knowledge behind this post though just speaking from personal experience…
Mayank, why people would want Thierry to be doing Adebarndoor work is beyond me.
Fergie criticised Rooney for doing that…
Mayank… are you saying high crosses require less thought?
Pedro I’m not talking about dark days of the 90s, i’m talking about dark days of pre-wenger. 4 GG years apart, we were never one of the top clubs in the country
A… it’s 2009… we won the league in 1989… that’s 20 years I think?
Lesser space because you need to run into the ball and wrap your foot around it to give it any pace, but perhaps also lesser thought. Crossing isn’t our cup of tea, we should leave it to the experts.
Pedro – So you’re agreeing that he didn’t win/go for knock on headers..??
Great great player – but he could have been so much more if he’d applied himself a bit more, and not in bursts.
Anyways thats my last one on that topic.
Oh and GunnerWin1 wants to know if you support Barca now Thierry’s there…?? I don’t why he thinks you might, but thats his logic not mine
Also i think Walcott is good at delivering them when he’s feeling inspired.
A, bar two seasons in that bunch of GG years… we were a top 4 team.
The same as we are now.
Admittedly English football wasn’t where it is now… but why would we be one of the top teams in the country now… but not then.
Same positions roughly?
Nope pedro, that’s 21 years
1. 8-9
2. 7-8
3. 6-7
4. 5-6
5. 4-5
6. 3-4
7. 2-3
8. 1-2
9. 0-1
10. 9-0
11. 8-9
12. 7-8
13. 6-7
14. 5-6
15. 4-5
16. 3-4
17. 2-3
18. 1-2
19. 0-1
20. 9-0
Roman Pavlyuchenko’s agent claims that Arsenal are among the clubs chasing the Tottenham striker.
Mayank, I don’t think smashing the ball into the box requires anymore thought if it’s a low ball…
It was bad tactics.
“Great great player – but he could have been so much more”???
What did you want him to be? President of the world…
Seasons A… seasons!
Not years…
Semantics eh?
I love em’!
True Pedro, GG was a very good manager for the club. Though we did have a 10th place finish there after winning the league twice out of the previous 4 seasons, imagine if Wenger did that?!
I never said it requires more thought just more time and space. If you see the Totts match you’ll notice how much space he was afforded by everton…
A good father perhaps….
Oooooh…. what a bitch!
What are Pedro and A on about?
A, he’d get fired for sure.
I don’t think the expectation was as high back then… seats were fuck all, players salaries weren’t as monstrous etc…
Wenger has turned us into a world class outfit, he’s put players on world class wages… and fans expect a world class turn out.
The expectation brings the money in.
Wenger can’t have it one way…
Mayank – Thats funny, but at the same time a little bit ridiculous.
If/when he retires without winning the Ballon D’or having been ‘efficient’ as you put it, is there any chance that he might feel that had he exhibited a bit more hunger and desire he could have won it…??
From where I’m sat now, it looks that way to me. From where I was sat at Highbury it looked that way to me. Take what I’ve said and go watch some reruns of games..you;ll see it.
You’ll also some of the best attacking play and goals from an Arsenal player EVER mind you…
A – well said about the overblowing of individual comments !!!
Trying to work out the travelling squad for tomorrow’s game from the photos on arsenal.com -
merida
silvestre
wilshere
JET
ramsey
eastmond
bartley
song
sunu
ayling
walcott
coquelin
henderson
vela
gilbert
15 outfield players, add two keepers, guessing missing one outfield player
Smart Sharkey…at least Thiery knows how to win trophies, your master Wenger is selling you an unachievable dream and you are buying it whole heartedly, sad…truely sad mate.
Now you’re up to speed on the good old ‘semantics’ Pedro.
Good work keeping up
The titles he won for us are of much more important than any fixed award…
But i’ll give it a look nonetheless.
Well I’m off!
Yeah Pedro – if Wenger finished 5th I’d expect him to be sacked! I agree about the expectation, and it’s justified to an extent, but people are way over the top imo
Sharkey, he lost out to Cannavaro that season… on the basis of a world cup win.
Application had nothing to do with it.
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/olympiacos-pre-match-training?image=8
coquelin going in studs showing on theo?! for fucks sake
So, it’s official that Arshavin is only 5’4″,
Arsène Wenger insists that the current Arsenal line-up is short by accident rather than design.
The team which faced Stoke City on Saturday was one of the most diminutive in the Club’s recent history with only three six-footers – goalkeeper Manuel Almunia plus centre-back pairing Thomas Vermaelen and William Gallas. Indeed, Arsenal’s centre forward was the five foot four Russian, Andrey Arshavin.
It’s all a far cry from the days when Wenger’s team was packed with height from back to front. For example the ‘Invincibles’ towered above most opponents with strapping centre halves, Patrick Vieira and Gilberto in midfield plus Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry up front.
Saturday’s 2-0 win against a lanky Stoke outfit proved that size does not necessarily matter. Wenger himself is adamant that the recent drop in the team’s collective inches is down to injuries and not a change in philosophy.
“It was not a conscious decision [to have a shorter team],” said the Frenchman.
“We spoke about that because at one stage we had Emmanuel Petit, Vieira, Steve Bould, Martin Keown, Tony Adams, they were all tall, and Anelka for example. But it was not a conscious choice.
“At the beginning of the season we started with Robin Van Persie, Nicklas Bendtner, Alex Song and Abou Diaby. We were a tall team because we had the back four plus these four players and they were really tall. I think it’s down to the injuries we have had. We lost Diaby, Bendtner and Van Persie together. They are three players who have an impact physically.
“When you don’t win people will find you a reason anyway. If you lose and you’re tall they say you’re too tall you know. I don’t think [a lack of height] stopped anybody from winning trophies but sometimes in England it can have an impact on set pieces away from home. But I looked on set pieces and we didn’t concede more than anybody else.”
Wenger accepts that Arsenal don’t actually score many goals from set-pieces themselves. But he attributes that to one man’s absence rather than a lack of height in the opposition’s penalty area.
“We don’t score many set-pieces since Van Persie has been out because his delivery was exceptional and we were quite dangerous on set pieces [earlier in the season].”
‘Genius GW1′ – did you watch the 2006 CL final…??
Sharkey, I know index matches as well… fuck me I’m having a good day!
And the other seasons Pedro, when he didn’t even manage second..??
Fat Frank came closer than he did at least once…but I’m not gonna go look up the stats.
Seriously Pedro.. .you think Henry’s approach and attitude were spot on…??
Shit – I’m doing it again…posting beyond ‘my final post’. Please don’t tell Geoff.
As per SSN, we’re chasing Spuds’ reject.
Roman Pavlyuchenko’s agent Oleg Artemov has claimed that Arsenal are among the clubs chasing the striker.
The 27-year-old Russia international has been frozen out at Tottenham this season after falling down the pecking order behind Jermain Defoe, Robbie Keane and Peter Crouch, and Spurs’ arch rivals are reportedly interested in his signature.
A move to Italian club Roma has recently been touted as Pavlyuchenko’s preferred option but no deal has been done as yet.
The Gunners are looking to add a striker to their squad following the serious injury suffered by Robin van Persie in November while on international duty, and Artemov claims they are interested in Pavlyuchenko.
“We are not happy about his situation at Tottenham, so we’ll do everything to ensure that he can change club in January,” he told tuttomercatoweb.
“There were contacts with Roma but for now only by phone.
“Interested in the player are also Spartak Moscow, Arsenal and Zenit (St Petersburg), anything can happen.”
Pavlyuchenko has only played seven games for Spurs this term and he has been tipped to leave White Hart Lane in the New Year.
His Russia team-mate Andrey Arshavin moved to the Emirates Stadium in January from Zenit, and could prove influential in any move.
Transfers between the two North London clubs are few and far between, however, and Sol Campbell’s move to Arsenal in 2001 sparked mass outrage amongst Spurs fans.
Index matches in Excel…highbrow stuff.
Mayank must be well and truly ‘lost’ on this thread now….
In the final season… no… before that, absolutely.
The shitter the side got, the worse his attitude.
Great players want to play with other great players.
I can’t blame him for that.
Fair do’s Pedro.
I might do a bit of work this arvo …I’ve hardly done a stitch this morning !!!
*I might TRY and do a bit of work*
If low crosses require too much thought, I doubt he’d even be able to work a vlookup.
All the positive bloggers in one place….leave wenger and the team alone you blog bullies
Henry was a tosser attitude wise in the end but still a great player on his day he went at the right time for me.
Pedro Says:
December 8, 2009 at 13:14
A, he’d get fired for sure.
I don’t think the expectation was as high back then… seats were fuck all, players salaries weren’t as monstrous etc…
Wenger has turned us into a world class outfit, he’s put players on world class wages… and fans expect a world class turn out.
The expectation brings the money in.
Wenger can’t have it one way…
——————————————
Absolutely spot on Pedders!!
Sharkey you have been my blog hero for ages but I can’t remember feeling this crest fallen since I found out Superman couldn’t really fly…Wright was more hard working than Henry Lol
Ian Wright… as much as I loved him… and as young as I was… he was a sulky bastard on the pitch.
Low crosses and vlookups…great tactics Pedro…CL final here we come !!
Better win it though, otherwise the WAC’s will want blood.
Sharkey, what’s a WAC?
i really hope we arnt after Pavlyuchenko!! He isnt the kind of striker we need!!
Any news on the bobby zamora transfer to Arsenal?
Oi less of that London, I’m a married man with four kids, and please don’t ask me about Father Christmas !!
Ian Wright more hard working, moody..?? Maybe, maybe not.
I’m just saying that you 100% knew taht Ian WWW would trample the sick for a goal, stick his head in where it might get kicked in, battle all day with the biggest toughest ugliest CBs around (Keown in training) etc etc etc.
I loved his ‘you want some’ attitude, although off the pitch its not so palatable.
Rob… I hope not as well.
I think the fact Arshavin hates him would play a factor in signing him…
Sharkey, yet Thierry scored more goals…
WAC – Wengers A C**t brigade.
Your cousin signed it off last week, he wants it put up top alongside AKB !!
Probably got double the assists…
Guys,what’s the name of Olempique Marsellie striker?Big, strong, tall, scores many goals, Mayles P.(yeah I know) once wanted him to succecd Ade.
… and doesn’t slag us off in the press.
Pedro – In a much better team…like you say, you were young
Sharkey, it’s immature to give groups you disagree with 3 letter acronyms.
pedro your cousin started blogging here? or is someone trying to be funny with a line used more then AKB
Sharkey, very true.
I love Wrighty… but I don’t think he could have done what Thierry did in that 2002 team… or 2004…
I’m no fan of Ian WWW now…still a legend for his goals, but thats it.
Somehow he managed to sandwich his Arsenal career (1992?-1998) between our greatest successes.
Ok he gets his medals for 1998, but that was Nic’s year
pedro – What makes you think they hate each other i thought he wanted him to join him at the scum!!
pedro wright was nowhere near the player henry was, he was more determined and had a better work rate, though was more of a hot head too
maciek you’re thinking of niang, and myles palmer retracted that soon after
Immature..!!! Classic, brilliant etc etc !!!
Comments like that are why I come here !!
pedro i forgot about the pav-ars problems after the playoffs, i wouldn’t be totally against his signing, but unlikely after that!
Thanks A. Yes, Niang. Do You rate him, mate?
Nick…they never told you….??
Rob, Pav was slagging him off the other week after the russia game.
That man is far too offensive to play for us.
Carlos Vela
Theo Walcott
Aaron Ramsey
Alex Song
Mikael Silvestre
Jack Wilshere
Lukasz Fabianski (GK)
Vito Mannone (GK)
Fran Merida
Kyle Bartley
Francis Coquelin
Thomas Cruise
Craig Eastmond
Jay Emmanuel-Thomas
Kerrea Gilbert
Luke Ayling
Mark Randall
Gilles Sunu
so im going for
fabianski
gilbert song bartley silvestre
ramsey eastmond wilshere
theo vela merida
not seen him maciek, but he’s 30, and palmer posted that story just trying to be different, then a little while later posted another story saying actually he isn’t very good and he was wrong in posting the original story!
Pavlyuchenko is a wenger kind of player though!! I can see it happening (good technically)!! On the other hand spurs might not want to sell him to us
To clarify…..
Watching Thierry in an Arsenal shirt has been a real fucking privilege.
The best player in the world at our club, having become so at our club. Priceless !!!
Part of me wants to kick myself for nitpicking…oh well
A. Good squad but if Song is injured, we are finished.I wouldn’t have risk him.
Nick, if cousin Geoff signed it off… I have to roll with it!
Typical Myles.LOL.
yeah maciek, neither would I! probably play him centre back though so he doesn’t tire himself out too much
Maciek someone said wenger is dropping song for denilson song will drop back to cb back up in place of senders when he leaves.. full time.
with a new dcm coming in to compete with denilson for the dcm position…we will see
Alright fellas…
Got a few points, so bare with me!
First… The strikers. We absolutely have to buy someone, I think we can safely assume Wenger no longer beleives in Eduardo, and that makes two of us, cos I think he’s utter gash. He’s never been good for us, and somehow lives in this silver lining because of the injury. The facts are, he’s never scored alot of goals for us, and only against lesser teams. He cant work in a 433, cos he’s awful as a centre forward, and too slow and lightweight for the wide role. He has to be sold in my view.
As for who we buy, I hope its Dzeko. I go crazy when Wenger says about the Champions League. I couldnt care less about the Champions League, we are light years from winning it and there are 10 better teams in Europe than us that stand a chance. As soon as we hit a decent side we’re out… which brings me onto my next point.
In big games, my god we are absolute shite. I am dreading Sunday I really am. I cannot see how we are even going to get a point. The bad thing is, when Liverpool beat us, the press will turn their allegiance and suddenly we will be the ones to drop out of the top 4 again. And we’ll only be a point ahead of Liverpool, who are having a disasterous season.
In every big game we play, and that includes City now, I have 0% confidence in this team. The lack of confidence in the side is painful to watch, we havent won a big game for so long it looks like we’ve forgotten how.
Absolutely dreading Sunday. I used to enjoy big games, now I hate them! The team just cant hack it, and without Gallas AND Traore, I cant see how we’ll cope with Torres.
is gallas injured then??
Nick, if that’s true, Wenger should go. I have enough.His another master plan.
Tom, considering in your last comment you slated everyone as being depressingly pathetic… I find your comment about having zero confidence in the team a little hypocritical?
What is wenger on about!! The man is nuts!! I disagree with everything he says at the moment!!
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/wenger-size-does-not-matter-in-football
”If you lose and you’re tall they say you’re too tall you know” when has anybody ever said that!!
Tom, relax. Torres will finish us off in the first 30 minutes. Than You will be able to sit, tak a deep breath and enjoy.
Rob, I don’t think anyone has ever said that in the history of the game?
Gallas was injured against Stoke. He’ll hopefully play but there’s no noise from the club yet.
Traore I think is worse, so its gonna be Silvestre out there I think.
Its gonna be a beating for us I think. This team + Pressure + Anfield + Torres = us failing absolutely miserably.
We’re just not a good side anymore, and it really does pain me to say that.
Pedro – My long post is the first one on this site. I dont know who else posted.
macciek i have read before wenger sees song as a cb so maybe this is good as we will get a new dcm
Tom, same IP address, same e-mail address… I think we both know this isn’t your first visit to Le Grove.
Anyone who knows anything about football can see our team is small and lightweight and we get pushed around. We are awful at defending set pieces!! So height doesn’t help in defending set pieces then wenger?. Ok lets play with a team full of midgets and see how we get on defending set pieces
That shit about Wenger sticking Song at centre back…
Please.
Ive never read such utter bullshit.
In fact, I have over 6 pages of your comments.
Pedro – I have not posted here for about 2 or 3 months mate.
I have no reason to lie to you about what I post!!!
the long post was my first in donkeys years.
Tom has been sprung!!
sad fuckers out there
Pedro – Calm down!!!
Like I said, the long post is the first in ages. And as you have acccess to logs you should know that.
Dzeko’s partner Grafite looks pretty handy!! Anyone??
Donkeys months… August was the last post and it wasn’t very nice.
I’ll take your addy out of the spam, don’t leave bitchy comments though.
I think song is to slow to be a centre back!! He isn’t good in a tackle either he usually breaks up play by fouling IMO
Hang on, hang on! What am I supposed to have wrote?
wow,whatever team wenger puts on tomorrow night will be destroyed,mind you they are used to losing so it’s no biggy
Im not leaving bitchy comments!!! im talking about Arsenal.
You wrote 2 shitty comment out of the blue about the site and the people who blogged on it.
I didn’t even have to go into the archives to know you’d been here before.
I’m prepared to forgive and forget, just respect the rules of the site.
I dont care about Champions League so im not fussed whether we win or lose or who we get, i’d have been happy to see us go out at the group stages.
Its a pointless competition for us that can only harm us as we just get smashed by the first decent team we face.
Squad for Olimpiacos:
Carlos Vela
Theo Walcott
Aaron Ramsey
Alex Song
Mikael Silvestre
Jack Wilshere
Lukasz Fabianski (GK)
Vito Mannone (GK)
Fran Merida
Kyle Bartley
Francis Coquelin
Thomas Cruise
Craig Eastmond
Jay Emmanuel-Thomas
Kerrea Gilbert
Luke Ayling
Mark Randall
Gilles Sunu
I promise to be nice!
Now – Back to the shockingness of Eduardo. What on earth is Wenger gonna do to bring this side round?
rob the too tall thing is tongue in cheek, you need to not take soundbites like that so seriously!
I think we will turn liverfool over they are shittier then us at the moment and if we play arsh in the middle another 4 could be on the cards for him, they really are bad and if we cant beat them now we dont deserve to be in the running for the league imo
taig – im going for
fabianski
gilbert song bartley silvestre
ramsey eastmond wilshere
theo vela merida
Tom we’ve lost two games on the trot, I wouldn’t say the team needs to be “brought round” just yet
Tom, Geoff and I always said his contribution to the team was blown way out of proportion.
His game is solely finishing really!
It’s unfair to judge him really… he needs time to bed in, get a proper run without injury etc…
A – Its on arsenal.fc I am sick of wenger talking bollox!! The fans can see it the captain comes out and says it and then he comes out and says it doesn’t matter how tall you are!!
I think they should rest song for the liverpool game
I’ve just seen the chairman’s son is in the squad for the mankskummers game tonight. Now if Wenger had this many defensive injuries the press would be having a field day slating him, and rightly so, for letting the squad depth issue deteriorate. We all know the press are firmly up ole 65% proof noses sphincter and he can do no wrong – everything Sir Alex does is a stroke of genius.
They give that alky,sweaty c**t too much respect.
Nick they are poor against sides that are considered to be beneath them.
In the games against big sides, like United, they’ve turned up and played well.
Look at the form guide.
Liverpool at home
Arsenal Away
Liverpool against “Top 4″ side
Arsenal against “Top 4″ side
Arsenal with shit defence against Torres
Arsenal with no strikers.
I admire your optimism, and its something I usually have against anyone, but since we lost at United after playing well, i just KNOW we wont turn up
Oh and Nick – we arent in the league running, havent been all season, and wont be.
A – I’d be happy if we tried that team out!
rob – yeah its a bit bizarre coming out and almost issuing a complete rebuttal of what your captain has said! Probably just another tantrum and a way for Wenger to flex his muscles again!!
rob green he doesn’t mean it literally though! he’s talking tongue in cheek. it’s on arse.com because they took it from the press conference, it was a joke, how they laughed….
cesc hasn’t said anything about height as far as i know?
height doesn’t matter that much….
charybdis1966 united are the holding champions and are only two points behind Chelsea!! that’s why they get an easier ride with the press. If they hadnt won f*ck all for 5 years then they would probably get belters!!
well we are Tom, and I expect us to be until the end. If we’re within 6 points of Chelsea on 11th Feb I expect us to win it.
Didn’t cesc just say we could do with a more direct forward? someone who’ll run in behind rather than wanting the ball to feet….
not a big man, big men don’t generally run in behind…..
The thing that gutts me is the injuries were expected in the whole rosicky eddie rvp they were all going to happen yet we still never replaced TT with another body to keep the numbers up.
I think we need to sign players for positions not force positions on players.
Its wonderful to watch our play but we miss the player doing the dirty work in midfield that effects both our attacking play and defensive
A, he wants Villa.
Height isnt an issue. Its a non story peddled by the press that we’re lightweights.
The issue is the midfield helping the defence out. As soon as Denilson plays we lose defensive structure as he just will not track back.
Im sure you all know this anyway.
There are far more problems at Arsenal. Height is the very least of our issues. The fact we have no defensive spine, no striker, no goalkeeper that is worth his salt and a midfield of players that are practically identical is far more worrying that whether Thomas Vermaelen is 6’1 or 5’11.
Yes Rob green, they are reigning champions etc.. but I still think they are all a bunch of cunts.
charybdis1966 – I agree but wenger doesn’t make life easy for himself he brings al lot of the negative press upon himself!!
Sorry Tom that’s bollocks, Denilson tracks back the whole time, he just isn’t very quick so gets bypassed at times in quick breaks, but most of the time he gives the defence good protection. It’s his physical limitations, lack of strength and pace that costs him, not his effort or defensive positioning etc
A so denilson isn’t up to the job then!!! i agree there we still dont have the right dcm for our team
That’s true also Rob, he goes a bit too far in shielding the players from poor performances; I’d like him to at least say that the players need to improve without naming names(he did come alittle closer to that post Sunderland though).
Oh, and I fu**ing hate the manks and all those who sail in the ship Trafford FC.
A – how are we league contenders? Do you think Spurs are too?!
We have failed every testing hurdle we’ve come up against for 4 years now. We have a team that is worse than last years at the moment as Van Persie is out for the rest of the season.
How is this team, who has no top 10 class centre forward going to win the league when the player that will replace RVP (Bendtner) has never scored more than 15 a season and has so far come up with ONE premier league all season going to beat Chelsea and Manchester United!!!?
Come on pal, look at us. LOOK at the team. How can you say we are better than United and Chelsea?
Nick I rate Denilson, depending on the game, he gives the midfield a good balance. We’re physically lacking if he plays as the DM without Diaby playing too, and against smaller teams Nasri, Rosicky or Ramsey are more useful as the third midfielder, but I’m happy with Denilson playing in the big games. It’ll be interesting to see what happens when Diaby is back
A – lets agree to disagree on Denilson. I dont mind him as a 3rd or 4th choice option.
He isnt up to the task against most sides.
And he ball watches like no ones business, i noticed it two years ago and spend quite a lot of time watching him off the ball from my seat when he plays.
The answer to DM is Song. He’s been awesome in that position all year.
Take him out of the side though and we’re screwed.
Tom you don’t need to beat Chelsea and Utd to win the league, the team that wins the league is the team that beats the smaller teams most consistently. Losing to Sunderland was a big kick in the teeth, as was the throwing away two points against West Ham, but in general we’ve despatched of the smaller teams very well so far this season.
Lol.. he scored 15 in his second season tom!
Denilson against lower premiership teams at home is fine, as they all just sit back and play 10 behind the ball.
Against Chelsea for example, he was torn to pieces, and is against all top sides as they can walz past him easily.
He’s a useful player to have, just an absolute liability against a good team with a strong midfield.
Tom we weren’t screwed against Stoke were we…. We’d be in trouble with Denilson playing without Song or Diaby away from home and/or against big teams, but he’s a good sidekick for Song in the big games.
Tom we completely controlled the central midfield against Chelsea, he wasn’t torn apart in the slightest! It had nothing to with the central midfielders our losing, it was the defence and the attack! Denilson and Song in the first half did their job very well!
Tom ,did you also see that Arse.com have fallen for the chant about the Arsh. They are saying Andrey is 5’4”” also – while he is 5’7” ish I think.
A
That’s the main reason Arsene should have left Denilson in Brazil. His slow pace don’t help. He’s also physically not suitable for the EPL. The defensive midfield is still open. If Eastmond or Coquelin does well any of them can take it because both of them are taller and will eventually be stronger than the Brazilian. I can’t see him maintaining his position for the next 1/2 years.
I’ll also go for Carlton Cole instead of Dzeko. Dzeko is too slow and physically not good for the EPL’s bullying CBs.
Cole can hussle, shoots well, has physical presence and will improve playing for us.
I am going for
Fabi
Gilbert Bartley Silvestre Cruise
Coquelin–Ramsey–Merida
Wilshere–Vela-Walcott
Subs, Song, Mannone, Ayling, JET, Randall, Sunu, Eastmond.
not sure why wenger keeps dragging song off for these reserve matches. we need Song badly right now.
I would like to see more of JET. Gilbert and Cruise are the weak points in the team.
Maturks… physicality should never be an excuse when you’re an athlete.
If you’re too weak… bulk up in your spare time.
Ronaldo did… Adebayor did… they’ve got the best facilities, dieticians and fitness coaches available. It wouldn’t be hard.
interesting team for olympiacos…will be great to se how the younger players will do in the CL,i think they might surprise us…Ayling is in the squad ..great
maturks I think coquelin is smaller than denilson, but eastmond is probably a little bit taller. both are more athletic though, cover the fround quicker. Coquelin is the one I’ve got really high hopes for.
I agree that denilson would be more suited to another, slower league, but he’s still very useful for us in the prem.
i agree about cole too, dzeko would be a big risk, take time to adapt to the prem etc. Not sure either are realistic anyways though, both would go for a fair bit if they were sold, and isn’t cole injured for a while?
am i allowed to blog ??..moderation it says..does that mean i have to wait …?
Gambon @ 10:50, ha ha you’ve done it this time mate!
Why didn’t you save it for Friday?
The sad thing is that it wouldn’t be too far from the truth as we know it.
Geoff/ Pedro mates, you’ve got very sensible bloggers up here.
The trick is to ensure Monsieur Wenger read them and act accordingly (if he hasn’t read them already!).
Cheers!!!
gazzap perhaps that would make sense, put cruise in, weaker out wide rather than centrally. maybe depends how bartley has been doing recently. I’d like coquelin in rather than eastmond too
hey A,jet is in squad.
is this a joke?
Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky looks set to stay at the Emirates for at least two more years after his agent revealed that the club had put a firm contract offer on the table. The Czech international, who has spent prolonged periods on the sidelines in the last two years, is thought to be keen on rewarding Arsene Wenger’s faith in his commitment to the cause and will seal the deal in the coming weeks.
Despite a minor setback which will see Rosicky out for another month with a groin problem, his agent Pavel Paska made clear that negotiations were progressing well.
“The latest injury can not affect the negotiations on his current contract extension – the contract is already on the table,” the representative told deniksport.cz.
“At the end of this week I am going to London and we will be discussing the details.
“And I am sure that we will reach an agreement as both sides are interested in doing that.
“We have been discussing two options – a two-year or three-year contract. As for the terms, all sides will be very happy.”
yeah i saw WB – Fergie said yesterday that you can register players at any time who’d been with the club’s academy for two years, as that’s what he did with fair few of the players included for utd
Ayling is a London lad isnt he ?
good news r g
rob – yes, thats exactly what is it….a fucking joke! And a fucking bad one!! The fans are forking out for the most expensive prices in football just so that cunt can sit in a swimming pool and get massages!
i dont think there was any need to take song to greece.he is our most consistent player this season.hope he doesn’t play
agreed tonyadamsisgod the ticket prices have gone a-wall…what really upsets me is the fact that the regurlar guy cant afford it anymore..and with a couple of kids..well its almost impossible
yeah rosicky’s gotten injured again, therefore he’s shit and should be offloaded straight away
gazzap
Your selection is spot on except that Eastmond will rather play ahead of Coquelin and Ayling, a CB with good left and right foot might play LB. Eastmond will definitely play.
A – I just dont know on earth you can say we controlled the midfield against Chelsea. Where about do you sit in the ground? I can only presume you sit somewhere where you dont get a good view.
We were dominated by their midfield and back 4, comprehensively.
WB I feel that Wenger really sees song as a centre back in the future, but he’s still developing in that position, so he’ll play there as part of the developing squad, in the same way that the kids are developing, song is established as a dm, but still working to become a centre back.
A – Yeah thats exactly what we’re saying. After all he isn’t injured much is he! And at least when he does return, he’s back for a while and plays a big part in our season! Its a joke! 3 years of injuries and fuck all in return! I wouldn’t let him see out his contract let alone give him an extension! A literal waste of space!
A, I wouldn’t get rid of him… but considering Bergy, Pires and every other fucker who hits thirty only gets a 1 year deal, I hope his is on a pay as you play terms…. like Owens is.
To wade in on the Chelsea midfield thing: Dominated? No. Easily kept at bay. Yes.
tom since i’ve been jobless i no longer have the funding to attend the majority of games, so wasn’t there, watching avidly on the telly, and re-watched it too (however painful that was) and we controlled the midfield, we had almost all of the possession, and they created absolutely nothing through the middle, we had the vast majority of possession, we just couldn’t do anything with it. How can you be dominated but have the majority of possession and the opposition create very little?!
im sorry for interupting,Rosicky’s new deal is a tricky one..and im not sure..but pay on play sounds fair…what would be better is to sell him and like Grimandi says ..make room for another midfielder..just the way it seems like we’re doing with Senderos…who is the new CB ? i think Wenger has one up the sleeve…ever since Senderos was out in the cold in the summer…
Yeah Pedro i’m sure he is, and insurance pays a fair wedge of the player’s contract when they’re out anyways, even if it isn’t pay as you play it’ll be very reduced terms
yeah i’d agree with that taig. defensively in midfield we gave as good as we got, we kept them very very quiet, but we also created very little and never looked like we were going to create anything
GEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOF!
Good post mate!
i say let go of
Senders
silvest
rosicky
diaby
walcott
clichy
and replace with quality young or established these players just cant be relied on no matter what their talent or experience promise.
stubbornness imo
Wenger sold henry viera lunberg and many other greats when it was clear they could not maintain their previous standards so why does he persevere with a bunch that have let him down on so many occasions
A it would be cheaper to insure a bentley in bagdad then rosicky for sick cover
A, I dont want to get into the “was there/wasnt there” arguement, but from my seat all i saw was a massively strong defensive diamond that completely nullified not only our midfield but also out attack.
That diamond ran the show. It was men against boys.
The “possesion” argument is a non story. We had possesion, yes. But what did we do with it? knock it backwards and sideways, knocked the ball forward, bad pass, or mis control by that joke Eduardo and then it was over to Chelsea who could hit one pass and hit anelka or drogba, knock to cole, pass inside to Terry…. You know the rest.
There is no use in having possesion if we do what we did against chelsea, also, the amount of long passes that bypassed our midfield to a completely unmarked Anelka were a joke.
It seems that any player can get a renewed contract at arsenal. It doesn’t matter if your sh*t or injured all the time!! If it’s not a pay as you play then that is wrong!!
the Russian team CSKA have two players (Ignasjevitsj,Berezutskij)who has been banned from playing..doping….??? what ?? this could prove to be top of an ice berg in russian football…
Tom for them to dominate us they would have to do something with their possession too – they didn’t create a single thing through the midfield all game.
They completely nullified us, we completely nullified them in midfield, and didn’t let them create a single chance from the midfield, but two crosses from positions teams get in constantly, and a direct free kick cost us a 3-0 loss. Nothing to do with the central midfield, where we won the battle in terms of winning the ball back and having possession more than they did
Nick – I would jettison Almunia, Fish head, Diaby and put Rosickly on a pay-as-you-play.
We’d want “better than we have” in their place though.
A repeat of the summer of letting 3-4 CM’s go(Flamini/Hleb/Gilberto/Diarra) and bringing none in(Summer 2008) will not be tolerated.
A – Im sorry, but Arsenal won NO battle against Chelsea.
I am astonished you think they created nothing. From my seat they created numerous chances. You also say the goals were from wide positions. Yes they were.
The midfield doesnt just mean the centre of the park does it.
The midfield should cut off the long balls to Anelka. It isnt the job of the defence to pick up a player that is 50 yards from goal. It is the midfields job.
Chelsea were awesome that day. They took the piss out of the team and showed what REAL title contenders look like.
Also – we created no chances in that game. Not one. The disallowed goal was a result of a poor back pass.
Tom they didn’t even create three clear cut chances despite scoring thee goals! You could say that they didn’t need to because they got the two goals in the first half but before that neither team created a thing.
What chances did they create? There was one on the break that could’ve made it 4-0, that was it that I can think of.
Their goals came from two wide crosses from a full back, that were poorly defended, and a direct free kick.
Sagna and Traore got into the same position Cole did time and time again, the difference was the quality of the cross and/or the defending.
We also had a free kick from a near identical position drogba had. In terms of creating chances we got into just as good positions as them, though that’s not saying much. Neither team created shit all game!
Overall we had more possession, the game was played more in our final third than defensive third, and neither team could create chances for shit, but they scored and we didn’t
A you mentioned that Song will be a CB with time and your right…there have been proof of that happening already…Denilson straight in midfield when injury free..and Song plays Cb every opportunity he gets..llike we will see again tomorrow against Olympiacos…
and its nothing to be surprised by..Wenger has since he decided to have a more playing back four…developed players himself…first one out is Song..the same developement is done when it comes to Nordtveit..plays midfield in Germany…will become a great CB..
as a team we are two years off being great..
I think we should just let rosicky go,
He will be on what.. at least 40-50k a week? We can probably get another player in.
and being modest Song is quality wherever he plays…
A – off the top of my head these chances were created by Chelsea
- The free header straight to Almunia by drogba
- The other header that went near the angle
- The first goal
- The second goal
- The one were Almunia made a good save second half
- The one where Anelka was through on goal first half
- The third goal
Us
- The disallowed goal
Chelsea were far far far better.
reserves tonight is gonna be interesting! hope afobe, freeman, aneke, ozyakup all start
you’d call all three goals clear cut chances would you, and the headers too? fair enough!
A the headers were FREE HEADERS. Thats a chance in my book. And Drogba six yards from goal in our box with the ball at his feet is a chance.
Anelka through on goal is a chance
The free kick is a chance as its edge of the box, it has to be. It would be for us, so it is for Chelsea.
Mate there is red tinted specs and just being ridiculous. If you honestly think Chelsea didnt create anything you werent watching the game, or you only saw the highlights.
We were raped by the Chavs.. plain and simple.
Its who takes the chances that wins.. a 3-0 defeat is what it is, we can analyse a 1-0 win.. but a 3-0 is being just a whole lot better than the other.
Tom..chelsea was too strong this time around,but i wouldnt give it too much credit…it was easy to see which team that had the by far most talent,but that said we have to find a way to stay on top in these top games..we havent yet..and it is crucial we do…
chelsea ia an old team and will have to keep continuing buying big to stay on top,we will develop into being better..wilshere,sunu,Ramsey,vela,merida,and many others…
this doesnt mean that we never should buy players we should, but well lets not buy just to buy that is crazy business…
Im with you that signings arent really the answer, because we’d simply need too many to be in with a chance of the league.
I think we’d need at least 4, maybe 5 or 6 new players to do that.
Also, the chelsea defeat is kind of indicative of the team.
My point is we are a weak team. I dont mean physically weak, i mean mentally. I dont trust the team to win games at 2-0. I only ever see us in the driving seat at 3-0.
We cannot defend a lead properly. Against good teams we dont even get IN the lead. Look at this season. Up against united, then two pathetic goals see us lose.
Against City in a big game? Taken to pieces.
Next big game – Chelsea – had the piss taken out of us.
The pattern is, when under pressure, we fold. Its not new, it goes right back to 07/08 where we were poor under pressure.
The team is wrong on all fronts, theres no leadership whatsoever, theres nervousness, theres all sorts.
I dont have the answer, I dont know. The only hope Arsenal as a club have of winning anything in the next 5 years is a complete overhaul from top to bottom. Starting with a new keeper, another centre half, another central midfielder, a new striker and attacking midfielders that arent injured for 70% of the season.
Another problem is the expectation of the fans. We are not, and will not be league contenders, champions league contenders or anything. We are a top 4 team, just. Next year, we probably wont be.
and remove Drogba…then you see what celsea really are….?? to me he was the big difference…but this is no excuse…we have to be able to deal with every team…easy solution buying Toure,Fabiano,and maybe Akinfeev
Well said Tom!!
Tom we had a free kick from basically an identical position, you need to include that in our chances then!
I’ve watched the game twice, chelsea didn’t create anything at all, neither team did.
An og by Vermaelen isn’t creating a chance either. If that is a chance then we created about ten chances because we were crossing in like that the whole time, it’s just that their defenders cleared the ball away rather than into their own goal.
Neither team created chances, but Chelsea didn’t need to, whereas we did.
fucking hell Tom Even BBK cried after reading that
Did we still not lose 3-0 then?
Song – Forget all these signings!!!!!
This isnt FM!
Chelsea without Drogba still have Anelka. I actually thought he was superb against us. He was more involved than Drogba, which is what Wenger was saying, but the shitty press in this country thought he meant drogba doesnt contribute.
Remember – Wenger wont spend more than £15m on anyone, and anyone he signs must be available for CL football and be “world class”.
You cant get any world class players for £15m, and he’s already said to the fans to not expect anything.
Forget the signings. IF we sign anyone, its likely to be Carlton Cole and no one else.
And no, we wont win anything again, but thats the Premier League now. its a money league. And we arent in the race.
against the chavs we were utter shite i had to take a week off all things football im still not completely over it and against shitty i knew we would lose but again we looked bottle less..I did think fish face played well tho
They were much better at defending than us!!
I wondered where you went to Nicky boy!!
purgatory reggie gutted i was and you get all the muggie chav fans gloating they weren’t so quick to the phone Saturday mind
in my opinion chelsea created 2 chances, the first goal and anelka through, and that was it. We created one, the arshavin open goal which was the same as the eventual disallowed goal.
Tom I don’t think we can hack it in the big games, which is why i think we’ll win the league, but not anything else. The big games don’t matter in the league so much, it’s the ability to break down the teams who put 11 men behind the ball, and we’ve got more in terms of that than chelsea and utd, though we’ll have to see about that in the next few weeks, we won’t know until we’ve played more games without vp.
A i agree chealsea never created because it looked like they weren’t trying which was worse for me shrugged us off like a training match we looked lost and that what gutted me the most
What do you think our chances of winning something this season Nick!! and be honest mate??
Against the chavs we created little because we had no Bendtner or RVP. But we were guilty of defending terribly as well. That means defending as a team not just the back four. Chelsea only threatened a handful of times but every time Arsenal were all over the place and looked scared. For Chelsea, it was like taking candy from a baby.
Wenger has his head in the sand about that, saying Chelsea did not do much. If he honestly believes that then he should get his coat and leave.
A did you say that we will win the league then?
reggie they aint looking good our best shot is the cl as long as we dont get an English team our style suits european football they dont dominate physically and are more about movement which we can handle but wouldn’t put my money where my mouth is there either
gazzap chelsea didn’t do much! anelka went through, and the right side was all over the place for drogba’s goal, but apart from that we weren’t all over the place, and they didn’t do much at all….
We didn’t ever look like doing anything though
reggie if we still create and score goals for fun against the lesser teams then yeah we will
A, precisely, Chelsea dont need guilt edged chances to score goals – we do. We need them on a plate, gift wrapped and even then we’ll probably only score 1 in 3 chances! I may be being harsh but thats how it feels. Chelsea can look like they are not in a match and then score a goal from nowhere. Arsenal need to be purring and creating chances all the time to get a goal.
Ill second that mate as well EPL no chance at all mate,very slim chance in the CL and i mean slim!!
i would like real next if im honest that way we beat em and get the press on board which makes a big diffrance confidence wise and could see us win the fa cup as well
and if we lose at least its over and we dont have the excuse of not focusing because we were in for so much
A, they were playing with us. It was easy easy easy for them. They had us at arms length for 90 minutes, they were so comfortable. I have never seen a team look so comfortable against any wenger side home or away. Thats what was so depressing about it. They were in 2nd gear, or thats what it looked like. Hardly needed to break sweat to thrash us.
we could even afford to lose to liverpool and still win the league imo, though obviously would be much better if we beat liverpool at the weekend!
after this weekend, we’ve already played 4 of the top 5 away from home, we need to get results against them at home, and losses away we can deal with.
Even if we lose to Liverpool, we then have Burnley (a), Hull (h), Villa (h), Pompey (a), Bolton (h), Everton (h), Bolton (a), Villa (a)
As long as we’re still creating and scoring goals without VP, we can win ALL those games
gazzap i saw it the same as you, horrible, embarrassing at times when we started i thought here we go and some cunt said arsenal might have the ball but chealsea wont mind coz when they get it a goal will be the result and the rest is history
gazzap I agree, they didn’t need to score goals, so didn’t go for it. However if they had needed to, I don’t think they would have done easily, and they also would have been easier to break down.
reggie i’m the opposite, imo very very little chance in the champs league, but a decent chance in the league
a money league now and I think the only way it will stop being that is if we follow other spoerts examples and go for a wage cap. It’d take a sustained period of one side dominating before the Premier League contemplated that(with the resultant fall off in match day attendances).
Of course this would benefit Wenger as he would probably do better than most with a financial restriction(much better than that old alky sweaty cunt Sir Phallix or Hughes from Man Shitty would).
I cant see the chavs dropping enough points for us to be considered as serious title challengers !!
If there was a wage/salary cap we would walk the league? cant see it coming to that myself but you never know
i can reggie, they lost to city, and that’s the only game they’ve played against a big team at home apart from us! they’ve also lost to wigan and villa, and gotten two very very lucky injury time winners against hull and stoke! away from home they’re far from great, apart from in the performance against us. home they’re very good, but away they’re not amazing by any means
Sir Phallix Good one
A,
‘as long as we’re still creating chances and scoring goals’
but we are NOT, are we? and no, 2 goals against piss poor Stoke does not indicate that we’ve left the scoring woes behind us…
You said it right there A “Big Team”
our games during the african cup. Everton, Bolton, Villa, Man U.
we play Bolton twice in 10 days. never good. they will be extra motivated from a fresh Emirates defeat. luckily they are shit.
this would be nice….we get barca in the final its 0-0 henry runs the length of the pitch to score an own goal then celebrates with the arsenal fans and says i only came here for a cl medal and i got one now its the fans turn from the club i love.
barca i never loved you now im off to America to play with beckham and earn a fortune…or would that be to much
‘motivated from a fresh Emirates defeat’
getting cocky and counting chickens, are we?
Only way to find out whether we have returned to scoring goals for fun is to wait and see how we do against the bindippers?
suga3 we missed a penalty and hit the bar twice against stoke, and how many good chances did we miss other than that? at home against the smaller teams we’ve not had a single game where we havn’t created shitloads of chances.
“scoring woes” lol?!
we’ve had two games since vp got injured, away at stoke, which was a bit of a worry, but we’ve often struggled straight after international weeks, and home against chelsea, which is very much a special case. Then we weren’t back to our best against stoke but were very comfortable, and created for fun still. The sunderland game is the only worry, and we’ll see in the burnley and pompey games whether we’re still capable of creating and scoring away from home against the smaller teams
What do you reckon another false dawn !!
Nah Reggie, I didn’t say that we’d walk the league; it’d just mean that the likes of the Chavs(both the northern and southern variety) couldn’t just spunk £80-100Mill each time they slipped a few points behind in the title race.
If Wenger was forced to stop giving lucrative contracts to underachieving youth/fringe players and pay the qualidee players what they’d get at Barca/Franco’s team then a wage cap would help us. Otherwise he’ll spunk £40k a week on perennial sick noters and persistently below par performers like Diaby/Denilson etc..
reggie they’re a big team, it’s the smaller teams i’m bothered about. even if we lose on sunday it’s whether we can do it against the likes of burnley and pompey, bolton, villa that is more significant.
no, A, Chelsea is not a special case – this is just another team to beat on the way to the top, and such game is a six pointer at any stage of the season…
struggle after internationals is a bullshit excuse, all the major teams have most of their squads away on duty and they don’t struggle, do they?
failure to score in 2 league games (lost games as well) on the trot is poor for the ‘title contenders’ which we are, at least according to you…
I was talking about the salary cap not the league you chary munger!!
We are not title contenders in my eyes!!
chelsea they’re very much a special case, they’ve got a far stronger defence than anyone else in the league, and have conceded far less goals! all games against the big teams are special cases though, anyone can always beat anyone, if a team wins it doesn’t mean they’re gonna finish higher, if they lose it doesn’t mean they’ll finish lower.
yeah all the major teams do have most of their squads away, and yeah they all do struggle, throughout europe, not just in the prem!
Reggie bollocks aint it sitting here before xmas and no one other then A and wenger think we have a chance
I still think we will struggle to finish 4th!!!
A,
you need to win a few of these ‘six pointers’ to win the league, taking into the account that there is no way for us to collect maximum points against shit teams – we will either not turn up or walk out too complacent…
A,
again: who is at fault for having such poor defensive record?
yep, you’ve guessed it – Our Glorious Leader for neglecting this side of the game…
yeah you need to win one or two suga, you can’t lose them all. utd won the league last season coming last in the top 4 minileague as it were, so you don’t need to get the best of the others, but you can’t lose EVERY game. I don’t expect us to lose them all when we play teams at home, if we lose to utd, liverpool, and city at home then we’ll struggle
Iv already written this season off as well Nick to be honest mate, i cant see no way forward until the men in white coats take AW away imo…
reggie
dont say that.
) i dont feel that confident 
shitty spuds assvilla everton even sunderland if they can get the away games in check are all looking capable in that order of pulling someone out of the top four a thought it would be the bindippers but (until we beat em on sunday
SUGA3 it’s the entire team, the lack of maturity or composure in the big games, the big signing of the summer was a defender, so i’m not sure you could say that side is neglected, that’s also a reason why we changed formation, so it’s obviously something that’s being worked on.
It’s individual mistakes that have cost us, against city and utd anyways, we don’t seem to have the belief in the big games
again: no, they are not ‘special’ – this is just a bullshit excuse…
team to beat, yes, and this is supposed to be the manager’s job to assemble the team capable of beating anybody, not a bunch of weak players played out of position with idiotic tactics (cross towards the midget)…
nick none of those apart from maybe city have any chance of a top 4 finish. there’s absolutely no chance of us dropping out of the top four though, not a chance in hell!
A,
yes, defensive side is being neglected – yeah, he signed one defender, so what?
do you seriously believe that we have enough depth in the defensive department?
suga3 they’re a special case, because there’s no other team in the premiership who is as solid as them, as is shown by how many goals they’ve conceded compared to the rest of the prem….
not being able to break down chelsea doesn’t mean you won’t be able to break down the smaller teams, obviously
Nick you just know what is gonna happen when we play the bindippers,all there injurys will clear up and we will kick start there season for them
mark my words!!
central defenders no suga3, though currently that hasn’t cost us at all has it?
Ah right Reggie – but we’d win the “stingy gits” league if ever there was one.
well actually if you include senderos then i think we do have enough depth there, but it seems he can’t be included unfortunately. it’ll be interesting who comes in for him in january
A,
you’re clutching at straws
Senderos got frozen out ever since he came back from AC and made a few stupid comments – he certainly offers more than Silvestre and leaving him out like that is mis-management of assets and a waste of money paid to him week in week out…
and yes, you have to break down these organised sides as well, otherwise you can just fuck off to SPL and obliterate fucking Motherwell 4 times a season
Twice i mentioned him yesterday PAVLYUCHENKO,AND NOW RUMBLINGS OF HIS ARRIVAL,I must be a medium.
suga3 you do realise we only have to play chelsea twice a season?! currently against the smaller teams certainly at home we’re smashing everyone as if we are in the spl playing the likes of motherwell and falkirk!
we should sign this lot
wayne hennasey watford
rob green whu
g cahill boltan
m.sakho psg
zapata udinase??
Hazard ??
jack collins whu
matudu etien
c.cole whu
numbnuts bored hoe
one of those for each area and we would be sorted
green collins and cole from a skint whu and numbnuts on a free wenger wouldn’t even have to spend all the interest his transfer budget has earned him
A,
do you realise that we have lost each and every game against any side of quality so far this season?
I thought not…
really nick?!
cahill, hennessey, collins are nowhere near good enough for us imo!
A your opinion is far from mine when it comes to players, you dont rate canna or cattermole yet pull your self about over song/denilson
yeah suga3, we’ve played 3 games, 1 at home against the toughest of the 4 teams, and after this weekend we will have played each of the four good teams in the league, 1 at home. We’ve gotta beat city, and then get 5 or 6 points when we play utd, chelsea, and liverpool consecutively, if we lose at the weekend.
nope nick, song and denilson aren’t amazing, but are better than the likes of cana and cattermole, who aren’t and will never be good enough for a big team!
nick too vivid an image mate
but your spot on
A as you said your opinion not mine, yours may be wrong but your entitled to it
lol mine, which is shared by every manager of a big team in europe when it comes to cattermole and cana! but yeah it’s all about opinions, everyone’s entitled to one, regardless of whether it’s based upon any logical rationale!
adriano will be great signing, he became top scorer in brazil this year, 19 goals in 30 games,
Bola de Prata: 2009 Brazilian Série A Top Scorer
Bola de Prata: 2009 Brazilian Série A Best Striker
Bola de Ouro: 2009 Brazilian Série A Best Player
A thats an impossible statement to make with accuracy and you know it !
look at all the players at arsenal who went on to be great , with the exception of anelka most of our players were average when not playing for wenger !
so just imagine how shit song and eboue would be if they left to another club ..
they might as well sign up for black hole united !
cause youll never see the cunts again
georgian there’s not a chance of us signing adriano, he’s not going to return to europe anytime soon
A when i said “yours” i meant the beholder, guilty conscience there buddy
why then other then joe kinner has no fucker come in for denilson or his mate song then??
ethan thats because any players who really made it with us stayed with us until they were pretty old…. i wouldn’t say it’s because they weren’t very good! reyes is now becoming good again too, cygan was much better once he left!
all the other top teams have spare dcm that would get a game for us so why would they sign more cattermole will have a move to one of the big boys sooner rather then later you watch
denilson and song are at arsenal, and aren’t available! if they were available then clubs would come in for them….
cana and cattermole were well publicised as being available, not for massive fees, and in a position where many clubs were on the market, yet noone at all came in for them – it’s pretty telling imo
A Says:
December 8, 2009 at 17:01
yeah suga3, we’ve played 3 games, 1 at home against the toughest of the 4 teams
———————–
and sunderland
are they top 4 ?
fuck me … there is a reason the chev’s and manc’s win titles A its because they have class and depth in every position ! , you either get with the program or sign up to be another everton !
its wengers choice !
and thankfully not yours !
A not avalible ok like that matters you are funny
sometimes
im sure wenger looked at cattermole, other teams knew the player would go with bruce so didn’t bother imo
no ethan, sunderland and west ham we lost 5 points against smaller teams, that we shouldn’t have lost
chelsea have lost 6 points against smaller teams that they shouldn’t have lost, and utd 5 points, same as us.
imo the only current difference between the teams is chelsea winning against us
nick that does matter, it’s how things work – a player goes onto the market, some players aren’t available. Obviously if a team REALLY wants someone then they can get them, everyone has a price, but both cattermole and cana were very publically put on the market, and noone half decent wanted them, even when they were offered about!
its more that that A . its the way some players play off each other .. an example of that would be cesc hleb and flamini , none are really top top top draw but when they worked together to become a force to be reckoned with in the midfield ,cesc shined and the other 2 lifted also !.
or the reverse , the shevchecko flop of chevski …
sometimes its hard to predict if players fit !, like saha at everton currently .. you just dont know what some players will turn into if they did change camps . ( or once there older)
so saying cana or cattermole are better cannot be judged either wrong or right ..
because it didnt happen
its more than that ,
sorry 7 burbons in less than an hour makes you have double vision
yep, other clubs would literally murder to secure Denilson’s services…
keep’em coming
yeah ethan, though if anyone thought that they had the required quality to make it at a big team, and play off better players, then with their being offered around and for a cut price fee someone would’ve taken a punt on them. Obviously it’s impossible to say any player is better or worse than any other player, it’s all down to opinions!
A,
it’s not just opinions, it’s what meets the eye – they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but some players are just not good enough, period.
i agree suga3, and cattermole and cana fall into that category….
though it is just opinions, obviously! there’s very little factual in football
no ethan, sunderland and west ham we lost 5 points against smaller teams, that we shouldn’t have lost
chelsea have lost 6 points against smaller teams that they shouldn’t have lost, and utd 5 points, same as us.
———————————
thats my point we are so inconstant you cannot palm off the stats only applying to the top 4 and ignore the fact we have been rolled by some pretty average teams over the past 2 years !
its not a recent occurrence !
you cant go around also saying oh we can throw those 2 chelsea games and still win also !
to be the best you have to be consistent ..
no point to try and jag a EPL victory by avoiding a better side !
because that is NOT high percentage stakes if you want to roll that way ….
we’re a very different team now to even last year ethan. This year we’ve dropped 5 points, one straight after international duty, one because we went 2-0 up and had a rookie keeper.
This time last year we’d dropped 19 points against lesser teams!!
And we struggled to create chances and score in games for the first 2/3 of the season!
i think cana would be worth more of a punt than song / denilson , he brings experience and he will do his job because he has class about him ..
it is factual that wenger can bring out the best football in any player !
who’s to say they wouldnt step up .. cattermole has EPL experience , i dont think there is too much difference however .. i dont really think too much of cattermole , but thats not to say he couldnt do the job ..
but cana has leadership ! he is the sunderland captain after all ..
and VC for albania ..
i think leadership centrally wouldnt be a bad thing .. cana imo is far better than anything we currently have by a LONG shout !
A,
thing is, our side is too unbalanced and has not enough power and presence to cut it in the Prem – our ‘physical’ (taller) players are Diaby and Bendtner and that is fucking laughable…
this team needs spine:
—————–Fabianski/Szczesny——————
Bac/Eboue—Willy/Monster—TV/Monster—Clichy/Gibbs
———————-Song/Monster——————-
——–Cesc/Ramsey————–Nasri/Denilson——
–Theo/Rosicky——-RvP/B52———-Arsh/Vela——
and perhaps a monster upfront for a good measure…
OK, catch you lot in some 40 minutes – finished working for today…
yabba-fucking-dabba-doo
A
we are not so different , we are hovering around 4th spot , with others breathing down our necks . threatening us …
we still cant pull off the important games .
there still too many injuries .
wenger is still tarting around with project youth
we continually lose experienced players and dont replace them ..
yes we are so different !
NOT ……
however your half right ..
the situation has changed since last year ,
now more teams have more over all quality , because they actually spend a transfer kitty ,
or have one too spend to begin with !
Rich from the North Bank…it’s not soooooo bad
Through 14 games, relative to the comparable fixtures from last year, we have scored 15 more goals conceded 1 more and have 7 more points.
If the remaining fixtures turn out no worse than last year, we are on track to score 110 goals, concede 40 and gather 92 points.
Doesn’t mean we don’t need to add some monsters down the spine of the team, but we will recover from the Chelsea disappointment and go on to thrive
Is it snowing in Le grove?
back home…
Just read the article .. Arshavin and Vermaleaen are not the same .. Arshavin has proved he is worth the money..
Vermalean has scored goals but is yet to prove he can improve the arsenal defence .. He can change that perception at anfield on sunday.
Its awful snow. Its only at the top and disappears when you refresh. Snow tease.
SFO, imo Vermaelen has inproved our defenc. Although we have conceded more goals than this time last season its not all down to the defence. We concede a very large percentage of shots on our goal.
Its down to shit goalkeeping that we have conceed so many.
It’s snowing here in ‘Sunny’ Southern California.
Agree with Steven 10:10 about team work ethic when we don’t have possession (it didn’t seem to be that much of a problem earlier in the season)
Who doesn’t need a Drogba? As he’s not available, we need someone to lift the piano we have plenty to play it. A good journeyman to add Plan B is all we need — cup-tied or not.
And Almunia is more likely to develop into the goalie we all want if we defend better as a team and provide a couple of monsters in front of him to help with the set pieces.
Stu,
Defence is the reason we concede lot of shots on goal .. Even Vermy would agree that he was poor in the chelsea game(could have been a penalty for bear-hugging Terry). The outcome against chelsea was no different than with senderos in the team ..
Anyway let us see how he copes with torres ..
Stu compared to the same fixture last year we have only conceded one more goal
same fixtures
I know that Ray, i mean time wise.
SFO, Vermaelen has been doing well but all teams have shots against them. I dont know the actual stats but we concede a higher percentage of goals to shots than a lot of other teams. That has to be down to the keeper more than the defence. No team has a complete shut out in terms of shots.
I think after the olympiakus game Wenger should have a vigorous hope-Gerrard-stays-on-his-feet campaign.
OOPS, sorry forgot the appropriate attribution to Wrighty7
Stu, we’re not going to get a slew of talent in this Jan so do you think a monster CB or a new goalie will improve the team more?
Also, looking at the potential market, is a monster CB or a goalie more available?
Ray,
I laughed when I saw SG’s dive – cunt has some fucking cheek, cheasting Scouse bastard…
and the quote about ‘stealing a point’ earlier – priceless…
*cheating
as for buying monsters, why not put in some SERIOUS bids for players like Cetin or Subotic?
should also play Senderos in DM instead of Denilson while Song is gone IMO
Arsenal Football Club has today announced the following 18-man squad for the Champions League Group H clash with Olympiacos.
Carlos Vela
Theo Walcott
Aaron Ramsey
Alex Song
Mikael Silvestre
Jack Wilshere
Lukasz Fabianski (GK)
Vito Mannone (GK)
Fran Merida
Kyle Bartley
Francis Coquelin
Thomas Cruise
Craig Eastmond
Jay Emmanuel-Thomas
Kerrea Gilbert
Luke Ayling
Mark Randall
Gilles Sunu
I’m mystified about Senderos, apart from the pre-season display as DM he has been an invisible wall off the pitch.
Pity. I like him both as player and person from what I’ve seen and read about him.
He’s also getting to a ‘good age’ for his position.
I hope things pan out for him. He’s not a squeaky wheel, maybe that’s hurt him. Ironically, he and Cesc were room-mates when they began at Arsenal…how different the journeys since then.
Woooops it already been posted….
Anyways Adriano will be a free in January!
Go on Wenger.
Him a DM and CM.
CB not CM**
Sendy is one of Our Glorious Leader’s victims – he is more than decent for Swiss national side and even ‘scored’ for Milan (goal was claimed by Ronaldinho, would go in without him)…
he was eaten alive by Drogba & Torres, but he should have played alongside a man mountain like Sulzeer
Gents Adriano is not the answer. I believe he is left footed as well?
We cant have two left footed strikers especially when RVP gets back.
Adriano was homesick and went back to brazil. last thing we need after Reyes is somebody homesick and moaning about the weather all the time .. Might I add party and miss the return flight after every international break.
On the subject of Sendy, might I add ..
Drogba has since eaten alive Djorou, Silvestre and Vermnalean ..
he most certainly is not – we could do with a monster like Kenwyne Jones:
Height: 6’2, Weight: 12st 4lbs, great in the air too…
just imagine the smaller player’s buzzing in the space created by THAT…
I think our last proper CB was Sol Campbell – absolute fucking beast until he went bonkers
Saying that Chelsea “didnt do much” and “didnt create many chances” means fuck all in football.
They defended very well and cancelled out anything that we put up and made it pathetic. If you dont think that isnt “doing much” then thats sipping on some delusionic cool-aid imo.
Sunderland “didnt do much” and “didnt create many chances”
And yet we lost.
I fail to see what all this has to do with getting embarrassed at home to what i think a Rival?
What hurts is that we do all the passing all the running and the other team does all the scoring. That has to stop.
I say we buy Dzeko. And for those Idiotic AKB muppets that say we cant buy Dzeko because his preferred club is AC Milan.
I wonder how United got Ronaldo for 12m
Well put david.. if we offer the cash, he will come..
Everyone has a price!
chavs 1 down
ESSIEN!
Essien’s off injured, he’s pulled his hamstring.
drogba
Dzeko looks good in the early stages here tonight
Now I know how people hated TH14. Drogba really getting on my last nerve with all these goals.
Lol bayern munich’s goalkeeper has scored a penalty!
drogba’s a brilliant striker, but he doesn’t have henry’s class.. handball excluded!
Drogba’s a cunt and a ugly one at that!!
Michael Owen WTF! Even with that shit defence. Dzeko out then……….
Just remembered about the football tonight. Anything good happening in any of the matches?
Just watching Juve-Bayern…isnt Van Bommel on a free this summer (or was that last season and he signed a contract). I know he is a huge cunting fucker but we need a big of fight back in our team and he would certainly do that.
United Park the bus so well and they resort back to their bread and butter for the last 3 decades the “Cross and Head goal”
To be fair Zeus.
Owen was completely unmarked.
What’s with wordpress and the snow animation every blog that i’ve visited seems to have it or is my computer infected with ze virus
lol.. no its a wordpress thing
not been particularly impressed with dzeko in the first half, his touch and passing isn’t the best. Absolutely ridiculous wolfburg didn’t get the pen, carrick should’ve been off too!
reserves game not been great. Been impressed with freeman though.
I think chamack is better, even though he’s not playing today.. he is like tevez, a hardworking striker.
Funny you should say that.
Because ive been particularly impressed with his first touch and his link up has been decent.
Obviously hasnt had that many chances but he’s created a few shots on goal for himself!
I agree Chamakh’s Work Rate is his best attribute.
If only Arsene wasnt so cheap.
I think he’s probably headed on a free to arsenal
really david?! we must look for different things then in first touch and link up play! for me he takes a bit long on the ball, and controlled the ball off the pitch a couple of times. no worse touch than your average centre forward, but to play for us gotta have a better touch than that. also a bit slow for my liking in everything he does, and pace wise, don’t think he’d fit in with us.
GGGGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
AND DZEKO SCORES AGAIN!
dzeko!
nice header there, wonder cross too.
our announcer should name the team and announce goals like the wolfsberg one
chamack?
that boy is quick!
See who gives a shit about link up play etc when you can score headers like that. Fuckin bullet header into top corner.
Dzeko scores
stu it was a good forwards header, nothing special! almost identical to eduardo’s header when he’s just come back from injury last season!
A, couldnt agree more. I’ve always hated the announcer at the emirates. I wish we had one like the one Bayern had when they beat us 3-1 in the CL in 04-05.
Yeah A,
Eduardo was unmarked. Dzeko was marked.
yeah stu, our one speaks to us as if he’s addressing a children’s birthday party, it really bugs me
marked how compared to eduardo david?! ffs people really do see what they want to see sometimes don’t they
Its particularly annoying when he says the players first name so the crowd can say the last. At least if we are going to do that get an announcer with a manly voice.
See what they what?
Eduardo was unmarked.
Dzeko was marked.
What are you disputing about that? That i see what i want to see?
lol David, Dzeko was unmarked there. The cross went completely over the defenders head.
ha i agree stu, though that’s similar to what the wolfsberg one was doing, he just did it much much better!
though to be fair german crowds are much better too
pity the reserves lost, watt acted like a bit of a nob all game, and was pretty crap, freeman was quality though, as was miquel at the back, and impressed with hajirovic and boateng too, though the latter is a bit clumsy at times
The defender was there. That means he was marked Dzeko did well to evade his man.
Eduardo scored on a freaking Counter attack with nobody in 10 miles of him.
German crowds are better but you have to give to get. You cant blame our fans for not being motivated when they hear that fool coming on over the speaker thing.
We’ll never get dzeko, he would cost upwards of 20mill.. we’re never going to pay that much
I dont remember the Eduardo goal so cant comment but Dzeko, when he scored that header, was definately unmarked.
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2445678/arsenal_v_cardiff_eduardo_1st_goal_round_4_replay/
eduardo “not marked”
shizen the link i had for the dzeko goal has just been taken down, how anyone could say one is marked and the other not marked is really beyond me though
to be fair.. evra is the only defender!
terrible goalkeeping for the ronaldo fk, what is it with keepers fucking up on ronaldo free kicks, are they just shitting themselves so much because of his reputation that they bottle it?!
Evening all,
I see our new striker has scored a double tonight?
Oh dear..
superb from obertan
Ignore my last comment, my Dad told me that a certain someone scored AGAIN!
Fucking bastards united. Never do anything but always win!
Maybe we should change our name to Arsenal United?
9 shots. 3 on target. 2 goals.
Thats a quality team.
wolsburg need only a draw to qualify as the other match is 1-1
Offside?
Lol wrighty
Hatrick more lolllll
wolfs will get through because of cska drugs anyways, what a miss before the owen goal though
wolfsburg are useless!
what’s with juve getting thumped like that from bayern?
What drug thing A?
was great to see that dzeko is wastly over rated…if one should buy someone from germany it would have to be gomez…and he isnt up for grabs…dzeko might now that wolfsburg is out of it..
Its our turn tmr to silent em tmr game is a must win
two of their players been done for doping stu, they’ll most likely be thrown out of the competition as they’ve played throughout
Bayern 4-1 Juve. And Chelsea is drawing 2-2, lets hope that continues at the weekend vs Everton.
There must be something in the water in the red side on Manchester. How in Gods name do they get away with these things. Virtually one natural defender and they hardly get troubled at all. Plus they win by two clear goals, away from home to boot..
Lets see what our kids can do tomorrow.
Is Milan out?
A..dont think they will be punished*CSKA* even if the two players banned for doping, might just be the top of the iceberg…look at other rather surprisingly results involving eastern teams…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/dec/08/berezutsky-ignashevich-cska-moscow-drugs
CSKA just scored. 2-1
if they actually were done for doping they would be songthegreat, because they would be deemed to have gained an advantage from the drugs. If it’s ruled to just be an administrative error though I’d imagine they’ll be ok.
italian football is very very poor….
Let’s hope the kids play well tomorrow and we get that Unirea team in the next round ..
maybe A..but i think money will take care about that…there will be a *doctor*who is going to be the scapegoat…latest on the story is that it was some sort of flu medicine they had taken…so we all can se where its headed…furthermore there is always more difficult to ban a team…the two players might be given a two year ban..
but lets see..
Not sure how anyone can see that game and Say Dzeko is over-rated.
Scored a goal, created chances…and tormented that defense all night.
He does all the things we need in a big man.
Good in the air, Great point man, Decent link up and fantastic with back to the defender.
I don’t think its fair to judge Dzeko based on the 1 performance that we have seen to day. We were never going to bid for him, but if one is going to write him off as useless at least watch him for the next few games before you arrive at such a conclusion.
if proven guilty …that is…still if CSKA is punished…Wolfsburg are trough and dzeko will not be for sale….in my mind thats ok…we dont need him..if you look at dzekos game he is no better than Bendtner similar player..
David,
With his height he should be doing better against Evra and Co who are harldly regular center-backs ..
zeus fair point but i have seen him 8 times this season..and he has had some good games and he is a good player…still…well just my opinion zeus..
lets see what happens ..
Ok Mr Song.
Now your just having a laugh.
cska goes through
im not David but as i said he’s not a poor player..and has a pretty good link up play..i might be wrong..and if the price is right..well it may happen…lets see…
Bendtner is a proven fuck up.
Dzeko scores goals for fun.
Big difference.
Typically the way it works with Arsenal is that if a team parks the bus like United did today and we can get that first break through goal then the boys can settle down and play their game.
I think even with Sagna/Clichy crosses hed do well.
But seeing as we are already getting Chamakh…
for me David..Gattusso would fit the bill…and maybe a goalie..
well David if thats your opinion..nothin much i can say …but disagree…if Bendtner had played in a similar postion as dzeko and in the german league…he would have scored just as many……..premier is a much tougher league than the german..thats for sure..
Gattuso is a dirty cunt, and an ancient one as well – not exactly the same player he was…
if we get some spine bang through the middle we could do with Fabianski in goal IMO…
chamakh isnt that bad…and he could sort of the prob we have…dzeko might too…but again comparing to Bendtner…im not sure
SUGA3..
Gattusso is at the end…still he would be a warrior…there has only been one player better than him..vieira and maybe dunga …
maybe even cana if he had the finishing touch…
StG,
I just cannot see a fella that is 31, below 6 ft and can hardly cut it in Serie A being of any use in the Prem…
if I was to raid Milan, I would get Flamini back…
suga3 height is pretty much irrelevant!
I agree though, not up for gattuso, though i wouldn’t want flamini back either
SUGA3..
well i would never get flamini back…he really isnt much of a player im afraid…sub at Milan hardly ever plays…and milan isnt very good…no let him stay where he wanted to be….
Not 1 to bash players but I have to agree with David on Bendtner even though I wish he would show more sympathy and patience considering he is a 21 yo player.
Still Bendtner has shown nothing to suggest that he can be a top class striker. On his best day he is as cumbersome as they come. He has a lot to prove yet. Even playing in his favored position for Denmark he has quite looked the business.
There are times that we don’t even see the raw potential that we see with ramsey.
wow snow!
the point really is we will not buy a midfielder..wenger doesnt want one…a front man maybe..and maybe he is starting to see that Almunia isnt going to be what he expected….we should have gone after Given…
agree that Bendtner hasnt been all that yet..but he is young and have potential..maybe buy a front man and let Bendtner develop behind that player whoever it might be….
more important is to sell off some players..Senderos..Eduardo..Rosicky..Silvestre..Almunia…Eboue…Traore..and give Walcott an ultimatium..prove yourself or….but he should get the chance when injury free..
ashley young vs fletcher should be a good one to watch on saturday
I agree SUGA I think we should get Flamster and Hleb back that would really make my Christmas
one thing about flamini is that he must wonder what on earth he did….looking back he made a terrible mistake leavin Arsenal…since he left everything has gone against him..out of the National tema..dont play at milan….hleb well he admitted he made a mistake…
A if your still around we should check whats gonna happen to CSKA….
choy it’ll be interesting, the biggest fouler in the prem against the biggest diver in the prem!!
songthegreat the hearing is set to the day before the draw apparently – we won’t know until then
ok many thanks A ..good work
A, height is not irrelevant – height (or lack of it) largely contributed to us losing v Chavs…
Man U don’t have a huge striker.. they seem to doing pretty fine.
how’s that stu?! we conceded three goals, none of which height had any impact on whatsoever! We lost to chelsea because we couldn’t create against them, nothing to do with height. Unless you mean we have no plan B so need a big forward to be able to lump it to, though the height of centre mids has nothing to do with that
What about Berbatov choy. He’s pretty big and although he isnt the battering ram type forward like Drogba his height does help.
Height isnt everything (proof being Crouch) but it is pretty important.
Stu it’s only important when it comes to defending set pieces, and we’ve improved massively when it comes to that. Or if you need a plan B, a forward to lump it up to
What about Barca last season.
They just had Yaya Toure who’s probably a tall fella,
I think its more to do with physical strength rather than height..
Not just set pieces. Generally taller players are stronger too ie harder to push off the ball.
We need a flamini/ tevez / mascherano type of player..
One who keeps running around closing down players.
Pique, Abidal, Busquets, Keita and Henry is over 6ft too. They have hidden height in their team. Not considered physical players but certainly capable of winning a lot of physical battles (not that teams in spain get physical).
I wouldn’t agree with that Stu, strength is important, but not height, you have plenty of small players who are difficult to push off the ball, makalele types as DMs, or Rooney/tevez as forwards.
I agree that strength/power is important, but not either, except at set pieces.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1234278/The-Top-Gunners-Tom-Cruise-set-Arsenal-debut-Arsene-Wenger-picks-young-Guns-European-trip-Olympiakos.html?ITO=1490
shows just how clueless the daily mail are, theo centre mid?!
ManU is very accurate on crosses,so they cross low and hard and scores many tap inns.in our case none of our player knows how to cross,so we need a tall target man,who can convert those half chances on crosses.
Difference is A that our small players arent particularly strong or built for whatever reasons. Rooney, Tevez etc etc might be shorter players but they arent small in the same sense as our players.
Their lack of height is made up for with their width.
I wouldn’t say anything is made up for by anything else Stu, height and strength/power are different things, I agree that we lack power at times, but height in itself isn’t particularly relevant at all.
I agree though that our players aren’t particularly powerful, and that’s where we’re lacking a bit, which is why Song and Diaby to an extent are so important to us.
I also expect Bendtner to be very important when he returns
Chelsea scored 2 crosses against us. They used low crosses to feet and they paid off. When we cross Sagna just tosses the ball in without aiming it (imo). If he just looked up and crossed it waist height then we might score some more goals.
Best example of how to low cross :ibrahimovic’s goal against Real a few weeks ago. Brilliant cross by Alves and Ibra sidefooted it in (cant find a clip if it).
How do you guys reckon we’ll line up tomorrow?
Where will JET play?
sell eduardo? i don’t think thats a good idea.
bentner is a great talent imo. he will be the same as dzeko in the short future.
No need to sell, as it is we keep selling and hardly buy!
We sell 2 and buy 1
yeah Stu I agree, though Sagna’s crossing has definitely improved. That’s much more of an issue than height imo.
choy JET won’t start, he might come on as sub though
fabianski
gilbert song silvestre cruise
or
gilbert song bartley silvestre
then
ramsey eastmond/coquelin wilshere
theo vela merida
dunno why would he play Song in CB – frankly, Senderos is much, much better there and Song should be rested ahead Liverpool game…
*ahead of
SongtheGreat Says:
December 8, 2009 at 21:55
well David if thats your opinion..nothin much i can say …but disagree…if Bendtner had played in a similar postion as dzeko and in the german league…
===============
Irrelevant. Dzeko scores regardless. Whether in Germany, as an International or in the ChampionsLeague as we have seen today.
Comparing those two is men against babies.
Stu
Agreed,
Look at Bolton for instance….Davies inst exactly tall but he is one wide fuker.
Whats up with Senderos? Has he been forgotten?
I know we were planning on taking a weakened squad to Greece but having seen the confirmed squad im slightly worried. Im even expecting a bad result. I just cant see us winning away from home with such a young and inexperienced side in what will probably be a hostile environment.
This game may be irrelevant but i never like to see us lose….might see it tomorrow night unfortunately.
Why doesn’t he give senderos a game?
SUGA3 Senderos isn’t in the squad. I expect Song to play centre back, because Wenger seems to be playing him there when he can along with the league cup team, as if he’s developing his ability in that position alongside the kids developing their abilities in their positions. If Song was going to be rested he wouldn’t have travelled, playing centre back isn’t as tiring as playing in midfield too
Stu apparently Bartley injured him in training!
Injured him when A?
Smart thinking by Bartley…eliminate the competition..
Was Wolsburg that crap or United that great? Also, UTd were playing with Carrick and Park as defenders and still won. ???? Could someone,please explain it to me?
Maciek,
Everyone defended.
They played counter attack the whole game.
indeed stu, very clever, i hope he gets a game too, rather than cruise. in training yesterday apparently
If it only happened yesterday then why hasnt Senderos been selected all season? Especially when he could have been useful against city.
maciek utd sat very deep, wolfsburg controlled the game and had very good chances but missed them, and utd scored breakaway goals
obertan is proving to be good bargain!
oh yeah stu, maybe it happened before. I just read that it happened in training, and assumed they meant that day, but maybe it happened last week sometime. It did surprise me that he didn’t feature against city, though it was shortly after his talks with wenger about his future so maybe it’s just decided his time with us is over?
http://goonertalk.com/2009/12/08/senderos-injury-makes-exit-even-more-likely/
Im still not impressed by Obertan,
Fergie has always been attracted by flashy Wingers.
Elia anyone?
Thanks.Dave, at Utd. everyone seems to know how to defend. At Arsenal, aside from Vermaelen no one.
Night guys!
but he is just 20 now could go a long way.
anyways united doing much better than what they were expected to do without ronaldo and tevez
A,
Song is nowhere near as good as Senderos playing CB – what I am getting at is that the latter was ridiculously neglected: should be rotated with Billy against weaker opposition IMO…
i agree suga, i rate senderos higher than song at centre back, and feel he would still have been a very good back up if his heart was in it.
however centre back partnerships and defensive units are built on understanding and continuity, i disagree that there should be rotation between central defenders
Phil could form a formidable partnership with TV tho…
given the right coaching, that is…
Keown.
on that not I am off, one has to sleeeeeeep…
suga3 I agree, i wouldn’t have written him off as gallas’ replacement, but it’s obvious that something happened that made his position untenable. very unfortunate for him, and for us.
nite
nar A i dissagree with your line up , i think for this one wenger will still want to win yet , give the youngsters a run ….
who wouldnt , but im sure youll see an improved bench compared to the C.C , and possibly nasri – theo etc that sort of player .. you know eboue – song denilson !
all need game ..
i dont think eastmond will feature he was outclassed against man shitty ..
he needs to go back to basics …
and wait til next season
youve also got jack – ramsey – vela .. dudu needs some practice too !
i dont think you can afford to not play players who need to get their form up !
we all know wenger said he will field a younger side as its NOT high stakes tonight , we are already in …
but im sure wenger would like to ram it home currently ..
i think he will be foolish to go in ill prepared without a plan B , another loss would be disastrous for him at this stage !
morale busting to these kids ..
we buckle like that every christmas …
THINK ABOUT IT !
I dont give a shit who plays tonight, we are through, he should play any team that involves no one who will play or be cover for sunday. I could give a fuck if we get hammered 12 nil, its a nothing game tell the kids to go and fuck around.
Why risk anyone?
Yea, were into the knockouts. He needs to be focusing on sunday and the rest of decembers fixture, and wenger needs to be focusing on what bloody striker/cb/dm we are signing.
In Podolski, Cetin, tall dm.
Out-Rosicky, Senderos.
Wenger should tell the nippers to just get the ball and leather it as hard as they can at the goal.
try and lob the keeper no matter where they are.
He should tell our goalie this too.
And when they get bored of this they should dribble it round in circles for as long as they can and if an olympiak tries to tackle them they should start crying.
Once they have done this they should just lay on the ball. Then try to burst it by all kicking it at once.
some other shit they could try is breakdancing in the box, doing that move where you catch the ball on the back of your neck and running around with it, rolling it in dog shit and getting your mate to head it and standing on it and trying to balance for as long as possible.
AA23 have you considered working alongside Phil Brown?
maybe AA23 is phil brown ..
losing might be expected nowadays ..
so go on right ahead …
Does anyone realize another loss at this stage might kill off the rest of the season ?
thru morale alone !
i suppose blogger’s aren’t paid to think !
Actually Ethan I am paid to think.
Scary isn’t it.
I’ll also add that I think the kids will win the game.
i might be the administrator of TOUGH love ,
but wash your mouth out that a WIN isnt important … wenger has too many groupies thinking the same way !
the reason we are where we are NOW !is because we dont play our best team on the day !
so have a good loss AA23 , you want it … and im sure you., like wenger with that attitude will get what your looking for tonight ~! ..
AA23 Says:
December 9, 2009 at 06:46
Actually Ethan I am paid to think.
Scary isn’t it.
—————-
me too , double scary huh
Wins build momentum, to ‘throw’ this game away tonight is to throw away all the hard work put in beating Stoke at the weekend….
I think the kids would have learnt from the citeh fiasco and take their chances frist time tonight.
A score draw is likely
The game tonight is irrelevant apart from how many injuries we get.
No one of note will play.
Maybe be on the bench.
So no injuries to really worry about
The squad for tonights game is alot lighter than I would have though, expected to see Phil but must be the end of the big fella here.
____________Fabianski
Gilbert___Song___Sly__Cruise
_______Ramsey__Eastmond
__Theo___Wilshere___Merida
___________Vela
Would prefer to see Song alongside Eastmond to give him so real support and see what Eastmond is really about. Perhaps JET will start left back but just think Cruise will slot in there alot easier.
Big night for these lads hope the do well and show some grit.
Why would AW play the closest thing we have to a DM tonight??
However, I suppose we are talking about the nutty professor here!
Fabianski, Song, Ramsey (to some extent), Theo, Vela have all been in or around the 1st team and know what it’s about.
They’ve also just experienced being brought down to earth at the northern chavs.
So not overconfident but willing should be the mindset.
Chamoneee young arsenal!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chozzer – nice avatar
Why is Watt not in the squad does anybody know??
Waiting!!!
F5 F5 F5..
New post!