Over the seasons we have seen many Arsenal players come back from a long-term injury, make one or two cameo appearances for the club and straight away get selected for their country.
We saw it with Cesc Fabregas, Nikki Bendtner last summer and we witness it time after time with Robin van Persie. Same could be said about Carlos Vela, often deemed unfit to play for his club, yet travels far and wide to represent Mexico. I am sure there have been many other examples, too many to list.
Finally Wales have a manager with common sense, he wants to include Aaron Ramsey in his squad for next month’s Four Nations Cup fixture against the Republic of Ireland but he won’t, not until he’s spoken to the man who matters, that of course being Arsene Wenger.
Gary Speed is planning on travelling to London Colney for so-called ‘crunch talks’ – but all that means is he wants to go in person to get the green light.
I am going down to Arsenal this week to see where Aaron is at. I haven’t spoken to Arsene yet but we have been in touch with the club. I have to speak to Arsene and see whatever the best thing is for Aaron in terms of his comeback.
Obviously, the priority and realistic target is to have him for the England game but it might be a case that Aaron needs a game and Arsene says I’d like Aaron to play against Ireland. It all depends what happens between now and then.
I saw Aaron at Forest when he made his first full start against Derby and I thought he was excellent.
He came off after 60 minutes because he was a bit tired but he was really good. It’s just a fitness issue now. He needs to play football but he was certainly up to speed from what I saw of him in that 60 minutes at Forest.
Ramsey has yet to play for us since he suffered the horrific double leg break after an assault tackle by Stoke City’s Ryan Shawcross last February but he has played for Nottingham Forest whilst on a months on loan.
Is an International fixture on the 8th February a bit too soon or could it help him towards his full recovery?
Either way, it’s finally good to see that there’s an International Manager out there who is willing to put the players fitness and health first.
On Monday The young number 14 said that he felt we were back to our best, well yesterday our old number 14 had nothing but praise for this current Arsenal squad.
Speaking at an Awards ceremony last night where he picked up the Football Writers’ Association Tribute Award 2011, Henry spoke about our chances this season and backed us for the Premier League title.
The guys in the Arsenal dressing room are confident. It all depends on them — Arsenal play the best football. I became Arsenal fan and like all the Arsenal fans I want them to bring back silverware — that would be the cherry on the cake, especially for the boss and the fans. This generation are talented, there is just that little piece of silverware missing.
He also spoke about our up and coming fixture against Barcelona.
For me? I’m an Arsenal fan but have a lot of friends at Barca — so it will be a difficult one. But if any team can beat Barca, it would be Arsenal.
So there you go, Henry backs us, Wenger says we are going for all four trophies so lets hope that this is our season.
Finally, have we changed our club name to, ‘Arsenal who haven’t won a trophy for five years’? Don’t you get sick of reading that in the press…..
No transfer rumours, well not for us, every other club yes but not for us!
Have a good day all…..
Morning, today is the day we sign our CH, I just have a feeling…. 🙂
Rico I also have a feeling that I will own a Ferrari today lol Morning
I have been watching Barca Rico and believe me we have to be on top of our game they press so hard. Theo hold the key to this much and may be Nasir am telling you Rico we have to learn to play without the ball coz they will dominate
Morning Erick
the sun is shining for the first time in ages, i am feeling very positive for once and then you come along and pour water on my fuel 😉 😉
I try not to watch them Erick, they frighten me… 🙁
Steven Nzonzi
That’s the latest link… He’s a DM, maybe we’ll get him and Song go help out in defence?
Morning all,
Good Post,makes you realise how desperate National managers are for good players to play in their sides.
I can understand Garry Speeds interests in Aaron’s progress, but surely, on just one game played for the young man,should not make him an obvious pick for Wales, after all he hasn’t played for us yet. if i was an aspiring young footballer with Welsh ancestry i would be quite put out by Speeds need for playing a player that has not even played for his club, after a long injury lay off.
Makes you wonder if that is the reason, Wenger has not included him in any games as of yet
Rico I apologize but am preparing you mentally lol nice to hear the sun is back here we can’t take more of it
Steve I reckon Rambo could have played better than some of the player who played in the two cup competition
Am sure Rambo wants to play
Morning Steve
At least Gary Speed isn’t just naming him without talking to Wenger – that’s quite refreshing. Look at the Dutch last year, they just name RvP as soon as he was back in training, same can be said for the Spanish with Cesc….
Morning Erick, he couldnt have done any worse, thats for sure
Erick, you’d like this sunshine, it has no warmth too it – can i swap it with yours for a couple of weeks 🙂
😆 re Barca….
I think Rambo will play for wales, i think he’ll play tomorrow night too, wenger is fielding a ‘second string’ – not that Rambo can be classed as that but i agree Erick, he could have played a lot better than some have recently….
Morning rico, Speed should have contacted or met Wenger privately, not announced his meeting, pressuring the situation, in my eyes he has done that deliberately
Wenger should allow Rambo to travel and play as long as it is one half only. It will be good training for him.
I agree, we shouldd change our name to Arsenal who have won nothing for 5 years. It is like another stick the media can beat us with.
I am really hoping Henry is teaching our strikers something but I bet Nik B is thinking he is better than Henry.
Morning all.good piece again.why do the welsh want rambo so quickly?don’t they have the ‘best player in the world’ in bale?speaking of bale he has a goal or assist every 195 minutes in the PL while theo has a goal or assist every 66 minutes including sub appearances.make your own conclusions…
Steve, I don’t see it as so bad, i think Speed is just being honest and open, no doubt just answering the qusetion posed by some silly reporter…
I think it would be good for him to play, as long as it’s not the full game…
Morning Will and KT..
I think thats half the reaon we all want the CC so badly but then it will be, Arsenal who have not won a ‘major’ trophy for five years – they would say that about that lot down the road though, because they have an English manager….
KT, thanks and I saw last nights comment about Theo, Rambo will be a far better player than Bale as will Theo….
I may be a little picky here, but when you think that half a season has gone by and Wenger is realy bothered by the resting of players, because of exhaustion of too many games, fore thought makes me see a lot of comps coming up and a full programe for the rest of the season why allow a player to play for Wales, after one game, when he may be needed later on
Maybe steve, Wenger would ask for Rambo to play 45 minutes to sharpen him up.
Morning KT and Will Bale is just a hyped player Theo is ahead of him in every single way
We realy need to put a great performance for in the two cup competition no matter who plays
look on the bright side steve, if rambo is going to have a set back, he’ll have it regardless of whether he’s playing for us or wales, if it happens with wales, we get compensated 😉
seriously though, i think it would be good for his progress, 45 mins only…
Erick, i’m not confident ahead of tomorrow, wenger is going to be making too many changes again….
I’m just hoping Leeds missed their chance and we raise our standards in front of goal…
cant wait for the game though…
Off topic, what a mess at West Ham, now Grant is staying until the end of the season – the way he has been treated is a disgrace….
Erick, not trying to argue, but Bales crossing is to die for.
Describing Shawcross’s assault as a tackle is probably a bit on the benevolent side.
Rico am sure he will play apart tomorrow especialy if we close the game out
Here is another stat for you;rvp was 4th at the world cup in the number of chances he created behind xavi/özil/p.boateng.despite only scoring 1 goal he created a chance every 37.4 minutes despite him being starved of the ball by the likes of sneijder/robben who were selfish for most periods.this stat coupled with theo’s show how they are complementary of each other to an extent they were both involved in all 3 goals at W.ham.
Adam, i know but we have all done that to death, i was going to type ‘assault’ but….
Just for you Adam, have a re-read…..
rico, your point about West Ham, I admire Martin Oneil stepping out
Steve, it is but we never have anyone in the box to head the crosses – we don’t often play that way 😉
KT, we need a fit RvP for the rest of the season, his return seems to be lifting everyone, including us fans…
Erick, i hope he does, really looking forward to see our welshman return…
Rvp has hit the woodwork every 452 minutes since August 2007 more than any other player in the PL.
Steve, indeed, did you see the story about Brady texting players in attempt to get players to go against Grant – it backfired if its true – needless to say though WH are now looking at a legal case against the newspaper reporting….
If anyone is leaving West Ham, I think it will be Brady, shame she’s an Arsenal fan….
Well he needs to re-focus KT and get his shots between the posts, not keep hitting the woodwork 😉
Good stats KT, if only Theo could be more dynamic off the ball I think Nasri, Cesc and RvP could find him every time.
I must admit i am not that bothered about West Ham or any other teams unless they want to give us Scott Parker
We have now kept 3 consecutive cleansheets for the first time since feb 2009.
KT, were on a run, and in a great position,there are defenders for sale all over the place, lets grab a couple and win trophys
Steve, I’m not bothered about if I’m honest but I think it just makes you realise how lucky we are not to be run in such a fashion…
Stable club, little debt and a manager who has stayed loyal…
Good man…………..
Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh is not worried by his lack of first-team outings in 2011.
The Moroccan has not played in the Premier League since the 2-2 draw at Wigan at the end of December.
Since that time, Chamakh has only made a 68-minute appearance against Leeds in the FA Cup, with the two teams set for a replay on Wednesday, and he was a second-half substitute in the Carling Cup against Ipswich.
It has been speculated that the former Bordeaux star, who has scored 10 goals since moving to England in the summer, has fallen out of favour with boss Arsene Wenger.
But Chamakh insists that his absence is an agreed rest, as he told L’Equipe: “As the coach said, I played a lot earlier this season so I was a little exhausted. It’s logical, I’m not worried.
“It allowed me to have a short break. Now I feel fine and I hope to be back in the team soon.”
Vdv thinks bale will be off to madrid/barça in due time…
That’ll please Harry KT, VdV in the DooVDoo for that comment 😉
Chamakh, in my opinion, is a very good professional, has done nothing wrong filled the gap well, and scored goals. Saying that, i don’t see him as a stayer, i can see him struggle with appearances for us in the future, Wenger has pushed RVP to the front of the queue and if he starts a scoring spree will be first choice, Bentner has not been sold so it looks as though he still figures in Wengers plans, i believe that wenger will acquire another striker and the Moroccan will be let go,Wenger has also said that Theo is going to be used down the middle at some stage.
We disagree again Steve 😉
I reckon he will stay and turn out to be another of wenger’s classic free signings – everything he says is right, he had to play many games, too many for a first season and he got off to a flying start.
Now he rested and raring to go again…. I’d play him and RvP against Leeds…
I hope your right rico, i realy like the guy,but thats the feeling i get.
We have to remember this is his first season, all he had was a month or two of training and even that was with a bit part squad because of the world cup – he had very little time to get used to his team mates and learn the wenger way.
when we really needed him to start well he did and now we/he are suffering because of it, now though he has had a deserved rest, now he has to learn all over again now that robin is back…
Its not easy, the pace of the EPL is not easy either and even the great Henry, Bergkamp and Sir Bobby P struggled a bit to begin with….
Chamaka is a great Chap but not what we need but if he stay he is a great squad player
What i don’t understand about this resting of players, the ones who are supposedly Knackered, is why are they still included as subs and played when their tired, its not as if we have a small squad
Steve Re Bale I would have Theo anyday lol so would spuds
RVP lifts up the squad and is realy respected by the players he is one part of our Heart Cesc, Nasir et al are the other
Erick, you are letting your love for Nikki cloud your judgement of Chamakh 😉 😉
Erick, i would love both in the same squad, never going to happen, but i like to watch good players whoever they play for, should see some soon Barcelona
We have a deep squad, but not enough strength within it, thats why steve – to be fair you only have to look at our so called second string to see that, there are at least three who will no doubt turn out tomorrow that are not good enough for Arsenal….
Not if we want to get back to winning ways….
I see games that get you to the final crucial games, thats where Wenger and me see things differently, once in the final its who’s best on the day,mess with a squad at this stage of any comp, is pushing your luck
I’m with you on that, play the strongest, win the game and build the confidence, that will sread through all the squad and winning will become easier…
tomorrow i’d start with the strongest and try and get a couple of early goals… then start thinking about resting rather than like the home game, go a goal down and bring the big players on when the pressure is on, they are desperate to get the win and that’s when injuries can occur….
Wenger believes the addition of a holding midfielder to bolster his ranks could ease the pressure on his stretched defence, with Nzonzi fitting the bill.
The 22-year-old Congolese-born star, who only signed a new five-year deal at Rovers last summer, is reportedly unsettled after the club unceremoniously sacked manager Sam Allardyce earlier this month.
And he’s not the only one – with team captain Samba also keen to leave the club.
The powerful central defender would represent a far cheaper option than Bolton star Gary Cahill, who has been told by manager Owen Coyle he cannot leave the club until his £20million price-tag is met.
Wenger and the Gunners board have balked at this, and are instead turning their attentions to the Blackburn duo who they believe can be persuaded to leave Ewood Park for a combined fee of £15million.
How much would West Ham put on Scott Parker at his age Rico, there must be a couple of seasons left in him
Too much Steve, his passport will make sure of that…
Popping off for a bit, back in an hour or so…..
You only get what you pay for rico, his worth it, i know Wenger wont pay but Parkers quality and just what we need
Steve agree re playing Chamaka and Rvp not Nikky
Erick, when Bendy came i thought he could be good for us, he has some good qualities but since he was injured and we have included others as well, he has shown that he is not the quickest, and the way we play heading is not that important, but to get behind a defence is, and i am afraid that Bendy doesn’t fit into our system.maybe Wenger See’s him differently.
I was a big fan of his Steve but to be honest he is Cocky and does not work hard for the team like Chamaka
I think Bendys times up
Hi Erick, how are you? 🙂
Are you a millionaire yet?
Howdy RA not yet put am pressing on will write you an email soon
Steve what do you think of the Barca game do we have a chance
Ra how is work hope your taking it easy Scholar
Steve Re Nikky I think Aw has alot of chopping to do
Erick,
Been working hard since early December to hit deadlines, but been sick again just lately. 🙁
I think Bendy has just not been up to scratch. Too slow, cumbersome and seems to play with lead in his boots. AW should take the money and let him go .. but he won’t.
morning all. the calm before the storm at elland road, it seems…
Nik B needs to leave and if he was a decent man ,he would quit.
Afternoon fine folk, have we signed anyone yet 😆
afternoon rico…still holding our collective breath…
morning to you oliver 😉
i wonder if wenger is planning on playing miquel tomorrow instead of JD and then if he performs well enough he won’t buy anyone?
surely JD cannot play yet another game?
Afternoon HHers 😀 what u think about the Dunne rumors and Henry joining Sven Goran?
he may have to. this is what happens when we outsmart ourselves. i would not rule out song starting alongside koscielny either. that instantly weakens our midfield, however…and probably means another – undeserved – start for denilson. either way the game is tomorrow and nothing has yet happened – i don’t expect a new guy to start tomorrow evening. in fact, i don’t expect a new guy at all.
notice how quickly tommy’s situation changed from “surgery” to “procedure”? and how there is now the suggestion he could be available in time for the cl resumption? he has not played a competitive match in september, yet our manager implies that he will be available to return against that two-bob team from catalunya? it’s stuff like this that irritates me about arsene to no end…but let me stop there before i start getting annoyed…
i heard on the weekend that becchio may be unavailable for leeds. that would be good for us, but they have plenty of other players we will need to worry about – especially with jd possibly rested.
rico – you know what i think about rumors…stuff and garbage…nothing to them.
I agree Oliver 4-6 weeks is way too soon for a recovery from an operation too full fitness.
The operation it self is very difficult too predict because they not know what is wrong with the ligament.
Hi Stef, long time….
Dunne, no thanks 😉
I’m hanging onto hope we sign a CH before the close of the window, i don’t like the idea of Song playing in defence tomorrow or ever – unless of course we buy another DM and I cannot see that happening…
What is happening with Diaby, is he anywhere near a return?
oliver, just realised you are referring to the Dunne rumour….
stef, i don’t think the timing of this is a coincidence. i think arsene is deflecting pressure to bring cover in, by suggesting that tommy situation is not that bad. what he doesn’t say, however, is that tommy is not going to just walk into the side, that he has already have a long layoff, and that our current depth (squillaci) is dealing with a hammy problem. we effectively have our first and second choice – after that, either a youngster who has never played at this level, and starting dm as emergency depth. unless, of course, arsene will use sagna at cb. that will really weaken us at rb.
Back in a bit, couple of chores call me 🙁
yes, dunne…what thierry does is his business. nothing to do with arsenal right now – other than the fact that he is training with us at this current moment in time.
Hi Oliver, Steff. 🙂
What a couple of doom merchants! But I think you have cause.
I do not know why we do not recall Bartley from Shef Utd. He has been getting good reports and is very fit after playing in the Championship.
hiya ra…i’d be happy if we sign darelle revis – now there is a defender!!
could you imagine someone like rex ryan at the ems? or if we brought someone like antonio cromartie – who could then unload a profanity-laced tirade against rooney? wouldn’t be boring, that is for sure…
Ra Sorry to hear you have been unwell Howdy Oliver , Stef et al
hiya erick…
Hi RA how is the dealing with the flue(I guess)look after ur self mate pour some tea along with the regular drink 😉
There was a rumor going for a while that we are interested in signing Blackburn captain Samba is he any good? the last game he made a blunder, just wondering.
hi Erick just read the rumor about u trying to make a million please shred some light 😆
Oliver,
I love your suggestions for recruits to the Emirates.
You never know, if Kroenke gets control he might bring in some good old US 7th Cavalry pzazz! 🙂
Hi Steff, I had ‘flu before Xmas but was taken to hospital by ambulance recently with some weird virus.
They soon threw me out when I started gassing too much about Arsenal and sneakily accessing my laptop! 🙂
Oliver,
I have been watching the NFL semi’s and enjoying them, despite still being despondent that we were so poor this season. 🙁
Who is we RA? I’ve seen a couple of shows and news, is it perhaps the NY Giants?
I don’t follow non-European sports so I can’t tell 😛
this was funny remark on BBC
Gulf in class
• Arsenal are 22 places higher than Leeds on the league ladder.
oh an a bad new for us
Match officials
Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)
hopefully we sign some1 good, cause we need good news.
Steff,
Oliver and I are both big fans of the NY Giants and have been since we were kids.
In baseball he supports the Mets while I support the Yankees. 🙂
ra, i am also depressed…thinking about what might have been. it does not help, of course, that philadelphia did not win a single game after our home collapse against them – and they lost at home to green bay in the wildcard round.
rex and the jets are sure providing entertainment. and they deserve tons of credit for backing up their talk. some of the comments coming out of florham park this past weekend were quite inflammatory – cromartie on brady, in particular. they’ve won in indianapolis, now in new england, and i think they can win in pittsburgh on sunday. jets in the super bowl in the first year of the new giants stadium? i don’t think that is how the mara/tisch families envisioned this one going…
oliver, that’s what I find difficult to take. Still that’s sport, I suppose.
I was hoping to be back in NY for 4 or 5 weeks starting this month but obviously could not go. Looks like June now. Work, relatives and being touristy for a month or maybe two. I’ll like that! 🙂
ra, not sure if you heard this, but last week the yanks signed tampa bay closer rafael soriano to a 3 year/105 million deal. we knew soriano was on the market – he was lights out last year, and could name his price. he is going to the yanks to set mo up for the next year or two, and will take over as closer once the former finally retires. i think mo signed a two-year extension after the season ended. with the yanks signing soriano now, i expect that will be mo’s last deal with them, and if he wants to pitch past age 43, he will have to do it elsewhere.
soriano also gives them insurance in case mo suddenly loses it. the setup spot has been an issue for the yanks over the past several years. they had no reliable eighth inning guy: joba, hughes, wood, farnsworth and several others could not do it well enough. their “first of several” world series wins (1996) was underpinned by the bullpen. they effectively made it a six-inning game, with ramiro mendoza working the seventh, mo taking the eighth inning setup duties, and john wetteland finishing things off in the ninth. perhaps they are looking at this as a future model, as the starting rotation won’t be quite as strong next season…
Piennar off to Spuds JET to Cardiff on loan Hiya Oliver
ra, we plan on visiting mom in ny when the school year lets out – late june/early july perhaps. if we are in the city at the same time, perhaps we can catch a game. my mom still lives in the same bronx neighborhood i grew up in. a 15 minute train ride from 161st street/river ave…
Thanks Oliver, I had not seen that. Where would I be without you! 🙂
hi erick. i heard that jet announced his loan spell at cardiff himself. he has to play, i guess, but i wish he was loaned out earlier – he got virtually no chance in our squad this season.
re: pienaar, i heard that everton has accepted bids from both spuddies and chelsea, and that it is now up to the player/his reps to agree terms with one of those sides.
while we waffle and faff about signing urgently needed cover at cb, spuddies continue their aggressive push to bring in experience and address squad needs…
Afternoon all.
hiya k…
ok, now i see the pienaar is having a medical at whl…
Oliver both player announced it via twitter
RA sorry to hear about your flu hope you are ok.hi oliver.i don’t get why the spuds want pienaar.they need a top class CF to convert the crosses bale makes.i also don’t get why ‘arry starts crouch ahead of pav.well ‘arry is an Arsenal fan at heart and his decisions are showing it.
k, perhaps to replace someone (kranjcar?) else…and add some depth…as much as i dislike them, they have a pretty good squad now. they have closed much of the gap between us and them in a relatively short period of time. i don’t think they have caught us yet, but our squad remains unbalanced and short on quality depth…
What is happening to the chavs?spuds beat them to a player…
I agree Oliver but I was told off for mentioning Tottenham 😉
Boo, i thought Pienaar was going to sign for a ‘massive club in europe’ guess that deal feel through too 🙂
regardless, it looks as though he is headed to the spuddies now. perhaps he is viewed as an upgrade to to one of the midfield positions – he’ll certainly add depth and some quality.
the irony is that we have the greater, more immediate need (cb depth) and we are unable to pull the trigger…again. i know the window is not yet closed, but i am pessimistic we will bring anyone in.
If we don’t bring in at least one CB, will that be a sign that Wenger really is losing it?
Lost it Will, he’s already losing it….
We say he is but if his plan works, we will all worship him but, everyone can see what we need and he doesn’t get that player in, is that a sign that he is to comfortable.
will, i think some already feel he has lost it. i do not subscribe to that point of view, but it sometimes appears as though he willfully refuses to invest in experience and quality. perhaps that is extreme as well. and i understand that our business model is to grow players together, promote from within, and sell on those that will not make it here. that is the essence of self-sustaining.
i think, however, we (arsene) are (or give the impression of being) too rigid in certain instances. if we don’t bring anyone in and jd breaks down – and is that idea so far-fetched, given his recent history (and decidedly shaky first half performance at wham) – we will be in big, big trouble. buying “cover” does not necessarily mean the recruit must be an improvement on what we currently have – although that would be nice. to me cover implies having someone that is ready to step in and do a job in case our squad is whittled down to bare bones in certain areas. remember mart poom? did we not buy him as cover when were lacked depth at the goalkeeper position? nobody would argue he was an upgrade over what we had (jens in particular), but he provided an experienced back up, someone that could play in a pinch. that is the kind of signing i would like to see. core players should be recruited in the off-season. the in-season windows are opportunities to add players to address depth and provide cover. that is how i see it.
i have seen many supporters comment there is no point in bringing in players who are not an improvement over what we already have. while i respect these opinions, i disagree…what’s more, i have heard that exact idea espoused by a certain someone that we know and love…no prizes for guessing who the first to suggest that was…
oliver, that is not far fetched at all, i commented earlier about surely JD cannot play another game over such a short period of time, wenger has already said that JD has to be treated with kid gloves and now what is he doing??
Over playing him………
That is exactly why I remain quietly confident Wenger will buy a CH – and like I said yesterday, the only thing is it won’t be who we want……
Wenger and I want the prize….
Samba isn’t better than what we have but he’d be a darn decent addition….
we’ll see, rico…i am skeptical that anything short of corleone’s “gun to the temple, signature or brains on the contract” will compel arsene to buy…i think i am being partially influenced by the revised, optimistic estimates on tommy – particularly the timing of these “it’s not so bad now, is it?” estimates…we’ll see.
oliver, you are usually the more upbeat of posters here….. 🙁
but i am jaded to an extent as well.. would you argue that we have not been down this road before wrt to squad additions? would you argue that this is not starting to smell like previous instances where we did not add to the squad?
at the end of the day, it is not my decision, so…i think not adding an experienced, fit, ready-to-step in central defender would be a mistake, i at this point, i feel we won’t. there are some other positions where our squad can use upgrades. in these cases, i would be happy to see one or two promotions. i had hoped that jet would supplant bendtner, who has given us nothing in his recent starts and has a body language that suggests a corrosive attitude, as spot-started and called-upon sub…i do think we need to shuffle our squad pack. great starting eleven, but problems with some of our second choice players.
i see ryan babel appears to be going to germany – tsg hoffenheim…
For me, when fit the two starters are JD and Tv but we need two more at that level when needed, can come in. Do we rate Kos and Squil that highly?
Another player i would love at Arsenal, ever since he said he wanted to join us – and another player Rafa ruined…..
oliver – we needed another CH at the beginning of the season, now we need two… he’ll get one i’m sure and that’s only because JD needs a break… otherwise we will be left with no JD…
Will – i think Kos will be a very good CH, if he plays alongside a monster – a bit like the Sol/Kolo combination was good, that was down to Sol rather than Kolo
will, i do not rate squillaci in any way shape of form. he ticks arsene’s francophone block. and is supposedly experienced – although i have sometimes wondered that, seeing him. i don’t think he is that much better than silvestre to be honest. i do think kos has potential – he would really benefit from an experienced quality defender alongside him – i.e. tommy. kos and jd have played well together for the most part – ipswich is an obvious argument against, but i think the entire team stank on that night. jd was shaky at upton park, but i thought kos was solid.
rico, i hope you are right…i cannot shake the feeling that arsene is perfectly willing to take the risk that he will have at least two fit centre-backs the rest of the way – even if he needs to count song and/or sagna as cover for that position.
I would also like a monster at the back for when we play certain teams. I want a defender those certain strikers are scared to go near if you know what I mean.
I don’t think Aw will sign a new defender.
i don’t think squillaci is that bad, not when you compare him to silvestre…. 😉
oliver – if wenger takes a risk and uses song in the defence his hasn’t lost it, he needs certifying!! To take Song away from the Nasri, Cesc, Jack, Theo, RvP unit would be catastrophic……
If he can play/mess around with our club to that extent then i would probably jump on the bandwagon that’s wants him out…..
No matter what is in the post, whatever is in the sports updates, we always come back to the same thing these last few days….
We need a CH….
Doesnt that just tell us how important this issue is…..
I think we need three players.
1) A dominating centre back
2) a terrier in midfield
3) a striker that cares only about scoring
5 years of winning everything.
KT, he will, he has to…..
Will, i’d have say we need two centre halves and the others you mention…
rico, didn’t arsene actually suggest that song could play there? his “options within the squad” remark? he may have characterized it as a last resort, and i try and take everything he says with a grain of salt, but i also don’t think he ever says anything without the goal of influencing…or conditioning – in this case, perhaps conditioning supporters to think that if nobody comes in we are still fine, and still have options…
i hope i am proved wrong…i would be very happy if that turns out to be the case.
If we could splice DNA, I would give Theo some of Henry’s and some of Wrighty’s and bang, there is our 30 goal a season striker.
d. bent to villa is confirmed. 18 mil, perhaps up to 24 with incentives.
yes oliver, he did – and that comment of his so typical of him too…..
I know believes in these kids but how many years of almost will he put up with?
‘There are only 10 players we can’t afford’…i wonder if any is a CB.
Will, for as long as he is our manager, that’s his policy – he’s yet to realise that youth alone is not the answer….
Aw can really drive you mad with some of his comments.last week he said we were ‘looking everywhere and nowhere for a CB’-WTF?…
Think about that KT, you know you could list ten of the greatest players in football, not one would be a centre half….
will, i think he believes in the model – his model by the way – more than most of the actual players. he has been extremely loyal to some players, has discarded others casually. it is the foundation, the structure, the model, that he has stuck by – not adjusting tactics, looking for specific, apparently narrow range of qualities in players he recruits, and the perpetual “we are improving”, “we learned a good lesson from that” culture.
in theory, it is laudable. build from within, become self-sustaining, make this a club renown for giving your players a chance, where all young players would want to play. a very good model for a club that built its own stadium and cannot/refuses to compete with the mega-rich (owners) clubs on their terms.
but i think the application has been flawed – the accountability, drive to win, and knowing what to do when things start falling apart are all missing. are player – as a collective group – appear to have little ability to adapt to changing situation. many of our players have very similar weaknesses: injury-prone, lightweight, unable to cross, not hungry enough to score “ugly” goals. these are things i attribute to how our template is applied, not the template itself.
as best as i can recall, a little pragmatism never hurt anyone…at least, not so badly…
Things is, EVERYONE can see it is what we need. noy just us fans but every ex pro can see it.
Rico i said recently that defenders/gks will never get recognised.vidic has barely had a bad game in almost 3 years but rarely gets recognised.klose and gyan even made the Ballon d’Or shortlist ahead of cashley.casillas was the only gk remotely with a chance.think about it:maldini/buffon/zanetti/scholes(not a defender but still)…
Beckenbaeur won mnst of his personal awards not for his defending but for his ability to play the ball with his feet.the same applies to pique.the art of defending never gets the recognition it deserves.
But we can afford any of those KT but we cannot afford Messi, Kaka, Pedro, Villa, Iniesta, Torres, Ronaldo, Xavi, Fabiano etc etc…….
or even Darren Bent!
I honestly think we can afford any player. We have two multi-billionaires owning loads of shares and at least £60m in the bank.
Add milner to that list…
KT, did you know that Vidic is ranked 19 in the Worlds top 50 players?
No i didn’t rico.i would put him in top 5.he is that good.
I see the manager, is going to change the team again for Wednesday,he must realy want us to get knocked out, what the hell do we want with a well rested team, when we have nothing to play for, play the strongest team we have, and secure at leasst one victory, this man is getting up my nose, and were still no closer to buying defenders he knew we were in the shit, he should have had players lined up as the window opened they should be playing now.
possibly his amount of red cards get in the way KT.. he is certainly saving the mancs this season…..
Steve, we don’t know the team yet and the transfer window is still open….. 😉
steve, i would argue that some changes are necessary. but it depends on who, and where. what is completely unnecessary is change for the sake of change. i think jd needs a breather – but no idea who deputizes for him…miguel? song? sagna? we are playing with fire in all three of these cases – the first is a youth player who has never appeared at this level, the other two weaken us in other positions if we play either at cb.
the other change i would argue for is to give cesc a breather. put samir in for him, like for like. otherwise, keep the team intact. i would like to see chamakh figure instead of bedntner, and no denilson – although, if arsene picks song at cb, guess who will start at dm?
i think the wigan game is more important that some realize – esp. considering how poorly we did at their patch only a couple of weeks ago. and the league cup semi-final second leg is huge…we may not rate this cup as so important, but we have to start somewhere in winning something – if we blow this opportunity, we will regret it for a very, very long time…everything has been set up for us to finally win the only domestic trophy not on his resume…but we are possibly 90 minutes from squandering the sort of opportunity that rarely – if ever – comes along…
What are we waiting for, are we waiting to see who is left, and get a bargain, I have known for months that we need players. No wonder i’m not a manager
agree oliver, changes ye, but not 8 or 9….
steve, i suspect we are squabbling over the odd half a million pounds, until that window closes, i am keeping hope….
on that note, i’m off for the day, and no, i’m not watching Fever Pitch yet again….
Five years is bad enough but,
Eighteen years, Eighteen bloody years……..
What a film and made all the better by Colin Firth 😉 😉 😳
How rude of me,
Nighty night all, stay safe……
steve, i think we are only in conditionally…on the condition that the ideal situation falls into our lap – age, native language, price, skill set (can play the ball on the ground), etc. then arsene would probably make a move. otherwise, i don’t expect anyone to come in. as usual, he leaves his comments open-ended: one day we are in the market, the next day he lauds our “internal solutions”…this gives him breathing space and culpable deniability (“i never said i would buy anyone for certain”). truth be told, i don’t arsene wants to invest now…
i better stop – i may be depressing rico here…
oliver, that last line is just so funny, i am now heading off with a smile…. even though i am totally depressed…….
😆
OLY, you are probably right, but his changing of the team has proved that it unbalances the team, we know that by the results, the rested players will be on the bench he always does that, and normally waits till the seventy mins before he subs, why have these rested players on the bench, that’s not rest.
night…we’ll see how this shakes out – i will be happy for arsene to make a liar of me.
steve, i think he needs to rest only a couple of players this time out – cesc and jd. if the side he put out at the emirates leg two saturdays ago did the job, everyone would have a rest this week. they didn’t, so now we have to make the trip up to leeds. it is what it is, so we just have to try and make the best of it.
other than cesc and jd – and something tells me both will start btw – i don’t think any changes to the starting lineup should be made. arsene, however, should be prepared to make first half changes if someone is not putting in a shift, or looking off pace – as you just mentioned in your most recent comment. chamakh, first off the bench, then perhaps rosicky (of whom i have heard (speculation) is in line to start tomorrow night), and maybe vela. we’ll see…
the other side of this – and one that is rarely mentioned – is that our squad players need first-team action if they are going to be ready when we really need the depth – at the business end of the season. it is always a tough balance – do i keep a winning side together? or do i try and give players a breather here and there while giving squad members some much-needed first-team action? while i appreciate this is a difficult call for arsene, i think the best 80 per cent solution is to not make mass changes to the side (which keeps at least the core of the team together for continutiy’s sake), while evenly distributing starting slots among the squad (2 or 3 at the most per not-as-critical-match) and proactiveness in substitutions. a squad player does not necessarily have to start to get some first team action. but we limit ourselves to the bendtner, arshavin, and fill-in-the-blank last 30 minutes or less substitutions…i think we can do better managing these things.
Play the strongest team, get a 3-0 halftime lead and then gradually take off the players who need the rest.
Simples.
we’ll know what he does tomorrow. i do not expect any new faces – certainly not in time for the k/o at elland road – so we’ll see who gets rested and who comes in. but i agree, he has to play a strong team this time. and in all honesty, the team he played in the first leg was pretty strong…if he does his part (picks a strong team), the players need to do theirs.
Any team without Nik B and Denilson will do me.
I agree Will 😉
Morning all,
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