Morning all.
Freddie Ljungberg, one of my favourite players during the Arsene Wenger era and no, not just because of his CK’s. He always played with a smile, scored important goals and. Well, he had red hair. I loved his red hair. What is it with footballers though? If it’s not their hair it’s their tattoos, or their different style of clothing. Hector Bellerin has a very unique style both with his dress sense and long flowing locks which only Petit could match all those years ago. I certainly can’t think of any others, apart from Charlie George going even further back. Anyway, who cares how players look really as long as on the pitch they are professional and off it, they are good people.
Back to Freddie. He’s sat smirking whilst watching a rerun of the 2005 FA Cup Final and the Arsenal Player are watching him in a kind of Gogglebox way. He’d been suffering with poison in his hips he said, but managed to be fit enough for the big day. We’d been outplayed by Utd but hung on in there somehow before penalties decided the result. You don’t need me to tell you what happened but for our Swede, off he went on holiday as soon as celebrations had ended. Who should be staying in the same hotel? Ryan Giggs. Freddie said he probably ruined Giggs holiday. ‘It was a nice feeling’ he said, still smiling. There’s a rumour going around suggesting Freddie might replace Steve Bould with the latter’s days at the club done.
2005 was pretty much the beginning of the end for Arsenal under Arsene Wenger. The following season we hit peak form in the Champions League but couldn’t quite make it over the line. Arsene Wenger wanted that big cup, Arsenal and the fans did too but thinking about it now, we were doomed from the start really having been up against football’s golden boys.
We left Highbury for The Emirates with the reassurance that with the new all singing and dancing stadium would bring great times. We’d compete with the best, in England and in Europe but in all honesty, since that day we’ve not kept up with the best let alone compete with them. We’ve an owner who can’t/won’t invest in the club and a board who are quite happy to spin whatever bollox line they need to in hope we believe that the good times are just around the corner. Problem is, that corner seems to be right at the end of the M6 and Arsenal haven’t even got themselves on the motorway way yet. No, we’re still rolling along the slip road which left junction 19 of the M1 back in 2004. Or that’s certainly how it feels to me.
Smart players sales, smart signings. That’s the way we’ll improve according to Raul which is obvious really as we’re not a club who can match the likes of City, Utd and Chelsea financially. Although I suspect that’s not quite true, what we probably can’t do though is match what they’ve done in terms of numbers of players signed in one transfer window. Certainly Pep. Arsenal don’t have one top notch player in every position, let alone two as he has. Liverpool aren’t far off having that kind of squad depth either. Utd and Chelsea have spent vast amounts of money over recent years but right now, they’re in a similar mess to us. But I don’t care about them, All I care about is what Arsenal are going to do this summer and in the future. Their long term plan and how they’re going to get us back to being a competitive club. Oh yes, smart player sales and signings. No, that’s not a plan, that’s the answer to ‘how are Arsenal planning to balance the financial books?’
Julio Pleguezuelo has followed Charlie Gilmour through the exit doors and signed a two year deal with FC Twente. No doubt more will do the same as the Arsenal summer transfer window kicks into action. Swift progression to moving on a few of the first team squad next hopefully but I guess that won’t happen until after the Europa Cup Final. Petr Cech, who’s rumoured to be heading back to Chelsea at the end of the season has denied such reports. He’s fully focused on lifting the big cup he says. Mind you, So is Giroud who now says it’s the colour blue which runs through his veins. Just after signing a new contract…
Transfer gossip. River Plate midfielder Exequiel Palacios is the man to replace Ramsey according to the media. He’s a cheat though! Not on the pitch but he dates more than one lady at once. See, what was I saying about footballers? Cheating on a partner doesn’t happen in the real world does it? Pff, as if….
Have a great day guys, this time next week we’ll all be super excited……
Peter Marinello?
His wasn’t that long though was it?
Someone on Twitter from Argentina said he is not serial cheat as claimed. He had a fling with girl while going out with a regular GF.
What are we talking about here? Rico. 😉
Three at once I read Sohara. Either way, he cheats but it’s all a bit of irony really.
🤣 Cicero, I was talking about his hair but I have a sneaky feeling you might not have been…
Morning
He’s not a bit of a diver, is he?
Cloudy and cool here……..summer’s over………again🥶
Morning Gooners
Morning Rico, good post.
If that Argie can keep three woman on the go, then he must have a great engine 😉 and a great deal of patience 😄
I’m off now…. 😁
😝 Wavy.
Morning Kev, thanks. He’s only twenty, he should be fit as a fiddle. Lol
Graham Rix had a fine head of hair back in the day.
So did I…once. .😉
Three women ?
He’ll learn
3 women ?…………………..is that all ?………………….no stamina these youngsters !
That is a really ace Post, Rico, thank you.
I wondered for a second what you and Cicero were talking about – [C[ Peter Marinello? – [R] He wasn’t that long. [Me] What? 😁
Anyway – if we were talking about long hair worn a certain way – then Seaman wore his hair with a bow at the back like an Alice band, in his last years at Arsenal. (OK, I have no idea what an Alice Band is — but it sounds a bit girly, like our Belli Button). 🤪
I doubt you will remember me waffling on about the contretemps between balancing the books or the Manure way of ‘investing’ money (or taking a chance) on player transfers, but using an uptodate example like Man Citeh, the correlation between money spent and competitions won is pretty stark.
Most business men (and they are not all entrepreneurs) would like to run a steady ship and only run the business in a financially conservative way. That’s fine — but in football with its burgeoning influx of money from competition sponsors, and individual club sponsors, taking a more aggressive stance with buying the top players with money they may not have necessarily have, has turned out very well indeed.
Get top quality players – win competitions – get huge sponsorship money, from both the sources mentioned above – and a beneficial cycle of spend – win – get more money – sets in, and those clubs, of whom Citeh are the latest, just keep getting better and better and their fans happier and happier.
It was true with Manure at the start of the Glazer’s ownership, at the end of the 20th Century, and it still holds true today, with Chelsea, and then Citeh joining in – and Pool and the Spuds looking to join them.
Balancing the books and winning sweet FA is the Arsenal way, and we will gently sink into history as ‘might have beens’ under Kroenke.
Quite right, Le Coq,
Take an old timer like Terry Telescope, and he has plenty of ‘wimmin’ bossing him about like nobodies business. Umm hang on, that may not be what this Palacio guy (who he) is famed for.
Some latent Motorway humour in there Rico – and another post comes rolling off the keyboard keeping us entertained, informed
and promoting involvement. Afternoon guys and Sohara.
Some varied input too which says a lot for your style and your love of the club.
I seem to recall that had Lehmann (I was about to say Bert Trautmann, Lol) not got sent off. we might have beaten Barca. Tough enough playing them with 11. Who knows?
And who knows which team will turn up on the 29th?
Oh, so Welbeck looks as though he is being “let go” now. End-of-contract and a free pass to someone else.
Are they mad? I’d rather have Danny as he got stuck in, scored some goals, and helped out, which is more than can be said of Özil.
He really is a tosser.
I feel sorry for Welbz, as he never seemed to get over his various injuries and have a consistent run in the team. He is a hardworking, determined character who never seems to have moaned about his lot in life or to be involved in unsavoury matters
When new managers come in to replace someone who really ‘rated’ a particular player, it often seems to count against that player – in this case Welbeck.
It’s a pity – yet another one bites the dust, and Arsenal will not get a penny for him.
Thanks RA, Andorra and a good evening.
I too am disappointed Welbeck hasn’t been offered a new deal. Must mean his injuries are a big factor or someone else is coming in. Unless one of the younger players are stepping up. We’ll be playing in Europe one way or another so we’ll need depth.
I`m getting the red one !………………………….Redders will need an XXXXL one as everythings big in America ! 😆
https://twitter.com/arseblognews/status/1131240904596107265?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1131240904596107265&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Farsenalarsenal.net%2F2019%2F05%2F22%2Fshould-petr-cech-play-in-the-europa-final-poll%2F
I’ve read/seen Danny boy could be a sub,which would be great for us,and for him too.
I read he’s still ruled out… Why isn’t Ramsey available too…
I always thought Charlie Nicholas had a lovely perm back in the day !
Just a quickie on our poor relations, finished above us once again and runners up in the Champions League, correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think they spent a single penny in the last couple of transfer windows, this time next week will reveal how much character and team spirit we really have, we could still have the last laugh yet !
I’d forgotten Charlie Nics fine waves Micko..
Anything other than us having the last laugh is an unbearable thought….
Early new post up now….