Morning all.
Bloomin television demands have hit us again and four league fixtures have now been changed.
Everton v Arsenal, originally scheduled for April 5th has been moved to the following day with a 1.30 kick-off. Mind you, if we are still going strong in the Champions League, that could change again.
Arsenal v West Ham United. Again this fixture has been moved from the Saturday to Sunday April 13th at midday. Funny enough, this too could be changed again should we beat Everton in the FA Cup fixture next weekend.
Hull City v Arsenal. This has just been moved back a few hours to a 5.30pm kick-off on Saturday 19th April.
The last change is our home match against Newcastle in April which is now Sky Sports Monday night football match.. The new date is April 28th.
All four are now being show live on Sky Sports…
A new date for our fixture against Swansea City, which is postponed because of our FA Cup match against Everton, is yet to be confirmed.
The fixture changes are good for me and probably many others who aren’t fortunate enough to be sat in the stands as we can watch them on television but just how they affect our season remains to be seen.
Next up for us though is the away fixture at Stoke on Saturday and Arsene Wenger has given an update on who is fit:
We have uncertainties about Monreal who had to come off last week with a foot injury, and about Gibbs. Vermaelen is back in the squad, Ozil is back in the squad. Both are available.
If needed Thomas can play there, it’s not his preferred position and he has been out for a long time now but we’ll see. I still have 48 hours to make a decision.
Well I don’t know about anyone else but I really don’t want to see Thomas Vermaelen at left back against Stoke, in fact I never want to see him in that position ever again. He’s had a torrid time a left back and Mathieu Flamini has history in that position which is far superior to our captains.
The simple solution is Flamini at left back and Vermaelen in midfield! Go on Arsene, think outside the box…..
The Daily Mail report that Santi Cazorla is set to join Tomas Rosicky, Per Mertesacker and Arsene Wenger by extending their Arsenal careers but there’s still no positive news on Bacary Sagna.
Funny how some players will take what they are offered whilst others just seem to want more…..
That’s it for another day, have a good one….
Good Morning to The Lady of the House and all fellow Gooners.
If all of our re-scheduled games are being broadcast, it may indicate that the network thinks those will be a bigger viewer draw than those originally scheduled for those time slots.
It would be interesting to see which games The Arsenal have preempted. Games broadcast that late in the season are usually for title contenders or relegation battles. I take those as positive signs for our club and our season results.
Cg. Or the kiss of death!
Ever the optimist!
Morning all
They have made them lunchtime kick offs knowing we never win… they trying to sabotage our title challenge….. Bastards…!
Oh and morning all….
Wavy – Let’s leave those Nattering Nabobs of Negativity till the end of the season.
Think back to your childhood and the story of Peter Pan, no not Peter Beardsley, but the one with Tinker Bell and we’ll all chant “I believe”. It could all turn out to be a fairy tale spoiled by the likes of the Petulant Portuguese Pygmy and his Dad’s Army down at the Bridge.
Right now I believe and I’m flying.
Morning Cg, Wavy, Wath and all…
12.45 kick-offs are cruel on us, they know don’t they!!
Just why the Chelsea game is at 12.45 too, and the FA Cup match..
But, at some stage our lunchtime record has to change….
Personally I have no qualms about offering Sagna the 3 year deal he reportedly wants. He has been loyal and brilliant for us for 8 (?) seasons, and has been epic for us this season. Sure, his level will drop in his 30s, but he has a decent injury/fitness record. I say a new contract is worth the punt, easier and cheaper than buying a quality replacement if we lose Sagna for nothing at the end of the season. Ive seen rumours he wants a pay rise on his 60k/week, but if its still in this range I say do it!
Rico – Ugh! 12:45 pm GMT kick-off means 04:45 am my time and I’m a night owl. Oh the trials and tribulations of a football supporter.
roger, £100k a week is reported to be what he’s after and on a 3 year deal..
I want him to stay but those demands are a bit high imho, 2/3 seasons ago maybe but now, I’m not so sure….
That’s not good Cg, not good at all… Not for the players either as they don’t wake up until 2.55pm uk time 😉
Good read Rico and I can see your tactical shuffle there re MF20 and TV… lol
So they have given Maureen-ho the advantage already… hmmm
With Ramsey back he will give us a new dimension so far as teh usual culprits are not played together…
Rico – You may well be right about our players’ wake-up times. That may well explain why they are so unconvincing during the first half of so many of their games, they’re not fully awake.
Thanks Ts, only what many on here have been saying for a while really…
Ramsey back for the Totts which is good news….
Typical AW and AFC… paying certain players minimum…
Sagna on 100k for 3 years makes more sense than us going to buy a 24 y.o RB at say £12M and paying him 60k p/w without any guarantee. H could end up being a Lauren or a Luhzny for us…
And at CB I strongly believe Sagna is better than Rio, Williams etc…
Some may say Coleman…. but Coleman can’t play CB as far as I am aware…
There is no guarantee he will be decent against the likes of Alaba or Reus in the CL either…
🙂 Cg, I reckon so too…
Agreed, 100k/week is nuts = ~15million over 3 years. I guess Im only arguing that I would take a 3 year punt despite the ‘over30’ policy. Even 70k/week would seem high, but sorry to say, we also need to look at the cost of a replacement. How much for a world class right back? I would guess at 12million starting price just for transfer fees? Jenks is just not ready to take over…
Tsgh, totally agree, guess you were typing my thoughts as I was
Agree on the 3 years – but I think Bac is looking for a last big bumper deal and on a free in the summer, he could get much more elsewhere..
My own thought is that AW will rely on Jenks if Bac goes….
Rico – Further to our discussion the other day about Joel Campbell. Listen to Arsene’s comments about the 4:30 mark in the embedded interview;
http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/462077/Impressive-Joel-Campbell-has-a-future-at-Arsenal-Arsene-Wenger
Interesting, but not definitive.
Micah Richards is the one who springs into my mind…
Thanks Cg, I will…
Hi Roger… but As Rico is inferring AW wants to give CJ25 a chance even though personally I rate Bellerin as a better footballer but maybe not defensively sound as CJ25 thus far…
Rico… ??? Micah Richards… lol
He has a long sick note history to rival Diaby…
Very very good player though at least he was… but if Nastatic/Demichele are getting games ahead of him I do not think he is the same player…
Speaking of fairy tales earlier – I definitely hope this story is truly one of fantasy fiction;
http://metro.co.uk/2014/02/28/arsenal-working-on-deal-to-re-sign-robin-van-persie-from-manchester-united-4338322/?
Let him rot at Old Toilet.
In my view only the likes of Spahic and maybe Miranda of Ath. Madrid are better at CB than Sagna too…
I can’t see us getting a decent 3rd or 4th choice CB if TV leaves without paying close to 100k p/w for that player…
That would suggest he’s pleased with JC but hasn’t made his mind up Cg, I’d have thought AW would know one way or the other by now, and I suspect he’s just not telling the press…
And why should he….
Ginge – I think Arsene wants keep Bacary around to
Hiya Cg… I guess he wants to but considering how much Sagna was signed for and how much he has earned ove rthe last 7 or so years giving him a decent pay day in his twilight is not a bad deal…
The experience of the likes of TR07, BFG, Sagna is very very important imho…
Woops! Hit the wrong key there.
Ginge – I think Arsene wants keep Bacary around to help bed in Jenks, to give him time to assess the likes of Bellerin and buy another right back if needs be.
That doesn’t require resigning Bacary for three years at a luxury wage. Two years with a decent bonus should be enough.
I am with you on that one Cg…
Rico – I think Campbell has the talent, but Arsene may want to make sure he has the right temperament. He seems to have finally buckled down to work. All should be made clear this summer.
Ginge – I agree whole heartedly with your 11:00 am post, but he shouldn’t hold us to ransom. Bacary should have seen by now that Arsene will only stretch so far and where can he go to find a team on the up like Arsenal?
ha ha Cg…
Monaco and Psg possibly in his home land…
AS Monaco definitely wanted him last summer and he will be playing in the CL if he joined them so…
Morning all.
Vermaelen to DM?
No convincing required for me 🙂
hi Scott… howdy?
You teaser rico, thought we were pre-signing players!!!
I’m surprised no one has commented on the rumour Arsenal are trying to resign Judas van Pursestrings. Maybe you’re all like me; hoping/thinking it’s a fairy tale.
G’day Ginge.
CG….i am ignoring it and hoping it will go away lol
Scott – A very good strategy. I shan’t mention ‘it’ again.
That’s the way……..
Maureen Yo really should learn to keep his mouth shut;
http://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/youre-not-fooling-anyone-jose-mourinho-media-and-his-mind-games?
Will he never learn?
resigning sagna is a must for me….if TV leaves we will be looking for a cb and a rb..now from a financial point of view we can resign bs and get a rb also so we can use bs as a rb and cb cover no???……..it helps us concentrate on buying for other pressing positions imo
I agree Snap…
good read Cg…
Afternoon Rico and the House.
Tomorrows game is the only one which is not being shown on TV during March The U19 game at Barca is also being shown live on the 18th.
Good debate on Sagna and like most I am hoping he stays. ButI think CG post at 11.04 is spot on 2 years only.
Afternoon guys, sorry, I had to nip off earlier in a rush….
Cg, I think we’ll see a few more articles like the one you posted as the weeks go by….
Don’t worry Rico we didn’t miss you we been keeping ourselves amused seeing as it’s sooooooooooooooo quiet….!
Ox’s England call-up and Nasri’s France fall-out – an interesting comparison of Ox to our former player Samir Na$ty;
http://woolwich1886.blogspot.ca/2014/02/oxs-england-call-up-and-nasris-france.html
Once again the grass isn’t always greener on another team’s pitch.
You say the nicest of things Wath 😉
Bet Nasri doesn’t care though, he’s earning a nice big fat salary and about to be offered a new contract. That’s all Nasri cared about….
Rico – I certainly hope so and I hope it is our beloved Arsenal that spur (I know – not the best word to connect with our club – replace it with provoke) Maureen’s future outbursts due to our continuing great results on the field, where it counts.
Rico – That may well be, but poor Samir doesn’t look to be a happy camper. Yet, as you suggest, I’m sure all that filthy lucre will help soothe his bruised ego.
W.A.T.H – Has Grandad been winding you up in the background?
Cg, as do I…
Good, I always love it when players who depart suffer, just as RvP is right now. He’s last seen busy with a shovel trying to dig his way out of the comments he made about Moyes 😉
Nasri just came back from a long injury…
I am certain he will make it to Brazil with Le Bleus…
Ginge – No offence intended; but I hope your wrong, wrong, wrong about that. Samir needs to learn a little humility and missing a second WC might be an object lesson.
I’m with you there again Cg…
Pellegrini has been given a 3 match ban by uefa… Welcome to Arsene’ world…..
No offence taken Cg and I agree with you…
I was at the game when Frimp nearly strangled him.. good memories… he is a nasty piece of xxxx
I don’t like the guy personally but before his injury 8 weks ago he and Ramsey were being tipped as players of the season… by the so called ‘experts’
Mike Jones is the referee tomorrow, is he a strong one?? I can’t recall seeing him officiate one of our games…
Made me chuckle….
http://talksport.com/football/unbelievable-video-robin-van-persie-says-moyes-must-go-english-subtitles-14022881736?
It’s so so quiet, I am offski for a while….
Rico – A good laugh! Do you think Judas is trying to force his way out of Old Toilet? He had to know comments like those would get back to Mr. Moyes.
Well it is almost mid-morning and I haven’t had any sleep, so I’m off to bed.
Keep The Faith fellow Gooners. Till next time.
I think so Cg, nighty you, sleep well….
I’m off too for the day.
Night all
Night Rico and Cg…
interesting Sven Bender and Reus are omitted from dfb squad…
talking about rb’s a cheeky bid for Groskreutz won’t be bad…
New post up…