Merry Christmas to everyone this fine and festive morning!
There’s not much news from our end today, this post is more an opportunity to thank all of you guys for logging on everyday, come rain or shine, come spanking or huge victory. I want to thank those who have made the site an amazing place to chat football every morning. Truly, without you, and the world class writing (jokes) we serve up, we’d just be another Arsenal blog clogging up Newsnow everyday.
Next year shall bring many exciting things. We have a podcast booked in for definite. That’ll launch in the new year or maybe even before. Geoff will likely be able to spend a bit more time blogging, bring a bit of ying to my yang. We’re also on schedule to hit a mid-January redesign target. Don’t worry, the move won’t be as chaotic as the last one. We’ll make sure we run the new site parallel and we’ll open it up to your suggestions for amendments. Either way, the user experience is key to this design, so you won’t be disappointed. I’ll also be starting work on a 3 part autobiography and Geoff is working on his first perfume range… Scent of a French Bear.
Other than that, we’ll just keep on writing until you’re bored. So once again, a massive thanks to everyone who reads and posts on the site, a big thank you to all the new friends I made this year from AST and various publications and thank you to all the people who follow us on the other social networks. It’s been a fantastic 2011 from a site perspective, let’s hope 2012 can be the year we have a fantastic year on the pitch.
Here’s hoping!
Merry Christmas, catch you all bright and early tomorrow morning!
P.S A Ligue one enthusiast posted the below piece on Gourcuff… thanks Pierre!
I am a Lyon/Arsenal supporter and I thought I’d give some feedback re; Gourcuff.
There is a lot of whining about Gourcuff but that’s who Arsenal are going to get. Wenger has wanted him since he was 17!
Don’t believe me? Read Wenger’s own blog on Eurosport only 3 or so months ago !
Wenger regularly drools over Gourcuff in the French press, he’s compared him to Platini and Zidane often.
You also forget that he’s a close friend of his father and the same footballing philosophy is shared among the three.
Gourcuff’s failure at Lyon is due to several reasons, firstly, Lyon do not play a short passing game conducive to Gourcuff’s ability, the side is too dependent upon individuals and the collective play is almost zero. Secondly, Lyon wanted to capitalise on Gourcuff financially through merchandise and marketing, even creating a brand called “YG29″ – hence when he joined Lyon he had a special presentation with 20,000 supporters – this put enormous pressure on him – the boy doesn’t have a bad attitude, he’s introverted, quiet, shy and also a mega nerd. Thirdly, under Claude Puel, Gourcuff was often used as a defensive midfielder because Lisandro Lopez wanted to play with Gomis. The same has happened under Remi Garde.
Gourcuff also has suffered enormous abuse from the French press much like Robert Pires at Marseille (hence Pires is a huge supporter of Gourcuff joining Arsenal). Wenger took Pires from Marseille and rekindled his career. The French press abuse him because he’s different and an interesting target – he’s highly educated, an intellectual of sorts, doesn’t believe in ‘bling bling’, night clubs, etc – he’s often voted the most ‘liked’ footballer in France because he sets a good example for youngsters! (regarded as the ‘perfect son’).
Wenger is going to get an absolute bargain here – you can forget about Goetze. No player in France received as much comparisons as Gourcuff to Zidane or even Platini – put under proper conditions at Arsenal, he will once again reach these heights.
Also don’t forget, Zidane had never achieved as much as Gourcuff at this age, Zidane won the world cup at 25! His career blossomed from there, prior to that he was nothing and Aime Jacquet was even lambasted for selecting him in the 98 French side! Gourcuff will achieve great things with Arsenal under Wenger!
Abnet
LOLZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
abnet
haha!!
@ Bade
This edition of LG post belongs to you. I want you hit even harden than “….he should fuck off..”. You are spot on, mate. He has been systemically ruining Arsenal. I wonder whose brief he is carrying out.
The way Arsenal are linked to the most cheap, obscure, nondescript players from all leagues except PL, Italian and Bundesliga, and the way he always talks ‘no buying…maybe loan…’, the world gets a feeling that Wenger spends out of his share of 7 million rather than that 100 Mill Arsenal has(?) in bank as trans-budget. Why do we talk and act so cheap? why cant we have some top-notch players???
I don’t know where this idea comes that spending equates to success. Let’s compare Arsenal and Tottenham.
Transfer expenditure (last 5 seasons)
Arsenal –
2011/2012 +13.609
2010/2011 -12.144
2009/2010 +31.416
2008/2009 -12.628
2007/2008 +24.332
Total: +44.585 million gbp
Tottenham –
2011/2012 +22.440
2010/2011 -21.912
2009/2010 -9.152
2008/2009 -50.644
2007/2008 -62.722
Total: -121.99 million gbp
Arsenal have qualified for the Champions league every season under Wenger. Spurs? For that 121.99 million spent in the last five seasons, they have one Champions league qualification and Wenger for the +44.585 surplus in the transfer market has qualified every time.
Do not equate spending to success…. Even Manchester City are only now experiencing some semblance of success (not in the champions league) despite the ridiculous amounts they’ve thrown at the transfer market.
And were all witnessing Liverpool spending excessively and flopping at it.
Wenger is a genius and the statistics prove it. Year after year, Arsenal has qualified for the champions league and have a surplus in the transfer market.
Morning all, happy Boxing day! New post.
Pierre
Good morning
The problem I have with your comparison is comparing us to team below us, not above us.
Let’s compare us to Barca, Real, Chavs, Mancs, Inter, Milan, Bayern……
By the way, spending right will bring you success. don’t believe me? Go check the Arsenal before 2005 …..
And it’s spending when needed. No one’s talking about 8 strikers with excessive salaries, like $ity. But we’re talking about buying a strikers instead of playing AA23 as your lone striker, or buying a DM when you lost Flamini, and released Gilberto and Diarra, just a season before that. Or buying a CB, when you knew Vermaelen was out the whole year……
Hey Pierre
The primarily goal for a sports team is to win trophies. We are in Europe’s biggest market.
Arsene Wenger and the board are telling us that having a surplus and qualifying for the UEFA CL is a trophy.
The fans think otherwise.
Bank balances don’t score goals.
Just because Liverpool and Spurs spent massive sums of money on
players who were not worth it does not mean spending is wrong.
Great players want to play with great players and sometimes, great players cost money.
Hahaha! so, 4th IS a trophy, right Monsieur?
For 6 years, Arsenal players could not win a single trophy. For 6 years Arsenal fans have only despaired at loss after loss, dull draws after dull draws.
What did he shake by taking the club to CL? only to be knocked out ridiculously by teams which wren’t better than Arsenal only 5 years back? Merely CL qualification cannot be a yardstick of success. If he had taken team to CL so many times, why could he win it. Why is his success ration at CL so damned low. Why? your AKB DNA would not allow you to answer that in true spirit. I will tell you: because true top-notch footballers play there. Horses for courses, Mr Pierre.
Fuck Wenger! Fuck AKBs!
wenger is a genius- In your dreams.
wenger is an egotistical maniac for sure.
wenger puts being a clever cunt before success at Arsenal for sure.
Genius, no way.
“Also don’t forget, Zidane had never achieved as much as Gourcuff at this age, Zidane won the world cup at 25! His career blossomed from there, prior to that he was nothing and Aime Jacquet was even lambasted for selecting him in the 98 French side”
WHAT???nothing???
Zadane-
Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year – 1994
Ligue 1 Player of the Year – 1996
Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year – 1997,
And UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year – 1998
Girondins Bordeaux
UEFA Intertoto Cup:
Winner: 1995
UEFA Cup:
Runner-up: 1995–96
Juventus
Serie A:
Winner: 1996–97, 1997–98
Runner-up: 1999–00, 2000–01
Supercoppa Italiana:
Winner: 1997
Runner-up: 1998
UEFA Champions League:
Runner-up: 1996–97, 1997–98
UEFA Super Cup:
Winner: 1996
Intercontinental Cup:
Winner: 1996
If Zidane was not selected for the 98 World cup squad Aime Jacquet should have been treated like a marie antoinette during the revolution. WHO exactly questioned picking the Ligue 1 Player of the Year – 1996 and Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year – 1997 for the 1998 World Cup Team? Who did the french press prefer in that midfield Role? Deschamps?
Gourcuff-
Ligue 1 Player of the Year: 2008–09
Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2008–09, 2009–10
Ligue 1 Goal of the Year: 2008–09[57]
France Football French Player of the Year: 2009
UNFP Player of the Month: March 2006,[128] April 2009[129]
Yes Gourcuff is good but we all knew Zidane was Great even before the 1998 world cup. And yes after 1998 the list goes on for Zidane.