Morning all.
With little, I mean no transfer news to talk about, what do we make of the manager’s comments after the win against Fulham?
Well, as far as the performance goes, just like many of us here, Arsene Wenger wasn’t overly thrilled with the first half but things got better once the second half began.
We were in control for the 90 minutes but a bit one-paced in the first half with our passing. In the second half when we got up a gear we scored the goals. Santi got two good goals and from then on we looked like we would get the points. We had a few more chances but overall in games against teams who fight not to go down, it is very difficult. Sometimes it is a question of patience.
I would imagine that he’d like to add something about how when we get chances, which we did in the first half, we need to be more ruthless and make them count but of course he isn’t going to do that. Not only is that not his style but we all know he seldom criticises players in public.
Again, just like us all on here, he was thrilled to see Santi Cazorla starting to look like the player we know he is, which is great as we head into a couple of tricky months of football. We need players like him at the top of their game, he has so many tricks in his locker and when he’s firing, he can do anything.
He was out for a long time at the start of the season and had some injury problems. After that he had an ankle problem and only recently, since mid-December, has he come back to his level. When you play in your opponents’ half, in the final third, he is one of the players who can create something special, either through his passing or through his finishing. He is two-footed, and that makes him very dangerous.
Another player who is going from strength to strength is Jack Wilshere – his comment on Berbatov to Arsenal when asked made me chuckle. He said he was a top player who has played for top clubs like… Man Utd and now Fulham. No way was he going to spill out that ghastly word Tottenham…..
Anyway, the manager likes the way he’s playing.
Wilshere is getting sharper now as well and he was at the start of many moves with little bursts to speed up our game.
Then there is the mystery of Lukas Podolski who isn’t starting matches these days but I can understand why. He’s not long over a nasty injury and there’s no point in over playing him, not against the sides we have played as we need him for the CL matches and the bigger games. Mind you, Serge Gnabry is doing rather well so dropping him would be a difficult decision to make for the manager.
Every player who is on the bench is frustrated. But Lukas has a fantastic spirit and attitude and he showed that when he came on. He will play. he has been out for four-and-a-half months and it takes time, but he looks sharp. When he comes in he gives us something. First of all his occupies the flank well, his left foot is intelligent and dangerous. He is now physically ready.
Will he play as a lone striker again?
He can as well, because if he is in front of goal and you give him one chance, you score with him. He doesn’t hit it in the stand.
He certainly has a ruthless left foot but I’m still not convinced he’s the right kind of player to play up front on his own and as Arsene Wenger says, he’s great in front of goal but only when he’s facing it.
Which brings me nicely to his comments about transfers this month.
Look we have played 22 games and have 51 points. If you compare that to any other season you will see that it is one of the best, if not the best ever. So let’s just continue. We have a good solidarity in the group and we rotate a bit and sometimes great players are on the bench. You want me to buy more players, but if they sit on the bench you ask me why!
We are looking at potential possibilities for us to get someone in, but we are not especially in for Vucinic. We are not on any special case. I would love to announce something that would excite you and me, but I don’t have the possibility to do it.
All top clubs have great players sitting on the bench and we need at least one, if not two more doing just that for Arsenal. Great players boost morale, great players want to see great players signed and make us a stronger force is everything we play for.
Of course they don’t want to be sitting on the bench, they want to be playing and true professionals will be determined to prove their worth and get a starting place.
Competition for a starting place is healthy, very healthy and it brings out the best in all…
Having players like Park on the bench, excuse the pun, is not what anyone wants to see is it?
Transfer Rumours for the day:
Well there aren’t any, other than reports in The Daily Mail suggesting Stan Kroenke is in London to finalise Arsene Wenger’s new contract.
I hope he throws his weight around and gets a couple of new signings in the door too….
That’s your lot for another day…..
Kroenke’s over is he ? There must be an American match on somewhere , Basketball or the like. Wonder if he’s staying until Friday ? It’s not as if the weather is bad in Colorado. Signing up Wenger quite possibly but new players ? I doubt it.
Apparently so, is there an AGM due?
I’ve heard that Stan the man is over here for a re-fitting of his hair piece! He’s been in touch with the tonsure specialist Wayne Rooney with a view of signing him as his personal adviser, plus a promise of the occasional game for the first team.
Morning all welcome to crisp white January day. Winter at last!
You’re a cruel man Wavy 😉
This Juve striker story rumbles on, the latest is his agent will be in London today for talks…
Morning guys.
Gallagher says that the Suarez penalty decision was correct….
Well I never…
Quiet old morning….
Bendtner is back in training on today, whilst Sanogo will be available for selection after the Coventry tie…
hi again…
That’s enough to warm the hearts of all Gooners Ts… 😉
Great read Rico, I really don’t think the likes of Vucinic, I’d rather go for drazler or D Costa and its better for long term sake. Well In Arsene we trust right?
Arsenal need an aggressive strike who can harass the defense. How many times does our current striker remained with keeper but failed to sore.How many dribbles has he made and scored? If you don’t look at position seriously then we are going to slide down. Finisher, finisher, finisher please.
Thanks jookz – not so sure I trust him in a transfer window….
Jonker is in then…. Be sad to see Brady leave..
Welcome Peter..
Morning all, nice one Rico.
The money man is in town, just in time to see out the transfer window. When a Man like Stan leaves a man like Wenger in charge at Arsenal, he only needs to come over every so often. As we all know Wenger spends money like its his own, he would have worked out and calculated what he needs to spend in order to get the best monetary returns. Stan would probably ask Arsene what he needs and Arsene would probably reply just another 3 year contract Stan, then we’ll negotiate again. No Arsene i meant for the team, Weeee’l i zink we are ok, wee ave many coming back to fitness and we steel ave not got zat £42.5 back yet, No bodis available anyway. We weel manage. Thats what i like to hear Arsene , Have a cigar.
hi Rico…..I really liked Brady…..guess he was never gonna be here for ever so………jonker on the other hand is a good youth coach according to what the press say
Thanks Sp. 🙂
Hi snaparse, Jonker comes with a very good reputation and he’s been around in Germany for a while I read. Maybe he’ll be bringing in a few of the younger German players once he gets here…
He ways Val Gaals assistant at BM…
you are on form Sp1…
Yes Ts, and then took over as caretaker when VG got the sack 🙂
Baines set to sign new Everton deal. Hard luck Moyes, try Santos, he might want to join Man Utd…
Rico, Santos already has a Yanited shirt, so no need to go back 🙂
Good point Scott 😉
That’s what I like to read, Rico. you telling Kroenke to throw his weight around. 🙂
I imagine that the contracts for AW, Mert and maybe Sagna are high on the Board’s agenda, and certainly Arsene’s contract deserves the respect of the owner.
It is always a mistake tp yell before one is hit, but after all the alluring names that have been bandied about, both in the summer and now the January TW it seems that we will end up with a has been 30 year old who has not been scoring goals and is not wanted by his current club. 🙁
It may not be Arsene’s fault, of course, as neither the clubs nor the best players want to move in the winter window – but as it is our best chance to win something in years it will be disappointing if Vucinic is what we get.
🙂 Hb, I suspect they are but they mustn’t use that as an excuse for not signing the player we so desperately need..
I would imagine that renewing Bac and Per’s contracts are quite simple negotiations and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were all done and dusted, just waiting for all three to be announced together.
Actually, make that 4, a new striker 😉
I am not so sure we need Stan to be here for contracts to be signed or finalised imo…
Dick Law, Tom Fox and Ivan deal with player contracts etc….
But, he might be here to make sure we get one or two players in…
I did just read there’s an AGM so that’s probably the reason he’s here…
Wonder where emma is these days and Kt…
true Rico… kt hasn’t been around since October…
Emma is probably on another holiday 😉
was santi set up in this photo?
http://www.joe.ie/football/football-news/pic-santi-cazorla-and-robert-pires-pose-with-a-sign-that-spurs-fans-wont-like-at-all/
As is agag no doubt 😉
ha ha…
Afternoon all.
Hi Syg, any twitter gossip today?
Off now for a while…
the u21 team is getting beaten by Liverpool…..haven’t been impressed with zalalem thus far……..jenks ox and frimmy getting a run out
Where is everybody?.
hiya Rick…
the dippers always always beat us at the u-21 level…
I am hearing from a friend that Ox and Frimpong were very good…
I am pleased for Afobe too… his 2nd goal in 4 appearances
Snap, Gedion got promoted too early imo…
I was surprised with Kristofer’s omission… I guess it was either him or Ox for the deep laying role..
Not sure why Frimpong is being played in an advanced role. He can’t compete with JW and the likes in the box to box role even though he could be our Gatusso winning the ball in the opposition half if he is playing with a skilful no.6…
I have internet problems guys, well, laptop problems. Have two in the house, one has died on me, the other has a virus and keeps crashing 🙁
If I disappear for a while, it’s crashed again… 🙁
Evening by the way…
Evening Rico…
You get attacked by viruses a lot… 😉
Hi Ginge,
Whats gone wrong with U21 . Untill the start of Nov they were unbeatable now we are being smashed every game .Part of me says they are really missing Sergh and Bellerin. I have been told that Frimpong is one of the players that will leaving at the end of the
season , what a waste of talent . Have you heared the same.?
Evening Rico,
Send the Hitman after them. As I have told you I have no problems
with them now.
It’s my own fault Ts, I hit the wrong buttons when watching a stream for footie, either that of my pc security is hopeless…
Evening Rick, If I knew where they were, I would…
Hiya Rick, I haven’t heard that about Frimpong but those rumours have been flying for 2 seasons and he is still there so…
All I know is that AW refused a loan for him this month and so he must still be in his plans some how…
The thing is for the position he plays in he needs experience and I think there is no shame if he is behind MA08, MF20 and Ramsey in that position…
In addition to that he missed pre-season due to having surgery and so he was always going to be behind especially as he is not a starter…
When he was getting back to fitness he had an injury a day before the OM match in the CL in training and so Hayden was drafted in…
I think the WBA one he was still ill and then he did not help himself with that tweet which was obviously taken out of contest…
I think he will feature on friday;I am hearing him and Toral were miles ahead of every player today…
Its the football streams lady… 😉
I know Ts, funny how no-one else gets a virus though, just me :(….
😉
Gatside (spelling) is quite a poor coach imo…
He hides behind the ‘we are trying to find out if the boys can play at the top level’ nonsense imho…
At u-21 the players should be forming a routine and understand… saying that the team chops and changes so it must be hard, but the defence is almost always the same as far as I am aware…
Yes they miss Bellerin but CJ25 is a first team player at RB. Yennaris is back too who is the captain.
I also think Afobe is arguably more of a poacher than Akpom but I guess Akpom and Eisfield have a very good partnership…
Imho, the common denominator is Gedion… when he is available he has been played as a no.10 instead of Eisfield or Toral especially with Crowley out… this makes the creative side suffer.
imo, he is a no.6 but is at the moment a bit naive defending and so AW has decided to try him as a no.10…
And of course there is no argument they miss Serge…
I do get viruses Rico… I have to re-config my pc a month ago.. it could hardly turn on at that time…
The Daily Mail reckon Fergie has come back to sort transfers. Cavani in the summer to be one….
I don’t know how to do all that kind of stuff Ts so have to take it to the menders and that costs….
It was funny listen to the ‘experts’ on TS driving to and from work…
Those lying bastards were going on about how they predicted AFC will do well and how Fellaini is not a top 4 player… 😛 those same guys were telling listeners that AW should spent all his budget on MF earlier this summer… lol
Anyway, I’m off before this thing dies on me so night Rick, Ts and all…
ha ha re fergie…
night Rico…
Ginge I hope he is playing on friday its on BT Sport.
This means I can watch it without those adverts wich are driving Rico round the bend. I think Frimpong is due some good luck for a change. One major injury is bad enough but two must be heart breaking..
I hope so too… but knowing his club he will probably get injured on thursday…
Yennaris too, his contract is due…
kev should be pleased with Toral’s performances too… I wonder where Toral’s future is?
Did anyone see Shmical(spelling) put Hansen and Nevin down on match of the day 2 lst night. They both said the Chavs would win the PL. He said you are wrong its between Shitty and Arsenal the Chavs are not in their league. Nice one Peter.
Sorry gginge I was a pig
No worries Mg…
Morning all, how is the lady’s laptop this morning?
Morning All,
May I take this opportunity to wish the Lady of the house a very happy Birthday and hope she has a lovely day and a great year ahead……! Have a good one Rico…………
I know she is struggling with internet problems and laptop problems but know she hopes to be sorted sometime this morning.
It’s still stuffed Ts but she’s currently working on the problem.
Morning guys.
Happy birthday Rico.
Morning Wath, Ts and all…
Many thanks Wath. I’ve borrowed a laptop this morning so will be around to annoy you and all…
🙂
Morning Scott, thanks… 21 again 😉
You don’t annoy me Rico besides your now so old you’ll be snoozing half the day in between the odd comment 😀
Haha Rico,
Sean often wonders how his nan is 21 while i am 43 🙂
Rico. A very happy birthday and a big thanks for all your work in giving us somewhere to chat. 🙂
Scott. You looked much younger in that picture.
Cheeky toad Wath, sorry, nodded off for a moment…
🙂 Scott…
Morning Adam, thank you and it’s a pleasure….
New Post up now…