Daily Bits and Bobs

Ray Parlour Backs January Signing. Double Boost! Arteta Returns As Hayden & Bellerin Called Up….

Posted on by rico

Morning all.

Here he is. The man heavily rumoured to make a move from the Scottish PL to the English PL and join us in January.

Virgil van Djik....
Virgil van Djik….

Nearly every newspaper believes Virgil is the £7 million man wanted by Arsene Wenger in January! The 23 year old Dutchman stands 6′ 4″ tall which is great, but is he ready for Premier League football?

Ray Parlour says yes:

Van Dijk would be a good signing. Arsenal look really short at the back. Koscielny is out now for a little while, which is another blow.

Arsene is just hoping he can get through to January. He’s got to go out and buy a couple of defenders. He needs to strengthen if they’re going to have a serious run on the Premier League title. You need to have a big squad.

It’s Saturday, the PL returns and we kick off at 3pm at The Emirates!

Last night saw the return of both Theo Walcott and Serge Gnabry albeit for the under 21’s. Who cares, it’s playing time and both of them needed it. Theo made it through until half-time, Serge played on for a bit longer and as far as I know, both are fit and waking this morning. Abou Diaby also returned after suffering a little hip problem. None will be involved today of course but Mikel Arteta will be. He’s back and raring to go, well, he’s back.

Around five months ago, we huffed and puffed are way past Hull City in the FA Cup final. They hit us hard from the off, stunned us with two very early goals and to be honest, I didn’t know if we had enough in us to get the two goals back let alone a winner but we did. Somehow we did.

Apart from Alexis, Welbeck and ‘the never played’ Joel Campbell, our squad for today is pretty much the same, perhaps weaker with the absence of so many players. Ozil, Koscielny and Calum Chambers who serves a one match ban, all miss out. Hector Bellerin and Isaac Hayden are expected to be in the squad as both missed last nights game. Both young, inexperienced in the Premier League but no doubt chomping at the bit and quite excited at the thought of playing at home in front of their own fans. Will they both start? Somehow I doubt it, in fact rumour is Francis Coquelin might fill the right back position. If he does, then perhaps that’s because Wenger believes him to be more experienced, allowing Hayden to stand tall alongside Mertesacker in the middle.

Meanwhile, Hull City present a very different side to the one we faced at Wembley, they are stronger after Steve Bruce had a busy summer transfer window signing Hernandez, Ben Arfa, Ramirez, Diame and Ince. They can brag about having thirteen international players on duty over the last fortnight and I think that’s more than us!

I hope they all return feeling like Sterling did midweek for England……

But, for all their international players and new signings and looking a lot stronger on paper, Hull have had a similar start to the season as us. Since the opening day of the season, they couldn’t buy a win until just before the international break when they defeated Crystal Palace, the rest have pretty much been draws with a couple of defeats thrown in.

Nikica Jelavic and Mohamed Diame are the players to watch out for. Between them they have notched up seven goals which is about as many we have managed as a team!

Can’t say I’m overly confident about today, despite the history books suggesting this game has a home win written all over it.

The experienced players need to step up today, they need to show maturity, discipline and lead by example. If Bellerin and Hayden do start, they’ll need their calmness and togetherness around them. Don’t leave them exposed and don’t let them be the fall guys. Go out as a team and play as a team. Defend from the front when needed and let’s see pace, width and a lot of passion going forward.

Enough of the draws, it’s time to start scoring more goals, getting more points and putting in a much more solid performance.

Starting today!!

That’s it for today, let’s hope its a great one for Arsenal FC…

 

rico

285 thoughts on “Ray Parlour Backs January Signing. Double Boost! Arteta Returns As Hayden & Bellerin Called Up….”

  9. BrainwashedKev says:

    Gonna be a tough game today, Hull will be looking for a bit of revenge for the Cup Final…

    A 2-2 draw I reckon…

    Monreal or Hayden?
    Coquelin or Bellerin?

    Probably Monreal & Coquelin…

    Arteta is gonna be busy today methinks…

  12. BrainwashedKev says:

    Not negative Scott.
    Cynical perhaps 🙂

    You live in an environment where the sun always shines.
    It’s easy to be positive mate…

    Today in London Town it’s cloudy and miserable.
    Just like me… 😉

  13. scottfromoz says:

    Hahahahahahaha.
    Onya Kev.
    We should roll Hull.
    Maybe not 3-0, but we will fire up today and get it done, I believe.

  16. Bt62 Gooner says:

    Rico, can we call on International Rescue?
    Good solid post….hope the team today follow your example…
    Morning all….

  17. rico says:

    As it’s a 3pm ko, I won’t be able to watch so if anyone fancies doing tomorrows post, doesn’t have to be a report, just a view – i’d be very grateful….

    Don’t all shout at once though.. 😉

  27. dublingunner says:

    morning, jeez it,s like the start of a new season, not much to be saying during those international breaks, although the republic of Ire, done well, with an away draw to Germany.Were Sitting pretty at the top with Poland, although early days. Isn,t 2 weeks a long time in football, Should win today, but as we know, teams always turn up when they play us.

  28. rico says:

    Thanks Andrew, that two week break certainly felt like a closed season it went on so long…

    Drake, is that the guys whose agent reckons is set for talks over a move to us?

  30. tsgh says:

    morning Rico, Scott, Bt and all…

    Rico your ‘prognosis’ of the squad was what most folks feared. When Sagna was around at least we had experienced cover at the back.. This time we have Nacho M. and Per partnering potentially…

    Negligence or living on the edge may be AW’s modus operandi these days… 🙂

    Fingers crossed, Syg’s prediction from the ‘Oracle Inn’ will come true… lol

  32. rico says:

    Morning Ts, but we’d still have no right back. At least Monreal offers more height than Sagna and he’s naturally left-sided… lol

    Hayden for me in any case…

  34. dublingunner says:

    True, rico, with martin o neill and roy keane at the helm, you can see the belief coming back into the team, actually all the home countries are surprising a lot of people, i.e N irland, scotland, and wales, long may it continue.

  39. rico says:

    Amen to that Dublin, apart from the Scots.. lol

    Drake, thought you said he was a DM?

    Paulb – let’s hope you are wrong re the result…

  48. rico says:

    Thanks Tai, but you can’t tell other fans to be upbeat if they don’t feel that way..

    I’m far from confident…

  55. sukky says:

    Even if Ramsey is available,he should not be playing at †̥ђis moment,not 100% and not really in good form lately won’t help him.I think campell or poldi will start.

  57. sukky says:

    Ramsey and Arteta will both get injured again if Wenger try to rush them back.As we know JW10 is a walking time bomb that can explose any time,we will be really short in the middle.Well,I had a dream that welbeck and alexie played as a double pivot,don’t tell me ♍Ɣ dream is happening….lol

  62. Adam says:

    BT. No mate. I had an early night and a Linda McCartney veggie sausage sandwich for lunch. 🙂
    See ya later.

  65. Xr!s says:

    There’s a rumor that Wenger might play Ramsey today and may even start him. I hope he doesn’t get rushed back to the team. Just bring him on in the second half if he has to play

  67. sukky says:

    Wenger doesn’t believe in his team,he will start Ramsey if he’s available and he will get injured again.Le coq as a DM against hull won’t be a disaster

  70. Wavy says:

    Afternoon all.
    Match day…..at last. 3-1 I reckon, conceding 1 goal is nearly inevitable! Hope we don’t go 1 down as, according to Wenger stats we will have an85% chance of not winning!
    Apparently.

    Van Dyke? Wasn’t he an artist? Painted people and that! I hope he doesn’t play with his brush out during games or he fiddles with his oils! We don’t need any more distractions at the back!
    Mmmm, an artist at the back, a piss artist perhaps?……..another Adams?? He was an artist if ever there was one!

    COYGs

  92. ozgunner says:

    2 wins from 7 is it? League is gone for mine already but must keep in touch with the top 4/5 teams – need to win this

  102. Joaquim Moreira says:

    this refere is very poor.
    Four referes in the pitch and no one of them have seen the big fault before the Hull’s goal
    Fabregas: another big gme

  104. Rick says:

    1-1 h/t.
    Hull goal should not have been foul on Flamini.
    Its been one way traffic with 70% of the ball.
    Bellerin having good game .
    Final Ball poor

  111. tsgh says:

    Gazidis on amount of cash: “it’s nowhere near the numbers that are quoted and which fuel some degree of dissatisfaction

    Backtracker premier.. lol

  112. ozgunner says:

    we’re stale sukky – the whole thing is long overdue a shake up – need new visions, new tactics and whole new approach

  115. tsgh says:

    Oz- IG is a spin master…
    When he has to walk the walk he knows how to duck right behind Monsieur Wenger…

    Hey Scott my man…

  116. tsgh says:

    Personally, I have gotten tired of this team… 2 or 3 individuals seem to play for the plaudits. Too many players in a free role without end product…

  118. tsgh says:

    FC Ufa could be removed from the Cup of Russia for some irregularities in @IAMFRIMPONG26 Visa. Syg must have had something to do with that…

  122. tsgh says:

    well Scott, we have improved but the competition has improved vastly so yes relatively we are stuck on the traps as you say.. shame really.

  126. Judge me in May says:

    Spin spin spin and more spin.. even from our own fans!!
    The problem is obviously Wenger not doing his job properly and we say this player or that player is doing this and not doing that..
    Hull first goal shouldn’t have stood.. clear foul on flamini..
    2nd goal is just pathetic.. The giraffe can’t jumb for his life.. disgraceful..
    Wilshere not having a good game so far..
    Why Wenger don’t switch Ox to right and Sanchez to left
    Poor organisations again from Wenger..
    He is a fraud by all means..

  137. Nashua gunner says:

    He should have left after the FA Cup. That would have allowed him to keep some of his respects intact.

  147. scottfromoz says:

    We didn’t deserve the win, plain and simple.
    2 goals should always be enough to beat Hull at home.
    Im not looking for positives here, but Campbell already showed enough to raise the question of why he hasn’t been used before?
    Seriously, he offers so much more than Sanogo, yet hasn’t had a crack.

  150. dublingunner says:

    if arsenal had of lost that game, it would of been our worst start to a premier league season, 2 wins from 8, only 1 more than QPR and Sunderland. depressing.

  152. scottfromoz says:

    Who knows Ginge?
    Sanogo is at least a year off, if he ever will good enough, but this guy had some great touches.

  153. tsgh says:

    Tactically- AW it hurts to concede is/ has become stale…

    too many players given free reign when they haven’t earned it…

    A ‘pragmatic’ coach will know that there are certain games where you can’t go in with plan A/B…

    This was a game where we needed to set up robustly at the back irrespective of missing personal and nick a win…

  155. tsgh says:

    Ah- lol

    I agree Scott… the boy is hungry and deserves a chance imho…

    Too many busy bodies in our team without end products…

  156. AndrewH13 says:

    Two wins out of eight, worst tears at start of season about our defence coming to fruition. We were bound to get injuries going into season with six defenders. Crass, waste of Sanchez and Welbeck goals. You cant keep letting in goals like us and we in many games.

  157. ozgunner says:

    as supporters we over rate many of our players and so does the management, that was very clear again today – poor poor result. The up side is this is shaping very much as the last season for Wenger and christ for that.

  159. tsgh says:

    SK is not going Ng…
    AW should have walked in May…
    Our transfer strategy is inept… we have moved from last minute market sweep to buying a big name to appease the fans and then scrounge for the rest…

    Hope this does not read wrongly but I am not big on bringing through so many English players for the sake of it…
    English defenders and the odd target man but that is where it should end… imho of course!

  161. tsgh says:

    Indeed we do Oz.. Aw has to take loads of the blame but to be honest with you most of our so called better players are 2nd rated garnished as world class 4 times a season at best…

  162. Judge me in May says:

    I am glad you said it scott, Wenger selects sanogo ahead of Campbell or even akpom is a sackable offense.. Never mind his negligence to address the defensive issues of the team..
    And here come the pathetic excuses from the 8 million a year man..

  163. tsgh says:

    We can’t blame lack of pace anymore… i.e OG12

    When a coach says he is playing 4-1-4-1 so he can accommodate 1 player but then the set-up ends up making our most expensive player ineffective…. questions have to be asked…

  164. ozgunner says:

    and lets not forget the end all arguments statement from the top “Arsene Wenger has complete control over the football side of the business.” Off to bed for me

  165. tsgh says:

    The thing is AW wont rate JC28 because he did not sign him apparently..

    JC would have been sold if he had had an average wc last summer..

    Olympiacos have a view to buy him and we were willing to sell him to Benfica 20 minutes before their deadline… if it was not because they were ahead of UK time, JC would have been gone imo…

    Forget Yaya though… the player who irks me the most is Flamini… clueless. imo…

  167. Nashua gunner says:

    You would hardly believe it Arsenal playing and AW is the manager. Boy oh boy, I dreamt of those days that were far gone.

  170. tsgh says:

    night Scott…
    Ng- Boro Primac has to go and maybe Stankoic(spelling) and then we can see if Aw can change a few things otherwise AW is walking the thin plank…

  181. rico says:

    Lol Bt, I didn’t catch any of the game but have had a few texts saying we were good until their dodgy goal and then it went to rats doo doo…

    Hi Ng.

  183. Adam says:

    Just got home. Absolutely shocking apart from the time before they scored. No game management from Wenger. Nothing in fact. Terrible crowd reaction during the game and outside the stadium. Bad, bad performances all over the pitch and a few big-time Charlie’s who have plenty to say but have done nothing in the game yet.

  184. sukky says:

    Flamini is clueless,le coq could have done a better job,JC28 is really †̥ђƺ guy for us(even at CF),he’s stronger,faster,and have a good link up play than welbeck(not criticising welbeck) but why must he play even game when someone who’s better is on †̥ђƺ bench.Wenger is clueless,old,stubborn and arrogant.Stupid team,stupid manager,stupid board.if Wenger handles real or Barca,he won’t win anything

  187. tsgh says:

    Rico.. if we lose against Anderletht(spelling) we will be effectively 6 points behind BVB imo… we already struggle away from home…

  192. rico says:

    Adam, glad you had a good afternoon!!

    When is this s**t going to end? We should be spanking Hull, home and away!

    Still, I bet the referees performance will be to blame…..

  196. Adam says:

    Rico. The club refused to show the Hull first goal both after it was scored and at half time with the rest of the er….cough, highlights. So there must have been something iffy about it. The level of time- wasting was epic.

  201. Joaquim Moreira says:

    11 points off the top and it’s not yet November. Wenger under pressure… again and bye bye The League

  205. rico says:

    Strictly and X-factor for me now – more pantomime stuff!!

    Have a good night all, perhaps we’ll wake up to the news that Arsene Wenger has had enough…..

    Night all, have a good one…..

  206. Adam says:

    If you look at what Gazidis and Keswick said at the AGM then you can only conclude that there are no targets for Wenger to meet and no real expectations as to his performance, apart from those that he places on himself which seem to diminish every year. Contrary to what some assume, he runs the club and makes all the decisions. To all intents he is a dictator simply because nobody else has a fucking clue what is going on. Keswick is an old millionaire inheritor of Hill-Wood’s ancient old-git position, who plays bridge 4 times a week and is happy for Wenger to make all the decisions while Ivan is really just a politician and spin doctor. Kroenke is the moustached member of an American family of billionaires who own several sports franchises that share nothing but their lack of achievement and ambition. From what I understand he is a long-haul investor with eyes on selling the rights to Arsenal games around the world on the internet. Oh joy. And that’s about it really. No ambition, no plan for success, no dynamism, no energy, just a load of old blokes taking the piss out of the fans and earning millions for themselves in the process. What we are seeing on the pitch is the direct result of that mindset. Is it really any wonder that we are in such poor shape?

  215. Lee says:

    No happy clappers about to blow smoke up Wenger’s pipe?
    Shocking shocking result…. still only another 3 years of this mediocrity to put up with.
    Wenger out!

  218. Wavy says:

    I’ve just started a callender countdown and I’m ticking off the days! There seem to be an awful lot of numbers! And awful lot of ink required.
    I’m not happy! Not happy at all!

  221. BrainwashedKev says:

    Evening All…

    Had a chat with a mate earlier, who went to the game…
    Pity the poor sap who has the job of writing up tomorrow’s post about today’s game. 🙁

  224. Nashua gunner says:

    Several years ago Liverpool threw those two Americans out of their club. They made all kinds of promises including a new stadium, and never delivered. They even refused to leave until Liverpool took them to court. It about time we start saying ‘SK OUT’. Because AW out is not working. We should go after the bloody owner. Because , what he care or concern for is profit on his borrowed capital. No regards for those (supporters) who make the profit possible.

  229. Joaqum Moreira says:

    Manure suffer eight goals today!
    In eigth games for the League we only won 2. How can we be champions?

  235. Lee says:

    Mertsacker 6’6″ and he can’t fucking jump let alone run!
    Another injury to Wilshere…..
    As Potter said the squad has holes all over it even if wenger addresses the glaring deficiencies in the January window I just don’t think he’s up to the task of managing Arsenal anymore. Sad but true.
    We shouldn’t be afraid of change, there will life after wenger!

  236. Adam says:

    Morning Brudder. Be careful. The happy clappers won’t like that. As far as they are concerned, when Wenger eventually leaves, we shut the stadium doors for the last time. 🙂

  242. Lewis says:

    Any other decent manager could get this squad playing. Arsene has been past it for years. To not address out defensive frailties in the summer is a sackable offence in my view. Add that to the long list.

  244. Lewis says:

    All the players they’ve signed have been brilliant and would have improved our squad. But our inept leader and his below average backroom team couldn’t find any players to improve us.

    They won’t be held accountable.

  245. Adam says:

    BT. 🙂
    Talk in the ground yesterday was all about the next manager. Wenger’s time is over. He just doesn’t know it yet. Nobody I spoke to sees Jonker as remotely viable and neither do I.
    Treat your fans as customers and you deserve to be judged dispassionately. The whole club hierarchy actually stinks now. The club I grew up close to and loved is only linked to this Kroenke-owned shambles by a name. It s one of the saddest things for me and I am sure many, many others.

  246. rico says:

    6-0 up and the Saints manager is shouting at his players to get more goals. Now that’s what a proper manager does, not go 2-0 up in games and take the foot off the gas…

    Haven’t got to our drab game on Motd yet….

    Morning Adam, Lee, Kev, Bt, Lewis, Scott and all…..

  248. rico says:

    And that’s a club which was stripped of a few very important players in the summer…

    Worried about changing manager at Arsenal. No, bring it on Asap I say….

  252. rico says:

    Just seen the highlights, what the heck is Merts doing for both goals? One he gave up, the second, well, his feet barely left the ground…

    Shocking!

  253. Adam says:

    Lewis. Agreed.
    No doubt the absurdly poor refereeing will get most if the blame but we must look deeper than that. Wenger’s whole schtick for the past decade is that big money has come in and destabilised the status quo, the natural order of things. Well, we have spent big money now, have a huge wage bill, a massive stadium and a club that milks money from its supporters while having no real plan or concept of our future other than Arsene’s whims and footballing wisdom which seems unchanging as the years go by. No account is given as to who we are playing and what tactics they might employ against us. Playing this Arsenal must be more predictable than just about anything else in this unpredictable world of football. Simply relying on a player to conjure up a moment of genius which will enable us to score that one more goal than the opposition seems to be the ‘plan’. Indulging average performances and failing to equip a squad with the depth or the tactical nous to counter different opponents is, it seems, not part of the master plan. And if it is predictable for opponents, it is crushingly so for fans. The club and the players are just drifting along in a haze of complacency lead by an old bloke who will not be told anything, an American owner who knows as much about football as I do about bloody baseball and a chairman whose main claim to oxygen seems to be that he manages to play Bridge four times a week.

  255. rico says:

    I’m not defending Wenger here, not one bit but some blame has to be placed on the players shoulders. Merts, an ex German international was shocking…

  256. Adam says:

    Rico. I can’t see it happening. I like Wavy’s take on it in that Wenger simply must be considering his position now. I see he reckons that he is concerned about our defending. I have been concerned about it for about 10 years now.

  257. Adam says:

    Merts had an outstanding season last year but surely Wenger gambling on him doing it again was poor management. Having said that, he did some good things yesterday and Monreal at CB had a much better game that dreamy old Gibbs at LB I must say. Don’t get me started on Jack or Ox who seems to be a legend in his own mind despite having done virtually nothing yet. He put in one of the worst performances I have seen from an Arsenal player since Eddie McGoldrick sullied the shirt.
    As Kev said to me on the phone last night. This period of Wenger’s time reminds him of the last years of George Graham. I know exactly what he means, having sat through that stuff too.

  258. Lee says:

    Merts had a good season because he had Kozza’s pace to get him out of the shit….wenger fucked up by not buying a quality CB, but hey what do we know we’ve not managed 5 trillion games have we?

  260. Adam says:

    Rico. I think you are right. It’s Groundhog Day for the foreseeable I’m afraid.
    Anyway, I woke up with it on my mind, I have had a moan and realised that I must just accept it. Like tens of thousands of others I would happily join a protest, futile though it may be, to get the stain Kroenke out of the club but……..

  265. BrainwashedKev says:

    The Mats Hummels rumour really is a scream…

    What is it, £32million?!!!
    For a defender….
    Lol 😆

  266. BrainwashedKev says:

    To be honest, will any new defensive signing/signings make any difference without a change in the way the whole team defends?
    A new def/mid is more important than another centre-back…
    Someone like Matic…

  268. BrainwashedKev says:

    Monaco rumoured to be interested in taking Wenger back…

    Could be a go’er if Arsenal finish outside the top four?

  269. scottfromoz says:

    Morning all.
    We can talk all we like, but we have nearly 3 more years of this…..treading water.
    Bring In a new manager.
    I have no drama with that.
    That will be a short term solution, though.
    Our main problem remains, and that’s the yank.
    We could have Pep, Fergie and the 2003 version of Arsene in a conglomerate of managers, but while that bastard stays, we go nowhere.
    A change of tactics will get us so far.
    We need more squad depth, and not one of us can guarantee we will have it if Wenger leaves.
    We also need some scouts who have a clue…….let’s buy the guys from Athletico and Borussia!!!
    Then, snare the man in charge of Sotons youth squad.
    No, it goes a lot further than Arsene, but if that gives us all a feel good moment, then let’s replace him.
    I’m not scared of change,
    Let’s change the scumbag who cares nothing of Arsenal or it’s fans.
    He loves our money though.

  274. Lewis says:

    Good post Scott. I do feel arsene has a lot to answer for though. What we’re seeing on the pitch week in week out is a shambles and appears to be getting worse.

  277. scottfromoz says:

    Lewis, I certainly do not dismiss the part Wenger has played…..not at all mate.
    The problems go a lot deeper though, IMO.

  280. rico says:

    Agree Scott. David Dein wasn’t it?

    I still think that a more ambitious owner, say Usmanov, would see a dramatic change in Wenger.

    And re the defence, AW could rectify a lot of our problems if he got on his hands and knees and begged Martin Keown to sign on as a coach and leave him and Bould to sort things out….

  281. scottfromoz says:

    Ooohhh, Merts has saved our arse on several occasions, so I doubt we should condemn him for the odd error.
    Where were our midfielders when we concede goal number two??
    Trotting back.
    That’s not to say we shouldn’t have bought another CB, of course we should to replace Verm.
    For a TW that started so well, it finished poorly.

  282. scottfromoz says:

    Rico, we don’t know that Bould is doing a good job.
    We also don’t know Wenger is sticking his nose in.
    Then again, Wenger employs him lol.
    More unanswered questions, as usual.

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