Cazorla loves that finger... it's his Sky+ digit.
Good morning Grovers. I’m nursing a massive hangover. Not from beer. From joy. Why? We won yesterday. That meant more to me than most things have so far this summer. It means we’re on track to dominate global football this year.
I didn’t actually watch the game, unlike 90% of the people I follow on Twitter who either have extremely powerful jobs… or in fact, are 15 year old students who have the summer off to Tweet and watch preseason football games. I’m jealous either way. It sounds like the game was good in parts. There were some strong performances from players like Diaby and Chamakh and there were some poor performances. You can’t read too much into a game where most of our first team are still at home. You also can’t read too much into a game on a poor pitch, in a roasting hot country with a barely fit squad. (match report here)
A workout is all it can be classed as. The fact that Eisfeld scored a goal is promising. You never know, we might get more than 7 minutes out of him this season. It was also good to see Chuks Aneke score a goal, regardless of whether it had a Lampard like deflection!
The show rolls on… and interestingly, Arsene Wenger has admitted his love for Cazorla but spewed the normal canned quotes when he’s looking at a player.
‘We are not close to signing Cazorla. We are still working that out.’
Well, at least we’re interested. I think he’d be a pretty exciting signing. I haven’t watched an awful lot of him, but apparently he can play anywhere in an attacking capacity. His stats weren’t incredible last year, but the season before he managed 16 assists and 9 goals. That’s what we need through the middle. A bit of experience, a touch of the technical wow factor and a bit of ambition from Arsenal.
We’ve been linked to a whole host of players today. Before we crack into who those boys are. I think it’s worth mentioning that Laurent Koscielny has put pen to paper and signed on for us for another 4 years. This is fantastic news. He really developed as a player last year. He was the rock at the back playing with a whole host of competent and incompetent centre backs through the year. He’s come a long way in 2 seasons, so much so, I’d say he’s most certainly our leading centre back now. There’s still another 40% to come from him over the next year. If he can link into a unit and take learnings from Steve Bould, we could have a seriously top defender on our hands. It’s a hugely positive piece of news for us all.
On the inbound gossip from. The Sun still have Arsene down for signing Yann M’Vila. Our interest is still there apparently, I’d imagine we’re just waiting to see how low we can get the price. The interest other clubs had in him seems to have dissipated with rumours of poor discipline and a meek Euro Championship. That makes him prime meat for us. If we can land him for £15mill or something around that number, I think we’ve landed ourselves a bargain. We’ve also solved a problem. Again, yesterday, someone picks up the ball 25 yards out and there’s no one there snapping at his ankles. We desperately need that.
Or, we could just do what we always do. Give a kid a go. Jamie Sanderson reckons the boss has given Coquelin a the go ahead to become our next defensive midfielder. He’s a good player, but you can’t help but think it’s a massive undertaking for someone with such a tiny amount of experience. Still, he’s only a year younger than M’Vila.
On the striker front, it doesn’t appear too much is going down at the moment. Well, unless you count this 17 year old Niang. Now, as much as I’d love to sign a tall rangy striker, I can’t help but think we’ve already got that in Afobe. Surely he should be the player we’re focusing our youth team energy on. Bacary Sagna told Le Grove earlier in the summer he was the most exciting player at the club and he reminded him of Drogba. Surely he’s the one who is worth a pop? I would hate to think we’d replace Robin by just adding in a 4th striker and shifting inexperienced players up a place?
Arsene waded into the social media debate.
‘When he apologised we dealt with it internally and fined him. We did what we had to do. You cannot forbid it (tweeting) because that is a restriction of freedom of speech.’
‘The problem is when people tweet straight away and it is a little bit of an emotional reaction.’
‘You still have to master your response and try to be correct. We have to accept what will happen.’
Arsene is right, you can’t forbid it. What I think you can do is have a word in certain players ears and explain to them they’re a public figure and a role model. If they can’t control their emotions online, take yourself offline. I watched an interview with Louis Smith (GB Gymnastic hopeful) yesterday and he said he was improving his focus by taking himself off Twitter. Frimpong should do the same. It detracts from his game and more often than not it gets him in trouble. If Iwere his agent, I’d suggest outsourcing his account to an agency (I’ll do it, call me). If he wants to communicate with the people, let them take care of it. Far easier. Far less chance of a special moment occurring.
Thierry Henry has also been talking to the press. He wants to come back to the club in some capacity. This is something I’d be totally game for. For me, coaches have to have a relevance to the players. Arsene Wenger obviously does, but I’m not sure many of the older generation of coaches do. Imagine if you’re a 20 year old striker and Theirry Henry is giving you a few pointers on how to bicycle kick from 25 yards? It’d be incredible. Thierry has experience, trophies and a presence about him you’d struggle to match. For me, even if Wenger doesn’t want him back as a coach (I’m sure he’s said he’s intelligent enough to coach before), maybe we should consider him in an ambassador role for the club? We’ve already lost out on Patrick Vieira to City… we can’t lose out on someone with a reputation like Thierry. He’d be a great person to help seal deals… with players of all nationalities.
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Right, that’s me done, see you in the comments!
SDE – “I think you should really look at the bigger picture& learn a bit about hostile takeovers,before coming on here& spouting drivel..”
Mate I’ve always been looking at the bigger picture, you justt ake your head out of your ass when it suits you.
Fucking hell look at the pathetic lengths you go to, to explain away Usmanov’s lack of ambition in winning things for a club he has a 30% stake in, and the lengths you go to, to deride what is essentially just an employee of a business that turns over 250 million a year.
So shut the fuck up about how many billions he has, or how ambitious he is, because if after all that all he can do is send piddly letters to win petty moral points it doesn’t really help us does it ?!
Surely you’re not too fucking thick to understand that right ? We as the fans suffer regardless.
Keyser
I’ll say this once..fuck off you sick deluded cunt
Johnny5 – Because he didn’t have to walk now, he could’ve gone when we won the league, or after a Champions League final, or when his best mate Dein left and told the World why, he’d have left a hero, with a legacy intact.
“real Madrid shit it’s obvious why he never been there, because they would never put up with the shit weve had too.”
Stop with the insults, you dippy fuck, put up with the shit we’ve had to, he’d have been coaching Zidane, or Figo or either of the Ronaldo’s you nutter.
Fuck me he’d simply have told them to buy Henry, or Vieira.
SDE – You’ve said it a few times already, or was your voice muffled by the haemorrhoids’ ?!
SDE. Dude. What’s with this “have you ever worked in high finance” shit?
You sound unemployable man, I don’t think the lecturing image suits you
Keyser
See your thick as fucking fuck when he had the invincibles he didn’t need his youth policy. It’s since he got rid of them all and replaced them with players who weren’t as good then sold all them and got the shit were left with. Now as I said if he leaves now his plan for winning trophies without spending millions on superstars will have meant he failed and wasted the last 7 years which his ego will not stand for. Remember we’re talking about the guy who is never wrong and gets pissed of if he is questioned. Do you get it now you stupid window licking dirt merchant cunt.
Also why in the fuck should usmanov give the club 100 million for players. Isn’t that a bit like buying the beer for a party your not allowed to be part of.
SDE July 25, 2012 20:57:16
You just realised that huh?! Spot on though.
Johnny5 – You dopey fuck, the whole Invincibles team cost about what Adebayor cost Citeh in fee and wages to not fucking play for them.
That’s why you’re talking shit, Dein who brought Wenger there knew what was happening with Abramovich, Wenger knew, he didn’t stay because of his ego you div, the youth polciy wasn’t a whim, it was seen as one way of fighting against the billionaire owners.
We had a defence that went unbeaten, the whole back 5 cost about 10 million you twat and that’s probably the best team in our history.
That’s why you’re an AKB, you’re heads up Wengers arse, you love the taste of his prostate soo much that you think he should’ve kept that going. You’re almost as bas as SDE.
Ric
No Ric..I’ve realised it for a long time…
Just that I needed to offload it at some point..
Anyway I’m quite annoyed..
I fell for Keyser’s wind-up
I don’t usually call people c**t..Not my style..
Kempster
Not sure ,by what you mean?
“Also why in the fuck should usmanov give the club 100 million for players. Isn’t that a bit like buying the beer for a party your not allowed to be part of.”
I’m not saying he should, I know how hard it’s going to be for Usmanov to move kroenke, but I’m not one of the dopey twats that gets my cock out and wanks furiously because he sent a fucking letter.
A letter ffs, you get people on here saying he could do this or that, 100 million’s nothing to him, and the answer to them is that if it’s nothing he should just let it loose.
A letter is supposedly earth shattering ? Well if he gave the club 100, 50, even 25 million how many fans do you think would say yeah he’s serious about carng about the fans.
Instead plebs who whinge continously on here are now happy to go another 7 years or whatever hoping, just hoping, even though SDE says Usmanov can’t do fuckall with 20 billion, that he manages to takeover the club.
The level of bullshit on here during the summer is phenomenal.
i had to read back for this amazing post
read this
The money I would have used to buy a season ticket,I gave to charity..I gained more intrinsic value from this,than I have over the years giving it to these blood-sucking,scheming mercenary pigs (OGL&BoD)..
made me LOLOLOLOL
He doesn’t even have to give the club money, he could buy the rights to players like they do in Brazil.
“I don’t usually call people c**t..Not my style..”
Heh. Still no wind-up.
SDE you’ve basically said today your all conquering powerful saviour in Usmanov is pretty powerless.
Again dickhead you have taken what I said and completely missed the point as usual.
The cost of the invincibles team is irellevant to my point as is abramovich and Chelsea.
His youth policy was an idea he dreamt up to prove you don’t need a billionaire to win the league. He failed 7 times but will keep going until he is proved right or sacked because he can never be wrong. He’s a deluded cunt much like you.
And your actually mental if you think for one second I’m supporting wenger. If that’s what you
Think then I would seek medical
Help coz your fucked up In the head.
Anyway I’m done arguing with deluded thick Robbin savage wannabe wind up merchants with mental retardation who have nothing else in their life but
To try and annoy people over the Internet
Goodnight fellow grocers who aren’t stupid fucking Mongs.
*Grovers
Sigh…..
Johnny5
Night Johnny5
Johnny5 – You’re a complete retard but Goodnight mate.
Itw asn’t dreamt up you fuckwit, we didn’t have a billionaire who was investing humdreds of millions into the club, we were trying to build a 400 million pound stadium, the cost is relevant as is Abramovich because we were screwed either way.
We HAD to do something, it wasn’t like every year Wenger could have assembled another INVINCIBLES team ? That’s not what you’re saying is it ? That is Wenger had just kept buying players like he did we’d have had an awesome team each year ?!
I hope to God it’s not, because it’d sum up how demented people have gotten.
The Invincibles was a one-off, it wasn’t something you could replicate easily, or we’d have had that sort of quality every year.
I can’t believe how fucking stupid that point was.
is that a weary sigh
like a “ive worked so hard being the saviour of arsenal tonight and now i need a chocolate milk” sigh?
Just saw a great line on Football365.com describing Van Persie potential move to Man United.
“The grey-haired Dutchman turns 29 in August, which makes a significant sell-on fee highly unlikely; and his fitness record was questionable at best, at least until last season, when the Gunners fielded their talisman in every Premier League game”.
Ouch.
incesc
I dunno incesc..
A drained,weary sigh..yeah..
Just wasted few hours on here,that could have been better applied elsewhere..Doing something more productive,more rewarding..
Rather than engaging in spats& arguing endlessly for what!!
At the end of the day,one has their opinion,another there’s..
There are no winners..Just the mercenaries @ the club that benefit..
Anyway,why should I care..
PS
Apologies for name calling you earlier..Got a bit overheated!!
Look at the abject wreckage of this place – it used to be an Arsenal blog, right?
It only takes one Gambon and a few juvenille brown-noses to destroy everything. Who would bother wading through this pile of shit to find anything about Arsenal.
Sad angry hateful people.
Good morning Grovers
Today we’re linked with Julio Cesar, the out of favour Inter GK
With vast experience in all levels, international, Serie A & CL, and at 32, he might just be the answer for our unchallenged next best GK in the world
I’d love to get him, albeit I don’t believe we stand a chance, as he won’t come to a team where he’s played a 2ns fiddle player. In GK terms, he’s still in his peak & has another few years to give. But I would bid for him certainly
Bade,
Boruc is also 32, he is currently on a free and is a character and a half!
The huge problem Usmanov has is that Kroenke has the board in his pocket because he promised them that he would stay out of their dealings.
Buying shares made pretty much everyone on the board extremely rich, Le Wig’s rat on the inside PHW kept his job and made millions.
With Usmanov whilst shareholders would still get money there’s no guarantee that they’d be allowed the run the club into the ground alone, no guarantee they’ll still have a license to print money.
Once Arsenal as a brand starts to fail Kroenke will sell.
It’s shocking that a billionaire doesn’t have the foresight to see that whilst stripping the club of its stars makes you rich it diminishes the brand. That not buying quality players and winning things also diminishes the brand.
Who wants to invest in a team that has Diaby, Walcott and Song as it’s stars when rewind a year and it was Fabregas, Nasri and Van Persie.
That’s why Santi Cazorla is an important transfer not just for on the field, he’s a name in Europe and lot’s of people were sort of shocked that we’re already miles down the road to buying him!
Yeh Sug
Boruc one of my favourites as well
Boruc is a fucking legend amongst Legia Warsaw hardcore supporters, never forgotten where he is from, can you imagine any of our former players dropping by and buying drinks for everyone in the firm’s pub or leading the chants at the away game?
me neither…
he is also a top quality GK and a very intelligent one at that, all the hoo-hah about Eduardo’s dive was caused by Boruc removing his arms out of the way, which made it look all too obvious!
not long further down the line Rooney dived for the pen at the Old Toilet to score the winner after my favourite player had equalised for them exactly in the same manner Dudu did…
did Almunia even think of getting out of the way? did he fuck!
…and on a free, he is a no-brainer!
Well, I for one am still stoked about the Cazorla rumours. It seems this one has legs…two of them!
Cesar makes more sense than Lloris, as he can give Chesney the mentorship that was sorely lacking before – imagine learning how to be a waiter from Manuel! Keepers typically peak in their 30s, so I don;t think it is too much to expect Chesney to back down and learn a bit at this stage in his career. Casillas is a freak of nature.
Also, I will see the Arsenal B team in HK this sunday. Should be interesting as I havent seen them play live for a few years now. The weather here has been shit though, so it may well downpour. No doubt our Moroccan hero will be off touting for ladyboys come the evening.
What happened to the Paulino rumours? was it all pissing in the wind after all? Or were we angling to get Theo to reduce his demands? And what’s this about Gervinho being played in the middle?!?
Forget Boruc, or any other semi-decent backup for any position. Wenger’s only interested in keeping his first eleven sweet by giving them no competition, and keeping the sub-standard backups sweet by giving them obscene contracts.
Arsenal can’t afford to miss out on Cazorla. This cannot be another Mata episode. Its hard to find a top-class player like him agreeing to play for Arsenal. I don’t remember having seen a recognized ‘dead-ball specialist’ play for Arsenal. Who was the last one folks?
Cesar and carzola would be fucking sweet. If we got a decent DM too if RVP wants out then it’s obvious he is just a money grubbing tosser. But those three signings should be enough for him to stay surely.
Henry
I wonder if all those who have been quick to bad-mouth RvP will think again about his reasons for wanting to leave when we start the season with no additional (quality or otherwise players), no like-for-like RvP replacement and the same shit-house defence…..
.
Maybe then people will be questioning Gazidis & Wenger not RvP’s motives.
it’s often thought that our lack of height is the reason we have so little joy at attacking corners, but for me the problem is two-fold: one, poor corner takers and two; often we have our strikers taking the corners. A dead ball specialist is something we have needed for a long, long time.
Knowing our luck, though, the sheik will arrive tomorrow and hand Malaga a few mill and the whole deal will fall through. Fingers crossed.
Wow took till now to read post this new server is pony pedro having fun one and all cunt is the flavour of the day then……