Morning all.
Another home draw for Arsenal in the FA Cup, another battle against Hull City. The Championship side are fighting for promotion back to the Premier League, we are fighting for the title. It should be another tough fixture. But the visitors will be without their in-form striker and hat-trick hero in the last round, Chuba Akpom, because he’s ours and I really hope Arsenal don’t grant him permission to play, nor Isaac Hayden.
This fixture will take place on 21st or 22nd February, hopefully the Saturday as we face Barcelona the following Tuesday. You watch the FA give us a Sunday afternoon kick-off slot!
Arsene Wenger will no doubt be looking forward to putting his feet up having had such a ‘busy’ month of sorting out transfers. What a joke eh and I don’t know why he says such things when clearly, just one player was coming in all along. Yes there’s time yet for another but I can’t see it happening.
It’s funny though how clubs flirting around the relegation places are getting players in, yet Arsenal, who are chasing down the title, the FA Cup and participating in the Champions League, seem reluctant to add depth to the squad. Big Sam at Sunderland has signed five players during this transfer window, a sixth is expected today.
Chelsea have signed a defender and a striker, albeit the latter is a short-term loan, City and Utd have had a very quiet month, as have the Totts but Leicester and Liverpool have added two or three players each.
With Wilshere, Cazorla and now Tomas Rosicky on the injured list, I’m surprised Arsene Wenger isn’t tempted to sign another midfielder, especially as Tomas, Flamini and Arteta will be off in the summer. What about a right-back too?
Maybe he will, maybe there’s one big signing set to surprise us all before 11pm…
Ok, wake me up, I’m dreaming….
Seriously, Arsene Wenger has said in his press conference that he’s 99% sure the club won’t be signing anyone today, not unless Lionel Messi becomes available! He also said Debuchy and Gnabry will go out on loan.
So, don’t bother staying up to watch that idiot in a yellow tie, I certainly won’t!
New players? No, no new players. At least none to be bought in from outside. Frustrating though it is, as we all know we need at least least three spinal taps! I believe he thinks the loan players will be good enough to come back as understudies or replacements for the three musket tears who will be leaving in the summer! Mainland Niles, Hayden and Gnarbry plus Akpom. I think there is then only a CB required. QED. Think of the savings, think of the cash that can be given back to the fans in the form of greatly reduced ticket prices! Think of the homemade quality, the value added by internal ‘grooming’!
Now the name of Arsenal will not be mentioned by Jim White except perhaps for the two players who are going out on loan!
Morning all. Prepare for a day of little excitement! Hope I’m wrong but I doubt I am!
Commenting on Ginge’s question on Gibbs.
I think that Monreal is gonna be around for the next 3 or 4 years.
Nacho seems naturally a very fit guy, who avoids those irritating muscle strains, pulls etc, he just goes on and on…
And that’s great for us, but not for Gibbs…
Gibbs is 26 now, and although he is very professional, doesn’t make waves and just gets on with it, he needs to play…
He isn’t gonna get in front of Monreal and therefore he isn’t gonna play.
Therefore he really needs to leave.
And probably this summer, therefore explaining Wenger’s attempt to sign Chilwell from Leicester.
That’s my take on it…
Morning Wavy and all again..
I hope we are both wrong Wavy…
Tbh, after him saying he’d be busy, I thought we’d get two players in. But what I really don’t understand is allowing Debuchy to leave when we are pushing for the league…
Seems Arsenal are faffing around with the price for Chilwell Kev, you watch another club nick him today…
Wavy, I’ve got a feeling that we’re gonna sign a midfielder and a winger today…
The two Nigerian teenagers… ?
You could be right Rico, aren’t Liverpool and Scummers in for Chilwell..?
I reckon the two Nigerians will be confirmed today too…
I think so Kev, and Chelsea…
The interesting sentence in the Gnabry comment is the one that suggests his loan is having a call back clause inserted a la Coquelins which probably means that 1 we are paying his wages whilst someone else gets him fit and 2 we are about to hear of a Welbeck set back fairly soon.
You are made a very solid point on Gibbs…
morning again all…
Wavy- the last time QED was mentioned in any sense I got a fright…
How many of the Llyods or RBS shares has Gideon given to any tax payers since we bailed out the banks?
Season tickets are more likely to go up as well even though TV money is at its highest..
Day light robbery is going on across every walk of life; it appears.
I feel sorry for the staff members of those banks that lost a fortune in their shares whilst their bosses got multi million pay offs. The average bank teller / typist / receptionist all lost their life savings/ retirement funds as the price of their shares that their minor bonuses had been paid to them plummeted. As always the people that the public dealt with lost out whilst the men at the top booked their flights to the Caymen Isles and Bahamas. They should get some compensation before the average tax payer dips into the trough.
Good Morning Lovelies and Hunkies.
I do not think that AW will get in anyone in the AM/F departments unless he is exceptional like PEA. The form of Iwobi and also the clause in Gnabry’s loan have seen to that. Iwobi is already held in high esteem and its only a matter of time before he and Campbell dislodge Theo and Ox. Campbell has already cemented his place imo and Iwobi, while he is seen as Ozil’s successor, can also play on the flanks. With Sanchez occupying the left flank then the rest will vie for the right one. Its the big games which will tell us who is the favourite…..maybe Sanchez, Ozil and Campbell will occupy the AM/F slots behind Ollie.
If he gets someone in it will be a defender. As Kev said……that is why Chilwell is being linked….as Gibbs may have decided to leave. If Chilwell comes in today expect Gibbs to go today as well. We need cover for Debuchy as well.
Sensible move then re Gnabry Potter – just hope whever he goes, he get’s playing time. Pulis really treated him badly..
Gibbs is going nowhere according to AW.
Potter- wearing the right tie and doing the right hand shake normally gets one into the1%. 😉
Tbh, many of those senior bankers, shouldn’t have been off to the Bahamas or Caymans.
They should have been off to Pentonville and Wandsworth…
Coach, I usually agree with you, but not this time amigo. ?
I don’t think we’ll get Chilwell this window, in fact, as Rico said we might lose him…
But even if we did, I wouldn’t release Gibbs, as he can fill in further forward, not yet anyway…
That can wait for the summer mate…
In case anyone is wondering, my old mucker Adam, is a bit Tom n Dick…
Get well soon Bruv….
The way the Italian clubs do business in the transfer window is impressive. The FIGC hosts the clubs for a whole month and each club is allotted a room. The major room is occupied by the FIGC and all the transfers are done there. There is no excuses for delayed faxes or occupied telephones. One simply has to walk from one room to the FIGC room..
Obviously if a club from outside the country is doing business with an Italian club it is different. They still have to meet with the foreign club. However they usually invite the foreign club to do the business in the transfer headquarters.
Imagine everyone meeting in London and all the deals done there.
AW will surely not like that.
I agree with you KEv. Gibbs should not be allowed to leave. However, I feel that if we get Chilwell, Gibbs might be allowed to leave (which would be wrong).
Has all the transfer excitement taken it’s toll Kev… 😉
I read Chilwell can play left and right back so perhaps he’ll be challenging Bellerin…
Utd linked with Debuchy… That has to be the best of this window.. lol
Rico, I think the thought of signing Jackson Martinez has overwhelmed him… ?
🙂 Kev.
Afternoon Rico and the house
Another shit transfer window
By the time he decides to spend some money, we will have 300m in the bank
Pep confirmed as City manager from the summer….
Arsenal right-back Mathieu Debuchy is set to join Bordeaux on loan until the end of the season without an option to buy, according to L’Équipe.
The deal really has come out of nowhere, with the player having been linked with Manchester United today as well as Aston Villa and Sunderland.
But, it appears that this is Debuchy’s destination for the rest of the season.
Guardiola confirmed as Citeh’s manager next season….. signs a 3yr deal!
Afternoon Mg.
Still can’t believe Wenger is letting him go Kev.
Odd time for City to announce the deal. Hopefully that’ll upset the players… 😉
Or make them play harder???
Call me an old cynic, but I wonder if Arsenal really did want to get Pep and if so, why he chose City..
Perhaps Kroenke wouldn’t give him the amount of money he wanted for player signings….
There is that I guess….
Guess that’s why City aren’t spending any money this month, leaving it all for Pep..
3 years isn’t that long…
Pelligrini is a dead man walking now…
Looks like we’ll be stuck with “Le Stubborn One” for a while…………… FFS!
He only does 3 years doesn’t he?
Or someone else, someone who will only spend as much as Kroenke allows….
Wasn’t it Wenger that said if the board handed me £100m to buy players, I’d give it straight back to them?
Pellegrini to Chelsea maybe?…
A long time ago… 😉
Pellegrini to the chavs then? It’s a managerial merry go round!
And,
Pep, third time unlucky! There’s failure just round the corner for all, no matter how ‘gifted’ they may appear to be! So Citeh to do a Chavski next season………..I wish!
As for Gibbs I’m sure I heard the aged one say that he, “has had a difficult time recently”. Whether he meant that in footballing terms or events away from football, I have no idea, except when I heard the statement I assumed he meant off the football pitch. If that’s so, something has been going on elsewhere, it might go a long way to explain his seemingly indifferent form. Who can say?
Perhaps he has had relationship problems Wavy….
It seems that his mother either married or re-married in June 2015. His auto bio pic says he was close to his Dad so maybe that had a bit to do with it.
Rico, re. Pep another proof some of these big deals do not just happen.
Sometimes things I make up come true… 😛 time for a job with metro. 🙂
It might be coincidence when I mentioned before we won the first FA cup (when fans wanted AW could out in place of Pep) that he would be joining Shitty.
Same as Yanited apparently had guarantee from Jorge that ‘the Special Nuts’ would make himself available after LVG when they discussed Di Maria’s move…
Yes Wavy.. pelle’ but more likely emery from Seville…
A left field steer!
Is Cronky short of money for his next syrup?
Look what’s happened to Walmart! Cronky’s source of pin money!!
Follow the link:
http://retailindustry.about.com/od/famousretailers/fl/All-Walmart-Store-Closings-Going-Out-of-Business-Sale-Locations-2016.htm?utm_content=6014329&utm_medium=email&utm_source=cn_nl&utm_campaign=todaysl&utm_term=
Enjoy. Maybe he’ll sell Arsenal next? Sadly the Hill Woods are no longer cash rich, but there’s always Usminov, if he’s still interested?
I get the feeling that Hull see us in the FA Cup in the same way we see Barca/BM in the CL.
Is that Dick Emery?
Debuchy joining Bordeaux on loan…
It had to happen one day Ts… 😉
You are awful Lee !
But you like him!
Charlton want to sign Yaya Sanogo on a permanent deal according to The Star.. lol
My TV is all yellow today are we going to buy any more new players.
What a great move for Charlton… ?
I doubt it Joe…
And Arsenal Kev.. 😉
Everyone’s a winner Rico ?
Five more hours for Wenger to bring in Chilwell, now Debuchy has left…
Bournemouth sighs Rhoys Wiggins ?
Bet Ajax will be gutted Kev… 😉
Who is he Joe?
Stoke signing Imbula… Who’d have thought eh…
Had no idea when I posted turns out he’s a left back returning to the club.
Bournemouth have signed 5 players ☺
Sunderland too…
Remy going to Leicester. The Tinker Man is really pushing for the title then…
Seems that way
Good to see we are too… 😉
I have a feeling Pep will never have the chance to prove how good he is as a manager.
Seriously….Barca, Bayern and now Citeh?
The guy has shown with this move he’s not interested in developing a club, he wants it hand delivered on a silver platter.
What a cat!!
I thought….or maybe just hoped….he’d be up for a challenge but obviously he’s not.
No courage in him at all.
Henry reckons he might put his trust in the youth system Scott… I’m not convinced.. Lol
Night all.
My take on it, Citeh want to win the Champions League and Pep will deliver it…..why can’t we show the same ambition.
Micko we will never show ambition as long as that tosser wenger is at the helm
Pep hasn’t delivered the cl at Munich a better team than City
Easy Malaga, it’s not proper etiquette to knock the French cheese eating surrender monkey you know…..show some respect man.
Micko when he finally goes, i will break the habit of a lifetime and buy a round in the local
It can’t come quick enough
And to make it worse he will probably pick the next manager
Malaga, your probably be wrestling with the cobra in the toilets when the news breaks in your local, isn’t that how it usually works lol.
Lol micko
Night mate
Nite matey, I’m still waiting up on Isco myself.
Tosser lovely description of the most successful manager the club has ever had there’s a saying be careful what you wish for.
Hull City just signed striker Nick Powell, we’re fcuking doomed in the FA Cup, oh well, it was good while it lasted.
Still got faith in ya Arsene, another hour and 20 minutes to show the doubters you mean business !
:
Wenger talks about there not being quality players out there but it is all crap. He’s tight and has lost it. Imbula to Stoke. Payet to the Hammers . Why are we not buying Xhaka ,isco ! We can afford to them !. Put some real depth in the squad. Make those complacent players who expect to start earn their place. Step up or be dropped. He’s got no balls! That’s why he doesn’t buy . Cos he doesn’t want to have to say to one of his favourites you can play.
Wanker!
Sanogo to Charlton, don’t you scoff Mick, Yaya could be the Le Coq of 2016…
I’ve still got faith in our postman to deliver…
I see that Tomas Rosicky has been reported as being devastated at probably missing the rest of the season…
Well never mind, he’ll recover in time to play for the Czech Republic again, and that has always been his priority and the reason he got injured in the first place…
Over 10 years, he has averaged 17 games a season…
Without the criticism that was dished out to Diaby or what is now aimed at Wilshere.
Funny how some players avoid criticism while others are hammered for the same things?
Sanogo the £50m player in Wenger’s eyes?
“I have a feeling Pep will never have the chance to prove how good he is as a manager.”
I agree with this Scott 100%, he took the easy option yet again!
If he’d chosen us it would of shown he had some real bollocks, surely it can’t be a money thing?? He’s minted….
So while Pep managed in Spain they won the WC, whilst in Germany they won the WC and now he’s going to manage in England……………. I’ll get my coat! 😆
Good Morning Lovelies and Hunkies.
Lee…….continue yawning and hoping that England will win the WC. Hang on WC stands for watering cabinet as well. Can you imagine the English captain lifting a golden WC?? lol 😛
Oyyy Kev, my friend. How come Messi did not show up at AFC??? didn’t you give him a lift in your cab???
Players signed by AFC this month………
1) Elneny
2) Fakin No Wan
3) Nobo Dy
4) Nots Am Wan
5) Not Any Wan Els
Good morning Rico, dev et al…
Stoke are becoming a formidable team.
You never know Cesc could move to them in future… 🙂
Hiya Ginge.
Imagine Mark Hughes coaching the chavs. Would Cesc dare to ask him again if his style was learnt at Barca?? lol
Thank God we have got Stoke out of our system this season. But they still have to play Shitty, Spuds, Manure, Leicester and the dippers. hopefully they will take points from all of them.
I agree with Scott too, but that’s life in the ‘easy’ lane. A real challenge for a ‘top’ manager would be to take a job where money is restricted and I don’t mean having none, just having to think about how money is spent rather than having a bottomless pit.
I really hope this is one test he fails…..
Stoke – formidable?? 🙂
Morning you all..
Agreed there Dev. Imbula is a top CDM/CM…
Imagine Sparky asking Cesc to play as scrum-half… 🙂
Rico- i thought you like Mark Hughes? 😛
Imbula won’t be at Stoke for long if he’s that good… 😉
Morning Ts, can’t stand the bloke…
What a drag…
Morning all.
I’m truly disappointed in Pep, not that my opinion matters.
I’ve never suggested he can’t manage.
All I’ve ever said is until he takes on a challenge, he’s proven nothing at all.
There are plenty of managers who’d have won trophies with the two squads he’s had.
His reputation will remain intact because he’s taken the easy way out.
I mean, right now, taking the UTD job would have at least shown he has some balls.
Can ANYONE, especially those who constantly abuse and insult Wenger, honestly say he’d have done a better job with our club over the last decade?
Would he have survived the abuse, criticism and pressure Wenger has endured?
We will never know because he’s not got the guts to even try, but I’d bet my last he wouldn’t have.
He will spend a shit load and probably win the League next season, but shoot me for saying this, I’d rather anyone else win it.
Yes, ANYONE!!!
I did not wanna get up today ?
Morning All
Morning Rico
Morning Coach, I could be wrong, I usually am, but I thought WC meant ‘water closet’…
There ya go, who gives a shit…
If we don’t win the league this season, I think we can pretty much forget it for the next 3 years at least…
Now that Pep Guardiola had joined ManCity, don’t be surprised if ManUre don’t finally give their job to Mourinho…
Scott – him going to City speaks volumes about football owners of the current day, apart from Kroenke that is. They all want instant success and plenty of it and at any cost. Perhaps managers, well some, are the same. They don’t want to build success but would rather have a bottomless pit to buy success.
To a degree, I don’t really blame him as he doesn’t know what it’s really like to either fail, or not to have money available as an easy life is far better than having the media on his back all the time.
But I wonder if Arsenal would have been a lot different had Usmanov bought all the shares instead of Kroenke. My guess is, we’d be very similar to City and be chasing success at any cost..
Morning Kev..
Have to disagree there, the PL is very different to a two horse race in Germany or Spain and who really knows what Kroenke or Wenger’s plans are for the future..
No-one thought Arsene Wenger would do what he did when he first arrived at Arsenal, maybe there’s another manager out there who can do the same.
If Mike Riley takes a dislike to the Spaniard, anything can happen… 😉
Already the headlines have begun ‘Pep wants to raid Arsenal for Ramsey’….. zzzzzzz
Rico, you’re spot on, but Instant gratification is a thing of today, no matter what people do.
Nobody seems to want to toil way for success.
Working hard is more and more a thing of the past.
It’s all about here and now, and Citeh have the money, as well as a distinct lack of care for the game, to be the ultimate example of this.
I’m just totally underwhelmed by the whole affair! Pep, Wenger the mean, Arsenal, EPL the whole bag of mashings.
The playing field is no longer flat or meritorious (word?) the title is and has been since god knows when, subject to money and not money earned by football! It seems if you have massive wealth it will buy you anything, anything you want. Not by ability, not by hard graft but by fortune, huge fortune!
When the bubble bursts the shit that flies will destroy the footballing nations! Including ours! TV money, amongst other things is seriously to blame. The whole of the finances of ‘soccer’ are at the mercy of financial wizards and their patronage. Never a good thing in the long term.
Where will it all end and when will it all end? Not in the immediate future but sooner or later the straw will be laid that does break the camel’s back. What will happen then? Pass me my crystal ball! Ah it’s too cloudy! The future is unclear and unspecified.
Watch this space!
Morning all. The wind of change is coming.
They are not alone Scott. Chelsea and Utd have been doing it for years..
It’s only Arsenal from the so called ‘top clubs’ who don’t, despite being quite wealthy… 😉
Liverpool have tried but failed… lol
🙂 rico. was pulling your legs re. Sparky
Scott, spot on with 9:15am; outside of football it is fuelling consumerism and ‘w.a.gism’ if that is a word.
How can any reasonable parent tell their young child/teenage ‘no’ or concentrate on school when they ask for the latest mobile phone amongst other things when their parents also want their clubs to spend big money on big players and pay them weekly salaries that would take a typical middle class white collar worker 2 years to earn at best…
Wavy, I can’t see things ever changing. Sky Sports and BT will ensure that. Money will only get bigger and clubs will just get richer and richer…
As will Kroenke…..
Ts, I know. Just thought I’d make my feelings clear…. 😉
Wavy, you will be surprised to read that sky subscription went up during the recession. No wonder Murdock is laughingtalk about circular reasoning…
Unless folks are homeless TV subscription will keep creeping up imho…
Scott your defence of Wenger is to say the least laudable , but when that defence is trotted out the question that never gets asked is :- how much of his position was of his own making.? To what degree was he complicit with the boards policy of restraint ? If the blame game is to be aimed at Kroenke and the rest of the nodding dogs in their own Highbury House , then how much of that blame sits on his shoulders as well ? Was it his idea to lead the club into their period of restriction or was he led by the others ?
None of which explains any number of tactical foul ups that he has produced over the years where his blind faith in his squads has proved to be unfounded and his strict policy of adhering to his style has enabled any number of other managers to produce teams that roll us over and his inability to change things to compete with the patterns of play that they use against us.
Potter, I asked if anyone could say with any certainty Pep would’ve done better.
Can you??
Can anyone??
Good post Potter. I suppose all will be revealed in the fullness of time, after Arsene’s departure?
Have to say Scott, I still think a different manager would get more out of the current players than Arsene is at the moment. It’s all too easy for them. Walcott is a perfect example, on his day he can cause problems but he’s darn right lazy and he’s not alone..
Many a manager wouldn’t accept that kind of stuff and not just Pep. Would Pulis, Sam or Poch not have our defence and midfield discipline sorted by now?
I think so…..
New post is up now…