Daily Bits and Bobs

Are we finally getting a winger? Early Signings? Absolutely, old boy.

Posted on by rico

Morning all,

Before the main post, a little bit of gossip….

According to The Daily Star, we are about to try and lure Brazil international Bernard to the Premier League. He’s 20 years old, very nippy and rumour is, he’s on the move.

Joel Campbell yesterday confirmed that he’s finally been granted a work permit which is good news for him. Hopefully now he can go on loan for a season in the Premier League or to one of the ‘better’ sides in the Championship and get used to the English game.

Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta has had this to say about transfers:

The club have said they are going to be very ambitious in the market and have got the financial resources to get big players. I think it’s about time.

Amen to that Mikel……

Onto today’s main post about early signings….

Well, I suppose it depends on what you mean by early.

Did Wenger or Gazidis mention early signings this year, or was that last year? It is all quite confusing. I do remember that Ivan, when asked about signing Rooney said that the club could do that and in fact could do much more. Making a start in fulfilling that boast would probably be a good idea Ivan. Like now!

Then more recently Arsene, the poker-playing old fox,  teasingly said that secrecy was the order of the day when the transfer window opened its opportunistic gates. Now, did he mean by that that we are going to make big signings that would be so significant that he couldn’t discuss them or did he mean that, having sort of kidded people along, he was going to surprise everyone and do very little? Actually, that wouldn’t be a surprise at all for some. But this year, of all years, it would for me.

This is the part of the year when, fuelled by an unimpressive and generally rancid press, Arsenal fans go wild with speculation and mini-frenzies are the order of the day. Full-blown frenzies are also well on the cards too as numerous websites read what the papers write and re-cycle it with their own personal slant as some kind of inside information. It is a massive wind-up.

Never in the history of football has so much bollox  been spouted about so little.

Then there are the “smart” bloggers. They are all closet International businessmen who see ghosts behind every door and all the lies and misinformation as part of the bigger game. Regardless of what Wenger or Gazidis do or don’t say, it is all smoke and mirrors and only they can translate it for simple chaps like me. The infernal ploys are apparently made to draw bids from some clubs in order to manipulate them into buying or not buying a player that they either were or were not interested in from another club. The strange pursuit of Luis Suarez might dovetail neatly into that category.

The highly toxic  institution,  known to us and Generalissimo Francisco Franco, as Real Madrid and their evil custodians seem to be at the hub of a lot of this subterfuge.  Fuelled by historical political divisions and a Civil War, they and Barcelona have carved Spanish football into a two-club league in one of the great sporting travesties. With their country crumbling around them and millions suffering, they continue to engage in cheque-book confrontation, seemingly oblivious to reality.

According to current wisdom, they agree to let us buy Higuain only to change their mind in order to smoke out other interested parties – or they have decided against selling him because some rotund Italian clot might want to keep him.  Or perhaps we were never interested in him in the first place. Yes, it really is that tedious.

Then, for us, there is also the great Rooney conundrum.
A freshly botoxed Sergeant Major  Moyes, looking about as comfortable in his ill-fitting Man Utd suit these days as Tony Adams in a TuTu, says that he isn’t for sale at any price. Visibly creaking under the weight of expectation that now bears down upon him, he sees Rooney staying as crucial to his credibility. That is of course if Rooney believes he has any.  I would actually think that selling Rooney would put Moyes’ acrid pheromones  down much more significantly, like a greying, rutting Stag on a tree trunk. He could then sign Anichibe.

Ferguson could get away with it, but a serial loser like Moyes? Rooney is too big a name to be tied down somewhere where he doesn’t want to be. Keeping him, against his wishes, to prove you are some sort of Glaswegian hard man in the Fergie mould doesn’t work for me or, I suspect Rooney.  Man  U could just throw money at him like they did before but I could easily see Rooney wanting to make a move while still young enough to choose where.

But, could that be to Arsenal when a very small and swarthy excuse of a man from West London will be waving an extremely large wad of dosh in his direction? In the light of this and the opportunity of listening endlessly to the wisdom of John Terry,  I can’t see him choosing Arsenal myself – but you never know.

Kroenke could certainly afford him but I am increasingly getting the uncomfortable feeling that our syrup’ed owner has perhaps found himself  in a league where the outlays are beyond the levels he ideally wants to be involved with. In other words, he wants to get in the game  but can’t really bring himself to pay the entrance fee, or should that be, borrow the entrance fee.? On the other hand he certainly knows that Arsenal fans have had just about all the bullshit they can take and that he already has a very, very low acceptance rating among them and he’s barely opened his mouth yet. When he did, nothing of any real interest came out.

Like everybody else who has an opinion I confess that I have no proof whatsoever about any of this, just a feeling.

The much vaunted £70 million, including wages, is not enough to turn Arsenal into regular title winners. That money perhaps buys you a couple of top players and we need at least 4 I think. But these are only ideas and opinions based on a load of old cobblers,  just like yours are.  Perhaps my reach exceeds my grasp.

As I look at the prices that are being asked and achieved for players these days I understand that football is growing more detached from reality by the minute. But, given that I wonder if this Arsenal, as we see it set up today, is really going to join the other Premier League nut-jobs and buy these top players. I said that I also wonder if Stan has the stomach or the pocket for it but I do have natural doubts about Wenger too. His last big buy, in Arshavin, was a complete and total disaster from both a footballing and economic standpoint. He has never really bought big, established stars so I cannot help but think that he might not actually be psychologically equipped to spend the really big bucks. I might be wrong but I could envisage that his socialist principles and his economics degree plus decades of practice might well compromise his ability to actually pull the trigger. Caveat Emptor means different things to all of us. Think Arshavin, think £30 million down the drain – and still the little prick was moaning after he left.

On the other hand I might also argue that Arsene has no option but to do it, regardless of how distasteful he might find the whole sordid business.

He knows that the fans are the club and that he dodged a bullet last year. His end of season tightrope walk nearly led to the disaster that is the Europa League and that place is really for clubs like Spurs. This year the stakes could hardly be higher.

Because, as fans,  we too are victims of the financial madness that the Russian and the Sheikh have heaped upon us in their attempts to derive some sort of willie-waving pleasure from their fortunes. Also, the equation has certainly changed for the common or garden  Arsenal Season Ticket customer. The money that we are paying now, in the midst of a shocking recession, to actively support our club really makes a difference in our lives. If the club show ambition, then we will. But if not, then the stark reality could be that the Arsenal we love will continue its slow metamorphosis into a rather dull and unattractive dusty grey moth where we all want to see a gorgeously coloured butterfly emerge from the financial chrysalis of the Emirates stadium.

So, this is The Year when things change.  It really is a bloody shame that such big money ends up in the pockets of footballers when it should be better distributed among the more deserving in our society. But, it is what it is – so let the madness begin.

Hope is a wonderful thing. Let us keep our fingers crossed and our hopes alive that Wenger produces a great title-winning team once again.

Written by Adam

rico

0 thoughts on “Are we finally getting a winger? Early Signings? Absolutely, old boy.”

  2. tsgh says:

    Generalissimo Francisco Franco, as Real Madrid and their evil custodians… lol

    WoW Adam… I am going to have my breakfast and re-read this … I may need a thesaurus dictionary too… 😉

    morning btw.

  3. rico says:

    Morning Syg and all…

    Very amusing Adam…. Those poor men you have battered, I do feel sorry for them…. 😉

  4. devilgunner says:

    Good on you Generallissimo Adam. Brilliant piece of work. need to read it again as I really enjoyed it. Perfect for this hot morning. takes away all the heat around me.

  5. dave says:

    early signings??? how can there be early signings? has anyone been watching the asia tour,, if its at training – Ivan G is the in his shorts and tee shirt, team bus – ivan is there in his shorts and tee shirt, press conference – ivan is there in shorts and tee shirt, photo shoot – Ivan is there in his shorts and tee shirt and on and on,, ivan is always there.. no i know for pr (etc) ivan needs to be there sometimes for meeting these clubs we are playing on tour but surely after that he should be working on transfers instead of following the team around 24/7 like a new water boy with a big smile.. any notice he seems on holiday more so than working on transfers?

  6. devilgunner says:

    It is a piece which makes you smile, laugh, ponder and eventually shed a couple of tears Rico. he has brought people involved in the club to task……….and from it we conclude that they have been weighed, measured and found to be wanting.

  9. tsgh says:

    Adam… my google translator crushed because of the huge words 🙂

    Very good piece buddy… a true wordsmith… is that a proper word? lol

    On othe news Cavani has passed his medical ahead of the 64M Euros transfer… Rafa will be feeling very flash as we speak… that should allow so domino effect. Hig to Napoli, Bale or Suarez to Unreal, Benteke to the scums or liverpool;

    we will then be left with Wooney and Cesc come’on!

  10. Scott from Oz says:

    Morning all.
    Great post Adam, as always.
    The last bit got me…..the amount of cash ending up in greedy little sportsmans hands is a joke.
    Maybe all contract should include some sort of performance guarantee clause 🙂

  11. Kj welch says:

    I had a dream last night we sign him! My sister was working for arsenal ( she doesn’t!!) and she bought over to find friends and told me we have sign him but in was not in the media yet!!!

    ” I had a dream” lol

    Lets hope I’m right

  13. devilgunner says:

    Regarding the winger…….he is skilful and fast yes. Direct also. but he is a 5ft4′ midget. I wonder how much strength he would have. I would presume he would be battered left, right and centre.

  15. tsgh says:

    Dev.. I prefer Costa of Shaktar…

    Bernard looks good though… but buying him will require 2 MF’s size palyers to maintain the average height of the squad…

  16. tsgh says:

    Syg… your comment above is more like it… I am sure AW would have called CF04 to find out where he stands…

    CF04 would have told AW he will only leave Barca if he is not wanted…

  21. southyorkshiregunner says:

    Hiya Rico
    been up and at ’em this morning… Cyprus beckons tomorrow!
    ..Yes I read Le Grove. It was a good insightful piece.
    The authors of Le Grove (Pedro & Geoff) come across as knowledgeable (a bit like our Ginge), however some of the posters are a right set of wankers …
    …nearly as big a wanker as the guy who pens arseblog. Is he actually an Arsenal supporter or some social worker from the London Borough of Greenwich?

    —

    Pedro once mention that Myles Palmer was a “top bloke”. I feel he was slightly misled on that one. A pedantic name-dropping Man Utd fan would be a better description… Adam has his number!

  25. rico says:

    Syg – I thought it was interesting too re Cesc, agree re G&P, and especially agree about some of the comments, a great shame…

    Ha ha re MP..

    Cyprus will be warm…. 😉

  27. rico says:

    Lets’ hope we accept that offer…

    Not for a while, he did say work was very very buy… I suspect he’ll be back soon, especially if we sign Rooney or Suarez… 😉

  28. JRS says:

    gmorni all gunners, hoping for the day when we announce any signings. Im sure we will sign one or two of the rumoured targets

  29. Canadian Gooner says:

    Good Morning to the Lady of the House and all fellow Gooners in residence.

    Adam – An excellent post. I had my suspicion it was your writing after the second or third paragraph. A thought provoking spicy mix of optimism, pessimism, realism and resignation with a pinch of sarcasm and a soupcon of bile. It is a reflection of the mixed and conflicting emotions of many Arsenal supporters are suffering through at the present moment.

  31. southyorkshiregunner says:

    Canadian Gooner says:
    July 16, 2013 at 10:57 am

    LOL. It definitely had “ADAM WOZ ‘ERE” written all over it from the off.

  33. southyorkshiregunner says:

    The Vietnam kid who was chasing down the team bus the other day …. and the fact that he was let on the bus to meet the players was sheer class…

  35. rico says:

    Ah yes, I recall you heading off to Waitrose this time last year, but got sidetracked to a bar Lee 😉

    When do you join them all?

  36. rico says:

    Morning Cg, I knew it was Adam’s piece as soon as I clicked his email 😉

    Morning Adam, a ‘stunningly good piece’ old chap 😉

  37. rico says:

    5k I read, although The Mirror report 5 miles and the players were shouting ‘sign him up’ – then they shouted to the driver to stop and the lad got on. He stayed with them on the bus as it continue it’s journey etc etc…

    True class indeed Syg and something which puts us above most of the rest…..

  41. Canadian Gooner says:

    To carry on with one of Adam’s thoughts. Never has so much bullshit been written by so many (journos) about so few (players). A very trying time of year to be online.

  44. rico says:

    Spot on – how many headlines have been written about Higuain alone, must be hundreds. I have written at least 50 of them 😉

  45. tsgh says:

    SYG… I sound like Pedro? No way I rate Gervinho and Eboue 😀

    Good news on Yao Kouassi… IG should accept that pronto!

  46. Lee says:

    That’s where i made a mistake Adam…..does it count if you go all the way through from the previous night? If so I’m deep in trouble………….. 😉

  47. tsgh says:

    SYG re 11:00 only 1 AW will do that… pure gent!

    But he still likes female rappers from Africa… lol

  49. allezkev says:

    Good Morning Gooners/AKB’s/Doomers.

    Good Morning Rico, pay up, 😉

    Once I reached the second paragraph of today’s post, I just knew that the writing style of the author, could only be the President of the Blue Eyes Society… 😀

    A great piece of work interspersed with faith, hope and frustration…
    At this time of the season, and with the recent history of underinvestment in the team, we as fans, go through an emotional rinser as the Media, agents and the club, fcuk with our heads…
    It has been forever thus, post Highbury.
    And frankly, I’m pissed off with it and have become deeply cynical of all the claims and boasts that the club emit…

    In essence, I don’t believe a bloody word any of those charlatans tell us…

    Adam my friend, that was a brilliant post mate…

  50. Lee says:

    Adam, are you still trying to source the “Kroenke-syrups” so that we can all sport them at the next HHCC?

  52. southyorkshiregunner says:

    TRUE STORY
    Last month I was talking to a Chelsea fan – who was in his late fifties in a bar in Cyprus (Wooden Crest, Kapparis)…
    …When he was a lad he was one of those 1970s “Autograph Albert’s”..
    He stood on the steps of the Southampton team bus after a game vs Chelsea and asked Ron Davies (their Welsh international and No.9) to sign a photo of himself that the lad had passed him ….
    …Ron Davies took it off him, ripped it into pieces and told him to “fuck off” ….
    This is the Ron Davies that died a couple of months ago – the legend.

    A big difference between that and Arsenal in Vietnam.

    —

    For the record, the only other footballer to say the same to him was Cliff Jones of Tottenham … another Welsh international ….

  56. Canadian Gooner says:

    It is interesting that so many of the articles on ManUre’s apparent interest in and pending bid for Cesc Fabregas say Arsenal are not interested. Just how they know Arsenal isn’t interested is anyone’s guess. As tsgh has already mentioned; Arsene, if interested, will have contacted Cesc to find out if he wants to leave Farcelona. In the meantime he doen’t need to bid as Arsenal has the right of first refusal at £25 million. Why should he show his hand now. Let Moyes chase his tail for a while, then if interested, step in and exercise our option to buy.

    This could be the next transfer saga as Farcelona, if they are willing to sell, will want a lot more money as Arsenal also have a sell-on clause which gives them 50% ? of the transfer fee.

  59. southyorkshiregunner says:

    Linda Bellingham. A bonny woman when she was younger. Appeared in The Sweeney with Patrick Mower and George Layton in the mid-70’s.

  60. tsgh says:

    Hi Cg, the great poker player in AW… it makes me wonder why some fans question AW’s love for our club… everything he does is for the medium to long term interest of our club.. a small price to pay in my opinion.

    Stan and IG were ready to sell CF04 as quickly a a crack addict would sell their child when offered a quick fix… as CF04 said, the deal was delayed because AW insisted certain clauses had to be put in place…

    He is still a snake though he faked hamstring injuries 😉

  61. Adam says:

    Lee. Certainly not. Early to bed, early to rise is always the best way to a clean and healthy life. It is a philosophy I have always lived by. 🙂
    Despite the temptations of various painted women and other “things”.

  63. tsgh says:

    I wish Linda all the best with her treatment…

    Do I think Moyes really wants Cesc? No!

    That squid of a man who will metamorphose into Rednose, just placed a bid for that amount knowing about the clause and all, to spite us for inquiring about Wooney.

  64. Canadian Gooner says:

    Ginge – I wouldn’t want to play poker with Arsene. He’d be able to keep the same expression on his face whether he had a royal flush or if his pants were on fire.

  67. tsgh says:

    So that means IG is more interested in the Far East tour than placing a new bid. Or Akpom’s performance has deterred AW from any future bid… 🙂

  68. Canadian Gooner says:

    Ginge – I think both Jack and Poldi will benefit from having a full pre-season training with the team. Neither seemed to be fully fit for most of last season. Hopefully we will see their full capabilities on continuous and exrended runs of play this season.

  72. Lewis says:

    Good day all.

    Great post Adam. You certainly have a way with words!

    I for one still live in hope of some top signings.

  74. tsgh says:

    Harry Redknapp says Queens Park Rangers won’t allow Arsenal target Júlio César to leave on loan this summer. 😀

    It seems old Harry can’t shift JC… reputation ?

  76. Canadian Gooner says:

    It’s gone quite quiet, so I’m of to bed. Have a good day Gooners. Keep the Faith!

  77. NashuaGunners says:

    In no way, shape or form I’m trying to make excuses for Arshavin, but when a man is going through divorce it take a toll sometimes on his life.

    Caveat Emptor: Buyer Beware.
    Arshavin was one of the few that hit the ground running on Arsenal shirt. He turn out to be lazy and give up too easily to fight for his place,whether the divorce had a part to play or not, he was a good player. However, AW had to take some of the responsibility for playing him out of position.

  78. Adam says:

    NG. I am sure it did take a toll, the first, second, third and all subsequent times he found his zipper miraculously opening. Perhaps one of the reasons all these women found him so irresistible was the £5 million a year he was getting for doing nothing. If I had a job like that I would probably succumb to the temptations of the flesh myself. But, I like to think that, having milked the cow dry, I wouldn’t bitch about how boring it all was and how I feared for my sanity while I was strolling around with my strides around my ankles.
    This is not to make light of divorce though. As a man who has been married 5 times I speak with the voice of experience.

  85. Adam says:

    It was a very firm tackle Lee and could get hard if tensions were running high. I used to put it in regularly.

  86. Joaquim Moreira says:

    afternoon all!
    Bernard? Probably will be in F.c. Porto next season
    Russian League had starting last weekend. Zenith (and Arshavin.)will play tomorrow
    I believe Fabregas stays in Barcelona
    Suarez probably to Madrid
    Higuain depend of our performance for reach the champions League
    Fellaini, a mystery…
    all the others links probably fall down

  88. frednerk says:

    Afternoon Rico & All,

    You have such a way adam with words,
    the word rant,
    just never come’s across,
    Not easy to trap a stepney girl,
    you have to have the gift of the gab….mate.

    Don’t know about you lot ..but,
    getting rid of the dead wood,
    seems to have,made us stronger team wise.

  94. rico says:

    Jernade Meade has been snapped up by Swansea…. Just a year deal, but I bet he gets a better contract

  101. rico says:

    Ts, I knew you would be pleased, as am I, and like you, i wish he made it with us…

    Funny really, we so often cry out for experience and we got that with Monreal, but every now and again, the ones who have to depart because of such a signing, makes me sad…..

  102. emma says:

    Goodday fellow gunners,

    Have we signed anyone yet?
    Need to read thru the comments to get an update on what is happening

  103. tsgh says:

    Very true Rico… he did not look out of place playing in the CL, did he? Swansea will be good for him as a back up to Taylor who is coming back from the broken ankle injury.

  105. tsgh says:

    ‘ Funny really, we so often cry out for experience…’ speak for yourself lady Rico, I even rated Santos… I am easy to please 😛

  106. rico says:

    Hi emma, no 🙁

    I thought he looked really assured Ts, but then I think you know that….

    🙂 re Santos. As did I to start with but that didn’t last long ….

  110. tsgh says:

    Christian Eriksen has rejected a move to the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen, the Ajax midfielder’s agent has confirmed. Eriksen prefers Liverpool move.

  113. emma says:

    Good luck to meade.

    Another mega signing by PSG
    We’ve got to move quickly and get our signings in. Napoli are sniffing around Higuain. Madrid are trying to recuperate money to buy either Bale/Suarez. They’ ve sold Callejon and Raul abion recovery 20m euros

  119. tsgh says:

    Rico, some good news… Wooney says he is angry and confused about how he is being treated at Old Toilette; he says he will have no problems relocating to London if he decides that will be the best move for his career…

  120. tsgh says:

    Emma, I said weeks ago, Perez wants Hig to move to Napoli so that the 30M they get gets used on Suarez…

    Our options are and should have been Wooney, Benteke, Soldano, Negredo…

  121. emma says:

    Negredo is off to shitty. I am ruling out Rooney cause I don’t see us matching his wages, he will probably go to the chavs. So we have Benteke and soldado left

  124. tsgh says:

    You are thinking along the right lines Emma…

    Wooney is spittng his dummy out only because he wants more money I guess…

  128. rico says:

    I actually disagree re Rooney. He’s reportedly on £250k a week. My own view is that he’s pissed off with playing second fiddle and wants out…

    Oh, and I suspect Moyes has a bit to do with it too…

  130. potter says:

    Sky Sports are so far up United’s backside they will say anything to promote them. Vilanova say’s he wants to stay at Barca and he probably will until the next transfer window circus opens.

  136. potter says:

    Bendtner conundrum .
    Set aside the history but if we were signing a 6 foot 4 ” Danish international that played up front for his country has scored 22 international goals in 55 games we would all be thinking that we were improving the squad.
    I always thought that there was something there but giving him 10 minute cameos at right midfield/wing certainly did not help. Like Arshavin a tragic waste of time and money but possibly misused.

  137. rico says:

    I can’t get by his history. Not only the footballing side but his off field stuff. No way does he deserve a second chance with us…

    No way – the guy is an absolute idiot and a thug….

    My opinion only of course

  138. potter says:

    I don’t disagree and like you think the chances have gone but I am just highlighting the problem of buying in players.

  140. rico says:

    But not all think they are better than they are potter, I’d like to think that who we sign have a history of being good/great.

    Not a young Danish kid who grew a head bigger than the football he’s meant to kick…

    But, I do get what you are saying…

  142. Micko says:

    Oh the shame tsgh, how far have Swindon fallen from grace, drawing with the scum, they may as well pack it in !
    Yido’s…….Yido’s.

  145. tsgh says:

    Crazy… news we are waking up to…

    Diego Simeone or AW? London or Madrid Annex?

    Morning Rico and all…

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