Le Grove

So on the day we hear the tragic news that old boy John Hartson has cancer we also hear from the opposite end of the scale, greed.

First of all John, everyone here on Le Grove wish you well, it will be a tough fight but you’re a fighter and we are with you every step of the way, good luck mate, our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

Onto Ade, he whinged on that BBC interview with Garth Crooks that he can’t control what the papers say, so as he hasn’t come out and said the City rumours are untrue, we have to believe they are, if this is scotched on Arsenal.com I will be major league pissed off, as if it were untrue then this should have been bollocksed yesterday, but it wasn’t, so here goes.

So Ade, how does it feel you are every shite wannabe team’s second choice? Milan were slightly interested when Dzeko turned them down, but they never followed up on their interest. Then Man City, after being turned down by ‘has been’ Eto’o, have also turned to you, so you have been chased by two teams that wanted someone else first, have you no pride? And City aren’t even playing Champions league football!

Don’t get me wrong, I really hope this story is true, you were trouble at Monaco, you are trouble with Togo and if we keep you, you will disrupt this side no end, I would sooner you went and we bought in a world class defensive midfielder and a winger. To be honest I would swap you for that new Taylor made R9 Driver and a box of ProV1’s, but I don’t manage Arsenal, I only play football manager so that won’t happen.

Go with our blessing Ade, enjoy your money, I hope the City fans are more tolerant of your offsides than we are, but a word of advice, don’t headbutt Micah Richards, he might headbutt you back.

Arsene take the money and spend it, don’t use it for pay rises or to pay for Ivan’s new recruits, use it to strengthen the squad, but do it with class players, not more bargain basement troublemakers, make our team get excited, like they did when you signed Arshavin.

I was quite amused when Rednose was puzzled as to how the transfer market has gone ballistic, this is after he made £80 million by selling a player to Real Madrid, he is either mentally ill or quite stupid, I suspect somewhere in between after he signed happy crock Michael Owen.

Vieira to Spurs? How funny is that! Don’t hold your breath Harry, it won’t happen, once a Gooner, always a gooner.

So after yesterday’s chat about no more speculation, Adebayor has got us all buzzing, I have always rated his ability but hated his attitude and his inability to learn as well as his work rate.

Yesterdays picks as replacements were all midfield and wingers, almost none of you wanted Numchucks which does seem to be Wengers preferred choice, but many of you fancy the idea of Jeremy Toulalan, Matuidi, Cana or Inler with Hazard on the wing, an interesting debate and one that I believe will be decided before Saturday if Ade does indeed go.

Richards for Kolo and Ade plus £28mil anyone? I would! That way we could get in Nimbchucks, Matuidi, Hangeland and Hazard and still have change. The back line would be sorted then would it not, we could even sell Eboue as we would have ample cover?

I have to say though a forward line of Robinho, Adebayor and Tevez could do some damage, And finally how does it feel Shaun? You could have been a gooner once.

But Arsenal, not a penny less than £25mil and let’s hope him and Tevez enjoy playing in the Europa cup this season.

Have a great day Grovers, it could actually be an interesting one!

Before you tell me to scrub my mouth out with soapy water read on, there is much method in my madness.

So coming off the back of a complete no news week we have in theory one week left of the non football bit and then we begin pre season, so I guess we have a week to sign the defensive midfielder we need or go with what we have.

Last season we had Denilson and Song as our defensive midfielders, this season we have a few options but one of them isn’t Alex Song, Wenger has said he we be competing for the centre back role.

So who have we got to choose from? Well Diaby is bulking up so there’s him, Ramsey could be another and Nasri has said he could do it and of course there’s Denilson.

Denilson may have bulked up a bit and Ramsey will be a bit older but who will the boss put in there. My guess is Nasri or Diaby with Denilson and Ramsey as back up.

How will the team shape up then? These are some possible line ups.

Almunia

Sagna Gallas Vermaelen Clichy

Walcott Cesc Diaby Rosicky

Arshavin Robin

Or perhaps

Almunia

Sagna Senderos Kolo Vermaelen

Walcott Cesc Nasri Vela

Adebayor Robin

Or maybe even

Almunia

Eboue Song Vermaelen Clichy

Nasri Cesc Arshavin Rosicky

Bendtner Eduardo

I have included Vermaelen in all the line ups not knowing what he’s like, but as the boss has just spent £10 million on him, I have to figure he will start, we do seem to have a few options in the team especially up front and strangely enough in the middle, I know that a few of the centre back pairings are both left footed but so what, many pairings in football are all right footed, and although we have a lot of midfielders we don’t have too many options in the defensive role, but when did we ever? Petit wasn’t really a defensive midfielder and nor was Edu, not in the strictest sense anyway, so maybe he’s going for the exciting attacking midfield and banking on a solid back four to …well, defend.

I know that’s a little novel, defenders defending, but what we’ll lack defending we’ll make up for winning the midfield battle and going forward, who knows maybe he has Cesc earmarked for that role as well.

What I would like to see Wenger do this season is what Maureen did so successfully in his time with the chavs, make a substitution when we need it and not on 67 minutes, when the opposition are expecting it.

I would also like to see see the boss switching the forwards at half time if it isn’t working, that way the other team will be confused and we will be resting our front line, we will also be rotating and therefore not getting players moaning about lack of playing opportunities.

It may just work and with such a long season, it could save on injuries too. We could also rotate the back four now we have a plethora of centre backs and two spare full backs.

What do you think, have we enough? I believe that with the players we have, another year on and the criticism they received last term, we may just come of age, we’ll know soon enough, I would buy that DM and I would get shot of Ade but if we don’t then at least the team will know each other, realise it’s their last chance and maybe, just maybe they’ll push on and repay the faith our manager has put in them, so today Le Grove is backing the squad to deliver.

We will soon be past the point of signings, and the time for supporting what we have will be upon us, so one last week of speculating, then that’s it.

A word of deep joy aimed at our much loved antipodean chums and how they must have felt like the mancs did after we stuffed them in the 2005 FA Cup final, and it makes up for that cheating Red Bull driver that punctured Theo’s rear tyre when he overtook the field at the first corner in the German Grand Prix, shit happens boys and so does Karma!

Have a great day Grovers, the sun is shining!

This was a piece I found in the Daily Mirror that talked about my latest bug bear, players signing new and improved contracts, how the fans greet it, and what the truth behind those extensions really means.

I said last week that extending all these contracts did nothing except make a number of kids even richer and if they wanted to leave,Wenger would let them, he always does, and paying all that extra money out to these youngsters only deprives us of our transfer budget, so the manager saying he has nothing to spend is misleading, he just spends it on his youth project.

All the recent contracts he extended were players that aren’t even regulars, save Robin and possibly Theo. I mean Gibbs, Ramsey, Fabianski and Wilshere are a long way off.

This is what the Daily Mirror said about extending contracts.

When the news broke that Robin van Persie had signed a new contract, an Arsenal fan sent an email which ended with ‘the title’s coming back home’

Of course big players agreeing to stay with your club is good news.

But analyse the fans euphoria a little deeper and you’ll realise we’ve become dribbling inmates in the world’s biggest loony bin.

All those players were already tied to lucrative contracts with years left to run.

So all that has happened is the club has got down on both knees and said to them we don’t need to do this, and by doing so we’ve got less money to spend on new players, but will you take a lot more of our money please, and agree to take it for even longer than you legally signed for?

So you’ve just taken out a crippling loan to buy the season ticket which actually pays for those improved wages.

Now that was all I was saying last week, that to me is the reason we aren’t buying players, because we are spending the budget on keeping the young players we have.

Gazidas tells the world about our huge loan and maybe restructuring the debt etc because of the property slump, and at the end of it they said we still owe £350 million, what??? That’s the debt we started with 4 years ago, no wonder they say we are skint, what happened to the money?

So as I have said many times before Mr Board, please tell us all the truth, how much are we in debt, how long will we be in debt for and how many more years do we stick with project youth?

I don’t think it’s too much to ask do you? You know, honesty, it’s what you teach your kids.

Onto football and this time next week we would have trounced the mighty Barnet at our annual hammer fest at Underhill. Unfortunately a great many of our players will be still enjoying their holidays so we won’t get to see anything of what we’ll expect to see regularly next season, however we will see the likes of Ramsey, Wilshere, Nasri, Eduardo and Arshavin, however, we will be seeing the Arsenal again, which is great. I missed you boys!

The boss still has until September to fine tune his squad, so hopefully we’ll see if Diaby or Denilson can make the step up, I’m looking forward to seeing Vermaelen make his debut and really hope he is the one we’ve been waiting for.

I’m guessing if we sign anyone else it’s next week or not at all so let’s keep them crossed.

There is nothing we can do if he doesn’t, so we’ll have to hope the team are ready and up for it, I know we’ll all get behind them from the off and I for one can’t wait, first game of the season is always fun. Meeting old friends and drinking new beers.

I hope he tries a combination of Bendtner, Arshavin and Eduardo up front especially given the other forwards will still be away, just to see if they can work together, Rosicky and Arshavin are coming into their peak years so they won’t want to waste them and Eduardo will want to make up for 18 months of personal hell, so expect to see him come flying out of the blocks.

I know some of you are still thinking we haven’t enough, but we’ll know soon enough and he still has 7 weeks to add to the squad should he need to, I believe we have one more to come.

Would I have Flamini back? In a heartbeat, it hasn’t worked out for him in Milan and his replacements haven’t worked at Arsenal, we should all bury our pride and bring him home, it will be for the good of the team and Cesc would love it. And don’t forget Arsene, you bought him in the first place.

Have a nice Sunday Grovers, it’s the last one of the non footballing season left, next week the show gets back on the road and we get to watch the Arsenal again! At last!

I jest guys… it was a ploy to lure you into reading my well balanced and reasoned post… you’re here now, please… read on…

The scenario

Arsenal don’t have £100 million to spend.

Arsene Wenger

‘I’m fed up with people who think I have £100 million in the bank yet don’t want to spend it,” Wenger told Arsenal’s official magazine.’

‘How can people think that?’

‘We cannot pump £100 million into it, so we must keep faith in what we are doing as I believe this team does a lot of things right.’

The solution

Russian predator Alisher Usmanov proposes a rights issue to the board to raise much needed £100million.

Oligarch Usmanov, who has a 25 per cent shareholding but no director’s position, offers to fully underwrite the initiative… guaranteeing to buy all shares that are not sold… which will need the full support of the club to work.

Outcome

Gazidis:

‘The board, with its financial advisors Rothschild, considered thoroughly the proposal to use permanent equity capital to either pay down debt or to add to the club’s spending in the transfer market.’

‘With regard to debt, the conclusion reached is that the club has a very efficient capital structure with long-term debt on attractive interest rates. We can comfortably afford to meet the annual costs of this debt while at the same time generating surplus funds to invest in the club. Using permanent capital to pay down debt would not, therefore, radically transform the annual cash flow of the club.’

‘With regard to players, the board decided not to issue permanent capital in the hopes of signing one or two players in an inflated transfer market.’

The Red and white riposte

Red and white holdings

‘Based on financial information that only they have, the board have informed us that they are confident they have adequate financial resources to support the manager to strengthen the squad, to weather the property downturn, to renegotiate the Highbury Square loan on good terms and to deal with the continuing difficult economic conditions.’

‘We do not share their view but are prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt for the moment.’

‘However, we will keep the situation under close review and remain committed on behalf of interested parties in the club to ensure that there are sufficient financial resources for the club to succeed at the highest level and win major honours such as the Premiership or Champions League, while operating within a self-sustaining financial model.’

Conclusion

Well, well, well… it just goes to show. If you whinge hard enough… you never know what might come your way*.

Wenger constantly refers to this £100million he doesn’t have… then last month, claimed if he did have it, he’d spend it… then he gets offered it… then does what we knew he’d do…!

Reporter: What would you do if you were given £100million to spend on players?

Arsene: Give it back

So please… lets not hear any more of the, ‘poor Arsene’ stories. Lets not hear anymore of the, ‘We’re cash strapped for 17 years’… because Alisher Usmanov, for all his evilness and puppy beating (He started the Michael Jackson jokes too) has come out and called Arsenal’s bluff.

We now know that there is cash, we know that the property problems aren’t as bad as feared and we know that within reason, Arsenal can compete.

I’m not fussed that we didn’t accept the £100million, I’m really not. I’m pleased that I was right all along… Arsenal’s lack of spending had nothing to do with the stadium (Last 3 years at least) and all to do with Arsene’s faith in ‘Project Youth’.

The good news is, he seems to be deviating from that project this summer and if he signs Matiudi and maybe one more… I will be chuffed, charged and ready for a decent challenge on all fronts next season!

Today isn’t a day for moaning about the £100million we could have spent, today is a day for rejoicing! We’re well run, we’ve got enough cash to top up players contracts and buy new ones… and we’re well positioned to ride out this bastard recession!

Things are looking up Grovers and tomorrow I’m going to give you more reasons to get excited!

*Megan Fox never comes up to me, if she did, do you think I’d be stupid enough to refuse her? Oh, and no one ever gives me money… (I’ll get back to you tomorrow if this works)

Megan insisted she'd rather go naked than wear a Spurs shirt...

So Ivan has come out and said a few things of interest and one of none. He said that not winning any silverware since 2005 is not good enough for Arsenal, I agree with that, he then said that we need one or two additions, I agree with that as well, but when he said ‘no club has unlimited resources’ I thought mmmm, unless of course that doesn’t include your costs and the huge costs of your newly assembled team of big hitters.

Ivan I’m not knocking you, at least you are talking us up but we are way too big to do a Leeds United and we don’t need to spend £98 million on dross, which is what O’Leary did, we need to spend about £30 mil and that can be recouped by selling 2 players we don’t even need. So really it’s no cost, if Eboue is the funny man in the dressing room and you are worried about losing him then employ Ricky Gervais and Matt lucas for pre match entertainment.

I have said on many occasions that apart from the obvious need for new world class players we need to get our PR and marketing team right, all we seem to have in that department is a bunch of yes men that tow the company line.

We are now in very real danger of dropping out of the top four, with free spending Manchester City stalking us and the three above us spending on new players we have to be very careful.

If we finish outside of that elite group we may as well be 10th, it’s like losing two semi finals, we may as well have gone out in the group stages, for me bragging about not winning the FA Cup and the Champions league makes no sense, and Arsenal seem to think that’s a benchmark, sorry Ivan, I disagree.

We have been saying on here for the last two seasons that our defensive midfielders are not good enough (yet), now the talk is we’re after one, so it’s taken two years to admit we were wrong.

Signing up players to long term contracts does little, other than making young players even richer, take Ramsey, he had 3 years left on his contract, what does improving it do? It doesn’t make us any better, it doesn’t make him worth more and it doesn’t make him loyal, Wenger has proved many times that the minute a player wants out, he lets them go.

Don’t get me wrong, I really rate Ramsey, Theo, Wilshere and Gibbs but 2 of them already had long contracts. I would sooner see that extra money go toward a couple of world class players now.

We have the third highest wage bill in the EPL but we are the only ones in the top 4 that have won nothing for 4 years. Why is that?

We have a number of players that will never make it but we keep them, why don’t we sell them? I would love Senderos to make it and be the next Jap Stam, but will he? Surely it would make more sense to bring in a Hangeland or a Lescott now, Eboue is a great right back and good cover for Sagna, but he’s not happy being cover, so why don’t we cash in on him?

We are so close to being the team we all desire, the money is on the table should we want it, why struggle through another season being nearly men? We have a great chance this season as no one has really improved their teams too much, come on Arsenal, take a chance and sign those players that will take us from being losing semi finalists to winners. We are so close.

Melo looks like he won’t happen and we don’t appear interested in Cana, Matuidi I don’t know too much about, but as he is trying to sign them, what will Song, Diaby and Denilson be thinking? I know Song is up for centreback, but he said that last season.

I like our forward line and our midfield going forward looks awesome, we have shored up a bit at the back and Manuel does a good job in goal, we are so close I can smell it, come on Arsenal take a chance.

Have a great day Grovers for the next two you’ll have Pedro posts and he doesn’t bitch like me, but he hasn’t been going as long as I have!

Ok Le Grove is the blog known for saying what we feel, and bitching if we aren’t happy with we what we see happening at our great football club, and that includes players, members of the board and of course the manager. No-one and nothing is sacrosanct, Arsenal is who we support, all the above come and go, the club doesn’t.

Did anyone watch the greatest film ever made, ‘Fever Pitch’? That whole film was based on bitching about formations and players, it’s healthy.

Some out there take having your own mind as being anti Arsene, rubbish, having the ability to think for yourself makes you someone who will not just stand in line and accept whatever shite comes your way.

I have been an Arsenal fan since I could first kick a ball, my whole world revolves around Arsenal, my parents weren’t Gooners, I made that decision myself, let no one tell me I don’t love this club with every sinew in my body.

There are people out there that don’t speculate, how boring, what do they do when they start their day,

‘morning all, everything’s great, the managers great, the teams great, speculating is wrong, well, night, night then’.

On Le Grove we like to speculate on who may or may not come in, whether that player is any good, whether we want them and so on, it makes our day fun and it gives our feeder blogs something to talk about, us! If they didn’t talk about Le Grove, they would have no comments, go ahead, take a look today, you’ll see what I mean.

They hate us but the funny thing is, they read us, and our comments, so today I going to give them something they can’t possibly comment on, today I am mostly becoming an AKB!

Finally, a word on the other Arsenal blogs, most of them are fabulous, they give every fan out there something to read, so well done fellow bloggers, keep it up. If you weren’t out there doing your thing we’d all get pretty bored waiting for the season to begin.

Someone said yesterday that a YouTube clip could make anyone look good, they put a clip on of Denilson to prove their point, however as I said to them, it was collated over several seasons and that’s why he looked so skilful.

Some think I don’t like Denilson, again what rubbish, he will be a great player one day, but he’s not yet and to win the league we need players in every position that are ready now, Arsene knows he made that mistake last season and he is trying to put it right this season, he has already brought in Vermaelen to shore up the back and has now turned his attention to that defensive midfield spot.

We have enquired after Melo, we have speculated over Cana and now Blaise Matuidi is begging Arsene to sign him, now I don’t know who he’ll sign and who is good enough, what I do know though is he won’t sign anyone that won’t be better than what he has got, so whoever it is, I am good with, so yes, this time in Arsene I trust!!!

I would be grateful however if he could do it quickly as I’m about to buy the new away shirt and I want to put a new players name on it, also whilst he’s doing that, could he stretch to Hangeland, I understand his love affair with Fulham has ended as they only offered him £30k a week, tight bastards!

A word about Real Madrid and 80,000 fans turning out to see Ronaldo yesterday and last week a similar amount to see Kaka, Arsene, that shows you how much the fans like to see world class signings coming in, had they paraded a 17 year old on an exceptional talent visa the only people there would have probably worked for the club.

Have a great day Grovers don’t forget you have to speculate to accumulate!

P.S. I have a handful of Grovers trying to shift on season tickets for varying reasons. I also have someone looking to do a share. If you’re interested, please e-mail in (Addresses in the side bar —>)!

So if these reports are true then we would have to be barking bastard mad to say no. Blimey, I would give them ADE AND £20 million to get Flamini back and him out.

Think about it Arsene, first of all if the rumours are true that we are thinking about paying €15million plus Eboue for Melo, then here’s a way to save some money, and don’t forget, you are the one that says we are skint, and you are the one that believes in youth.

This way we get Flamini back, who is EPL proven, best mates with Cesc, understands the Arsenal way and runs like a scouser from a job center when a new factory opens.

Ade on the other hand is Arsenals most disliked player ever, so far up his own arse no one can find him for training, blames the fans for his lack of form, earns £80k a week and if he has a good season the whole Beyoncé shit will start over again.

I don’t care if he goes somewhere else and scores 150 goals I don’t want him anymore, I would sooner have Flamini back.

The reason he left was because he was treated badly, we even tried to sell him to Birmingham, I admit I was one that wanted him gone, Jeez, was I wrong, his last season for us was not only his best, when he wasn’t playing, we were not the same team, remember his goal against villa away, boy do we miss that grit?

I can’t believe I’m telling the boss NOT TO BUY A PLAYER, but I am, sell Ade and bring the Flamster home, we need him.

If you must spend then buy a winger and if he has to be young then buy Hazard, and with the change buy Zapata or Hangeland, you could do all that out of the money we get for Ade.

You cannot be worried about Flamini’s wages because there’s no way he earns what Ade does.

Go out there and show us how much you want to win the league boss, bury your pride, you screwed him over, not the other way around.