Morning all.
Why is it that some players at Arsenal contracts or maybe even players aren’t managed well enough?
Edu, Andrei Arshavin, Nicklas Bendtner and even Lukas Podoski are just a few who spring to mind yet I know all of you could probably name more, many more.
Edu was a wonderful player who joined us back in January 2001 when he as 23 years old. During his four and a half seasons with us, he featured in 100 matches. Of course that amount averages out quite well but it’s a false reflection really on how many times he played per season. He managed just five between January and the summer of his first season, after which he played 27, 29, 48 (48 being the invincible season) as the seasons followed but the telling one was his final season in which he made just 18 appearances.
After that final season when Edu played in just 18 matches, he left on a Bosman.
Then of course Nikki B, the man with a huge ego, but its fair to say he hasn’t ever backed up his ego with the level of performance you’d expect to match it. Well, not for us but for his country, he’s seldom let them down.
Arsenal: Games 106, Goals 24
Denmark: Games 56, Goals 24
Mind you, he’s a striker, a big strong striker and being asked to play out wide each week would have hardly helped his Arsenal cause but clearly when he plays for Denmark, he plays central, just as he should.
Even now, when we are so short up front, Arsene Wenger sees Yaya Sanogo as the way forward rather that select a player with a lot more experience.
This summer, he will leave on a Bosman.
Arshavin came to us a few years ago and to be honest from the January he signed through to the end of that particular season, he was on fire, in fact some might be tempted to suggest that his arrival secured us Champions League football that year. But after that it didn’t always appear that he was willing to give his everything each game in fact he’d often be seen with his head downwards as he’d lost the ball one more time….
We know what happened to Arshavin don’t we. Over the few years he was with us, his confidence dropped because he wasn’t being played, his game suffered and the fans were on his back. Eventually he said goodbye and who could blame him. In his first full season he made 39 appearances, in his second, 52 appearances then during his last, just 11….
At the end of that last season, he left on a Bosman.
Lukas Podolski, a German international who Arsenal fans couldn’t wait to see in the red and white of our club but can anyone honestly say we have seen enough of kind of player we thought we’d signed? Now it seems Wenger is reluctant to start him, just has he was with our Russian, yet both on their day were/are capable of changing a game…..
I have a feeling that he will turn his back on us this summer and I’d understand why. He’s not getting any younger and he wants to be playing the game he loves, not just sitting on the bench watching everyone else, especially when some are either young and raw or simply under performing….
Last season, his first, he played in 42 fixtures, scoring 16 goals and most expected that this would truly be his season but to date, he’s only featured in 12 matches and most of those have been from the bench. I know he’s been out injured but he’s been fit and healthy and ready to play since the start of the year and we’ve had a lot of fixtures since then….
I wouldn’t bet against Podolski going back to where we signed him from either and when does his contract run out?
Maybe this time, the club will try and recoup some of the money they paid for him, rather than let him walk for free…….
If the club don’t sign the right kind of players this summer and we don’t start playing with pace and movement when attacking, you know, the style of play which will bring the best out of £42 million man, we could be saying the same things about Mesut Ozil this time next season..
There is still time to play in such a way this season if Arsene Wenger really wanted to…..
Finally, The Metro report that Wenger wants to sign France international goalkeeper Steve Mandanda from Marseille at the end of the season to add competition to current first-choice Wojciech Szczesny.
Apparently he’s ready for a new challenge and the Premier League is his favoured option.
Not to play second fiddle to Szczesny I suspect so if we do sign him, they’ll be a real battle for the number one spot. Good, that’s just what we need, in fact we need that kind of competition all over the pitch…..
That’s it for another day, have a good one….
You all asleep still….. lol
Morning all.
Ginge…..that was a superb finish…brilliant.
Rico, it is a brilliant topic.
When plenty have said Bendtner is shit, i have asked why is it he is capable of scoring regularly, and against world class opposition, when playing for his country.
On the flip side, If we are to point the finger at Wenger, can we then blame all national managers when a superb League player fails at that level, or is it then down to the individual?
No easy answer to this one.
I feel sorry for Adam.
Why you banned him Rico?
A wonderful post Rico…
Re. Edu if you put aside his injury record and consider the trouble AW and DD went through with his pasport to bring him him, it was shambolic to allow him go…
Not I put DD in …. so when fans blame only AW for allowing the likesz of The’s contract to run out I question the motive…
We lost our better players under DD than without DD imo…
Hi Scott, thanks…
You have a point, I don’t know the answer but in Nik’s case, playing him wide certainly never helped him.
Did Arshavin get played in his ‘best’ position often enough or was he just made to fit in like so many others seem to have too.
Look at today, how many times do we read comments from many folk on here talking about how we set up and who we play where..
I’m no tactician but even I can see where things look as if they are wrong…
Just for three matches Lee 😉
;lol:
😆 even
Steve Mandanda?? So we are going to allow Flappy to go and then get a Franco African Flappy…. lol
If we want to raid OM we need to get Valbuena or Ayew…
Thanks Ts.
Was Edu injured during his final season, I can’t remember?
If not, how can a player go from playing so much and having such an influence on the 03/04 season to playing so few games during the following one…
What went through my mind was, when a player suddenly drops out of favour and plays so few matches, it’s a huge hint that he’s off during the next transfer window.
I’d bet 50p that Podolski will be gone in the summer….
Morning all, nice one Rico.
Arsenal today seem to be a team of midfielders all at different stages of their career’s. The Ox Theo Gnabry Jack and Aaron are rising stars Ozil,Podolski Santi are what you would call experienced Mids. Arteta and Rosiski are probably called Vets. Trouble with Wenger is he loves a midfielder and buys one instead of buying whats needed a striker and wingers. Now i wouldn’t have minded so much had he brought a big tough holding midfielder but no i think he looks for the smallest ones available. Of course i have left Diaby and the Kalstrom out because they will only feature once or twice if that a season. Now your Question about Bendtner and Arshaven. Yes we sold Arshaven, a player who probably filled up the hole behind the striker but because Wenger has so many midfielders and are short of wingers we end up with Arshaven and Bendtner as wingers. Buying what Wenger see’s as utility players is not a good way to manage. a squad should be made up of similar type players, if we say that 2 players for each position is a good way to start, similar players but with differences , Maybe ones left footed and one right footed but both play in the same position . or different skill set. But those 2 players will be suited to different kinds of opposition and will both get used. Arshaven and Bendtner were never wingers so when asked to play there were like fish out of water. Instead of making do, we have to buy for certain positions is that so complicated.
Rico, i agree, but when people are on the Wemger warpath, he plays Bendtner out of position, but when Bendtner is in the crosshairs, he is a shit player in the eyes of most.
I am in the corner of Wenger playing these guys the wrong way.
But then again, i am often criticised for defending them 🙂
Ginge, if we let Fabianski go without a fight, i will be pissed off.
Most want him gone, but will cmplain when, as i predict, he shows his worth later.
We have no choice Ts, because he wants first team football..
I said to Adam the other day that having two keepers from the same country is daft. Both want to be number one for their country but both can’t play for one club..
I don’t rate Nik at all Scott but, his goal scoring record is decent for Denmark so inside that body of his is a footballer somewhere..
Has he been managed well by Arsenal?
And if he isn’t manageable by Arsene, why keep him for so long.
Mancini (spelling) is a twit but look how quickly he got shot of Balotelli…
I’m not convinced fans want Fabianski to go, since the day Ches was dropped, I’m not sure Fab has done a lot wrong.
Imo, his ‘flappy’ days are gone and that’s probably because he’s got older and wiser and maybe even the keeper coaching at the club has stepped up…
Because Ches has improved to…
Rico, i agree Fabianski will go, and he should, but i still want us to try and keep him.
Bendtner can play…he is no superstar, but he can play.
That is all i have ever said, and i have been howled down.
We tend to criticise players we dislike more than they deserve, and the reverse applies…..i said this about Jack over the last few days.
Nasri says Arsene Wenger is a magician….!
He’s right, he certainly makes players disappear… 😆
That’s very true Scott..
But on the flip side, Ramsey was awful not too long ago and took some real stick and rightly so, but…. 😉
Scott-Don Vito is a top keeper now… he looks better than Bergovic and all…
Rico, re Edu he was always injured… my point is why DD and AW did not sell him before his last season when he did what Nasri and co did before they left…
He only had one injury free season and played the 40 or so games…
When he left us to join Valencia he played only 50 times in 5 seasons…
Scott, Flappy says he could still stay…
Ramsey was shite on the end products but to me he was doing most of the right things…
You could see his brains were working… I guess the reason why Scott and I maybe defended him… Certainly in my case he had all the things I liked in a midfielder and was making 2 successful tackles even as a no.10 behind PV10…
Ramsey was never awful, he was played out position 🙂
VP10 even…
Any player worth his salt wants to play every game, no one wants to be No 2 Fabianscki has for me done nothing wrong in the last few games he has played and the only goals he has let in has been due to his team mates but does he get to play a succesion of games no, because Wenger see’s him as a No 2 keeper. The same as Vermaelen but when he gets to play is only as backup no decent player will play a career like that and i don’t blame them. When i played the best got picked untill they got injured or lost their form, we used to will people to get injured or have a bad game just to get in but once back if you played well you stayed there. if you didn’t like it you moved on but of course we wasn’t contracted or paid.
Who Ginge?
Never heard of that prikk 🙂
😆 Scott – Touché
Ts, no doubt that’s just why IG said that they were going to tighten up on contracts etc just a couple of years ago and to a degree they have.
However, this season we will be losing 3 players all for free as it stands right now…
1-0, to the Aussie boy, 1-0 🙂
Very true Sp1… AW has a tunnel vision when it comes to his squad…
By September 1st if you are not in his top 17 players that is you done… Other managers have a core of 5 or 6 and then the rest have to fight for their place…
14 days…….hope you all have your holidays sorted 🙂
Sp, it must be hard for TV and Fab because others are playing so well..
But it must be dreadful for Podolski but watching our attacking play is like watching paint dry at times and he must think he’d be a better option…
3-0 up and lose 4-3?
Not forgetting Wiltord… our then record signing… a big game player who was allowed to walk for free…
Lee, keeper sent off, change of a heap of players…..we will be winning the WC 🙂
One of ours Lee?
For Podolski to work, we need Aaron playing off Ozil.
This will help create a little space for Pod, and that is all he needs.
Ah, Australia….
Back then Because DB10 backed Kanu for questioning why he was not being selected… whenever TH14 was not playing DB10 and KAnu were played together knowing they were too similar and occupied the same positions… how long did not take AW to concede it was not working?
Reminiscent of SC19 and JW playing with Ozil now…
I dislike Fergie but he managed to keep Cole, Yorke, Sheringham and Ole all happy… later on when Van Nisterooy joined he was the main man but the rest all got games…
I’m hoping Ramsey comes back and carries on from where he left off. We were a bit better going forward before his injury…
Just a bit, Rico?
You are harsh 🙂
Its been such a long time Scott…. 😉
Reports around suggesting Kos might miss the FA Cup through injury….
I hope NOT
http://www.elconfidencial.com/deportes/futbol/2014-03-06/el-manchester-city-prepara-los-200-millones-que-figuran-en-la-clausula-de-messi_97928/
Anyone good with German?
Ozil was booed off when he was subbed in the 88th minute… shocking by the some fans…
I was reading some blogs to find out why but it looks like no particular reason…
He was an unused sub for France so I doubt the stories are true..
If injured, he wouldn’t have been on the bench..
Disappointed Tomas played last night, no doubt AW won’t select him on Saturday now..
I read the entire German team were booed as they were poor…
Rico, I posted last night that Kos had a hamstring injury.. AW confirmed it…
So why was he on the bench for France I wonder..
I didn’t see your post, oops 🙂
morning all!
After three lazy days I’m back again.
I didn’t watch last defeat but I read the comments…For me, was the key game for running for the title, Hope I’m wrong!
Well, hope we are concentrate for Saturday.
Carlos Vela doesn’t want to go and play in the World cup!
Hi Jm, I didn’t watch the Stoke game either and quite glad about that….
hi ts Scott Rico and all….nice read rico
rosicky scored a brilliant goal last night…..
Can’t work that one out Hm, he’s playing well, I’d have thought he’d want to be there..
Hi snap, thanks…
Joel Campbell also scored a beauty…..I’m a huge fan but he still needs to work on his awareness imo
Didn’t watch any footie last night….
my bad Rico….I don’t usually miss my country plan must have thought everyone is like me…lol
Hamstring concern from trainingwith France…
Did you see the Lahm,Schweingsteiger,Kroos partnership?
Good forward it was very good but densively Lahm,Per,Jansen were very suspect..
Vidal and Medel plus Sanchez were sensational…
Aw should have readHH last summer and bought Sanchez…
Vela has issues with his manager…
Going forward even.
Touch phone typing
we didn’t stand a chance ts…my barca supporting buddy said they knew he would come good so they were ready to give him time….
also ts with gundogan still to come what will b ur midfield 5 for Germany in the world cup????
also caught the un21 and sanogo really needs to improve on his first touch was really poor yesterday
When it comes to choosing between watching a television programme about dogs, or watching football, there is only one winner snap…
Other than if it’s Arsenal of course….
Mark Clattenburg is the ref for Everton match…
ah no worries then re mark
Lil Snsp.I think Khedira will still walk into the team if fit.
Lol even
I know….I think he offers more physically than most..as much as I love France I still think Germany are gonna win it
No way…Loew has a sift underbelly like AW
Nicklas Bendtner hopes there is still time to make an impression at Arsenal before his expected departure this summer.
Bendtner, who was linked with moves to Eintracht Frankfurt and Crystal Palace last year, has been restricted by an ankle injury he suffered on New Year’s Day.
But the Dane played an hour against England at Wembley on Wednesday night and he said: “I am trying to keep myself as fit and sharp as possible.
“It is difficult when you only train, but I hope to play more, obviously.
“You can train as much as you like, but there is a big difference between training a lot and playing games on a regular basis.
“I could feel within myself that I have not played in a long time, but I am looking to make the change.
“Kasper Schmeichel had a fantastic game and in the end they got the goal.
“It could have been a different game if we had scored our chance in the first half.”
I got on wrong train…
🙂 Ts…
Afternoon Rico and the house.
J/W is out for the next 6weeks .What stopped them from taking him off when Agger done him.
Afternoon all,
You don’t have to be a genius to know Podolski always plays his best football leading up to world cups, hopefully someone will let Arsene know.
Rick, he’s over 18, he should have said something.
When I watched it last night my first thought was he’s done his metatarsal !
Afternoon Rick, has that been confirmed??
Hi Miko, you think he’d listen?
Its on Arsenal.com
Miko thats what he thought as well .He was in tears when he was being treated,and you could see it was not good.
That’s Jack out of the WC then….
Thanks Rick…
What a bummer, oh well, ‘some’ have been moaning about him recently, well he won’t be playing for a while now ….
He was down a long time, the sub was stripped ready to come on and he got back up and carried on, could have done more damage to himself, we all know what 6 weeks mean, that was also the forecast for Ramsey and we’re still waiting to see him.
Season over imo Micko and no trip to Rio either…
Rico as you put it some blamed him for slowing things down now we will see if they are right. I hope Rambo is not rushed back because of this.
So, JW will return fresh for next season! AW’s 6 weeks always means 3 months!
Still there’s nothing like doing one of your closest rivals and getting away with it! Perhaps someone will do Agger, although it wouldn’t make much difference to the dippers defence because they are all shite!!!
Bloody hell, what a bummer. International friendliest, I mean what’s that all about?
We will Rick. Think Kallstrom might be rushed back, well, rushed something 😉
Back in a bit…
I reckon so too Wavy, season over for Jack…
Lee, did you mention this morning that Adam has been banned…???
Just for 3 matches Kev 😉
Sad to hear about JW… sad to always hear a player being injured…
We all expected to have at least 2 injuries during this unnecessary ‘hiatus’..
Maybe Ox, Poldi and Serge will get more chances…
Raphael Honigstein @honigstein
QPR spend more money on wages than Borussia Dortmund. Think about that for a moment.
As I said yesterday 24 points to pick… 7 wins 3 draws… come on Arsenal…
KIm show your worth!… a winning left footed goal against the chavs will make my day…
The hunt for the replacement for Alonso has started in earnest…
Maybe that was why we have offered to improve Ramsey’s contract… knowing that Bale could persuade his compatriot to go over…
Reports that Real Madrid have offered Isco & cash to Juventus for Pogba…
If true we shall see how this pans out as normally when Zidane comes calling Franco African players don’t normally say Non!
Ox I think Ts…
http://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/2014/3/6/5478066/arsenal-v-everton-fa-cup-mark-clattenburg?
Off to cook….
Anyone around, or time for me say goodnight?
I am here Rico.
evening house …,.jack out for weeks????? oh well time for kim to save our season
Evening Adam…
Ha ha snap, that sounds so desperate doesn’t it….
Adam, have you been watching Top Dog for Sport Relief?
Loew comments about Poldi is interesting… re keeping the squad together.
With Frimps gone Poldi is the only one keeping the AFC dressing room jovial….
it does Rico we are seriously running out if numbers at such a crucial stage and u begin to wonder what the club were thinking when the opted for an injured bloke to replace another injured player
Bring Back Adam…
Sign the petition… 😉
snap, it’s a bit of a mess isn’t it…..
Neither Kallstrom or Ramsey should be rushed back to compensate the loss of Jack.
We have enough to cover Jack in midfield…..
I did earlier Kev, it worked 😉
I agree re not rushing players back..
Kim needs a reserve game at least.. He has not played since November…
Hi Rico. No. Unfortunately not.
That’s not the Arsene Wenger way though, once fit, KK will be straight out playing for the first team….
That’s a shame Adam, you’d love watching all those beautiful furry things running around..
Crufts is next up on More4
Ginge 7.50, maybe Wenger should resign Gervinho?
He used to have me in stitches, and Lee would be beside himself… 😛
I watched Superstar Dogs Rico. You know I have a crush on John Barrowman.
Failling that Ginge, Wenger could sign Bradley Walsh, he can be a right scream, and he’s a Gooner…
ha ha ha we can’t afford him now… kev
He use to offer us width until he misfired when it mattered…
We can sign Mo Farrah free of charge…
On a serious note Eisfield can offer us a lot if given a chance but AW will instead play Zelalem me think…
Nancho is also still injured… we are a Gibbs injury away from Flamini at LB…
OK then, what about Mike Yarwood then Ginge?
Is he still alive???
😉
Diaby is coming back though no worries…
true Rico and ts re rushing players back …..,..how is gnabry not featuring more?????eisfied can do a better job than zalalem ATM IMO..,..sometimes efficiency and ruthlessness is better than technique and pure talent imo
Yes Ginge, i’d like to see Eisfeld involved…
Even on a regular basis with the 1st team…
He has that annoying habit of scoring goals…
Maybe scoring goals isn’t enough for Arsene?!
Agree Snap… I will even put Toral ahead of him…
Bellerin can come into midfield too on the wings if we are desperate…
But Ollson is the player I like…
Gedion is very good but at the moment he does not have a position and so I think it is better he learns his trade…
He is neither a no.10 nor a no.4 or 6… he sure can’t be a winger…
He is a player who can come in when you are winning comfortably but not when you need to change a game…
Kev- AW calls Poldi the best finisher…
He calls Eisfield an assassin but AW does not fancy him…not even to train with the seniors…
AW issue is that with his 30+ years experience he has not realised that some players do not train very well but on match days they are deadly…
About as much as me I think Adam, re Mr Barrowman….
Mike Yarwood to come in as a young Bobby Pires… lol
That’s me done, night Ginge, night all.
Night kev
We really are in a pickle aren’t we when young 17, 18, 19 year old untested players are being called on and all because our squad lacks depth and strength….
Night Kev..
Rico, you reap what you sow, night.
Rico that is why a manager has to plan for this kind of things…
RM do not need Jese or Morata but they have gotten games for a rainy day…
As I use to complain about between September and November when things were going well… what was the point in bringing on SC19 for JW when we are winning 3 nil etc?
What was the point in keeping Ramsey on for 90 minutes against Fene’ when we were leading 4-0 on aggregate when Serge or Frimps could come on and do a half job for 10 minutes…
Indeed Kev….
Ts, well it seems we don’t have a manger who does just that…
I agree re the players, so many times we were all saying, ‘get Giroud, Ramsey etc etc off’ – but it never happened and now it’s bitten Wenger on the butt…
Just one of many things he gets wrong….
I’m off for the day now…
Night all….
night Rico…
Yes, there were plenty of times fans were screaming to get Ramsey off the pitch 🙂
It’s not such a nice day in London today, grey skies and grey faces everywhere.
Morning Lee
An FACup Semi-Final would be welcome…
Maybe if we can win a Semi-Final at Wembley, then that would get part of that monkey off of our back.
There’s no positive vibes among our squad regarding Wembley, and that needs changing…
Playing and beating Everton in a cup competition, is usually a good omen…
You make some good points Kev, well said….
Thanks Kev, you too, but then we do tend to agree on most things…
Great minds think a like Kev….
Yeah, know what you mean Kev, I can’t think of anything that we disagree on…
Btw, do you like pie n mash Kev?
Pie n mash Kev?!!!
I love it mate, it’s one of my favourites….
Well it’s been nice chatting to ya Kev, but I got a job, catch up soon eh?
Yeah, me too Kev, strange that!
You take care buddy, and watch out for that Mick, he’s a bit dodgy…
Laters
Laters
Morning Kev 🙂
New post up now…