How many times have we heard or read the word ‘wonderkid’ or ‘The New…’ when talking about Arsenal youth or reserve players?
There’s been an abundance of players dubbed the new Paddy, the new Bergkamp, the new Henry but we all know it’s just hype which can often do more harm than good. The player trying to emulate the player he’s likened to just adds pressure to himself.
This week we have seen us talk about the ‘new Drogba’, the ‘new Pique’ and even the ‘new Parlour’. Why cant the media just respect the up and coming players and stop comparing them to others? After all, look what that has done to Diaby, maybe that’s why so many fans expect too much from him.
Even boss Arsene Wenger says he is nothing like Paddy.
Does he really deserve all the criticism or is he just not living up to his ‘New Vieira’ label?
[polldaddy poll=3918104]One player who I don’t think has been labelled the ‘New Anyone’ yet but is flying through the ranks is Chuks Aneke. He has leadership skills, a winning mentality and believes he can have an influence on those around him. His hero is Patrick Vieira and Chucks is currently reading his hero’s book and he really believes it’s helping him progress at Arsenal.
Both Chuks and Vieira are midfielders but Chuks is more attacking in his play but it doesn’t stop the seventeen year old wanting to be just like him in every aspect of his life.
He was such a winner and I want to take that from the book and put it into my game. I want to be a winner like him, I’ve learnt a lot from reading the book. To try and win at everything I do on and off the pitch. To try and lead and be more of a presence on the pitch because he was such a presence when he was on the field. I look up to him very much. He was the captain of this Club and he won titles. That’s something I aspire to. He was one of my idols as a kid.
Chuks is one of a few English players who are starting to make Wenger think a bit, we have a few. He joined us in 2001 but by the time he got to mix it with the big boys, his hero had departed for Juventus.
I met him once when I was about eight or nine. He won’t remember, I don’t even really remember myself, I saw him after a game against Sunderland at the old Highbury and that was the only time I met him. He walked straight past me – it was very daunting to see someone like him at that age.
Benik Afobe, Luke Freeman and Roarie Deacon reckon he’s the best thing since sliced bread and credit him for their goal tally last season. They reckon he has a great eye for the perfect pass and plays with great creativity.
Just think, it won’t be long until we see Walcott, Lansbury, Wilshere, JET, Chuks and a few more, all in the Arsenal first team and part of England set up, then the FA can stick that in their pipes and smoke it!!
Have a good day all, tomorrow we can look forward to the Brum…
Morning all
Morning Rico, Think Diaby is just one very frustrating player for me, threatens to produce so much but more often than not looks lazy uninterested and doesnt involve himself enough in the gaem adn lets it pass him by, great skill but far to often slows the game down for me. When he’s good he’s very good but thats one in six or even more so far to much of a passenger..! Then again what is his actual position..?
Morning Rico,
Loved this article! You are beginning to write like a certain arsey person!! 🙂
I voted “Yes”.
Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Morning WATH, he frustrates me too, interesting to read that wenger says he is a ‘striker going forward taking players on’, but then plays him in the midfield..
He is certainly very attacking… 😉
Morning RA, thank you 😉 i can’t think who you mean though…
Rico,
I am not very observant, and have just noticed your ambulance cartoon. V. good, especially RVP’s prognosis! 🙂
You voted yes RA……… Hmmm I thought you might..!
RA, it’s only been there for about two months 😆
Problem with the “off to the scanner” section RA is Rico doesn’t update it… lol
OK, i will see to it right now, fuff, a womans work and all that!!
All done, well the best I can as afc.com don’t give a lot away!
Diaby is completely brainless. Seriously, he is thick as ****
He is very skillful, no doubting it but his stupidity means he will not be a great player. One good game in 8 is not good enough for West Ham, let alone Arsenal! He is a liability, end of.
That’s better, About time tooooooooo…………… 😛
hey thatsit,diaby is gd but slows down games thou he has the potential let hm work on his pace n stop possesing alot ok
Hi Tc, you voted a ‘no’ then 😉
I’ve always maintained he has a good brain and quick feet, they just need to learn to work together 😉
just please, FFS tell me a game which diaby stood up and played @ Arsenal level…
He is the MOST OVERRATED arsenal player, ever.
We’d seen improvement from song, eboue and denilson (statistically), but C’mon. Diaby?
is he skillful? probably. (nasri, Wilshere)
end product? maybe (give lansbury 90 mins/120 mins and he scored against scums)
consistency? NEVER
i think we have enough “for the future” and i rather had wlishere, lansbury even M. randall for the future. if we need someone to step up for the team, diaby is not the answer.
“if i signed a centre player, it will kill the youngster”. honestly, would you rather have van der vaart than the lights of ramsey, wilshere, diaby, denilson, lansbury, randall, etc
Chucks seems like the real deal though, it can’t be too long until this 17,18,19 year olds start knocking on wengers door.
it will test his man management skills as they will want to play…
Hi KC, give me a few hours and i’ll try and think of one…
rico,
perhaps the 6-0 against the mighty deby.
muema – i think wath’s comment earlier is spot-on, he needs a kick up the bum to get him going…
More like a cattle prod Rico………
KC – I must have missed that one 😉
Seriously though, at 24 years old he should be a lot better than he is, maybe it’s down to the amount of injuries he suffered since he’s been with us has set him back…
😆 WATH, one from the donkey stable…
KC,
I respect your opinion, we are all entitled. 🙂
It is not often that I say this, well never, actually, but I disagree with everything you wrote.
You are way over the top re Diaby, and I bet that Lansbury and Randall (where he?) will never make it at Arsenal, and will be shipped out by this time next year.
I would not have Van the Fart if he was the last sausage on the plate. No thanks!
Apart from that, I agree with you. 🙂
RA = Mr Antogonistic this morning. . . . . . . lol did you not get brekkie in bed this morning RA 😀
I agree with KC on Diaby but Randall is crap and not a change would I have thunder fart either BUT Lansbury will be good…..! So there Mr grumpy antagonistic lol
RA, Randall I agree but Lansbury, I personally would rather see him play than Diaby, Lansbury deserves to be given a chance now…
Red Arse,
perhaps u maybe enlighten me.. in which match where diaby stood up and show us what a palyer he is?
of couse, we had seen the flashes of moment of his Dribbling (ya big deal), passing (WOW!) and that shot against derby county.
apart from those? he had 4, 5 years with arsenal. Zero progress.
bear in mind RvP had injury as well, but comparing diaby with RvP is simply an insult to Rvp.
The post talks about Diaby and Chucks… WHY??
Diaby has been labelled the new Paddy (wrongly so)
Chuks wants to learn and be a winner just like Paddy..
Chuks is the one who really could push Diaby for a place midfield….
See there was some thought in the post 😆
KC, i don’t think anyone is comparing him to RvP
rico,
i am referring to the excuse of “injury” rvp suffered fair share of injury as much as diaby.
Prob with Diaby is you get the odd flash of brilliance and you think well why don’t you impose yourself and do that more often in a game and every game and yet he doesnt and thats the problem but the only thing i will say as per your comment Rico, maybe he should be played behind the striker as he’s not a midfielders arse
No worries KC, that was my comment about all his injuries, it was just a thought? He has suffered a lot for such a young player, have the injuries effected him mentally?? Again, just a thought?
I just wish he could show what he really is about and perform in that way week after week…
Morning all.sometimes i wonder what diaby has done to get so much criticism.last season especially december to january and also the beginning of the season when he had a run of 7 games or so he was one of our best players.even for the french in their recent game he was the first player since L.Diarra vs Ecuador in 08 (102) to attempt 100 passes in a game.if he stays healthy for a prolonged time period and you’ll all have to eat some humble pie.
On his day he can take the ball from defence to attack in seconds but then it all goes sour…
i think he would be better as a second striker too wath, great height and a great header on him…
Hi KT, i don’t think he’s getting to much of a hard time, most realise he ‘has it’ he just doesn’t do it week in week out…
Actually, the same could be said for a few of our players right now, Clichy, Sagna, AA, Song… Quite a few are going through a barron patch. If we are to win anything this season, this all needs to change..
Maybe Cesc, Theo and Nikki coming back on Saturday will kick our season on again..
KT, 100 passes in a game were they 2 yards and backwards and sideways…????????????
When he warrants a pat on the back I give him one but in general the bloke is a passenger and is the most frustrating player of the current crop by miles…! He’s never carried the team he performs when it actually doesnt matter never when you want him too or when needed and age and injuries are not becoming a little boring as excuses…!
Hi KT, you and I are one in our opinions on Diaby. 🙂
KC, if you are still there, I have no problem with your opinion, as I said before, we are all entitled. Your view is valid and I respect it, I just don’t agree.
Why do you have a problem with mine? 🙁
Age is no excuse WATH, he’s 24 years old, he should be one of the leaders in our young squad…
Did you watch the luxemborg game WATH?most of those passes were going forward.i also don’t understand why so many fans criticize the ‘sideways/backpass’.what is wrong with it?sometimes you have to play safe or would you rather a player playing hollywood passes all the time which more often than not lead to deadly counter attacks.xavi had over 500 passes at the worldcup but if you watch him closely most of the passes are sideways or backwards and he will only pass forward when a sitiuation arises.playing a forward pass through a crowd of opposition players is not intelligent football.
WATH,
There are times when I can agree with your above comment, but other times I delight in his consummate skill and athleticism.
He does need a strong, vocal captain on the pitch to “guide” him, which is probably what Rico meant when she said she would like to pat him on the bum. Tsk, tsk! 🙂
KT, there is the problem mate it was Luxemborg. . . Hence he can do it against west ham but not man utd or the chavs or anyone decent… hence the frustration of the man…!
RA the reason i brought up that stat is to show that diaby is learning to release the ball faster.he also had the highest number of successfull tackles in the chav game-8.in a fully fit squad he will start whether you like it or not since the boss sees his value.Mourinho,Redknapp,SAF have all praised him and am glad AW sees his value too.he may not be perfect but he is not as poor as he is made out to be.
WATH how many players can attempt so many passes in a game be it luxemborg or Brazil?very few players irregardless of the opposition can attempt a century of passes.diaby made all those passes despite him not being a playmaker which shows you he is adding a new dimension to his game.if you watched that game he played one-twos while moving forward which helped the French breakdown the luxemborg defense.goals he has scored against Villa and Newcastle cannot be scored by anyone else in the squad.give him a chance is all i say.
KT,
Again I agree with you, but sometimes it is impossible, and perhaps understandably, to change peoples’ minds.
The only thing that will do that is success for the team on the pitch, and winning trophies.
Despite the Chelsea game, I think that will come and soon.
RA we are lucky that Aw is the manager and he agrees with us.RA did you know Miroslav klose has converted all his 6 shots on target to goals?he is very clinical.
RA, i was just being polite, he needs a rocket up his jacksy, not a pat on the bum 😉
I think we have to agree to disagree re diaby 🙂 however, i think wenger is wrong 😆
off to walk the dogs on that note 😉
be nice all! 😉
RA what most fans don’t realise is that for every sideways/backpass the opposition will have to chase the ball which results to them being stretched.eventually the opposition tires and in addition to them being frustrated they lose their cool and structure which results to them conceding.thats how spain won the WC and playing that way minimizes the chances of the opposition mounting any threat to your goal.
Sorry had to do something, KT i hear what your saying but give him a chance is a bit much when he’s had plenty chances isn’t a kid anymore and is still the most frustrating of players, his decision making is poor he slows the game down and tends to play only when it doesnt matter or when he fancies it, still a passenger and thats really not good enough. Back wards adn sideways is fine if your dictating the tempo of the game Diaby does not do that…! ther are many playes that do hence sideways and backwards for them with an end product is fine but as yet he still isn’t that kind of player and at 24 how many more chances must he be given..?
And all those great young Brits brought through by the ‘Wenger’ bloke you despise?
I voted no, we will see if Wenger thinks he is a first team member when some of the players are back from injury.
I agree with WATH, but maybe AW has some fault in that playing him mostly in a DM role.
-Denilson in not a DM and Diaby is not 1 also so we have only Song and Jack who is far better then 2 older and taller mates and yet clearly he is not 1 either.
SOmething clearly is wrong in our squad I hope AW see it b4 we pay the price.
Red Arse,
Thanks for the response, glad u had been such gentleman. i do not have a problem with ur opinion, i m more than happy to receive feedback from fellow gooner. i was simply respond to ur comment.
we shall see this weekend, hope diaby can prove me wrong. after all is about the team, nothing personal.
Stef, your right that AW pays them maybe in the wrong position and as I said earlier that what exactly is Diaby’s best position as that could be the main problem..?!?!? we’ll maybe never know.. We’ll see..!
gunnerpete………. You’ve lost me….?!?!?! who or what is your comemnt aimed at..?
KC,
I have been wrong on so many things that I would not dream of contradicting another Gooner, though I know some do.
Frankly, I have also changed my mind in the light of experience, so you could prove to be right in the end.
We both want the Gunners to win, and the same goes for WATH, who agreed with your view earlier! 🙂
If Diaby is a ‘striker going forward’ why does Wenger so often play him as a holding midfielder?
I suppose it’s because we’ve such a paucity of options for that position. Song… erm, that’s it.
Wenger also played Diaby on the left of midfield for a couple of seasons. He was awful every time, but Wenger did it for his ‘development’. Development always comes first these days.
Too many square pegs in round holes in the name of making them ‘total’ footballers.
Villa scored 108 goals and 26 assists in 166 matches for Valencia.i can’t believe when he begged Aw to sign him we declined!Aw said we had vela coming back but…
Jekyll, spot on with your comment…… As much as Diaby frustrates the hell out of me I do sympathise with all the different positions he’s played and still to this day have no idea of his best position and the question begs. . . does AW..?
KT, don’t get me started on Villa, its ridiculous that he’s not at Arsenal…! AW being stubborn again…!
Could have been the £40m price tag, = £20m salary over 4 years, it would have put me off if I was Kroenke/Fizman.
WATH we missed out on so many players:CR7,Ibrahimovic,Yaya Toure,Torres,Villa,Robinho,Drogba…because of Aw being stubborn.we’d have another invincibles team right now.Even kaka once said he’d love to play for us and i think we should take advantage of our brand.
Balance that against a trophy or two RA and the 60 million in the bank plus shirt sales added tv renenue etc etc small price to pay for buying quality and winning things………..
I think the Brand KT is very underrated and very underused it’s something the club needs to wake up too….! Out of all the players you mentioned the only ones I would really of loved are Torres n Villa maybe CR7……… AW just wants quality for peanuts when others will pay the going rate…!
I think we should spend once in a while.we hear Aw has a budget of £50 mil for transfers but why doesn’t he use it?im not calling for kamikaze spending but buying proven players once in a while.Barca bought Alves,keita and pique in 08 which led them to winning a treble.Utd bought Anderson,hargreaves,Carrick and Tevez to help them surpass the chavs which led to them winning one cl,losing in a final and winning almost all trophies in England.
WATH We would have had a forward line of Rvp,villa/torres and CR9!With cesc,diarra and flamini behind them.let me just stop…its painful thinking about it!
Spot on KT, no reason to blow the 50/60million but to of bought a player or two for 15/20 million could of brough in further finances AND won us trophies….. specualte to accumulate doesnt mean blowing the whole bank balance but spending what you have isn’t a problem surely, i’d rather see the 60million in quality on the pitch not in a bank account
KT, can you imagine that line up…….. scary….!
Afternoon all
gunner pete, who despises wenger on here?? not sure you will find many….
Someone mention David Villa, we should have bought him for sure!
WATH we’d have grit and flair in plenty.teams that attack us would get murdered on the counter by that team.even the chavs or even barca couldn’t cope with that!CR7 would’ve cost £12 mil and villa £20 mil.we already had flamini and diarra.if we had won the cl and pl it would have bagged us almost £140 mil not even counting shirt sales,tours,sponsorships and cash from the world club championships and UEFA Supercup.high risks equals high rewards…
Spot on KT, beggars belief that we are so stingy with those kind of amounts up for grabs when you win things…!
ho ho ho knew u’d have a comment on us buying Villa. . . . Hussy…!
KT, wenger should start throwing a few more kids in, jacks shown the way, give a chance to some who are proud to wear our shirt…
WATH Im not against us having the likes of diaby who to be fair if we let them go and they win the Ballon D’or we’d blame Aw.we need several such players who can give us that international feel;players that we’d be comfortable with defending a one nil lead at the Camp nou in a cl semi in the 80th minute.the likes of denilson don’t have that level of cool yet but will in the future.
You know me too well WATH, he is awesome aswell though 😉
KT if Diaby won ballon D’or I’d go support sperz………. Not happening in a month of sundays and defending a one nil lead at the nou camp i’d want him nowhere near the pitch 2b honest so we’ll just disagree on him 🙂
To be fair to Aw he is playing lil jack because he is delivering week in week out and as a result denilson is no longer a starter.i also said here at the beginning of the season i don’t see us bagging a trophy this season because there is something missing from the squad.
WATH i was not saying we need diaby in such sitiuations i mistyped it.we need experienced internationals such as van bommel,Cambiasso…in such occasions not the likes of diaby.
KT, we lack something, but thats fight and desire and theres a few too many players who don’t have that.
Thanx KT u had me worried there………. 😉
I said it months ago, AW missed a trick big time when he didnt get Van Bommel and Lucio both left on free transfers and would of been great for us and exactly what we needed. . . . . . . . . Whats missing from the squad KT is a leader and a player or two to roll their sleeves up and fight when it really matters, we only really have TV and we need a few more like him…!
Thats something we agree on Wath.if we have van bommel/lucio/cambiasso/zanetti type of players you’d be sure we wouldn’t lose games such as West Brom.There would be a breath of confidence no matter the opposition.As much as song has improved i think he is turning to a liability and thats the position you need the aforementioned players.we sometimes look amatuerish on the pitch and thats why i don’t think we’ll claim the PL/CL this season.
I think the word is we lack discipline KT, we never ever look comfy at 1-0 and players lack the discipline to nick the win….!
Of all our players:cesc,rvp10,AA,TR7,Squillaci,vermy and sagna are the only players that give you a sense of security.as you can see we are overloaded in attack and very shorthanded in defense which is a real worry.even red nose was bemused when we signed AA despite having so many players of similar stature.look at our reserve signings and you’ll see most of them are attack minded.our CBs are all ball playing who would rather play a through ball out of the defense rather than hoof it to row z.the mancs have win trophies due to the likes of fletcher/carrick/oshea who will stick to do what they are instructed to do.Song bombing forward leaving jack to face Anelka/drogba is all the evidence you need to see why we always fail at the final hurdle.
Only TV and Squlli give me a sense of security out of those you list KT… Maybe Rosicky and Cesc at a push…
“Football is simple,but the hardest thing to do is to play simple football”-johan cruyff.
KT, football is an easy game made difficult by players… All you have to do is pass to a player wearing the same shirt as you 😀
Crikey,
You two would have cracked it! Pity AW did not check with you first. 🙂
It is a bit odd how many players Arsene has missed out on because of a parsimonious attitude with money.
The latest one highlights a certain arrogance too.
Smalling may or may not turn out to be a class player, in time, but he is a big Arsenal fan and wanted to come to us. Fulham thought we were going to buy him but AW offered 50p.
Then in pop’s old blue nose and late in the day, AW decides to move and falls short not only on what Fulham wamted but on the players contract.
Yet again, blue nose wins. He certainly knows how to play Wenger!
Our players should learn to do the basics perfectly first.we hate fletcher but if red nose tells him to break up play and pass the ball to scholes thats exactly what he’ll do.Song will win the ball,try to execute a Marseille roulette where he’ll lose the ball and we’ll concede.Thats why despite us having better players they win the trophies.
No WATH,
Passing to a player in the same shirt is not enough.
I get pee’d off at the number of eye of the needle passes from one Arsenal player to another, with the tiny flaw that someone else is in the way. Ooer missus! 🙂
Spot on RA if AW had only called we’d of not gone 5 yrs without a trophy, how stupid of him eh 😉
WATH and KT,
You sound just like a couple of old birds chin wagging over a garden fence.
It’s really good evesdropping and that’s what blogging is all about, in my opinion, and believe it or not WATH, that’s a compliment! 🙂
If we were in a cl final who would you trust to take the last penalty?if we were in a cl final in the last minute leading one nil;messi has only 1 defender to beat who would you want it to be?if we had a counter in the last minute who would you want playing the killer ball?…that should tell you how secure you are with our own players.
KT,
It would be easier to say who I would not want in any of those circumstances. Denilson.
I have seen him shoot from the left side of the penalty area and the ball has gone out on the right byeline for a throw in. Ouch!
TV for the last ditch tackle and probably the penalty too, Cesc or Rosicky for the pass.
Adams for the last ditch tackle, Bergkamp for the killer pass and RVP for teh penalty…! Sorted….!
Did you say 2 old men chatting over the garden fence RA 😉
WATH,
I said two old birds, but that was a slip of the keyboard, I meant two old men, (anyone over 21), but luckily i did not type two old tarts, which is my usual default! 🙂
Rico,
Rosicky? Seriously? He who could not hit the proverbial cow’s arse with a penalty shot recently?
Shame on you! 🙂 Lust getting in the way again!
RA, no, it’s my opinion and Rosicky or Cesc to make the pass – nowt to do with lust!
I’m sure KT will be chuffed you calling him an old tart….! Pretty good coming from the senior citizen amongst us…! 😛
WATH,
You are confusing me with MikeB!
I have learned many things in my short life, but my favourite topic is animals.
For example, did you know there is Indian elegance and then there is African elegance! Fact! 🙂
It’s his grey matter RA, WATH is really the old boy in town 🙂
Rico id trust rosicky to make the throughball too.it is either him or cesc.the penalty id give to rvp although star players tend to bottle it.the last ditch tackle id give to sagna.
i forgot rvp KT, probably as he’s never playing 🙁
sagna, interesting choice KT…
Sagna and Tv are 10 days away.cesc is very short for Saturday and Tuesday.Gibbs and bendtner are back for b’ham.rvp and ramsey will not feature till next month according to Aw.
Theo will play if he comes through tomorrow’s training session.Almunia is a matter of days.
KT,
As usual we are in broad agrement.
Thru ball; Cesc / Little Jack.
Penalty; RVP
Last ditcher; Song
But KT, Sagna for last ditcher? Go and wash your mouth out!
WATH, you are a cunning old fox. You have worked out my age from snippets of conversation! 🙂
Left Skool at 17;
Left Uni at 22;
Professional Qualis (2) 26;
Played hard and loose; 30;
Travelled a lot; 35;
Blogged, to date
Am I close?
And then there’s you with your hair going grey in your 40’s, you poor old thing! 🙂 But I still like you. 🙂
Sagna is one of our most consistent defenders RA.Song would do too since he would either win the ball or take out messi.
WATH,
I am going to pass on to you the most important lesson I have learned in my life.
Never get behind the devil in a Post Office queue, because the devil takes many forms! 🙂
That’s more like it KT. 🙂
We are back on track. 🙂
Koscielny is also very good in one on one sitiuations.when he gets beat he takes out the player like he did to Anelka.I wouldn’t trust Vermaelen just yet. Even rosicky is a very good tackler.
Is this a boys only afternoon 😉 😉
Sorry had work to do and now gotta go, chat 2moro all and have a great evening…! be good…! 135 RA didnt kno u woz that old 😛
Have a good un WATH,catch you tomorrow…
I, too, must bid you all a good night! 🙂
You seem to have been deserted by your gooner sisters, today, Rico. Maybe tomorrow, they may return! 🙂
I think I have been RA 🙁
You have a good evening too RA, catch up soon I hope….
Night all.
I’m on my own then now KT 🙁
Night then all, be safe….
Diaby is wasted space only position is in a 451 as the extra
As the extra what Damian…..?? 😀
Morning Damian, i take it you voted no then 😉
I don’t think he’s that bad he just needs to buck his ideas up and string some proper performances together and not just against the so called ‘lower’ sides…
Hmmm number 1 on NN well done Rico, twice in one week…! Shows good reading gets the hits not just gimmicky headlines..!
Morning WATH, just noticed that too, get me eh 😉 😉
Cesc is still out for tomorrows game but Gibbs and Nik are back, Theo has a late fitness test today…
New Post up
I totally agree with W.A.T.H, his points are true on the diaby issue unlike KT, how many seasons are we going to say that a player is growing and count the number of passes he finishes in a game against a team that is not relevant. Hey KT, lets count goals n trophies not passes. How many passes does drogba finish in a game? Honestly I don’t know the answer to that question coz in the end its the goals that matter. Diaby will still pass even when he has a clear shot on goal and thats not what we need to win a game.
Thanx Mo, Diaby for me is a nightmare cos he is soooooooooo frustrating. Think new post up means ppl chatting there, see you on the new post…!