Morning all.
Crikey, if watching Arsenal play the game these days is bad then watching England is even worse. They’ve about as much chance of winning the World Cup in Russia next year as Arsenal have winning the Champions League this season.
Selling Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool is starting to look like a smart piece of business as last night he was dreadful. He was oiked off just after the hour and he wasn’t overly pleased. Over went the water bottle he kicked in frustration. Cue a Twitter outpour of insults. I guess at least he’s not ours to defend anymore but even so it’s sad to see a player who once looked like he had everything at his feet struggle, purely because he’s English and I always want my country to do well in whatever they take part in.
But when it comes to football, they are like Arsenal. They only really ever take part. That’s something the FA need to look at as the quality of English footballers is quite poor. Yes there’s the odd few who are right up there with the best, but not many, in fact I’m struggling to think of more than one.
Anyway, one more international fixture to go and then it’s back home to focus on club football for a while, well, until next month when they go through it all again.
Right now at Arsenal it seems there’s more talk about who could leave the club in January or the summer. Walcott is being tipped for a return to the south coast or a move to Everton, Ozil could link up with Mourinho again and Ollie might finally end up playing under Koeman. That’s if he’s still employed by the Toffees in the New Year because right now he’s struggling despite spending big in the summer. That’s what happens when a club accepts big money for their best player by a country mile but fails to replace him. Instead Koeman signed a few ‘average’ players for vast amounts of money. Ring any bells?
But the Dutchman has never lost to Arsene Wenger so no doubt he’ll be banking on our visit to Goodison Park in a couple of weeks time to kick start his teams season. After all, isn’t that what happened last season? But if we could stop Chelsea from scoring on their own turf, then stopping Everton should be a breeze.
Before then though we have a short trip to Watford to deal with followed by an away fixture against Red Star Belgrade. If the last Europa team selection is anything to go by, our key players should be rested for that trip so they’ll be fresh for the Everton fixture.
The Watford match should be a good one and I’m glad it’s being televised. Marco Silva is doing well with his team who are just one point behind us. Man City thumped them 6-0 at Vicarage Road but otherwise, they’ve been pretty steady.
Silva appears to be a manager on the rise. He’s young, enthusiastic and if he continues to do well throughout this season, I can’t imagine it’ll be too long before a move to a bigger club beckons..
I can think of one which might benefit although I’m not his name is big enough. Not yet anyway but he’s Portuguese, so he’s bound to do well isn’t he?
Football news is sparse, it must be as why eLse would The Telegraph be running a story about what a manager wears on a match day reflects the way his team plays?
Mind you, were heading towards zip struggling weather so lord help us… ?
…especially considering they came up from the Championship in the summer? Mmmmmm
“…especially considering they came up from the Championship in the summer.”
I know that watching Arsenal can send fans to sleep, but have you really been asleep for the last two seasons/
And here’s me thinking Newcastle, Brighton and Huddersfield were last season’s promoted teams and Burnley, Boro and Hull before that ….. I guess I must be living in a bubble
first?
We sell halt a team in January?
If the media are to be believed, yes Jm… lol
Morning All
Morning Rico, well JM has been banging the drum for Marco Silva almost since he arrived in England, maybe a JM should write a post on him, tell us all a bit more about it, it would be an interesting read I’m sure.
Rico, I’m not sure where these Theo to Southampton rumours have come from, I mean would Southampton pay his salary or would Arsenal end up paying a percentage of it?
Oops, silly me, I made a mistake. We’re all human you know…
Morning Kev, me neither re Theo, good old NN eh…
Good idea re Silva, what do you think Jm?
Morning rico and all..
The interlol football is so boring and England game last night didn’t disappoint.
Just like arsenal the midfield is so poor ,
I am starting to feel sorry for the ox!
Harry Kane the hurricane did it at the end que the media speculation of a move to Ryal Madrid.
I like Marco silva style but it’s early days for him..he almost saved hull last season and doing well with Watford so far. .
Ps Watford didn’t come from the championship in the summer rico, they have been around for few seasons. .lol ?
Morning Kk, I’ve changed the post.. lol
I reckon Silva could make it big over the next few years…
Morning all.
Ox is getting what he deserves. IMO.
Klopp has already worked wonders with him 🙂 🙂 🙂
Silva-well, we’ve seen a long line of managers do very well, been discussed as a future top club manager then be sacked a few months later.
Not for a second am I suggesting Silva will that fate, but he’s at least 18 months to 2 years away from proving himself.
Morning all.
The England game was same ol’ same ol’. But at least we know now, and won’t get sucked into any hype as usual in the run up to the World Cup, thinking we are world beaters, lol.
Yeah Ox was rubbish, but tbh they all were very average. That’s what comes of having an EPL made up of foreign players I suppose. No goonettes in the team, but no doubt Jack will feature soon if he starts playing for us, and remains injury free.
I don’t care if Ozil goes in january, he’s a lazy bugger, and a fit Jack, is better than him in every department imo.
I do worry about Giroud going though, but I wouldn’t blame him.
If we lose a few and get some injuries, we will be in real trouble. Then Wenger will have to live with the consequences, and be hoisted on his own petard, because no-one but him will be to blame for team matters.
That was awful, don’t let you teachers read this
You say that Scott but Silva doesn’t have the resources Wenger has, nor the players. If any other club was in search of a manager, I doubt they’d look at Wenger and think ‘he’s the right man’. Only difference is, one is on the way up, the other is on the way down… Or out…
Jack better than Ozil Meerkat? In which department apart from effort?
Rico, if you did a poll of clubs around Europe and asked who they’d prefer of the two, there is absolutely no question Wenger wins hands down, and if you disagree then you’d be in the small minority.
Give the guy time-that’s all I said, so it’s hardly criticism.
Enough “on the way up” managers have failed in recent years to show we can’t get excited over a guy who’s been in England merely a year or so.
Do you mean ‘your teachers’ Hmmmmmmmm?
Morning Rico. Can’t see Koeman hanging around long unless his team kick their way to a few points before Christmas.
I’m not so sure Scott, I reckon to start with, those on here would prefer Silva, well, apart from you.. 😉
Morning Adam, he might get three in a couple of weeks time.. 😉
Rico, if he’s so wanted, why’s he at Watford???
Just saying 🙂 🙂 🙂
I’d love to see a young guy take over from Arsene, but I don’t want to see someone thrown to the wolves.
I also don’t advocate change for the sake of it.
He may well do that Rico but we are undergoing a massive resurgence now. 🙂
I’ve seen Everton a few times this season and they have been truly awful. Ronald might well have topped out as a manager. His teams have always been horribly physical but he’s bought some real dross up there.
Could say the same about Wenger when he was starting out though Scott. Grampus who?
I actually think that Koeman is a good manager/coach, he’s maybe signed a few too many players in the summer and failed to sign Lukaku’s replacement.
If Everton thought he was good enough for them to tempt from Southampton and then give a shed load of cash to spend this summer, then it would seem daft to sack him so early in the season.
Not sure why they were so focused on Giroud during the window, maybe in the wake of the Neymar deal anyone they were interested in became overpriced?
Perez hasn’t been setting La Liga alight, could be Arsenal will move him on in January?
Adam. Silly me, I’d forgotten that since the transfer window closed we’ve become a much better side… 😉
Well Rico, you wanted a bit of contention in the posts. 🙂
Everton have been physical for quite awhile, even under Martinez and definitely under Moyes, they loved to put their foot in – you know, kick opponents
Rico, that’s true and that gamble paid off massively, but do we want to take a chance like that again?
Koeman and his side needs plenty of time as he brought in so many players.
Adam/Rico I can get the ball rolling, but I’m choosing to behave lol
Being physical when playing Arsenal, is a legitimate tactic and our trickiest opponents push it to the limit, but it works because we don’t have the right amount of players to respond both physically and mentally.
Kev, the other factor is our players get little to no protection from officials, but you’re right that opponents have no fear of us.
Our record against Man City and Chelsea, under Pellegrini, Guardiola and Conte, isn’t as bad as it’s sometimes painted and both those sides under those managers try to play football, but Man Utd under Ferguson, Moyes, Van Gaal and now the Prince of Darkness have pretty much mullered us non-stop since the 2005 FACup.
Scott, we got no protection in Wengers early years, but look at the players we had, that why we got so many red cards and won many game when down to 10 men.
Wenger has made us soft…
As I said Kev, opponents don’t fear us.
Two wrongs don’t make a right though-we get the shit kicked out of us, yet give away some of the softest fouls we’d ever see.
Arsene has lost the balance between technical players and physical ones.
We have too many of one, and none of the other.
He’s clearly missing a big target striker Kev and there are few better than Giroud at that…
I did Adam… 🙂
Yeah Scott, but a player can be both physical and technical, take Hleb, brilliant technically but could tackle a rice pudding and could shoot to save his life, Denilson, another dandy, at least Cesc got stuck in and he wasn’t big, even now Elneny, Ramsey, Iwobi, Ozil, they’d all disappear in a physical contest. Jack wouldn’t, he’d tackle, get injured and then slaughtered for having a go…
Rico, we’re not winning the EPL, that’s a given.
Considering his age, if we got a good offer in January, I’d sell Giroud, by then Welbeck will be back and we don’t put crosses into the box anyway, so what’s the point?
Kev, Gabriel was the ultimate example of a physical, aggressive player being destroyed by fans for being physical and aggressive lol
Right now Scott, anyone seems better than the stuff Wenger dishes up..
Totally agree Kev. Funny enough, whilst listening to Keown during the Brighton match, he thought that Wenger might being reverting back to the style of players he signed when he first arrived. He reckoned that Kolasinac might be just the beginning…
Was he Scott?
Sorry but I don’t recall the fans destroying him for being physical, the fans loved him when he first arrived because he wasn’t a pussycat like the others, even when he got wrongfully sent off at Chelsea.
He lost that physical edge under Wenger and lost form, I actually thought he was getting his confidence back last season, then Wenger sold him.
Wenger tried to sell a Mustafi and Chambers as well, no doubt he saw Maitland-Niles and Elneny as his centre-back solutions…
That’s interesting Rico, reverting to his old way, unbelievable really, it’s taken him over 10 years to realise that we’re being routinely bullied.
Fcuk me, you couldn’t make it up…
Kev, he was torn to pieces by fans (and possibly Wenger) after the Chelsea send off, even though he should never, ever have been marched.
He was never the same after that.
Rico, I don’t disgaree that there are plenty of better options but we need to find the right man.
That’s one thing I think we’d all agree on Kev. Not a hope in heck of winning the league anytime soon under Wenger.
The only silly thing Gabriel did was falling for Costa’s tricks. When he first arrived I loved him. Clearly Wenger thought he was too old school…
Who said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks eh Kev, even though it’s taken ten years… 😉
Paulista wasn’t torn to shreds by me, or anyone on here, maybe on Twitter, but I don’t do Twitter Scott, he did get criticised on here for some of his hesitant displays after the Chelsea game, but why wasn’t he being helped by the coaches?
I disagree to a degree Scott because once Wenger has gone, the power struggle between him and the board is also gone and then Ivan and co can get on with what they get paid to do.
Also, then we get to see who really is the problem at the club…
Rico, I’ll believe it when Wenger signs a 6’4” defensive midfielder.
Kev, as I said, it was possibly also the coaches/manager that tore him apart as well as fans.
The damage was done, and didn’t recover, yet was a player who could’ve been damn good, I reckon.
Rico, if we get the wrong guy, it could be even worse and if, I say if, Stan really is the main problem, we could possibly be mid table or worse, with a poor manager and an owner who couldn’t care less.
It’s a lone way back from there-even further than it is now.
The replacement is critical, for mine.
🙂 Kev, don’t hold your breath eh..
Keep an eye on Chuks at MK Dons… I’d so love him to prove Wenger wrong..
Rico, how’s he going?
So many seemingly talented kids gone.
Why Scott? If he turns out to be the wrong guy then change him. I don’t get why change is feared. Bring it on I say…
He’s back fit and playing Scott, so that’s a good start…
Rico, who says I fear change?
I have never even hinted at that being the case?
I’d simply prefer to see someone like Ancelotti as the new man as he needs to have immediate respect.
Ancelotti or Hiddink for a season just to create that space between Wenger and hopefully our next long term guy.
Keep us informed on his progress, please Rico?
JET-where did he end up?
Henri still at Forest?
Have a great day guys-bed time!
I didn’t suggest you did Scott, but I do believe a lot do, although not many, if anyone on here…
Blimey, Ricardo Carvalho has been given a prison sentence for tax dodging…. Alexis must be worried… lol
That might be why we didn’t buy him.
Could be an excuse for AW… lol
I thought we were interested in William?
Evening all and thank`s Rico.
Only reason I was watching Englandzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…………..oops sorry, even the mention of the name makes me snore …………….last night was to hope to see Harry Kane get a minor injury that keeps him out action for ten years !.
The amount of up and coming managers in the past who have been linked to replace Wenger have probably all gone on to be worse than Wenger !……………………think Owen Coyle is somewhere like Motherwell..might as well be Muvverfcuker !……….hahahaha
Read that 2 Arsenal shares traded on Wednesday for……£27,500 each !……………aparrently that makes the club worth £1.7B…………………..£200M up on Forbes last valuation……………………one of the richest valued clubs in the world with the least investment to not match……………………..total investment from two owners who own what is it 97% of club ?………………………………….£0
Any idea who bought the shares Lc?
Night guys..
Didn`t say, Rico.
At that share price it would put us to 5th Richest club above Mansour City !………………..above Chavs aswell who were already below us, shame our worth in the stock market doesn`t relate to the money invested by the “lesser” clubs !
Shame we don’t have a manager who’ll spend what money he does have too Lc, And on players we really need…
Morning all.
Morning Rico. I find I am enjoying the International breaks more these days. 🙂
Morning Adam, I think I know why… ?
Catch up another time, I’ve got Christmas shopping to do… ?
I did mine in July Rico.
I make you right Rico about selling AOC to Liverpool being a good bit of business Stan will be well made up about it. The so called OX who is more Oxo Cube in reality the Chicken variety was just another one of those kids that flatter to deceive but as with others his falling under Wenger’s barmy influence did not help him. The problem is that Wenger can’t sell off all the other duds such as Wally Walcott that he has signed up on big wages . That includes Ozil surely the biggest dud of all. What a bad buy he has turned out to be. Of course at any other club Wenger would have received his P45 donkeys years ago but while the money keeps coming in greedy Stan will keep Wenger in his well paid job .At the moment it’s all about trying to come up with some contrived face saving deal for Wenger regarding want away Sanchez . I can see big problems looming for Wenger in the near future because despite his ludicrous claims the problems from last season and previous ones still exist and will quickly resurface when results again start to go the shape of an American football . As they inevitably will do.
Afternoon all……………
🙂
Am I the one of the few who loves Ozil ?………….being at the game on Sunday it`s amazing what you see at the game than on the TV…………especially up in the heavens !…………………………on numerous occasions Lacazette made runs where he was begging/hoping for the ball to be played, but it wasn`t and you could see his disappointment, what he needed was……Ozil`s vision, alas Ozil wasn`t there, cant wait to eventually see Ozil, Alexis and Lacazette in the same team, I have high hopes !…………………only 7 games in (in EPL) and still waiting for the holy trinity !……………expect a record EPL score when it happens ! hahaha
I read that some people think they have found Father Christmas`s grave in Turkey a few days ago !………………………….so who the fcuks knee was Rico sitting on when she went Xmas shopping this morning ?
Rico, how did the Christmas shopping go?
Marco Silva is very organize, belongs to the new generations of the coachs, was trainning Sporting with success, Olympiakos with success and now in England (with success ?). I think is study the teams and read the games as well. He is young and accept the challenges. I still thinking he would be a good solution for Arsenal.
Gabriel Paulista plays in the fist team of Valencia. At the table, Valencia is the third. I’ve watched him in short resumes and his performance is good. We was elected for Brazil squad. We was played with us in central back and right back (!). Betwwen him and holding, or him and Chambers, which you prefer?
LC, I love Ozil as a footballer and believe he’s too good and too intelligent for most of our players.
A simple question I ask his detractors is can they imagine him with Thierry in front of him?
Now we have Lacazette, I believe we will see his best and how quickly people forget the excitement they had when we signed him.
Ginge said it when we signed him, and he was right.
Plenty will look at his body language and think he doesn’t care, especially if he has a few quiet games and Ginge was spot on.
English fans, in general, rate effort over technical ability and then wonder why their national side is rubbish?
I don’t get it lol
I,ve Always agreed with the mantra Ozil with the ball is great, without the ball is shit.
It,s true a team with Lacca, Ozil, Sanchez could have been exciting given the chance, but as per, that scenario has not been allowed to come to fruition,as the latter two have seen enough of his management ways to want out, as were our previous star players before them. They joined on promises of a new beginning for their careers. The ambition and direction of the club going forward excited them, only to be disappointed, and let down by the club.
I still stand by the fact that for arsenal to even contemplate moving forward, it has to let go of Wenger. The question is, how long are we willing to wait? Every year that passes while we wait for A.W to either win or leave, hurts Arsenals future. In the 13 years since, we’ve been completely left behind in Europe and our League position has also been affected. How long can it go on?…
DG, we don’t have a choice in the matter, unfortunately.
Very well thanks Kev, I found gifts for me… ?
Agree Dg, by the time Wenger departs we’ll be left with Ramsey and Ospina…
Sweeping statement there Scott re English fans. I certainly don’t think the way you suggest and I doubt many other England fans do either. As for Ozil, had Wenger dealt with the squads needs around him, the debate surrounding him wouldn’t be going on. Same can be said of those before him who jumped ship.
Morning all.
Rico, I’ll stand by my comments.
I did say in general, but if the cap fits 🙂 🙂
Considering you’re not English Scott, I’m not sure you’ve any idea how we feel.
After all, I haven’t a clue about th3 way you Aussies feel about your international team and I wouldn’t even want to try..
One shouldn’t assume anything in life, after all, as the saying goes…….
Rico, reading my comments from English fans every day for several years gives me some insight.
I did use Ginge as a reference point and he’s English, as well as fair minded.
He knew what would happen with Ozil.
He warned us all.
Isn’t Ginge the clever one then…. lol
Reality is, Ozil is a top top footballer playing for a manager who has hung him out to dry within a team without a backbone….
There is a kind of divide in football fan’s mentality and I think it splits on the realism of a teams place in the heirachy . Those at the top appreciate the finer things and the others know their only chance of an upset requires physical effort as much as skill and therfore bay for the style that Scott is intimating . The depth of skillful talented English players is minute and they are few and far between . Lose a few like Wilshere & Lallana get suspensions to Alli or Kane and they have nothing to fall back on.
As supporters of the top 6 are more interested in their clubs and see international football as an incumberance the ones that support the international scene want to see the Shawcross, Drinkwater , Vardy type of player play. Just look at the flags , not so much at Wembley ,as it is as corporate as any premier ground , the cross of St George with Swindon, Sheffield, and other lower division teams scrawled on it. These fans don’t want passing football , they want what they are used to and get bored and Mexican waves when England have not steamrollered their opponents usually take place after about an hour. Until we begin to produce players with a mindset on skill and have the confidence to put them into first teams and give them the protection not to be kicked off it when they embarrass senior pros ( Nevilles I am looking at you ). the Englkand team will always qualify for competition final tournaments but realistically have no chance of winning them.
That’s a very different view and one I get. Personally I care very little for international football at all, regards of which country is playing. Every country has the odd few classy players, Germany apart perhaps but not only do the fans appear bored with the international game, imo, the players are too, certainly in England.
I think for me it changed when footballers could to a degree choose which country they play for instead of automatically playing for the place in which they were born..
Controversial perhaps but it’s just my opinion.
New post up
Rico, you can check back and prove Ginge wrong-bet you can’t 🙂
I notice you didn’t take LC to task when he asked about Ozil. and whether he was one of few who loved the player.
I make a comment, and you’re all over it lol
Yes, that cap fits me, or so I am constantly told lol
Potter, my son has been plenty of ability.
He also attends a school where some others have more natural talent.
We accept that, but I’ll back him to go further than most of his mates.
He works his arse off on and off the ball where most kids stand and wait for the ball to land at their feet-sounds next familiar?
All I ever ask of any footballer is they give 100%.
Ozil doesn’t defend and we all know that and I’ve beem critical of him, but I also say he should not play in a team that includes Theo and Iwobi.
There’s a place for both types of players, and a blend of both in a team is perfect, IMO, yet too often we have 2 or 3luxury players.