Morning all.
Well there’s not a lot to talk about really, other than the good news re Nicklas Bendtner who has confirmed that he really does want out of Arsenal. Something which is long overdue in my opinion.
How he has the cheek to suggest that money will play no part in his decision on where to move to though is incredible. If money had been no issue, he’d have gone a long time ago but instead he chose to float around on loan whilst collecting a nice salary.
I want to get away from Arsenal. Whether it is in the winter, we must wait and see,” he told reporters while away on international duty.
I will make my decision depending on where the greatest sporting challenge lies. Finances, in this context, mean very little to me.
I’ve been playing football since I was four years old and back then it was for the love of the sport. It is for the love of the sport that I play today as well.
Amazing! What a chump!
Another player who has frequently been linked to a departure is Thomas Vermaelen. Why I don’t know as many good players all around the footballing world have to experience periods of time on the bench, that’s life. It’s just unfortunate for him that Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker have developed into a top top central defensive pairing. It’s great for Arsenal but tough on our captain.
As the old saying goes, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it, and that’s exactly how it should be.
No matter how much speculation the media want to generate and enlarge upon, Thomas Vermaelen refuses to add fuel to their fire:
I don’t want to speak about the situation because if I do I make it worse, so I don’t want to speak. It is not about my situation it is about the team and they are doing well, it is not about me.
He would however make it well known just how happy he was to have played at Old Trafford:
Of course you want to play as much as you can, so I was really happy to play on Sunday.
Apparently, Belgian coach Marc Wilmots has suggested that he isn’t guaranteed a place in the World Cup squad next summer – whether he plays or not.
I don’t know if he said that, I didn’t hear it. Nothing is for sure, there is still along way to go – there is big competition in the national team and you have to work hard.
It doesn’t matter who the player is, Messi, Ronaldo or Vermaelen, each and every one has to work hard to earn their place and when they get it, make sure they don’t lose it.
However, if both Mertesacker and Koscielny are fit after the international break, I strongly suspect that Thomas Vermaelen will be back on the bench….
As for Nicklas Bendtner, I hope he doesn’t even make the bench…….
That’s it for another day…….
Morning anyone 😉
Hi Rico,
Hope you are keeping well.
I think that Bendtner should have his contract torn up. I cannot see Arsenal getting anything for him, as I believe he will hold out for the type of money that he is currently on, and will be prepared to run his contract down and look at a nice juicy signing on fee at his next club that get him on a free. So why not cut our losses and get rid of what could be a rotten apple in the bunch.
Looking forward to the injured players returning and the bench becoming stronger in terms of quality and experience.
Hi Marinello, I’m well thanks you, as I hope you are?
He’s free in the summer so he’ll be gone. Unless of course we can get a few pounds for him in Jan but it seems his wage demands are far too high..
No surprise really…
I doubt he’d agree to have his contract terminated, despite him saying football isn’t about money…
Morning Rico.
Another good Post. I do not know how you get the inspiration to come up with a subject.
Players coming or going over the years is an accepted fact of life – what remains constant are the fans. We stay whatever happens.
Well if its terminated, Arsenal would probably have to pay him off, but in a way they are doing that now. Paying him, for doing nothing….
I always believe that it sends the wrong signal to younger players busting a gut to get a game for the first team, when they see a lazy lump just going through the motions when selected.
All okay over here Rico.
Have you still got your chickens?
Morning Hb, thank you.
Some days it’s hard honest 😉
Spot-on, players and managers, but we all have no choice, it’s a life thing…
Couldn’t agree more – now that Afobe is back fit, he’ll be wanting Niks place i’m sure but will AW have the courage to use him?
Then of course, we have Podolski and Walcott returning so I doubt we’ll see Nik’s big butt on the bench again, unless injury strikes…
Yes, still have chickens… love them…
Mesut Ozil will be rested for Germany’s match against England, good. That’s him, Merts and Kos who will have had a good rest, and Tomas Rosicky too…
Deep Heat or Movelet cream Rico…
Very good for pulled muscles… 😉
🙂 Kev, I’m ok really, only had a few things to get, I coped…
Interesting post Rico…
Bendtner really is a mug.
Does he really believe that anyone, with half a brain, takes anything he says, seriously…
Frankly, I feel we should just ignore him and the empty things he says.
He will soon be gone…
Thanks Kev, he’s always had far too much to say. Shame his legs and brain couldn’t work as hard as his mouth.
I bet he’ll have a lot more to say once he’s gone and I doubt any of it will be nice, especially about the manager.
Morning all
Kos was sent off yesterday in Ukraine.
Yes JM, we know 😉
Good news for us….
Is that right JM????
Great news amigo. 😉
Rico, I would luv to see Afobe on the bench vs Soton.
Imagine the boost his confidence would receive.
Sadly I can’t see it happening…
Just been listening to some expert hack, commenting on last nights England game.
Another expert in retrospect…
Does anyone take seriously what the majority of those idiots say anymore.
In an InterNet age, they are fast becoming redundant…
Good Afternoon Lady, Sir, Gentlemen and Ladies.
Good post in pointing out the difference between the two Rico.
One is a chump the other is a champ.
As would I Kev, and Akpom.. But like you, I doubt either will be…
I watched that game Kev, Chile were good…
Afternoon Devil, thanks and you have hit the nail on the head…
Afobe and Akpom should be given the chance ahead of Bendy before January. Yes they are inexperienced at this level but they are also unknowns. Before defenders get the hang of them they would maybe find one which might matter. I would have loved to see Akpom getting a chance instead of Bendy at Old Trafford. He would have thrown caution to the winds.
Well never mind about stoopid Nick…
I am just enjoying two luvly cups of char…
Not Green this time, but I had one of those this morning…
Yeah Rico, I’d rather Akpom, Toral, bloody Crowley on the bench in front of that long streak of Danish bacon tbh…
Kif Int Coach
England will always spoil players whist they persist with spraying long balls across the pitch. Last night they fell into their normal trap and Chile played in between their lines broke fast and exposed our lack of technique. Nothing to worry about , everything normal here.
🙂 Kev, as would I. At least you know they will give 100%
Szczesny has penned a new ‘long-term’ contract, now to tie down BFG and Sagna and the squad looks solid for the next 3 or 4 seasons…
There is a definate feeling of Arsenal being ‘back in business’ about our club…
That winning mentality dare I say… 🙂
Nothing about the two Southampton guys to make me worry Potter, what about you?
Added to that Kev, the dross, apart from Nik, has gone….
The future is red 😉
I’m off for an hour or so now, catch up later…
Yeah Rico, great point about the club finally moving on those not up to the standard we require…
I was quite suprised at the speed Gervinho was dispensed with, a welcome change in club policy maybe?
Lata Rico..
To be fair (not sure he deserves us being fair!), we haven’t supplied Bendtner with decent high crosses like the two he scored against Italy. Just maybe he will still come on again and score from a late corner when we need it. On the other hand…….
Andrew there is little point in trying to defend Bendtner , He has been effectively misused by the club ever since he became part of the first team squad . He has been played out of position and never for a long enough run to find his feet.
When looking at him consider he has played in 301 games. In 104 of those he came on as a sub (and in Wengers world that’s 18 minutes at the end of the game). 75 of those games he was taken off. Also remember that a fair chunk of those games he was played on the wing not upfront. Also bear in mind that often he wasn’t playing as a youngster in a full strength team but alongside 10 other youngsters.
With all that he has still scored every 211 minutes. So he is a 1 in 2 1/3 striker. Bizarrely At international level where he is played in his rightful position and on a more regular basis he scores 1 in 2.
Many teams would love a 1 in 2 striker…
Now however he is clearly unwanted by a large majority of fans and would have been let go if the right deals could have been done over the last few years.
He should go and we should get someone else in.
Afternoon all…
Nik has been treated in the same way as many players used to be, and by that I mean playing out of position. Instead of signing players to fill a positional gap, AW has on many occasions, signed players and then tried to fit them in somewhere.
Look at us now, plenty of central midfielders, but we haven’t got a true winger in the camp…
I take your point but Bendtner is pilloried for his missing of chances to score not for the occasional bad cross. His miscontrol against Barcelona 7 minutes after coming on with I believe his first touch, was the start of the downhill spiral in many supporters eyes. And so it has continued being asked to produce when restricted in his playing time. There are many things I admire in Wenger’s philosophy but not buying specialist players for positions is not one of them . Time of course is always at a premium and players don’t get enough competitive time if they are not first team picks, they get limited opportunity to prove themselves. Playing practice matches behind closed doors at London Colney is not enough, they need competition and not on loan to a muppet like Allardyce who uses them as bench fodder but in a proper reserve league with other players that are on the fringes of first team football. The game is full of talent that goes to waste because of the lack of proper football. The list is endless, Would Fabianski be the liability he is in peoples eyes had he played 30 games a season with players like Carlton Cole, Kevin Davies, Kevin Phillips bearing down on him ? I doubt it . He would have been match sharp when called upon. To get the players England needs to develop , major changes will have to be made to the structure of the way football is organised , and a proper reserve league is one way of giving younger players the chance to play and develop within their own club structure.
Yes, AW has played players out of positions so many times, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. When we don’t have enough depth he try to balance the team as required.
But Nik behavior is telling. It looks as if he doesn’t want to be in Arsenal shirt. He doesn’t want to come off the bench and don’t want to put the necessary effort to make a difference. He could have made a difference last weekend, however, he let the opportunity pass him by. 52 plus grant a week, 208 a month for just coming off the bench or being shipped on loan??? And always running his mouth to the media how good he is? How many people who put their lives on the line to save life earn those kind of income?
But again… He should have got us a striker when the T/W was open instead of running to Mourihno for help knowing very well what he did to us when he was with RM.
Once AW confirmed NB was set to stay, and the player himself said he was to knuckle down and give his all, I truly hoped he would and we would see a difference in his game.
But as you say, how can he change a game when he’s not playing enough football. Strange how he can ‘do it’ for his country though.
Maybe his game has declined for us because he feels under so much pressure and no doubt he knows that most fans want him gone, as does the manager clearly as he was ready to sell him.
You make a very good point about the loans and playing time, especially Fabianski. Also, very seldom do our players return from a loan spell or two and end up staying.
Totally agree re the footballing structure, am I right is saying the other European leagues have a ‘b team’ league?
I agree and to be fair I wouldn’t want to be at The Arsenal were I him either. Yes he gets paid a lot of money and probably doesn’t deserve it but he isn’t alone in that , there are many people in this country that get money under false pretenses.,In my previous post I intimated just how hard it is to get up to speed in a few minutes when rusted up from a lack of actual playing time. He gives the impression of being lazy and the media stuff should be water off of all our backs . He knows that even if he said the world was round people would swear at him calling it flat. He is disliked , he knows it and I would be off too if I had the choice. .
Yes Ng, AW should have signed a striker in the summer, in fact last summer was not the only summer he should have signed a striker..
As for NB, his comments over the years have made it clear that he hasn’t wanted to be at Arsenal for a number of years. Had he dropped his wage demands, he could have gone a long time ago.
He has been the author of his own footballing downfall imho.
If only he had scored against Barcelona, if only he had been able to get his head to Sagna’s cross last weekend. Moments like that can change so many opinions…
Look back at the berating Walcott was getting earlier in the season, and especially in the game against Marseille (I think it was) and then he scored that wonderful volley to pretty much win us the game..
It saved him getting a bashing the next day, Nik needs something like that to happen for him if he plays again…
They have feeder clubs and B teams in lower divisions . Their structures seem to be for the benefit of their bigger clubs as opposed to ours where we try to prop up bankrupt clubs .Young players at Barcelona for instance get to play in their teams style in the lower leagues at the Mini stadium , where local youngsters can go and watch , and the play against professional adults from 3rd and fourth division clubs. Seems to work for them.
Any idea how many fixtures they play a season Potter, be interesting to see how that compares with how many reserve fixtures ours play in…
Rico, you’re right. Moment like last weekend could have change so many opinions and get off his back. He enjoys his paycheques for doing nothing but never complains.
We’ll all support Nik if he put the shift and make the effort as long as he is in an Arsenal’s player. We know he’s going to miss chances but the effort is what count. And running to the media won’t do him any good.
Evening a Rico.
Bendtner has always dripped with a feeling of entitlement. The stupid amount of money that Wenger decided he was worth merely played into this and reinforced his egocentric attitude.
Playing professional football, especially for Arsenal, is really a great privilege and it is a shame that he either had nobody he respected enough to keep him pointed in the right direction, or that he lacked the focus to understand how incredibly lucky and fortunate he really is. What has happened to Bendtner has been happening to other people who found themselves wanting the rewards but were morally incapable of accepting the responsibility that goes with it for years now and the psychiatrist’s couch is full of them.
Best he goes as soon as possible. I find his whole attitude appalling.
They are in a league of 22 teams. Other teams in their league includes , Deportivo La Corunas, Las Palmas , Sportimg Gijon, Real Mallorca , Zaragoza, Tenerife, Alaves and of course Real Madrid 2. It is competitive and hard because both Real Madrid and Barca B are in the relegation zone after 13 games this season.
Ng, he’s always complaining 😉
Evening Adam.
Thankfully, it seems we won’t have to wait too much longer…
Thanks Potter. 13 already, more than the PL let alone our reserves…
Hi Rico.
To join the Christmas coat brigade Mrs Adam has (yet another) coat after an afternoon stroll this afternoon. Not red though.
I look forward to seeing yours when you come to London. 🙂
🙂 Adam. You must have a big wardrobe to store all your coats…
I’m off to get dinner now, back in a while…
Rico. 🙂
Very true.
Well that feels better … 🙂
Ramsey is not playing today for Wales.
Why?
Injured or just excused national duty?
No idea Devil, just rested I suspect… I hope 😉
I’m off for the day now, have a good evening all…
Night all….
Gd night Lady and everyone.
c u tomorrow. 🙂
Rumour has it he has the famous virus infection that’s going round at the moment. Probably got it from Ozil or Per.
Hi Potter, think you have mis-interpreted my post if you think I’m defending Bendtner. Last thing I want to do! Just pointing out that when he has been on, we haven’t supplied a good cross, like the two Denmark provided for his headers against Buffon.
HIgh cross I mean by that. If he had lunged forward to Sagna’s great cross, we might have got the draw we deserved last week!
Yeah had he been on the other foot he might have made it.Personally as I said earlier he needs to leave , but along with a few of our young players I don’t think he’s had a fair crack of the whip. Our system doesn’t allow for our wannabees to develop properly,until that changes there will be many more like him. Wenger is under pressure to produce points and that gets in the way of producing players.
New post up…