Morning all.
The Under 18’s were knocked out of the FA Cup last night after being beaten by Man City. I didn’t get to see the game but reading the reports in the media, a few young Gunners had a good game, especially Chris Willock. Both he and Donyell Malen scored for Arsenal but having lost the first leg 2-1, last nights result wasn’t good enough.
Jeorge Bird has written a report on the game which is always worth a read.
Jack Wilshere was offering his support to youngsters, as were Thierry Henry, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Arsene Wenger. The latter no doubt eyeing up where he can save money this summer by promoting a few into the first team squad.
On a serious note though, why shouldn’t he? If they are good enough, they are old enough. Wilcock is 18 years old, he’s described as being a ‘tricky winger’ on the official site and boy don’t we need one of those? He’s already training with the first team whenever he can and according to reports, the physio’s are working hard on helping build up his body strength which will only help his fight for first team football.
Talking to Arsenal’s official website, Wilcock has said:
I have trained quite a bit with them lately and that makes you become quicker and sharper because you have to make sure that everything you do is cleaner and more precise. When I’ve played on the wing in 11 v 11 games I have been up against Kieran Gibbs whose experience is clear.
You cannot get away with any mistakes as he will take the ball from you or stop you using it properly. At under-21 or under-18 level you can get away with a lot and not have to think so much about how to beat defenders. Standards are raised when around the first team and that translates itself into the under-21s too.
One to watch perhaps, along with Jeff Reine-Adelaide and maybe one or two others….
Alex Iwobi has shown that despite being young in years, if a player works hard, has the right attitude, a footballing brain and performs well in training, he’ll get his chance on match day. Sometimes it might take an injury to another for a chance to come but when it does, any youngster coming through has to take it with both hands and Iwobi has done just that. He’s reported to have been rewarded with a new contract worth £30,000 a week which doesn’t expire until 2021. I’d imagine that wage will soon be reviewed should he continue to improve, otherwise some other club will soon tempt him with a bigger offer but for now, he’s ours for a while yet which is great news and £30k a week isn’t bad for a 19 year old is it?
He’s an Arsenal boy too, having arrived at the club when he was still at primary school but it’s a shame he didn’t choose to represent England instead of Nigeria and I strongly suspect the England set up feel the same. Still, club before country eh….
Sad to see Kenny Sansom back in the newspapers today, poor bloke is in a right pickle. A bit like Paul Gascoigne, he just can’t seem to find the willpower to get sober and stay sober. Both were superb footballers back in their day and seeing them struggle is such a great shame but sadly there are plenty of folk out there suffering in a similar way but they weren’t or aren’t famous so the media aren’t interested in them are they…..
Morning all.
Some very good reports are coming out of our junior ranks of late, which is a lovely change.
It’s a shame about Sansom.
Alcohol addiction is just an evil curse, and all people can do is pray for the man.
Good Morning Boss and Peeps.
Refreshing report on the young ones Rico. Always nice to read about their progress. Especially if they manage to make it through to the first team.
Shame about Sansom…..however if he cannot help himself no one can do that for him. He must pull himself together, he needs counselling. but if he cannot control himself, whatever anyone does will be in vain.
Very sad Scott…
Wonder how many of the youngsters will make it…
Morning Devil, Jeorge is a good site for keeping up with the young guns…
I expect AW to put some of the youngsters in the first team next season. Toral will be one for example.
I think that he will buy one more midfielder and a RB if he is not satisfied with Jenks. Other players will come in but only if an exit is on the cards. For example a LB will only come in if Gibbs goes. A forward will come in if Ollie or Theo depart.
When’s Ollies contract up?
Frimpong is a free agent. I wonder if AW will be interested in a freebie.
Let’s hope not.
I’d hate to see Gibbs leave.
I Reckon he’s a super player and very underestimated.
Rico, of course, it’s impossible to know how many, if any, will make the grade, but the reports seem stronger than that of any group for quite a while, so I guess it’s a start.
Can’t see him going tbh Scott..
I have high hopes for a few, it’d be great to see a few coming through and doing really well. Mind you, I think their ages are very similar so it could be tough as AW can’t play too many at one time…
I would hate to see Gibbs leave as well since he can play both LB and LW. Maybe AW should do all he can to keep him. But he must play him more and rotate him as well.
Rico, I know I said this quite a while back, but I wonder how it’d sit with fans if Wenger came out and stated publicly he is going to go 2 seasons without buying purely to give these kids a chance.
I guess my questions is what do fans really hate….the lack of spending, or the fact the club always says they’ll buy the right player if available blah blah blah.
I’d suggest he’d get more respect from fans than he currently experiences.
Stan would flip his toupee at the thought of no CL though 🙂
Interesting to read those comments by Willock regarding playing with the 1st team and coming up against players like Gibbs…
Of course, when we had the Football Combination, that was a regular occurance for our young players who regularly played with and against experienced players in a competitive environment…
They also had to do tasks that kept them grounded, like painting the stadium, cleaning boots and general maintenance and cleaning jobs…
I guess it’s not a one-size-fits-all situation.
But it didn’t do Rocky, Adams, Keown, Charlie, Raddo, Geordie, any harm…
Afternoon All – almost…
Afternoon Rico, nice post…
Trouble is Scott, the club have kind of been there and done the youth thing, well, tried and I’m not sure fans were thrilled and still wouldn’t be imo, not with so much money sitting in the bank.. But if the players are good enough, they’ll get their chance regardless imo
Afternoon Kev lol
Those were the days eh, no £30k a week contracts back then….. Lol
Rico, but we agree some don’t get a chance, And it’s a shame.
There’s no easy answer, that I do know lol
Scott, then maybe those were simply seen as not being good enough. Mind you, considering some that AW has signed, makes you wonder… Lol
No Rico, certainly no £30k saleries, not unless you wrote for a magazine or worked in the City… ?
Hindisght is a wonderful thing, but I guess he does see the kids on a regular basis, and let’s face it, none have really gone elsewhere and proven him wrong.
Boooom, Kev lol.
🙂 Kev..
Very true Scott…
Of course, to earn 50k a week, one must only sit behind the wheel of a London cab 🙂
Seems that Bielik was a standout performer yesterday. I wonder if he will be drafted in or sent out on loan next season.
It’s all perspective when I was playing £ 20 a week was good money and you had to be in the print to get that.
Not anymore Scott, those days have long gone…
I’m actually thinking about moving into a different business, selling fitted bedrooms and bathrooms looks very lucrative… ?
Hahahahaha.
There’s a position going right now, Kev lol
What level did you play Potter?
Senior amateur and latterly county league as I got older. Represented the London amatuer leagues at under 18 and 21 competitions in England , France , Germany and Belgium. Stopped playing at 50 when I got so slow that I couldn’t even catch the kids when they were on their way back. Miss it though.
Not bad then Potter… Lol
I get that, I miss my sport terribly, the downside of getting older eh….
That is good Potter. I like it when I see senior citizens keeping active. Well done.
Mates…..what do you make of the Mhitaryan situation?? seems he is hunting property in London.
I think it’s poppycock Devil..
Catch up later…
Hi all.
Last night’s game was just like watching the first team. Dominated early, went one up and then gave away a soft equaliser from their first attack. Several players at fault for not winning the ball including Bielik. City then scored again from a quickly taken free kick which was taken about ten yards in front of the actual foul! Also like the first team the ref let City get away with several bad tackles before sending off our man. You can clearly see from the replay that he goes in to win the ball fairly but his legs slip from under him which carries him through into the player who made a big fuss before jumping up fine and dandy seconds after the red card came out! We then had the match turning incident right near the end when the City keeper dawdled on the ball just outside the box. Malen would have tackled him and had an open goal so the keeper picked the ball up. A certain red card to all except the inept/corrupt ref who brandished a yellow. The keeper then compounded this by making a great save from the resultant free kick! Of the players on show, Willock looked good. Bielik I would rather see in midfield as he doesn’t seem physical enough to be a centre back. A number of times he was out tackled. Rene Adelaide was really disappointing. Looked a shadow of the player from pre-season and was like he had forgotten how to beat players so ended up running across the pitch before passing square. Stiil, the FA will have what they want – a rich boys youth cup final!
I thought that about Jeff too. Seems that the club do train it out of them . Willock could be the next loanee as I expect Toral to come back for next season. Beilik showed some nice touches but won’t make a centre back until he has filled out a lot , a few years for that position.
Evening…
That’s not good to hear re Jeff….
Night guys.
There won’t be a post in the morning….
Good Morning Boss and Peeps.
Kev……your cab might come handy. Keep it in good working condition…….
Theo Walcott is ready to seal a transfer away from Arsenal this summer if he doesn’t play at Euro 2016, reports say.
The Arsenal star is increasingly anxious about his lack of playing time and if he doesn’t make Roy Hodgson’s squad, he will seriously consider leaving.
And as it stands, Hodgson will not select the 27-year-old for England’s squad, according to Bleacher Report.
Walcott has fallen behind 19-year-old winger Alex Iwobi in recent weeks and he is seriously anxious about his future.
Arsenal are believed to be interested in listening to offers for the England international, who currently earns £140,000-a-week.
Read more: http://metro.co.uk/2016/04/06/theo-walcott-ready-to-seal-transfer-away-from-arsenal-this-summer-5798143/#ixzz451foFM5v
Morning All
Morning Coach
Morning Rico, I’m really looking forward to today’s post…
Morning Kev.
I am also looking forward to today’s post as well.
Might as well say “Good Post” to Rico now.
Newsnow is such a bore today. no excitement.
10, 11 years at the club, should be a natural 1st teamer by now, but no he,s sitting languishing on the bench waiting for opportunities to show/prove Wenger and Hodgson he,s good enough, says it all. unfortunately he must realise himself, he has not filled he,s potential
It,s not just this season, with me, Ive seen this coming 2 or 3 seasons.
I am hopeful Ox comes good, but fearing for him too.
Toni Kroos has an offer on the table to join Arsenal in a multi-million pound transfer. (Source – AS)
Morning,
Let’s collect some money to hire the Ems pitch Rico. It will cost us £30k. Would love it if we HHers manage to string a good team together and play a game at the Ems. lol.
Hi all, Theo leaving would do him and us good. Wish him all the best. A decade is a long time still trying to figure yourself out.
Rico Giroud renewed last year till 2018. You’re already fed up with him? He was one of the signings AW was working round the clock over the summer.
Going to be hard now to offload Theo, who will not be looking to take a pay cut, can,t see West Ham paying him 140,000.
What bright spark decided theo was worth 140,000 a week,
Oh yeah Mr Wenger…….Might be stuck with im now.
Harder to offload Wenger…
Isn’t it funny that the top stories on NN relate to either players leaving, or mostly, transfer rumours about players signing…. Lol
Afternoon guys, you’ve all been very chatty today…. 😉
Catch up another day.
Hi all, on Arsene Wenger succession, I see a slow progress or none at all. Am saying this in the context of how Real groomed Zidane, Barca with Pep, Utd are preparing Giggs…
Am not certain but do we have former players involved in coaching capacity at arsenal (yes am overlooking Bould) -even with the youth? How much is Henry involved? Viera is now a city coach I think only Bergkamp is intensly involved in coaching/managerial capacity.
Maybe the club aren’t looking in that direction or AW wouldn’t want to share the club he built…
Morning Marshall and all.
My hunch is a few more years of Arsene Wenger, with Thierry Henry being groomed to take over…
Morning Rico, I think despite afew mishaps they could have got T. Adams working with the youth. The youth defence is abit shaky and him being there he could’ve sort it out.
All eggs on Henry basket then.
Morning, looks like Ramsey and Flamini could be back the weekend,
Ramsey back,Good thing or bad thing?
Lets hope AW leaves well alone if so.
See Mike dean has a home game Saturday v United….
Or Keown Marshall, think the club are missing a trick not getting one of the two in the youth set up. Teaching them proper defending at an early age would help, as would the club scouting for one or two young and solid defenders as I think we have no-one apart from Hayden coming through..
Morning all.
Sam Allardyce will always be available, for the right money!
Arsenal don’t do grooming in this, the modern era. As Kev mentioned a week or two ago, we have had many former players who turned out to be quite decent managers from Tom Whittaker to George Swindin. Terry Neill doesn’t come into the ‘decent’ category, whilst George Graham does. Who’s next? Can Terry Henry step up? Great player, not so sure he will make a great coach. Bergkamp, perhaps. Another great player and, seemingly doing a good job at Ajax, but his flying phobia is a real drawback, so probably not DB10.
Somebody will turn up, unless old Arsene has drunk from the cup that contains the elixir of eternal youth! In which case he will never ever leave! What a heart warming prospect that would be.
Morning Dublin. Bench at best for Ramsey imo and Flamini needs to concentrate on his packing and finding a new club, if he hasn’t sorted a new bumper deal somewhere else already….
Wenger on Payet:
‘I looked at him many times. I’ve know him for a long, long time.
He played a few years in St Etienne. He has all the attributes to be a top, top player. In fact he already is.
He is 29 and this year he has matured.
He has come back into national team when he looked to be out so that shows he has been more consistent’.
Morning Wavy.
But Henry could be the ‘next Pep’ 😉
I agree Rico, the makings of a good partnership with Coq must be allowed to blossom,
He,s settled in very well, has a good engine on him, looks a good addition to the squad,
fantastic games against Barca, Everton and Watford, i,m a fan already.
In a way as much as we slate Wenger, and for good reason, the likes of Ramsey, theo and Ox have certainly let im down, this season. They,ve been poor to say the least.
Morning Rico and the house.
Just a short visit . A temp visiting today i hope to be back later.
Sorry I missed you out on monday Rico my mistake.
Tomas Jack and Serge playing for U21’s tomorrow should play Ramsey as well they need help.
Latta
Hard to disagree there Dublin. But AW is the one who has stuck by them instead of making changes..
If only Elneny had joined in the summer…
Morning all,
Remi Garde is still available, he’s an ex player with Prem management experience, wahaha.
What about Martinez, now that Everton has come into money they feel they won’t need his penny thriftness.
Whatever happened to Sol getting his coaching badges?
Morning Rick, no probs. You have a good day…
Good question Brad, he was doing them with Arsenal wasn’t he?
http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/sol-campbell-says-arsenal-blanked-his-approach-to-take-coaching-badges-at-the-club-9968734.html
Well that explains that.
Maybe they don’t want Sol to tell anyone that we don’t actually do any coaching and that’s why the players stagnate.
Yep. His face doesn’t seem to fit. Shame really…
New post up now…
🙂 Brad…
The only problem we’d be having with DB10 is in instances of pre-season where you’ll have to cross the atlantic or the indian oceans or to the far east.
Sometimes Henry speaks questionable stuff on sky, not sure if he means them or pundits are given such lines to be controversial.
Lol true Rico Flam should be saying goodbyes and Ramsey should earn the starting spot. Which am sure he’ll struggle to if AW selects on merit. I wouldn’t even want him replacing Campbell on the bench.