Nothing quite like leaving your phone in an Uber with a driver who sprechens the sh*te ingléa Nightmares. Disconnected for almost 14 hours. Can you imagine?
Anyway, thanks to James for dropping a match report yesterday. When your football starts at 1230, you know how we roll after! I had a mezcalita… a new one on me. Beer and bloody mary. I felt so manly.
ANYWAY. Thoughts on the weekend.
Petr Cech was a masterstroke
What a signing. He’s really coming into his own of late. He makes the right saves at the right time. No frills. Just a very good keeper. That strike late on in the game where he rushed off his line was exactly the sort of situation that 1) Chezzer wouldn’t have rushed out for (rooted to the line was his thing) 2) we’d have conceded from.
Petr Cech just knows what to do. The world class saves counter must be up to about 10 by now. How many can you remember from last season? I can’t remember any.
Ozil is so hot rn
The boy has become a man. It’s like something has clicked with him. Like he can smell greatness in the air. He’s almost too good for the league. He’s 2.5 seconds ahead of everyone else. He’s immense. He’s a hard worker and he’s so creative it’s like he’s an IBM experiment in footballing AI.
Absolutely integral to our run in. So glad he’s getting the credit he deserves. So glad he’s playing like we hoped he would (and please don’t pretend he’s been this good since the start).
Big game results
That was a massive game at the weekend. Make no mistake. Coming hot off the heels of beating the best team in Europe can be tricky when you’re mentally fragile. I didn’t think we’d lose, but that’s the sort of game we’d normally draw. Meekly. But not bad enough to really complain. We need to be winning those games and we need to be doing it consistently.
We still lack maturity
The finish to that game was beyond farcical. I know we held on, but we went full blown panic mode. Sure, it was exciting to watch, but I don’t want exciting at that stage. I want turgid. Slow. Assured. Boring.
Flamini should be fined two weeks wages for that cameo. It’s was embarrassing to watch him playing the… ‘I’m six years old and I like chasing the ball’ role. We need to be smarter than that because against a better club, we’d be dropping points.
‘It’s only November’
There are two sides to this coin. One side is that it’s not November, but you get the jist. The second is the ‘play it cool boy’ crowd who are cogent that it is early on in the season. Now, I’m here on that. We were top of the league way more emphatically than this two seasons ago and we flunked out badly because we didn’t have the squad. However, on the flip side, we’ve also been out at this stage plenty of times in the past… more often than not we’re done by this stage chasing 4th.
So us being strong now should be enjoyed, but enjoyed cautiously. The biggest challenge we face now is fitness. Our squad isn’t good enough to sustain major injuries. We can’t afford to lose Sanchez, we can’t afford to lose Ozil and we most defintely can’t deal with the loss of Coquelin. I get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach when I think about Flamini or Arteta manning the middle for any time period longer than 3minutes.
Lose any of those guys and we’re on the struggle bus.
Chambo
I love this boy. I really do. But he’s making it really difficult to love him when he makes a habit of giving the ball away and losing us goals in almost every game. He needs to mature. If anyone needs a stint out on loan, it looks like it’s this lad. He’s struggling with confidence and because of that he’s making silly decisions. When your confidence is low, you force things, when you force things you make mistakes. Not a good weekend for him.
So, all in all, a great weekend. Made even more spectacular because of the absolute loss of the dressing room that’s going on at the Bridge. I said a couple of seasons ago I thought he’d lost his shine… well, he certainly has now. What’s going on there goes beyond a bad run. It’s a loss of the dressing room. It’s hilarious as well. I mean. outside of Steve Mcclaren, he looks the most likely to get fired. 5 losses already!
Anyway, we are top of the league. Enjoy it! Back with the Sheffield Wednesday preview tomorrow. Have a fun evening.
x
P.S. I watched the game in O’Hanlons in East Village. What a great bar. So many TVs. The guys and gals in their make up their own songs as well!
Agree re Cech
Joe
We will never know but that’s a pretty outlandish statemnet
Midwest
Yeah he could well but tbh even if he doesn’t, he’s still an absolute nightmare for defenders and he sets up lots of goals.
He’s never really been a goalscorer wherever he’s played and he’s 26 so I’d have my doubts that he’ll develop into one now.
He should start though IMO even with Robben coming back.
They can be the two widemen with Muller playing just off of Lewandowski.
Thiago and Alonso as the CM pairing.
WE
Agreed on cech
Although I feel he and payer are already having better seasons regardless of price tag.
When you consider value for money then while de bruyne is playing well, the other two are in a league of their own
Giroud was bought before RvP was sold but I’d bet that the club knew very well that RvP was off before that. He’d been talking to Fergie since the turn of the year.
I suspect that Podolski was actually signed as RvPs replacement but it was quickly realised that he couldn’t / wouldn’t work in our system as a CF.
Wenger has been looking for a Giroud replacement for ages now. Rightly or wrongly he’s not signed the ones we wanted.
We also hv to consider the fact that the the previous season we didn’t hv a good back up for RVP.
“Jose alone would of won us at least 2 titles in the last 10 seasons with just 1 or 2 different players”
I don’t think so maybe in the last few years since we have had more money to spend but I seriously doubt he would have lasted to see this day if he had been manager through the lean times
For us to have won a couple of titles in the last ten seasons we’d have had to overachieve pretty seriously. Mourinho doesn’t often overachieve to any real degree, and certainly not twice. The chances are he definitely wouldn’t have won the league twice with him. And he’s as likely to have fucked things up as he us to have won the league
Eagle –
Costa is 26? Hmmmm thought he was younger for some reason. Id be ok with a versatile midfielder who can score goals and set people up. (Isco ? RM should sell him to us, lol) . Was hoping Ox would develop into that. Thought maybe he would be key player to our season but its not working out that way, so far. Looks like maybe its whether Theo can maintain form and of course whether all our injured players can contribute or not,
That’s well said I don’t understand why people thing he would have won us mutipl title during that period. Chances are he would have done the latter.
Costa has the look a man drinking heavily and pressing 45.
Which one? The Diego sure have 😉
Sal –
Hahaha. I resemble that, remark. I was talking about Douglas Costa tho.
I can’t even say the words Diego Costa out the fear the may be leveled next week.
Bamford
If wenger wins the league this year he won’t ‘have to account ‘ for a damn thing.
The fact that you’ll still think he is a bad manager is utterly irrelevant.
Despite this, and as I have I have a couple of minute I’ll answer your questions anyway:
-his inability to even compete for a title over the past decade: He had no money
– his many failures in Europe: He had no money
– his many humiliations in the league (8-2, 6-0, 5-1, etc.): He had no money.
Also , on giroud, your silly point that his £12 million price tag is ‘irrelevant’ shows how little you know. Of course it’s relevant. If you’ve got roughly £12 million to spend on a striker, giroud is a damn good transfer. Others spent £24 million on darren bent, £36 million on andy carol and £26 million on soldado.
Was a bit tongue and Cheek mid.
PS
The Winger link is fouled.
True lol..
Almost as outlandish as saying ” if Wenger couldn’t of won the title in the last 10 seasons no one could’ve of”
How many seasons were we a player or two short from seriously competing. Or a player short in Jan from competing and the likes of Kallstrom brought in.
Jose, Fergie, pep would of addressed where we were short and bought the 1 or two players we needed instead of relying on arteta, flam or Sanago, bedtner, or starting the season with 2 cbs and knowing one is injured.
So many seasons where a different manager without such a stubborn streak and my way is the best way attitude would of won us the title.
Let’s not forget Jose won the title in a canter last season before you start pointing fingers and laughing and has many CLs
Mid
My bad, he’s actually 25. Still is older than I think most people would have him due to him being unknown (ish) previous to Bayern signing him.
I’d snap your hand off for Isco even at the expense of Santi tbh. Rate that lad so highly, sky is honestly the limit.
Ox has been disappointing to say the least. He’s only a year younger than the likes of Neymar, Gotze and Isco so he’d want to get his arse in gear.
Sal –
Is it? Damn… well probably for the best. A little Kip Winger goes a long way.
As 80’hair bands go they were pretty far down on the totem pole.
Gotze would of been a master stroke this summer.
Coq_ Caz/Rambo
Gotze_ Ozil_Sanchez
Walcott
We’ve had money for 5-6 seasons at least. At least
Money is not an excuse. Hasn’t stopped Klopp and Simone from competing and winning titles and making it to CL finals
Alexander, he didn’t need money to have better preparation, smarter tactics, a fitness coach with more qualifications than a swimming instructor…
Those are the main gears clicking into place at the moment.
I’d argue we’ve had better squads than the one we have no over the past ten years. We’ve also cash for the best part of 5 years now that’s accrued in the bank.
Money is important in winning, but it’s a bit weak to pretend it’s the most important. It’s also ignorant to say that’s the reason we haven’t competed.
Sal
Imagine Gotze and Gonzalo.
We’d be title favourites.
Joe… Juve pushed it pretty close last season spending minimal the summer before.
Mid
Agreed, Certainly not up there with this one. Comments are class as well.
Sal
And we had the money to buy him or rues.
So many people
High on Ramsey. He’s had one 6 month run in form. Other than that he’s be poor/average to at best steady. Ox ha shown very limited glimpses of talent and to pin hope on him becoming some WC is based on what exactly. Cut our losses. Loan him out. Sign proven talent. Rues or Goetze for example
Wenger didn’t address our problems that’s why we didn’t win. As for others we never know but as our finances been not better than liverpool during 2005-14 its no sure shot. I have a strong feeling that Mourinho especially will not in a sell competitive league with this budget. It’s not familiar situation fr him.
Pedro. They spent wisely and have quality all over the pitch.
Typos grr,.
@Joe
We’ve probably been short 2 or 3 really really good 1st team players rather than 1 actually.
So that’s probably £90m of player purchases. Well, that’s fine, we have something very close to that now.
But that assumes that those 2 or 3 players are all successful. And the transfer market doesn’t often work like that. I’d bet 50% of transfers don’t work out. So we’d probably need to spend £150m+ and the increases in wages (say a total of £200m) to get ourselves up to the level of Chelsea / ManC and that’s just in the short term and still no guarantees we’d actually win anything
Sign Reus or Goetze for example…
Because its just that easy
It’s one thing to say we could have done better with the squads we have had but another to claim another manager would have won the league without question
I’ve noticed a few comments about cazorla’s age. For the position he now plays I don’t think it will affect him that much. He’s never relied of pace or power and he’s still one of the most crafty players in the game. Besides Wilshire will be his replacement whenever he decides to leave.
Wow Reus would be awesome addition. But he signed a new deal and with Dortmund back to its best. It’s not likely.
NM
It’s just easier to say fuck it, I won’t buy anyone and keep coming 3/4th. Well it is for Wenger
Fuck man. Show some ambition. If we can sign Ozil and Sanchez and cech. We can sign. Goetze and rues
We are the fucking arsenal
Exactly my point daz.
Joe
Reus was a non starter the moment he signed up again with Dortmund. Dude turned Madrid down apparently. Pedro’s still busted up over that, who isn’t?
Pep and Gotze seem to of come to terms, he’s playing very well this season.
Can’t cherry pick from the elite, isn’t that simple.
What I feel abt Wenger is he had chances to achieve greater things in the past but he blew it. Still can with this squad.
Sal –
Ahhh I do. Like the “Priest ” …. altho, I’ve never been hellbent for leather. I do have a pretty sweet leather jacket in the Max Payne style (video game reference for N5).
Joe
They may have spent wisely and have quality all over the pitch but they aren’t doing very well this season are they?
But I am.
They’ve just built a stadium. Been relegated.
They have no money.
But still made it to a CL final and won how many league titles in a row??
Arsene They were smart against real in cl. Something like we did with Bayern this season. Overall they do not have the quality all over the pitch IMHO.
Pedro of course it’s a reason for not winning..at time of city and Chelsea over spending, tactics was not gona compete against that.. Before this season I believed if we don’t seriously compete for the title then he should go ..
If you spend money wisely and have the right tactics, motivation, in game management, player positioning, better preperatik not you can compete especially as we were always 1-2 players away each season. Not 500 m pounds away. Just 20-50. We could of had Suarez if we had bid another 8-12 million IMO and what a different season that would of been. That’s just one example. Letting Alonso go for a couple million, hazard, the list goes on. No one is asking for 100s of million just money spent wisely on players we needed.
Alexander, he didn’t need money to have better preparation, smarter tactics, a fitness coach with more qualifications than a swimming instructor…
People keep saying that his tactics aren’t smart or that they are one dimensional or even non existent
Look at how he got us to the champions league final
Don’t tell me those were classic wengerball tactics
Signing adebayor wasn’t classic wenger either
Playing bergkamp right wing against lazio in a 2-0 win at Highbury
I would say his biggest failing is the fact he hasn’t signed any vocal leaders until recently
He should sign bamford then 😉
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/managers/jose-mourinho/11956481/Jose-Mourinho-charged-by-FA-for-referee-rant-and-could-be-banned-for-game-that-decides-his-Chelsea-future.html
Made reference to Arsene Wenger
Voyeur much?
Middy
The ultimate cock rocking metal for Sal.
Pedro has finally changed the clock 🙂
What a set of Wheels! Wouldn’t mind giving it a real good ride 😉
http://imgg.mgid.com/1551/1551606_328x328.jpg
I am
You are taking about stuff that happened 10 years ago.
Desperate much.
The players had to install their own tactics v man city last season to produce a result.
How different was signing ade compared to signing Kanu. Wasn’t that crazy of a signing
Joe bit exaggerated
Players didn’t changed tactics. Players opinion changed aw tactics
Gotze and Reus are unattainable? Sadio Mane, Fekir or Brahimi too?
I am arsene
No.point in keeping all those clean sheets on route to the Final and then reverting to type in the Final.
I am, Wenger did adopt tactics for that Champions League run but that wasn’t a regular occurence.
Hence that massive gap where we barely won a game against a top side.
Wenger is doing well in 2015 because he made massive changes behind the scenes to his staff and approach.
Mourhino charged and will most likely have his stadium ban activated for the Saturday Liverpool game.
He’s really f**ked himself up really bad now.
Will his players fight for him?
I’m not so sure.
Wenger’s one and only attempt at tactics was in the 2005 FA Cup Final resulting in a disjointed performance and leaving Bergkamp isolated upfront.
Pedro
But he was doing well also in 2007-2008 and 2010-11. There’s no guarentee that one tactic will only work. I think it’s more down to his stubbornness in other areas rather than just the lack of tactical astuteness.
Wenger’s one and only attempt at tactics was in the 2005 FA Cup Final resulting in a disjointed performance and leaving Bergkamp isolated upfront.
The one he won you plonker redtruth
Aduriz is ridiculous.
34 years old and he keeps on getting better.
14 goals in 16 apps this season now for Athletic Bilbao.
STV, I didn’t say Wenger doens’t play any tactics at all. I’m saying his approach didn’t consider the opposition, his methods were extremely dated and other managers surpassed him and regularly exposed him.
This is a fact. I have no idea why so many people try and debate this. Like his issues against top teams were just down to bad luck.
I got to see Aduriz live against Barca. A really good player.
daz
It’s not the point it was the non performance that was telling, besides which you’re to young to remember anyway.
Shouldn’t of bothered you in the slightest, since the FA cup means fuck all on the Red Truth barometer of importance.
We didn’t really convincingly beat hull in the fa cup final 2 years ago. We are a piece of wood away from being down 3 nil and game over
It doesn’t say much for the competition if a lame duck like Wenger can win the FA Cup in his twilight years
Redtruth you’re funny lol..
Ha red how do you know how old I am? I can clearly remember that game and the final in 06 which IMO had nothing to do with tatics, had Jens not lost his head and Henry not bottled his chances we would have won that game, was Wenger wrong to put his faith into two great players?
“We didn’t really convincingly beat hull in the fa cup final 2 years ago. We are a piece of wood away from being down 3 nil and game over”
Shit happens, as I said above sometimes there is nothing the manager can do about it
He destroyed Barca great in the air also.
Pedro,
One more take out:
Bamford (man city lover)continues to haunt Arsenal blogs.. he has some weird fetish with fawning all over the big money names that he READS about.
Clearly he doesn’t watch matches, or if he does, he doesn’t truly understand what he’s watching.
Also, watch your grammar and spelling with him..
. that he understands very well.
2 nil down in the first 10 minutes comes in preperation and motivation. Wenger as always probably took hull lightly and almost bit us in the ass.
Sal –
Motorhead.. I wish I could say I was brave enough to go to a Motorhead concert back in the day. Closest I can think of is Molly Hatchet. Them boys could party in a Hell ‘ Angels kind of way, too.
Pedro
You missed out offering praise to coq…
Again I thought he had a good no thrills just drills game…
Agreed flam thinks he is a box to box mid now….
Think he is only there as a blanket for Ozil …. You know like in Charlie Brown ….
Birmingham comes to mind
2 nil down in the first 10 minutes comes in preperation and motivation. Wenger as always probably took hull lightly and almost bit us in the ass.
Yeah I would say he prepared for the match in the same way he would any other match against weaker opposition and if you ask redtruth we don’t do to bad against such teams
Id rather not risk theo or cech vs sheffield.
Hull was always going to be a nervy affair considering the trophy drought. Got it over the hump and that was critical.
Villa was a perfect final, attacking without fear. Goals, glory and lots of get down into the very weee hours.
Sanchez blinder summed it up.
What team is his likely tomorrow ?
Will he start Macey in goal ?
Debauchy chambers per Gibbs
Jeff flam rocisky Campbell
Theo yoot
Jeff playing u17s Rosicky still out
Sal meet le my in 86
Production company I worked at was doing a video for him !
I was young only thing I knew was he sang ace of spades …!
30 years on all I know about him is he drinks jack all day an ding ace of spades …
Nice fella tho what I can remember
Cheers stv
That’s a shame about Jeff,,,,
Maybe iwobi then ,,, ?
Don’t do debauchery lol 🙂
Rspc –
9 out of 13 in nfl this week. If Cards win tonight 10 out 14… I feel like Im getting better.
Think somebody said Cech is slated to start Cup match.
Daz
Bradford. B’ham. Monaco. Zagreb. Brentford. Olympiacos. PSV. Do I need to keep going?
Midwest.
I
Am
At 9/14 as well. Needs cards tonight.
I do against the spread in my pool. You?
Joe –
Ya… i pick against spread. Do some casino bets every week. Got screwed by Jaguars,Saints,Chiefs, and Raiders this week.
. Bills, Indy, Atlanta and Pittsburgh for me
I’m
Just wondering if the Ravens can cover
Don’t know abt him rsp. He was in squad against totenham. If he is available he would play I think.
RSPC
I’ve never seen them live… always wanted to. Incredible he’s still going for it. Same age as my mum, and rocking away. Bless him.
Tomorrow, take it back to what the competition should be, a chance for youth. Mixed with some older heads. Rest the full lot.
Macey
Debuchy Gabriel Chambers Gibbs
Arteta Flamini
Oxlade Sheaf Campbell
Iwobi
Joe –
Maybe latest line I saw they are getting 9.5. Still think Cards will be too much for them as long as Palmer stays healthy doesn’t get knocked out. Ravens defense has been terrible as well.
Mid
You around
I’m going to try a new bet this weekend …
Arsenal win btts
Arsenal win to nil
Chelsea win btts
Chelsea win to nil
Mancity win btts
Mancity win to nil
20 bets @ 1
Pays 300 if they win …
All their losses have been close though. Not getting blown out. I’m
Tied with 2 other guys for the weekly win. I’m
Sure they have cards. Just thinking if it’s wise to do Ravens
Common misconception is that we were only 1 or 2 players, £30-40m away from winning the league.
Its very very rarely that easy. You often need multiple players, who are also the right players and available to buy, and for them to succeed AND to stay fit to make that significant difference.
Sal
Like that team would change the Ox for another yoot …
@salparadisenyc
Wenger has said that Cech starts.
Might be interesting to see Sheaf in MF though
nM
It’s what Wenger gets paid 8.5 m
Pounds a season to do. Not sit in millions and millions of pounds and not
Compete and just give up and not try anything
Rspc –
Ahhhh so btts or cleansheet? Could be interesting.
Anyone watch the walking dead?
Samesong-
No…I know a lot of people who do. (My brother and his crew). I’ll probably binge watch it someday.
@Joe
How do you know what the terms of Wenger’s contract and job description are?
He could be tasked with doing the best for the club while not taking financial risks that could backfire etc.etc.
Clearly the board and owner (who DO know what his role is)are extremely happy with him, so it doesn’t seem like they’re upset he hasn’t spent all that extra money
The amount of money Wenger has spent in the last few seasons shows he is not limited in his spending.
He brought in Kallstrom when he knew we needed someone
It’s his stubborn philosophy that he wants to do it on the cheap to show everyone he can. And he’s failed. To the detriment of supporters all over the world.
If he fails to win the league this season he should step down as he bought no one. Not one single outfield players showing he thinks this squad is good enough.
It’s on him.
A manager at a top club should have one job
Compete to win the league every Fucken year.
Mid
Yeah covering all bases
Only thing is the teams have to win an you pay for a lot of bets that don’t come in just to get a double / treble up …
Anyone watching scream queens ?
Joe
Agree with your points on Wenger but we are lumbered for the time being…
As much as he annoys me would love to win the league more than anything this year …
So would I but why make it harder by not buying an outfield player when we have millions on millions to spend.
It just sets up to fail no matter what’s happening right now.
I would love to win the league this season
But you just know we are going to come up short and wonder what if we bought a couple players
And by short I’d say we will be 10 points off by end of the season
RSPC,
me! U got to love d douche that is Chad tradwell.lol. Emma roberts too
Pedro, according to you:
‘Money is important in winning, but it’s a bit weak to pretend it’s the most important. It’s also ignorant to say that’s the reason we haven’t competed.’
Of course it’s the most important factor in winning. If you don’t get that, you don’t it at all. The clubs that spend the most, win the most. End of story.
Look, it’s good that you’ve changed your tune of late and become a wenger fan. If you think arsenal’s upturn in form is because wenger has mysteriously rediscovered his tactical nous,that’s fine. If, like more level headed arsenal fans, you have put two and two together and realised that no club can win a major honour without heavy investment in players that’s also fine. If you want to be taken seriously however, try and stick to one line of argument.
I am arsene, ‘smarter tactics’, better preparation’..it’s all so vague. Please specify.
Wenger had no money to spend at all from approx. 2006 to 2012. Maybe longer. Man u, chelsea and city spent hundreds of millions during this period. Also, liverpool massively outspent us and during some seasons, so did spurs, villa, sunderland and others . Arsenal fc were one of the lowest nett spenders during this enforced ‘austerity period’. Exactly how we were supposed to land premiership titles and champions leagues is a mystery to me and I suspect to you too. Wenger did remarkably well to keep us top four.
Remarkably well to keep us in the top 4
You talk so much shit Alexander. Top 4 should be a bare minimum he achieves. Not the top achievement.
.Wenger is doing well in 2015 because he made massive changes behind the scenes to his staff and approach”
I think that’s bollocks … I think it’s just luck with injuries. I bet it you went back and looked at all of Wenger’s decent runs they coincide with good runs of squad health. Once Alexis has been run into the ground the worm will once again turn.
If, like more level headed arsenal fans”
Ugh!! I bet you could spend all night at a swingers party swigging sparkling pellegrini 3rd talking the finer aspects of a tank tops and the time you rallied behind the Greenham Common dykes with a hard leaflet campaign. Do some gak off a hookers arse sometime and learn to live a bit xxxx
Where’s all the Mourinho ring sniffers!? The special one has lost his touch a bit wot wot…looks a right fucking cunt at the moment. Mainly because that’s what he is. Not so many plastic chavs filling this site up recently. I’m surprised ….
‘Arsenal best placed as Premier League title race hits fascinating phase’
http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2015/oct/26/arsenal-premier-league-title-race-manchester-united-city
Let’s have a change in topic. Which youngster do we want to see against Sheffield.
I am thinking Ben Sheaf. He can play as a CB or as DM. Looks very calm and could distribute the ball very well.
Another one to look for is Iwobi. Built like a tank and very forceful with his play.
Krystan Bielik might get a shot on the bench. His style is more like Coquelin, he looks pretty mobile.
“Wenger had no money to spend at all from approx. 2006 to 2012. ”
I think it has more to do with placing key responsibilities on the wrong players.
Adebayor attitude sucked. But his replacement, Bendter, attitude sucks too.
Gallas was a talented footballer but lousy captain. His various replacements include, Senderous (sigh), Djourou (talented but not a defender), Squillaci (not cut out for EPL) and Vermaleen (injured, always).
In the goal keeping department, there was Alumunia and Fabianski; both not consistent enough.
In the DM departmnet, Wenger turned to Denilson and Alex Song.
The overall theme running through is the lack of professionalism. The squad was heavy with attacking talent and just merely ok in defense. Plus the whole bunch were a bunch of brats.
You just need to look at the current Arsenal backline to see that none of the 4 were big $$ purchases. But ALL of them are impressing.
In the middle you have Santi (who is admittedly world class and someone we stole on a cheap) but Coquelin costs nada. Same with the previous working pairs of Ramsey and Arteta, they costs little $$.
In other words, Wenger screwed up, but made amends.
I would say persisting with Almunia was his biggest mistake. Cost is countles s points by himself. So much so that he made Szchesny look like Peter Cech in his first couple of years..
During his confrontation with Moss at the half-time interval, Mourinho is understood to have said:
“Arsene Wenger was right, you are fucking soft.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/managers/jose-mourinho/11956481/Jose-Mourinho-charged-by-FA-for-referee-rant-and-could-be-banned-for-game-that-decides-his-Chelsea-future.html
Moaninho has lost the plot. The man is obsessed
Goondawg, that’s for sure ! At this rate,Wenger might need to get a restraining order against the eye-gouger.
I think this will be close…
Cech
Debuchy – Chambers – Mertesacker – Gibbs
Bielik – Flamini
Ox – Sheaf – Iwobi
Campbell
not sure if Sheaf will start, but have been impressed the few times I’ve seen him. shame Reine-Adelaide is away. i’d imagine Bielik & Iwobi are the two closest to the first team.
still in moderation?
’bout time!
me hopes Mr.Wenger takes the milk cup more serious than usual. past two cup victors gone on to win the big domestic trophy. maybe there’s a link.
maureen, Terry, Costa, the dodgy Russian owner, the racist plastic flag wavers all a match made in hell. hope they go down in flames.
Wallace
Sheaf is a deep lying mid or centre back.
Goondawg
Thanks for the link. Its delicious.
Dark Hei
Oh, the clips I’ve seen he’s been driving forward through the middle and playing some pretty sexy passes. Figured he was more CM than AM but was struggling to come up with a credible option for the ‘Ozil role’.
Ox Chambo has to get a 3 week sidelining. Why not try Campbell instead. Doesn’t he deserve a try-in?
A few FACTS to add to discussion.
1. In the ‘no money’ days, Arsenal did not lose titles to Chelsea and Man City, from 2007 – 2009, Man Utd won the league three times. They weren’t spending money like no tomorrow. Chelsea spent like mad to win in 2005 and 2006, Man City in 2012 and 2014. Man Utd won 5 titles between 2007 and 2013, so all arguments about competing must be couched in terms of ‘could we compete with man Utd?’
2. In 2008, Arsenal were top of the league and in the QFs of the Champions League when having ‘no money’. The team had a midfield of Diaby, Fabregas, Flamini, Gilberto and Hleb, with Denilson, Rosicky etc on the sidelines. Adebayor was scoring 30 goals in a season and Eduardo was besting the league until his leg got broken and, if you have to say ‘what crap’, I guess you focussed on Senderos and Almunia, since Clichy, Toure and Sagna weren’t so bad, were they? A goalkeeper and a centre half would have made Arsenal champions, but they were not signed. Arsenal had the money to sign what was necessary……
3. The 2006 run to Champions League final coincided with Martin Keown, a defender who knew how to defend, coaching the team in defence. Surprisingly, they learned from a defender who knew how to defend and showed on the pitch how to defend. They lost the final due to Henry missing two sitters, if brutal truth be exposed (which isn’t because football is not about truth but about creating ‘heroes’ whose frailties are conveniently forgotten about). Even with Lehmann being sent off…..Keown was not rewarded with a full-time contract or even a rolling consultancy contract for his work and why that is the case is one of the more farcical aspects to the history of Arsenal under Arsene Wenger….
4. Liverpool reached two Champions League finals, winning one of them, on budgets lower than Arsenal had. They spent their money on the team because their club has priority one in its DNA as ‘winning the biggest trophies’. It doesn’t have ‘having a strong balance sheet’ as priority one. Having a solvent balance sheet is about priority three at Liverpool. They won 18 league titles and 5 European Cups through having a winning attitude pervading through all levels of their club……
5. Spurs reached a QF of the Champions League with resources vastly less than Arsenal. Vastly less. They beat AC Milan over two legs and took Inter to the cleaners in a Group Game. If Spurs get to QFs, Arsenal should get to SFs at least, pound for pound, all else being equal…….
6. Arsenal did better in the Champions League ‘without a budget’ than they do now with ‘a competitive budget’. You don’t have to be Einstein to ask a simple question: WHY?? Has European football got inestimably stronger or have Arsenal become European pussy cats getting f**ked by dominant tom-cats because they spent the last 4 years ‘discovering their inner feminine sides’? Dinamo Zagreb, Olympiakos, Anderlecht don’t have budgets to compete with Arsenal and Monaco certainly don’t have one to blow Arsenal out of the water. What they all had was passion on the night and a plan to win the game.
These are all non-negotiable FACTS.
Whether it worth arguing about all that is one for others to decide.
My view is this: for whatever reason, Arsenal are doing quite well at the beginning of this season. They have a relatively benign league programme in November and must take full advantage of it. They have a relatively benign league schedule this year with no horror runs of fixtures. They must take advantage of it. They are getting closer to having competition for places all across the pitch and they must take advantage of that through rotating appropriately – hopefully Wenger has pencilled in ‘rogering the wife/GF senseless’ into the schedules of Ozil and Sanchez for tomorrow night……
But I am also of the firm opinion that the birth of a title child is a long way off and all that has happened so far is that the dipstick test has suggested pregnancy is underway and a visit to the GP has been scheduled in a couple of weeks time. The first scan takes place the day City come to the Emirates……..
Arsenal in.
Wenger out.
Goooooooooooooood morning Grovers!!
Rhys
Free with some of your points
However
1. We signed William gallas that season.
He was one of the best defenders in Europe at the time.
The big mistake was making him captain.abd giving him the no10 Jersey
He sabotaged our title run that year and ruined squad morale.
2. Our future list has been a little kinder this year than previous seasons
But other previous champions have prospered from kind run ins.
Why complain? If we win the league we still will have to gain more points than all of the other sides.
Rhys
“Liverpool reached two Champions League finals, winning one of them, on budgets lower than Arsenal had. They spent their money on the team because their club has priority one in its DNA as ‘winning the biggest trophies’. It doesn’t have ‘having a strong balance sheet’ as priority one. Having a solvent balance sheet is about priority three at Liverpool. They won 18 league titles and 5 European Cups through having a winning attitude pervading through all levels of their club……”
Liverpool have spent/pissed up the wall way more on players than we have the last 10yrs. don’t be confusing the excellently run club of the 70s and 80s with the one that’s got US investors taking it in turns to pump in millions just to keep them from falling even further behind than they have already.
Wenger signed Gallas and made him captain…
Also
Man United
We’re spending
£30m on Rooney
£32m on berbatov
£30m on tevez
£17m on Nani
£17m on Anderson
£20m on Hargreaves
£20m on carrick
We could not not compete with that. Nowhere near that level of spending
Te most astute signings they made was ronaldo and vander sar
Maybe vidic too but the rest they bought every bit as much as Chelsea and city
“But I am also of the firm opinion that the birth of a title child is a long way off and all that has happened so far is that the dipstick test has suggested pregnancy is underway and a visit to the GP has been scheduled in a couple of weeks time. The first scan takes place the day City come to the Emirates……..”
Oh my . .
And Spurs were out spending is and still were up until this summer really.
£18m on bent anyone?
Rambo
Who wrote that?
the fella with the long post with all them points, one that calls himself Jagger
Oh
How embarrassing
What a disgusting analogy…..
Comparing losing a title to losing an unborn baby.
Christ that’s grim
indeed although finding meself a wee bit curious how the fella follows up the story. how might he factor in the sex of the child if the test result’s found positive ?
“It’s Arsene [Wenger],” the scout said. “He’s so indecisive it’s frightening. …”
http://www.thesecretfootballer.com/articles/tsf-diary/29031/setting-the-agenda-massimo-cellino-son-heung-min-tim-sherwood-phil-jagielka/#slide-2
I suspect that was what David Dein did for Arsenal (amongst other things); make the decisions or force Arsene to.
Wallace how comes jeff is away ?
Surely club comes before country at that level ?
I am
Rebrov 13 m
Armstrong 11m
Goon dawg
At least Jose agrees with wenger now ?
He is alleged to have said to ref
Wenger was right you are fucking soft ,
Good to know we have a game today.. hope we get to see some jungsters play for a change.. and please bloody rest Alexis and ozil..