Happy Christmas Eve to all you beautiful folk. I hope all your dreams come true tonight… you know, the ‘please don’t take the sherry too far and ruin tomorrow’ type dreams. I’m praying for that. Hopefully the bad home friends aren’t about tonight, otherwise it could be mad trouble…
So, Arsene, you keep doing it… you keep dropping serious clangers in the press conferences that just further the fear you may not know what you’re doing.
Firstly, you’ve admitted to overplaying Chambers. I mean, this one’s a given. We all knew that was going to happen because you bagged out £15m on him. He was never going to get an easy ride. He was always nailed on for 500 starts in his first three months. Injuries happen, sure. But they always happen. Every single year they happen. Which is why it’s ever the more perplexing we went into the season with 6 senior defenders.
I like the general reasoning… ‘we only sign Arsenal class’… it’s great way of making the fans feel warm and fuzzy about inaction.
‘Mate, we didn’t sign anyone again’
‘End of the day, what would you have preferred, a player, or an Arsenal class player? Exactly. I’d prefer to wait until January, when it’s harder to sign an Arsenal class player’
It’s a myth. There’s no such thing as an Arsenal class player. If you set the Arsenal class barrier, you have to adherre to it. Flamini is not Arsenal class, Sanogo is not Arsenal class, Seb Squillaci wasn’t Arsenal class, Kim Kallstrom was not Arsenal class. Let’s put the class systems to one side and just sign some players who can provide a function. We didn’t need Arsenal class at centre back. Not every Chelsea player is Chelsea class. Not every United player when they won the league was United class. Sometimes you just need a squad. Lescott was a free transfer in the summer, he’d have done nicely. Winston Reid is a very solid defender and a contract rebel, he’d have done nicely. Fabian Delph (contract rebel) is a very good midfielder who could have come in and done a very good job in that holding role, far more interesting than Flamini, far fitter and mobile than Arteta. Ron Vlaar is another, he’s on a free this summer, we could have picked him up for a pittance.
There are so many options that don’t seem ‘Arsenal class’, but could easily do the job an empty squad number couldn’t.
For me, with the centre back role, we should be aiming for super class with a back up. We should have been shooting for a Hummels type player in the summer. If we were going for a kid, that Varane guy at Madrid would have fit the bill (apparenlty they’ll sell)… or even John Stones, who’d have been pricey but he certainly looks a very good player.
Point is, there’s no excuse for not having a squad with depth when you have the resource Arsenal do. Look at the wastage as well. What’s the point of keeping Campbell, Podolski and Rosicky in the squad if you don’t need them? I mean, even when we need them we don’t use them. So what’s the point? Bomb them out, bring in some spare cash and utilise that £200k a week in a smarter way.
I listened to the Guardian Football Weekly, Rafa Honigstein (easily the best pundit about) absolutely nails the English mentality when it comes to making excuses… ‘English football will never learn if the attitude is always ‘we need one or two better players’. You need to coach players until they are better than the sum of their parts. Only one or two coaches do that in England’.
BRAVO.
I love this, because it’s true. In the real world, you don’t always have the option of unlimited budgets. In fact, you never do. Businesses up and down the country are always trying to better themselves by being bigger than the sum of their parts. Mainly because businesses up and down the country aren’t allowed wage bills that equate to 70% of their revenue, but also because you have to be smart to win out against mega brands. Small companies don’t move to medium sized companies by being average compared to mega companies… they do it by being smarter, more nimble and more innovative. Arsenal are a mega brand, we don’t need to work half as hard to compete as Dortmund did. Yet we still don’t, and we just accept it because we can’t compete with Chelsea for players (which is a myth these days).
Arsenal fans have forever forgiven Arsene Wenger under the premise of, ‘a couple more players and we’d be challenging’… so you always have hope. A couple of players doesn’t change the tactical set up. A couple of players doesn’t change the way we approach fitness. A couple of players doesn’t change the culture of the club behind the scenes.
All a couple of players does is give you hope as a fan.
Football fans always look for the single reason for the failings of a club. It’s human nature, scapegoat mentality. Truth is, there’s rarely a single failing, it’s lots of little failings than make up the ultimate fail. It’s the same with winning. There’s rarely a single reason for a team winning all the time. Sure, you could cite Lio Messi at Barca… but he’s merely and exceptional catalyst. Under Guardiola, they had ruthless preparation, they had exceptional players complimenting him. They rarely had injuries. Their approach to fitness was not of this planet. The culture of the club was built around being the best. Every single player had total respect for their leader.
Winning is getting the baseline right and adding the percentage points on top that put you above the competition. Marginal gains is king.
Scapegoat mentality kind of works under the Arsene regime, why? Because he has ultimate control of the players side. At Barca, they don’t operate an autocratic regime. At Arsenal, we do. You can point the finger of blame on the CEO, but we know he doesn’t have control over Wenger. You could point the finger at Stan, because he allows it to happen, but again, he has little idea of what’s going on. So if you want to solve the main problems at the club, you have to change the one person who controls all of the parts that make up the failure.
Arsene.
For Christmas, I’d love our manager to open up a box of introspection. I’d love for him to realise that his approach is doomed to fail. I’d love him to take time out to ask what people at the club thought was going wrong. Take a back seat, let the team below you come up with a plan of attack. Do something radical, because doing it the Arsene way has run it’s course… doing it the Arsene way with more expertise… well, that might have some legs. But it all starts with him. He has to empower his staff and his team to be better.
Chances of that happening? Slim my dears. But you can always hope. I read a Christmas Carol. Ebenezer Scrooge had it all, but he turned a bit dark in his old age. But maybe visits from the ghosts of Herbert Chapman, David Dein and the ghost of Christmas Past (Blackburn 97), Present (Liverpool last week) and future (what the club could be if he listened and learned)… could bring him back.
Wouldn’t that be fabulous? F*ck yeah it would be!
Right, it’s Christmas Eve, crack open a beer, open someone elses Christmas present for a laugh and have a bloody great day and evening.
Oh, and if you are of a different culture, I believe I must say HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
BIG LOVE FROM LE GROVE xxx
Merry Christms, Pedro!
Merry Christmas, Pedro!
3rd
Trophy Time!
Xmas comes early for Carbs!
Arsenal now the third most followed football team on Twitter behind Barcelona & Real Madrid http://bbc.in/1wZFWPQ
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/30585920
Guardian sport @guardian_sport · 13h 13 hours ago
Arsène Wenger: Calum Chambers is too young to play so often for Arsenal http://gu.com/p/44eva/stw (Photo: PA)
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/dec/23/arsene-wenger-calum-chambers-too-young-play-often-arsenal?CMP=share_btn_tw
Pedro drops the bomb the again.
7th place? First time ever. Who cares about 4th place? Oh yes, that man Wenger does
All that I want for Xmas is just one really simple thing, but impossible thing for Wenger to do…Admit fault and accept accountability! Why is it that every other manager can do this except Wenger? Not healthy for anyone.
Oh no, Guns of Brixton, you shot me off my 7th place.
You care about 4th ZG!!! You know you do! 🙂
“Happy Christmas Eve to all you beautiful folk.”
==>> thanks a lot Pedro, you too mate!!
“I hope all your dreams come true tonight… ”
==>> so wenger will be fired tonight ?? lol
Merry Xmas to all grovers
Merry Christmas to all at LG!!
It’s a myth. There’s no such thing as an Arsenal class player. ”
Sanogo
Flamini
Arteta
Park
Just to name a few.
Wenger knows how to manipulate his sheep however. He’s WC at that.
Best wishes to all who post here, except Keyser…who seriously needs to drink a whole lot more! You are worse than a Slim Whitman album on permanent play!
Adam, wenger just admitted to over playing Chambers.. Isn’t that what you what or you don’t know what you want?
Chambers was played because debuchy got injured early in the season. Anybody want to fault a person for this is insane.
And before you say go, moreal played at centre back until he too got injured.
Chambers was bought as a 2nd choice, first choice got injured what do you do?
I’d love for him to realise that his approach is doomed to fail.
Fail? It what sence. I mean if 4th is success then he’d disagree.
Didn’t Ivan say what Arsene wants and what the fans want are two different things?
He was talking about transfers and/or value right?
Wasn’t that a clever way for Ivan to give the fans some insight into the mindset of Wenger as a whole.
Also every post these last few weeks have been kind of directed at Wenger.
I get it, i do. But remember when Gambon done his post about Giroud. Now i know he wasn’t telling us anything we didn’t already know, but it was nice to just focus on the team the players. What do we think of X, has he impressed has he gone backwards, has he delivered value, why doesn’t he have a song, why does he have a song (giroud).
I am not having a go. Really, i couldn’t do what you do everyday pedro. Just like reading things about our players that i never knew before.
Wenger is washed up. But the light through the darkness are some of our better players. Sanchez, erm erm The Ox, er… struggling here… oh yes of course, Santi in the middle.
Excellent work again Pedro. All the best to all that read this wonderful blog. Don’t give up Gooners, life will be so much better post Wenger.
Zimbabwean gunner, 7th????
We aint tottenham or a merseyside team!!! We aim for 4th man!!
#standards
Arsenal fans have forever forgiven Arsene Wenger under the premise of, ‘a couple more players and we’d be challenging’… so you always have hope. A couple of players doesn’t change the tactical set up. A couple of players doesn’t change the way we approach fitness. A couple of players doesn’t change the culture of the club behind the scenes.”
The fact that he thought buying one good player(Alexis) and simply replacing Sagna with a like for like was going to push us on shows how much he is stuck in his own mind.
Debuchy was/is simply a Sagna replacement not an addition to the squad so essentially we added one true starter to the lineup compared to last season. Alexis.
The fact that he thought one starter addition would be enough shows how crazy he would have to be. However I am of the belief that he’s not actually crazy. He’s just aiming for 4th and he figures we got 4th last year without Alexis so by basically bringing back the same squad with one good player as an addition he would have cemented 4th yet again.
Now say we bought a centre back, how do we know he isn’t going to be injured “this is Arsenal”and we start all over with the complains again. Debuchy got injured.
Vemaelen got injured for barca, Rojo, Shaw, Loveren, all got injured for their clubs and they were new players.
Wenger just trying to put the blame basis off the young lad because that’s what people do when we lost matches.
Now its mertesaker, and Chambers turn for the blame game (and wenger’s trying to protect them), since Sanchez Welbeck are the people choice and Giroud has just scored nick to back.
We needed a new scapegoat goat, and wenger is not going to give him to us.
Stick to the bigger Scapegoat goat which is wenger to you.
Chambers was bought as a 2nd choice, first choice got injured what do you do?
Buy adequately.
Tits why don’t you do something about wenger instead of coming here to throw tantrums and fireworks everyday.
You hoping Gazidis would read one day and notice you?
You are talking one player, Ug. I’m talking about the whole thing, in particular why he never has a tactical game plan and why they are always so poorly exposed on defence. Stop being marginal.
According to wenger, Alexis chose Arsenal over Liverpool “because of our style of play and our regularity”.
“Regularity”… Alexis loves to fight for the 4th spot every season ?? lol
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Tits why don’t you do something about wenger instead of coming here to throw tantrums and fireworks everyday.”
That’s the best you can do?
“Why don’t you do something about it?”
Like what? March into his office and point my finger at him?
Don’t be a prostitute.
Tits, buy adequately?
Did you just read what Pedro said on Rafa Hogstein piece on buying players to replace other as an English mentality when you are suppose to train them?
Or you skipped through the post and chose what suited you.
Even that quote stated by Pedro is laughable, when you quote something and in the next paragraph you go on to list players you wanted to just buy for the sake of it and tommoro you come here and change your mind again for the million times.
@ ughelli “Chambers was bought as a 2nd choice, first choice got injured what do you do?”
Wenger knew kozzer was injured months before yet he still went into the season with that paper thin back line. You have to get it out of your head that Wenger is a victim of bad luck EVERY season.
Or you skipped through the post and chose what suited you.”
Take Wenger’s member out of your mouth.
Wenger sold Verm a month before signing day and didn’t replace him.
He went into the season with a 19 year old utility defender.
Don’t even act like Wenger left us with enough defensive cover. It will expose you even further for what you are.
Adam, i was waiting for you to say tactics.
Now please explain the need tactics required for Arsenal vs Liverpool, with the players that placed in that match.
Tips: assume your players hit a rock in your tactics, or switch off like mertesaker ducking instead of jumping, what do you do?
I am listening.
#manage arsenal for free on line. Cos you love the club.
You have to get it out of your head that Wenger is a victim of bad luck EVERY season.”
When you have an agenda you have an agenda.
lol
He doesn’t even realize that both Mert and Koz went deep into the WC as well and the old joke still went into the season without adequate cover and when the inevitable injuries occurs he blames the injuries for our poor record like our injuries are coincidence EVERY DAMN YEAR.
Pedro,
Long time reader and occasional poster, but I just have to say thank you for the daily contributions and for giving us this platform, a Merry Christmas to you (and everyone), and great post as usual.
All the best to you and the family.
Moray, chambers played at right back not at centre back.
It was Monreal that replaced kos for the time. Get it.
So if Chambers played at right back as a norm, and wenger used Monreal at center back, who would have played at right back when the first choice got injured?
Merry Christmas munglers!
So if Chambers played at right back as a norm, and wenger used Monreal at center back, who would have played at right back when the first choice got injured?”
I dunno an actual RB? Like Bellerin?
So dim that you don’t even reaize that shifting LBs to CBs and RBs to LBs and DMs to CBs is a sign of inadequate cover.
Tits, you know Vermalean was injured all through his last season right? And was sold injured? And Monreal played at Centre back in Pre-season?
Can you see they had a fall back if they couldn’t find a centre back to buy?
Hayden was graduated to first team as fourth choices, but also got injured. So Monreal played at center back until he too got injured.
This is Arsenal, players both youth and senior team get injured while having sex.
ALL THE BREAST TO EVERYONE ON LEGROVE
Tits, belerin, another 19yr old and this ones is a midget, so you can come here and crucify him/wenger for playing him? He also played not that he didn’t.
He covered for chambers, against dortmund, gala away and newcastle.
So chambers didn’t really played all the games this season. See thanks for that.
He wasn’t really over played. Just wenger trying to chided him from fault finders like you.
shield him*
Merry Christmas everybody.
It’s self-explanatory, Ug. It’s been hashed out a million times already and on display countless times. Yet you want explanations on everything? Do yourself a huge favour already, get a seriously good pair of glasses and not with rose coloured tint. Wenger don’t do tactics!
Someone should stop Wenger doing these press conferences.
Though it is like a car crash, you can’ quite look away from it.
Our £8 Million manager has just worked out that having 2 senior CB’s and being reliant on a 19 year old with 21 PL Games in case there were injuries (and he knew since July that Kozz was crocked) MIGHT not be the best idea.
That’s another keeper in the book of “Wenger doesn’t know what he’s doing any more.”
Tits, you know Vermalean was injured all through his last season right? And was sold injured? And Monreal played at Centre back in Pre-season?”
…and you say this to explain what?
If we are an injury prone team, which you admit, then it’s even more idiotic to go into a season with low numbers at the back.
The fact that you are even trying to defend Wenger’s actions here or put it down to bad luck is quite frankly really sad and EXACTLY why the term AKB was created because you blame everything on bad luck as long as it defends the man himself.
Wenger went into a season with inadequate numbers at CB even if we had a healthy group of players with no history of injuries much less being the league leader in injuries for the past decade with two CBs coming off of a very long season that carried them into July.
Gibbs Koz (insert name here) Debuchy
Monreal Chambers Mert Bellerin
…and the above is the absolute minimum of one more CB being purchased.
Ug
No one is crucifying the players, not Chambers not Bellerin.
It’s the berk who decided no defenders were necessary in the summer.
A look at our defence.
Debuchy, just arrived.
Kozz, acute tendinitis of the Achilles…we knew this since the WC
Mert, played the WC the whole way and athletically awful
Gibbs, made of glass
Monreal, average
Looking at that, with even a modicum of football knowledge would you not think, yeahhhhh 19 year old with 21 PL games probably isn’t the best option to place all our faith in in case of injuries (starting CB is already injured.)
So chambers didn’t really played all the games this season. See thanks for that. He wasn’t really over played. Just wenger trying to chided him from fault finders like you.”
You are all over the place.
Bellerin has covered a handful of times.
Chambers has been played at every opportunity give or take a few.
You are grasping at straws here. You are backed into a corner and finding any piece of furniture to defend yourself with.
Just Wenger trying to chided him from fault finders like you.”
Hahahahahahahaha…what all us ‘fault finders’ who said when the window shut how UNFAIR and harsh ON Chambers it was what Wenger had done.
You can’t just make stuff up.
No one is blaming Chambers.
Stones & Delph. Yes please. I’d always take a decent Brit. over a Johnny Foreigner any day of the week and I suppose we’ll need to be avoiding African players due to ACON coming up soon.
Barcas approach to fitness, yes, I could go there but would probably subject this website to libel, and I don’t want to do that.
Bad example to highlight Arsenals genuine faults in this area. A bit like comparing Lance Armstrong with a run of the mill cyclist.
See, it’s fans like Ughelligunner along with Wenger and kroenke that have destroyed my love of Arsenal. I really care nowt for them nowadays
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/arsenal-contact-real-madrid-star-4870938
Yeah, those 29 targets in the gallery, get all of them and Wenger MIGHT be able to win the UCL or EPL.
#keepthefaith
As it’s my first full year posting on here just want to say great job on the blog Pedro, easily the best Arsenal blog out there and we’ve got a great little community on here barring a couple of mince pies.
I’m out for the short time we have left in 2014, Happy Xmas and a New Year to everyone on here. Yes that’s right Xmas you filthy undesireables that means exactly what you think it means. 😉
In all seriousness they have a special place in Hell for those despicable people who write Xmas instead of Christmas.
So just a Happy Christmas/Happy Holidays/Seasons Greetings will suffice.
Why is 2nd choice bought . To rotate to give R&R to the 1st choice. Agree 1st choice might get injured and likely to get injured with 1996_2005 player management methods courtesy our 18 years Vintage Relict . Not rocket science to realize we need 3rd choice in attrition locations such as defence .
Beyond Le Imbecile and his ilk .
Yeah second that.
Good job again this year Pedro, a blog everyday and nailing the issues with Arsenal.
Comments section is the best around, even Ben Affleck frequents it regularly.
Happy Christmas to all the grovers in case things get a little liquidy later on and I can’t type.
Except the pro-Wenger rabble. No Christmas for you…just kidding…
…except not really
Hahahahahahahaha…what all us ‘fault finders’ who said when the window shut how UNFAIR and harsh ON Chambers it was what Wenger had done.”
LOL @ fault finders
lol
People were saying before the season even started that the lack of cover would come back to bite us and that Wenger would use the injuries as an excuse. Fast forward to Xmas and voila.
The same thing the “moaners” said last season when we didn’t have proper cover/quality at CF and that the lack of goals would come back to bite us when we started to play the meat of our schedule after Xmas. Fast forward to end of season. Plummeted from 1st to 4th. So said, so done.
It’s disingenuous to sit back and say that people complain because they have an axe to grind when in reality the “moaners” are right and have been proven right time and time again.
Erm Pedro,you mean if a boss is being controlled by his subject,he shouldn’t be blamed?You seem to really love this Ivan.Stan,Ivan and Wenger are all parasites and they all must leave.
Me
Just my opinion but I think Kroenke and Wenger are the two biggest problems at Arsenal.
Imagine being Gazidis, the CEO with the boss (Kroenke) who adores Wenger and then manager who was on the board that appointed you!
Gazidis should be harder, but I don’t think we can accurately gauge his ability in that environment.
S. Asoa December 24, 2014 12:54:19
Why is 2nd choice bought . To rotate to
give R&R to the 1st choice. Agree 1st
choice might get injured and likely to get
injured with 1996_2005 player
management methods courtesy our 18
years Vintage Relict . Not rocket science to
realize we need 3rd choice in attrition
locations such as defence .
Beyond Le Imbecile and his ilk .
It’s like you can’t even say your mind without any insult.You want a change?Maybe you should change your own ways too.Insults don’t add weight to your posts.
Pedro
Another great post. Merry Christmas (Xmas for WE 🙂 ) Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to all Grovers. Pedro can’t remember if you post on Christmas Day despite the number of years I’ve been coming here or am I taking the piss? :-).
Well done for doing a great job in and amongst your day job, jaunts abroad globe trotting, media whoreing and shagging women. A mention to Alex chief assister for his efforts too.
Merry Christmas Everyone
WENGER OUT!
Wretched Christmas to you Wenger. And, an even more lousy one to the AKBs.
“Me” ?? “You” ?? “Me” ?? “Him” ??
So confusing lol
Wenger loves Christmas;
https://pbs.twimg.com/tweet_video/B5lH9-FIUAAjCTD.mp4
Cesc Appeal December 24, 2014
13:03:49
Me
Just my opinion but I think Kroenke and
Wenger are the two biggest problems at
Arsenal.
Imagine being Gazidis, the CEO with the
boss (Kroenke) who adores Wenger and
then manager who was on the board that
appointed you!
Gazidis should be harder, but I don’t think
we can accurately gauge his ability in that
environment.
Yeah Cesc I kinda understand you but that doesn’t mean he is a saint as some people see him.If RVP(Oh yeah I know) remains blameless to some people for leaving when he wasn’t satisfied with the way things were being run,then I think Ivan shouldn’t be blameless for receiving his salary happily despite not being able to control things.For God’s sake,he was even a big party to Wenger’s contract extension.Well,just my thought.
Tits
Don’t forget we wouldn’t have had Welbeck if Giroud hadn’t broken his leg.
But we’ve known for years Wenger likes to keep it #closetothebone at some point he’s bound to get caught out after winging it for so many seasons.
Me
Yeah. I do think Gazidis is a money man, and I think that’s what was intended when he was hired.
Kroenke is the silent owner.
Gazidis is the money
Wenger is the football
What’s letting us down?
What’s hard to reconcile is how thin our squad is and what a lack of quality there is in a lot of areas yet our wage bill is enormous.
My comment didn’t get posted – not impressed 🙁
Merry Christmas, Pedro! And thank you for all of the time and effort you pour into Le Grove. We appreciate it.
But we’ve known for years Wenger likes to keep it #closetothebone at some point he’s bound to get caught out after winging it for so many seasons.”
I dunno.
I think Wenger will get 4th easily and the cycle will continue. He really is a genius in that sense. He knows his past successes has basically bought him indefinite time so he plays the “oh woe is me ” card and has convinced 75% of fans that he’s doing us a favor by remaining as manager because we “over achieve” to 4th every year and that nobody else could do it but him.
He’s convinced them that we are somehow West Ham and that 4th place is some massive achievement. He’s managed to brainwash his sheep.
Oh to be a Gooner!
So true! I hope for a couple of good results and would love to be able to ‘enjoy’ a game all the way through watching superior football. There have been few games where we have been comfortable and then one or two we were and proceeded to capitulate. A Merry Christmas to everyone, thanks for the hard work throughout the year. I wish our team a better new year and therefore everyone a Happy New Year.
Merry Christmas, Pedro! And thank you for all of the time and effort you pour into Le Grove. We appreciate it.”
2nd’ed
Arsene has push the boat out and finally raised the cash to buy our new DM
https://www.youtube.com/embed/dEYarDmdn6I
Pedro,
Thanks for keeping this blog going day after day, even when you just want to shout faaaaaaaaack it and slam your laptop down.
Brilliant Article by the way.
There’s no such thing as Arsenal quality. You need reliable players that can carry the piano from place to place do Virtuoaso pianist can do their thing.
Wenger needs to stop doing this press conferences. I’m beginng to think he loves talking to the media than actually doing his job.
The crap he spouts daily is just befuddling.
Madrid are a disgusting club aren’t they?
Bale inexplicably seems like he may be for sale at the right price no doubt to facilitate a move for the flavour of the season, Sterling, Hazard whoever.
Can’t help but dream though, Bale, Ozil and Sanchez…oh myyyyyy…be worth £100 Million purely for the #bantz to the Spurs lot
Wengers now run out of ideas hes now blaming everybody and everthing around him. Its not his fault in his Walter Mitty world.
Hes probably scouring euope hoping to find a free half fit one legged midfielder as we speak.
It really is the end game for him.
He ho Happy Christmas.
@Ug things you spout! Worse than even Keyser. Do you even understand things you type? Anyways, merry Christmas to all grovers! Even Keyser.
Can’t help but dream though, Bale, Ozil and Sanchez…oh myyyyyy…be worth £100 Million purely for the #bantz to the Spurs lot”
No offence to us but you’d have to imagine Bale would not agree to play for us. That would be a massive downgrade. Madrid to anybody save for Bayern or Barca would be a downgrade but especially to a club that isn’t interested in winning.
Crazy to think that Madrid would want to sell a player just to sell a player.
I don’t believe for a minute Ozil has been out this long with injury, I think he was taken out of the firing line by Wenger, no winter break, world cup, so he may have have had a slight injury, but not this long, the poor guy was blamed for everything that went wrong, he was hounded in the media and by idiots who know not too much about football,so Arsene makes up this long term crap to cotton wool him
Merry Christmas to all on here from a US gooner and thanks Pedro for all the insights, comments,controversy but above all love for our club come hell or high water as we say!
Wilshere has been run into the ground,always injured, walcott out a year, Ramsey a fair while, Giroud out months, Gnabry, Kos, Rosicky Podolski Campbell can’t buy a game, great management Arsene you have won dope of the year, Merry Syphilis
Who the fuck sponsors AFC The Red Cross
Tits
Oh no chance.
We’re not big enough and he wouldn’t do that to Spurs.
He’ll be at United or Chelsea. But would be hilarious.
Courtois
Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill, Dave
Matic, Fabregas
Hazard, Oscar, Bale
Costa
Oh shit.
This is like a sketch from Monty Python, half the team are out injured, some fuck is not his job
At Xmas the players usually visit kids in hospital, cheer them up, at AFC the kids visit the players in hospital what a club under this regime
Ah, so Rafa Honigstein says something so it must be new.
Look mate, when I went abroad to school and to study music at an Austrian Conservatory in 1982/3, I came back with all the evidence needed to say what Honigstein just said. I’d had 11 years of being badged as ‘useless’ by UK Music and in one year, Austrians transformed me. I didn’t work any harder, I was just taught properly. I had 2hrs a fortnight for about 40hrs total (no more). I saw how you could make a nation fluent in foreign languages by starting to learn aged 7. None of those Austrians were doolally through starting English in the first year they went to school (and they stayed at home longer over there). All those Austrians did proper warm ups, warm downs and high quality sports training for a variety of sports in school in ways which shamed the English and was 15 years ahead of what Wenger introduced in 1996 and that was just school sports science, not national team stuff..
When I went back to Cambridge, it was back to the English rubbish. Being told to teach myself everything practical but be spoon fed all the stuff I could teach myself anyway. The exact opposite to the selection mechanism to get in (which was ‘who’s sharp in the head?”)
I’ve spent 35 years telling anyone and everyone precisely what Rafa Honigstein just said, but because he’s foreign, you’ll listen. It tells you that the English hate their own, because they need to retain their pathetic class system and trash those who see how the system must be improved.
It didn’t just happen to me in one sport, it happened to me in everything. Science, music, business, sport. You name it.
But after 35 years of sneering, deriding, fencing and blaming, someone suddenly says: ‘The German said it, so he’s right.’
You need to all ask yourselves some hard questions about what you are, why you are what you are, and whether it’s done you any good being that way.
It doesn’t do the country any good, I can tell you that.
Silvestre, Bischoff, Kallstrom, Sanogo, just a few players that Wenger brought to this club injured, he is real good at this management caper, buys crocks that sit on the sideline collecting wages, Mr Wasteful, how mant games did Bischoff and Kallstrom play, not forgetting the Diaby waste, and people actually think this guy is a genius, I would like to see that explained
What was that ramble thanks for dropping in son, why don’t you post that shit on ANR it was a load of bollocks
MERRY XMAS
C
U
N
T
S
FRENCH FRAUD
O
U
T
I studied music I went abroad I went back to university who gives a fuck, it’s all about you Rhys you sound like Venger
lemonadelooksflat
Cesc Appeal December 24, 2014
13:19:47
Me
Yeah. I do think Gazidis is a money man,
and I think that’s what was intended
when he was hired.
Kroenke is the silent owner.
Gazidis is the money
Wenger is the football
What’s letting us down?
What’s letting us down?Very simple.It’s the presence of the trio we’re talking about.I know Usmanov might not be a saint(No billionaire is a saint) but I would gladly take him without hesitating if it means we will be rid of Stan.His first decision should be bringing on board any manager that isn’t scared of competing.Send Wenger to the vatican too please.
When I was hunting tiger in India, just before I wrestled crocodiles in the Nile, after I swam with the piranhas in the amazon, I ran the 4 minute mile with one leg, then won first prize in a one legged arse kicking competition
Merry Christmas to all gooners everywhere , have a feast day tommorow with your loved ones . Thanks pedro for another great year from le grove .
And wenger spend some fucking money in January !!
What has that got to do with football you ask, it was in response to Rhys, who seems a tad miffed people take more notice of hoffmeister than him
Merry Christms, Everyone!
Off till 5th yeah!!!
Wenger: “Arsenal defence lacks leadership & stability”
And guess what Arsene…..your to blame!
Any other industry and Arsenal would have been closed down by the Health and Safety Board.
The gaurdian weekly featuring Rafa honigstein was quite insightful, because the presenter made it a point of saying Rafa was a very good friend of per metersacker so I guess both of them speak about what is wrong about arsene and arsenal. Rafa honigstein said that wenger is not a good coach and even went on to say when asked if wenger should still be in charge , he said it’s not for me to say , implying he was not, and as I say him and metersacker are good friends and he must have a feeling as to what the players really think of wenger and his coaching methods.or non existent one.
Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport reporting that Inter have agreed to a loan deal for Podolski, according to Highbury Ghost on Twitter.
Ebenezer Vader will never change. Time-space continuum ghost will fail with him…
Merry Christmas to all!!!
And a most groovey new year 🙂
Superb post Pedro, I dont think I have ever agreed with you more completely.
Exactly, who are these rare creatures that posess the right qualities for our style of play? Are their abilities so rare that the quest to find them supercedes every other aspect of basic management? IF we can find said gems & IF they are available, wont any of the big clubs be interested? or are their qualities so intangible only someone as great as wenger can see them…
Good point about coaching as well. Players are adaptable because humans are adaptable, its one of the reasons we are top of the food chain. Arsene isnt & he isnt a great manager, hes a dinosaur & a relic of the past, an evolutionary cul-de-sac.
If the players which we seek are so hard to come by then why are we not producing anything of note from the academy? surely the best way to obtain players with Arsenal quality is to forge them in the Arsenal academy if they are so unique?
Therein lies the problem…that project has fail miserably also.
Chasing rainbows for pie in the sky players while the self perpetuating BS machine that is Arsenes Arsenal keeps churning out the same old shit.
Merry Christmas.
WENGER OUT!!!
Honigstein knocked it out of the park.
Wenger is such a pathetic old fool, We do not sign players that are not Arsenal Class, That is exactly why we are not in the mix for the title, We only have one player on our books this is truly Arsenal Class, Thanks Arsene, Coward.
Rhys Jaggar: Well done, as always.
ug
The desire to improve your English skills is admirable & I personally don’t have a problem with it…I do think you should be an Arsenal fan though.
Wengers English is quite poor btw, all things considered. Maybe it would be a good idea to stop listening to him.
Dear Santa. I’d like Wenger leave or get sacked and I don’t want him given any role at the club. We deserve a clean break from this dictatorship.
Merry Christmas dear Grovers!!!
“It has been 7 years since Arsenal had their first choice 11 available. In the 1-0 win over Chelsea in December 2007. ”
Just read this tweet from GoonerStat. Now I’ll be the first to call bullshit, while I cast my mind back, if I recall correctly it probably has been many seasons since we did field our first choice 11, with long-term injuries to Ozil, Sagna, Walcott and RVP amongst others. When was the last time we fielded our strongest 11??
We have at the moment in our first team squad ‘on paper ‘ seven defenders if
you include Bellerin who has virtually no first team experience.
If I factor in Chambers who is the same age as Bellerin and had before this season just 16 starts at Southampton we had in reality just FIVE experienced defenders and only TWO Centre Backs.
My view is that Bellerin [not Chambers] will make a decent Full Back once he
gets some experience. He has pace and also when defending ‘positional sense’.
Looking at Chambers I have felt since the season started that he was not an
upgrade on Jenkinson who was loaned out to West Ham and will be overtaken
by Bellerin for squad right back position.
On current evidence he may have a long term future as a Centre Back to play
occasionally in Cup Competitions i.e. as a fourth string option, but certainly not higher in pecking order.
This poses the question why Arsenal decided to sell Vermaelen to Barcelona
and leave us so exposed should either Mertesacker or Koscielny suffer injury
or loss of form?
Furthermore the injury to Koscielny was diagnosed BEFORE the transfer window was closed. For me there are two questions which need answering,which
are:
1. Why did we sell Vermaelen for what was a very low price? According to Transfermarkt Barcelona have only paid £8 million [not £15 million as suggested]. If that is case we might as well have kept him.
2. Why did Wenger not go into market at beginning of July and buy someone?
Assuming that Mertesacker and Koscielny were our first string then we should have been looking only for third string player? Surely for £10-15 million
we could have bought someone half decent.
I am in no doubt that the failure to bring someone in has cost us a decent finish to season even more than our weakness in Defensive Midfield position.
Playing full backs in heart of defence may work on Continent, but not in EPL
particularly alongside Mertesacker.
As far as I am concerned Arsenal must not buy in January any new players unless it is FIRST a Centre Back. Using up budget elsewhere before that is done
would be criminal.
I read all the time the rumours that we are after strikers,wingers or offensive
midfielders. Most of these rumours are pure fantasy and if not stupidity. From
my point of view we could offload both Campbell and Sanogo and it would not
make a blind difference to our squad. Both are not realistically needed even
with our long list of injuries.
Bluntly there is absolutely no excuse for Wenger not binging in a Centre Back. The only likely consequence is that we will probably need to pay over
the odds because everyone knows we need such a player. That is I am afraid
the price of Wenger’s poor judgment in Summer.
Merry Christmas everyone
“Bielik to Arsenal almost done, according to reports. £2.3m fee. Wenger tells 16-year old he will be in first-team plans immediately. #afc”
From Kwiks video posted earlier, it is evident the guy is a better baller than Flamini despite only being 16. However its going to be a repeat of Chambers and he will burn out from all that responsibility I feel. He has the size and stature to cope, but it will be a tough ask. Would rather we buy a proven DM like Shneiderlin AS WELL
Lol at Highbury daze for his funny parody !
Merry Christmas to Pedro and all the Grovers.
Keep up the great work.
This time next year we’ll be even worse…. Wenger knows sweet fa….ho ho , what’s the point in worrying about results, we’ll win sweet fa again.
Happy Christmas to All Gooners
Merry Christmas Pedro……Great years write up’s from yourself. Really hope the next month brings us a couple of good signings. All the best to you and all the Le Grove readers.
Do not like QPR Statistics one bit,not scored against us in 6,not ever won a premeirship game on Boxing day,not won away this season.
Absolutely love Christmas, lying in front of an open fire roasting my nuts.
Christmas is abandoned.
I made a Christmas card after the Liverpool 2-2 game… and don’t question my leet Photoshop skillz.
http://i.imgur.com/EB0xrup.jpg
Very nice CD
Merry Christmas from Denmark.Today is our big night celebrating one day before thr brits.
Danish Gooner ,my wife is German i get 2.
Relieable sauce.
Is that all you ‘ve got?
Well looks like you understood me just like you do wenger’s, and am satisfied, but…
Maybe you should start making up your own opinion instead of agreeing to everything Pedro says?
In eminem’s voice i kid, i kid.
P.S. One man’s shit hole is another’s pleasure hole. Lol
Merry Christmas! Ho ho ho’s. For everyone.
Pedro…… Thanks for keeping it going despite the haters. Shoutout… to Alex for some fine work off the bench.
Apologies to those I angered. Apologies to those I didn’t. Drinks all around.
What are Arsenal class players?
Keyser
“How ? They have tv deals on top of their Commercials.That’s not the point, while our tv deals are massive, there is also a far more even split, everyone shares in the money, so it pushes the money teams can use for wages up.Bayern have little to no competition financially in their own league, whereas Liverpool actually outbid us for Sanchez.”
Everyone has their own unique deal on top of the basic TV deals. I was speaking figuratively when I said that their commercial deal is like their own unique Sky deal. I’m referring to the % of what their commercial deals contribute to their overall revenue. It’s so large that it could be like they get a mini Sky deal (similar to what EPL team get).
“Lol only one counts as homegrown, and why would Clyne be half the money ? You make little sense.”
So are you saying Clyne would’ve cost the same as Chambers? IM almost certain Clyne would’ve cost half the price. After all, Chambers had already began to dislodge Clyne from RB.
As for Aurier, I’m talking about an explosive, physical RB – who’s performed just as good as a lot of RBs in Europe. Cost considerably less than Chamber; being younger that Debuchy. Homegrown factor wasn’t essential!
“The premiership is the richest league in the World, this also means we have to pay that much more to compete within it.You could say Bayern are more efficient that any premiership team, but then they play in a weaker league with less competition on and off the field, a more efficient league and a country with a far better infrastructure for youth development.”
Yes the EPL is the richest league – by way of Sky – but that doesn’t necessarily mean we always have to pay more. And when you say more, how much more than what Munich paid for their costliest players? There is parity between our spend and theirs. This is why I’m struggling to comprehend how Munich get value for money out of their players regardless of their price?
Munich still have to contend with other big weight teams; it’s not like they’re given a clean run at all their transfer targets. Lastly, I’m not talking about youth development, I’m talking about their purchases and wage.
ug
LOL.You said it brother! 😉
I’ve praised Pedro’s posts no more than half a dozen times. I strongly disagree with his stance on protest for instance & think he’s too soft on IG. It’s pretty much irrelevant what I think either way, just offering my opinion like most other posters.
Have a happy Christmas 🙂
Happy Christmas groovers! Have a few beers on Mid 😉
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B5o8WOGCEAAd5Ru.jpg
Most Arsenal Fans are so used to failure that they can’t even wish for a better life. Take it or leave it, arsene Wenger has delivered in the past,but he is presently not meeting up to standards. Everything that has happened in the course of the season so far is all his fault. If chambers is playing badly bcos he is being used too often,its Arsene’s fault. If chambers was supposed to be the cover for right back,then where is the cover for CB? For crying out loud, a coach DAT is as experienced as Arsene should knw DAT After playing kosc all tru last season without rest,and even played world cup, He is definitely ganna Av to b rested more dis season, yet he sold verm and bought no replacement. D inexperienced cover for right back had to b a cover for CB too. Its all Wenger’s fault. Going into a premier league season after so many years of being a manager at Arsenal in d premier league with just two central Defenders, and d DM of d likes of Flamini and Arteta, and expecting a successful campaign,is stupidity of the highest order. Other clubs such as mancity and Chelsea have spent and still spending lots if cash just to make sure their team becomes a force to be wary of,and u r expecting arsenal that has a manager and a board who has refused to solve the glaring problem in their squad to be having the same results with the tinkerers??? Hell no. YOU WILL SURELY HARVEST WHAT YOU SOW. So pls stop Backing Arsene. It won’t mean u re NT a good Arsenal fan. Rather it will only mean u are a great Arsenal fan bcos you want your club to be successful. Arsene Wenger is our problem and we have to fix our problems so that we can at least,once again, rejoice that we Won the likes of Chelsea, Bayern, Barcelona, Madrid, e.t.c.
imagine how the investments and good decision making has made those clubs very successful. We had to pray that we shouldn’t be drawn against them in the champions league. Why? Who are they going to field? Is it not players too? Humans for DAT matter. Why can’t we get Good players too so that we won’t have to be scared to play against the top teams but rather be a top team too.
Merry Christmas to all the grovers
🙂 :smile :
A Merry Christmas from the rent boys too.
https://vine.co/v/OHzeHV1OVIU
Merry Christmas to all gooners world wide!!
Lets get rid of all the dross starting with Ramsey, Walcott, Gibbs, Chamberlain, Chambers, Welbeck and most of the foreign contingent bar Sanchez.
Yeah seasons greetings to all….except wenger!
Merry Christmas Gooners, Grovers and everyone in between. Very beys wishes from the Grim North!!!
A special shout out to:
N5, Cesc Appeal, Romford Pele, Emiratesstroller, Rhys, Gunner2301, Middy, Tits, Thank you and Good Night, carts, Arsene’s Nurse, kwik fit, tunny, gambon, Wenger Eagle, Arsenal1886, Karim and Suga3 …..
and others too illustrious to mention thank you for chatting through all things Arsenal and other things…. It’s been fun. Let’s do it again next year. 😉
… and have a drink on me in unity and sympathy for my in-laws invited themselves over for four days and four nights… basically taking over my entire holiday. I’ve to be on best behaviour all week!
At least my boy is happy. He loves his grandparents,bless him.
I digress,have a good holiday fellas and don’t be miserable –IT’S CHRISTMAS!!
*best
Leeds
Happy Christmas to you too mate. And brace yourself for the year ahead and all things arsenal 😉
Emirates Stoller 15.53, a lot of whys in there. And why you may well ask. The fact is, when rulers fall and empires,crumble, there is a time leading up to the end which is characterised by everything going wrong, and the leaders doing everything possible wrong. As the pressure mounts, and the ego comes to terms with cataclysmic failure of a long term vision. Stubbornness takes over for a while, but wenger contrary to popular belief is not a dictator, he is an employee of a man of money. Wenger is over the place at the moment, he knows the end is near, so do execs at the club, anyone who thinks Gazidis Chipps and co cannot see this is deluded. It is only Stan who kept wenger here last summer, surely even he realises his mistake, if not , he is certainly being told.
I am intrigued as to what wenger will do this Jan, he knows it is over, another Kallestrom, or will he at least try to go out with some respectability?
@Leeds
4 days of the in laws…….what have you done to deserve that mate ha ha ha. Hope you and your family have a great one mate.
Merry Christmas Pedro….you are just so amazing with your daily post even with your schedule,and to your deputy Alex,cheers
To all the grovers,you guys are the best,even when Wenger has made the team so distasteful at times to watch but i still find joy cos you guys hardly stop droping insightful analysis on here,this platform is so educative if not entertaining too,from down here in Nigeria i say a big to you
Merry Christmas
I think an hope that when wenger gets to end of season an he has failed to deliver he will fall on his sword an leave….
Ps Santa
Please bring me those tan olly Sweeney tan brogues !
Cheers Leeds and TYAG. Merry Christmas to you boys and your families as well. Big love to all the African and American and of course, African American Gooners that have educated me on all things non Arsenal and of course our South African Babe Gooner Girl.
Most of you Locals, including Marble have a great Christmas too. Karim and Sylvie, make new year the time to be friends 😀
Have a great one all of you and Pedro, thanks for another year of constant blogs and a place for me to escape every single bloody day when work gets boring.
Up the Arsenal!!
Also forgot to add, enjoy tomorrow CA, I expect we’ll see you again sometime in the future, if you can put the controller down. You can post whilst GTAs loading! You’ll see what I mean when you get it.
Them fine shoes…
TYAG, I’m at the inlaws in Staines as we speak. This is the first time I’ve been able to sneak away. I’m only here for two days though. Drink a lot mate. It’s the only way through it all.
Merry Christmas to all (even AKB’s)!
2 more seasons and we can start rebuilding this great club.
Peace man!
N5
Cheers mate. Cannot wait.
Absolutely battered right now. Got in. Drunken wrapping, you always end up thinking “fuck it that’ll do”…wake up the next day and looks like a quadriplegic, drunk cow had a go at the wrapping…shameful stuff.
@N5
I hope you and your family have great one geez. Hope santa brings you everything you ask for…..then again 2 days with the in laws obviously means your on Santa’s naughty list this year. ….no presents for you.
@Keyser
Merry Christmas keyser. Hope you and your loved ones have a great day.
N5, you are beyond kind my friend. Both Keyser and Ughelligooner are miseries unto themselves. They both are pure shits who love preying upon everyone in hopes that their own sadistic sense of debates are satisfied. Truth be told, both are lousy louts who have no lives to speak of and crave the attention they so sorely and desperately seek. Both are worthy of toilet guttings and equally are deserving of the scorn heaped upon themselves for wasting the much valued time that those who engage them sacrifice. May both you lousy sods reap your own misery in ways deserving of yourselves. No one is ever wiser for encountering either of you. Take a flying leap into the stupid depths that each of you wrought on others with your stupid insidious games. Take one each, sincerely!