A frequent comment made by fans is about our Captain and how we should be signing players that prove to him that as a club we have real ambition and intent. A club that wants to win trophies and not just settle for 4th place, a signing or two that would convince Van Persie to sign his new contract.
Just for one minute have a think about what would happen to Chamberlain if we signed Gotze or Hazard, the kind of player that many think would keep our captain?
Would you swap either for our young Englishman who can play on the left or right?
No, neither would I, not for one second!
They are all attacking midfielders/wingers who like to score goals and surely none of them would be prepared, or deserve to be sat on the bench.
Chamberlain played in the role that Gervinho usually does in Wengers 4-3-3 formation, so where would that leave Gervinho if Gotze/Hazard was to join us in the summer?
Ok, we would all prefer Gotze/Hazard than Gervinho I’m sure but would any of you want to see Chamberlain be cast aside for either?
I desperately wanted Arsene Wenger to sign Ashley Young but again, would you want that swap today?
Then look at the midfield, we have Jack Wilshere, another player who frightens most opposition already and he’s still only 20 years old. Would any fan really want to see another marquee signing in the summer that would challenge his position in the side and someone who could very well see Jack dropped to the bench?
Frimpong and Coquelin who next season will be after Alex Song’s place, what happens if we sign M’Vila or similar, do we say goodbye to another Gooner in Frimpong or to Coquelin who has just shown his loyalty by signing a new long-term contract, a player who said he is prepared to play anywhere on the pitch, just to be playing for us…
At right back we have Bacary Sagna but lurking right behind him and seriously pushing for a place will soon be Carl Jenkinson, another Englishman, not any old Englishman either as just like Jack, he’s a Gooner! Would any of you want us to sign a right back who would threaten either of their places, or be the reason that both were left on the bench?
Then there is Walcott, ok he’s had a bumpy season but look at how many assists he gets for Robin van Persie and look how happy Robin is each week playing alongside our Englishman. Many fans may give Walcott a hard time and a lot of that criticism is justified but in a season when many players are underperforming, does he really deserve to be singled out?
Maybe most would prefer Gotze than Theo? I’ll give you that one 😉
We saw on Saturday then when everything ticks, we have the basis of a really strong side that can play outstanding football at times. Ok the Blackburn defence had gaping holes in it in often but most of that was down to the way we played, they didn’t know what to do and that’s because we hit them hard from the start!
I’m not sure many defences would have coped with the way we attacked, Song found defence splitting paces, Walcott finally realised that when he runs into space he’ll get the ball and his play becomes easier and our shooting was clinical.
I’m not even going to bother mentioning a few other performances, we all witnessed just how good they were….
Going back to my point:
It’s not all about signing players to keep Robin van Persie happy is it, it’s about buying the right players to play in the right positions and one’s that will keep the up and coming players coming through and their may just be another one or two Jacks and Chamberlains lurking – but if we sign the likes of Hazard etc, we could do so at the risk of losing some we already have and love.
If we are totally honest, we don’t have too many places up for grabs do we?
At left back we are weak – and as much as we hope Gibbs will return fitter, stronger and have a successful long run in the side, sadly there is probably more chance that he won’t, he’s frail and Santos, although out for the season is hardly Mr Reliable is he?
In the centre of defence we have three good defenders but we need one more but then what happens to Kyle Bartley when he comes back in the summer, he’ll be another year old, another year wiser and certainly more experienced having played a second season in the Scottish Premier League. Also we have Miquel and Djourou so I think it’s safe to assume we won’t be getting another central defender unless any one of those are deemed not good enough by the manager.
Up front, we all know we need another striker and Szczesny needs a bit of competition to keep him on his toes – by that I mean an aging, wiser keeper, one who is reliable and prepared to share his experiences.
So, instead of wasting money on marquee signings like Hazard, Gotze and the like, why not just buy a to class striker first and foremost, a solid left back, a reliable goal keeper and then look after what we already have?
Let’s not forget, most of who we have want to be exactly where they are.
Unlike a Hazard or Gotze who may just be the next Samir Nasri……
Laurent Blanc looks to be out of favor with the French National Team and reports suggest that he will be stepping down/sacked after the Euro’s this summer. Already the red tops are linking our manager to the job because he hasn’t won a trophy for seven years, he has been on the receiving end of so much abuse, blah blah blah….
When has Wenger ever walked away from a contract? I doubt if he will this summer either….
Have a good day all…..
Morning all….
Mario Gotze is not a winger! Sure he could play there, but his game is more suited to a spot in the middle of the park. And yes, Gotze>Hazard…
How can you say that you wouldnt want to replace Theo!
The guy is not Arsenal standard or prem standard for that matter, he has no football brain and freezes infront of goal! 5 good performances a season does not justify huge wages and a starting role.
And before you mention saturday, Blackburn are hopless and bentdner could of made them assists
lol Hazard anyday before Ox
Morning Rico.
Good day Guys and Chicks of the Gunners’ Faith.
I agree with all that you said. But we do need to remove some players and get ready made replacements. Denilson, Bendtner, Benayoun, Arshavin, Djourou need to be sold or loan not renewed. I did not include Rosicky or Diaby because I feel that Rosicky is starting to come good once again and is increasing in his performances all the time. Diaby, should be given one more chance. But if he continues to get injured then he must go. So yes we do need new players in every department but not at the expense of players like Ox, Ramsey, Wilshere etc.
Szczesny
Sagna, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Baines (Gibbs if he can stay fit)
Song, Wilshere
Gotze/ Shaqiri, Chamberlain, Hazard
RVP
Sell.. Rosicky, Almunia, Chamakh, Squilacci, Fabianski, Arshavin, Denilson, Bendtner, Walcott, Diaby, Park, Djourou.
Bring through players like.. Lansbury, Bartley, Frimpong, Coquelin, Ryo, Afobe, Aneke.
Morning Rico. It is cold here.
Ozzy, check his position on wikki, but yes, he is often ‘used’ in the centre of midfield
GHall 0 read the post again… I said i’ll give you the Theo one!
morning devil – i thought the clear out was a foregone conclusion 😉
I’m kond of talking about who we have that are good and who we could have coming through, the likes of Nik, denilson, AA etc etc, i just hope they never wear an afc shirt again….
kond = kind 😉
hi Adam, its thawing here but its going to get cold again ….
I have to pop off for an hour, back in a bit….
I agree Devil….good,solid squad players are what we need,apart from the striker and LB Rico mentioned.
Our top 11 is a match for most,and with more experience,and less injuries,a match for any.
Even 1 month ago,the Ox would not have been mentioned in the same breath as the other two.
Now,I am very comfortable with our lad.
Still,i wouldnt knock back the others,but no,I wouldn’t swap.
Rico……..keep looking at the positives girl……loving it!!!!!
It’s all academic anyway. Wenger wouldn’t spend the money but Gotze would have been in a Fabregas type role so we’d not have signed Arteta.
As for Hazard, let’s pretend for 1 moment he was free and wanted a basic wage similar to a bus driver in Bangalore, then Wenger wouldn’t have bought Gervinho.
Steve,Hazard didn’t want to leave Lille…..he’s quoted as saying he wanted one more season.
That season finishes in a few months.
I would upgrade Ramsey in a heartbeat. We currently have 3 good wingers, we need 4. We most desperately need a striker. I agree a new LB is required although I think Santos is quality when fit. Gibbs has never proved he can be either, quality or fit! I think most Gooonets are realistic enough not to expect £20m- £30m signings just quality strength in depth that has been patently lacking for so long. £25m wisely spent would probably sort out all of those positions. Wenger puts individual players ahead of the team. We can’t sign Gourcruf because it would kill Diaby…? Diaby has never strung more than 5 or 6 games together he barely even registers on most people’s brains as anything more than a fringe squad player. Buy Gourcruf or someone similar, let the best 2 players in each position survive and sell or loan the worst. It’s not rocket science every other manager has been doing it since the birth of professional football. Players get injured, need a rest or their form drops off everybody in the squad will get a chance to play and you’re not pinning all your hopes on 1 or 2 key players staying fit for an entire season
i would expect theo and oxlade to rip up a blackburn side with 10 men at the emirates
its when we go to old trafford, eithad, stamford bridge and white heart lane that they need to perform
oxlade hasnt been given a chance yet and theo is inconsistant, ok he scored against chelski but was outshined by oxlade against united
i would certainly have hazard or gotze WITH oxlade and theo as they can also play centrally
oxlade—–rvp——theo
——-hazard/gotze——
—–wilshere—song—–
cissokho–verms–kos—–sagna
————szczenczy——
not a bad line up!!!! get cissokho in at left back, big, strong, athletic left back who lyon are happy to sell
also dont forget ryo miyachi
lets get rid of rosicky, arshavin, denilson, bedntner, chamakh, park, squillaci
I hae just read that Bould might well be the next Assistant manager.
I sincerily hope so. He is a player schooled in the art of defending by GG and in the art of football playing by AW. So he has the best of both worlds.
Just a few comments regarding Saturday’s game.
First of all I did notice that Chesney looked slightly nervous although unflappable. His distribution was good however he was not concentrating enough whenever he was called into action.
There was a good amount of distance between the departments….that is, the defensive to midfield to attack. On one occasion the distance between the defence and midfield was so big that one player could have easily exploited it and the defence was square, meaning a fast player like Bellamy would have murdered it.
The fact that the defence is much improved with Coquelin who is not a natural defender, albeit a defensive one at that, says it all. We do need Bac and Jenks back and at the double. As you said we have Tommy V, Merte and Kozzer who are three great footballing defenders. However it is evident that although Vermaelen is filling in well at left back I have a feeling that he is not happy there. And that shows when we have the ball in the midfield or attacking third. He is solid in the centre but not that much effective as a marauding left back.
The midfield was very good, however we do need someone who can drop more when Song goes forward. Song is still young and can offer so much going forward that others still lack, however, we do miss Jack in that regard since Jack operates from the deep much more than Ramsey. Rosicky is slowly getting back to his best and flashes of his awareness could be clearly seen last Saturday. Its good to have him back and at least he can rotate Ramsey and maybe Arteta when there is need. But we do need to give Song a rest.
Theo and Ox can play together with RVP. Is it a coincidence that Theo started to flourish more when the Ox came in the side?? Both Theo and the Ox are fast players and while the Ox is the more footballing of the two, however, I feel that they complement each other with their direct running. When Gervinho comes???? Easy. Put the OX in the middle to rest RVP. He can also flourish there since he is a footballing player.
and sell diaby, almunia aswell!!!
Well put together item, Theo still has me thinking is he the real deal.
It would be good to off load AA, Squill, Diaby, Denilson, Alumini,Fabski, Bendtner, Gibbs and one or two more.
Gibbs seems so brittle, Frimpong needs to settle to play at the top level, poor old AA has lost his way and other than,God, Pele, DB 10 sorry Bendtner the rest speak for themselves.
One striker to back up RVP, a quality left back and an old fox keeper to stiffen up the back and I don’t mean Yens, bless him
Morning all,
Good thought provocing post. My only complaint with useing home grown players or youngsters brought in, is the time it takes to get them up to the standard of Premier League. Theo Has been in the side now for a few years, he is now a senior player but he has many a quiet game. exciting at times but far to many mediocre games. Jack was what looked to be a great addition, but as with Theo who had many months out with his injured shoulder and a few other ailments, jack has played one season and up to now has not played a game at all for us this season, my question is, it seems that our youngsters are reasonable but seem accident prone. and the ones that are not injured are waiting in the wings for six months waiting to get injured. does that make sense.
Who in their right mind would buy Diaby or Almunia?
Come to think of it, who in their right mind would buy Arshavin, Denilson, Bendtner, Chamakh, Park or Squillaci either.
All massive salaries and more in the way of ego than talent. The only interest in Diaby would come from the medical profession.
stevepalmer, the reson that these lads get serious injuries all the time is because they are forced to play at the highest level before they are ready physically. Again it’s symptomatic of our current ethos and structure within the club.
Stevep…..these are the issues Wenger faces.
Play the hot youngsters,they break down.
Don’t play them,he runs the chance of upsetting the fans,and the player himself.
It’s a fine line,and not easy to get right all the time.
Very true Rico, I still haven’t given up on Park, from the small amount of time i have seen him, he did show some nice touches, my main concern with him is his short contract, and his lack of playing time but that cannot be put down to him. he may be a diamond about to shine, the only good thing about Park is if he does turn out to be a very rough diamond he wont be with us long.
Morning again…..
This summer I think Rosicky’s time is up along with Arshavin, Benayoun.
That will free up a place in the squad for say Hazard/ Gotze who can play right left and CAM and would only be good for us as a squad.
3 players out, 1 in (Gotze Hazard) pluss ryo. Would also balance the books and allow us to spend big.
Gervinho, Theo The OX, Hazard/Gotze, Ryo Then replace Chamack with a good up and coming striker. Thats 5 players who compete for 2 places pluss a few of then can play Cam to. Theo/Gervinho can compete to be 3d strikers as well if a crisis.
Add one talented left back and where good i think.
That should be in our finacial meens.
Players out this summer: Rosicky Arshavin, Benayoun, Squilachi, Almunia, Chamack.
Players in: Gotze/Hazard, up and coming striker, young left back. Add Bartley, Ryo, Frimpong to the squad and i think we are set.
Morning Rico, sorry i may have answered a question sombody else posed . Morning Steve ansd Scott good points you both make. Buying in the finished item is expensive and we know what Wenger thinks of that, but at the end of the day is it that much more expensive in the long run, after all with injury pay and dropped points it must hit the pocket at the end of the day.
Aaaagggghhhh,incentive and performance based contracts…….how nice would they be???
Hi Steve, no probs…
It appears that those contracts are only from club to club Scott, Add ons in Chamberlains contract pays Southampton nice returns if he play’s for his country, and i’m sure they must have add ons for league and cup games played
How much would get for Rosicky?
He’s showing some positive signs lately,and i think he can be a more than decent squad player.
Incentive and performance based contracts are good……if only both parties agree with it. The manager may want it but the player may not. At the end of the day the majority of the players are against it so I do not honestly think that its an area which AFC will delve in.
Yes Scot, we could give Diaby a 5 year contract extension and it wouldn’t cost us a penny, everyone’s a winner.
Rosicky I would keep….as a squad player. And as a senior player who can help the young ones emerge.
pacman – we have one, Joel Campbell… 😉
jsut catching up on the comments – got a few connection probs 🙁
I’d keep Rosicky too but not Diaby…..
Early one for me tonight guys,work is killing me!!!!!
Have a great day.
Night Scott
This is one of the things that makes me laugh supporters will moan when we keep players on when they are playing rough and when they start finding a bit of forn are loathed to sell them. must be somthing all clubs suffer from. Thats why i think Wenger has persevered with Arshavin he saw a bit of talent there and has waited two years to see it come out again but now only to sell him
Nte Scott
selling our dead wood is almost impossible. we have to live with them untill their high waged contracts run out. does my head in, but still think we have a good squad. my ideal signings would be a centre forward, centre mid with distructive qualitys, and a hollywood signing. not sure who that could be. would not mind samba ahead of mertasacker either. any chance of a swap blackburn???? and if anyone offers 20m for wallcott i would take it. not sure anyone will though. and he ain’t as bad as people say
Very near the truth Sir SP. However the supporters are not against loss of form but inept attitude and work rate. Personally I was not against Rosicky because he tries hard. But due to him being injured he may not be effective. The supporters hate situations like Arshavin is in were he does not want to trty. If he at least works for the team the supporters will change. Remember Denilson???? He walked and supporters hated that and that is why they turned against him. If he tried his hardest supporters would have loved him. Denilson has more skill than Parlour ever had but their attitude is poles apart.
Hi rico, i’m with most on here, forget about swapping those players, go out and get them, the likes of Gotze, Hazard and M’Vila are all quality, would make us compete for the league again, more importantly give us proper competetion for places as well, too many of the current team know they can get away with having pish poor games and still pull on the shirt the following week, they wanna do this if we got the above players in, fine, they’ll be watching from the bench when the next game comes around.
We got too many average players in this squad, we all know who they are, get rid of them in the summer and bring in that bit of quality to compliment some of the fine players we already have.
AA has been dire for ages – he’d be one of a few out for me.. Rosicky i’d keep only because he has the right attitude and a good squad player…
dave – we can sell players easily, the problem is they are rubbish and no-one wants them…
I do agree with a lot of this authors thoughts and have said for a while that you have to consider that just buying extra players can clog up your team so it has to be the right players. I actually think our squad is too big numbers wise and needs trimming, but needs quality improvement in some areas. I would, therefore, ship out more than I would bring in but those coming in would be high calibre. One of AW’s biggest faults now is not being ruthless enough about where a player belongs at Arsenal and he stays too loyal for too long. It is about decidingnow which players should leave but also more importantly about which current players that are considered first 11 should stayat Arsenal but would not be considered first choice if the whole squad was fit and it was a big game like say against Barca. We need to be able to name a first 11 that if all fit could go up against the likes of Barca and Madrid.
I would therefore ship out Chamakh, Park, Bendtner, Arshavin, Vela, Diaby, Denilson, Squilacci, Djorou and one of Benayoun or Rosicky, keeping the other as experienced back up. Assuming we stay with 4-3-3 the 3 I would buy would be Baines, Eriksson and Pato. I would keep all of Walcott, Gervinho, Artetta and Ramsey but consider them back up to the strongest 11 which in a 4-3-3 would be :
Szcezsny, Sagna, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Baines, Song, Wilshere, Eriksson, RVP, AOC, Pato.
This is a team I think could stand toe to toe with the worlds best. The front 3 of Pato, AOC and RVP have pace ability and goals a plenty, and I think would cause havoc, and I think that Eriksson and Wilshere could be our answer to Xavi and Iniesta. I went for Eriksson rather than say Hazard as Hazard (as the author notes) would be blocking AOC and I am not sure would be a better option. Hazard plays in the higher attacking 3 but does not look to me like a player who can control the game from deeper as well. Eriksson gives you that, but also looks good when supporting the attack much like Fabregas did.
The back up to the first 11 above could then be Walcott and Gervinho up top. Arteta, Ramsey Coquelin, Frimpong and one of Rosicky or Benayoun in the deeper 3. Jenkinson, mertesacker, Santos and Gibbs in defence. then we could also give time to try out the likes of Bartley, Lansbury, Aneke, Ryo, and Afobe.
I honestly thought that most would rather the to players in Micko, but, i wouldn’t swap Chamberlain for Hazard or Gotze 😉
Hi Devil, i get the impression that Arshavin has been Having a spell like Torres has had, doesn’t matter how hard they try it will just not bounce for them, In Torres’s case he is still a young player and a good spell may just get his confidence back, but Arshavin is in a team and he is up against very young men for his position, very very unlikely he will ever come back to reclaim his position, time for him to go.
Rico, the Ox will have a big roll to play for us between now and May, either way he’s going nowhere.
It will be exciting to see who wenger goes with up front for the up coming games, Gerv should be back shortly.
Gotze over Hazard any day any hour any minute any second of the week. However with Walcott, Gervinho, and OX I feel that only one player is needed on the flank and that may well be Ryo when he comes next year. If he gets playing time at Bolton, say 7 or 8 matches then he may be ready next year to be a back up. Maybe then he can step up. But also remember that we have got Vela who may come back and be tried….at least till December.
Personally I would go for Gotze or Reus but not at the expense of the OX. In the space of a week or two he has gone from no-one to being an untouchable.
Incidentally……what do you think of my earlier comment. Do you agree he can play instead of RVP as a centreforward when the latter needs a rest or breather??
goonerb, i’m having internet probs, will come back to it as soon as i can
All those saying Diaby out…… How many games / years was RVP out.. Should we have dumped him? How foolish would that look now.
Do you think Ramsey will ever reach the level that Diaby already is ? No chance.Every great player wants other great players in so even if you asked Jack/Ox if Goetze/Haard should come in … their answer would always be a loud yes.
Wenger is a manager who does not like change he has set in place what he considers to be the way forward. He strikes me as a manager that plays like for like players, thats why Walcott has not been used up front. Theo will pull out of 90% of tackles has very little composure in front of goal and very rarely will he know where his teamates are when on the ball. Theo is a winger who can be effective against some defenders but struggles against the better ones. Wenger bringing Henry back for a short loan spell has shown that Walcott is not a replacement for Robin in his eyes and i suspect that Campbell or maybe Park maybe in his mind for the future, I felt that JET may have got the chance but Wenger killed that off. He hasn’t brought when we are in need of cover so i can only think he has who he thinks can fill in all ready. The summer will be the same as this window unless we lose players but i don’t expect any new players anytime soon.
devilgunner: Reus was just recently purchased by Borussia Dortmund…
So, Park is rumoured to want a move away from us – why i am i not surprised….
Afternoon everyone. Good point made by Steve Palmer about Arshavin. We have seen the best of him, and with players like the Ox, chomping at the bit, to get their chance, and then taking it when it comes, its time for him to move back home. There is still interest in him in Russia. Not sure who would buy the likes of Squillaci, Denillson, Almunia, Manone etc, its not the transfer fee, that could be free, its just the inflated wages that these players are on, stops clubs from pursuing them.
Good comment Goonerb
Micko, i guess my point is, if we bought Hazard (for example) and Ox was dropped to the bench, would he stick around and wait for his chance again? He’s tasted first team footie and he’ll want to be playing every week…
And so he should be too 😉
Steve – re Park, i don’t see him ever getting his chance, as just posted, he’s looking to go in the summer and i don’t blame him either, he’s got just a couple of years before he goes to the forces, he should be playing….
Like i said the other day, i bet he wishes he’d never signed for us….
Hi Marinello, i am hoping he still goes this month, there is little to no chance he will feature again unless we suffer injury, Gerv will be back so it will probably be a straight fight between him and Ox for that left side position…
Unless Ox switches to the right and forces Theo to the bench but after Saturday, Wenger won’t do that any time soon…
Walcott now needs to do what he did Saturday this coming weekend and beyond….
Hiya guys…the ox over hazard any day. Got to run. Hey dg how are you my man. Can’t blog for a whole month. See ya pals.
Rico, didn’t we send a team to the airport to hi-jack Park’s move to Lille, he said it was a true come true at the time, little did he know what lay ahead, i bet he wishes he had caught an earlier flight now.
🙂 Micko – i really feel for the guy….
When has Wenger ever walked away from a contract? I doubt if he will this summer either….?
1 – He asked to be released one year earlier when AS Monaco came in for him. AS Nancy demanded compensation which AS Monaco refused to pay. [This was in abigrpahy written by a Frenchman]
2 – KAwasaki Antler directors reluctnatly released him a few months earlier to start his Arsenal career.
Technically, Wenger is correct that he ahd never broken a contract…..
3 – We will never know this summer as it maybe a case of “mutual beneficial parting for each party to pursue its own interest……”
ANyway, I doubt very much he will walk as he is obsessed to complete his Youth Project with Arsenal FC till 2014 come hell or high water……
The only way he will leave is when Kroenke get rid of him…or like Terry Neill, Arsenal fans staged public demonstrations as “WENGER RAUS!”.
Morning all..
I wonder…..
If Steve Bould is appointed assistant manager, will he takes over once Wenger’s contract expires in 2014?
That 2 years he will spend understudying Arsene Wenger will certainly boost his standing and favroite as the next Arsenal manager.
Steve’s greatest advanatge is that he had worked with all those wonderful youngsters who are breaking into senior team now; with more of ’em breaking into senior team by 2014/15 season.
Perhpas Arsene Wenger wil see Steve Bould as his successor who will keep faith with his Youth Policy; and a continuation of his managerial philosophy where he can safely moved upstair as Director of Football perhaps?
Where is main role is to strengthen Arsenal FC scouting network and an iocn to scour the world for outstnading youngsters and woo them to join Arsenal FC?
The next role that Arsene Wenegr can played is to be Arsenal FC Global Ambassador setting up Arsenal FC Training Centre all over the world and is a great Arsenal FC marketing asset to promote Arsenal FC commercial interests and merchandises wordlwide.
After Thierry Henry, there is no more iconic Arsenal FC figure to move Arsenal FC commercial interests and merchandise than Arsene Wenger.
For better or for worse, Arsene Wenger is the ICON of Arsenal FC nowadays.
Hi M96, i didn’t know that about wenger…
i read that bould had turned down becoming AW’s assistant in the summer..
Afternoon Gooners.
Afternoon Rico.
Afternoon Lee.
Tbh if Arsenal fail to get into the top four, as i suspect they will. Then it would be a waste of time for us to hope that the likes of Hazard & Gotze or even Marin will join us.
These guys want CL, not Europa, Inter~Cities, Watney, Texaco, Rumbelows, Fairs Cup/League, Super~Bowl or whatever stupid name UEFA want to give it.
I’d rather be outta europe altogether if we fair to make the top~four tbh.
Good morning
Fripong is out the rest of the season
Arsene Wenger is the ICON of Arsenal FC nowadays.
Sadly that is the case. For many of the younger ones he most definitely is. The rest the ones that have seen The Arsenal before he joined he is just another manager on the list. Unfortunately those like me that have seen many ( I am on my 10th )are disappearing and the future will lie with Wenger. I hope that whatever he does after his term , has no bearing on team selections , but I fear that while he is around his influence would be to great for any young manager to make his mark and should things not work out , it would be too easy to get him back.
A lot of Gooners on here today have given lists of players to be got rid of.
I wouldn’t dis agree with most of them tbh.
But if any of those clubs interested. Had been prepared to pay what Arsenal want. Then i believe that 3, 4 or even 5 of the names routinely trotted out. Would alrwady be gone.
And we all know the reason that most of them are still clogging up the squad and draining the wage bill.
Nobody will match their inflated wages AND pay Arsenal a transfer fee.
It is a case of poor management throughout the club.
And we’ll be suffering, i suspect, beyond this summer.
We can all wish the dead wood away.
But if nobody wants them……….
Kev, if you can’t be a sun, don’t be a cloud.
Scum or scousers tonight ?
Afternoon AK, spot on re CL footie, that’s everyones wish these days and no chance would top players join for the europa….
Hi JM, what is the extent of his injury??
Just seen, cruicate ligaments – again 🙁
Hi Potter – i think younger players/french players join us beacsue of AW, they know they will get their chance… Tbh though the likes of Fergie and AVB are startig to follow suit….
Frimpong :- Cruciate , other leg to the one he did before.
AK, i don’t believe its so much the transfer fee but the wages they ask, look at Nik, what is he on – £50/60K a week, he’s not worth £20K a year imho…. 😉
AA must be on £70K+ a week too….
Scummers for me Mick.
Ah no, poor kid.
Gonna be hard for him to come back from another one.
Just as well he has a strong mentality, but that has to be shite luck.
Won’t see him for another 6 to 9 months.
I say sell them all to the lowest bidder 😉
That’s really bad luck, how does he come back from that.
Kev, call me old fashioned but I could never back that shower down the road.
Hiya all,
Rico you’re in rich vein of form yourself. Riding the bull one hand tightly gripped, the other swirling the air to fire up enthusiasts around you. You go girl. Rodeo queen. A majestic article kicking the nuts out of a Beckham’s undie.
Great comments from the Benetton family as well. 🙂
He must be gutted Micko – left one last year, right one this, or the other way around…
And he’s a strong lad……
Sad news on the Frimmer.
Cruicate ligaments used to be career threatening. Nowadays there’s a good chance to recover without loss of strength. Wish him well.
Hello Dutch, not a lot i can say to that except i wouldn’t want to be in Beckham’s shoes !
Micko 😀 😀
Hi DG and thanks (i think 😉 )
I used to like seeing Beckham in his undies, nearly as much as Freddie in his CK’s
The thought hasn’t been coined yet, so I will flip it.
I think Hazard can be converted to a deadly mobile technical striker and still provide cover/competition for midfield or wing positions. His pricetag can be justified as a pressure cooker for development throughout the entire squad.
Just like a slingshot provides inertia to weights on the other end of attached strings.
You do have a fab way with words DG 😉
Sorry Rico. A pair from Tesco’s didn’t convey the sex appeal of HH.. 😉
euro press:
Wenger liked to have Hazard
The Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger admitted he would like to count on the contribution of the average Belgian Eden Hazard of Lille.
“I would be happy to have him in my midfield. Leaving the joke aside, I really like him, “said Wenger, speaking to Derniere Hour
Hazard is a player who is being followed by several European clubs and will leave Lille at the end of the season.
😛 DG
JM, do you reckon he would join us though if we don’t get 4th spot?
Hi JM. I have seen your comment on the points we need end of the season. I think you’re right. Doesn’t leave much room for any draw or loss. Just shows how costly our dips have been.
Thanks Rico, I humbly take notes while eyeballing posts and comments.
rico, probably not.
also, because Lille probably can reach the CL too and others clubs follow him
I’m looking forward to a post of yours DG – from a Dutch point of view – go on, you know you want to 😉
The only thing that could help us sign Hazard imho is Wenger, just like its always been with French players…..
Hi all.good read rico.Hazard is a superb player but knowing his admiration for madrid am not so sure.he may end up another cesc and i don’t think we want to go through that again.
JM said 2 days ago.
We need between 69-74 points to be 4th; 74-78 to be clear for 3rd; 78 or more to be 2nd or 1st. Winner will not reach 82-85.
Evening all,
great post Rico………..
I’m with Devil all the way, I’d take Gotze all day long over Hazard, Gotze can play wide and as the 2nd striker and the creative midfielder but all that really is hypothetical until we see where we finish in May.
Also with AK, rather 8th and no europe at all than that poxy europa lge…!
Hi Kt, thanks – he won’t be another Cesc because for him it was all about ‘going home’ – at least Hazard etc could be sold to the higest bidder…
but, like in the post, he could also just be another Nasri who was a little s***e at the end and only because Citeh tapped him up did we get such a good price…
Hi Wath, thansk re the post….
Gotze is another crock in the making 😉
8th?? what, with Sunderland doing so well…..
Hi wath.been a long time sailor…
Hiya folks. Back from training……and its bloody freezing today. infact at the moment the temperature is…….wait for it……-1 degrees celsius. Yep you read right. -1.
We were all tearing around (me and assistant coaches included) to keep warm.
Frimpong……not again. on the bright side Pires did both legs on cruciate so lets hope he recovers well.
Whaaaaatttttttttttttt. Goonie’s been here when I was not??? Wait till I get hold of you, you little squirmy toad. Where the hell have you been all this time?? You left us all in the lurch when you should have been in the front of the battle.
Thank God you are somewhere far away or I would have pulled every hair from you body one by one.
Welcome back matey…..and do not dare abandon us again.
About time you felt how we do devil 😉
Rotten for Frimps isn’t it….
Goonster has been a naughty boy and is doing community service he says, wont be back for a month 🙁
Off to get dinner, back shortly….
Wont be back for a what???? a whole fecking month??? I’ll hang him, quarter him, have him ham strung. grrrrrrrrrrrrr. That is not fair.
Wait till I get you little brother. 😆
So that means that Coquelin will get his chance in midfield when Sagna, Jenkinson and Santos are fully fit. Good for Coq bad for Frimps. Hope he recovers well. He is still young and can still have a career in front of him.
Mick, 3.51;
Ok mate, if you insist.
Mick, you really are old fashioned
Wath, 5.45;
I knew i could rely on the support of my Grandson.
Now don’t forget to do your homework….. 🙂
Hiya Sir AK. How is the family???
We are all ok.
We’re all good habib.
Lata. 🙂
Seems like i missed you again AK 🙁
In a twisted way,It may be a good thing to miss top 4.
That way,ANY player we sign will be coming with the attitude of trying to improve us,not just ride the coat tails to CL.
Imagine if Hazard or Gotze did join if we finished fourth…….that we speak volumes about their desire not only to play for the club,but to help it improve.
I still reckon we will get 4th though.
I’m of for the day all – soaps night for me…
‘Til tomorrow, be safe all
nighty night
Same here Rico. I am off also. Running as fast as I can.
Off to bed.
Good night Rico and friends.
And I’m off to work….strange world lol.
Night gents.
Liverpool 0 S*CUMS 0
3 points behind CHelski and 10 points behind S*CUMS.
3rd and 4th spot are in the air as there is a 11 points spread from S*CUMS to Liverpool.
If Newcastle continues their rich vien of form right into March, then there are 5 teams playing for 3rd and 4th spot, namely S*CUMS, Newcastle, Arsenal, Liverpool and CHelski.
And we still have to meet all these 4 teams!
Beat all 4 of ’em and we are Top-4!
And as tradition goes, hopefully S*CUMS will go down the table faster than X’mas dressings when they hit a blip…right now..:mrgreen:
Off toPic:
Guys,does any of you know how could I get 1 ( ideally 2) tickets to Arsenal-Milan game?
Why is Gotze even being talked about? With Dortmund signing Marco Reus there’s no way Gotze will be leaving for a couple of years now, he and Gotze played together when they were younger and Gotze has been urging Dortmund for some time to sign him up, I highly doubt he would leave right after getting what he wants…he loves Dortmund…I would rather have Hazard personally anyways, who can play right, left, center, and basically anywhere he wants.
It doesn’t matter if we have Hazard, Goetze or even Di Maria in the squad. What Arsenal really needs now is competition for places in the starting 11. Look at Walcott, he thinks he has a guaranteed spot in the first 11, and no matter how poor his display is, Wenger has got to play him, cuz we really don’t have competition.
If this trends continue, Wenger will come out and says that to get into any Europe competition is already an achievement.
If Sir Alex was managing arsenal, Rosicky, Almunia, Chamakh, Squilacci, Fabianski, Arshavin, Denilson, Bendtner, Walcott, Diaby, Park, Djourou would have been sold ages ago. He’z sold brown, oshea, diouf, manucho, gibson, richardson, smith, and many more. If ua shit u dont deserve to play and hes always right to sell them coz regardless of where they go the still don’t improve. How many years has walcott played and he still doesnt improve, the same to denilson, Djourou and the rest. Ramsey would nt even make the first 11
Mo,that’s why Utd were hundreds of millions in debt not long ago….still would be if not bought out!!!
Is that what you want for our club?????
Get serious,please.
Like it or lump it,our club is run differently to Utd,City and any other Premier League club you care to mention.
How about we turn into Barca or Real……Spanish clubs are 3 BILLION in debt.
Which model do you want???
Is England closed this morning???
Very quiet….
Morning – New Post up