Morning Gooners,
Four days to go now until the transfer window closes and the newspapers are filled with mischief.
Rumour has it that Arsenals chief negotiator is in Germany in attempt to secure a deal for Lars Bender of Bayer Leverkusen. He can play at both right back or defensive midfield. For The 6′ tall 23 year old has featured for Germany on ten occasions, scoring one goal.
Here he is in action.
The Daily Express continue to report that it’s Yann M’Vila on Arsene Wenger’s radar, as is Yohan Cabaye and they believe it’s going to be a battle between us and the tiny ones for their signature.
The Sun report another two-horse race for Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, this one though is between us and Chelsea and in the same paper, Ian Wright says he would sign Jermain Defoe, if he was Arsene Wenger.
The Mirror suggests Mbiwa is off to Milan and Angel Rangel of Swansea will be heading our way.
That’s the gossip out of the way for the day!
Two sensible articles struck me this morning. One by Martin Keown, the other by our midfield workaholic, Mikel Arteta.
Martin Keown talks about just how good Santi Cazorla is describes him as being like Liam Brady and Cesc Fabregas rolled into one player. He’s our midfield general who just wants the ball all the time, regardless of where he is on the pitch. Left foot, right foot it doesn’t matter, he’s equally good with both.
A statistic for you – Santi Cazorla has had more touches of the ball in the oppositions half than any other player in the PL to date, yes, even Eden Hazard!
A few more games under his belt and we might start seeing the best of him, he’s not bad now is he but he needs to get his shooting boots sent over from Spain..
Shooting boots takes me nicely onto Mikel Arteta:
All the talk about Robin all of the time… you can get frustrated.
You cannot do in two games what it has taken eight years to create. It’s impossible!
Arteta is spot on, not only is it frustrating for the players, it’s boring.
How on earth can two strikers be expected to perform at the highest level in a tough Premier League after just two fixtures, especially when up against two sides who set out to defend, defend and defend….
Giroud and Podolski are great players and another little statistics from Sunday, Olivier Giroud didn’t lose a single header against Ryan Shawcross of Stoke RFC. That is not easy!
Their time will come and very soon no doubt and as we all keep saying, they just need one goal each to set them on their way.
With Santi Cazorla gradually finding his way too, they will have plenty of opportunities to get off the mark.
As for achieving in two matches what our departed one did after eight seasons, well he only managed it for one entire league campaign, I have a feeling that our three new boys will be ‘doing it’ for a lot longer and will achieve more at Arsenal than he ever did.
It’s time to move on from the Dutchman and look at the present and towards the future with Arsenal.
Maybe one day, the press/media will do that too.
On a final note, a few words from Mick Dennis of The Daily Express:
Stoke fans who booed Aaron Ramsey because he had his leg smashed at their ground two and a half years ago took to message boards to defend that despicable behaviour with expletive-filled invective. Both the chanting and the internet chat are criminal offences.
Over to you, Staffordshire Police.
Will they take any action? I doubt it, but they should!
That’s it for another day, could be a signing day today….
Hehe… some funnt bloke just changed his Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lars_Bender. He’s obviously already completed transfer to the Gunners. 😀
Morning all,
Well said Mick Dennis!!
Good site, enjoy your style and presentation. I am dreading the day this season Podolski or Giroud gets injured. The torture of seeing Chamakh in the team would be too much. Man Utd’s second tier strikers are Welbeck and Hernandez. Man City Dzeko and Ballotelli. Arsenal Chamakh. Arghhhh! Unless we get a true striker and a quality deep midfielder like Capoe or M’Vila we can win absolutely nothing. Abu Diaby is totally useless.
Thanks arsenal-steve..
Let’s wait and see what happens in the next few days, we could very well see a striker join us yet. Surely AW wouldn’t have let both Afobe and Campbell go out on loan otherwise and Park/Chamakh not involved at the weekend suggests they are both off…
maybe a signing today i hope………….
Was that you by any chance zagora…
Has to be one of the next four days Andrew…
3 players, that’s all…
Have to pop off for an hour, back later….
Mornig all,
Thought we will be signing gotze…will bender be another poor man jenkison coz tge media will neva be happy
Us signing Gotze? Perhaps in Fifa 13….
LSG…if we truly bidded 30m last transfer…and having in mind dat ivan promised us an exciting transfer…i keep my finger crossed
rico: I’m not funny, so no it wasn’t me! 🙂
Gotze isnt first choice for Borussia now….is it possible Reus was brought in as his replacement?
Nothing would surprise me.
bender a poor mans jenkinson………Did u even see jenks in his last two games i thought he peformed admirably well….and he is one of us a true fan!!!
Bender’s a dmf and utility rb!!!!!!
Gotze and Reus play different positions Scott. Reus was Kagawa’s replacement.
I’d love to sign Gotze but that’d be at least 30m euros. He just signed a new contract recently too, so we’d be paying premium price.
I tink its high time we start seein some positiivity in our transfer actions.. ..im sick and tired of somone comin today and changin cours tomorow.. ..we av 3more days to day, lets see wat le prof is gona do.. I’d lyk to see dembele, m’biwa, a DM and a striker.. ..mayb an outryt swap btw of isco and chamakh. We need a trophy dis season.
Andrew…im not saying he is poor man jenko…d media will spout dat rubbish
scott…agreed with you on our fantasy dream of gotze
Rumuor have it that a rb who can play cb is one of our priority…im going for rangel of swansea..premiership experience and age wise
Would be suprised if we spent even 20 million on a player
Kc…Sorry i just hate peaple bashing players who give 100% not that u were….
Gotta be a an exciting or bored 4 days ahead
Andrew,its fact that we offered 30 million for Gotze previously,so whether you’re surprised or not doesnt really matter.
Andrew…no need to worry…i know jenko is a gooner but i will be tempted to loan him out…i must say im so surprised that he is ahead of yennaris in the pecking order..think yenaris is a beta prospect but surely wenger knows the……….
We have a lot to sell too
Bendtner
Chamack
Park
Lansbury
Watt
Eastmond
Flappy
Shea
Arshavin
Walcott. ( possible)
squid
Loans for
Aneke
Miguel
The saving on wages would financially allow a true super quality player or 2. Goetze and Dembele if Walcott goes !! Never happen but football is for dreaming
morning Gooners.
I heard we are working out a deal for the young boy ISSO from malaga….Carzola is the real deal!!! we just need to gel and we will be off running and laughin to those all behind(including the one from mankichester). Go on gooners!!!
IF LARS IS GOOD THEN WE SHD GO 4 HIM.IT’ BETA 2 4 GET RVP AND GIVE SUPPORT 2 OUR NU BOYS I NO THEY CAN GIVE US THE BEST
M’villa arteta gotze jack cazorla….maybe i should stop dreaming
i’m not wenger bashing scott and would love if we did!…..But only if he was Super quality like wenger said…;)
Jermaine Defoe to Arsenal, says Ian Wright. Madness or a shrewd move?
We dont need gotze.. ..we av eisfld, wilshere en som oda playaz of his quality
Walcot realy look an uninterested player…sell him ASAP…pity for lansbury..thoguht he gonna make it with us
Jermaine defoe…ahahahahah…must realy be a joke
On Gotze…..do we need him now we have Cazorla though?
DM is still number one priority,i reckon.
Get a top class guy in,let Arteta loose creatively,and we are a different side.
Get Jack back,and we are in a different league!!
Good Morning Fellow Gooners.
It looks like Nik ‘A Legend In His Own Mind’ Bendtner is likely to leave for AC Milan.
http://sportwitness.ning.com/forum/topics/bendtner-s-ego-explodes-into-orbit-as-arsenal-striker-becomes-fro
Problem is Scott, i’ve never thought that Arteta was overly creative. My Everton friend was telling me that he doesn’t remember the last time Arteta played a through ball!
I think another creative player is needed. Cazorla is awesome but we don’t want to become over-reliant, and we have a habit of doing that with our best players. Rumours are that we are going back to raid Malaga for Isco who is awesome and would combine well with Cazorla. Affelay is another option too.
interesting idea Romford Pele but wenger did say a midfielder if signed would be “completely defensive” ?
But Andrew we was in for sahin?? So who really know’s what wenger or Arsenal are thinking??
RP,id love to get Isco.
Much cheaper than Gotze,and every bit as good,imo.
Arteta is creatve,but not at the pointy end of things.
It has to start somewhere,and Arteta can get things moving after M’Villa shuts the opposition down.
Lar’s Bender is a good player,but does he really excite us?
Why do i still believe we should bring in huntelaar,even thou i trust podolski and giroud.
I’m starting to get impatient now and just want the window to be over 😆
I can’t lie it is exciting knowing anything could happen at any time.
SFO if isco could stop being so selfish and become a team player,he could be rather special.
Morning All,
A player who impressed me last season is Moussa Dembele. I think he would be a great addition to our sqaud. Is he worth a 15mil punt??
Isco i would love to come but with ramsey and wilshere is it realistic?Arsene has high hopes for our british players!.
True Mr.Arsenal we were in for him! But with wilshere making alot of progress do we really need him?
Bender for me ticks a lot of boxes.
Isco would be a dream player to have Him and cazorla linking up would be magic:D
GM,Dembele would be great for us.
Mr A…hes only a kid though…plenty of maturing to be done.
Morning AKB’s
Morning Rico. Nice post.
Morning Adam. Defoe? No..!
Then again, I said no to Benny!
Young, Jennings, Walford, Campbell, Robertson. Arsenal’s dealings with the Spuds, have, in my experience, turned out suprisingly well…
So Defoe? Hmm, could be a success.
Swap him for Chamuck. It works for me…
Andrew – from the first two games, it’s obvious that our main issue is trying to break down parked buses. This has been an issue for years. I’ve been to games where the likes of Wilshere, Nasri and Cesc were playing, yet we couldn’t break down a side like Blackburn at home.
Cazorla is the onl y player who is capable of threading the ball through an eye of a needle and you should never just have one. Arshavin and Rosicky can to but the former is lazy whilst the latter is injury prone. Someone like Isco would help to alleviate the pressure on Santi. He’s young and already has the understanding with Cazorla which would make the bedding in process a lot easier.
Scott, you know how much I like M’Vila and I would never reject him. I’ve been impressed with how we’ve defended as a unit in the first two games but we need to be more potent up top. Giroud’s chance against Sunderland is the only real proper opening we’ve managed thus far. Most attempts have been from range which isn’t bad by no means but we need to get closer to goal.
Dembele is cool, very elegant on the ball. Only thing is, he doesn’t score or assist much – similar to little Mozart in that respect.
I’m just so baffled who our target’s could be??.Who here thought we would of signed Cazorla?
I really don’t know who the club are looking at?
One point i want to make is we’ve already played possibly the two sides who most staunchly “park the bus”,so we have more open games ahead.
I watched Isco for malaga a few days ago and thought he was the best on the pitch and looked a real talent.
I have seen Bender play for Germany on a couple of occasions and didn’t think he was anything special. I don’t think i will have his name printed on my shirt!
Nidish
These days it’s sad to be a fan of Arsenal.Wenger will never realise that.
Oh snap, one point; does anyone know if Isco played in Malaga’s CL qualifier last week? If he did, that may be a sticking point when it comes to sorting out a deal.
If so, Belhanda is my next target 😀 He’s Montpellier’s crown jewel though so doubt that’ll happen.
Morning again all,
Welcome to those just joining, sorry about the moderation delay…
Morning Rico, how are things?
Romford yes he did play.
Morning Pele, good thanks, be better when we sign a couple of players we really need …
All good with you, I take it you have been on holiday?
Oh dear. That may be a problem then Mr Arsenal. You can’t buy someone like Isco who’d be a key player and not have him available for critical CL fixtures. I expect us to divert our attention elsewhere.
Nidish, sad, why?
It’s a state of mind Nidish.
You are either positive or not…
Try being positive and you may find that you’ll begin to enjoy your football.
Just saying.
I agree Rico. Hopefully a verstaile/creative forward and a versatile defender/DM.
I’d be surprised if we bring in more than that – i’d love to be proven wrong though.
No, i’m off on Thursday. Definitely looking forward to the sunshine though 😀
Montpellier’s have started pretty badly this season infact they are in the bottom 3 in the first 3 games itsself so snapping up belhanda may be easier.
As AndyT wrote, it would take a brave fan to have Bender on his shirt.
If Arsenal were losing every week,id still be happier than some muppets who just love the club when they’re winning.
Jesus bloody christ,it takes all kinds!!
AK,it would take a braver fan to add a T and an N on!!
Morning all,
Sorry about last nite rico, hate confrontation, life’s too short, just wish you hadn’t deleted his comments, made it look like I was talking to myself again !
I bet Lars Bender took a bit of stick at school, poor kid.
Funny no-one’s mentioned Emile Heskey, he’s available on a free.
Pele, add a mr utility defender in there too and i’ll be jumping through hoops …
Hi Micko, you have nothing to apologise for….
Wash your mouth out re Heskey 😉
AK, you busy today??
Morning Rico, and Guys, 🙂
I agree it is a little difficult to know who AW will bring in.
The selling clubs know the big guns are all looking at a limited pool of top players and will charge premium prices.
That is where the unfairness of the Russian oligarch clubs and the Oily clubs unwarranted wealth is a disgrace.
Given a choice I would go for Dembele, but Chelsea and City are rumoured to also be after him so as we cannot compete on salary, that is a forlorn hope.
The big man Emile! I read a stat that Messi scored the same amount of goals last season as Heskey has done in the past 12! 😆
Morning all. One of the DM’s we are linked with should be a must. Whether it is M’Villa, Bender, Capoue or another I don’t know and am not sure what is the best option. I am unsure about players such as Isco, Navas and Cabaye because I think they are players that cover positions we are already well stocked up in.
After the DM position I still feel we are one utility / squad striker short in our overall squad, not a deep lying one but one that can be the focal point of attack. As this post mentioned I think it is only time before we are scoring more freely with our first choice forward line but I still think we need another option from the bench or as cover for Giroud. 2 opening games against 2 very defense minded and organised sides is not easy when you have more or less changed your forward line and they are still getting to know each other, but there were still many positives from the opening 2 games. An EPL experienced poacher would be nice for me which is why I don’t disagree with the Defoe idea. Another I mentioned the other day and I think Rico has also mentioned would be Owen. I think he would be a good addition to the squad and is the sort of player even now that will get that goal to win the game 1-0 when it is tight. Some would say if he is not good enough for Utd then why us. Well I think they were overloaded with strikers in his last season there but we are not. Interestingly despite limited minutes at Utd I believe his goal-scoring stats were still quite good.
After this kind of striker addition and the DM maybe one more versatile defender and I think we are ready to rock and roll. I do worry however that AW’s liking of deeper lying attacking playmakers will mean he goes for another of these rather than a goal poacher and we will end up slightly unbalanced.
Arsenal rarely play with traditional number 9s and rightly so. Those sort of players would be marked out of the game against teams who park the bus.
As for Owen…..
Micko — Are you taking the mickey with Emile Heskey? Arsenal are still more or less Project Youth. The older players, with the exception of Thierry Henry, have never really worked for us (e.g. Silvestre and Squillaci).
GB – Defoe would be a great catch, a goal scorer and we’d get one over the totts 😉
Isn’t Defoe a Gooner too?
GoonerB, if you believe all you hear coming out of France, Spurs are the only club to have spoken to Rennes about M’Vila, the price seems to be scaring potential buyers off, it’s gonna be a cat and mouse game for the next few days now.
Not liking this M’Vila to Spurs news tbh. It looks increasingly likely that he’ll end up there.
Not sure if he’s reading this,but i was just talking to another Aussie Gooner,on an Aussie site, who shall remain nameless.
If he joins in,you kids play bloody nice,ok!!
Micko,im a free agent…give us a plug,please mate 🙂
Canadian Gooner, too right, i’m taking the Michael.
Last week almost all of the news re M’vila was coming from Rennes. It seemed to me that they were trying to get a bidding going so that they could get their valuation for the player. How much of this was real interest with real bids and not inquiries of interest remains to be seen. If Arsene is still interested in him; he is not going to meet Rennes valuation. This one could go down to the wire on Friday night.
Personally, I’d much rather see Capoue than M’Vila. M’Vila obviously has talent, but with an attitude to match. I think Arsene has had his fill of ‘attitude’.
Scott, your in the same boat as me, only available for testimonials and the odd cup game these days.
Micko — Glad to hear it. Otherwise I would be questioning, to myself of course, your sanity.
My strike rate is better than Chamakhs,Micko…use that in my promo’s!!
I agree Rico that Defoe would be a good addition for us and would be my preferred experienced EPL goal-poacher to bring in. RomfordPele I did mention Owen but am not sure myself. I don’t think we would lose much if it didn’t work out but he certainly knows how to finish even now. We may only need this additional striker at limited times this season which would be fine with Owen. Other strikers may expect more playing time. Difficult to know what is best but I think we need one of these types of players.
Canadian Gooner, there was a very well respected French Journo called Philippe Auclair on the radio the other day, well connected with Arsenal, that’s where I was getting my info from, with only 3 days to go and what with it being so quiet something has to give.
Scott, you tart 😉
As more details of the Nuri Sahin deal become public, it’s interesting to see how Maureen Yo treats his friends. Make them pay a higher loan fee and a higher portion of the player’s high wages. Perhaps Brendan Rogers is truly taking the mantel of Rafa Benitez, maximum payout for minimum return?
Hi RA,
don’t know why but you went into moderation… We had a friend of yours here yesterday…
Call me Hazard,hey Rico lol
GB – definitely prefer a PL striker but they don’t come cheap…
Micko, I know his brother, chocolate….
I turned the Ipad off and when. Logged back on,i posted as Scott FORM Oz…not FROM Oz.
My bad.
IM off to bed guys….catch you all tomorrow.
Micko — I’m not a great fan of Auclair. To me he is like a lot of the English pundits; enamoured with the sound of his own voice.
The last few days of the transfer window can be somewhat painful and tedious. However, I think we will sign another player or two. Don’t be surprised if one has been missed by everyone’s radar. Maybe a young promising striker like Niang to replace NB52.
Good night Scott.
Sleep well Scott, could be a new player in by the time you wake …. lol
greetingz all gooners
like a farmer waiting for the showers of rain
we are waiting for a couple of players too…soon come
I think he’s a good friend of AW, but I could be wrong.
That’s the one rico.
Laters Scott.
Tiffin time.
let`s just wait and see what happen in d next 4 days,with all said and done let`s just keep faith with our darling coach.
Hey Rico and all,
Yes to Defoe. He may not have that crazy movement of the ball but he does have a nick of scoring goals and goals we need right now. I won’t mind seeing him play for us. And with Roy and Arsene friends, he might even get England call up.
Other than that, who do we need? I’d really won’t us to go for Fellaini. Really really like him. He can attack, defend, head, shoot, score. And if we do get Fellaini won’t be bothered if Totts get M’villa.
Hi Rico, just ticking over, but better than the Olympic fortnight…
Cast your minds back 12 months.
How many of us predicted Benayoun, Arteta or Santos???!
None of them were on the radar…
So don’t be suprised if and when Arsene pulls a couple more unknowns, outta hat…
true kev,that’s what am hoping for and
considering le prof said special talent;am bracing myself
for a treat..party in my place friday night
Interesting article from James Olley. Are Arsenal making room on the wage bill for another player or two?
http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/arsenal-prepared-to-slash-prices-in-bid-to-offload-fringe-players-8084217.html
Enjoy Micko…
Hs2s, Fellaini would cost twice as much as M’Vila/Capoue etc, especially after his display against manure…
AK, I truly believe AW will be spending a few bob before 11pm on Friday.. Flad you are not around doing nothing…. 😉
CG – they should have done that back in May, saved on 3 months wages…
Hakzah, great idea, a transfer deadline party…
Count me in… 🙂
Henri Lansbury is reported to be being sold to Notts Forest 🙁
Talks***e report Joe Cole could be on his way to us 🙄
What is the fee Rico?
For Henri that is.
Tbh, I didn’t think that AW was ever going to give him a run.
He needed to go to Bolton, 12 months ago.
West Ham was a waste of time.
Couldn’t agree more AK, gutted he’s going. Will see if i can find out more, the Daily telegraph have the story…
Rico — Yes, I agree, but it seems even the usually hard bargaining Arsene is having to adjust his asking prices due to current market conditions.
£1 Million
Wenger, the Arsenal manager, has agreed to offload midfielder Lansbury to the Championship club after accepting Forest’s bid over the weekend.
Lansbury, 21, was in talks with Forest before their Capital One Cup game with Wigan Athletic and is expected to officially complete his move on Wednesday.
The England under-21 international has been with Arsenal since the age of nine but has been loaned out to Norwich and West Ham in the past two seasons.
Forest will make Lansbury their ninth summer signing after the takeover by Kuwaiti millionaires the Al-Hasawi family.
CG, same old AW really, likes to buy for as little as he can get away with but sell in hope to get over the odds. Seems he has seen sense…
Kev — The price I saw quoted for Lansbury was 1 million pounds.
yes kev you are in,i hope its gonna be good news by then.
not happy about lansbury being sold..what 1m? surely would have
good future,AW never rated him
Hi Guys,
I think the Defoe link is a joke, he might have been a Gunner once but pls he is a spud now.
If M’villa goes to the Spuds then i think that would have been a stupid move for him, because they are not in the champions league and not likely to be for next season (With the way Everton has played and Liverpool will still want to challenge the top 4)
———
Song tried to defend himself and he just ended up repeating what the media has been speculating about his move.
Remember that Bould would have coached him once in the youth team and for him not to have been asking for a new contract when he has 3 years left might have really got to Wenger and Bould and just decided to ship him with is overrated believe of been fantastic.
——–
I think Wenger will not buy M’ Villa because i think he is trying to get rid of bad influences in the team : Adebayor, Bendtner, RVP, SONG just to mention a few.
I’m gutted about Henri, a true gooner….
Missed out on Niang ,this kid is gonna be big hit soon
hakzah, you and me both re Henri – is he any worse than Ramsey? I’d actually say better ….
Hi SD – I would be surprised if M’Vila went to the totts but he he wants to move to the PL then he has to accept an offer from whoever wants him. I’m starting to wonder if AW is even interested in signing him…
Sell Walcott – buy Navas? After our experirnces with some of our other homesick Spaniards, I can’t see this one happening.
http://www.footballtransfertavern.com/2012/08/uncategorised/wenger-weighs-up-trading-walcott-for-15m-nervous-wreck?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TransferTavern+%28The+Transfer+Tavern+Home+Page%29
CG, I hope we don’t do that, it would be a huge mistake getting Navas, as someone said here yesterday, sometimes it’s better the devil you know….
true Rico,why sell him now?! loan him to prem-leag-team and
see how he progresses, if not up to standard then sell him
next season..he is not on high wages anyway!!
better chip out other high-earners even for slashed prices first.
gutted for Brtley too i must say,considering we still have monsieur SQUID getting paid lavishly compared to what he offers us.
it seems new policy is in place ,which could be a good thing,
but we have to start with bad apples first in my book
SD_L — I agree with your take on the “bad influences”.
hakzah — I can’t find any definite news about Niang. Some articles say he is bound for AC Milan, others that he is bound for Everton for much less than Arsenal bid for him. The last article I could find was from Saturday.
Maybe it’s Bould hakzah, with both Bartley and Lansbury….
CG, I read this morning that Niang has gone to Milan, AC I think… but I also saw the article at the weekend about him going to Everton for a £2M up front payment….
CG,Niang signed for AC Milan on three years deal ,confirmed here
in france
The Rumour site 😆 😆
28 Aug 2012 11:29:36
BREAKING FAST!
Klaas Jan Huntelaar confirmed monday he will Make a decision about his future amidst reported interest from Liverpool. Goodnews is that the Dutchman wants to leave Schalke 04 and Arsenal are now front runners for his signature. The gunners believe signing another prolific Dutchman will effectively bury the ghost of Robin the outcast Van Persie from the Emirate stadium and reignite the confidence of Arsenal fans.
Huntelaar is excited at the prospect of playing champions league with the Gunners and will be available for 16million pounds or less. Arsenal could also pay less if they offer Nicklas Bendtner or Mauroune Chammachk plus cash for the prolific goal banger.
Thanks Rico. I see a number of articles popping up now.
Rico i so hope that’s true.It would defo bury the ghost of rvp.
Rico,that’s will be awesome,maybe Arsene meant it
when he said special talent.
that will just put us back into contention.
it looks like am gonna have my party on friday night after all.
all gunnaz invited
Don’t get your hopes up guys, that site is full of made up stuff, i love reading it because it makes me chuckle…
Really can’t see a big name striker coming in…. But, I could be wrong of course …
Like i said earlier, Wenger doesn’t want bad influences in the team especially if he watched them grow and they start making demands
Henri Lans 2 years ago said he thinks he should get more playing time in the first team that he wouldn’t sign a new contract if he doesn’t get the assurance of first team opportunity.
Wenger hates that and he was sent on loan as soon as we were out of the Carling cup.
Wenger wants to teach him a lesson and i hope it doesn’t kill his career.
I love the guy as well , he should have kept his mouth shot.
general manager Pierre Dreossi of Rennes ,has just declared they received offers for M’villa but no progress as yet,
so we are still in it,hopefully
Rico –Huntelaar to Arsenal could mean that he replaces RvP for both Arsenal and the Netherland’s national team. That would be a strange twist of fate. Now, if we could add RvP’s good friend Affelay to the list that would be icing on the cake.
SD – but Henri signed another contract extension after that and AW spoke highly of him. My own thought is going to West ham ruined his progress. Had he gone to Bolton, we could have seen a much better outcome…
he’s been saying that for ages hakzah, think he is starting to play games myself in hope of a bidding war for M’Vila and a price better than what he hopes…
CG – would be funny wouldn’t it….
For once, I never believed in Ivan, he has absolutely nothing to offer us. AW it is beta u buy now or u see urself being mocked out of Emirate very soon
Guess i was wrong there, who knows what goes on in that club of ours.
since Henri was left out of the club’s far-east tour,i had a feeling he was not in Wengers future plans..shame
Rico
I think Wenger is abandoning his youth policy gradually.
If Wenger should sign Huntelaar that will be spiting RVP directly and that will be just great for me and i am sure for all other arsenal fans too.
I hope Wenger sees that but i dont think Wenger does sentiments.
Rico — Whether the rumour is true or not, it gives me/us something to dream about on a slow news day. After the disappointment of missing out on Sahin and Niang, it would be great if it happened. Especially if it were for significantly less than we sold RvP for. ,Cue tears and sobs from RvP.
Speaking of dreams, dawn has just broken and I need to catch some beauty sleep; well sleep at least. Till tomorrow fellow Gooners. May it bring us all some exciting and pleasant news.
I’m free…………..free……………I tell you…………………I thought the moderator had thrown me into clink indefinitely!! 🙂
I was on site yesterday, and I also saw young Kelsey chatting away.
I haven’t seen much of him lately, but he always had a soft spot for you!!!!! 🙂 As do I. 🙂
Speaking of friends, what became of my old New York Jets buddy, Oliver?
As I said before, I have always had a daily read of HH but over time I lost track of him and Erick, AK47, MikeB and a number of others.
You have a whole host of new regulars now, and I enjoy reading their posts and comments too. I told you that you would make HH a top class, wonderful site!! 🙂
is that Red Arse from AA? great…
SD , i hope Wenger is just restructuring the whole plan,to
come this far and abandon it ,will be great waste,
i think we will carry on with it(rightly so) but we may see
different approach all together
Hi hakzah, 🙂
I’m not really from anywhere, but yes I am often found on AA where they tolerate my nonsense!
Actually, I used to be a blogging virgin until I met Rico on AR (another site) a long time ago now.
hakzah,
I am sure AW wants to spite all those who have been belittling us since RVP bailed out.
There are so many rumours because we are making many enquiries about who is available and how much they would cost.
The problem, of course, is that all the other top teams are doing the same thing. Especially the Spuds who seem to copy us in everything we try to do. B*stards!! 🙂
But AW will choose wisely.
SD – we all just guess most of the time, I know i do 😉
CG – that’s exactly why I read it, just brightens my day and then 11pm on friday, all my hopes will be shattered… 😉
RA,
MikeB popped on the other day but oliver had to give up due to work/home commitments.
Erick pops on at the weekend, busy with work and AK is always here when he’s not erecting poles or fitting shed roofs…
Thanks Rico.
It’s funny how attached you can become to fellow bloggers and then suddenly they are gone. 🙁
RA – How’s things on your site, going well?
mich – why would AW get mocked, he’s finally got the defence looking strong and signed 3 international players.
Our squad looks stronger than it has for a while, so surely you should feel a little happier.
Afternoon Everyone!
I was always told no news = good news!
Has Huntelaar signed yet? The only news i want to hear. 🙂
Hi Ben, we need some soon though….
SD – no…
indeed RA, i think since that dreaded day (2-8) against MU,
Arsene being hit hard and went on by modifying (adjusting)some of
his approach,starting by buying players over 25-26yrs old.
then by realising some senior players whom he nutured and simply brought them into the lights are just there for the taking
when Mr. sugar daddy comes for them with fat lump of dosh.
and yes ,i will love it for Wenger to bite back at those creepy
creatures that wanna suck the blood out of us.
he’s gone along way,two or three touches to go to sharpen
those teeth immaculately.
Arsenal fans should relax , Girioud looks like somebody that is not afraid to try anything and Podolski is just a tireless beast and his work rate is unmatcheable.
I think we should be fine , if we could afford to take out Carzola for Ramsey towards the end against Stoke then we are fine. I think 😉
Rico,
I think the ‘guvnors’ on AA, who you know well, would laugh to hear it described as ‘my’ site. They are all very nice, like you, but I am just a visitor who is tolerated.
I have always blogged on a number of sites, sometimes using different avatars, but don’t ‘belong’ to any, and try not to outstay my welcome. But you already knew that!! 🙂
Ricoooooo whyyyy Tuesday is almost gone , is anyone at Emirates? we might need to send someone there and tell Wenger Huntelaar is available for £17mil
But we still need to replace Song SD, and we do need another striker as Chamakh, Park, Nik & AA appear to be on the way out..
hakzah,
I am quietly confident that we will do well this season, even if we buy no one else.
On the other hand, even if we get relegated in some distant future, provided I am still alive, 🙂 I would still support Arsenal, trophies or no trophies. 🙂
Yes we need a DM and a striker to replace RVP and not replace Chamakh ,Park or Nick , they were never part of the statistics. Poor Chamakh though 🙁
RA, sorry, i thought you all ran it together, my mistake…
I have no idea what is going on at The Emirates SD, hopefully AW has a telephone firmly to his ear and Dick Law is sorting out transfers as we speak….
We can only hope but i bet we will be signing someone on Friday at 10.30pm 🙂
Poor Chamakh, he won’t be poor on the wage he’s been paid for doing very little 😉
No solid rumours yet :l ………….Gerring worried we wont see new faces coming in! 🙁
hi guys, any news? if i had a nickel for every time i ve said that…i ll be a billionaire now? morning all.
That early SD … 😉
Hi goonster, no news…. yet….!
calm down andrew……sheesh, you are enough to make a guy shit himself.
morning maam, hopefully a few deals are being ironed out as we speak. arsene has his mind on something that ll blow our minds sky high. am only hoping though.
Something will be happening goonster, we’ll sign one or two I’m sure. hopefully 3..
Back shortly, Fido needs a walk….
rico, Chamakh should be dragged up in front of the courts on the Trades Description Act !
Friday is signing day 😎
dick law in germany must be a good omen, no? maybe we are looking at shweinsteiger? now that ll get people to sit up and pay attention.
hey micko, are you calm now or you want me to douse you with cold water till you are chilled? what happened between you will man? its unlike you?
Stan, bet you’ve been on a few benders in your time.
morning SD, if this drags till friday i might need me a therapeutic session. look my nerves jangling. christ help me.
few benders???? what are those micko?
Drinking sessions stan.
RA,true…
am upbeat already of what is coming next, is gonna be good.we are not too far by any means.
mean awhile i will just walk down to Stade Municipale of Toulouse and hijack Capoue and Moussa Sissoko and shift them to
london colney,they will scare the hell out of doom-mongers.hehe
oh you know your audience…..havent had me one for a long time though….3 days! i ve got to stay sober. the damned DMV is calling again. i need a drivers’ license.
Hi goonster, you might need it because Wenger always plays with us fan’s emotions.
Yep its Huntelaar we are going for 😀
Classic Wenger says we going for a DM and RB and buys a striker! 😉
Hi all.good read.
I have thought this over for a while and I think Wenger is playing poker with us all regarding a defensive midfielder.He said he has tito be someone ’special’.in both our 2 league games Arteta has played as the deepest midfielder and in my opinion has been superb.Its easy to spot Cazorla’s contributions further up field but not so much regarding Arteta.
He has been very disciplined in that ’pirlo’ role and his distribution has been quick and effective.We have as a result conceded fewer freekicks in dangerous areas and our transition from defence to attack has been good.We have dominated possession with 68%(3rd highest in Europe) and conceded the fewest shots on target(3).We have yet to concede a corner too.
What am trying to get at is that Arteta may be the man earmarked to play that role.That is why we got rid of Song since Arteta has been tasked to play in that position.Apparently the boss refers to him as the ’little general’.pirlo plays(ed) such a role in juve/milan,Busquets for Barca,Carrick for the Mancs,Barry for City,Schweinsteiger for Bayern…I believe we are following suit with Arteta.
However to make this work you need several things.Firstly in the aforementioned teams they all had/have a physical player to accompany their deep CMs like Gattuso/Yaya or they themselves are physical like Carrick/Busquets.Wenger seems to believe Diaby is the man for the job.
If we buy a midfielder its unlikely to be a DM in my opinion.Of our list of midfielders no one has Arteta’s skillset not even wilshere.Sahin would’ve been perfect.Le coq is too in experienced for me butlooked good there against Cologne.If Artete gets injured we are screwed.If we buy a CM I expect him to play like Arteta and maybe a physical player.Of all the names we are linked too M’vila is the ideal candidate since he can either play in place of Arteta or alongside him allowing Arteta to push up.Will we get him though?…Time will tell.
any! have any idea who we might sign 😛 Arsene is being very mysterious!:)……
ben we wont get a striker……a DM who can play anywhere at the back is what we are looking for…….SD the silence is killing me. wish i can take a break from all things arsenal but i can’t. am addicted!
goonster – i have tried to take a break myself but i couldn’t but i manage to reduce but i think i am cathing the bug again. but Wenger why ?
Goonster- our man is in Germany to sign someone, Wenger loves the ‘jink left, go right’ transfer strategy. Arteta has been superb in DM so far this season, only thing we are missing is goals and with our ‘deadwood’ being put on ‘end of summer’ sale and Huntelaar being 1) Dutch 2) 17mil 3) in Germany……well put 2+2 and get 4. 😀
SD, i left the continent thinking i ll be fine in the US, i mean they ve got base ball, basket ball, ice hockey and stuff but you know what they are not arsenal. gosh i am screwed and i need help pronto.
Rico, I would imagine that the deal that takes Lansbury to the City Ground, will include a sell-on clause.
On the face of it, £1m isn’t a massive fee, but if he does well then that could well be tripled or quadrupled.
kev
i think we should have held on to him for one more season
i hope we dont regret that in the future
I also think we will sign a creative player up front.Wenger himself has admitted that the 3 striker system is not working especially against teams that park the bus.
This is because when we play a front line permutation using of Poldi/Gerv/Giroud/Theo they are all players that need to be fed balls to run onto.This places alot of pressure to midfield to create chances since none of our forward players are that creative.
Last season Benayoun started almost all of our games towards the latter part of the season on the left since he provided that extra bit of creativity alleviating the pressure on our midfield to create chances.It worked very well.Not forgetting that we also had a creative CF back then therefore even against parked buses we did create chances.
Right now we have very little in terms of creativity up front.we either need an AM in the form of Gotze to play wide of the front 3 or a nimble and creative CF in form of Suarez or both if possible.We are letting go of Bendy/Chamakh/Park/AA and another forward/Benayoun have already left.We have brought in 3 players to replace them so I wouldn’t rule out that special player being a forward.Wenger even hinted that he is after a player he thought he couldn’t get.If we are to pull a rabbit out of the hat I expect it to be a player for that department.
last few days of the transfer is nerves wrecking……but
exciting !!
its so calm ,regarding arsenal ,only hope its the calm before the storm
Hi Stan. Broke any hearts lately you old Lothario.
Seen this in Marca…
Vilanova has encountered a problem which he must nip in the bud before it gets any bigger. Cesc Fàbregas’s performances in the first two league matches have been well down on what the fans expect of him.
Against Real Sociedad he played instead of Iniesta, and on Sunday he started out in the position usually occupied by Xavi. On both occasions, Fàbregas hardly figured. His ideal position is a type of ‘false number nine’, but here he is up against the untouchable Leo Messi. Tito has tried to find a place for him in midfield, being aware that Iniesta, and above all Xavi, are going to need to rest, but there, Cesc is a long way away from the area.
Last season proved that he does not perform well in this position. The ex-Arsenal player feels more comfortable playing closer to Messi, as he did in his first months at Barcelona. But Vilanova is oversubscribed in attacking positions, and if Cesc plays further forward, many [more legitimate] forwards will remain on the bench.
And if he plays in midfield his performance trails off considerably The biggest problem Cesc is facing is the lack of goals. If his performance does not improve in that department, he will find it increasingly difficult to play as an attacker.
I know what you mean Hakzah, but he would have not played ami.
Lata
goonster – take a daily dose of Highbury House and you should be fine.
Anyone got any idea of how many squad places we will have left if all these players do go.
Sad to see Lansbury off. 🙁 🙁 He’s completed his medical, it seems. I really wish he had been given the chance though. That boy is Arsenal through and through.
Hello, all! rico, I’m on tenterhooks about our next purchase. Although, I really am a fan of our three new arrivals.
Ktr7, “A player he thought he couldn’t get”? Maybe Neymar??
I don’t think its Neymar GoonerB.If i had to take a wild guess it would be along the lines of Gotze…
Cesc truly is an outstanding player, so I do not worry that he will own either of Xavi’s or Iniesta’s position sooner rather than later. I can’t say I’m unhappy that Bankruptlona is struggling to find him a place in the present team now, though. Cesc seems surplus to requirements, and it was arrogance more than necessity that prompted his purchase. It doesn’t hurt at all to see him “struggle” a bit. Like we always say, the grass isn’t always greener yadda yadda.
In any case, he must be so proud of his Mickey Mouse cups. 😀 😀
indeed ag..
lansbury should have been given another chance,or a loan to prem-team.
but it seems new policy is in place and a few gonna be shown the door out
We need that spontaneous player up front.For example when we beat Spurs last season I would like to highlight the equalizer to make it 2-2.We were 2-1 down when out former no.10 received the ball,created half a yard and then curled one into the corner.That is the spark AW is saying we lack.From what i’ve seen from Poldi/Giroud Poldi has the potential to do that and less so Giroud.We need at least 1 player that can guarantee such moments;the ‘special’ player that AW thought he couldn’t get.The media are expecting a DM but i wouldn’t be surprised if it was all a smokescreen for a forward.
think a creative winger who cud also be utilised as a striker + a cm is important for us….than a cdm n rb/lb
Micko – your 3.28, couldn’t agree more….
QPR in talks with Cesar????
Evening everyone….
Hiya, hakzah. There are at least four or five others I’d have wanted to see off before Lansbury. 🙁 What can you do, AW’s cull is turning out to be quite the extended exercise.
We need a beast in midfield more than we need a striker though, KT.
evening rico.I agree LL.i think we are trying hard to get such a player.
jamie sanderson,
Henri Lansbury on the cusp of moving to Nottingham Forest from Arsenal. £1m fee. Medical complete. Just formalities.
Good player but suffered to many injuries and unsuccessful loan spellls.
BTW, where is informative svg?
*syg
Hi Kt, not just the one player imho 😉
agag, me to, I am sad re Henri…
AK, I’d rather the player than the money, think we might regret selling Henri…
Hi agag.am not sure AW views it that way.I think he is more concerned about our attack than he lets on.I think its very likely that we are after another forward right now despite not mentioning we need 1.
Agree totally KT.
Rico I think the 25 man FA rule has alot to do with his departure.There are many players ahead of him in the pecking order as of now and we may be signing another midfielder too.
Goetze is a very good player but again I am not sure. Do we not already have many players like him? Another attacking midfielder who can play anywhere across the attacking midfield? I would like to see a striker who has the ability of a midfielder rather than an attacking midfielder who can score some goals. The key for me here is that primarily they are a goal-scorer and look to get into the box, but if they have the added ability as well that bodes well for our link up play. I will look with interest to see how Mirrales gets on at Everton. Maybe he was the one?
Tom Fox, Arsenal’s Chief Commercial Officer, is confident that he has the right team in place to help the club secure lucrative new deals for kit manufacture and shirt sponsorship when the current agreements with Nike and Emirates come up for renewal in 2014.
The existing partnerships, signed in advance of the move to Ashburton Grove and used to fund the move from Highbury, have been dwarfed in recent years by those done by Premier League rivals. What’s more with the Premier League’s sugar daddy era exploding almost simultaneously, the financial terms, which at the time were ground-breaking, have been pinpointed by frustrated fans as a major reason for the club’s supposed limpness in the transfer market.
Speaking to the Arsenal Independent Supporters’ Association (AISA), Fox made clear that recent progress signing up second-tier partners hinted at a good foundation for forthcoming negotiations.
“We are actually making good progress in the partnerships area, but there was a lot of work to do in this area when I arrived.
“For the past 2 1⁄2 years we have been building the team and enhancing our capability to have the right conversations not only with our 2 primary partners, Nike and Emirates, but with new and renewing secondary partners. We’ve had success in secondary partnerships during this time, renewing Citroen and Thomas Cook and signing Carlsberg, Betsson, Indesit, Airtel (Africa) and Malta Guinness.
“While I can’t go into any detail on where we are with both primary partnerships, this early success in the secondary market gives me great confidence that we have the right team and are well positioned to bring both of these up to the market during the next round.”
Despite the gloomy economic climate, Manchester United’s recent sponsorship deal with US car giants Chevrolet has proved that the boundaries of financial possibility are constantly being redrawn. While Fox is pleased with the progress that Arsenal are making in marketing and commercial spheres, he urged caution against assuming the gap between the two clubs can be closed quickly.
Noting United’s long-standing superiority and their success on the pitch he continued:
“It’s not very realistic to assume that striking these new deals will allow us to match what United are doing commercially.
“We have a great story to tell and sponsors are taking notice, but we have only recently begun investing behind our commercial vision, whereas they started on that journey 7-8 years ago.
“Since then they have had unmatched success on the pitch, which has in turn fuelled further growth. As a result, they are frequently the Club that sets the high water mark when their new deals are done, take Chevrolet for example, and few if any Clubs can match their commercial appeal to partners today.
“Do I believe at some point we can catch them? Yes I do, but it won’t be in the next 3-4 years.”
One area which will likely prove vital in closing that chasm is the exploitation of Arsenal’s increasing popularity abroad. In the last two seasons, and after long-standing opposition from Arsene Wenger, the club have embarked on rewarding tours to the Far East. Outlining the impetus gained from pushing the global brand, Fox concluded that they had been an outright success.
“Arsenal is a huge Club with incredible support internationally, but the difference that touring has made to our profile has been profound, both with our primary partners Nike and Emirates as well as other large brands looking for sports marketing assets. For them, touring is part of being a truly global Club and is a prerequisite to being in their consideration set.
“For the fans, seeing their heroes live and up close is what engages them with the Club, and if they’re engaged and active then our profile with partners is further enhanced. One good example of this is in China, where we have visited 2 years in a row.
“In 3 previous years with our media partner in China, Titan, we registered 15,000 fans into our database. In the past 16 months (around both Tours) we’ve attracted the interest of a larger media partner, Tencent and their portal called QQ, and that number now stands at over 600,000.”
____________
vida, he’s not suffered so many injuries has he, i know he lost a season through illness etc, but he’s got red and white through his veins… sad day
Not sure Henri would have to been named though would he Kt?
If I’m honest, I am more sad about Lansbury going than I am the Dutchman or Song…..
hi ya kev, i broke a jar if that can be classified as a heart….hey AGAG, how are ya? ben, as a fellow dutch man i hope we dont get huntelaar. he’s a prick, i ll never forgive him for scoring a hatrick against my hometown club and breaking my dear father’s heart. me dad was sad for a whole week.
Scott Sinclair – Man City is now off….
Go on Arsene….
Goonster – sorry to hear that, maybe he can make it up by scoring hatricks vs manure, shitty chavs and yids! 😀
When i said Goetze it was just a wild guess Gooner B.as i said above what we need is a creative player up front since playing with 3 forwards doesn’t work too well for us.Thats why i said we either need a creative CF/false 9 in form of Suarez or an AM out wide to float around the pockets of space like Goetze.Obviously the former would be ideal but i don’t know of many players that have those ideal traits to play that role.The ideal player in my mind is Jovetic but i don’t see us going in for him.Wenger is more likely to work with poldi to groom him to play there.After S’land draw AW said poldi needed to work on his runs to play CF for us.He also seem to work well with Santi as the 1st half at Stoke showed.Which brings us to the 2nd option.Only Cazorla in our squad can play such a role but its clear he is going to play central.This makes me think that we are more likely to sign an AM to play wide and thats how i came up with Goetze.
dude if he scores a winner against manure at old toilet and kicks rooney on the nut in the process, all grudges ll be forgotten.
rico, RIP and Song could have learned a thing or two from Lansbury about what wearing an Arsenal shirt means. 😉
I have absolutely no objection to a striker, KT; but I prefer a DM. How I wish Chamakh would find his shooting boots again; he did so well before Robin returned. 🙁
Hiya, goonie. It does make me laugh when you tell other people to “chill” cause you are, ironically, the most excitable blogger here. 😀
Hello, Ben, vida and GonnerB. 🙂
Agree with you Ktr7 about Suarez being the ideal type of player. AW does like Goetze though so it is a realistic call from you there. I think I would prefer Reus though as he seems to be more what we are missing and what are talking about. Reus looks much more like a striker who could operate from deeper and wider almost like a younger right footed RVP. Jovetic would also fit the bill but I don’t think he has a great injury record.
KT, if we got Mario Gotze, man, I think i’d explode…
That boy is top top quality, but Dortmund won’t sell him for less than £35 million.
I think he is on a par with Hazard, but will, in time, be better.
Jack Nesbitt @Jack_Nesbitt
@nufcfans Just been to the club shop at St James’ and all the staff are saying we have accepted a bid for Cabaye from Arsenal. #NUFC #AFC
Bad source ik but might get ppl excited!
Too right agag and that’s why it’s always sad to see a real gooner leave……
Ben, you old tease you 😉
AGAG, andrew was trying to get me to freak out there. how are you coping with the mosquitoes and power outage? hang in there little mama, am coming to get ya. you ll love it in arnhem. gosh i cant wait to be Mr AGAG!
Hello too agag. I think most of us agree about a DM but I think we will need that and the type of creative striker Ktr7 has been mentioning if we are to be serious about challenging this year.
In 2008, Luka Modric and his girlfriend wore Barcelona scarves to a derby against Espanyol. The Croat said playing for Barça was a ‘dream’.
And I think this might make you chuckle! 😀
I would hope we have a buy-back option with both Bartley and Lanbury. They both might start to reach their full potential around 25-26.
And hi AGAG, and Rico i think I am teasing myself more lol i am a glutten for transfer talk!
GoonerB Suarez despite his antics is a superb footballer.I would like us to have a player of his mould with us.He is in my opinion the best dribbler in the league and creates lots of openings but he isn’t clinical.Jovetic as you say has a poor injury record but AW does fancy them injured 😉 Reus is brilliant and I watched him last week when Dortmund played Bremen and he was their best player.Jogi Low even played Reus as a false 9 in the German training sessions pre-Euros and thats why Germany only carried 2 CFs in klose/Gomez for the Euros while the likes of Cacau missed out.He has only recently moved to Dortmund so i doubt he’ll move.Lets hope the boss has a trick up his sleeve on this one.
Hi AK.for some strange reason Goetze has yet to start in games against Bremen and Bayern this season…
Is Cabaye any good?
goonie… You wanna be agirlgunner, too?? But you are already Stanlette/Staninha. 🙂 Leave my handle alone. 😀 😀
AK, you were going all life coach on nidish. 😀 😀 Lol.
Mr Agag……. 😆 😆 😆
You been holding out on us Little Mamma?
Where’s my invite???
Is Wath the Best Man..? 😛
The last time Arsenal started a league season with two clean sheets was 1971/72. The sequence was ended at Anfield (but against Man United)
Hmm don’t know if this is good or bad 😉
No invite, AK. Cause that’s a non-event. 😀 😀
about Lansbury…great lad…but didnt live up to expectations..hope he will have a superb career good luck..now lets get rid of Bendtner,Scuillaci,Park,maybe then Wenger will buy someone..
and remember dont get your hopes up its Always about balancing the bank account..Always..
AK, you re the priest! I dont W.A.T.H anywhere near my wedding. adam, ll be in charge of candy while lee, micko,KT, SYG,bondex and cowboy gunner are the grooms’ men. rico is the mother of the day i guess*whistling*
On Friday 20 August 1971 a team wearing red walked out at Anfield to rapturous applause from supporters bedecked in red and white scarves and standing on the Spion Kop. Their opponents were Arsenal, who had beaten Bill Shankly’s side 2-1 in the FA Cup final to secure the double in May of the same year. But the home side were not Liverpool. They were Manchester United.
Hidden deep within the pages of football’s dustiest history books lurks a dark secret – or so it appears. The club that now boasts 18 league titles, the same number as Liverpool, could once call Anfield its home, just as Liverpool’s great city rivals Everton did in the 1880s. In 1971, with United banned from playing their first two home matches in Manchester, after hooligans had thrown knives into the away section at a match at the end of the previous season, their opening “home” games would be played at Anfield and Stoke’s Victoria Ground.
But so forgotten is this forgotten story that even some Manchester United players who took part in the 3-1 victory over Arsenal cannot remember doing so.
A lethargic first-half performance by a United side still trying to find its feet under a new manager, Frank O’Farrell, following Matt Busby’s departure in June 1971, found themselves trailing to a fourth-minute Frank McLintock strike. United would enjoy a stirring comeback in the second half thanks to George Best’s growing influence, which led to an equaliser deftly lifted over Arsenal’s goalkeeper, Bob Wilson, by Alan Gowling. A United goal at Anfield celebrated by the home fans must be among the rarest things in football. So such a memorable occasion would be dear to Gowling, wouldn’t it?
“I can’t remember,” he says. “Who did we play?” I remind him that it was Arsenal. “United played a home match at Anfield? Give over,” he says, incredulous. So inconceivable does it seem that one can almost understand Gowling’s reaction, but a picture in the Guardian of 21 August, 1971 clearly shows him leaping over Wilson to celebrate his goal, scored at the Anfield Road End.
Would David Sadler, who commanded United’s defence, recall the occasion?
“Was I playing?” he says. “I just can’t remember. Alex [Stepney, the Manchester United goalkeeper] might recall it. He’s better at remembering matches than me.”
Stepney tipped a shot from the diminutive Arsenal winger George Armstrong against the bar at the Kop end in the second half to keep United in the game at 1-1. Did he enjoy being the only Manchester United goalkeeper in history to feel the full support of United’s fans emanating from the Kop?
“I vaguely remember that we had to play two games away from Old Trafford, but I can’t recall that match,” says Stepney, who made over 400 appearances for United. Perhaps there’s some kind of conspiracy to hide the truth.
“I thought I’d only ever won one match at Anfield, when we beat Liverpool 4-1 [in December 1969] – so I can add a second win now,” he says. “The only one I remember playing away from home was when we played a home match at Plymouth [Uefa banned United from playing their home leg of a Cup Winners’ Cup match against St Etienne within 200km of Manchester, following crowd trouble during a 1-1 draw in France in 1977].”
The Manchester United captain, Bobby Charlton, scored his team’s second goal at the Anfield Road End with a free-kick curled around the wall and into the left-hand corner of the net. Brian Kidd, who is now Manchester City’s assistant manager, wrapped things up with a goal in the dying minutes.
One man who can just about recall the match is the “Voice of Anfield”, George Sephton, Liverpool’s stadium announcer who had started the job a week before. “I can still see the half-empty ground,” he says. “It was spooky. I had just started, it was an extra match, it was Friday night so a bit of peace and quiet, I thought.”
And what of Liverpool’s famous anthem? Surely United’s players didn’t run out as the home team at Anfield to “You’ll Never Walk Alone”?
“It was only the third game in my career,” says Sephton. “I couldn’t swear on the bible but I’m almost certain I didn’t play ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ at the game. It’s been ‘our’ song since 1963! It was weird because Anfield felt like a neutral ground but from my perspective I was just happy that I had an extra couple of quid in my pocket because I was young, just married and was saving up for a house.
“I don’t remember any trouble on the night. The enmity with United wasn’t as bad in those days as it is now so it was nice to turn up and watch a game which you weren’t bothered about in terms of the result. If it happened nowadays of course, I’d be cheering Arsenal on. But now they would just play the match behind closed doors.”
The FA’s decision to send United to play at Anfield in the wake of a hooliganism incident seems hare-brained now, but at the time hooliganism happened at most games and in any case, as the former Liverpool club secretary Peter Robinson, who helped organise the fixture, explained last year, the animosity didn’t exist as it does today.
“When I started at Liverpool in the 1960s the great rivals were always Everton,” said Robinson. “The rivalry has changed. It turned into Manchester United when they had this terrific emergence but before that I can remember them being relegated [in 1974] and having some really difficult times. I can also remember United supporters standing in the Kop. It wouldn’t happen today, would it?”
The rivalry between groups of hooligans was still fierce however, even if the antipathy felt between real football supporters of both sides was not, and the front page of the Guardian the morning after the match carried the usual depressing news of trouble. “About 100 fans” were ejected from Anfield, according to the report, the windows of some houses in Anfield were smashed and “600 skinheads” were said to have been “kept in check” by police after throwing bricks at the United supporters as they were frogmarched back to Lime Street station and on to trains back to Manchester.
The Guardian correspondent Eric Todd’s match report brimmed with frustration at the behaviour of the fans in the Kop and of the wider trouble that was prevalent in football in the 1970s.
“Once again, certain sections of the crowd, whatever their places of origin were the villains of the piece,” he wrote. “And those psychiatrists, amateur or professional who spend many hours trying to explore the minds – the word is used quite loosely of course – of certain members of the footballing public would have enjoyed last night.
“As soon as the teams arrived on the field the Kop vomited scores of young ‘supporters’ of both sexes who ran down the field to the end where United were warming up. The police, although hopelessly outnumbered, did their best and removed as many as they could capture. When the invaders discovered that United would attack the Kop end they retraced their steps and suffered further losses.”
United would suffer further losses too. Liverpool were given 15% of the gate receipts from the 27,649 fans who attended the game and United were instructed by the FA to pay Arsenal compensation, as the gate was below the 48,000 that attended the fixture at Old Trafford the previous year. (Until the 1980s, gate receipts for league games were shared). Even Everton stood to benefit if the crowd at Goodison Park was below 46,000 the next day, for their match against Sheffield United.
You can stop whispering now. The secret is out.
Long post sorry!
Poldi has so far for us played wide/central.
I think AW is absolutely convinced Poldi can hack it to play as that creative CF we are talking about.He played there against S’land and Cologne in the 2nd half.From what i saw Poldi has very good movement when playing wide against Stoke since he is used to that role.However to play CF he has to adjust his runs a bit.Out wide most of his runs are in behind defences using his pace and strength.At CF however he needs to make more angled runs to open up avenues for a pass or to take a shot.Against S’land he tended to make mostly vertical runs and it was very difficult for him to breakthrough that way.As AW said if he can adjust his runs he’d be pretty good there since the link up play is already there.It took our former no.10 time to play there and Poldi needs time too.
agag, i think cabaye is the heart of the geordie boys…
Hi AK, do I need to buy a hat 😉
https://twitter.com/YoungGunsBlog/status/240489229015187456
Agag, or should I say Mrs Stan 😉 , Nidish and fans like him, are led astray by the Doomers.
I consider it my mission, as the Rev AK, to guide them back onto the true path…. 😀
afc.com
Henri Lansbury has joined Nottingham Forest on a permanent deal for an undisclosed fee.
The 21-year-old midfielder, who has been associated with Arsenal since the age of eight, made a total of eight senior appearances for the Club.
Lansbury featured three times in the Premier League and five times in the League Cup, where he also scored his only first-team goal for Arsenal in the 4-1 third-round victory at Tottenham Hotspur in September 2010.
The Enfield-born midfielder spent last season on loan in the Championship at West Ham United, where he made 22 appearances to help the Hammers to promotion back into the Premier League via the play-offs.
An England Under-21 international, Lansbury also enjoyed loan spells with Scunthorpe United, Watford and Norwich City during his time at the Club.
Everyone at Arsenal would like to take this opportunity to thank Henri for his contribution to the Club and wish him well in his future career.
Hi tom and Syg….
Ben, I have a good feeling we’d beat the dippers. 😉 Our new boys must be dying to score. 😀
But there is no “super” striker within Arsenal’s ever-modest budget, GoonerB.
Stanley, calm down!! 😀 “Mother of the day”?? Whassat?
Cabaye is pretty good agag.he is sort of a playmaker though and not the DM most gooners clamour for.
Just read that Cabaye has handed in a transfer request….
KT, what’s the point getting him, we have enough in MF? 😕
Still sad about Lansbury. 🙁 Sigh.
Rev. AK, please do not encourage goonie. 😛 He’s bad enough as it is.
A new hat Rico..?!
I think you’ll look divine.
Stan & Agag, I give you my blessing….
He’s more like Sahin isn’t he Kt?
Agag the only role that i can see him play in our MF is that which Diaby plays behind Cazorla in front of Arteta.Box to box mf.
Would a baseball cap to AK 😉
Cue rumour site 😛 🙂
28 Aug 2012 15:21:52
A bid has been accepted for Cabaye.
Will have more when I finish work at 7.
hahahahahahahah rico in a hat? what’s next W.A.T.H in a polka dot dress?
Yes rico,sort of…
Re: Lansbury. It is very, very sad.
You look at what we currently have in the reserve set up and I don’t honestly think there is any players better than Lansbury. If he hasn’t made it, then I cannot understand why we are pissing about with players you know are never going to be better than him…
If he’d been given the chance – like the bums we have employed who have made 100 appearances plus – and we all know who they are – I am quite positive he would have become a decent player, and even made the England set up.
Journalist Matt Law has uttered the same sentiment – that he is quite capable of playing for England.
The merchandising/image rights on someone like Lansbury IF that would have happened would have been Massive – and by massive, I mean a massive coup for the club.
I’m not being gay here but a decent footballer who can play and who looks the part makes money, not just for him, but for the club.
Go to Egypt, Sri Lankia, South East Asia, Bangladesh and the only England players they were bothered about was Beckham & Owen.
—-
Scholes was as good a player as Beckham yet nobody wanted a “Ginner” to advertise their after shave…
Ok, gotta go & rip-off some tourists, the airfare to Manila for the beano is gonna be expensive….
See ya lata Shopping Buddy…. 😉
Hiya Rico – been at the office all day …. Hope you’re ok…
Hiya Kev, Benny B, Micko, Big Stan etc
Better get my suit dry cleaned I suppose, could’ve done with a bit more notice agag.
Does make you wonder how much Craig Eastmond is worth if we let Lansbury go for just a mill.
Exactly Micko.
Be safe, AK. 🙂 🙂
I agree with you, SYG. Kits sell for those who look the part. Asia is swimming in RvP (ick), Walcott, and Fabregas kits. The Rooney short, on the other hand, seems always to be on stock.
Young Arsenal centre back Daniel Boateng has joined Oxford United on loan until January 2013.
The 19-year-old made his first-team debut for the Gunners in last season’s Carling Cup fourth-round victory over Bolton Wanderers.
He supplemented that experience at the end of the 2011/12 season with a two-month loan spell at Paolo Di Canio’s Swindon, where he played twice for the Robins as they sealed automatic promotion to League One.
Boateng now heads back to League Two to gain further experience at senior level.
Daniel has been a regular for the reserves since first breaking through from the Under-18s in 2009/10 and has now made 32 appearances for the second string, captaining the side on a number of occasions.
His most recent outing was for the Under-21s in last Saturday’s 3-0 win over Blackburn, while he was also a member of Arsène Wenger’s first-team squad that won the pre-season Markus Liebherr Memorial Cup.
The Enfield-born youngster joined the Gunners’ Hale End academy aged 11, and signed a new contract in November 2011.
Everyone at Arsenal Football Club wishes Daniel the best of luck during his time with Chris Wilder’s side.
if i remember correctly, i think we were after cabaye last summer but we had already sign forehead so i would have difficult to get him
Micko, you’re a groomsman, it would seem. 😀 😀 I’ll go look for a girl in some red light district that Goonie can marry. 😀
Hello Rico.hope all is well.. ….darn seems to me HH is about to be more popular than ever…:)not bad..
and again tranfers…they will depend of our ability to ship out some of our dead wood on high pay checks…
Song well he just balanced the transfers this summer..and wenger has tld at several occasions he needs to make a profit in the region of 20-25M…my guess the property sales cover the profit this summer..that means we’re able to use all the profit from selling (our best;)players…so i reckon..being able to sell f.ex.Bendtner would bring us about 6M and with the little surplus we already have..we look at a player in the region of 10M…
darn its quite easy once go get the hang of the American way …hmmmm…
next summer …lets see..;)hehe im already trying to sort out who goes then….Jack ?…Kozzer ?or most likely Wermy being captain and all…
What are you trying to say goonie, what’s wrong with me wearing a hat??? 😉
All fine thanks Syg, just really pissed off about Henri Lansbury….
Evening SYG, don’t work too hard mate.
Another youngster out on loan.
Young Arsenal centre back Daniel Boateng has joined Oxford United on loan until January 2013 – arsenal.com/news/reserves-
tomstoned, noooooo! Our defenders re staying put. We’ve only just begun to great ind defense again; don’t you be selling them, now
They can have Carroll for (reportedly) £2.3m loan fee plus £13.5m buy after a year or Bendtner for £5m.
AC Milan please but nb52 please!!!
Free is the value you are looking for Micko, bloody free!
Why he is still with us I do not know, not when watching a player with the kind of quality Henri has, leave…. Big mistake imho….
me im happy to see Lansbury go..he was a Senderos type of fellah..Arsenal to the bone..but not good enough…and not given the chance…wow..been on loan..got games been training with the first squad for a long time..
i dont get it..do some mean that Lansbury have been unfair treated by the perfect coach..by the wonder himself Wenger..or does simply Wenger know just a tad better than the rest of us..just how good Lansbury is ??
all i can say is i do hope Lansbury gets a superb career…he deserves it…great lad…but unfortunately according to Wenger not Arsenal quality…
rico, it really disappoints me that we sell a player for 1 million; we’d have been better off keeping him; he can have a run at the cups.
Thanks tom, seems so, just hope it stays that way so you and all others best stick around for a few more years yet 😉
another video but of stoke game to get minds off transfers for a bit.
Exactly agag, maybe he wanted first team football, maybe we do have an option to buy back… I don’t know but I sure hope so….
** DON’T FORGET TO CLICK ON THE ADVERTS, GUYS **
rico, not to knock anyone, but that Here is the City website churns out some pretty average stuff… And has tons of adverts. Whyyyyy??
Rico…to be honest…HH fills a void left between the AA,Cultured Left foot.etc.and on the other side Le Grove…that imo makes it a perfect fit for Gooners all over the world..:)top work..
as long as i dont have to trust Kroenke blindly..ill stick around Rico ;)or the ffp…or gazidis..or..;) hehe
Agag the 25 man rule forced us to sell him.he is no longer a youth player nor would he occupy any of our 8 homegrown slotsi also think he wouldn’t have accepted yet another loan spell.he had to go.
I wish that he would have a fantastic career; and that we exercise that buy back clause. 😀 😀
According to Marca and The Mirror, Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova has revealed Cesc Fabregas isn’t part of his plans and so might leave.
It was also reported that the former Arsenal captain wasn’t comfortable at Barcelona as it looks too congested.
This has generated speculations that Cesc might return to Arsenal.When he was sold to Barcelona, a buy back clause was activated which means if Arsenal wanted him back, they’ll have to pay half of his value.
This rumour looks too expensive to believe as I don’t think he’ll be returning so soon.On the other hand, it would be difficult for Barcelona to sell him out as Xavi is almost done with his career.
Let’s just assume this is real, would you love to see Cesc Fabregas …
LOL crazy!
Cesc Fàbregas Soler @cesc4offical
People change.
😀
Which eight occupy our HG roster, KT?
🙂 tom, thanks – and no, you don’t have to do anything like that…. HH has two rules, and we all know those….
Agree agag., click those adverts and let me make my millions 🙂 (if only)
Not sure re the other site, HH only ever gets the one, think it changes through the day though. Becks was on todays 🙂
Ben, we would never meet their buyout clause 😉
tomstoned says:
August 28, 2012 at 6:11 pm
Lansbury was/is nothing like Senderos.
He’s as much like Senderos as Sagna is with Song. T
hey might have a similar hair cut and possess the same coloured skin but that’s about it. End of.
Wenger persevered with the likes of Eboue, Almunia, Djourou and Denilson etc. etc all of who were/are a shower of shite and made many, many appearances.
Lansbury has been out on loan and helped get the team he represented at the time get promotion..
Tombstone continues ….or does simply Wenger know just a tad better than the rest of us..just how good Lansbury is ??
The Same as Wenger knew how good Silvestre, Squillaci, Chamakh and Park were when he paid good money and wages for those …. They were and are shite.
Personally Lansbury has never had the chance. Wenger has never integrated him in with the first eleven – just the reserves in the League Cup.
Just wetting those appetites, till something more juicy is ordered! 😉
Agag…i think all Gooners would have hoped that Lansbury made it…Senderos too…unfortunately there will always be proper gunners…die hard Arsenal players who doesnt make the cut…and thats to bad…maybe Lansbury was shipped out just abit to soon…then again Wenger and the Board needs the money to reinvest…thats for sure…i think Lansbury would have stayed if we were able to offload Bendtner,Chamakh,Squilacci,Park..and maybe Arshavin…but that seems impossible…none of them are interested in playing..its all about getting a big old paycheck…tragic…..
tom, did you really compare Lansbury to Senderos??
Jeeps, I’d rather a gooner through and through than the likes of AA, Chamakh, Denilson, Song, Park, Squilli, and maybe even Ramsey right now…
That boy would put his body on the line for the club, those I list wouldn’t……
goob link vida.
Rico if BB is correct (or rather Marca which is highly doubtful) and there is a buy back clause of half what we sold him for I reckon AW would buy back Cesc in a moment. This does however seem the most implausible story so far this summer.
SyG…
if you ask any Gooner(besides yourself that is)most would agree that Senderos and Lansbury had oe thing in common…heart..something that for me gives them a special place in my heart nomatter what..
ok then according to you Wengers at fault i can live with that….moreover can you ???
the fact that you think Lansbury didnt get a chance at The Arsenal…thats pretty amazing…and imo opinion shows your lack of understanding….as is pretty obvious from your posts…alot of this and that with no real own opinion..
then again thats only my humble opinion…be a man and dont come out slagging this time..try to behave even if others doesnt acknowledge your opinins all the time..
its easy take a big breath…and for a moment be what you are just another gooner amongst millions…Thank You !
Yes i did Rico….and i do agree….Lansbury was the real deal…but we disagree me i think Wenger was right…not good enough im very sorry to say…even Song was miles ahead ,and most Gooners thinks he was ok to ship out…im amazed..:)
the again to differ in opinions is what makes the world go around…
GB, I think Cesc would come back to us too but he sulked and refused to play last summer in attempt to push his move through.
Maybe a nasty taste was left in the mouth of AW and IG… Who knows..
Gibbs,JD,Mannone,Ramsey,Szczesny,Theo,Eastmond off the top of my head are all eligible HG players.
Rico…the grass is always greener …right?
I respect your view about his quality tom, but we do differ there and thats fine.
But senderos was not and never will be a true gooner, regardless of what he says or is written about him.
Nor has Henri be given a chance, not a real chance, check out his appearances for us, bet you find that it’s single figures, unlike some who AW has persisted with…
Lansbury has been shoved from loan to loan, and imho we as a club will regret selling him, he has the heart of Jack Wilshere and the same passion for our club too…
Something which money cannot buy…..
cesc..hmm..i would love to see a player with his ablilities at The Arsenal….but cesc back..No Thanks..what a ingrate that fellah was…
You don’t know what you have …until you lose it!
Either either! 😉
Opta Sports @OptaJoe
10 – Arsenal have allowed the opposition fewer shots than any other Premier League side this season. Parsimonious.
wow 😮
Opta Sports @OptaJoe
4 – Luis Suarez’s goal was the fourth shot on target Man City have conceded this season; all four have resulted in goals. Impact.
Last season was lansbury make/or break season.he chose to go to a team that was in the championship and has a twit of a manager. 4 loan spells to the championship level sides, to me no progression. same thing might happened to afobe if does test himself in the epl.
Rico…what your really saying is this…wenger is wrong about Lansbury…thats fine..i dont think so, but then again im not always right ;…
Senderos we’ll just have to differ in opinion…
and remember at The New Arsenal….its all about money..
but we do agree when it comes to wishing Lansbury all the best thats for sure…great lad..
tomstoned… were you stoned watching Senderous he was awful lol 😉
T Adams the legend…
https://p.twimg.com/A1ZoGVsCcAAgHKm.jpg
if cesc is ingrate that what is rip then?
You may be right Rico re Cesc, AW and IG. For me though he is the only one of our recent high profile departures that I could accept back. I can get his history and emotional ties with Barca where generations of his family have been die hard supporters, and I believe in certain cases even part of the board. The other departures for me were all about the money despite how they try to paint it being about something else. They all ended up on significantly more money. I am not totally sure but is it right that Cesc actually took a hit financially to go back to his boyhood club? Any sulking aside (which I am not sure occurred or not)I feel at least his reason for leaving us was for a more justifiable reason and if it doesn’t work out for him I would actually be quite excited to get him back
Ben Barrett ..can’t remember;)..but agreed, Senderos had a couple of really great games after that..well..pretty awful…but he was a player with a heart…and that heart belonged to Arsenal..in fact still does..
personally i think his nerves got the best of him..sadly..
Have a look at this kos pic…
https://p.twimg.com/A1Zj4QHCYAIzfe9.jpg
Senderos – when he was good, he was good.
One of his main downfalls was that he was slow and he had lapses of concentration.
And although Senderos was also a very well educated lad, he, Senderos had a problem. A mental problem if you like.
Martin Keown was quoted as stating that he would not listen to advice – (Rico might have more information on that) – And the Torres episode in the Champions League – well he dwelled on that a lot and to such an extent that people within the club stated that it got to him “big style” and he never fully recovered.
Lansbury is an Arsenal lad – Senderos came from Servette in Switzerland – the land of the Cuckoo clock.
As I said before – you are Norwegian and I am English and that being so, our mannerisms and our English is different. A lot different. That’s why last week I took your post for that of a fifteen or sixteen year old, as that is how I perceived you… and I apologised. I’ll certainly not apologise again!
———————
I also just got this off the internet re: Norwegians:
“Many Norwegians are still in a state of blissful, provincial ignorance of the world, which allows them to act like complete retards and yet look themselves in the mirror the next morning with something resembling a good conscience.”
http://askanorwegian.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/why-are-norwegians-rude.html
Frankly speaking though cesc has played 52 games for Barca and has 15 goals and 20 assists so i can’t think why Barca would even think of offloading him.
Back shortly, i’m hungry – be nice all 😉
tomstoned, HH is where it’s okay to disagree… 🙂
vida, RIP is lower than the lowlife that feeds on pondscum. 😀
Ben, we all know what a terrific player Cesc is; but I don’t want him back; what a pushover we’d be if we welcomed him again.
ktr7 says:
August 28, 2012 at 6:58 pm
Where did you find that? LOL
Spot on SYG Re:senderos.nothing more to add.
Tomstoned… yes mate agree had a couple of good ones, remember him being r****d by Drogba, but no shame in that.
The problem with all signings that Arsenal make that go straight into 1st team is they are put under such great pressure by our Arsenal hating media.
Wenger would have him back … especially at half price.
Twitter SYG 🙂
The kids a dead ringer, KT. LOL
AGAG – if Cesc came back I would have no reservations at all, his family is Barca he wanted to go back, he has, and as i said before ‘the grass is not always greenier’ etc
Sy(G)
we cold agree one one thing Senderos had nerves and that ruined it for him..
the rest of your post…and the reference to Norwegians…well..childish…not going there..English people are far superior..im sure you can look it up on the internet…some needs to discover the World…and maybe sitting on the internet isnt the best way to do it ….
ill be sure to put your post up on our Norwegian Gooner website..
Gunners.no it will more than likely be very popular 🙂
Cesc, Cazorla, Arteta, Wilshire, Rosicky, Diaby, Ramsey… Nom Nom 😉
Cesc was my favorite; but after all the drama of the prior year, and his refusal to play; nope, no way. Ben, I said the same thing about Cesc @4:34.
here’s a link Sy(G) and one honest question….is that you on the avatar…oh my http://www.gunners.no/
AGAG…Thierry Henry?
If you follow Cesc on Twitter he always cheers on the Gunners!
Neither can I Kt….
Its really quiet out there on AFC transfers…
Ktr7
A bit too quiet!? 😉
A worD don the players we already have!!
Imagine the ox and wilshere together with cazorla 😀
Has anyone signed?
@TimesSport: Theo Walcott could leave Arsenal this week after rejecting contract extension
@DuncanCastles
Tottenham agree a £15m transfer of Moussa Dembele from Fulham
emma how reliable is that about theo?:(
I think SYG and tomstoned need to lighten it up a bit. This site has always been about respecting each others opinions even when disagreeing and never making it personal. SYG I always enjoy your posts but I think calling a whole nation into question could be a bit far. There are a lot of gooners in Norway and we should be embracing and welcoming them to the gooner family especially as the lot down the road also have a good foothold there. I actually have a strong family connection with Norway and so spend a lot of time there. I for the most have found them excellent hosts. The only thing that does wind me up is if you are driving and you let someone out, you don’t get any wave of the hand in thanks as we would do here but I have learned not to take it personally. It may even be that they had the right of way as they have this very confusing right rule where you always give way at junctions to cars coming from the right even if you are on what appears the more main road (what is going on there tombstoned?). Anyway I think if Syg buys Tombstoned some aquavit and tombstoned buys SYG some of that weird smelly fish that has been marinated in sulphuric acid for 9 months then you can both kiss and make up.
I know Andrew.its just that i like shiny and new 😉
Andrew – We just have to wait and see. The source is from the Times(Oliverkay). We might get the true picture hopefully soon as we’ve got 3 days left.
Must be a club sniffing round theo…when wenger says his confident the player will sign a new contract..we know what he means….Don’t We
If the situation on Walcott is true I wonder how Arsenal allowed it to come to this. 3 days to the close of Transfer. Should have given a deadline 3 wks ago.
thats he’s confident frednerk? This is a bit of a joke really tbh! All are players want to bail!? i cant understand why?
no worries GoonerB…im not offended by Sy(?)…and im pretty sure the rest of Norways population takes the comments well 😉
ill send a mail to Cuckoo land ?..and ask them to forgive Sy(?)too..
and im sure when Sy(?)decides to travel a bit and maybe learn about other countries and people(not on the internet;)he will come good !!
Quiet is good 😉
Apparently the chavs have completed Falcao deal…
emma – not liking that Theo tweet 🙁
Surely Citeh won’t try and sign Theo after Sinclair transfer fell through???
GB – spot on… respect guys, it’s not too much to ask, and I ask very little here on HH….
they just might Rico…
As much as Theo infuriates i think its too much to have Van Persie, Vela, Bendtner, Park, Chamakh, Walcott, Park and Arshavin all leave in one window.
rico – am so happy he is leaving to be honest 🙂
My only worry is can we get a good deal for him before the close of the transfer with 3 days left? We cant let him go for free after investing so much
Might have heard this wrong last night,rumour has it going round the clubs that we are about to turn round about 12 players by friday?
He’d be a fool tom….
Kt, ditto… and tbh, i’m not sure i believe the story, not unless wenger has a replacement in mind….
emma – you and many it seems…
It breaks my heart to see our players constantly reject wenger and the club!…..Really am falling out of love with the professional game!…Arsenal are all that i care about anymore and its sad to see the negativity surrounding the club :l
If we got sinclair in tho i might be pleased:L:P
In my country ireland we have Gaa football and hurling! Its not a professional game yet…..and whatever county u are from you play for !!….Players play for the love of the game and they dont even get paid money..!
Back in 20 mins, chickens need locking up
Just came across this blog. Brilliant. The banter is excellent too.
Morning all.
Theo can go,no great loss imo.
Of course,thats on the condition we spend the cash 🙂
off topic, eatweeds.co.uk, um wtf am i watching! 😉
Hi Scott – if he goes, he’s been pushed imho, I heard he is happy at the club and wants to stay….
That’s me done all, have a good night…
‘Til tomorrow all….
Night Night….
c’mon….cesc,nasri,clichy,***,song,walcott,Lansbury….we’re only selling dross….right..keeping Bendtner,Park,Squllaci,Chamakh,…dont blame me…but im still convinced we’re build down..partly down to economics and making cash,and just preparing for our New Arsenal…and as we all know..Kroenke is a businessman with no interest whatsoever for footy…
and the henchman gaidis promised us an exciting summer didnt he…..al that comes out of that mans mouth are either direct lies or just jabba jabba…
and Wenger…well he tried to keep walcott…right..and besides we have such a big quality squad…buying more players arent necessary…
this summer…seems to be a parade for the New American way..
SOS Usmanov…who was right all along…just like nasri,cesc,***,song and the rest of our former great…our club have stated and truly shows that its all about business and money,what i really would like to know…is what is it that cesc,***,nasri and the players who left have been told about how The New Arsenal would be run…it was sure as h*ll enough to scare them away…
Theo was asked to put an X in a box to say he agreed with the terms & conditions of his new deal but he just couldn’t get the cross in!
And gn as well all!
sleep tight rico:)
Forest v Wigan: ryo miyaichi came on as a second half substitute 8mins to the end of the match. 1 assist
Rico,everything im reading is suggesting Theo refused the clubs offer.
Who knows…the truth usually lies somewhere in the middle.
I doubt anyone would be upset IF,big if,we sold Theo and brought in Huntelaar,or someone of the ilk.
the end of the famous THEOVANNASRIGAS! the last member of the quartet is on his way out. it hurts but that’s the life of a modern football fan. we are the arsenal………we live on!
Who knows Stan…he may end up staying.
he wont scott…..he’s history. i saw this coming.
am not sad he’s leaving….on the contrary. i just feel sad for poor old arsene.
Monday and yesterday.
Two days running, and two domestics…!!!
Must be a case of PTWT…
Pre-Transfer Window Tension…
Did someone suggest a turnover of 12 players before the deadline?
Phew, that would take some doing.
8 going out and 4 coming in maybe?
Cesc coming back?
Now that’s an interesting scenario, if unlikely imho.
Personally, I would welcome him back.
A player of his quality, joining Arsenal, would be a great boost to the clubs reputation, after too many years of being perceived as a feeder club.
But it’s not gonna happen, so poontang…
AK,two domestics and neither involving me…..hope you’re proud?
I will be sad, but not suprised, if Theo leaves.
The club must act if he will not sign a new deal.
Maybe Man City or Liverpool have been sniffing around and tempting Theo’s agent.
It’s always the agent…
I guess with so many Navas & Afellay rumours going around, it’s safe to say that Wenger has been sounding out replacements for Walcott.
Maybe Wenger would take Afellay, on loan, for a year, whilst Miyaichi is gaining experience at Wigan?
Podolski’s arrival has also squeezed Theo out of the team.
I think if he leaves, it’ll be the biggest mistake he’s ever made. He has been given time at Arsenal. Time he will most certainly NOT be given elsewhere. He will be expected to perform, on a regular basis, now as an experienced international player.
I wonder if he has it in him to handle the expectations of being a big money senior signing?
I have my doubts…
I wonder if Steve Bould is having an influence on the decisions being taken to move on certain players???
Maybe we needed a more hard-nosed and ruthless policy, to deal with certain players?!
Digger, good to see you behaving yourself….
About time too…. 😉
What happened to your Oz mate?
Did he decide to go walkabout???
Great stuff, i hope we can move theo and replace in time, i hope we have a nice surprise coming. We do need a third striker, in all these competitions we will need to rest girous and podolski becuz he will be playing alot on left wing. We have no third choice at all, all the top teams fourth choices are better than our third. Arsene what is the plan, dont cut it too close!
thx for this good reminder, ive been down couse off all diss mater. Over wenger selling best players and no titles and well , ive been missing sleep over this.. arsenal for life !!!!
Sorry AK…work got in the way.
My Aussie mate…..not sure.
He reads everyday,but is yet topost…i hope he does.
Don’t be surpised if chelsea come in for theo,when I heard a swop was on with sturridge at the end of season if he did’nt sign a new contract I thought at the time it would suit both clubs……..
Remember it’s happened before
Morning all…. Half empty this morning, I seriously think that we Arsenal fans get seriously short changed! We get the annual will he or won’t he sign a new contract crap….boring! We get the I nearly signed player “x”, crap…..boring! AW has dismantled the Invincibles and replaced them with cheaper options….crap! If he’d added 1 or 2 quality players every other season we would of definitely won more silverware. I know there’s still time in this window but I can’t help think we’ll get short-changed again. What we’ve bought so far we’ve needed for ages to compliment our squad. The we don’t buy stars we make them comment, brilliant but as soon as you make them they fuck off…crap…. boring! This team NEEDS a fucking good striker a beast of a DM a utility defender plus an experienced GK to even contemplate winning something! Most expensive season ticket in the world be nice to see players worthy of those exorbitant prices!!! Rant over……
Morning all….
Spooky Lee, mine glass is virtually empty this morning…
Add a winger once Theo goes….
fred –
i read that story too, but Theo won’t get playing time with all the players the Chavs have signed. Nor will he at City. His best option is to sign and stay…
Morning rico…Looking at the new set up with the coaching staff and I know all the coaches …..4-4-2 is a certainty so no room for theo 1st eleven………..
Just my opinion.
fred,
Do you personally know our coaches? If so, have they hinted the formation is going to change?
Pretty sure the deal for M’vila will come off…said on here 2 months ago the deal was done..no one has topped our offer so far I hear…. no matter what the club says…….
noticed last night the chairman of rennes said no offers have came in for him.yet most of the papers are saying this club and that club are in for him….what I like about this player is that he is determined to come to us…and as wenger likes it …..Kept his mouth shut.
Most of the coaches Pat Holland,Terry Burton,Neil banfield I have either played against or meet at various coaching seminors..Steve Bould I followed since his stoke days. Personnelly know I don’t know any of them. No more up and coming coaches these men have all seen it all
I’m not sure any longer fred…
New one up