Don’t you just love him?
He’s taken to this International Football like a fish to water. 😉
Despite all the rumours about Johan Djourou moving to Italy, he has denied this story and has committed his future to Arsenal. Not sure what to make of that one..
Onto todays post:
Arsenal blogs all over the Internet continue to talk about Arsenals owners Kroenke and Usmanov.
They are asking why two billionaires who have bought into Arsenal FC have decided not to spend any of their considerable wealth on making our club more successful on the pitch.
What’s the point of buying into a football club only to let it tick over as it always has, it’s a bit like buying a new house or a new car – you love both but regardless of how good it is or looks, you want to add your own personal stamp to it.
Whether that would involve a bit of decor change, fitting a few extras or buying a furry dice and alloys for the car, it’s all about increasing the value of your investment and making that investment that much more enjoyable.
However, with our two major shareholders comes a power struggle, Kroenke with 60 odd percent of the shares seems to be quite happy with us ticking over and making a good profit, where as Usmanov, our nearly 30% share holder wants to inject some of his wealth into the transfer fund, but for that he wants to be more involved with the club.
Supporters are at a loss to understand why Kroenke has declined Usmanovs offers to date, maybe he wants total control and fears the much wealthier Usmanovs involvement on the board would be too intrusive.
Whilst these two billionaires are looking after their own interests, Arsenal FC seems to be in a state of flux, we don’t seem to be moving forwards but we are just about keeping up with the rest of the so-called ‘top clubs’, not so much in a challenging way, more like just about keeping in touch.
It’s my belief that this situation could go on for some considerable time whilst the two owners try and outdo one another for the remaining shares available but whoever should acquire them doesn’t mean that things will really change, as both men are used to getting their own way.
This all seems to me to be a stalemate between the two as it appears neither one is prepared to work with the other for the benefit of the club. At the moment Stan Kroenke has control of the reigns and it looks as though he is quite happy with how the club is being run, where on the other side of the coin Usmanov must be getting a little fed up and frustrated with keep being dismissed by this current board.
Many other clubs in the Premier League are struggling money-wise and would really benefit from a rich investor and the longer the power struggle at Arsenal continues, the more I think that one of our owners may venture elsewhere.
Arsenal have undergone major changes by moving Stadiums, that in itself has almost doubled gate receipts so the hard work, you could say, has been achieved. We have been at The Emirates for a while now, so a lot of that investment has been paid back.
On paper we should be nearing the time that investment in the squad will take place and both our wealthy shareholders could see the light at the end of the tunnel and more money should be available for transfer funds, so if I was Kroenke and wanted to see Usmanov off, I would be tempted to invest such funds without the help of my business rival to show him that he’s involvement/money is not required.
Should that transpire and Arsenal start progressing, the supporters, Board, Manager and players would instantly follow Kroenke’s game plan.
Exit Usmanov.
Could that be Kroenke’s plan, could that time be now?
If so, we won’t have very long to wait before we all find out.
Written by Steve Palmer
Great post!
Im defo team usmanov… The yank simply isnt football minded. Also with usmanov you get mr Dein.. and bye bye shiny head ivan the tightass 😀
I think it would not be so bad if Stan came out and explained himself and set out a future for us but this saying nothing is not helping his cause.
Now for the Russian, do we want someone that could leave us like Chelsea or Man City where we pray every day the owners don’t get bored and leave us sitting in the mire.
I am happy with the self-sustaining model but we really need FIFA and UEFA to back the FFP to the hilt and ban teams who flout the law.
Morning all..
Cracker SP, Usmanov for me too Matty..
But, Stan is in for the long haul, maybe SP is right, now is the time to sort the squad out, get the deals done and Stan will stick his fingers up to AU…
Can’t see AU selling his shares though, not sure Stanley could afford them, unless his wife lends him a few pounds 😉
Evening all.
Did you guys see Joel Campbell’s latest goal…….brilliant LEFT foot lob.
I’m sure he’s a leftie……can anyone confirm one way or the other??
Anyway,very interesting read Steve.
Our clubs in a great position.
Stan will not allow us to go broke,and Usmanov has more money than god,so we’d be flush with him as well.
The futures looking very bright.
He’s not called silent stan for nothing Will, he won’t tell the fans anything, don’t think for one minute he thinks he should..
Don’t understand why people think that AU would walk out on us anymore than Stan would, Roman has been with Chelsea for a long time and he doesn’t appear to be getting bored.
AU is so wealthy, he doesn’t need to make money from us, ok he has a bit of a past, but if his arrival gave Wenger a hoof up the jacksie, and vowed to run the club in the right way, why is he deemed to be a worse owner that Stan??
Stan is hardly seeting the afc world alight….
I agree with Matty, Team Usmanov all the way. Yes he’s Russian and could be ruthless but I am sure Silverware would come our way.
Also Mr Dein would return and that alone brings exciting times on the transfer market.
What I hate the most is the silence from our major share holder, who has heard him speak about Arsenal, not many I would think.
I get envious of other clubs when you hear their owners or manager talking on national radio.
seeting = setting – doh!
This really is a problem. Stan needs to be more vocal, we are not a US team, the fans actually get involved in the UK so someone needs to inform him to be more open with his plans.
Haven’t seen it Scott, you have a link?
Lawrence – Silent Stan says it all really….
Usmanov has stated a wish for the club to pay dividends to shareholders, he wants to take money out of the club not put it into the club.
Additionally, while I can appreciate a wish to sign players, relying on a wealthy owner leaves the club hugely dependent on one person an with far fewer strategic long term options, especially if things go badly or they get bored.
I don’t know that I agree Lawrence.
I don’t think Arsenal FC should be about anything but the club and players.
Owners should sit back and it take the limelight,imo.
Do want people wondering what he owners next move will be,as in the case of Chelsea??
No,not for me.
http://football-talk.co.uk/64192/video-joel-campbell-scores-superb-lob-in-costa-rica-win
Shit,it worked lol.
Rico, will RA walk if the FFP comes in and stops stupid spending and Chelsea finish 6th/7th every season?
Scott your probably right but Arsenal runs through my blood and I just need to know more info, maybe showing a new signing every week in the transfer windows would be nice 😉
Thanks Scott
Just read that Park is after all, going to do his military service….
Agreed Lawrence,but that info could come from the board.
I’m having a bit each way….I just don’t want the club to turn into a soap opera.
Lawrence, then your alarm clock goes off… 😉
Will,I read that Abramovich was one of the instigators of FFP,believe it or not.
If the stories on Djourou are correct……his agent said he wants out and has offers,then Djourou tweeting he’s never entertained the thought…..then it’s another example of lowlife agents doing their best to cause crap in the name of personal gain.
How nice it would be if all the it clubs decided not to negotiate with agents anymore,and instead dealt with the player.
I know it won’t happen,but it would be nice!!!
Yeah but do you believe that Scott? RA knows one way to win, buy, buy and buy again.
I feel that there is a good chance we will splash some cash this Summer:
1) Last Summer’s slow start to the season because of our dealings in the transfer window
2) If we want to keep RVP we need to impress
3) We have very important commercial deals to negotiate which will kick in from 2014, so the importance of on field success next season is paramount to maximising our revenue from sponsorship and kit deals. ‘Speculate to accumulate’
4) 19 pts behind Citeh
5)Steve’s point about Kroenke’s game plan
6) Wishful thinking
Interesting take on the situation Steve, However following Ivan’s remarks that the clubs future relies on overseas income as the cash coming from the local base is not enough. I would think that it is dawning on the club that locally there is a lot of unrest. The problem is that there are factions of people in dispute laying the blame in different directions. . Should the actual situation about the much vaunted waiting list become clear then the direction the club will take might be clearer. If they can rely on full houses and get overseas money then I doubt that things will change . However if their sandcastle is showing signs of diminishing then investment in the team may well follow. The problem for the long term fan is who will be the first to jump off of the proverbial cliff.
What I can’t make out,
when arsenal football club applied for the loan to build the new stadium,one of the bank’s condition’s was that if the team were to be successful on the pitch the fan’s would be happy to pay to watch
not sure what the percentage was without looking it up as regard’s player investment,it seem’s the club have decided to give most of player’s wage increase’s instead of buying the class player’s we need to make the next step up,project youth has not worked wenger’s vision was to build the team around the spanish lad but he went home to mummy, hoping the penny has dropped,arsenal scout’s have 3 player’s in each postion ready to be signed,1 has already been signed,m’vile look’s like the deal has been done,I think the forward mentioned all over the paper’s may be on,and a goalkeeper/coach is being considered,other than that will be selling big time,Kyle Bartley I hope will be given a chance,he will fight for our club,he need’s game’s to get experience and will make mistake’s,Djourou has had a chance to many for me(seen milk turn quicker).
😆 Lee
Roman hasn’t spent too much in the last few transfer windows though, he did when he first arrived but that seems to have lessened recently..
imho, all he has done is strengthen where and when needed, this summer will be different there as many players are getting older or leaving.
He can afford to spend this year in accordance with FFP, £78 million was earned with the CL trophy…
my own view on JD is he is going, he is just saying all the right things to the fans…
Morning all, thank you Rico 🙂
I’m not sure i agree with a lot of you, Kroenke has not done anything wrong so far, we are financially stable and our debts are being reduced, we make profit and we are still top 4 i believe money will start being made available we have had one new buy in Podolski and it looks like there is a strong posibility that there might be some more, being silent is not that bad as the club is in pretty safe hands, and basicly we are only talking transfer money. I get annoyed when other clubs spend like its going out of fashion, but our club is safeguarded by no silly spending. Kroenke and Wenger are doing it the right way i believe by not entering the bidding war, they are sitting back and up till now have been frugal with their spending. But this coming season seems diferent to me Podolski coming and a lot of vibrations that players are heading our way, i am staying with Kroenke till the start of the season as i think we may just get our players
The question I ask myself is, what is something happens to Stan or Alistair, do we go into free fall? Now, what happens if something happens to RA or the Arab family?
Morning Steve
This is his summer, as it is Wengers. If Stan makes all the right moves and Wenegr makes the right signings, all will go quiet, if they both naff it up, the fans will turn.
I’m kind of with you, give them this summer….
Rico 10.19…….Torres, Luiz,Ramires…£90million – not insignificant. Last two windows maybe not so much as I’m sure FFP in his mind but I’m wondering now whether he’ll get splashing again(admittedly with some coming from CL divvies)
Typical, i have to go out and do a job will catch you all later.:)
Let us know when you have come up with the answer Will.. 😉
You know what i’m trying to say though Bob 😉
Morning Rico and all. When there are no definitive facts regarding the ownership we are left with conjecture. For a start, Usmanov has no power to spend or demand money is spent on transfers. He has no say whatsoever about the way the club is run. None of us know what Kroenke’s plan or strategy is. It is silly to insult Gazidis as he has no power to buy players either so to characterise him because he is bald makes no sense to me at all. At the hub of everything that is both right and wrong with Arsenal is Arsene Wenger. He makes the decisions but these are taken within the self-imposed straight jacket of self-sustainability. We all believe that the wage structure is wrong and needs re-balancing and Gazidis said this during his recent interview though he conceded that it will take a while before this can be adjusted. From what I see, the reason we won’t spend £30 million on a player is that Arsene doesn’t want to and it has absolutely nothing to do with Gazidis’ bald head. Ask yourself, how can we compete with Chelsea and Man City, who have literally bottomless pockets? The only way I can see is to either join them in a “spend-off” with Usmanov, or through shrewder management. But, for me, the ideal scenario would see Usmanov and Wenger operating together, perhaps with David Dein returning. Kroenke knows a good deal when he sees one though whether he could repel the kind of all-out financial goodies Usmanov could offer if he wanted the club at all costs could be interesting.
I think that,apart from the antis,fans are of the same opinion Rico.
This is the single most important transfer season in Wengers reign.
Usmanov says he is an arsenal supporter and he feel in love with the club around the time of the invincibles.
Kronke (can’t spell his name) on the other hand is a buisness man who wants to take money from the club and build his own fortune from our clubs profits!
Someone needs to put this before the board and force him out before he causes our club too much damage! If we don’t invest in an amazing squad in the next 3-4 seasons we will be mid table… Hate the thought of it but it’s true think about it!
Catch you later Steve…
Morning Adam – My problem with Stan is he doesn’t seem to force AW, nor does Gazidis who I assume acts as Stans mouthpiece with him being thousands of miles away.
I too have heard that AW is the decision maker re most things and he is the one who decides how much we will spend or not as the case maybe.
However, if we had a board with a bit more backbone, they would stand up to him more and tell him to do his job and and not the job of others within the club but all the time he is saving money, everyone appears to be happy….
Apart from us of course…
For me, the back room, Arsenal dream team would be.
Ivan and his slick Americans running PR and Marketing. Then Wenger with Dein running football.
And for Stan Scott, just as fans can get on AW’s back, they can easily do the same with Stan – we have seen it at so many other clubs, just hope we never get to see it at ours…
Welcome james, don’t worry, we don’t spell check here, we all know who you mean 😉
I read that AU goes to most of our home matches, unlike the major shareholder… Also read that he was at the same match as Wenger last night, a secret get together maybe…
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2158586/Jack-Wilshere-calls-cops-cocaine-claim.html
None of us really know the true long term intentions of either the Yank or Russian.
If Stan really does want to make money,he needs to raise the Apue of the club,since he can’t take dividends…is this correct??
If so,isn’t this a positive for the club??
Wouldn’t he need the club to succeed both in and off the field for his share value to rise?
You may be right Rico but that is the niche that Wenger has historically cut for himself. I doubt that any Arsenal manager before or in the future has had or will have his degree of autonomy. Gazidis said that every penny the club earns goes back in so, unless he is lying, or there is a massive pot of gold, it is what it is. Who of us, in our business lives, can compete with a rival with unlimited funds? And yet we can all see that 4 really good buys at around £60 million (?) and a shifting of several players, could do so much to make us truly competitive. And there’s my particular frustration. We all want someone to blame. It is, unfortunately, human nature. Personally, I blame John Terry for everything.
That’s is just it Scott – we don’t yet so many are quick to write off AU, but if he came out and said what his intentions were and they were to keep the club run in a fit and proper way, that he would on takeover invest heavily in the squad but from there after he would spend sensibly and in accordance with FFP etc, wouldn’t we all be over the moon?
We’d be a serious challenge then, and with it better sponserships etc etc….
I agree Adam, especially re the AW situation, the day DD was forced out, Wenger started his own ‘takeover’ which has spiralled out of control and I hope we never see anything like it again.
But, I also blame the club for allowing that to happen, they didn’t replace DD quick enough and AW was doing everything for a while and has just carried on.
Both IG and Stan came in long after AW was ‘controlling’ things, must be hard to suddenly stop doing what he was once doing.
Now though, on the pitch is where AW is needed and someone needs to remind him of that, and as you say, just four players, 60-80Million for the lot, and 20% of that amount can be generated by player sales…
On and off for a bit, few things to be doing….
With regard to the Dein situation I do have a little inside knowledge Rico through a close friend who knows the families involved. Dein and Danny fell out, badly. It was a business thing and happened long before the whole Kroenke/Wembley/Usmanov thing began to gain momentum. No-one within either family has ever spoken about why but I imagine it was a combination of finance and personal business honor as these things usually are. Fiszman and Hill wood couldn’t wait to get Dein out of the door but, in doing so, they placed personal animosity above the good of the club. We suffered and perhaps still are. Millionaires are strange creatures with their own money-laden idiosyncrocies. On a more positive note I think that Wenger actually held the whole thing together during that period of unrest. Gazidis actually mentioned it in his interview.
Lets wait and see until September 1st if we have not strengthened then we can see what the club wants to do, I think there will be movement in the boardroom as well as Stan agreed to a twelve month period where the board stayed on. I think he will start to bring his own people in and we will see a change of attitude there.
If we sign more experienced players again this season then perhaps we can start to see the change that Stan is bringing? OR perhaps now that there is a bit more cash Arsene is going back to his original methodology of buying under priced or under rated players.
I got my dogs racing papers in the mail today..
http://www.greyhound-data.com/db.php?i=1887836&time=133958215
Whilst understand the comments about putting faith in a very wealthy owner, just pray that Spurs don’t acquire one. I suspect the clamour for our Russian would be overwrlming.
“The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to the presence of those who think they’ve found it.”
― Terry Pratchett, Monstrous Regiment
Vernat. Good comment.
Name incorrect
I for one can’t wait for the new season. If we get the players we need, we shall have a great one, if we don’t, we should see sweeping changes.
We all know the truth,Vernat.
The truth is,none of us have a clue what the actual truth is 🙂
Thank Sir Terry Pratchett another of his quotes below, rings true i think especially about football fans
“The intelligence of that creature known as a crowd is the square root of the number of people in it.”
― Terry Pratchett, Jingo
Right people. You are in charge of Arsenal for one summer, this summer. What do you do to get us challenging again?
Scott
“Sometimes the truth is arrived at by adding all the little lies together and deducting them from the totality of what is known.”
― Terry Pratchett, Going Postal
Thats interesting Adam, but very sad too…
Re Wenger, no matter how much some slate him, he has always maintained that he loves the club and I honestly don’t doubt that for one minute. He just has a strange way of showing these days…
I don’t doubt that AW held the club together through the difficult times but he shouldn’t have had to, if DF/PHW wanted Dein out so badly, they should have had a plan b and had a replacement in long before IG came in.
I know DD isn’t everyone favourite but I am sure if asked, he would be back in a flash, but I can’t see that ever happening under SK..
So maybe its time to get off IG’s back, and carry on blaming john terry 😉
Get M’Villa,get Giroud,get Schwarzer,get Honda(after seeing him for Japan last night v Austalia,I’d have him over Kagawa anyday),keep RVP,Theo and Song,sell Squillaci,Park,Chamakh,stick a battery up Arshavins arse…..that’s all I’ve got lol….oh,bring in FFP.
Except for the battery,none of these are unrealistic….maybe FFP lol.
agree vernat, good comment and lets not forget the official TW hasn’t opened yet..
The French one though opens in days, could it be then we hear more about M’Vila and Grioud….
Scott, how would you fund that. Have you seen how poorly we do on the commercial side of things?
Rico,I stand by my thoughts on Wenger.
Whether he does the right thing or totally stuffs it up,I have no doubt his intentions are honourable and he does exactly what he thinks is right for Arsenal FC.
Will,those signings wouldn’t cost that much mate.
To be honest, the only two places our club fails on is PR and Commercial. Get those sorted and we would be miles better. As some of you have said, if Stan came out with his vision for the future of Arsenal, we could then work towards it as a club but leaving us in the dark hurts the club.
The board hae told us here’s money to spend.
Is there……if so,how much……these are questions I can’t answer,so I do what all Gooners…guess.
Trouble is Scott, all the time we see lack of signings where it is so obvious that we need them and we see crazy loses on the pitch when we shouldn’t and we see the same errors made week in week out, AW will always be quetsioned on what he is doing….
That happens in any walk of life….
he doesn’t help himself …..
Will, we have money, we can generate money/pay wages by selling the dead wood – we went through exactly the same thing this time last year when you asked the same questions…
Exactly Scott, the club is one giant living entity but by cutting us out, Stan is cutting the heart out of the club.
Err, on the pitch Will, that is where we are failing too, and that is more important, get back to winning and the rest will improve…
But, inadvertently it gave Arsene the opportunity to consolidate a power base. I doubt whether he wanted it this way but I imagine that the other directors were very, very worried that Arsene would walk after Dein. Plus I have little doubt that there is a slight whiff of the meglomaniac there as there would be in any of us who were, at the time, being universally praised. As ever, there is a balance to be arrived at and looking around the PL, only Fergie could possibly have pulled it off as well as AW and I doubt that he could have done it on the same budget. I very much doubt though that ANY other manager could have kept the team where it is for the past 15 years for the outlay that Wenger has managed, especially when you factor in the Emirates move. This is something that Spurs are probably finding out about now. Without their sugar-daddy, where would they be? As fans though, we always want more and quite rightly so.
Ok. I am off out to Isington to meet a couple of editors and talk nonsense over a lunch. Later.
Enjoy lunch then Adam, at least the sun is shining….
Are we failing on the pitch. We finished third behind Man Utd and a team who lost £197M to get the title. Is it a failure to finish behind them. We finished higher than Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham so is that a failure or success. I see where you are coming from Rico but we also need a dose of realism, we are going up against people who can lose more than we make and it doesn’t even make a dent.
Would you say that Mr Bloggs the butchers is a failure because he didn’t outsell Tesco’s or a success as he is still in business with a giant down the road.
Don’t get me wrong, I want to be winning things and challenging even more than we are now but there are many, many teams who would love to fail like us.
Is it possible our club is set to dominate he league in 5 years time??
Commercial deal renewals in a few years.
Some brilliant young players coming through.
FFP.
Stadium paid off.
When these eventuate,and they will,where exactly do you all see us???
Of course that is failing and i believe we can compete more, but that means not having the likes of squilli in the squad..
Its not about not having as much money as citeh etc, its about spending what we do have on the right players. we need 3/4 players, and not one of them has to cost £50M to be better than some we have…
Could it be that Wenger truly is a genius at work,seeing things in the future of football that nobody else has??
Is it just possible that 8-10 years of pain will bring 50-100 years of joy??
I think you are right Scott, I am waiting for the moment. I honestly don’t think Wenger makes too many mistakes and I think he has seen all this coming. I agree with you Rico, we have way too much dead-wood in the squad and we do need to trim, I honestly am very excited about the future and even more so about the coming season but I do tinge that optimism with a touch of realism.
Scott, when the stadium is paid off and everything that comes in is for the team, if the FFP gives what it promises, I think we are at the very top table.
I’m sick of talking though,can’t wait til the season kicks off!!!
Not really….I love discussing it!
Trouble is Scott, in those five years, other clubs like the dippers, chavs, citeh, mancs, spuds etc will get stronger, and as the PL showed us, we need to buy a few players just to keep up.
If we don’t, in five years time we could be further down the table…
‘the future’ is all we have gone on about for the last few seasons, but that future seldom seems to arrive, its the here and now that needs sorting out
I am with you there Rico and I believe that with Podolski, Giroud, M’Villa and a top class CB, we could be right up there and then the youths we have will be allowed the time to grow slowly into their roles.
Will, the stadium will not be paid off, unless a sugar Daddy splashes, for another 15 years(roughly). The new commercial deals though, could give us an extra £20 mill a year and will arrive in roughly 2 yrs – these are going to be much more significant particularly if FFP has any teeth. The £10 mill a year(roughly), the club pays in ‘mortgage’ payments will be appreciated down the line.
Rico , you make fair point about Chelski’s recent transfer outlay. Of course everybody’s net spend looks large compared to ours!
Exactly and they wouldn’t break the afc bank – add a keeper to those and we would be ready to really challenge..
And thats all most want to see, not conceding 49 goals and ending up so far away from the top of the league…
The funny thing is, 49 goals conceded and I think we have one of the best defences in the league. Now our midfield and their defensive duties on the other hand….
Exactly right Will….our defensive issues start further up the pitch.
Rico,FFP starts a lot sooner than 5 years,and we must have faith in it.
The kids are starting to come through,and we know Wenger is closer to getting the blend right.
It looks good.
Oh,and some influence from Bould won’t hurt either.
It sure does Bob 😉
Just why we need M’Vila or similar (Capoue) Will, and as Scott says, get Bould to start drilling them all more and as a unit…
FFP – I read clubs have 3 years to be even…
Well that’s less than 5 🙂
Firstly the FFP. Chelsea have been trying for 5 years to be self-sustaining and they can’t and Man City have no way of being self-sustaining, not of they are losing £197M a season. 3 years is a joke for them.
You are right about Bould, we need someone to teach the team how to defend as a team. The other thing I would teach the midfield is to be more decisive. We piss about with the tiki-taka football allowing our midfielders to be all over the pitch, then we lose the ball and it is a mad dash trying to get back into position. If we played the original Wengerball, with 2 or 3 incisive passes that split the opposition in half, we would be more f an attacking threat and keep players in position.
😛
BBC sport reporting Giroud to be announced this week
i don’t really give a hoot about what they are doing, all i care about is afc, and they need to start to show some ambition…
Can’t disagree with you there rico.
As far as the post. What guarantee’s have we that Usmanov has the interest of the club in his mind, because he has offered money to buy players does not make that so as he had strings with his offer, with the amount of money he has he could afford to give enough to buy a whole team without it making a dent in his pocket, surely that would show his commitment, What do we know about this multi billionare how he amassed that kind of fortune, many would give over the club for just a couple of bits of silver, Kroenke may not be building a fantastic team but he is helping to build a fantastic club and that is more than apparent, all thats lacking is players, like Steven Gerrard said the other night (this is just building a foundation, now we have to build on it.
Arsenal set to sign Olivier Giroud for £12m from Montpellier
By David Ornstein
BBC Sport
Arsenal are close to completing a deal to sign Montpellier striker and France international Olivier Giroud for £12m.
The Gunners are expected to confirm the 25-year-old’s arrival this week.
Manager Arsene Wenger intends to play him alongside fellow new signing Lukas Podolski and Dutch striker Robin van Persie in a front three.
The 6ft 3ins forward, who was an unused substitute in France’s 1-1 Euro 2012 draw with England, scored 21 goals in his club’s run to the Ligue 1 title.
If we sign him this week Will, Kroenke gets my vote 🙂
I still think we need a change in our playing style back to the more dynamic way we used to play.
Sounds promising re: Giroud…
M’Vila next and we’ll be buzzin’.
Need to move a few out to balance the books and then spend some more.
Sunny in the City…
Afternoon Gooners.
Afternoon Rico.
Great post Sir Stevo
Just seen that BJ, before the weekend i read too… fingers crossed its for real and not just more spin…
Afternoon Charlie, spot on 😛
quote
Supporters are at a loss to understand why Kroenke has declined Usmanovs offers to date, maybe he wants total control and fears the much wealthier Usmanovs involvement on the board would be too intrusive.
like I’ve always said. There is no profit in first rate players who don’t compliment the business model
Hope Holland get beat later, get RvP back in england as soonest…
alan, do you know someone on the board? Just you are always telling us about this ‘business model’….
Will, i think your right and changeing players is the way to do it. We have to play to the strength of the players no good having 3 great strikers if we feed them with crosses from Theo and the Gerve. Players like those 3 need constant feeding and our 2 wingers will have to liven themselves up. Your right in what you say about our back line, they need protection and a good signing there will certainly help sort that out, weak links are something we cannot tollerate, so players like song and Ramsey must buck up or move on, Ryo myaki is knocking on the door and The ox could easily get a first team slot, a decent 2nd Keeper and were on our way. These new players will be like a blood transfusion, getting Exciting lets hope it all goes to plan.
Alan,is this wet weather getting you down mate?
You’re not your normal chirpy self 🙂
Alan find nyourself a Kookaborough hole an relieve yourself mate 🙂
Steve, we also need to move the ball sooner. As I said, this tiki-taka is all well and good but not only does it move the opposition around, it moves our midfield around meaning we are out of position. The other problem with the tiki-taka style in the UK are teams like Stoke who will just bulldoze players off the ball with little is any protection from refs where in Spain, there is far less contact from defenders.
We need a return to the good old days or three or four passes and bang, shot off.
We have pace to burn, why not stop the barca tika-taka shite and play to OUR strengths?? It used to work for us, no?!?!
Will, with those 3 upfront i dont think tiki tacki will be the way, they will demand feeding and our feeders will have to make these telling passes. In all honesty our midfield have not been good and Song has had to venture up field to put passes in, Rosiski i think has been as good as i have seen him but others have given the ball aaway, with Arteta coming back fit and Wilshere hopefully getting back, we have a little more composure on the ball and that should make a vast difference, i think tika tacka is a thing of the past and our last few games it (was give the ball away)
Lee, pace is great matched with inteligence 🙂
What will be nice for me (if we keep him and get Giroud) will be that Van Persie can come deep and we will have a threat in the box still.
I hope your right Will, as i wouldn’t like Robin to leave but i have a niggly feeling.
I’d settle for that Lee…
Got to pop off, catch you later,…..
Steve, imagine being a defender and being faced with those three.
afternoon all!
Afternoon JM, what’s the news?
Ahead of the all-important Holland v Germany Euro 2012 encounter, wearethenorthbank.com thought it the perfect opportunity to share with you a fascinating insight into one of the most memorable moments in Dutch football history: Dennis Bergkamp’s amazing goal v Argentina at France 98, described by the man himself during the excellent David Winner interview from Issue One of The Blizzard. Thanks to our friends at The Blizzard for allowing us to share this great interview with the greatest player to have worn the red and white of Arsenal. Enjoy.
Holland v Argentina, World Cup quarter final, Marseille, July 5, 1998. The 90th minute.
“That’s my top goal, I think. Also because of everything around it. It’s a goal that gets you to the semi-final of the World Cup, a massive stadium, lots of people watching and cheering… My reaction afterwards was very emotional.”
You covered your face as if to say: “I can’t believe I’ve just done that!”
“I didn’t know what else to do! It’s funny. Every boy has a dream: ‘I want to score in the world cup. Score the winning goal in the final, of course. But in this way… to score a goal like that, in the style of me, you know? The way I score goals, on that stage, in a game that really means something, because that’s important to me too. I love good football, nice football but it has to mean something. It has to bring me somewhere. And that’s what happened with this goal. At that moment I thought about when I was seven or eight years old, playing football in the house, you know? This is the moment! It’s a good feeling.”
You’re a long way off the ground when the ball comes. For a wide receiver to catch that with his hands would be difficult. You do it with your foot! What were you thinking? How much was planned? How much improvised?
“Again, it’s a question of creating that little space, eh? So you get to that ball first. You’ve had the eye contact… Frank [de Boer] knows exactly what he’s going to do. “
You asked for the pass?
“Yeah, yeah. There’s contact. You’re watching him. He’s looking at you. You know his body language. He’s going to give the ball. So then: full sprint away. I’ve got my five, six yards away from the defender. The ball is coming over my shoulder. I know where it’s going. But you know as well that you are running in a straight line, and that’s the line you want to take to go to the goal, the line where you have a chance of scoring. If you go a little bit wider it’s gone. The ball is coming here, and you have two options. One: let it bounce and control it on the floor. That will be easier, but by then you are at the corner flag. So you have to jump up to meet the ball and at the same time control the ball. Control it dead. And again, like the Leicester one, you have to take it inside because the defender is storming that way. He’s running with you and as soon as the ball changes direction, and you change direction as well, then he’s gone, which gives you an open chance. Well, it’s a little bit on the side but it gives you a chance to shoot.
It’s an astonishing piece of control. How did you manage it?
“We talked about balance on the ground. This was balance as well, but you have to be in the air. You’ve got to be as still as possible, as if you are standing still… but in the air, and controlling the ball. If you’ve got a lot of movement, and try to control with the inside of the foot, then the ball could go towards the defender. So you want to keep it on the top of your foot. That gives you the best chance, and the best chance of controlling it. I’m not worrying about the angle of my foot because that’s something you do all the time. I know I can control almost any ball that comes to me. But I want to be very stable. I didn’t realise how high in the air I was. But you know you want that ball in that position. Not there but here. So you have to jump up to meet the ball.”
How much looking back were you doing while the ball was on its way to you?
“You first look back when the ball comes, of course. But there wasn’t much wind, so I’m looking forward, to keep sprinting, to meet the ball. You know the line, and at the last moment you think: ‘OK now I have to jump’. And when I’m in the air it’s going to meet my foot. There’s a little bit of calculation at that moment. But it’s experience.
And after you had landed it?
“You just think: that’s step one. You want to get the whole moment, the whole sequence. It’s three touches. Everything can still go wrong at that moment, so you are concentrating on doing it step by step. But you don’t know the steps. You can only do the second step if the first step is right. If the ball shoots on a little bit further, then you have to adjust again.”
So you’ve killed the dropping ball, you touch it inside to get rid of Ayala [the defender] and make a better angle, and you don’t take the shot with your left foot but with the outside of right.
“Yes because I feel more confident with that at that time. It’s in the middle of my feet and I have the confidence, and it’s not the right angle to take it as well with the left, because that’s a different kick. So I choose to take it with my right – ideally, the outside of the right – and aim it for the far post, then let it turn in…
It even curves.
“That’s what I wanted. Take it away from the goalkeeper and let it come in.”
Did it cross your mind that he might save it?
“No. Because when you’re in that moment… You know, sometimes you have these moments where you think: ‘This cannot go wrong! No way!’
God is flowing through it?
“Yeah. What can you compare it to? Different sports? Like running the hundred metres and you know this is going to be a good time? But you’re in that moment. That’s the feeling. After the first two touches… that moment! You give absolutely everything in that movement. It’s like your life has led up to this moment.”
Now that man was the BOLLOCKS!!!
i’m not at home.
I can’t watch, at least, the first half of Portugal match today.
We are linking to Gasaev…
Good day all.
@ lee – absolute LEG END.
Just watched that goal again, he was an artist.
Why doesn’t RVP take a leaf out of DB10’s book….
Amazing quality and a goal of real beauty to add to the 100 plus he scored for Arsenal.I remember when we signed him and Alan Sugar absolutely slaughtered Arsenal, saying it was a ridiculous and stupid amount of money and that the club would regret it, blah, blah, blah. Great judge old Sugar eh? At least he led his team into their 4th consecutive decade of mediocrity that happily continues today. Long, long may it last.
sugar & redknapp one of the same Adam!
Both ‘triffic old East End geezers Lee.
Anyway Adam, I’m looking forward to getting the Evening Standard and looking at that Shar Pei faced twat plastered all over the sports pages, again!!!!
Lee. I was really hoping he signed a long-term contract with Spurs but it looks as if Daniel “the weasel” Levy has seen through his bluster.
Adam, triffic all round geeza, and I was hoping he’d ruin spxrs like he’s ruined his previous clubs!
A brace of James’s!
Evening fine folk, Arry sacked yet 😉
Hope not Rico.
But who would they attract if he does Adam?
Talk is that Moyes is their number 1 target…
I hope he stays, otherwise they may attract a really good manager.
Bet their fans say the same about us under Arsene Wenger 😉
I bet they do. Could you imagine if Wenger had gone to them in 96?
Well, he didn’t so thats that really 😉
We could have had Christian Gross 😉
Bendtner has just scored – another £10 on his value 😉
But we didn’t 😉
And I am thankful every day Rico.
When we sell Nic, how much do you think we will get?
2.1 Portugal
Portugal must be rough Bendy scored, wheres JM
De Mateo 2 year deal at chelski
He’s price has just gone up Will 🙂
Is that Di Matteo confirmed Steve?
Around £8M i reckon Will… could go up though if he keeps scoring 😉
Just seen it Steve – I think that appointment is good for us, Chavs may have won the CL, but they dropped points under him in the PL – and if we keep RvP, add Grioud to Podolski, we will break down their defence with ease.
Add M’Vila too and that will stop their old midfield 😉
Yeh just announced it on the tele
not bothered with the chavs its united that i want to beat twice
Guys – Anyone with ESPN, after this season they will no longer be showing PL footie, BT have won that deal – hoorah 🙂
i want us to beat them both Steve, but yes, definately manure – i’m sick and tired of losing to that shower of s***e….
The Premier League have sold the domestic broadcast rights for 2013-16 for £3.018billion to BSkyB and BT.
Sky have bought five of the seven available packages for the seasons 2013/14 to 2015/16, totalling 116 matches per year while BT have 38.
BT have acquired the rights for 32 matches in the first season of the deal but their package includes 18 of the 38 first-choice picks, which means some of the biggest games will theirs.
without football they will probably go freeview 🙂
spooky vernat 😉
prob Steve, no-one will sign up for espn at 9.99 a month without footie, good, that channel is a rip off…. afc should get in touch with BT and get our club back with a tv deal.
Boo! Hey ya, rico. 🙂 Howdy? I don’t like that BT bit; there’s only ESPN and Star here. 😕
Another good write, SSP. A hard choice but Usmanov just about edges Kroenke for me. That’s cause the latter has not done much, and I honestly don’t feel that he’s emotionally invested in our club.
The Dutch must win tonight! 🙂 Would make for quite an interesting last match for all teams in the group.
New TV deal could mean around 20 million extra per club if there is an even split.
Boo to you agag, you will have to do what i have to, log on to a rubbish link 😉 Not sure that espn overseas is the same as here in the uk, you seem to watch matches live that we can’t…
I want Germany to win, Holland out and Rvp finally sorts his deal out, one way or the other 😉
Hi Agag, trust you to go with the money bags they say money goes to money 🙂
thats another two players for Wenger vernat 😉
off for dinner, back in a short while….
the talk is that robim might be benched in favour of huntyourdinner
Roger Milla appeals for calm after player is set upon in Yaounde after defeat by Libya
Next season Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger might consider ordering Alex Song to spend the summer at the Emirates after the midfielder found himself in trouble in Africa for the second year running.
Goal.com reports that the Cameroon international was attacked in the capital city Yaounde following the side’s defeat by Libya in a World Cup qualifier. The assault took place after a training session on Tuesday as Song walked though the Kennedy Avenue area of the city.
“According to eyewitnesses, the assailants, most of whom were young boys, accused the 24-year-old Arsenal midfielder of being responsible for Cameroon’s 2-1 loss,” reported Goal, which said he had been subjected to “blows from [the] angry fans”.
However, the BBC said that he player was not physically attacked and “had only been surrounded and shouted at”. But the incident and an attack on the team bus a week earlier have prompted Cameroon legend Roger Milla to appeal for calm ahead of the Indomitable Lions next game against Guinea Bissau at the weekend.
The attack on the team bus even came after Cameroon beat DR Congo, with the fans throwing stones and claiming the team were just lucky.
“Football in the country has been in the doldrums for some time,” reports the BBC. “And Milla was stripped of his post as the honorary head of the Cameroon Football Federation because of his vocal criticism of the people running the game there.”
Last summer Song also ran into trouble while back in his homeland and was arrested and accused of beating up a student in a bar in Douala. The victim claimed that Song turned nasty when he hasked for an autograph and left him “in a drain”.
At the time there were reports that the Arsenal midfielder could end up being sent to jail for two years but he managed to avoid prison as Arsenal ended the season in third place. ·
Bentner scores again another mill on his price
Cable TV is cheap here, SSP. 😉 20 US dollars a month for maybe 50-60 channels plus a nominal fee for premium ones. 😉 And I have no money. I have shoes lots of though. 😛
I hope so, rico. 😉 We used to have soooo much more football…
I see Bendy’s just scored again. 😉
3.2 portugal, How much is 20 dollars in english Agag, mind you the hours you work i’m suprised you get to watch TV specially with your luv life 🙂
That’s 13 GBP/month. 🙂 And SSP, I’m a lady, we know how to multitask. 😀 😀 Ask rico. 😉 Your lot can never learn that fine art. 🙂
Surely, Bendy would have some takers now. 😉
I stand corrected Agag, can’t even cook beans 🙂
Back again with a full tum 🙂
Lee, that about Song is quite disturbing….
Multi tasking agag, i am the best 😉
Come on Germany 😛
Rico, I think £8M is a fair asking price.
Go Gomez 😉
If he keeps scoring in these euros, maybe £9M Will, but somewhere around there – more importantly, we need his £50K a week off our books….
Shame we could not get him.
we can’t get them all Will 😉 But we might get Grioud 😛
RvP wants AW to show ambition in this transfer window – which i accept and agree with
But, the service he gets is far superior at club level than it is at international level….
Blloomin heck, we should get him Will 😉
Holland are shocking, simply shocking….
Again, can’t argue with you here Rico. If we do get Giroud, I am excited to see what he can do and I saw on another blog that if we get all three, we will have three forwards that combined, scored 69 league goals last season.
That makes a change Will 😉
Seriously, Pod, RvP, Grioud – with Campbell and Afobe as back up, thats just what we all want.
Then M’Vila, and with all the probs with the Spuds, try and get JV…
Add a keeper and anything else is a real treat imho….
As I said to Steve, imagine being a defender and seeing Van Persie, Giroud and Podolski in the opposing team.
Reducing the 49 goals conceded is imperative!!
We need a “proper” defensive midfielder, get a top drawer one and we’ll be nearly there……
Lee, just not a Dm which is a MUST but to get the rest of midfield to try and keep position.
Schweinsteiger & Ozil are the heartbeat of the German team!
Podolski isn’t even in the game 🙁
Wilshire,Song,Arteta,M’Vila,Coquelin,Diably,Rosicky,Frimpong,Ramsey, Ox……lots there!
Saving himself for the PL. 😆
Diably – as in Vicar of Lee 😉
I reckon so too re the Pod….
Holland are on their way, RvP is causing all sorts of unrest with the fans, he’ll be so glad to get back to london and sign on where he is loved 😛
Fuck it, I’ve lost £50 coz the clogs!
Bloody iPad!
on their way OUT i meant 🙂
Springwatch is now on in my house grrrrrrr
what is the score please?
You nearly got the opportunity to buy my bet off me! 😉
0-2 to Germans still
Khedira is he not the DM that WATH rates?
No thanks Lee – I need my £50 😉
Not sure, i thought he was a M’Vila and Fellani man…
Hummels, Ozil,Schweinsteiger and Lahm I’d like to see with a canon on their chest!!!
No Lee, he is the Dm I have raved about for around 18 months.
How’s the game going guys??
Good player!!!
Just got the score……was busy reading posts when it was put up.
Why not the other seven players Lee 😉
Hi Scott…
He is exactly who we need in the centre of the pitch Lee.
Holland, two games, two defeats [?], none scored, three conceded…
Didn’t see that one coming…
Do you think after this, Robin will see how great he has it with us?
RVP wonder goal!!!!
Robin, top class goal
Right peg!!
Will – see my 8.58 🙂
Hi Charlie, Robins coming home 😉
Ah – 2-1 then
Nothing is definate in this group though, regardless of the result tonight…
Calm down Stan….. 😀
Football is now back on… 😛
Bendtner to stay???
Both very good finishes.
Hope not.
That was a sensational strike from RVP.
Podolski is stuck out on the left where everything seems to be going straight up the middle.
Maybe it’s a tactic to cut through the Dutch.
Rico, i do hope you’re right about Robin…
Stan must be in bits…. 🙂
Ozil has Marty Feldman minces!!
Played the right way he’s effective Lee.
Just tape over his gob lol.
So we agree again Rico, we will have to stop this or people will talk.
I think Robben’s got the hump!! 😆
Scott – No re Nik
Charlie, i’m always
rightwrong 😉Robben has to be the most selfish player ever….
Has The Pod touched the ball?
Oooohhh,I rank Ronaldo up there,and Bales shown himself to be a self centred wanker this season,but Robben probably noses them out.
Had to hppen sooner or later Will, I knew you would come round to my way of thinking 😉 😉
Didn’t Wath want us to sign this dutch keeper :oops :
Actually, so did I 😆
Bale has to be the most over-rated played in the league.
The Greeks have apparently applied to Uefa for 3 points after their loss to the Czechs!!!
Why Lee?
have i just fallen for one of your naughty ones lee….
Oh well, I’m offski guys, the two legged ones need locking up…
nighty all, have a good one, catch up tomorrow….
Jeez Rico, sharpen up! Goodnight all….
good night everybody!
Just read Dzagoev is out of contract in December.
Surely a player of his age and apparent quality will be looking to go to a bigger league,else he’d have extended already.
His club will want to cash in,so let’s hope we’re talking to him.
I still don’t get it Lee 🙁
Morning all….
Greece as a country keep getting financial bail outs….
Ex-Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has said he was sad to leave the club, “It’s a shame the way things have turned out.” Redknapp said “But I’m happy with the pay-off of £3m which after tax will be £3m…….”
Doh!!
😆 Lee – made me laugh, he said in court he couldn’t read well, write well or use a computer etc etc, but he soon read the comments on twitter etc when it said he’s resigned…
Martinez or Moyes to the swampies then….
Juande Ramos or Gross please!
Martinez is our next manager,so bugger off Spuds!!
Morning boys and girls.
Good Morning Fine Folk.
I am applying for the job at the swamp.
Just sent my CV with all the details.
Hope I manage to sell myself better than Harry.
HAPPY SPURSDAY!!!!!!! Beautiful….
Pep Guardiola is our next manager!!!
It’s a gift that keeps on giving!! 😆
I thought Pep was our next Scott 😉
That won’t be difficult devil 🙂
Spooky Lee 😉
I have another thought about who we could do with and i’m not telling 😉
Player or staff?
Shall i put the new one up, its exciting 😉
Manager
I really love this blog and all its bloggers. So I want to show you how much by applying for the vacant Swamp job. You can all place your bets that the scum from the slum will be relegation material next year. So you can all be rich. My aim is to make the swampies prove once and for all that they are always a championship club.
Tampon?
😆 devil
Another blonde moment Lee….. Who??
G**b**….
Gilberto Silva????
Remi Garde????
Got it Lee… – I thought he was going to run the club 😉
Onya Devil.
I will have my house on Black Caviar to win,all up Spuds to be relegated.
Gotta love a certainty.
Pep….he’s the dream guys,and I’d love to see it.
Keep guessing devil and no, not Grimandi either 😉
Global domination as well…
Reckon the Chavs have him pencilled in Scott, hence the short deal for Di Matteo…
I forgot about our own home grown lad,Lee.
Where’s he been lately??
Thierry Henry???
Dennis Bergkamp????
Robert Pires???
Martin Keown???
Rico,two years is a career manager at Chelsea lol!!!
New Post is up guys….
It’s not really that exciting….
devil, nope 😉
He won’t last two years Scott, the CL was a fluke 😉
Also, its the PL where is really matters, and Di Matteo goofed a few games there
And you can also bet that this is what will happen to the Shit Lane……………