I have to say SORRY for not attending the match review yesterday, I headed back to New York and didn’t have the time.
However, I did take in the Blackpool game. Miserable on so many levels, right? I’m not talking about the football, but more looking at a half-empty stadium half-full of fans who’ve been absolutely mugged off by that weird looking owner of theirs (defo wouldn’t want to peak at his internet history, or venture into his basement).
I’m not much of a protectionist, but I have to say, when it comes to football clubs, I really think the UK government should get involved to stop dickheads taking over and destroying things. I don’t know how you go about doing that, but football really is so much more than a business. It doesn’t even work like a business (clubs almost never die either). It’s all for the people and the communities. To do what he’s done is an assault on the town.
The game wasn’t up to much. Laurent K pulled out before the game throwing our defence into a shambles. I was surprised he didn’t opt for one of the kids to step into his shoes, but there you go.
It’s hard to lose your mind over a game against Blackpool, but it was thrilling to see Joe Willock grab two goals. I was a bit gutted for Eddie, he’s a very exciting player but he made some bad decisions in front of goal. He did work hard though, and here’s the important point: at least he was finding the positions and the runs to miss. Goals will come. Wouldn’t it be immense to have a striker in the ranks who could deliver that came from the academy? NOT HAPPENED IN OVER 30 YEARS.
Iwobi also had a positive impact on the game and I thought AMN looked very good in midfield in that more advanced position.
My big hope with the latest batch of young players coming through is that we see some growth with them towards the back end of the season. We can’t fall in love with another group only to see them all fuck off to Hull, Swansea and Birmingham (god damn it, I miss you Fran Merida). We have to see some progress, otherwise some serious questions need to be raised about the state of our academy. The production rate has been utterly pitiful over the last 20 years. The club need to move away from excuse making when it comes to the academy. Making it work is about hiring the best people, giving them the best young players and having a coaching setup that can build them into smart footballers and good humans.
KIT TIME:
Hmmm…
I was not immediately in the firm zone when I saw them.
However, the computer kits look nicer and I’m sure they’ll look way better on a human. A very solid start and the colours feel right, I like the blue that they’ve brought back into the mixer and you know they’ll make them to a high-quality (please, no plastic badge).
The Denis Suarez story continues to rumble on. Part of me feels a bit miffed that we’re losing someone like Ramsey and bringing in someone who feels less effective. However, hard to say Ramsey has had an impact on our season up until now. It’s not like we’re shipping out a powerhouse contributor to the first team. We’re hiring in a better technician out wide who can knit midfield and attack together with more efficiency. So really, it’s an upgrade on where we are.
I have no idea what we’re going to do with the defence. It’s clear that LK and NM are going to be injured most of the season. Mavrapanos needs to hurry up and get back into the squad and hopefully prove he’s more than a 4 game wonder. We were all very excited about him when he played last year. He’s very big, he’s quick on his feet and he has a lot of composure about his game. Forget that red card.
More and more, it looks like the second half of the season is going to be about stretching old men way too far, or blooding the kids and giving an honest appraisal of how hard we have to work the pound notes this summer.
I’m gunning for all the kids.
I really do detest the muppets online who try and destroy teenagers because they’re not Leo Messi after two games. Players rarely come fully formed. It takes time to adapt to the tactics, fitness levels and technical expectations of the league. The guys can grow if they’re given the chance. We can’t be writing them off after a dodgy touch in the FA Cup. Young players grow. Thierry Henry and PV04 were in no-mans-land before they came to us, then they exploded. Why? Because they were given room to grow.
I’d rather have a kid with a high ceiling than an expensive journeyman who has hit their peak.
Right, that’s me done, see you in the comments you beautiful people. x
Following the Liverpool debacle, it was hardly surprising that Arsenal should start nervously, and it didn’t help that the back five comprised a Greek tragedy wedged between two braying donkeys, a 21-year-old right wing back being played out of position and a left wing back that is to defending what Sam Allardyce is to total football. In front of them was perched a 19-year-old and the perpetually concussed Granit Xhaka. Everywhere those seven players looked they saw a mistake waiting to happen. Sorry, but trying to coach discipline into that lot is like to trying to win a sack race… Read more »
Guns of SF
If you love music give this club a try in Paris, bee going there since the late 70s whenever in Paris.:
https://www.lesbains-paris.com/en/club
Worth adding to your to do list.
All you well traveled blokes seriously need to get a room with your collective nostaglia 😉
Joe There is nothing Pierre can offer except to be at his trolling best. Sums the situation up perfectly for Gazidis, Wenger and especially Ozil. One of my earliest posts here was about my mistrust of Gazidis and Pedro called me out on it – wrongly of course. The Thai’s firmly believe in Karma and the 3 aformentioned are due bucket loads. Probably could include Pierre in that as well for all hius disingenuous wind ups and trolling. So apart from waiting to see what the Sven & Raul show produce this month, isn’t Wenger supposed to be choosing his… Read more »
Sounds like this Charlie George guy,is Northern Gooner or Uruguayan Pitbull on an absolute wind up..Seems he was trolling the blog for attention and kicks.Apparently everyone fell for his patter.
Basically this is his two fingers up at Pedro and the blog,for the New Year..
don’t see how English means cheap. Unless you buy them when they are unknown. Hell even ox went for 40m and I don’t know how to get a better English player that would cost less.
The idea that if you buy from la liga, it’s always cheaper was a given. Santi was a steal, as was monreal. the german league hasn’t been kind to us though, with shits like xhaka and mustafi.
So I don’t see how we can buy English unless it’s at a premium.
I think Mustafi came from Valencia
Mustafi wouldn’t command £15m if he’s sold to a Spanish or German club. Best try our luck with one of next season’s promoted clubs.
Mental that Gazidis and Wenger made fkin Ozil diamond and gave him 350k pw. They you see Mkhitaryan collecting a fat 180k pw. How in the world did this happen?! Why did it happen?! ”
Desperation.
So funny how everyone seems so shocked that Mhki isn’t some superstar.
What about never playing for UTD made you think he’d come here and suddenly be a star?
What about never playing for UTD made you think he’d come here and suddenly be a star?
Maybe the fact he moved for between 27-30m pounds to United with one year left on his deal??
Tits I never wanted that deal in any way shape or form. Said Mhiki would be a waste of time and money. Pierre kept bleating on about how good Mhiki was and how he’d be a star for us. Then Mhiki had that one off game agaist such a piss poor Everton and Pierre was wetting himself with his “I told you sos”. Mhiki then reverted to his ManU form or lack of it and the rest is history. Mhiki turned out to be exactly what he is; a United reject who Wenger and Gazidis were duped into believing He… Read more »
Looking at Arsenal’s current squad you have to ask some questions about what is today our best and most effective starting X1. At the moment the only players when MATCH FIT who would be guaranteed a starting X1 position are in my view Leno, Bellerin, Torreira, Xhaka and Aubameyang. In normal circumstances I would add Lacazette to the list as well, but Emery seems reluctant to play two strikers up front. The rest of our squad are basically fighting for a place in team often dependent on rotation or fitness. Our centre backs are frankly very average and we have… Read more »
Joe Emery will be gone before Ozil … The Arsenal truth articles are getting more and more desperate due to years of wanting Wenger out and blaming him for everything ,the reality is now setting in that we haven’t got money to spend ( let’s blame ozil) …our defence is the worse it’s ever been ,despite buying 5 defensive minded players and the manger hasn’t a clue how-to set up a team defensively ..plus he hasn’t a clue how to get the best out of our very talented offensive players . Players look tired ,fatigued and are picking up injuries… Read more »
I asked you this before and you failed to respond Pierre. Where was this critique when Wenger was subbing Laca in most games. even when we needed a goal. Does that qualify for messing Laca about?
Far from a fan of Paul Merson but he made some extremely valid points when asked how close Arsenal are to challenging for the league. From needing to bring in six or seven players , and not just players with potential or hunting for bargains but players who have a proven track record . On top of that Merson talked about how in every discussion a player, be it a current Arsenal contracted player or indeed a player targeted by the club the impact of Ozil break the bank contract will be a feature in the discussions. He then talked… Read more »
Let’s completely ignore facts in the name of trolling shall we. Lacazette in the whole of the 2017/18 season in the Premier League played the full 90 minutes on a grand total of 10 times. This season he has already played the 90 8 times but there was no dissent from Mr Pierre last season about the “treatment” of Laca was there? How many times was Laca hooked off when we needed a goal last season. I’m sure I recall Laca playing for less than half an hour against Liverpool away at Anfield 4-0 down on the left wing despite… Read more »
Manure cunts at home in the FA Cup.
Welcome back (again) to trophyless years lol
“The frightening conclusion was that in Mersons opinion a league title is maybe a couple of decades away”
Im sorry, I love Merse, but this is way off.
You wouldve said Liverpool were ‘decades away’ just a few years ago.
We can challenge for the PL in 2-3 years if we get things right.
leftside
don’t expect an answer from Pierre, he’ll do what he does best when the narrative goes against him, disappear. See him ‘re appear in a couple hours with another shit post about how ozil is the victim.
Charlie George is a migrant from Arsenal,Truth and Untold.
He’s been spewing his nonsense for a long time. Even if you don’t agree with him, at least give him some credit for being consistently deluded.
Tony Just because you and joe regard Mhkitaryan as a bad signing doesn’t mean that is the case . There is more to whether a player is a good or a bad player than just what you see on the pitch . The manager has a big say in how a player performs and this is often overlooked. You and that fountain of football knowledge(joe) question Mhkitaryan’s performance as you have the right to …if I was assessing him I would say he hasn’t been brilliant,that’s for sure , but he has been nowhere near as poor as some are… Read more »
I will say one thing for Charlie George, he is extreme, but I do think you get a certain benefit from having a core of home grown players.
Ideally you would want them to be academy graduates, but if not bring young UK players in at 18-19 and keep them for most of their career.
The great teams of recent years, Barca, Bayern & Man Utd all had a real core of home made players.
I always remember Thierry saying he really understood the values of Arsenal due to training with Tony Adams and Martin Keown, where they were relentless.
I will say one thing for Charlie George, he is extreme, but I do think you get a certain benefit from having a core of home grown players.
Arsenal have tried that recently..with the British core
Ramsey can be considered a success if you ignore the fact he is leaving on a free.
Chamberlain left the first chance he got albeit for good money
The rest were monumental failures, Jenkinson a disaster
Gonsterous
“don’t expect an answer from Pierre, he’ll do what he does best when the narrative goes against him, disappear. See him ‘re appear in a couple hours with another shit post about how ozil is the victim”
Have you ever heard of the saying ” ask a stupid question ” ….well it is a stupid question as Leftsidesanch hasn’t a clue if I criticised wenger for not playing or substituting Lacazette …..
Why don’t you go through the history of le grove to see if I criticised wenger regarding Lacazette if you are so hung about it ….
The simple answer is, you didn’t. Don’t let that get in the way of your double standards and agenda you got brewing over there though Pierre.
Receding
Thats because Wenger was the man making decisions.
Walcott was never good enough, Chamberlian was a good signing that didnt improve, Wenger ruined Wilshere by playing him 50 times as an 18 year old, and Jenkinson and Gibbs were always shit.
Im not talking about signing any old English player for the sake of it.
Im talking about signing high quality UK players.
You point to the “disaster” that was the British Core, while completely ignoring how important Seaman, Adams, Keown, Bould, Dixon, Winterburn, Parlour, Merson, Wright were.
“We can challenge for the PL in 2-3 years if we get things right.”
@gambon : this optimism don’t sounds like you.
Please stop drugs.
Pierre I am an AKB, but that does not mean we need to pull Emery down. He is a dude jetted into the hot seat as the most logical choice because the board chickened out of the Gazidis pick. Forget about the BS about Emery’s extensive expert knowledge of every Arsenal player during the interview. If he is so magical, he would already have worked our 350k talent into the squad in his own terms. He was clearly picked because someone read twitter and decided the fanbase would go crazy if Arteta was appointed. Now regarding your question about defense,… Read more »
You point to the “disaster” that was the British Core, while completely ignoring how important Seaman, Adams, Keown, Bould, Dixon, Winterburn, Parlour, Merson, Wright were.
You misunderstand me. I am not of the school of thought who believe English players aren’t good enough. Far from it.
I actually thing we ought to employ a scout well versed in the lower leagues of English football with an eye of talent, we all know Sven hunts in Europe, Arsenal also need someone closer to home, i was just pointing out that Arsenal have actually tried the British core thing before.
gambon
There was never an English core.
It was a mere marketing gimmick to handle the fallout of Fabregas and Nasri leaving.
They just happen to have 5 English players in their squad. Hack any team can pull that off.
I mean who the hell believes Jenkinson is a “core” player when he was never even a starter. He was Sagna’s backup.
And when Sagna left, he was Debuchy and Bellerin’s backup. He was 3rd choice backup for 1 position.
Terraloon Like you I do not take too seriously anything that Merson says, because frankly this ex footballer is brain dead from the waist up. However, as I pointed out earlier this morning we have at most five players in our current squad guaranteed a place in starting lineup when fit. When I look at how Emery has selected teams this season there is also uncertainty about the formation and balance of the team. At the moment I will give him the benefit of doubt that we are still in experimentation mode to find the best modus operandi. However, my… Read more »
No intended disrespect to Jenks.
I am one of the few that thinks he is decent; as 3rd choice.
so first pierre says emery is too attacking minded to help us defensively. Now he’s saying emery is too defensive for our attacking players?..which is it pierre?. Maybe emery is just trying to get the balance right? And our players aren’t good enought?. You work that out old man!
Dark Hei
You are joking. Jenkinson has been with club since 2010-11 season and is now aged 26. The idea that he is still on our books and costing £45K pw for his level
of performance and number of games he plays is ridiculous.
This player could not make the grade last season at Birmingham so why on earth would you expect him to do so at Arsenal? If Arsenal need a third option
to play at RWB I would opt for Maitland-Niles who is a significantly better
footballer and also more versatile.
3rd choice ball boy?
No intended disrespect to Jenks. I am one of the few that thinks he is decent; as 3rd choice.
Really…so we are meant to have 2 players for every position??
3 players for every position i meant to say
pedro
Jenkinson is the man. Riding out a 4 year 45 grand a week contract till the bitter end takes skill. He grew up supporting Arsenal, his grandad was a season ticket holder for over 50 years.
Any of us here would do exactly the same as him.
Interesting fixtures coming up.
Jan 12 West Ham (A)
Jan 19 Chelsea (H)
Jan 25 Manure (H) FAC
Jan 28 Cardiff (H)
Feb 3 Man City (A)
Four games in the space of 15 days, with three of the being vs top teams. It would be 11 days of rest when we face West Ham for most of our starters/main players (a bit more for than 11 for Ozil obviously). Our legs have looked tired ever since that good win vs spuds. I hope the players get back to their energy levels from the beginning of the campaign.
Very interesting report today that Arsenal have approached Edu to become Football Director at Arsenal. He was previously Football Director at Corinthians and is now Technical Director with Brazil FA
I remember Edu as a very gifted but injury prone footballer at Arsenal. By all accounts a footballer who was a cut above average in intelligence.
If such an appointment were made it would most likely provide Arsenal with
much better info about South American Football in general and Brazil in particular.
This is certainly a market which should be of interest to Arsenal in future.
The common consensus on le grove is that Ozil is a player who throws a sickie a number of times a season and only basically plays when he feels like it . Let’s have a look at the figures to see if this is true ….I will use the last 5 full seasons as a guide to see if Ozil picks and chooses when he wants to play or is it just a made up l pile of bullshit. I think it is fair to say that if you use the number of games played during this 5 year period… Read more »
Using Pierre’s “most appearances” stats, Ozil is the most responsible for Arsenal’s downward spiral in the league these last 5 years. We’ve been steadily getting worse year-on-year, and Ozil has played the most during that time. Coincidence? I think not.
Thanks, Ozil.
Remember when we could have sold Jenkinson for 10m to West Ham in 2015 before the market prices went crazy and that was actually excellent money. What about Chambers to Crystal Palace for 20m?
Yes, both players are probably not worth 1/3rd of that at the moment.
Just another day of Gazidis and Wenger, the pair of dreams!
Another piece of evidence – why our disparate trilogy of inexperienced policy makers (raul/emery/diamond eye) are not fit for purpose. Spurs 31 year old Dembele ( out of contract ,this season) has been sold for 10 million. Are these inept people- not going to re-appraise the Ramsey contract Get it signed and sealed – and then they will have a tangible asset to sell. This Ramsey contract withdrawal will be the defining moment of their Arsenal stay. NO OTHER COMPETENT CLUB IN THE WORLD WOULD ALLOW OUR 28 YEAR ,LONG STANDING PLAYER – GO FOR NOTHING. If ,he goes to… Read more »
Raptora Jenkinson, we could have sold Chambers for about £20 Million, we could have sold Campbell for about £15 Million after the World Cup, we left Sanchez and Ozil to run their deals down and called it ‘ideal’. There was an article today about City making £137 Million off of selling young players who have hardly played for them. We have been shambolic with money and in the transfer market. Wenger’s stubborn refusal to enter the transfer market and his rapidly declining ability as a manager hurt us on the field and off it. Increasingly clear that Gazidis didn’t know… Read more »
There’s was a time when we could have gotten a decent fee from Jenks.
He had a very good loan stint at Westham and they wanted him but we quoted an insane fee.
We missed the boat, it seems…same as with Joel Campbell
Jamie…
You forgot to mention the 3 trophies we have won during his time at the club considering we had been trophyless for 9 or thereabouts years before he arrived at the club .
Remember when we could have sold Jenkinson for 10m to West Ham in 2015 before the market prices went crazy
———————————————
Jenkinson refused to move because he would’ve had to take a cut in salary.
Good for him.
Despite its great and storied history, Pierre, the FA Cup is a minor trophy. It does not begin to compare to the PL or CL trophies. Wenger went some ten years without even contending for the PL; the three FA Cup titles do not in any way compensate for this. Not in my opinion, at least. It’s the big trophies that matter to the big clubs, and Arsenal are a big club, or at least, we’re supposed to be.
Carrasco is apparently unlikely on account of both the fee the Chinese club would be looking for and his salary expectations.
Pierre, I don’t know how did you came up with this data, but fuck me, either you are add the NT games that the players have played which we, as Arsenal fans, give two fucks about, or your data is just plain wrong and you are lying yet again. Did a quick wikipedia research for just the following players for games played in their clubs not their NT in the last 5 full seasons aka 2013/14 till 2017/18: Koscielny – 204 Monreal – 201 Xhaka – 201 Ozil – 198 Giroud before he became a sub in his last season… Read more »
Wenger has not had a say on transfers for ages. It was Raul – who swapped Miki for Sanchez- when Bailly was a better bet. It was Raul who extended Xhaka/Elnenys contract- BUT WITHDREW RAMSEY’S It was Raul -who undersold Giroud to Chelsea.£18mill?? It was Raul who bought the 34 year old Lichesteiner and at the same time let Chambers go. It was Raul who bought Leno for 21 mill But was asleep when Prem League proven Fabianski went for 7 mill It is Raul who sanctioned Ozils contract as much as the clueless Gazidas It is Raul who has… Read more »
It was Raul – who chose EMERY
(With Gazidas,mind)
Who no one ,wanted on here as their Arsenal manger.
Auba was averaging 46,8 apps before he moved to us last winter or 234 in total. Giroud with 45,4 average before he moved to Chelsea. Alexis at 48 apps kills it all.
Try again Pierre, with Ozil and his 39 apps per season.
You just know that the 6-8 games he’s missed compared to his partners in attack, was through phantom injuries. Let’s give the guy 350k, boyz. What a wonderful idea!
Raptora
The fact is ,ozil has played more competitive football matches than any other present Arsenal player and of course international matches should be included as they are competitive matches .
In fact a lot of players make excuses for not turning up for internationals so by including them it is confirmation that his attitude is good.
How do people feel about facing United in the next round of the FA Cup? Given their turn-around under Solksjaer, this match will be a lot more interesting, IMO, than it would have been if Mourinho were still there. I also think Solksjaer is going to have the United players massively primed for this match. While his main aim is to finish top four, I imagine he will see the FA Cup as a good opportunity to restore some shine to the United platform (and to add some shine to his managerial resume).
CG
False. Sanllehi started in February of 2018. The Sanchez-Mkhitaryan deal and the Ozil deal were done in January of 2018.
Bamford
I reckon we will lose that match.
Same
Same (no pun intended)
Pierre: “In fact a lot of players make excuses for not turning up for internationals so by including them it is confirmation that his attitude is good.” He’s been a top professional for his German team. That professional that he was willing to get the much needed rest from playing that many games FOR HIS NATIONAL TEAM, by missing 6-8 games on the average FOR HIS FOOTBALL TEAM more than the other starters in attack and through colds, ills and phantom back problems that get fixed within a week time. Build him a statue in front of our stadium. Next… Read more »
Player power, or, should I say, Agent power, is ruining the game we all love. Owners should cotton on to the fact that there are now far too many players and their agents, holding the clubs to ransom. They should therefore build specific and clear clauses into contracts that protect them from situations like the ” Ozil debacle” The governing bodies should also be clamping down on this as, ultimately, it is the fans who suffer. Serious reviews and actions need to be implemented to avoid the game, we love, being consumed by these parasites(agents). Players should be paying the… Read more »
Raptora
I do understand how difficult it is for you to accept that Ozil is top of the list …the figures are correct …check it out .
Made me smile that you are so desperate to undermine ozil that you are using ex arsenal players.
Next you will be using fucking David Oleary and Geordie Armstrong as proof that Ozil has a poor attitude to playing.
I wonder why no body talks about the club owner, Kroenke. In the best of time, this so called s – s model could be O.K. According to all the reports (which I still have some doubt), our club is skint. Emery has tried very hard to keep our team to be relevant. I am afraid that without the support from the owner, we won’t be able to complete and get into top 4. My guess is that Raul knew the financial state of the club all along. He is too coward to stick his neck out and ask Kroenke… Read more »
Ozil has a great attitude. It’s not like he goes missing in games.
I think there’s not too much between the two teams as things stand. Difference is literally that they have a lot of speed going forward with Martial and Rashford, not even counting Alexis. And Pogba who is miles above any midfield player we have. I think we’ll do well though. If it was an away game I’d think we’d lose. But it’s a home game and I think we should be able to do well. 55/45 game in our favor I think. Depends how well we do with their fast and tall players. I believe that we’ll score goals versus… Read more »
Arsenal/ MU will be interesting.
What teams will messrs Emery and Solskjaer put out?
Bamford
“Despite its great and storied history, Pierre, the FA Cup is a minor trophy. It does not begin to compare to the PL or CL trophies. ”
Oh thanks for telling me ..and there I was thinking the FA cup was more prestigious than the champions league or the league title.
Bamford
Re: are u saying had Raul had nothing to do with last year’s January transfer window fiasco?
His officials datsemight have been Feb
But his mitts were on those poor Jan transactions
Even if u are right- which I can’t see.And
Gazidas did the deals.
Gazidas s judgment is flawed to say the least.
Gazidas chose the disparate trilogy.
I have no faith in anything Gazidas has done at Arsenal
Pierre
Love Ozil all you like. Throw statistics at us all. Highlight his obvious talent.
Unfortunately, it won’t change a thing.
Graham
Both will put out the strongest team as possible…..it’s a massive game in Arsenal’s season .
Both teams at full strength, at the Emirates, 50/50 game.
I’ve a feeling though we may see a few changes in both camps. If that’s the case, it just favours Man U.
Graham
of course it won’t …I have no worries about fans calling him a wimp and wanting him to be more positive in front of goal but all this rubbish about fake injuries doesn’t add up.
Criticise him when hes playing, not when he is injured……averaging over 50 games a season for club and country over the last 5 years are not the figures of someone with an attitude towards playing.
Spurs are the best run club in England. The people who recruit their managers and players are British. They have an English spine Trippier Kane Ali Rose Dier Winks They buy players with prem experience Sisoko Alderweld Llorente Demeble Davies They have their overseas STARDUST to Son Eriksson Sanchez But blended with the above They do not give 28 year old players to Juve- FOR NOTHING We have a disparate and totally inepxpreinced regime running our club They all need to go- before they do insurmountable damage.. Southgate/Ashworth know English football We play in England If we ever get into… Read more »
Refusing to sell Joel Campbell is one of the most ridiculous things i remember Wenger doing.
Turned down a £10m bid, then kept loaning him out
Its not like we turned the bid down because we thought he was essential.
Wenger just didnt know what he was doing.
Graham
The way I see it is, we should focus on the cup competitions and that’s what I think Emery will do as he is a .manager that likes winning trophies .
Top 4 ,forget it unless he cures our defence but I can’t see that happening…
If we end up the season conceding more goals than anytime in the last 25 years , it will be a damning indictment on Emery’s tactics……no one would have ever believed that would happen.
Wenger always took the lazy and cowardly approach to the transfer market. Buying and selling well is hard and takes smarts, you have to be proactive and have a goal in mind and a system in mind. Wenger much preferred to just muddle along and keep everything quiet and easy. That is one of the main reasons we are where we are. We’ve basically wasted 6-7 years in terms of using the transfer market has a source for football and financial success. We now have a bloated, unbalanced and average squad and rarely have we maximised the use of this… Read more »
“The way I see it is, we should focus on the cup competitions and that’s what I think Emery will do as he is a .manager that likes winning trophies .” Apart from the EL I couldnt agree less. We should basically sacrifice the cups until we are back in the top 4. The EL is a great route back to the CL so should be taken seriously….although I would always play the kids in the group stages until we face a decent team. It would have the advantage of also helping to develop the kids, and put some sellable… Read more »
Talk of Edu being offered a Director role at Arsenal.
I wonder what the thinking is there? Tapping into the Brazilian market?
“Refusing to sell Joel Campbell is one of the most ridiculous things i remember Wenger doing. Turned down a £10m bid, then kept loaning him out Its not like we turned the bid down because we thought he was essential. Wenger just didnt know what he was doing.” Whilst I agree with the premise I actually think Wenger knew exactly what he was doing. He ended up where he hated spending money and buying new players, if he sold someone for £10 million that was extra money in the kitty, a space in the squad and more pressure from the… Read more »
gambon
re: Edu got to be a push into the South American market. Sanllehi would be used to going after the top South American talent from his days at Barca.
Another step into running not only like a modern club but one that’s really getting it’s shit together.
“Refusing to sell Joel Campbell is one of the most ridiculous things i remember Wenger doing.Turned down a £10m bid, then kept loaning him out”
I think everyone on LG nearly choked when Wenger made that decision
Just crazy beyond comprehension
Lots of talk that the Suarez deal is going to happen.
Always exciting when you sign a player from one of the big boys.
That said, I dont really see how he solves any of our issues. Not to mention, it looks like a loan with compulsory purchase, which means we have already commited £18m, maybe 20% of our summer budget.
Cue this: Wenger sitting in his rocking chair losing his mind not understanding what a Director of Football does
‘He ended up where he hated spending money and buying new players, if he sold someone for £10 million that was extra money in the kitty, a space in the squad and more pressure from the fans to spend’ Agreed. It was the same with the Sanchez and Ozil situation. That is the point things Arsenal under Wenger really fucked up. You could have sold them for £80 Million combined and hit reset on the squad. But as you say Wenger didn’t want to do that because that would involve scouting, selling well and buying well. There would be enormous… Read more »
gambon
Look on the bright side if you’re right on the numbers at least it means we have £90 million to spend in the summer.
Bamford
The Utd match comes at a tricky time for us. I can see us getting turned over pretty easily. They are looking dangerous on the counter and with our defensive unit, they will get plenty of opportunities.
The two preceding matches against West Ham on Saturday, followed by Chelsea are the two biggest games of the season. Two losses and we could nine pts back of 4th place. Very worried about going to the London stadium on the wknd. If Arnautovic and Felipe Anderson are on it, we might concede three.
What are we saying: is Suarez Ramsey’s replacement?
If so, is it fair to say Ramsey will likely leave this month if we can get £10-£15m
I think that Emery is thinking a Xhaka, Torreira, Ramsey/Guendouzi midfield potentially with a Suarez, Aubameyang/Lacazette, Iwobi/Aubameyang beyond.
Director of Football is a useless position alright.
Cesc
I think the reason we went for the Sanchez / Miki swap was Gazidis trying to make the best of a bad situation. I’m not suggesting he got it right but this happened before Wenger going was a sure thing. I think Gazidis knew if we got £60 million we’d lose a major player and Wenger would employ the awkward squad in replacing him. Gazidis has talks going on with Adidas etc and showing a bank balance ain’t gonna impress them.
It’s great to see the club starting to build an off field infrastructure. We’ve started about a decade too late but there you go.
It really is a clusterfuck of decision making in the last few years. – Terrible contract management has lost us money – Terrible signings have made the team worse Imagine how different things would be with just a few alternative decisions: – Sell Sanchez for £60m in summer 2017 – Sell Ramsey, Welbeck, Wilshere when they had 12m left – Sell Chambers when Palace offered £20m – Sell Ozil with 12m remaining, or just let him walk This is leaving aside the silly purchases of Mustafi, Perez, Asano that gave us barely no return from £57m We would have either… Read more »
Marc
Think Gazidis wanted to keep Alexis till the end of the season to get top 4. He pressed the reset button in January because the club felt we wouldn’t get it. Took a risk and failed
@Gambon –
“Asano ”
Totally forgot he was at the club…
No problem with Denis Suarez coming in, especially for the £18m suggested. Would like to ship Ramsey out with window to recoup some money.
We are really missing a play-maker in the center since Santi left.
Why on earth are persuing a Brazilian technical director?
A Brazilian scout- for sure.
Don’t get me wrong -I loved Edu – the player.
But – are Raul and co- aware of the third party ruling In the UK is different to Spain?
(Probably not)
Most – but not all Young South American players -3rd partied owned..
They won’t be able to play here..
Another nonsensical decision.
Can’t we choose one with technical knowledge in the UK
(Same mistakes.)
How much did we get for Joel Campbell or did he run his contract down?