Are we going to ship out two keepers?

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Someone asked me earlier on what my thoughts were on Liverpool’s new signing?

I said, ‘Fir-mi-no’

How about that for some ‘hit for six’ banter in the AM?

You loved it. Don’t pretend you won’t be dropping that joke in your Football Whatsapp group.

Se we had another smattering of ‘CECH DEAL DUN’ yesterday, but still no news on the Arsenal.com, and as you know, if you’re a real bore, you’ll constantly be telling people you won’t believe anything until it’s on the main site.

HAVE SOME FUN. LIVE A LITTLE. CLICK A BIT OF LINK BAIT YOU SALMON.

Bask in the unofficialness of it all.

Anyway, I think I raved pretty hard about Petr Cech yesterday. There are few people upset that Chezzer isn’t getting a fair crack. The people who truly believed he’d be the best keeper in the world (and probably told a few people they didn’t get football if they didn’t understand Denilson’s value) and that it was only his attitude keeping him rooted to the bottom of the save percentage league for keepers who have played over 50 games.

On the Pole. He looks like he could be a good keeper, but the reality is, he’s really not. He had the same remarkable skill Almunia had in being able to make ineptness look like bad luck. I think the reality of Chezzer and Ospina is this… the team in front have done a fantastic job two seasons in a row in making Chezzer the golden glove despite not ever really showing for it, and making Ospina look acceptable between the sticks.

Imagine how good we’ll be when we have a keeper than can actually dig us out some points?

Another thing you have to consider is his attitude. The fans aren’t too keen on him and nor are people who work with him at home and internationally. He’s not a hugely popular figure. I was told a few seasons back he and a previous captain had a dust up over his LIFO attitude to training (last in first out). Then you factor in the selfies, the cross bar challenge antics at half time against Monaco, the smoking in the changing room, he’s dad digging out Mertesacker, the smoking at the FA Cup, the smoking on the jeep outside his flat, the average performances… I mean, it’s hard to say he’s not made it extremely difficult to believe we’ve all got it wrong?

I don’t think he’s been helped by having a keeping coach we all know is substandard.

Can’t believe @Arsenal have let @Keepersworld Tony Roberts go!!! #bestcoachbyamilethere!!

— David Seaman (@thedavidseaman) June 18, 2015

Good to see Big Dave saying what we’ve told you for a while here. Gerry Peyton still at the club. Part of the fraternity. Well, at least he’ll be marginalised this season. Writing is on the wall though.

Charity Shield will have a bit of extra spice, wont it?

Yes it will.

What else is going on in the world of ‘OMG that’s hilarious?’… how about Harry Redknapp doing a piece with Guardian?

The only bit worth entertaining is this…

“Unless you’re Arsène Wenger and have real control of the club, agents will go directly above the manager. If they have an issue with one of their players, they’ll go to the chairman: ‘Oh your manager is an idiot because he’s not playing my player’. That’s how it’s gone.”

POWER. I mean, really, it is a sorry state of affairs how it is in the game at the moment. It’s quite clear that Tony Fernandes just wants to manage the team himself. And hey, why not? Stick a stooge in and run things. After all, it’s his money! If you can’t have fun with it, what’s the damn point?

Another interesting story brewing in the background is the Ramos one at Real Madrid. The 29 year old appears to be on the way out of there after falling out of favour with Perez. This read here is interesting because you realise what a total farce it is over there. It’s run more like a defunct political party than a world class football establishment. It’s amazing how they succeed financially by being so groteque.

Anyway, at 29, he’s probably not worth it. It is worth mentioning we went in hard for him a few seasons ago when he was having issues with Jose Mourinho.

One to watch is announcement of the Laporta / Abidal campaign for the presidency. I sincerely hope there aren’t any Arsenal players looped into the major promises they normally dish out during these runs.

You know what is a bit sad, and I’ve written about this before… the race for page views via transfer stories.

Now, I get that publishing houses need views to make money, but for me, that whole approach is totally flawed anyway and marketeers are going to catch onto that soon enough.

Here’s are the things you need to consider as a publisher.

1. If you’re chasing page views, you’re chasing the wrong metric, because anyone can get page views through work that isn’t credible. Publishing is about creating work that is meaningful. Sure, you’re always bring in a certain type of fan with the durge, but the job of content is create a connection. To create a relationship with your audience in some way shape or form… dependent on what your brand is about.

2. The Holy Grail of publishing is to become a destination website. Somewhere people land in their morning run of websites. Buzzfeed is a destination, The Guardian are a destination, Le Grove, on a small scale still manages to be a destination for a lot of people… how many of those shit peddling website earn a direct visit from you? Very few.

3. You can chase a read, but if someone lands on that read and it’s a round up of other nonsense and they’re disappointed, chances are, they’re not going to hang on your destination and visit other pages.

So this desperate chase misguided news sites are involved in generally occurs because in dying business models, the people at the top are looking at the wrong metrics and destroying their brand in the process.

The solution to low traffic can never be to lower your values.

Buzzfeed have it nailed because you don’t buy advertising space around the side of the site, you buy a news story (native advertising) that blends in with the rest of the content (and you buy it up front). The only reason they can do that is because you generally know what you’ll get there. ’10 moments Kim Kardashian at an Apple perfectly’ will deliver on your expectations as a reader. You know that they connect with what you want in that moment, so you’ll explore ten or so pages. So advertisers content blends in, and often does better than normal content because it’s part of the story, not an interrupter around it (banner ads).

Even The Daily Mail get this. They create stories that rile you, but they don’t tend to engage in too much utter drivel with transfers (if it is, at least it feels original), they know, if they want to keep you on that site, they have to rile you… and they do it incredible well and in the process, make themselves a destination.

As archaic advertising models evolve, I’d imagine these pissy sites that peddle increasingly absurd stories will begin to die… because sites like Medium are charging on consumer time on site over page views. Quality over someone just dropping in and out with zero context.

Anyway, there’s my little piece on the state of digital publishing.

P.S. We signed the Romanian under 16 captain. WOO!

 

719 Responses to “Are we going to ship out two keepers?”

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  4. MidwestGun

    london gunnerJune 15, 2015    22:56:52

    As for the new kit and its tight form fitting ways, personally that’s a plus!

    Not all of us have a beer belly to hide and as a muscular cunt, the idea of a Arsenal top showing of the pecks, guns and lats whilst I bowl down finsbury park is all good.
    ________
    Hahaha its hall of fame worthy. Certainly worth a nomination. Not as good as his manly animalistic nature speech, tho.
    London G is a classic.

    As for the other results , I’m gonna need to do more research.
    Also, good news Amazon prime can deliver in 24 hours.
    🙂

  5. Dan Ahern

    I’ll take a Ramos-for-Koscielny swap because it prevents precisely that happening, even though it won’t actually happen anyway.

    In general selling Koz is utter nonsense.

  6. steve

    “This is now just another reason why I hope Cech falls through and we buy no-one, just utter stupidity.”

    _____________________________

    Yeah how stupid to strengthen the team you dopey cunt.

  8. Dan Ahern

    Middy — Looooooool. I think I may have to disagree with N5, I’m not sure there’s any self-awareness about that one at all.

    HOF material for sure.

  10. Redtruth

    I agree with keyser.

    It’s silly to strengthen the team when the team will only get better.

    I am sure Giroud has few gears in him and the Ox will blossom

    Next season the team will click and function to it’s full capacity

  13. salparadisenyc

    Brendo should never do Vegas.

    “If Liverpool sign Clyne for £10.5m as expected, they’ll have spent £60m on 4 Southampton players in a year. (Players who cost Saints £12m).”

  15. MidwestGun

    Brenda’s reality show he did … a few years back was top quality, tho.
    He always seemed on the verge of tears to me.

    Wenger should definitely sign up for one of those real sports documentaries. Would especially enjoy the transfer phone conversation.

  18. London gunner

    n5

    Spot on squire! Twas spoken in jest ;).

    Im like that Russian dude who makes jokes, but people think I’m being serious/aggressive.

    Anyways I was actually spot on about Keyser who here disagrees with me on when I tell you he is a
    narcissist.

    As for red truth he is a sadist

  27. R.S.P.C.Arsenal

    Boris

    A gentle return of serve is always appericated….

    I’m personally looking forward to the introduction of akpom an possibly Crowley in the league cup …

    Feel we should go for the fa hat trick ..

  32. london gunner

    Dan

    1.Has a grandiose sense of self-importance

    2.Believes that he is “special” and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people

    3.Has a sense of entitlement

    4.Lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others.

    5,Shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes.

    That’s 5 out of the 9 traits, but I would have to meet him in a real world environment to analysis if he has the others.

    Also semi serious I do actually no a lot about psychology, but only because I am fascinated by it so have done extensive reading.

  33. R.S.P.C.Arsenal

    So if memory serves
    This young Baltic player in mid will be coming into the team about a year after the other lad tall fella we signed last year ?

    Whatever happens to all the kids he signs ?

  35. R.S.P.C.Arsenal

    Tony Adams was heaping praise on Wenger saying the man is a brilliant psyhatist the best … Not the best coach that was venables …

    Aidan’s said we cover taught them to layer there food when eating ??

    Weird …

    Sol Campbell Tom?

    Man lovely fella but not of this world
    Lbc slaughtered hi on their web site ?

  41. R.S.P.C.Arsenal

    Boris never thought he was gay …
    Seen him a few times down the Kings road drinking coffe in a cafe…

    He is just a working class lad got a bit of dough an wanted to better himself an broaden his horizons …

    Like him but not as mayor of London .

  42. london gunner

    RSPCA

    Can’t be worse than Boris eh?

    Boris is turning London into the exclusive zone of the edgars and gunthorps of this world.

    Not saying Sol will stand up for the local londoner who were born, bred and bled here, but I don’t think he can worse than Boris etonian dystopian nightmare

  43. R.S.P.C.Arsenal

    True
    Johnston I’d a clown
    A cunning an insidious one who manulipates londonnfor his own self gain.

    Personally I liked Ken …
    Never got enough praise for regenerating the east of London by hiding it behind the Olympics …

    Tube fare are shocking under Johnson .

    Ken wax fare .

  49. MidwestGun

    Ya. .Ray’s voice coming back too. Must have been on throat rest.
    So far Uruguay not sitting back all that much. Makes for more entertaining match.

    “Sanchez the cream in the Uruguay defensive Oreo cookie sandwich ”

    Lol. Whatever that means Ray.

  68. Dream10

    Valdivia my favourite Chilean player. Class.
    Aranguiz is second.

    Uruguay to win 2-0. Godin off a corner and Cavani to finally get one.
    The sucker punch specialists. Nothing pretty about their style though.

  99. MidwestGun

    Well another crazy Chile match. Should be in final tho after next match.

    Did Ray just say there will be some hootchie coochie going on after this?

    Hahaha.

  103. Leedsgunner

    Just saw that Chile won and that Alexis endured targeted challenges — did he finish the game uninjured? It sounds like Uruguay played for keeps and very dirty. What a bunch of goons…

  106. Dissenter

    Did anyone else see the anal poke Jara did to provoke Cavani for the second yellow card that sent him off?

    South American Players are dirty SoBs
    We need more South American players in the team.

    Have to say if that was done in the premier league, anal poking a player to provoke him, video review will lead to a 25 game ban. European football is far too urbane for that.

    Yikes, anal poking to provoke.

  109. qna

    Hopefully its all paper talk, but the worse thing that could happen this summer is for United to get Ramos and us to lose Koceilny. People will say we are not a selling club anymore, but I dont trust the club not to sell a 29 year old defender for an offer of over 30m.

    The only way we could turn that into a win, was if we made a deal with Benzema coming the other way – highly unlikely. A trade involving Isco would be also not terrible. I wonder who we would turn to, to replace Kos. Doesnt make sense to take 30m, only to spend the same on Hummels for example.

  111. Dark Hei

    qna

    I wouldn’t trade Kos for even Benzema. I mean we can always go and buy a striker or just toss Walcott up tops.

    But I will have that queasy feeling if I don’t see Kos in the starting line up for long stretches.

  113. Dissenter

    Podolski; “I have characteristics to help different teams but it was a mistake to go to Inter with no redemption clauses.

    “In football there are times when everything doesn’t work out for the best. You’re not always playing as a starter and you just have to accept the decisions and work on your own game. That’s what I did but now I’m looking forward.”

    Would you have Podolski back?

    I wouldn’t, Wenger needs to clean house.

  114. Rhys Jaggar

    Here are the reasons for eliminating sites as ‘destinations’:

    1. Blaring out video adverts at 100 decibels – if you live with others, read on the train, that is an invasion of privacy. NULL POINTS………….. sorry DM and Speccie, you are rude oafs masquerading as news sites. Interruption vs permission.
    2. Using your site to harvest data on your readers web patterns. I would trade that for video streaming of each and every one of your sexual trysts. Go join MI6 if you’re that sick…………………
    3. Insulting readers whilst recycling their comments as your subsequent ‘blog’. I’d rather challenge your father to become a Spurs supporter………………

  115. Emiratesstroller

    Qna

    It would be absolute madness to sell Koscielny just at the time when we are building a team capable of challenging for League Title.

    1. Koscielny and Mertesacker have developed a good understanding and our
    defence was frugal in second half of season.

    2. It will be very difficult to find a comparable replacement for the same sort
    of money which Real Madrid are supposedly prepared to spend on him. If
    such players exist why are Man Utd struggling to find replacements?

    3. Arsenal need to prove now that they are one of the big players and not a
    selling club. Koscielny has two years to go on his contract so there is no
    crisis in saying “no”.

    4. The upshot is that at this time of year there are always shenanigans going
    on in the transfer market with players/agents/clubs trying to destabilise
    their opponents. Most of the time the stories are made up by media with
    encouragement of these people as pure figment of imagination.

    Personally I cannot see Arsenal selling this summer any first team regular
    unless like with goalkeeper we find a replacement who is an upgrade. In case
    of centre back that will be difficult.

  116. Bamford10

    Schneiderlin definitely going somewhere soon. “The negotiations are ongoing and should be completed in the coming days,” he told France Bleu Alsace radio yesterday.

    United the favorites.

  118. Bamford10

    And gambon is right, Schn and Coqu would never play at the same time, so that discussion is moot.

    Unless Wilshere, Ramsey and Cazorla were somehow all injured, one of them is the CM. No way Wenger leaves out his favorite players.