If we are to believe the newspapers and Arsenal blogs, Montpelliers Younes Belhanda is set to sign for us in the summer and the red herring all along has been Giroud.
Like Allezkev said yesterday, we all love a rumour….
Anyway..
Arsene Wenger was in good spirits yesterday in his pre-match interview, he was asked what he thought about Sol Campbell’s recent comments on how his old boss needs to spend big in the summer.
Arsene’s response was to suggest that Sol should give him some of his money and then he would soon spend it, all said with a smile of course…
There is one signing though who will no doubt make a difference at our club next season….
You won’t like this bit. 😉
Manchester United have been the most successful club in the Premier League, Sir Alex Ferguson has been the most successful manager too.
Ok, that may irk some, some may even disagree but trophies, medals and statistics do not lie.
I personally believe their success is not all down to Fergie though; it’s as much about his assistant coach and this is where he has out thought Arsene Wenger.
Here’s a list of Fergies right hand men during his reign:
Archie Knox (1986 – 1991) Knox accompanied Ferguson from Aberdeen. He worked through the difficult years, only to miss the success.
Brian Kidd (1991 – 1998) Kidd was promoted in 1991 and enjoyed the 1990s success that followed. To date, he has been Ferguson’s longest-serving Assistant Manager.
Steve McClaren (1999 – 2001) McClaren came from Derby County and saw three successive Premiership titles (and the 1998-1999 treble).
Jimmy Ryan (2001 – 2002) Ryan was promoted on McClarens departure, and remained Assistant Manager for just one season.
Carlos Queiroz (2002 – 2003) Queiroz’s first season saw a further Premiership title. After just one season, he left to manage Real Madrid.
Walter Smith (2004) After managing for a while without an assistant, Ferguson brought in Smith for the final few months of the 2003-2004 season.
Carlos Quieroz (2004 – 2008) After leaving Real Madrid, Queiroz returned, this time for four seasons. The club won two Premiership titles and the Champions League.
Mike Phelan (2008 – ) Phelan was promoted in 2008 following the departure of Carlos Queiroz. Manchester United won the Premiership title in his first season.
Eight assistants during his twenty-six years in charge (including Queiroz two stints)
Arsene Wenger however has had just one during his sixteen year reign! Fergie had got through four in that same time period.
This summer though, that will change when Pat Rice finally hangs up his boots and as much as we all love the guy, we have to hope that he’s not persuaded to change his mind.
When Wenger first arrived, the relationship with Rice obviously worked, (unlike Fergies first assistant) it bought us success for a few years, but somewhere along the line it’s gone stale.
A new man will be in the door and he’ll bring with him a few new ideas which could very well be the most important piece in Arsene Wengers jigsaw of signings this summer.
Fergie might be the manager, the man who keeps his players on their toes, throws a tantrum and launches a hairdryer around the dressing room, but just as ‘behind a good man, there has to be a great women’, behind every good manager there has to be a great assistant…..
That great assistant we get this summer could be the one to finally bring a halt to the silly losses we suffer against sides we should really be beating….
Martin Keown is my choice, who’s yours?
Finally, spare a thought for Robin Gibb who has been fighting against colon and liver cancer, he has now slipped into a coma and doctors fear he has just days to live…..
Somehow, me he find strength to pull through, he’s only 62 years old……
Sign Adam Le-Fondre Arsene 🙂
Good English striker who knows where the net is…
Morning All….
Moaning all…..Keown closely followed by Bould for me. Sol’s basically right in what he’s saying….as for spending Campbell’s money maybe AW wants to look a little closer to home!!
Hi Lee, good hols?
AW’s £7m = 2 players!
You watch the reading game last night by any chance?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2129517/Bebe-transfer-probed-Portuguese-police.html
Morning all…..promote bould
Yeah been nice….bit of quality time with the family! Back home on Monday… 🙁 I didn’t see the Reading game, you must be happy? The hamsters have blown it big stylee!!!
Extra time and a few reds today in the the chav yid game, please!!
At least Keown can play the Joanna at the Christmas do…. 😉
Morning kc, hasn’t bould turned down the offer before?
thought you were back lee, oops – reading were battered but got the goals 🙂 no more than sam deserves, they should win the play offs though…
as long as the chavs win in the end 😉
😆 and play it very well…
I hate the chav but i hate the yids more…….hope the toffes win d fa cup……a red card for drogba so that he will miss the game against us
I watched it Rico,but he cant even start for Reading,so how is he good enough for Arsenal????
Yes,he looks bloody good,but we need to see more of him than v Southampton to declare him worthy.
Would you rate home as good as Podolski?????
Maybe he’s better than Theo,but that hardly counts lol!!!!!
Rico….i never knew he rejected…then i prefer keown too……belhanda to sign….i thought the April fool is over
Morning scott……why do u rate theo so low….i used to but im beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel
Toffees to beat Dippers….Chelski to beat Yids…..Toffees to beat Chelski in final.
Puuuurfect.
KC….that was tongue in cheek and aimed at Rico.
And toffes to finish above d dippers…..perfect season
Morning all,
Choice of number 2 to replace PR, would be Bould, followed by Keown. Interestingly enough, there was a piece on twitter yesterday, by a regular from Le Grove, who visited the clubs training ground last Wednesday and had a chat with MK, see article below and it’s an interesting read.
Rico, sorry for posting a link from another site, if you want to remove it then it’s also fine by me.
http://le-grove.tumblr.com/post/21015047921/alex-songs-shoes-training-ground-q-a-with-wilshere
Sol Campbell’s comment say’s to me that he has his own mind, he knows that Wenger wouldn’t thank him for his two pennath and that is exactly the kind of assistant that the club need Pat Rice i’m sure over the years have shouted his orders over the training ground but i bet they are really Wengers orders, Pat has been a loyal servant to both Arsene Wenger and of course Arsenal football club, i have no doubts that if pat was cut in half he would have Arsenal written all through him but to actually stand up to Wenger i have never seen him disagree with him granted Pat very seldom speaks out but although i respect the man imensly its his time to go . in my mind we need somebody that will challenge Wenger someone with ball oh and good morning all and nice one Rico
double blue today kc …
Hi Scott, he will next season, roberts came in with a bang, thats all that is keeping him out… i’d rather him on our bench than park/chamakh
also, he’s come up through the leagues, mcdermott is playing it wisely with him, one to watch in the pl next season….
not suggesting him instead of podolski, i’m talking about a lethal striker who can change a game coming from the bench….
Scott…..but do you still want him sold
Scott, not even a nibble from Rico…… 😉
i guessed scott, hence my non response 😉
morning Andy, no probs re the link and i promise i didn’t see that….
Morning Steve
Campbell would go awol though if he was having a bad day, then he’d want to go abroad to manage, ending up at bournemouth 😉
Lee, Scott doesn’t do well when he goes fishing 😉
Thats interesting about Lansbury in that article, looks as if AW is naffed off big sam isn’t playing him, sounds like he could be staying….
Rico,I’m a great angler.
Watching that game last night,I thought Le Fondre looked sensational,but 15 minutes in the championship is not enough to go by at this stage.
KC…..if someone offered 20 million,yes,I’d sell Theo.
Only because he wants 85k a week,and at the moment,I don’t believe he’s worth it.
In two years time he may be worth 120k,but now,he still has to show consistency to merit that wage.
Wenger have Lansbury a new contract not long ago……why would he do that if he didn’t want him at the club?????
Not with a line like that Scott 😉 😉
i wouldn’t sell him, we want to build on what we have, a squad of players who are used to eachother, and gel together.
build, not start removing bricks from a solid foundation…
get rid of the fringe rubbish, but not the first eleven imho….
Morning Rico i may have worded that wrong i didn’t want Campbell as our assistant i ment somebody that has his own mind and the experience to carry out his duties. As you say Campbell is not that man. 🙂
rico, if the truth’s known, I have always rated HL and I’m also led to believe that AW does as well – he has a lot on tenacity about him but unfortunately hasn’t had the rub of the green with the club.
The problem is however, the club seemingly has a conveyer belt of young midfielders coming through and I just don’t know where he or one or two of the others will fit it – given the need for playing time to progress their careers.
Also, if the rumour about M’Vila is correct, and I for one think that he’s a top draw player and would fit into the system perfectly at our club, but also think that he’s overpriced and would mean that this would furher delay a number of the young players careers further and may mean that they will have to leave for playing time and to further there careers at our clubs expense.
All Imho.
but many think he will be gone Scott, not good enough.. not me though, i love him….
😆 Steve..
did you read the LG article, the bit about wenger flipping when we lose was really interesting, so many fans (including me) have thought he doesnt care, clearly he does….
Andy,
me to re HL, the look on his face after scoring in the cc against the swampies showed just how much our club means to him, that kind of passion is what we lack in certain games imho..
he’s another who lost a year of his game through ilness, maybe that has delayed his progress but i’d hate us to sell him, i really would.,
for me HL is the true modern day Ray Parlour….
M’vila is most fans dream signing for this summer, but i can’t see it happening, not with song, coq & frimpong in the squad. Also, if the Vertonghen story is right, there is our back up defensive minded midfielder
Scott….like rico said…i will not destroy the foundation….but feo does nt worth 70k
Trevor Francis has had a heart attack…. he’s in hospital..
🙁
kc, none of us know what his wage demands are, its all paper talk… i suspect he just wants a slighty better deal 😉
Everybody seems to think that a man for the job is an ex Arsenal player someone that the new players would look upto and respect, its my view that i would rather be coached by a person that has been through something like an aprentiship in coaching and tactical plans courses for injuries and the right kind of training. Our young players coming through are taught the Arsenal way and the system they should learn to play so they fit in when their chance comes along, equally i would say that our assistant should also come through that kind of training and understand how some players need more coaching than others. We transform young kids into profesionals why not the same in our assistants. Imagine a young man who has plenty of training experience who can get into a good training session without having to sit down every five minutes because his legs are gone. after all players have followed orders right through their playing days and they will still follow instructions as assistants. after all the manager would say this is the system i intend to play and i want you to train them to play like it. If you have employed an ex defender usually you will get most of his training will be defensive work after all what does he know about forward play, so maybe two assistants are the answer
Rico,
I hope that you’re right re: Vertonghen, he would be an ideal summer signing for the clubs. Also agree with your comments regarding HL as well.
On the point of M’Vila, I think his signing may be a lot closer than either you or I believe, especially given the fact that AS has yet to commit himself to a new LT contract a the club and also that both the large Spanish clubs are showing interest in him – this was from his agent BTW, but on the other hand we also know how the agents like to cause problems betwen their clients and the clubs don’t we…
Re: Theo, he’s not worth the money he apparently wants for me either, but I wouldn’t sell him just yet..
Wenger is the attack minded coach though isn’t he Steve?
The reason i hope for Keow, Bould or similar is to keep the Arsenal in Arsenal, someone to make sure the overseas players know what playing for our prestige club means, to know what a NLD means…
Morning all,
Wenger likes to rule the roost, he doesn’t like to seek anyone’s council, who-ever replaces Pat Rice will have to be fully qualified with all his coaching badges otherwise he’ll just be another side-kick.
Also did any one else see this comment on twitter this week from Lady NIna Bracewell-Smith.
Amazing to see players like RVP and TW turn into superstars. AW has the ability to unleash their potential and turn them into great players.
Rico, I bumped into Trevor Francis a few years back in the toilets at Fulham, he may have been working that day, needless to say we didn’t shake hands.
Did you see the i/v with De Boer Andy?
He said JV is 100% to leave and he knows to which club he wants to go to, add that to him being at the Emirates earlier in the season, and he’s TV’s best mate, i’m hoping that team is us….
If reports are to be believed, we made a bid for M’Vila last summer but got knocked back, his club have suggested he is likely to leave so yes, you could be right, a deal could be on the cards. But, we won’t be the only club truing to sign him, and if he is about money, then i’m sure other clubs will offer more.
But, the player has hinted he’d be very interested to play for a french coach, mme, the plot thickens 😉
good morning
I am the write answer to the question 🙂
Trevor Francis is in hospital.
Morning Micko,
Adams or Bould then, has Keown got all his badges, i can’t remember ?
😆 re TF, he doesn’t like us much does he….
Hi JM, you got your badges? 😆
just heard an update, he has had a stent fitted and doing well, should be home on monday….
back shortly….
North london derbys are just 3 pts rico, spuds have gone years being behind us they are not worth worrying about the ones to worry about are the ones that kick our arses on a regular basis as that costs us 3 pts
I do not want Theo gone,but I wish he’d realise he’s not indispensable.
I’m not getting rapt up in any rumours,because we too often are let down.
Podolski….a certainty…..done deal.
Vertonghen…..he’s coming.
M’Villa…..wants to play for Wenger.
Yes,I’d love to bring all three on board.
Yes, think there’s truth to all rumours.
Yes,I will dance in the street when they are confirmed by Wenger himself.
What a side we COULD have next season.
It defies belief how good we may well be next season given what we’ve spent.
Wouldn’t like to be in Twitchy’s boots this weekend, lose and the scum will be baying for his blood, hanging onto a champions league place by a thread, it will all end in tears, all we can do is sit back, watch it unfold and enjoy it.
Gee,Micko,why don’t you like ‘arry???
He’s just a law abiding citizen doing his best to pilfer,I mean make,a quid.
Morning Micko when we were in 17th position my spud mates were giving me hell down the golf club i said i bet you all £20 that we finish higher than you in the league at the end of the season they all took the bets, my manc mate said what about me and i said no so he said i’ll have the same bet as them then i said ok and i am still keeping my fingers crossed. 🙂
Yep, I read the de Boer interview Rico, and found it interesting not the least because of the relationship/friendship between our own TV5 and JV, and the fact that RdB thinks that JV is a better all round player than TV5, and if true and he joins our club means that he will be a very important asset going forward.
All that I can say is that we have an interesting summer ahead of us for transfers and I hope that AW has learn’t his lesson from last years debacle, and that he as has intimated to the press already does his transfer business early.
morning housers,
Le Fondre ha!?
sound french too,
scored two beauties last night, I will take him any day, and ship chamach and park. waste of space.
about the vacant assisstant job, I noticed all the managers have two, left and right men! Red Nose, Murinio, Mancini, even dirty A’rry
why not wenger!?
Hello all,
(My first visit to this site and felt compelled to reply to this interesting post).
I have thought for a few years now that we need fresh defensive and set piece coaching.
(Not to replace PR, but as a supplement, as like many of my age, having seen him play I have a strong emotional connection with him).
The suggestion of MK made me sit up – that i would like to see, but having read the training ground article I do wonder how likely it is.
My post, really though, is to point out who, to me, is a rather more obvious successor – and I want to hear your counter arguments.
Another greater former Arsenal player, who is already in a coaching role at the club – Liam Brady.
What do you say?
Steve,my hundred on us to beat the Dippers home is safe.
My other bet,and a purely financial decision,was Utd to beat Citeh home.
2 from 2,I reckon!!!
Le Fondre is pure pommy.
Imagine if,Wenger signed him.
Everyone would be complaining that he’s taken the cheap option again.
Morning Rokabox, my feelings as well, while an assistant is coaching defenders whats the others doing, two assistant coaches seems the right way to go for me. I feel that when we attack and the oposition are all back we seem to be lost breaking them down that makes me believe that they are being coached by a defesive coach we should be able to draw them out and break them down.
I hope you win Scott, but i fancy city sorry i hope i’m wrong for you 🙂
Good morning Housers how ya keeping?
Rico me uncle says be patient with the flock. Spoke about the disappointing production of cackleberries cuz he’s keeping chickens for decades. Says a change of diet could help as well. And sprinkling a bit of lemon juice through the henhouse makes them root to their new home. Although he mentioned them being curious creatures always looking to brake out of Alcatraz.
Steve I agree on your two patrons being the answer. All Dutch coaches have this as a minimum standard. Trainings are divided in full group sessions lead by the headcoach and special positional/skills done by assistants.
Morning Dutch, The Dutch have some good idea’s where the English are traditionalists we need to cath up i reckon,
You kidding really Steve, the NLD is worth more than 3 points….
HI rico,i know where your coming from but although i love to beat the spuds i love beating the mancs more, i expect to beat spuds.
Andy, i have a sneaky feeling he has learned, especially from last summer, had our late signings come in two months earlier, we’d be top now 😉
Morning Rokabox,
i’m with you on that, i’m not suggesting he’d be a first choice striker signing but just imagine having him on our bench instead of the chump/park….
Le Fondre sure knows how to change a game….
Dennis The menace .. anytime
Steve,Utd are 5 points in front….I’m safe.
Morning DG, bless ya re the chicks, think we have worked out what going on, they were jumping looking for somewhere to lay their eggs, three are now producing and they seem more settled…
Also, they are a little impatient in the morning, they want their pellets at dawn 😉
Loved the Alcatraz refererence, nosey little tinkers aren’t they….
Looks a danger to corner flags and reminds me of R v Panenka.
Sorry Scott i misunderstood i thought you meant just in the game not the league position good luck to you mate.
Rico,Chamakh has scored about 12 or 13 more premier league goals than Le Fondre.
He also came with a heap of CL goals to his name.
Le Fondre scored a few against Southampton……..you’re getting ahead of yourself on this one.
Id rather Dempsey on the bench.
I ditto that Steve, especially if you competing on different championships,
Need to change tactics and organizations, defensive and offensive minds required for different teams in different compitions
Steve,the winnings will be for the first round when I get over there!!!!!
Looking forward to it
swampies is the first fixture i look for steve, the one that matters for me 😉
then the mancs, next season though, it will be reading 🙂
he’s ony been at reading since the summer Scott, and in the here and now, he’s scoring more…. also, his goals against the saints aren’t his only contribution…
I know a lot of people would rather Utd win the league than city, is there some thing wrong with me that i would prefer city. I feel that if city were to win through which i doubt it would be because of the Arsenal contingant and i feel better about that. am i sad or what.
Most notable of Alhanda in this vid are the splitting passes he sows frequently. Also his crosses are stamp accurate.
Rico re nosey tinkerers. 🙂
Steve it secures a lot of variety day to day. Some go as far as 3 (minus goalie coach). Dividing trainings in backline, midfield and attack.
Welcome Matt, and thanks re the post, glad it drew your first comment, the first of many i hope…
here we have been saying the same, def need a defensive coach hence so many want bould or keown. brady, well i’m sure his day will come but maybe he’s happier just doing what he’s doing….
love to see keown as our next manager, with bergkamp by his side….
steve, you are sad 😉 😉
Welcome Romeo, you think he’d leave ajax at the moment?
Dutch from what i understand over here they train at most 3 hours a day the rest is left for whatever they want to do. If that is right i would expect them to be put through their paces and if it took an individual coach for every player i would do it if it stopped the bad performances that crop up far to often for me
mind you wenger would be too stingy to employ more than one assistant!
Mat, sorry mate just noticed your comment re Liam, he was a great for us i remember his skills like it was yesterday i did read that he had got his badges and was a good coach if he could teach some of his slinky skills to our mob i would welcome him back.
he’s still with the kids isn’t he?
teaching his silky skills to a young age….
good point Rokabox, but why couldn’t he get rid of a few staff that he has already, surely he doesn’t need all the coaches on the books …
Arsène Wenger
Pat Rice
Gerry Peyton
Boro Primorac
Neil Banfield
Tony Colbert
Colin Lewin
Gary O’Driscoll
Simon Harland
Kieran Hunt
Darren Page
Vic Akers
Paul Akers
Paul Johnson
Tony Roberts
Marcus Svensson
Danny Flitter
James Collins
Ben Knapper
That’s work ethics for ya Steve. I would say at least half an hour extra a day on close control, tricks and creative turning. Making more intuitive professionals.
Besides 3 hours a day leaves to much time for non-football related interests. Generalizing, some young pro footies seem to have problems with responsibility in their free time.
anyone watching gillette soccer sport??
the whole panel are up in arms about the tackle on Song…. and the fact balotelli has not been punished….
le tissier is fuming…..
DG, thats when they go out in fast cars and smash them up, especially the kids 😉
Hi all
Ex-Arsenal defender Sol Campbell has queried the club’s ambition and urged them to sign proven quality if they are to challenge for trophies next season.
Arsenal are set to reach the Champions League for a 15th consecutive year but their last silverware came in 2005.
“You’ve got to ask yourself, where are Arsenal going? Do they want to actually win anything?” he told BBC Sport.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17690468
hi alan
i wonder when he did that interview?
Hi Rico
and this!
Our ambition is intact, to win the championship. It depends on how we finish the season to decide how much we need to buy to have a chance to win the championship next season.”
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/4255653/Arsene-Wenger-Ill-spend-wisely-this-summer.html
1-0 to the toffees 😛
i saw his i/v yesterday alan, we want him to spend wisely don’t we?
as long as he spends….
Scott From Oz says:
April 14, 2012 at 9:38 am
Toffees to beat Dippers….Chelski to beat Yids…..Toffees to beat Chelski in final.
Puuuurfect.
https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQMvA2GvpS2Ps5Fu7w6M5JJBXxJv5QxKf2c8x1HX8MZW5mSAfJ1
what a cheat suarez is, that rugby tackle on hetinga was awful, i see a bit of trouble second half 😉
What about Tony Adams for assistant??
norwich 0 m city 2 – half time
Everton goal was offside but come on Everton 🙂
Press talks Arsenal interes in a teenager from Nantes, arround 18 th years old from Nantes
Matt Clarke;
Does Chippy Brady actually do any coaching?
Or is he more involved, along with David Court, in the organisational side of the Academy?
I don’t know myself?
Martin Keown for me as the No.2
But i’ve gotta feeling that it will be Banfield
Alan, re 12.56, that pretty much confirms we won’t be buying diddly squat this summer.
SteveyP, looks like the drinks are on you…..Wey Hey !
Lucky Liverpool…… As usual.
Micko. Tep. AW & the board through & through. Podolski Vertonghen etc, all lies. They knew they wouldn’t buy them. Can’t blame RvP for leaving
Norwich have the majority possession
Rico, he’ll buy a Mars bar at the ground, unless a cherry ripe is cheaper. Spend wisely
Hi AK, lucky dippers indeed 😛
Norwich got one back
Alan,the board nor Wenger have said we are buying Podolski or Vertonghen though.
Their spending policy is one thing,but them being called liars is another,and it happens every year.
Think about it…..when was the last time you hear Wenger actually say he was going to buy a particular player,then gone back on it?
He just doesn’t do it.
How many know we bid over 30 million for Gotze earlier this season?????
True.
To say we won’t spend just isn’t right.
Rightly or wrongly,Wenger offers what he believes to be a fair price,and that’s it,but again,that’s a different topic.
Go Norwich.
Scott. Mate. It’s not happening. AW does this to keep supporters from grumbling. The players magaers know he’s full of shite, but talks happen just in case
Scott, they’ve lied, and not for the first time
i have faith in wenger for this summer transfers ;~)
bollox, that ponytail twit has scored….
Alan,I’m not saying the players name will come.
I’m saying the rumours were started by others,not,Wenger,so he can’t be labelled a liar.
Everything on Podolski has come out of Germany.
Carroll has scored……that’s twice this year…..he’s a machine lol.
Rico. You have faith. I didn’t know you were religious 😀
WEnger never denied nor dispelled the rumours. Scott. He lied
This wordpress silliness is giving me grief…
Boo!! Hello, all. Off to read the comments.
Man C #-1 Bugger
Agag Hi
3-1
off for a while, back later….
😆 alan
hi agag, catch you later…..
Alan,NOT commenting is not lying.
Norwich have fallen apart.
5-1 Man C Jesus
Wenger is a bit of a fibber. 😉 Can’t stand either of the Manc teams. I wish it were possible for both teams not to win the league… 🙂
Hi, alan and Scott. Scott, I read about your sons’ football game. Shame about six year old thuggery. 😕
Off to gather aggs, rico? 🙂 🙂 Go make tocino del cielo. 😉
That’s a whole lot of goals… Eeek.
Agag,I’ve truly never seen anything like it.
It was bloody disgraceful.
I’m off to bed…..have a great day all.
Alan,a good night to you.
Catch you later, Scott. 🙂 You must not let your sons think that is ever acceptable.
bye Scott
Carroll has a good game for L’pool. Good on him. Hr needed another goal
The only positive we can take from Liverpool reaching the Cup Final, is if the Scummers get past the Chavs, then they will surely lose to Liverpool.
rico, I’ve everything preparing for the new challenge ! 😉
liverpool at the final; city 1-6!
I’m watching now Schalke – Dortmund 1-0 at 12 minutes… a good derby and important for the title 🙂
Boo, AK! Howdy? JM, you wath alllllllll games. 😉
Hi Rico, Steve P, Alan, Dutch, Matt, Alezkev, Micko et al,
Hope you are all keeping well. I’ve been a bit busy lately work wise and also having hospital tests, which have all gone well. So, sorry for not logging on.
With regards a new No2 and 3 for Arsene, I think Keown and Dennis would be a good pairing. Brady was Manager at Brighton and Celtic, but not a success, but being a great player does not make you a great Coach or Manager, look at Bobby Moore and Bobby Charlton, both had stints as Managers at Southend and Preston…….
Pat Rice has been a great stalwart for Arsenal, and is extremely loyal to the Club and Arsene. “Geordie” Armstrong, when he was reserve Manager, once told me how Pat was signed as a youngster. He used to regularly turn up after school and watch through the gates at Highbury as the Youth team were sometimes training. He would plead for a game. His Parents had a Fruit and Veg shop around the corner from the old ground. One night, they let him join in, and the rest is history.
Great article by the way, about Fergie and his Assistants.
Marinello
hello agag and is it not good? 🙂
Hello, Marinello. You okay?? That’s a good story on Pat Rice, by the way. 🙂 A football match + a pink drink = fab. 😉
Hello Agag. No shopping today? 😀
I got a couple of pairs of new shoes last week.
Very very nice. But a long way to go before i catch you up. 🙂
Marinello, hospital tests! Not good mate.
Glad to hear that they came back clear…
Luke Freeman has scored for Stevenge.
Lansbury has started for West Ham today. Winning 3~0.
please stop by my blog http://arsegob.wordpress.com/
an arsenal blog for are you gooners
JM, you don’t like them pink drinks???
AK, niiiiiice. Now for the outfits to match, eh?? 🙂 I am appalled by how much I’ve spent on shoes the past few months. 🙁 🙁 No shopping until Christmas. (gulps)
How’s Lansbury doing?
Afternoon all, Marinello, hope all’s done and dusted now and ok with you?
Lansbury starts, hamsters winning, not rocket science Big Sam 😉
Agag! No shopping for 8 months!! You???
Nope, i’m not having that. No chance… 😀
Lansbury almost scored just before half~time.
QPR losing. Good…
I’d love to see Mark Hughes get relegated.
I wonder what Lansbury has learnt from Fat Sam’s coaching?
How to play the long~ball prehaps??
Or how to roll over for Fergie???
Well, AK… if I say “no shopping” like a mantra, I might believe myself. Although, to be fair, shoes are the only things I splurge on. (I do sound defensive, don’t I??) 😀
Lansbury needs to be given a chance. He’ pure AFC!!!
How many eggs, rico?
Boulds got it in the bag surely,he has done a great job for the youth team .
Hi marinello, glad to hear your ok, we woz worried about ya !
Kev, the springs sales are now on, never a better time to buy that anorak you’ve been promising yourself.
Hi RICO, Kev and all. I just got back from doing some shopping. Have we signed anyone today?
no agag
update score: schalke 1 dortmund 2 . great game!
AGAG. Shoes is it? My wife’s thing at the moment is Maharishi trousers. She has 25 pairs!!
AK, naff all i suspect 🙁
three a day now agag 🙂
Afternoon Adam, no 😉
Any more eggs Rico?
Agree re Hughes and Qpr AK….
3 a day Adam, and they are getting bigger 😛
Wow. I sense a tortilla Espanyol on the horizon.
Adam, already, I like your wife. 🙂 🙂 Cool.
Ahaha, JM. 🙂 GG is colorless. 😉 🙂 KT will like that result. 🙂 I’m sure he’s watching that match as well.
Hey, Micko. How are ya?
I have a good recipe for that RICO
AGAG. Thanks. I can’t really complain. My weakness is watches ( among other things).
Will be indeed, not right now though Adam as only have the use of one arm 😆
Welcome Jd, there was a rumour that Bould had turned down the offer last summer, how much truth is in that i don’t know…
Oh dear Rico. I am sorry to hear that.
you want my postcode Adam 😉
Howdy agag, you must have one of them walk-in wardrobes me thinks.
Absolutely Rico.
Micko. Live- in wardrobe more like with all those shoes.
😆 Adam, that would be an expensive omlette
Ah, now that is an expensive weakness, Adam. 😉 No wonder you don’t complain. Ahaha.
True Rico. But not when you take into account the amount of effort you put into HH for all of us.
Rico, who have you been karate chopping ?
agag. You only live once. Well, that’s what I tell my wife anyway.
my bits easy Adam, i just write a load of codswallop and then you guys and gals join in 😆
haha Micko, had an op on thursday 😉
Anyway Rico. Omelette doesn’t do it justice. It is a Tortilla with potatoes, red onion, 6 cloves of garlic, small sweet peas and finely diced, caramelised red peppers, dripping in virgin olive oil and possibly gratinated with a crisp crust of manchego.
Not what James Bond said Adam
i will await the recipe then please Adam, six cloves of garlic is right up my street ….
what is manchego? cheese?
Ooh. I have made myself hungry with that description.
One arm?? What happened?
I buy more shoes when AFC goes through a bad spell. No wonder, I have bought so many the past few years. 😀
hammers are now 6-0, see sam, play lansbury more often….
An operation on my shoulder agag, i didn’t mention it as i didn’t want to be flooded with chocolates and flowers
😆 😆
Yes, Spanish cheese. Actually I have made that for 4 people and used a dozen cloves of garlic. Once you get to six, the next six don’t seem to matter and only bring unctuousness to the whole thing. Taste great the next day too with a lightly dressed green salad.
agag. I hav heard of comfort eating. You are into comfort buying.
Or Tortillas Rico.
Oh my!! You okay, rico?? Micko, I hate it when people go all tut tutting over how much I pay for my shoes. When you work my 16-hour days, you can tell me how to spend my money.
i’m a keen garlic muncher, can’t have too much imho…
i will def give that one a try, maybe not with quite so much oil though..
i’d rather tortillas than chocs or flowers Adam, one makes me sneeze, the other makes my skin bad… 😉
Sore agag, but yes, i’m fine thanks…
freeman scores again, 6-0 stevenage…
Rico, I’m sure there’s a long line of admirers forming an orderly queue to administer nursing duties if required ! Milk it while you can.
🙁 I hope you’re being pampered now, rico. 😉 😉 Dutch will send you those free trade chocolates he mentioned, I’m sure. And JM will send you pasteis de belem. And WATH a truckload of GG. 🙂 🙂
That sounds good, Adam. It’s midnight here, and I’m getting hungry. 🙁 🙁
Haha Micko, nah, i’m not good at doing nothing, i even sneaked making a loaf when home alone yesterday, mind you, i did leave all the washing up 😆
Hungry at midnight agag, you should be in the land of nod, not thinking tortillas 😉
GG – that would put me back in hospital 😆
agag. Please remind me where you live.
Sad news: Morizzii, Livorno player died today on the pitch.
Mostly of the games, kick off at 5 pm. were postponed.
Rico. The softly boiled potatoes soak up the garlicky oil. It is a balanced recipe. It’s success depends on how and when you mix the eggs with the ingredients. All will be revealed soon.
JM – that is shocking and very sad news, what happened?
Manila, adam. JM, what happened??
Horrible news from Italy. Really awful.
Only RVP spoils Scholes party! from http://www.eurosport.com
In London the Ken and Boris show enters its final furlong, awash with candidate’s tears and mutual accusations of tax dodging.
So close is the vote likely to be for the next mayor, pundits are loath to make a prediction as to which of the two self-dramatists will be there in July welcoming the world to London for the Olympics. And, in the process, making the world think Britain must be a very odd place indeed if it elects someone like that to a position of authority.But in the poll that really matters all bets are off. This is the easiest result to call this side of a North Korean election.
Frankly, if Robin Van Persie is not named as Footballer of the Year we might as well signal the end of logic.
Not anointing him as the season’s leading figure would be as insane as Channel 4 commissioning Ricky Gervais’s embarrassing and unfunny “Derek” for a 12-part series.
Van Persie has been simply astonishing this season, dragging his team almost single-handedly through its dark times, inspiring them when the going improved.
His manager Arsene Wenger this week spoke of his ceaseless admiration for a player whose skill and accomplishment is matched by his work-rate and commitment. Plus more than a few goals.
As the club’s board must be aware now that he is approaching the end of his contract, Arsenal without Van Persie would be like Boris Johnson without his hair. Unrecognisable.
He seems like a decent bloke too. He smiles his way through post-match interviews in a manner which belies the traditional image of the Dutchman as a serial plotter, undermining group resolve.
This is one Van prepared to drive for the collective good.
Indeed, Van Persie has been so outstanding in his first season in English football that has not been pock-marked by injury, that he has outshone two candidates who, in any other year, would be in contention for the award.
On Wednesday, I saw Manchester City demolish West Brom. It was a glittering attacking performance, lit up by sparkling goals. But the player who really caught the eye wasn’t a forward.
Indeed, Vincent Kompany didn’t have that much to do given the paucity of the visitors’ ambition. But my, what a defender he is. Calm, strong, constantly aware, he reads the game with the eye of a chess grandmaster, always three moves ahead.
He is – not remotely coincidentally – the leader of one of only two defences which have shut out Van Persie this season. It is not fanciful to suggest, given the authority he brings to the pitch, had he not been suspended recently, Manchester City would not have suffered the untimely blip in their title campaign.
And talking of absence, those who watched Manchester United’s wretched effort against Wigan Athletic the same evening were convinced the main reason for defeat lay in who wasn’t playing.
Paul Scholes was having the night off, and as a result United had an off night.
Scholes’s return to football seven months after retiring has been the most extraordinary tale of the season. He himself confessed last year that he was giving up because his legs had gone; at 36 he felt he could no longer contribute as he should.
And here he is at 37 running games, scoring goals, his pass completion statistics as good as any in the league.
A friend of mine played in a five-a-side game against him back in October and told me then that he looked as good and hungry as ever – he scored 12 goals in less than half an hour.
It might seem a huge jump from smacking a few past a hapless, starstruck amateur keeper and playing in the Premier League. But for Scholes it has been accomplished with barely a stutter.
Since returning to the fray in January – a move many of us at the time considered to be one of desperation by his manager – he has looked as fresh as he did a decade ago.
He has steadied the nerve at United, reinvigorated the resolve, reminded those who might have temporarily misplaced the formula of what the club was about.
Without question, he was the best signing his manager could have made in the January window. And if there was an award for the footballer who had most influence over the title race, then the manner in which he has made United favourites to retain their gong would mean he would walk it.
But there isn’t. So even though Van Persie plays for a side which has won nothing, he will at least be able to put a personal trophy in the sideboard to remember his own annus mirabilis.
..
i look forward to it Adam….
upgrade…
Serie A – Serie B star dies after heart attack on pitchSat, 14 Apr 16:11:00 2012
Livorno midfielder Piermario Morosini has died after collapsing on the pitch during a Serie B match at Pescara.
The player fell to the ground half an hour into the match after suffering a heart attack. Italian media report that the 25-year-old tried to get up at first but failed.
Medical staff attended to him on the pitch, before he was stretchered off and taken to the nearest hospital.
He arrived at the hospital in a pharmacological coma and doctors fitted him with a provisional pacemaker but he could not be resuscitated.
Morosini, a former Italy U21 international, is currently on loan at Livorno from Serie A side Udinese.
The news comes just weeks after Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba suffered the same problem in an English FA Cup match before making a remarkable recovery in hospital.
All italian football leagues have been suspended after Morosini’s death.
Eurosport .
Bould or Bergkamp
Such sad sad news JM…..
Agag, you buy as many shoes as you like gal.
I will buy as many anoraks as i like.
And Mick can just lump it… :-D. :-D. 😀
Terrible news. So young to go. 🙁 🙁
Makes you wonder if football has reached breaking point as far as how much players can give before it begins to affect their health?
sure does AK, 25 years old, the experts suggest its down to adrenaline…..
Such a wise head, AK. 😛 I think I’ve “persuaded” to listen. 😉 Hah.
Evening all just popping on to say hello/goodbye….off out for a family meal in Murcia City! Stress factor 11……. 😆
Condolences to the Morosini family at this terrible time!!!!!
That tortilla recipe has got me salivating…. Could you add a few chillies Adam?
I know horse racing is an ancient sport that many enjoy but I do feel particularly bad when I see beautiful horses having to be killed because they have broken their legs in a dangerous obstacle course like The Grand National. Ok. I am an animal lover but when I see all those ghastly women like Coleen Rooney who I see is now described as a “model”‘ walking round in dresses that are several sizes too small, drinking bubbly while some poor creature pays for their entertainment with its life It does upset me. Two horses dead last year and another two this year.
I like ray wlikins, so wht if he was @ chelsea. We all knw they made a big mistake letting him go & to be honest I dnt see to many gonners complaining if he was to join. very unlikey thou but would be great if it happend.
Chillies Lee? Absolutely.
Enjoy Lee…
i didn’t watch the GN Adam, just for that reason, can’t believe two more horses have fallen victim to a greedy ‘sport’… so wrong!
you didn’t tell me about the chillies Adam 😉
off for a bit guys and gals…..
Was the GN today?
Chillies optional Rico. Personally yes, but a matter of taste. For Lee I think two Spanish red chillies. Not for you? Perhaps sweet pimenton and black pepper.
Yes JM. The slaughter continues annually.
Keown was the defensive coach for a short while. I don’t know. Maybe Keown told Wenger not to be too cavalier in attack and was booted out.
If the new assistant is a yes man,then there is no point hiring him.A manager must listen to differences in opinion and cull the best options availabel..
yes, I know is annualy.
I would like to know how the author of this piece possibly has any insight into the working relationship between Wenger and Rice. It has grown stale, you say. Please state your reasons for believing and asserting this. I suspect the reasons that you do have — presuming that you do have any at all, that is — are not credible and are the result of mere speculation and spurious hearsay.
Rice has been an integral part of our success as a football club, first as a player and then as a coach, and his achievements warrant the respect of every Gooner — something you and your article evidently lack. And I for one shall not be cheerily celebrating his impending departure. Instead, I shall doff my cap in recognition of his fantastic service to Arsenal FC. I suggest that you, being the Gooner you claim to be, do the same when the time arrives.
So, as a fellow, self-respecting Gooner, I advise you stop perputuating such an insidious and rather nasty myth.
Disgraceful and lazy.
Stepanovs – errrr, results?? doesn’t that suggest something??
not saying he hasn’t been great in his day but…..
agree Julian, we don’t need another yes man, we need a strong man who wenger will listen to and be heard….
Adam, i love the hot chillies 🙂
Arshavin team (Zenit) needs one more point for be Russian champion.
Unnecessarily rude comment, Stepanovs.
rico, you do draw some trolly characters in here. Ick.
I know agag, but with a name like his, what do you expect 😉
JM, good, maybe they’ll keep AA 🙂
It boggles the mind, truly. That people can take the time to comment, but don’t bother sparing a second to be courteous.
Tut tut.
Shame about AA. He could have been so good.
The crazy thing is though agag, i didn’t say the post was factual, unless a blogger is part of afc, nothing is factual – we all just have an opinion, and his/hers is exactly that too…
its easy to be rude, some get a kick from it…………
he became to lazy agag, but yes, shame….
I did revisit the article, rico. And I swear, nowhere does it say “Gospel truth”. Lol.
I bet you Stepanovs is a “he”. Ahaha.
Rico. I think your Tortilla will be the definitive version. I shall call it La Tortilla Rico. It shall be mui picante and positively ooze with garlic and smoked paprika.
The best omelette I had lay on a bed of white bean puree and had a dollop of goat cheese. 🙂
😆 agag, i never claim to be ‘in the know’ – i leave that to others… i strongly suspect you could be right too…. why are you not in bed yet, it must be 3am by now
😮
🙂 Adam, sounds yummie….
agag, that was going ok, until you mentioned goats cheese 😉
About to head off to bed, actually. 🙂 🙂 The only thing worse than packing is unpacking. Eurgh.
Good night, friends. rico, get some rest!
Go get a rainbow colored drink, JM. Don’t work to hard, AK. Don’t drink too much, Micko. And Adam, I really am hungry right now. 😕 😉
agag. White bean purée sounds like a goer. Do you think butter beans will do? Dunno about goats cheese. Manchego would be more authentic. Actually, how about chick pea purée? The Spanish love them and call them Garbanzos if I recall correctly.
Nighty agag, sleep well, i won’t be hanging around too much longer either…..
But it was sooo good, rico. And the cheese was mild. Plus it had chorizo. Ahaha. 😉 I’m off now. Feel better, you!
Adam, garbanzos would be a bit too gritty. Butter beans are the better option, I think. Served with some cherry tomatoes. Yum.
agag. Done. That version shall be La Tortilla Agag and served only to women with more than 20 pairs of shoes.
What matters is someone with arsenal’s interest at heart,keown,winterburn,petit,parlour,etc,these guyz have been wt arsenal through thick & thin,its time to give them a chance to practicalize it.Though the asst. has to be defensively minded as wenger is an ‘best defence is a good offence’kind of guy.Adams would have been my choice,but keown is still okay.
Adams, Bould or Keown Chinedu, any would be right to fill Rices boots….
Tony Adams is surely too cerebral these days.
Think i am going to follow agag’s example and head off for the day, catch up with you all tommorrow…
nighty night all, Adam, nighty to you and looking forward to the email…. have a good one….
Agag on a bed of white bean puree with a spoon of mousse goat cheese? Yummy. And she would be wearing matching shoes. Worth a picture in my mind.
Step Nous. Wind ya neck in. You claim to know Rico after reading one post. While you present yourself to be a appreciable historian on services in the name of Arsenal.
Me too. Mourinho is going ape- shit on the telly so that’s fun. Night all.
Hey Dutch, any mileage over there, in the rumours of Arsenal going in for two Ajax players?
Two Ajax players with neither being Dutch…!!!
Strange…
Kev that’s the current dissatisfaction within the ranks, managerial and fans alike, the youth program not developing local talents. Their structure being dependable on scouting foreigners. Many seem to question if Ajax’s future is at their heart. But it’s also a general discussion about the Dutch league becoming a business model for schooling future stars in Spanish, Italian and English competitions.
No real substance on any TF rumours. Before you know it we will be accused of speculation. 😉
Barca in for RVP?
I’d rather have him join City on a free than sell to those thieving shitheads.
My dream is for Usmanov to take control of the financial side of Arsenal, then take everything that Barcelona have that isn’t nailed to the ground, give them a taste of their own medicine.
Adam,I’m a horse racing fan.
Ive seen horses lose their jockey but finish a race,all the while jumping every hurdle……they’re born to run,and love to jump.
We are going through the seem issues with people trying to ban jumps racing in Australia.
Should we ban football after the latest death on the pitch?
Boxing?
It’s happened in cricket league,Union……..
Has everyone heard of PETA??????
How many know,and this is documented fact,that PETA,an organisation at the forefront of banning horse racing totally,was run by someone who was proven to have taken part in killing 190 cats and dogs that they’d “taken into care” then dumped in a bin behind a Chinese restaraun…….all to try and prove a point.
Very few people know it,unless you live in that particular part of the USA,but its true.
Apparenty,PETA were attempting to show that if people don’t look after thir pets,they can end up in peoples take away meal.
Obviously,they just care.
On Stepanov,I will give everyone something to think about,and maybe understand why this site gets first time negative comments from people.
How did I find this site…..through Arsenal News,an aggregator.
After reading endless negative comments about the club during a bad streak,I simply got sick of reading sack Wenger on every blog or site,and finally reacted.
The frustration built up,and I released it.
Luckily for me,my release was HH,and though there some early hits,with patience and perseverence,a pretty healthy relationship has been built.
I’m not suggesting we sit back and cop everything from first timers,but at least we can possibly empathise with them a little.
Some of these guys are just psychos,but this blokes post was,though misguided,very well written,well thought out based on the information he thought he had,and who knows,he may end up a valued member one day.
Paul,there’s only one person I’d take from Barca…….Guardiola.
Levante 1-0 over Barca at half time.
Guardiola would be my choice for next Arsenal manager. But just out of principal i’d take everything they have, tea lady included.
On the grand national today, I actually live on a stud farm and have grown up with horses, never a fan of horse racing of any kind, they treat their animals very poorly, but its too big to ever be stopped.
Paul,animals get treated like crap everywhere,unfortunately.
All racehorses are not treated poorly though,that’s a generalisation.
The cruel bastards in racing would be the same percentage as those with pets.
I train a few greyhounds,and we are thought to be the cruelest bastards in the world,treating our dogs poorly.
My dogs eat rump steak every night of the week.
Again,a percentage of people are arseholes,whichever sport they’re involved in.
Well I’m only commenting with respect to the rest of the equestrian world. I know for a fact that people who keep horses for other disciplines such as show jumping or dressage tend to be more caring of their animals, its what I have seen in my years dealing with horses and the people that own them.
I’ve seen cruel guys in greyhounds Paul,but they’re a minority.
I raced a bloke who belted his dog in the catching pen because it lost.
I shirtfronted him and told him he’d cop one if he did again.
It doesn’t make sense to not treat your horse or dog well and then ask them to race well for you.
Bloody Barca just “win” a penalty.
What a bloody joke.
It’s a farce.
The Barca player actually kicks the back of the defenders leg,trips over and gets a penalty.
Ref and linesman ought to be banned for life,they could officiate at a snail race.
We need a creative player with vision to play behind the striker, who can score as well. A ceac replacwment. Rosicky good, but injury history and age means we need someone to take the bulk of time there. I trustvarsene to find someone not being talked about. As long as he doesnt use ramsey there much? Only wanna see rambo late game sub, for energy and posession, and playing deeper- maybe occasional start to rest arteta.
we must strike our targets early in the transfer window. Must show robin our intent, and avoid more bidding. Vs others, teams like city and chelskea need to unload alot, so it wont be too easy for them to snap up everybody early, so easily
Rico,
You should start a piece asking this question:
“How many of us still want Arsene Wenger out”?
My stand on this:
Since last season, I wanted Arsene Wenger out, I detest this hyprocriitcal snake-oil salesman, using Doublespeakese on his “player transfer policy”, defending the Establishment and we will never know the truth till he retires and write his biography.
Continuing with Wenger is like the “Law of DImishing Returns”, you need to pump in over-and-above normal expenditures to get a minimal incremental returns…..unlike in the early days where he bought Vieira, Henry, Overmars, Pires, Petit, Anelka, et al on the cheap with “exponential returns”.
Much as I hate to admit, for the next two seasons till 2013/14, Arsene Wenger is by far the best, and perhaps, the only manager that can see through this Ajax Youth Project at Emirates since its “inception” in 2006/07 season when he decided not to buy “big” after Henry left.
And compounded it with Arsenal reached the pit this season after the departure of Cesc and Nasri..and that panicky buy on AUgust 31, 2011.
That is, Arsenal should now start hunting for Wenger’s replacement after his contract expires in 2014 and then cotinues to build on the foundaiton laid by Arsene Wenger in 2011/12 season….finally admitting that a title-winning team needs the right mixture of “experience” and “youth”….and will win f**k-all if based wholly on “Youth” in this “Era of Sugar Daddy’s Rent-Boys’ Football”.
The best we can hope for under Wenger’s Regime for the next 2 or 5 or 10 seasons (if he decided to emulate Ferguson and stay on till his 70s) is Top-4 finishes…perhaps winning an odd League CUp or FA CUp…but will never win the BIggie in League Title and CL Cup.
That folks is what we will get under Arsene Wenegr as other teams like ManU, CHelski and ABu DHbai CIty had passed us by with their SUgar Daddy.
Similarly, Liverpool and Tiny Totts will learn from this season and are serious threat to our Top-4 sttaus next season.
Our scintillating run since February?
1 – Did any of us ever predicted that we came back fromt eh Dead and won four consecutive games late after fallen behind?
2 – Did any of us predicted that ROiskcy will suddenly re-discovered his form?
3 – Did we ever expected a “SIck-Note’ Van Persie to last the whole season adn now a 27-league goals top scorer?
4 – Did we ever expected a “blind-alley” runner like Theo to suddenly stuck up a telepathic udnerstanding with Van Persie in MArch/APril 2012?
5 – After 2010/11 season with Koscielny emulating a frozen rabbit caught in a spotlight, to blossoom so rpaidly this season..and yes, into a better CB than Vermaelen?
6 – Tiny Totts was 10 points ahead of us, did we ever expected then they fell so speculatively.
7 – Oh boy, the damages than AVB done to Chelski that helped us to race ahead of ’em.
8 – AFter 8-2 mauling, after losing 2-0 to Liverpool and 2-1 to Tiny Totts at home, how many of us expected us to be now in 3rd place?
I don’t……..and believe it is Lady Luck and Arsene Wenger got lucky that CHelski, Tiny Totts and Liverpool imploded such that even the likes of Newcastle are stil fighting for Top-4 status at such a late stage of the season.
Like Lasagnagate in 2005/06 where we just pipped Tiny Totts to 4th spot, Arsene Wenger just got lucky to be Top-4 this season with “SIck-Note” Van Persie carrying the team (who will expect it?) and a resurgent Rosicky stepping in driving this team (after that awful Ramsey for major part of the season) and concurrently, the spectacular collapse of CHelski and Tiny Totts.
Look below all those glitters and gleam covering our eyes and see clearly what sort of team that Wenger had build since 2006/07 and just answer this question:
Can you ever see us winning the title and/or CL CUp by 2013/14?
I don’t.
Van Persie?
I will not begrudge him leaving as joining other marquee clubs – like Cesc at Barca – is his only chance of winning a title or CL Cup.
Forget about winning CL Cup. It will nto happen with Arsene Wenger as other marquee clubs – including the likes of CHelski and Abu DHabi City – are desperately tryign to buy titles adn CL Cups every season.
AFter 2013/14 season? WENGER RAUS!
And like 1996/97 season, I will like to see another “unkown manager” like a certain Frenchman that will revolutionise Arsenal to another level…that coveted “marquee club” status….and not a feeder club to Real, Barca and even to Abu DHabi CIty as under Wenger.
Merlin,
Read back to anything I’ve ever written.
Yes,after Old Trafford I declared we would finish top 4……I stayed true to Arsenal,but could also see the reasons,ans actually put my money where my mouth js.
Yes,18 months ago,I declared Koscielny would be a world class defender.
Yes,I believe you should stop looking at facts and figures,and actually watch football games,as they are NEVER,EVER WON ON A SPREADSHEET!!!!!!!
You have little,if,any feel for the game,and I’m sorry,but that’s obvious in your posts.
Panic buys…..5 players signed on the last day,4 of which have been fantastic and been a MAJOR REASON we have come from behind 4 games in a row to win,due to the experience they brought to the squad.
You think Wenger is lucky…..you are a hypocrite,as you waffle on about statistics when things go wrong,and then credit lady luck when things go well.
Talk about contradicting your “beliefs” ,or are they only beliefs when it suits???
Statistics should tell even you that Van Persie’s run of injuries would stop eventually,but I guess that’s lady luck too.
Maybe it was BAD LUCK that caused the injuries,but no,Merlin will choose to blame Wenger and statistics for that.
Explain to us all again how when we play badly its Wengers fault,but when we play well its lady luck.
Then,after that,explain how its bad luck (for them) when Chelski,Spuds and the Dippers to go bad…..you blame our manager when hinge go awry,but lady luck when other clubs fail????????
You are caught up trying to justify your own falsehoods and misinterpretations to simply give credit where credits due.
Stick to your spreadsheets and let us watch football games.
Oh,and Rico,PLEASE POST Merlins question with my response.
Let’s find out who can see through his blatant flaws in his arguments!!!!
Morning all….
Hello Rico.
I’ve had a big day…..drinking and punting on the horsies.
Hi Scott, sounds like a good day….
And upsetting Merlin.
It’s a dirty job but someone has to do it!!!!
Rico,after working hard all week,Sunday is my day.
On a serious note,tell me anything I wrote to refute Merlins arguments is wrong.
Don’t blame you Scott, got to have some down time every now and again….
My own take is this:
No-one can predict what will happen over the next few seasons, as much as we could drop to 6th in the PL, with the right couple of players in the summer, we could easily win the PL.
Injuries have cost us dear, to play so many games without a full back and having Kos/Tv playing out of position was always going to mess our balance.
Then we lost Merts…
Bad luck? It has to be, who else has suffered as much as we have?
The Chavs and Swampies – I don’t give a hoot, it’s their problem they hit a bad run, it’s no different to our bad run, we can easily say that had we not had a bad start we’d be top of the league…
Are we lucky they hit their bad form, yes but so were they when we hit ours.
But, reality is, since the fullbacks have returned, TV & Kos are back in their proper place, the defence has grown and got a lot stronger and that’s why we are getting better results.
RvP, why are we even talking about him, he’s been doing what he’s meant to…
My gripe is the summer signings, not who we bought, but the timings, had they joined 6 weeks earlier, I think we’d be up there with the two mancs….
Just why i can’t see wenger hanging around this summer, any major signings will be done early…
Morning, from a gale force Spain!!!!
Morning Lee, that’s not so good 🙁
Frost here….
New Post Up
I concur with you re the signings be done and dusted early, as you just said, if last seasons bulk buy was done in the same fashion we’d be right up there.That will be a factor why AW will shop early, the other is with the Euros looming, if/when any of our targets excell their price will rocket…..personally Ive got a good vibe about our “new signings” (I don’t mean JW or AD ) and that we will all be content with them….. 😉
Thoughts to Robin Gibb ….
So you attribute our recent lack of success to Rice?
Look, if Wenger had have felt at any time during their working relationship that Rice was no longer up to the job of being his assistant, then he would have replaced him. And I trust Wenger’s judgement more than I do yours, to be frank.
I must say that I find it curious, too, that you make no mention of Boro Primorac, our first-team coach, who has worked with Wenger longer than Rice has. He spends just as much time, if not more, coaching the team — devising training drills, working on tactics, etc.. So, again, why no mention of him? The cynic in me says that it is probably because media and fans alike seldom discuss him and his role. But they have certainly dedicated ample time and column/blog space to Rice and his supposed descent into senility, a baseless assertion that you have ultimatley imbibed and regurgitated.
And another thing: What may work for one manager may not necessarily work for another… As you have shown, Ferguson has called upon the services of various assistants during his tenure at Manchester United, as he, one can only presume, believes that it has been beneficial to do so. Wenger, on the other hand, has preferred a policy of backroom stability — and, I will say it again, I trust his judgement more than I do yours.
And, yes, your article is only opinion, that I do concede. But for opinion to be given any amount of serious consideration, it must be first founded upon reason and fact. For example, if I were to say that I believed Hitler to have been a bad man, that would be an opinion, but I could provide some facts and basic reasoning to support such a claim. Unfortunately, it appears that you cannot comprehend this process.