So today we’ll find out if the teddy bear’s had a picnic, today we find out if he’s been working on a signing behind the scenes, today we’ll find out if Gazidas has been doing what I hoped he came for, …doing deals.
What a fantastic surprise if it were true, how good would it be if he announced today we had signed Edin Dzeko or someone of that Ilk, well the great news is now we can start dreaming and speculating because the window is officially open, and it’s not Sunday, let the games begin!
So we go to West Ham with a squad that will fall somewhere between a Carling Cup side and a regular side, an FA Cup side I expect! It’s good to be watching football come thick and fast but I don’t understand why we ask players to play three times a week in the freezing depths of winter and wait ten day in-between games in the summer.
Not only that but we the fans have to go to those games and boy does it get cold, don’t forget we’re sitting outside and rarely moving for 90 odd minutes, brrrrrrrrr!
Oh, and when we do, we get told to shut the fuck up and sit down!
I think we may see Jackie boy at Upton Park on Sunday, I hope if we do he has a blinder, I want 2010 to be his blooding in year, I would like to see JET as well, he reminds me of Vieira but with pace and more of an attacking edge.
Back to the transfer market, I believe he will make a signing or two because a) He usually says NO, when asked if he will make a signing, and b) this year he really has a chance of winning something and deep down knows he needs to buy.
Anyway, if all else fails, we have signed Brazil’s hottest property, the Duke of Wellington, he could be our Pato, but don’t forget we won’t see him until 2011, and he’s only 17, so that’s at least 3 years off. And he’s not exactly a big surprise is he? So be patient, I really think we’ll sign a pearler this month, I just hope we don’t have to wait 30 days, 23 hours and 59 minutes again, to find out who!
Have a happy New Year’s day Grovers, this is it!
Cotto, Gervinho is anything but a Drogba/Ade type player.
Gervinho is a tiny, nimble-footed player. I used to really like him and he’s do really well on the RW. He’s not a CF though
Cotto, you sure you’re thinking about the right Gervinho. Last time i checked Gervinho was a smallie. He’s only about 5’9 or 5’10. Hardly in the Drogba/Ade mould imo.
And he’s African so we’re not signing him, at least not in January
Yes Cotto but of those 3 only Arshavin was a first teamer. Thus my point proved.
he played as a CF for the ivory coast olympic team
and is listed as a CF for lille
we gotta push the boat out for dzeko – he’s just what we dont have at present – aerially dominant and powerful box player as well as the impressive technique you’d expect from an arsenal man
Maciek, I like Senderos, I know you said he’s an accident waiting to happen, but I hope you will change your mind because Wenger has decided NOT to sell him AND, remember his good performances against AC Milan, and while Toure was away in Africa last time.
Senderos is a good defender, I don’t think both Milan,Arsenal and the Swiss national team are wrong.
stu i cant agree, adebayor played many games between jan-may that year
as did reyes, who was thebn defo a first teamer the following season
anyway.. the cirucmstances are different now, very different
Reyes- an up and coming winger/second striker who wenger saw as potentially world class.
Ade- a lanky forward that Wenger though he could turn into a world class one (almost right). Possibly bought to replace Henry when he eventually left.
Arshavin- a necessary purchace to re-ignite our season and keep the fans off his back.
When we were linked with Gervinho he was still playing with Le Mans and had a very poor scoring record.
With Lille, he has 11 in 18. They’re a very offensive team as well. Hazard, Obraniak, Gervinho, and a true CF(don’t know who) are all on the field at the same time.
Makes me wonder how much they concede. Obraniak used to be a LB, but now he rarely tracks back once moved to LW/RW. Hazard doesn’t track back that much either
i think its the hairstyle that reminded me of drogba/adey
finest i also think he’s ok as back up, but the yardstick has to be how does he perform against the best – we need to sign someone who can bully the likes of drogba
Zee, Dzeko is far too expensive, 30 million, not at Arsenal. Those are Chelsea and Citeh prices. And Wolfsburg don’t need the money, they are very very rich.
Zee, we need a quality defender for sure…..prime candidate is Sakho, young, very talented, he could play for us.
is sakho left footed? he’d be a right presence alongside tv if he was right footed. Massive hulk who captained PSG at about 17
dzeko is priced at 20-25M
we could spend that.
i was firing off sakho before i read your comment there finest!
we shd be able to stretch to £25m given we brought in 40 in the summer
we all are agreed on sakho, the kid will be a mostrer defender for years to come.
20 million would be acceptable…..we could prob get David Villa for that and he’s not cup tied, but they could sell him for more in summer I reckon.
Zee, in all fairness how many defenders have you seen “bully the likes of Drogba”. I cant think of any time i’ve seen it happen.
Senderos makes mistakes because he is never a regular. He never played unless there was an injury and was just expected to slot into the defence as if he played there week in week out. He is unfairly criticised imo.
Hello Finest. Sendy isn’t THAT bad, but it’s just he needs at lest 5 matches to find his form.
would villa really be the type of striker we need?
he is awesome but surely he needs to play in a 4-4-2 not as a lone striker
all in all, dzeko and gignac are the ones who totally fit the bill in what we need in a striker.
boy, if we got one of them.. how bloody cool!!
I have no doubt about it zee, he is a famous up and coming talent. But yes he is left footed which would put some off. I can understand why but Gallas is right footed and has played on the left side of central defence so it can be done.
fair pt there stu re bullying drogba – but sendy has always looked beaten before he’s gone out there against him. I reckon sakho would handle the fucker. By definition sendy wd be a regular if he didnt make mistakes – he’s one of those dudes who’s always not far from the scene of the crime isnt he
but finecuts.. gallas played WELL below par on the left side, one the reason he is back to his best this year is because he is back on the right
hello all i am in africa right now for the african cup of nations.
Cotto; Arshavin, Eduardo and Villa up front in a 4-3-3 would be a lethal 3 pronged attack, I would roll out the red carpet for D. Villa.
i just cant see wenger disrupting the balance by signing a left footed centre half when tv’s been such an awesome success
Im not convinced by Gignac tbh. I recently discovered that in 07-08 he only scored 2 league goals in 28games (albeit in13starts). And this season he only has 5 in 19.
If ever there was a time to be wary of a 1 season wonder it is with Gignac.
Yo, the spirit of Eboue, how’s it going brudda?
Gignac is a lucky dip option, I’d rather get someone more reliable.
no, dont want gignac. dzeko every time
i am fine brother finestcuts i am relaxing right now with my african brothers yeah.
if wenger signs gignac, we got to go with his judgement.. he always gets the french ones right.
thanks for joining us eboue. show em some of that lethal finishing son
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPxTUDyEWrs
Grafite?
Dembele?
man this board is fucking cool, some proper knowledgeable gooners around
cracking stuff, loving this place
oops
am i ok to swear?
What about Cygan and Aliadiere Cotto…and im sure there are others.
yes that was a special goal because it put us back in the game
remember the old proverb every diawara has a silver sagna
come on stu, on the whole he gets them right
nobody in the history of planet earth has ever been perfect
Zinedine “the legend” Cygan? I would love to have him in our team.LOL.
manny you looked seriously winded after that strike. and it was past neuer, who everyone raves about. never trust a keeper called manuel.
Nobody is perfect Cotto but you said “he always gets the french ones right”.
i just remember watching gignac in the game against the irish and thought his hold up and link up play was perfect for us.
but i have never seen him play before or since… so i suppose even ian dowie looked good for the first time viewer years back.
fair enough stu.. he gets the french ones right more times than wrong
cool?
i’d probably describe grimandi as one of his french wrong uns, yet he’s recommending the new breed!!
the grimster done a job for us, he was one of the fans faves one season ( 2000/2001? or 1999/2000 )
he would come into the team and get stuck right in..was never a great player, but done a job for us when needed.
Not sure about Sakho. His time at PSG is somewhat similar to Richards at City. One explosive season, when he played 34 matches and was an absolute rock. This season, Sakho has only made 4 appearances.
Same goes to Hoarau from PSG. Looked a great goal scorer, but has 1 goal and 1 assist in 7 this season.
To be fair, PSG has been pretty bad this season compared to last, but thats no excuse.
Gervinho said his dream was to play for Arsenal and he’ll try to move to us in the future with his performances. Well, 11 in 18 is a good start. He has a goal in there thats almost identical to Torres v. Blackburn. Very skillful player. Has Arsenal written all over him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UK5blUYc6FI
I didnt see Grimandi so cant really comment but i read and was under the impression that he was an ever reliable midfield utility man.
And he is just a legend if only for this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtidXpWaVVM&feature=related
is eboue still here? eboue? if you are mate, you know when you run really fast with the ball to the opposition penalty area, what happens then? Do you get like a satnav voice in your head saying ‘recalculating’ What happens mate? sorry about those fans booing you and that
haha i remember that stu!
not checked that link but is it when he brought down davids at the dennis testimonial?
thats it cotto – i’m offski team – enjoyed it
No its a different clip. Click on it and see.
nice chatting zee
take it easy
stu the one you put up there is the foul on davids at the dennis testimonial. nighty night
i take it you are quite young stu?
I am indeed Cotto. Why do you ask?
just wondering, no big deal.
ok then….
The Grimster was a legend. Proper utility player. Scored the winner v Palace in 98 when we had loads of injuries! ALso, was a right dirty bastard when it was needed; ask Alan SMith!!!
If only we could clone him for this current team. :sigh:
current team aint doing too badly
Yes but it would be nice to have a utility man who always worked his nuts off and would get stuck in when things werent going our way. Flamini was a bit of that but we dont really have anyone like that anymore.
eboue comes in does a job
we have ramsey who comes in and does a job
this current squad is very good, with the addition of a striker and a defender.. it will be the best squad we have had.
I wouldnt consider those 2 utility players. Ramsey is a midfielder and should always play there, not somewhere else where he wouldnt be as effective.
But Eboue. He doesnt really have a position so he is really a utility player by default. Used to be a good right back but not anymore imo and if he were doing a good job in midfield then there would be no complaints but there always are…mainly because he lack of reliability.
ramsey can, as mentioned by wenger after the pompey game, be a full back, a winger, a dm, and a am.
so by default i would describe him currently as a utility player.. but of course in time he will be one of the first name on our team sheet for years to come.
things are good at the moment, its great to be a gooner.
chelsea are on the down.. how many players have they got to replace in the next 1-2 years?
man utd just look a poor squad overall, no money either to fix it anymore.
gooner time is coming.
*because of his lack of reliability.
Essien can play right back or centre back but that doesnt mean he should play there.
Not comparing the two individually but just because a player can play in a different position doesnt mean that he should.
The curse of versatility is an awful thing for a player. It means that when a position needs filling you are moved there because you CAN play there.
?
essien is a first team midfielder, so of course he is not a utility player.
ramsey is not yet first team, and can therefore fill in wherever he is required to fill in.
simples.
just to add further..
first team regulars are NOT utility players
its dquad players who can be utilised in that way and until ramsey is played week in week out regardless of who is injured, in his favoured CM postion.. he will, as wenger said the other night, be a utility player.
Hence why is specifically added that i wasnt comparing the two players.
A player should have to play out of his favoured position just because he can is all im saying.
Ramsey is good enough not to have to be a utility player.
Utility players are generally bench warmers who can come on to any position. Phil Neville at united is the best example of a utility player i can think of and he was one because he wasnt good enough to have a starting place. John O shea is another one.
Stu Gerrard was a utility player when he was young, played at right back a fair bit, I’d compare Ramsey to him, he’ll play all over the place over the next year or so, then take his place centrally, though still utilised at times elsewhere.
not sure what point you were making by introducing essien into the mix then?
bottom line is that at this minute in time ramsey is a utility player for arsenal as he does not command a starting position in a favoured position.
clearly he will develop as either starting dm or cm, but until that time he will play wherever he is required to play.
I just dont think young players should be utility players. I consider utility players as reliable where ever they play and young players just arent usually reliable.
I just mentioned Essien as a player who has played out of position when needed.
depends how good they are
in the cases mentioned.. ramsey and gerrard are/were more than good enough at that stage in their careers to simply get playing time for the first team whilst providing adequate cover for whatever position they were filling in.
but stu can you see that using essien as an example when discussing ramsey is not right.
essien is first team, in a fixed position.
ramsey is neither.. yet!
You, but i do see that you were wrong to assume i was comparing the two players.
so if you were not comparing them… i don’t understand why you mentioned essien?
rather pointless, maybe you have confused yourself a little
Ramsey Essien firkin Ghandi whatever, will you 2 stop arguing, lol!
lol
I wasnt comparing them. Its not my fault you thought i was.
then why bring essien into the convo… and qucikly correct yourself :p
it’s like having a conversation about the price of fish, and you then start rambling about the weather mid conversation… and then forget why you did it
hahaha, quality chat
night lads, its been errr interesting lol.
it is now obvious that essien should have come to arsenal, its was his destiny. He fucked up big time.
the guy is constantly injured
Thanks for the clip Zee…thought Rudolfo who fed Wellington looked determined, skillful and effective
Well if Dzeko does go to villa we can pick up Carew on the cheap?
oops, after googling through magical realism and salsa music found the right Rudolfo and apparently he joined Manure…aka Dodo
who needs essien when we got song
whoooa !
song can do no …..
nothing
carew can fuck right off. Valencia champions league hell. Remember that???
Song is a great player, Meteorite growth in a year, why would that stop? Good times.
ray on SF
you high??
insect: my highness is none of your business, Carew was meant to be a joke and I agree about Song…
I have enjoyed his progress and the lag in its recognition by the fans…
biggest laugh is that the people who were saying Song is crap are now worried that we’re losing him to the ACN
Mr.Wenger has signed two babies for the future,FFS.He doesnt speak about recession when signing toddlers.Apparently,we missed Alonso for being £2m short last season.Talk about hypocrisy
We missed out on Alonso because liverpool cancelled the deal. Nowt to do with money whatsoever, financially everything was agreed, but they pulled it at the last minute because the Barry deal fell through.
So what about signing these kids for astronomical prices,A,when he cant spend an extra penny for proven players?
If Wellington Silva and Zezinho are definitely signed, I wonder if Zezinho will train with us from his 18th birthdays, as Pato did with Milan, which would help him integrate quicker.
If they’re like Pato, in that they’re so good that they come straight into the first team set up it’ll be absolutely amazing
Astronomical prices Jaguar?! We’ve basically raped two clubs for top young talents, and got them for fuck all!
£2.2 mil rising to £3.5 mil for Wellington Silva, and a deal that will be just under £5 mil for Zezinho, not sure how they could be classed as astronomical?!
Milan paid 20 mil Euros for Pato, and I’d say he was well worth it
FFS,he wont be 18 before 2011.
i just realized i’ve been here since 5am et
Wellington Silva will move when he turns 18 on the 6th Jan, so will join this time next season. Zezinho turns 18 in March, so I’d guess he’ll train from then, and move officially when the transfer window opens in the summer.
We are still sold the future at the expense of our present.Wenger can fuck right off,if we dont win anything season,due to lack of depth.Enough of his experimentation wiv kids.
Jaguar it isn’t at the expense of anything, unless you’ve scouted a £2.2 million superstar forward?! and a similarly priced superstar DM?!
And how are we being sold the future?! Unless you consider 5 months time when we’re celebrating the treble?! In which case I guess you’re right, it is the future, but I can wait that long….
# A Says:
January 2, 2010 at 01:43
Jaguar it isn’t at the expense of anything, unless you’ve scouted a £2.2 million superstar forward?! and a similarly priced superstar DM?!
———————————————-
Alright A,A super star DM/CF is available for £15m and Mr.Wenger is holding on to £13m.The deal falls through in the end,due to his reluctance to spend £2m.
You are ignoring the obvious,aint you?Mathematics cant be so tough.
I don’t believe for one second any kids signing would have ANY influence on who will come in for the first team.
We’ll either sign a first team forward and DM, or we won’t, if the Brazilian wonderkids sign then it won’t affect it.
If it’s a choice between signing noone or signing two Brazilian kids, then I’d rather the latter!
Likewise if it’s a choice between signing a forward and a DM, and a forward, a DM, and two Brazillian kids, again I’d rather the latter.
I do however feel very confident a forward will be coming in
As I said earlier, Wellington is a new name for me, but I’ve heard/read great things about Zezinho.
lol Jaguar, transfer budgets don’t work like they do on computer games. A manager isn’t given x amount to spend, and that’s it. Any deal needs to be financed by those above, it’s whether the manager can convince those financiers how much is needed to get a player, and if he’s worth it.
£2 mil here or there wouldn’t not be available if needed, regardless of spending that amount on kids.
who knows, maybe these 2 are signings that Wenger wouldn’t want in the past. He missed out on Robinho, Kaka, CR and you’re all complaining.
If these 2 become world beaters and we wouldn’t sign them, you’d be complaining. Risks have to be taken and I’m sure the youth have their own money bank.
Good to hear Pat. I’ve heard of Wellington Silva, but only since he was linked to us a year ago, and the fact that he’s amazing on football manager!
Who is complaining about signing them?But if Mr.Wenger starts moaning about lack of funds,and we relinquish our title challenges before the end of the season,he can fuck right off to anyother club,who would be patient enough to tolerate his obsession with kids.
Liverpool were favorites to sign Zezinho a while back. He’s not officially ours yet. Lets hope we submit that new offer asap
according to the reports we’ve had the offer accepted Pat, it’s just the change of board which has resulted in the President deciding to wait until the new board is in, whereupon they’ll decide to sanction the deal or not.
Jaguar, every club buys kids during every transfer period.
Just watched an Eduardo video on youtube. He was soo good before his injury.
Every commentator would say, “Is there a better finisher in the league than Eduardo?”
Fuck Taylor, dirty cunt
I think Eduardo just needs goals. A brace in a game would do him well.
Eduardo has rarely played in his favourite position,Pat.Its all down to Wenger’s stubborness with 4-3-3,that he is being used wide in the system,which has curbed his effectiveness.
Why would we change an effective system though? Its not stubbornness. Eduardo could still play CF, he just need to improve his movement.
Also, the system isn’t to blame for his awful misses this season.
I agree Pat, he still was like that the second he returned from his injury so I don’t believe that it’s permanently gone because of the broken leg, it’s just the niggles since that have prevented him getting any momentum and worn away at his confidence. He’s been improving game by game though and should be a very valuable asset in the second half of the season.
I’m not sure about him playing central though, he isn’t THAT good with his back to goal, which is very important for that central man. Starting out wide should get him in behind the defence and facing goal much more.
I disagree about his movement though, that’s still exceptional!
I meant movement as a CF. Arshavin destroyed Stoke by constantly moving.
Eduardo should do well in this system. The front 3 all interchange. He’s not actually playing as a winger.
are these brazilians any good we are supposed to be getting
if we do get them and they turn out to be like denilson then we are wasting more money,that money could go on better players,rather then wasting like we did on denilson
He cant be worse than an inform Silvestre.
or senderos i suppose
No world class clubs were after Denilson. Zezinho was close to signing for Liverpool and is wanted by Madrid, Milan, and the likes.
Pat alot of clubs were after Denilson, and he was the Brazil u20 captain when we signed him. I still expect him to be a top top player, though his physical frailties will always hold him back a bit
ah ok,no doubt then we will miss out on him then if that’s the case
anyhow who thinks it will do us good to be out the fa cup this season
not sure about that bbk, i reckon it’s gonna be a good little personal thing for the likes of vela, ramsey, and fabianski
personal thing or not id rather keep almoonia in goal as he needs the games,vela can’t see him doing fuck all ramsey’s the only one really,i think we need to keep the momentum going and win this game
Almoonia
Like it or not.With our spanish waiter in goal,I am always confident of betting against a clean sheet.
West Ham away will be tough despite Parker and Noble being injured.
Green
Faubert Tomkins Upson Spector(Llunga if fit)
Collison Kovac Behrami DIamanti
Nouble Jiminez
Thats the lineup they will probably use.
We must watch out for Nouble. Supposedly he’s a very talented, young CF. Huge and also said to be the quickest player West Ham have.
BUT, I found this on a WestHam blog:
Jason Burt, who is usually very reliable witing for The Telegraph today says we will rest all our key players, such as Green. (Is that to stop them being cup tied and so can be sold for a higher price or is it me being cynical?) I think Nouble, Daprela and Payne should all be given a chance to impress, along with our existing youngsters such as Stanislas.
Nouble is pants Pat, certainly not someone to worry about!
With those players surely collison would be central, behrami right, and diamanti up top, with jiminez left?!
Hines and Stanislas injured then?
West Ham won’t be that easy, but we should be ok I reckon. I’m hoping for Vela to have a big game.
vela to have a big game,doubt it
They’ll most likely be something like the same back 5 as you put, but then
jimenez behrami kovac collison diamanti
stanislas
lol yeah bbk, vela has gone from being one of the top young talents in the world to shit, because of a brief loss of form. The fickleness of footie fans really is unrivalled
apart from the carling cup games he’s done fuck all
A, they have Freddie Sears back as well.
Hines injured, Franco suspend.
he was absolute class against fulham in the league last year, and his performances on loan and for Mexico have shown how much talent he’s got, along with the league and fa cup games
Vela has yet to impress in the league, but he’s done well in CC and the FAC.
just heard the spuds signed some dm for 14 mil. Who is it
lol yeah i saw pat, after his 20 games 0 goals in the championship! Talk of him going to peterborough on loan, their fans really don’t want him though!
Team for FA Cup?
………………….Fabianski……………………
Coquelin/Gilbert……Sendy……..Sylvest……Traore
………………….Song……………………….
…..Ramsey…………………………Rosicky……
..Vela………………Eddy………………..Watt…
He had one superb game in the league Pat, against Fulham
bbk when else has he had to impress. A few league games here and there and u expect him to have had 20 goals. Pssh
Jamaican apparently Sandro the Brazilian? Though seems work permit issues?
Ja no way Watt or Gilbert will get a start, I reckon more or less that team though, with Sagna at right back, Diaby in midfield, and Rosicky with Vela and Eduardo up top
well when he has played this season he’s done fuck all,another lightweight player