Daily Bits and Bobs

Striker signing lined up and what about that defensive midfielder.

Posted on by rico

We’re linked with 18yr old David Henen who plays for Anderlecht and can play as a winger or striker, the fee mentioned is €1.8million. Seems like our kind of transfer. Other gossip once again links us with Debuchy from Newcastle and Di Maria once again as apparently according to sources he has expressed his desire to leave Real…. More like sauces I reckon and I prefer HP. onto today’s post and thanx Ts

Is A Midfield Destroyer A Must for Next Season?

In arguably our 2nd best performance last season which was against Naples, Ozil, Ramsey and Giroud rightly took the plaudits for the splendid performance. Bearing in mind we did not concede any goal against a very potent Napoli front 4, I found it strange that no mention was made of our defensive midfielders who kept Insigne, Pandev and Hamsik quiet throughout the game. It must be mentioned Flamini played slightly ahead of Mikel in AW’s first experiment of the fluid 4-1-4-1 formation he opted for in certain games last season.

So what causes the confusion around one of the most underrated roles in team sports? For most who value the importance of a holding midfielder/defensive midfielder, a description of the requirement of that role is normally summed as needing a player merely there to be physical and win tackles for his team? It is no surprise that a search on many blogs will have enthusiasts and observers alike calling for a ‘destroyer’ or a ‘Makelele type’ player in that role. I find that quite contradictory as Makelele was neither a destroyer nor mobile but a 5’6 tall small built player who could read the game as well as Arrigo Sacchi could from the touch line. Real Madrid’s then President did not see it that way when he sold Claude to Chelsea in 2003 of course. 😉

Matters are often worsened when legends and old-pros like Parlour state on the radio after every Arsenal defeat that all we need is someone like Patrick Vieira to sit in front of the back four and put in challenges so as to protect the back 4.

If my memory serves me right, I never saw Patrick Vieira play as a defensive midfielder whilst playing for us or even Les Bleus. During Patrick’s time with us he had his compatriot Manu’ Petit as the main anchor and then later on it was Edu Caspar and the Invisible wall Gilberto. Parlour even found himself deputising in the central midfield role next to Patrick in the odd games for us.

I recall watching Patrick and his compatriot Olivier Dacourt playing together for Internazionale Milano between 2007 and 2009 and in all cases Patrick played further forward that Dacourt.

Anytime I have found myself in discussion with friends about defensive midfielders and Arsenal, the same question has always been put to me. The question has always been that ‘why had we not won any trophy since Patrick Vieira left if Patrick was not a defensive midfielder’? That was obviously before last May.

To me there are too many variables in the ‘trophy drought equation’ to merely attribute our barren spell to the lack of a Patrick Vieira type destroyer in our squad. It must be noted that when Wenger was asked why he allowed his best defensive midfielder Patrick to leave, he abruptly replied ‘because he had the invisible wall’!

I know my answer does not answer the main question but if I were to elaborate further it must be said that as good/great as Patrick’s replacement Cesc was, his defensive ‘figures’ were a shadow of what the defensive combination of Patrick and Ray contributed to our successful teams. So yes, Cesc was creating chances and having higher assist but defensively we lost at least an average of 3 tackles per game with Cesc in the team in place of Patrick or Parlour.

I can hazard a guess that Arsene was banking on the potential of Diaby to fill that defensive/physical void but as things stand we have been awaiting Abou’s arrival since he joined us due to injuries.

With the World Cup in full swing and the transfer window widely opened, it is only natural that discussions of what we as a club actually need to take us to the next step is discussed. Second on the list of must-haves is the defensive midfield role right after a fast and mobile striker to dispatch Giroud his P45 as he is deemed not good enough for us.

So if any of us mere mortals were in Arsene shoes, who could you realistic sign for the coveted defensive midfield role taking into consideration the age or injury record of our first choice current central midfield players?

Regulars on Highbury House already know who my choice would be, but with the world cup exposing us to so many other choices let’s look at a few big name players that can potentially show we have ‘ambition’ if we were to recruit one. In my view there are currently 4 types of defensive midfielders in the game.

They are:-
• Destroyer type – To me whenever ‘defensive midfielder’ is mentioned what jumps at me is a player like De Jong, Lucas, Hassler, Witsel, Dacourt,Sanchez and Fernando and to a lesser extent the Frimpong who played against Liverpool and Udinese in 2011. These type of players were useful counteracts when teams played with traditional no.10 or maestros who operated between the lines. Such players were normally used as man-markers but I think with pace at which the game is played such players are finding themselves relegated to smaller clubs as they are deemed ‘walking time bombs’ as referees have become too easily influenced by simulations and the win at all cost nature of games . I will disregard this option as I believe Arsene is more likely to spend £60m on one player than go for such a player. Internally we have Isaac Hayden who can fill that role if needed and to a lesser extent Flamini.

• The Invisible Wall- The invisible wall are the ideal destroyers if you can find one. Such players may cover less ground and offer less going forward but in the right midfield they can be very useful additions. A typical example will be Gustavo who we were linked with last summer. Javi Martinez, Sven Bender and Matthias Ginter can be categorised into this role as naturally these players like Gilberto can perform seamlessly in central defence when needed even though those player apart from Ginter will tell you they hate playing in defence.

• Hybrid /Box to Box – This type of players are the easiest to find on the market but the options dwindle when you start considering the very elite options who are often considered the complete midfielders. Growing up Frank Rijkaard and Matthias Sammer were considered the greatest and in recent times Patrick Vieira, Roy Keane and Essien epitomised that role in this league. Currently Vidal, Kroos, Schweinsteiger, Gabi, Koke, Yaya Toure, Matuidi, Strootman, Cabaye and our Ramsey are amongst the elite.

I will place Morgan Schneiderlein,Sammy Khedira, Lars Bender and Jedinak even ahead of Pogba into this role even though Jedinak may not be a glamourous option due to his current club.

Options for this role are required to have the tactical nous and fluidity to their game to effectively track and sense danger on the field. They are able to hold their positions when needed with the very best often deployed as deep –lying player makers in the latter stages of their career. Players in this role are also likely to get injured the most as they naturally cover the most distance per game. An example was Vidal running over 9km in under 78 minutes 1 month after coming back from knee injury surgery whilst playing in the world cup for Chile.
Additionally, such players are highly likely to accumulate yellow cards as they put in tackles in seemingly unnecessary areas on the pitch for their teams. Their card tally is second only to the destroyer in a team deploying both options.

The role of a complete midfielder is so important in any ambitious team that it was no surprise that within a few weeks of Pep taking over in Bavaria he converted Lahm into this role for the Bavarians after selling Gustavo. This has ended up helping the Die Mannschaft favourably in Brazil. It is my believe that from next season Lahm will become the archetype playmaker in football as he approaches the twilight of his lustrous career like another Munich legend and world cup winner Lothar Matthaus.

• Deep-lying playmaker or quarter-back- Such players define and dictate the pace and standard of play. This type of player is my favourite option for the brand of football we have become accustomed to. In my view, in order to benefit from the advantages of such a player, a mobile and more dynamic complete midfielder like Patrick Vieira, Ramsey or Yaya Toure need to always be next to this playmaker.

I believe we currently have the best options for this role in Arteta and in future a disciplined Jack or even Kris Olsson. Outside of Arsenal, I can only think of Daley Blind as the only realistic option available.

Taking into consideration the players we currently have and the way we play it is my contention that we need a box to box/hybrid midfield player rather than a static holding midfielder or even a destroyer as we play better when we win the ball in the opposition half. In my view both static or destroyer types are effective in teams where possession is not their main characteristics and counter-attack is their modus operandi.

The recent successes of Dortmond, Bayern and Athletico Madrid will further emphasise the importance of putting pressure on the opposition in their own half even further, thereby making a team like Arsenal who rely on their deep-lying midfielder dictating play more vulnerable in the bigger games next season.

In order to mitigate that Wenger needs someone with the ‘engine’ and tactical awareness of Ramsey to rotate or compliment the line-up when we are facing the better teams in the league or in the Champions league.

Written by Tsgh – The Hidden hand & Thanks To Cg for the Idea

rico

239 thoughts on “Striker signing lined up and what about that defensive midfielder.”

  1. Mr Wath says:

    Morning you lot, on and off today so apologies to anyone if stuck in moderation for any length of time.

    The midfield debate continues, thought Khedira was very good last night, shame we didn’t get to see Schneiderlin for France.

  3. Malaysian gunner says:

    The defensive frailties reared its ugly head whenrthe gunners lost heavily against the top 3. Hopefully the lessons have been digested by Wenger and he would prepare the gunners against another repeat of those thrashings.
    Btw,if you have been watching the wc,tiki taka is dead and buried. The speed of attack is crucial. teams aint going to give you the luxury of time and space. It’s shoot on sight if there is a 1% chance of a goal

  4. Nickie says:

    Watching Khedira’s brief spell for Germany last night cements Ts’s comments on an older post, he’s not a defensive midfielder.
    Khedira would keep us on the attacking foot, but then there is no base for an attack to start which is why I believe a disciplined DM a la Schniederlin would benefit us most, he’s reliable and he’s the platform for the more creative players need to play with more freedom

  7. Luznic says:

    Morning lady and gentlemen, Nice read ts and if I want a destroyer, box to box, deep lying play maker all I would ask for is a Cabaye nothing more and nothing less, not a Vidal a Cabaye

  8. Mr Wath says:

    Mickie, watching last night he also dropped deep as well though. He got forward lots as the scoreline dictated…..

    He is a clever player for me he has the nous to play in anyway he is told or asked to play.

    We have the cash, get him and Schneiderlin, job done.

  9. tsgh says:

    Hey Wath… thanks Wath for the post btw…

    My beef with you is you got rid of my ‘stats’ showing Giroud is world class. 😛

    Nickie, I am with you on Khedira…
    Though he came on and added some energy/urgency to the Germans game I still think he was always rushing ahead before attacks had materialised…

    At his age and experience he still needs a bit of work on that front if he is to become a world class midfielder. imho

  11. tsgh says:

    Luznic, cabaye is imo a world class player…

    His move to Psg in January helped them cement first place.

    AW should barnish that mind set that any defensive minded player over 27 y.o is not worth more than £10M.

  13. Mr Wath says:

    Seems WordPress didn’t like the stats what ever I tried they would not load…! Wasn’t me I promise…..

  14. tsgh says:

    Lol Wath… well if I ever meet you and Micko in an alley way… 🙂

    There was me thinking it was the lady who was against my ‘stats’… how naive of me. 😉

  17. Nickie says:

    I’d take both Wath! lol

    don’t get me wrong, i’d be ecstatic if we signed Khedira. Personally I really like Khedira. Just see Schnid being Wenger’s preferred choice. 23 mil in the last year of his contract for Khedira, surely we can strike a deal cheaper than that.

  18. Luznic says:

    AW shops like an 80year old woman, if he had put in 15m for Cabaye we won’t be discussing Schneiderlin, but there is a mystery no one has made mention of, why is all the EPL clubs not selling to Arsenal? Cabaye to PSG Newcastle didn’t even talk to us, Suarez almost to Barca, Liverpool insulted us even though Henry was the smoker, I don’t think we will buy Schneiderlin because of this reason, we will probably get a French lad from Evian Thonan Gallard and Wenger will call him mesiah

  19. Mr Wath says:

    Trust me Scott they would of bored you silly, thankfully they would not load…. Micko IS wordpress so now I know….!

  22. Hell Raising Devil says:

    Wonderful piece of tactical write up Ginge. I am impressed. had to read it twice over to absorb it fully.

    Good Morning lollipops and smarties.

    I am still finding it hard to believe that some of the teams are playing with a 5-3-2 and 5-4-1 formation and yet we are not seeing negative football.

  23. tsgh says:

    Luznic, not claiming to itk but Dick law I have heard is a proper snob who ‘cheesed off’ Whelan big time when we were going after Cahill…

    Most EPL chairman/persons like to trade like laymen I have heard but we have a very robust approach to recruitment which is noble by all accounts but is not ideal for the brown envelope lovers…

    For instance I heard we refuse to deal with agents until we have gotten agreement with a players club…

    There are times when askin fees would be reduced by clubs if we had played ball with agents but…

  25. Nickie says:

    It’s those fitter modern day full backs Hell. Very impressed with how Chile and Mexico deployed them.

  26. tsgh says:

    Dev.. 3-5-2 is the way forward it seems…. or as you put it 5-3-2 or even 5-4-1.
    Teams are counting on winning the ball very high in opposition half and teh only way to do that is to push FB’s centrally without the ball to cover the CM who push further forward to prevent opposition from playing from deep.
    That is why I would like Glenda to take over England’s manager post…

  27. Nickie says:

    Is that so Ts? Very noble doing things the proper way but you can’t help but feel we are shooting ourselves in the foot. I’d be livid to know that a WC player wanted Arsenal, we tried to agree a fee with a team and Just because the team says no we give up. we wouldn’t even try to leverage the deal based on how a player felt. Seems silly

  28. Bt62 Gooner says:

    Ts, well done mate, quite a detailed analysis of the midfield question and not a stat in sight, lol…morning all.

  29. Luznic says:

    Ginge, don’t we need to bend sometimes although that 40+1 was funny, I would like us to do it to someone else again, but this Dick law you mentioned why is he always called when there is a failed transfer for Arsenal can’t he buckle or get out, Cahill like you just said is another failed attempt to sign an EPL player what’s so difficult, Jagielka (spelling) also rejected us for that ‘wee’ club in Liverpool, I like this post so detailed and long……..lovely

  31. tsgh says:

    Nickie, how many times have we heard from players that someone from AFC asked their agents if they would be interesting in joining us but then AFC never came back to pursue…

    As i have said in the past, our approach to signing players is like a shy boy contemplating whether to ask a girl for a dance in a club…

    Like girls in real life who claim to like nice guys… most ladies hardly ever go out with nice guys!.. at least not until they are old and dumped by their bad boys… 😛

    Don’t worry Micko, I am not bitter.. 🙂

    AFC need to man up or ‘skip off’ or get some ‘common’ folks who are street wise like keown to deal with recruitment…

    What’s the point in IG saying Law speaks 4 international languages when he can’t sign any players at least until AW steps in…

  32. tsgh says:

    Bt… Wath got rid of my hard ‘stats’; those stats would have convinced you all we needed to bring Denilson back. 🙂

  37. tsgh says:

    Lol Nickie, Wath and Micko are part time Reverends and counsellers if you need help… 😀

    Better yet the Blond Adonis claims to be a pimp of high pedigree so have a word… lol

    One of HH regulars DG10 who has gone missing in his own harem recently, had a harem with 100 gals in Amsterdam so… 😉

  39. tsgh says:

    So so true Wath re Rabiot vs William..

    William looked a bit unready in the WC next to Moutinho imo…

  42. Mr Wath says:

    It will be a backwards and sideways conversation Bt….
    Carvalho looked ponderous Ts but he will obviously get better.

  43. emma says:

    Morning all,
    Nice insightful post Ginge
    At the moment Schneiderlin is the perfect DM/CM fit for arsenal

    Khedira is a CM, so it would mean Ramsey will have to work in tandem with him for that partnership to blossom(know when to sit if the other is pushing forward)

    Looks like LFC are preparing for live without Suarez. News here in liverpool is he is leaving

  44. Scott From Oz says:

    Emma, good to see you on again.
    What’s the feeling amongst the fans on Suarez?
    Surely plenty would be glad to see the back of him.

  45. tsgh says:

    Hi Emma..

    How’s life treating you?

    Ah so the Liverpudlians have accepted LS07 was never into them but the fine £185kp/w salary..

    LS07 only apologised as his new club asked him to apparently…

    So far as we get what we need I will be pleased…

    The bin-dippers can form the English core as much as they want. They will crumble soon with Sir Stevie on his last legs… lol

  46. emma says:

    Scott -They were all disappointed when he released the infamous statement yesterday that he did actually bite Chiellini.

    My die hard LFC neighbour who never wants to admit that Suarez was wrong despite video evidence finally wants him out of the club after learning of his statement yesterday. Even the Club wasn’t aware he was going to release such a statement.

  47. emma says:

    ts – LFC will find it difficult to march what it did last season without Suarez. They think Sturridge will fill his boots. Sturridge will be exposed for what he is now

  51. tsgh says:

    Yep Emma.. considering he has no CL experience; I think it is a huge and bold move by Liverpool with their signings…

    At least Can has experienced CL with B04..

    I think they will struggle to juggle the 2 games in a week…

  52. rockyrocastle07 says:

    Buongiorno tutti. Hope all’s well at HH! Good post today, good work. Regarding the Khadeira / Schneiderlin (sure I have spelled both of those incorrectly), I’d take the latter.

  58. Mr Wath says:

    Suarez eventually gets what he wants, played us for a move and or pay rise got the rise and now a move a season later..! Clever, snidely fcker

  61. rockyrocastle07 says:

    We did ta. Sold ours on 3rd June. Due to my solicitor being shocking (and was subsequently called c**t by me) my purchase didn’t go through til the following Monday. Shocking sequence of events. As my wife is 7 months pregnant, aI have had to do EVERYTHING. DIY, lifting the furniture, putting up curtain rails/blinds in every room…. Everything you can think of, I’ve done. I come to work for a rest!

  62. emma says:

    ts – A big risk on the part of Rogers. All the signing’s he made last summer(Aspas, Alberto, Moses(loan), Cissoko(loan)) were all flops. Toure, sakho average except for the keeper(mignolet) who did exceptionally well. Emre can will take sometime to settle in just like all Germans

  63. Mr Wath says:

    Rocky you big tart, about time you did something now we know the Mrs does everything for you and you have a life of luxury…!

    Glad move got sorted, finally…!

  64. rockyrocastle07 says:

    Bore off WATH!! I work my chads off every day!!

    Cheers, it was a lot of agg but we got there in the end!

  65. tsgh says:

    Lol Rocky you jack bastard.. hope the Mrs is the reading HH? 🙂

    I am with you Emma… as I say folks slate Aw for signings but most often than not his signings contribute to success. cough 4th place finish. 🙂

  67. Nickie says:

    I don’t fear Liverpool for next season, nor do I fear United. Shaw and Herrera are very underwhelming as is Lambert, Emre and Lallana for Poo.

    Chelsea have me scared most, City are still the same atm.

    All very beatable providing we add quality to the squad

    Don’t think Everton will do that well this season, Just like newcastle couple of years back.

  69. emma says:

    Cue Barca media machine. Zubizareta and Rakitic talking about Suarez in the presser currently ongoing

  70. Hell Raising Devil says:

    Emma, dont tell me that they have managed to analyse Suarez’ blood group and found Barca DNA in it already??? 😆

  74. Nickie says:

    I was just looking at the Arsenal kits on their website, it seems they are our kits. But the patterns etc will be revealed July 10th. The colour of the kit is behind the player. Leaked images of that polo shirt styled blue kit looks to be what Giroud is wearing with the blue behind him. Arteta wearing the round neck home kit with red behind him and a third V neck kit santi is wearing with yellow behind him.

    Anyone else clarify?

  75. emma says:

    Wath – They definitely deserve each other. Barca trying to justify why they want to sign him

  76. Mr Wath says:

    Emma, The word honour and Suarez in the same sentence is piss funny. They both scum and can’t wait to see him bite Messi lol

  77. Mr Wath says:

    Loads of leaked pics all over the place Mickie, what’s real or not anyone’s guess the red home and yellow away I seen look really good but very fitted… Only a few of us will get in a medium snug fit lol

  79. Nickie says:

    hehe Wath! I definitely believe they are the kits with the colours behind to symbolize away/home. It’s Nickie Mr. Wath! :p

    I’ve always been a sucker for the away kits but this season i’ll be purchasing a home kit when on emirates cup duty

  82. Mr Wath says:

    Scott uses it all the time so why can’t I….. Hardly use this thing it bloody changes all the spellings…..

  83. agirlagunner says:

    Ginge, very disappointed with your post. Where are the stats?? 😀 Seriously, this is a great one, buddy. Of the maaaanyyy names there, I like the players you characterized as hybrid/BTB.

    AW has a preference for small neat players who are quick to interchange positions (sometimes to poor effect) in midfield, so I guess, we’ll be taking that direction.

    Hello, Rocky! 🙂 Make sure you get the new Puma kit on the baby before the missus has her way. 😉 You do not want to be outnumbered in your household. 😛

    Hello, all. 🙂

  84. Nickie says:

    You can turn auto correct off in the settings. I was only mucking about 🙂 I also have an ipad so I understand your pain

  85. agirlagunner says:

    I see the press are laying into Giroud and Ozil. One wonders what match they watched. There were far worse players in both the German and French squads than our boys. Pfft.

  86. Mr Wath says:

    All this Mikel bollox about Giroud elbowing him…. Shame he didn’t knock his head off whining chav tosspot…!

  87. goonster says:

    Morning folks…I saw sanchez at London colney and he was accompanied by vidal and James Rodriguez. Puma has gone ballistic. Next summer it’s messi Ronaldo and muller. Galaticos here we come. Then I woke up 😀

  88. agirlagunner says:

    It was an almost-elbow, WATH. 😀 Mikel was almost hurt. It’s funny when players complain about things that never happened.

  90. Mr Wath says:

    Nickie I am lazy though auto correct is handy sometimes but then other times it calls you Mickie which is funny cos now there two of you..

    Thankfully there only one Doris Stan……! Was robben diving about in your dream..? 😉

  91. Nickie says:

    I just hope Giroud doesn’t bring these bad habits back with him. He got away with an elbow on an Ecuadorian cb last week. Naughty Giroud!

  94. agirlagunner says:

    Whacha smoking, goonie? WATH, your ipad has done an autocorrect on Robben. 😀

    Hiya, Lee, Nickie, Dev. 🙂

  95. Micko says:

    CanadianGooner, go easy on the bright ideas eh !!
    Fine post tsgh, even our very own Arm Flapper getting a mention early on, nice touch ! Shouldn’t Thomas Muller be in there somewhere.
    Cameroon being investigated for match fixing, Song’s sending off against Portugal being looked into, our thoughts are with you Nash.

  96. agirlagunner says:

    CG, where are you? Napping so you can catch U-S-A, eh? 😉

    Micko, Nash will be here soon. 😀 You’re getting better with your predictions, btw. Next time, you’d be getting the scorers, right!

  97. Nickie says:

    Afternoon to ye all 🙂 lol

    Barcelona’s sporting director not ruling out the sale of “S”, few bids received. Please be Arsenal please be Arsenal

  98. goonster says:

    Hahaha you guys are unbelievable. What do a goods have to do to be taken seriously around here? you want and love transfer rumors huh? Well you got one 😀 hey agag how’s it hanging?

  101. Mr Wath says:

    AGAG don’t be so cheeky…. Lol

    Robben/robbed same thing..!

    Don’t get to excited Nickie am hearing it was us that made a bid,
    Bendtner plus £5….. They were not happy

  102. goonster says:

    DG blonde farster???? Hahahahahahhaha that’s a new one. Has a nice ring to it. Hmmm hey WATH am thinking of changing my name to the blonde farster 😀

  103. Hell Raising Devil says:

    oooopppppppppppppppssss

    farter I meant.

    got mixed up.

    those who support him are to be known as FARTISTAS

    lol

  105. Nickie says:

    Let’s face it, when are Barca ever happy when negotiating with Arsenal. They’re most certainly still p*ssed off that we stung them 15mil for Song lol.

  106. agirlagunner says:

    Micko, you’re sharp. 😛 WATH, train your autocorrect to say “diver” instead of Robben. 😀

    “S” is coming to Arsenal; why would he want to go to Scouseland?

  108. goonster says:

    Hahaha agag I love it when you get all excited over a player. 9 out of 10 we never get to sign um. Hahahahah torres anyone?

  110. allezkev says:

    Afternoon All…

    Afternoon Mr Wath…

    Ginge, that was a mighty fine effort…
    But why no stats? (Thank God 😉 )

    I would take both Schneiderlin and Khadira, and why not?
    Are we not a big club or what…

    You make space in the 25 by releasing Arteta.
    Maybe even Flamini as well…
    But it won’t happen and we’ll end with some geezer from Ligue 2

    Apparently Ryo and Galindo have to leave as their age means that they would be considered for the senior 25, allowing Wenger only one foreign signing (I think that’s what Jeorge Bird meant)…
    So pick the bones outta that!

  111. goonster says:

    Shove it wath you got me all excited over the mata debacle. It’s all your fault. Howdy kev how are ya?

  112. agirlagunner says:

    Torres was wasted at the Chavs. He is class, goonie. 😛 And I was not the one who was convinced we’d signed Higuain and M’Vila and Cahill et al. That was you. 😀

  114. agirlagunner says:

    Hello, Shopping Buddy. Howdy? We have not gotten much use out of Ryo or Galindo, I’d be happy to let them ago, if we buy someone with much better pedigree.

  116. Sukky says:

    WoW! Tsgh,What a great post.Looking forward to more of this.Who would have guess Tsgh has a football brain than arsene,well not me.LOL

  117. goonster says:

    Hahahaha cahill?? Really? No way. He’s way overated. Mvilla?? Come on maam
    Higuain was all Rico’s fault
    It was always in the post. I had to go with the flow. If you know what I mean 😀

  119. allezkev says:

    How ya doing Agag, yes I agree re: Ryo/Galindo…

    Ryo looked so good at Feyenoord, it’s a shame.
    Galindo seemed a Bolivian Abou…

  121. goonster says:

    Mvilla is all fiction kev I don’t even think that bugger ever existed. I think it’s a figment of someone’s imagination

  123. Mr Wath says:

    Kev I thought he was saying the fact they not getting games they taking up two spaces of non home grown who would be better players…? Hence best to flog/release them..!

  124. agirlagunner says:

    Goonie, I bet you I can find the entry where you were so sure we’d buy M’Vila. 😀 Kev, he has faded away into obscurity.

  125. goonster says:

    Grrrr where’s adam when you need him. Hey adam if you re reading we need to add one more person into that glue pot we re boiling. It’s wath. Hope you don’t mind
    He grinds my gears.

  127. allezkev says:

    Wath, I am good mate…

    Slept like a log after several days of here, there and every fecking where.
    Not had a chance to write anything yet, will have a go tonight.

  132. goonster says:

    Hey bondex how are ya? I was rooting for you guys last night but wath agag and that mean old goat devil wanted France to win. I mean whatever happened to supporting the underdog?

  134. goonster says:

    Germany France what’d the difference? They re both power houses in world football. Why didn’t you support the tiny north African country Algeria. You re unbelievable devil.

  135. Hell Raising Devil says:

    because I support Germany mate. That is the simple reason.

    my country never qualifies for the WC so Germany it has to be

  137. agirlagunner says:

    Don’t worry, stan. We will be supporting Costa Rica when they play Holland. We promise. 😀 😀 Thank you for reminding us. Ha ha ha.

  138. Nickie says:

    Most of the Algerians could have been playing for France anyways. So technically you would have been supporting France lol. I want to see Ozil or Giroud score the winning goal in the world cup. they’d be on such a high. I’m waiting for Ozil to do something magical but it seems to be a longer wait between each piece of magic which is depressing.

  139. goonster says:

    Hahahahahahhaha DG you just looking for a way to justify your actions
    Own up to it player. You support Germany cause you don’t want us the dutch to have a free route to the title. Just admit it.

  142. bondex says:

    hey goonie .. thanks for the support , i saw your comments about us yesterday and I know agag rations her support based on the number of arsenal players in a team… wonder who she’ll support FRANCE V GERMANY. I thought our goal keeper was fantastic. He has been very very consistent. Just the type we might need @ AFC.

  144. goonster says:

    Agag I love a woman with spunk. Go ahead lil mama but you know this world cup had oranje tattooed all over it. It’s ours to lose.

  146. Mr Wath says:

    Stan you lot getting knocked out by the Argies anyway that’s IF you can beat Costa Rica……

    Gina that’s funny, no mention of why they need a bigger stadium when they can’t even fill the one they got… Wankers..!

  147. Gunnerdna says:

    AFC_Andrew @PR_WhoRu · 7h
    I hope and to be honest have to doubt the Twitter rumours that Arsenal have bid only £20m for Alexis Sachez aren’t true.

  148. bondex says:

    will be giving all my support to costa rica (might not count though), used to support Holland until van left us ….. cant bear supporting anything he represents…. sorry stan.

  149. agirlagunner says:

    Gdna, hahaha on the Spuds expansion plans. 😀 😀

    bondex, if Poldi plays, I’m cheering on the Krauts, since there would be three from AFC; if he doesn’t then, I’m cheering on the French because I love Kozzer. And Giroud, of course. 😳

  150. goonster says:

    Dna don’t do that to yourself my friend he’s not coming to us. Probably head off to juve. We re not that lucky. Bondex I wanted you guys to win do bad. The French team are a bunch of thugs. They got away with so many fouls. Onazi might miss the start a huge chunk of lazio’s season because of that foul from matuidi
    What a coont.

  152. goonster says:

    Gee bondex sting me in the ass too. So really I have no support on here. Rico wath kev agag micko scotty oz lee and now you bondex. I think am gonna be sick.

  154. agirlagunner says:

    goonie, I almost feel bad for you. Trying to rally people in here to cheer on the Dutch, and failing. 😆

    Okay, if you play Argentina, I will cheer your guys on cos I don’t like Messi.

  155. goonster says:

    But seriously what do you guys have against the dutch? Robbed is just one man and van herpes is a coont but am dutch and so is DG10 and Bergkamp. Come on guys I need someone to support me. Be a pal dna support the dutch.

  157. goonster says:

    Lee am desperate. Everyone has forsaken me. Am helpless. We gooners are meant to stick together but everyone is against me. It hurts

  160. bondex says:

    the value i place on my support for arsenal far outweighs what I have for the supper eagles. so Stan except van purse strings doesn’t play, my support goes the other way.

  161. Gunnerdna says:

    Goon, the WC trophy is staying in Brazil, so don’t worry you got ma support for 3rd place. lol

  166. goonster says:

    Dna robben is just one man. What about blind strootman depay heck what about me? Bergkamp and Jan mulder. We ve never won the world cup before. Why don’t you guys just support me. Sheesh.

  167. Joaquim Moreira says:

    I don’t know what were happenned if we bought Cabaye on January….
    For me, probably we will not be the 4th…
    Back to the reality.
    Debuschy: I don’t like him. He is not better then Aurier and his worst then Sagna. Sagna, it’s not ready for playing 2 games a week.
    Benzema-Giroud doesn’t work. Benzema needs space and play like himself like.
    Khedira: was good yesterday? I think not. He is now a normal player with lack of confidence. He is now a different player.
    Cazorla: the rumors from A.Madrid are higher. I think he will not be with us next season
    Park: that ex-Arsenal, was played very well in the world cup, didn’t he? Always the commentator said he is (was) an Arsenal player, I was shamed.
    And today, don’t forget: Djourou is in action again! rico, will be probably very happy!
    (Vermaelen is out of the Belgium squad)

  168. Nickie says:

    I don’t want to see Robben or RVP win the world cup because i’m bitter. Vlaar? relegation battling fodder doesn’t deserve the world cup! lol a quarter of the dutch team i’ve never heard of and the arguement that is for Bergkamp is silly lol. what about current players? the boost it would give Ozil, Mert and Pod. Plus Germany are easy on the eye and win games without the need to cheat. *Images of Robben pin pointing the ref with his eyes, twisting his body to face the ref and appeal for a pen all while in mid air against Arsenal*. How does a guy develop such skill to do all that in a split second

  169. tsgh says:

    Kev & Agag- dont blame me for lack of ‘stats’ in the post… Wath and Micko met in an alley way and removed my hard work… 😉

    Thanks all for the kind words btw…

  172. Gunnerdna says:

    A short statement released by the Blues confirmed: “Chelsea Football Club can confirm an agreement has been reached with Atletico Madrid for the transfer of Diego Costa, with Chelsea meeting the buy-out clause for the Spanish international.”

  174. allezkev says:

    Ginge, I saw Galindo in a pre-season game at Stevenge, summer 2011 approx, and he looked ok.

  175. allezkev says:

    Chelsea have reportedly met Atletico’s buy-out price for Costa, said to be £32 million…

  176. tsgh says:

    He looked promising Kev… Hopefully W.Silva has watched his old pal Neymar and say he can do better…

  177. Hell Raising Devil says:

    the difference between making it to the top 11 in the EPL and being released is a very fine line mates. So what in our opinions might seem to be a good player might not be in the eyes of the coaching staff. And though they might be wrong imo it is very rare.

  179. Hell Raising Devil says:

    I can tell you mates……….its not easy telling a young player that he is not cut out to make it. It is so difficult. And most of the time the vitriol and lack of acceptance on the player and his parents’ part is one of my worst experiences.

    But what can you do? sometimes being hard is very often the kindest way to deal with it.

  185. allezkev says:

    Bayern want £20 million for Mandzukic, so the report goes.

    Apparently Arsenal are not willing to go that high for a 28 year old…

  186. Hell Raising Devil says:

    you have to be brutal mate. otherwise you cannot thrive in such a sport.

    imo Costa does not cost more than 15 mill at the most. I prefer Torres because within the right team which plays to his strengths he will score more than 20 in the EPL

  187. allezkev says:

    I suppose the question could be?

    Is the EPL worth £20 million and would Mandzukkc make the difference?

  190. tsgh says:

    Lol Dev… I personally like Mandzukic… I know his showings in the UCL against us was not great but in the Bundesliga he is very effective and has been for a very long time…
    He is more clinical than Dzeko or OG12 too…

  191. tsgh says:

    Dev, like you £15M plus £70kpw for Costa was the most I would go but as you know I am a bit tight and unambitious so…

    Kev, on the prize money alone spending the money the likes of the chavs and city and co spend is not worth it but.. as they say football is about trophies…

    or for philanthropist to chuck money down a black hole…

  192. agirlagunner says:

    The zillionaires are ruining leagues everywhere, Chelsea has always been silly about its money, and the petrol Mancs have followed suit. Not to mention, PSG, Monaco…

  200. tsgh says:

    for the sake of bleeding the ‘new monies’ dry you cant have enough joses’ Agag… lol
    Seriously, i wonder why none of the ‘old money’ families own any football club? They own the Tv companies and media outlets who brain wash us with data showing us how their next cash cow is a must buy. They take our subscription fees but they won’t touch a football club as we ‘common’ folks assume winning bring huge returns… 😉

    Look at RM as an example, a club owned by banks so as to wash their fake cash with big signings whilst kids whose parents work hard for their cash ask for a replica shirt which then pays for the big signs they I.O.Ued’ in the first place…

  203. Hell Raising Devil says:

    The pope’s army scores.

    Seems as if his prayers have been answered by heaven

  205. tsgh says:

    Very poor from Stepahn considering his experience…

    Oh no was that Gervinho in disguise missing from 2 yards? 🙂

  207. agirlagunner says:

    Ginge, I never thought of that. I imagine it is because football is not exactly a quiet business, and you always get the controversial coach, players…

  212. goonster says:

    Seriously if we end up not winning this world cup. I ll have people’s names in my black book.

  214. Hell Raising Devil says:

    you will not win it mate. you will implode by the semis.

    Robben will be washed out.

    Van Judas will get bored and go back his childhood

    Cillesen will be found out

  215. Rick says:

    Evening to the House.
    A great post Ginge .I have had to read it twice to take it all in.
    As a big fan of Ollson and Hayden I hope to see them given a chance next season.
    Now the comments being made about Ryo and Galindo.
    If you can remember in a post in March I said that I thought this would happen. If you look at last seasons team we had 24 players over 21. 6 have left leaving us with 12foreign players and 6 club trained/home produced.(this includes Djourou and Coquelin)

    Now I think Jack Jenkinson and Campbell will be added to this list ( They are now over21) bringing the total to 21 with room for 4 more players. As i see it Arsene has got to decide what he is going to do do with Djourou Coquelin Martineze Mikal Ryo and Galindo. If he waves good bye to all of them we have a squad of 19.
    I hope you all can understand this.

  216. tsgh says:

    hi Rick thanks..

    Indeed you talked about the decisions AW had to make this summer…

    I hope Miguel, Eisfield get given chances next season… make or break for them as well as the players you mentioned

  217. Rick says:

    Ginge dare I say could Arsene be thinking of replacing TW ( if he leaves ) with Miquel or Djourou..
    If you look at the fixture list we have 2 first team freindlys before our 7 world cup players are able to play. The make up of the teams for both these games could be a great chance for some of the young ones to show what they can do and give a indication to how he is thinking.

  218. Micko says:

    Cheer up stan, you could have been born a belgian, that really would have been a living hell.
    tsgh, sorry to break the news, did you not see Gdna’s 3.28, all hear say of course.

  220. allezkev says:

    Here it comes, reports of Man City interest in Alexis Sanchez means we can kiss goodbye to our first target of the summer…

    Kroenke will be happy about that.
    It means more dough that he can spunk on another cattle ranch.

  223. tsgh says:

    It looks like the bin dippers have won the S war with us.
    S is pushing for the salary Jaws was on which we can’t offer…
    Morning all

  232. frednerk says:

    Morning All,
    Great post Ts,
    Have to disagree slightly on defending the midfield,not to sure if you have experience of playing that roll,so we differ a bit,
    Paddy was a defensive midfielder no one got the better of him he ran the midfield for us and France,the most compleat midfielder ever,in my time.
    What I think is that paddy was so good going forward that he would try to win the game as well as protect the game.example of this is when we were down to 10 with paddy it never mattered.
    My experience for what its worth is that the centre of midfield will only work if 2 players are working together,its winning the midfield that’s the key attacking midfielders can play defending midfielders if the will to win is there.

  233. Scott From Oz says:

    Back on deck, Adam?
    Mate, don’t let work get on the way of the house too often.
    I mean, suddenly I was looking the intelligent one on here 🙂 🙂 🙂

  234. Lee says:

    If this team had a “Paddy” in it plus some pace up front we’d be winning more than the fa cup!

  236. Adam says:

    Scott. Just hovering mate. After a long and somewhat emotional season, along comes the WC and so much hype that I have let it drift past with very little interest. In truth I have hardly watched it. I usually look forward to the close season break myself.

  237. Scott From Oz says:

    Adam, I’ve watched very little of the WC myself.
    Off season for me is to catch up on some sleep.

  238. Adam says:

    Scott. I am not a great armchair supporter myself though I have seen some quietly amusing comedy haircuts recently on devout men who continually point toward the sky with tattooed limbs while simultaneously gobbling all over the pitch.

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