Welbeck off? Striker signing set to be announced. Will 6-0 romp change Arsene Wenger’s plans…

Morning all.

When Aaron passed me the ball I couldn’t believe it. I just swung my left foot at it and fortunately it went in and I was like ‘oh my gosh’.

I couldn’t believe it, I was in shock. I didn’t know what to do or how to celebrate but I enjoyed it! I have dreamt about it so many times but I never thought it could feel as good as this.

My family, my friends, my close friends even my uncle was here today so I was glad to get a goal for them.

Moments like that in football make it all worth while, no trophy, no mega bucks, no medals, just a first goal for a teenager who has had dreams about such a moment. If that’s what he can do when just ‘swinging a foot at the ball’, well when he matures more, he could become good, no, very good. He nearly had a super second too but the offside flag was rightly raised.

Arsene Wenger likes him:

I like Alex Iwobi. Good attitude, efficient player. Maybe not so flashy but he understands the game. He is very efficient and works for the team.

Time will tell if it’s a loan for him this season, or whether he be part of the first team squad but playing for the under 21’s but if he stays, I’m sure we’ll see a lot more of him over the next few months, certainly when the league cup kicks off.

Another youngster the manager really likes in Jeff Rene-Adelaide:

Rene-Adelaide is something special you know. He is a great talent and when he came on you could see that – 17 years old let’s not forget that. In fact I don’t remember how I played at 17 but I didn’t play like that!

I was pleased to see Isaac Hayden get a run out too and hope to see more of him today as we face Vfl Wolfsburg.

I thought yesterdays game was great. Great to see a few young players given playing time and even better to see us play well and score many goals all of which were really good, yes, even Ollie’s header which bounced off his shoulder because the free kick was perfect and the big Frenchman’s timing matched it. How many times has it been said that if Ollie gets the right service, especially on set-pieces, he’ll score?

But of course, it was only Lyon, their defending was awful and they are just an average side! Well I don’t subscribe to that theory at all. As I said yesterday, Lyon aren’t Barca, Real or Bayern, well neither are Arsenal, not yet!

We huffed and puffed a bit for the first twenty minutes, plenty of possession but just couldn’t make it count. Then on 29 minutes, Ozil fired in a free kick from the right, Ollie did the rest and did it well considering his shirt was practically being ripped from his back by Tolisso! Within minutes, Ramsey did well in midfield, played the ball to Ollie who in turn slotted the ball through to OC. The Englishman fired home a super shot into the far corner of the net.

Soon after it was 3-0, the moment Iwobi has been dreaming of….. Next on the score-sheet was Aaron Ramsey, another good finish after a ball from Ozil.

Super stuff, it really was….

As the second half kicked off, OC added a fourth. N’Jie nearly pulled one back. Ollie fired a volley wide then soon after Jeff Reine-Adelaide showed some good stuff before setting up Ozil to make it 5-0.

Changes were made, one of which was Santi Cazorla and when he stepped up to take a free-kick just outside the box, you just knew he was going to score. I was expecting the top corner but he clearly had other ideas, cheeky ones too!

That was that, 6-0 and a great day for those at The Emirates in the sunshine.

They’ll continue to be a debate on who or what we need to be truly competitive this season but on yesterdays showing, Arsene Wenger may just think we don’t need much.

Transfer gossip:

  • Theo Walcott has agreed a new contract with Arsenal that will keep him at the Emirates until 2019, while goalkeeper David Ospina is set to extend his stay with the Gunners after a summit meeting with Arsene Wenger. (Mirror)
  • Arsenal and Roma are set to go head to head to sign Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko. (Express)
  • Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck is an audacious target for Besiktas as they look to replace Demba Ba. (Star)

That’s it for Sunday, no doubt many changes will be made for today’s game but lets hope for another great performance…

396 thoughts on “Welbeck off? Striker signing set to be announced. Will 6-0 romp change Arsene Wenger’s plans…

  1. Gunnerdna says:

    Good post rico.

    From the last post,

    I like the optimism, but the harsh reality is Arsenal is 60-70 mil away from a realistic EPL challenge, without a upgrade in MF and CF its fallacy. The quality and experience will cost top dollar that’s where football is at the moment.

  2. Hell Raising Devil says:

    Good Morning Lovelies and Hunkies.

    Nice match report Rico. As good as the game itself.

    I think the line up today will be…..

    Cech
    Bellerin, Chambers, Gabriel, Nacho
    Arteta, Hayden
    Theo Cazorla Wilshere
    Akpom

  3. goonster says:

    He’s almost back to his Bremen days. That was the ozil that ripped you guys apart at the 2010 world cup 😀 I can’t wait to have him back. Goals flicks tricks and of course the killer passes. Come on mesut 😀 make me proud. I love this guy. No homo.

  4. rico says:

    Morning again all..

    Gdna, £60/£70 million away, why does where we are have to be priced?

    AW could go and sign two players for free or very cheaply and we go on to win the PL..

    How much did Coquelin cost?

  5. eduardo says:

    I really liked the Ramsey goal, it must have been one of the longest one two goals ever, Ramsey played the ball form the half way line about 30 yards to Ozil and then got a return 20 yard pass to score from a couple of yards out, that goal summed up perfectly what Ramsey brings to the team what none of our other midfielder do, that real desire to get into the thick of the action in the area.

    now this will upset a few, but I think Cazorla did not mean it, he got his freekick all wrong, he was trying to put it over the wall, his reaction was telling, he seemed to be telling team mates he got very lucky, but hey lets hope that sort of luck is with us all season.

    Delighted to see Iwobi make an impact, he has never been a flashy player and has improved year on year. Many of his youth team mates get talked up and have not been able to keep the sort of steady progression Iwobi has managed. Lets hope he keeps progressing.

    Rene-Adelaide reminds me of Anelka when he first broke into the first team, something about how he just seems to know he is ready for this. When we signed him, his former youth manager said we had got ourselves a special talent, now wenger says something similar, so maybe we just might have the surprise of the season with this lad.

  6. Gunnerdna says:

    Rico lol. We already have enough B-/C+ players, A/A+ players will cost top dollars. The starting 11 needs two more quality addition to make a REALISTIC challenge.

  7. Tai says:

    Morning All…

    Great post Rico.

    I think what will matter very significantly for Wenger this season is early season form. To have such start, stability is needed. From this pre-season, it’s like we’ll sprint off the blocks.

    I don’t see Wenger adding any player that will walk straight into this team that has found wonderful balance. He will, and rightly in my opinion, stick with what he has, till January, at least.

    If the monster of injuries don’t besiege this team AW may not need anyone by January either!

  8. Drake says:

    A good morning all,giroud is the only cf we have,so if we sign an upgrade i dont care how he feels because he not the only player who will be bench,look at gibbs and monreal,debuchy and bellerin.only one has to play and they are all happy with the competion.sometimes as a player you to put feeling aside and put the team 1st.this is for TAI

  9. eduardo says:

    This quote from former Italy goalkeeper Marco Amelia is interesting “During negotiations, I signed the confidentiality agreement with Arsenal and so, I cannot say anything at the moment. I’m relatively young for a goalkeeper as I’m only 33 years old. I don’t know what future holds for me”

    many reports suggest Martinez will be going on loan for the season, with several Championship clubs and a couple of spanish clubs interested in taking him, so it might make sense to bring an experienced goalie so we have 3 on the roster.

  10. Hell Raising Devil says:

    I would rather AW signed Samper or gave a chance to Hayden than pay millions for Carvalho, Schneiderlin etc. Is he going to pay them and leave them on the bench while Coquelin plays??

    Coquelin is a product of AFC. yes he did not cost millions, but a player of his type will cost big bucks.

    Samper will not rock the boat. He is still young and will be integrated into the team gradually and get game time which will not hinder Coquelin at all. Hayden the same.

    Imagine for one moment….Coquelin and Giroud playing already for RM and AFC want to sign them. That would set us 60 – 70 million back.

    and yet we have them.

    I still feel Akpom will prove to be a great player if he is given the chance. I just need to watch a player once or twice and notice how he plays. And I liked the way his runs were made. The way he makes himself available shows intelligence. his runs were tactical not reactive

  11. Tai says:

    DNA…

    The only thing that worries me about this team is injury…we have a solidly knit team…sure I’d welcome any world class addition but I did Wenger already gave us one in Cech!

  12. Adam says:

    GDNA. No, not today. It’s a very horrible rainy day in London and quite chilly too. It’s the GP and then the game on TV then. I might even lay on the sofa which is unusual for me. 🙂

  13. eduardo says:

    Tai I’d agree with you that I don’t see Wenger signing a striker who will be first choice, not for the reasons you say though, I don’t see it as for me there are only a handful of strikers out there who would “walk straight in to the team” and they are all at massive clubs, who don’t want to sell, and have no need to sell, and the players themselves don’t seem to be in any rush to leave their clubs.

    If we do sign a striker I do think it will be a top one, who would be first choice, but I just don’t think an elite striker will be sold by any of the top clubs this summer. When you see a modern day Emil Heskey go to Liverpool for £32M you can see the shortish of quality strikers out there.

  14. goonster says:

    Dev I ll take damper in a heart beat. He’s got artet a and santi in him. Arteta’s passing range and santi’s foot work. Unfortunately arsene don’t want him according to Kike marin. Bummer.

  15. goonster says:

    He ll play that role for years to come since both santi and arteta aren’t spring chickens anymore. I say we get him plus he’s good friends with Hector.

  16. Gunnerdna says:

    Ramsey – 24
    JW – 23
    Coq – 24
    SC – 30
    Rosicky – 34
    Arteta – 33
    MF – 31

    That Midfield is unbalance, its more about upcoming MF and players pass their prime or not good enough. A player is needed who are in their prime and will make it happen now. imo

  17. eduardo says:

    yeah rico I’ve always kept an eye on our academy, I really love to see a lad from the youths make it at Arsenal, I think it stems back to the 71 squad having so many homegrown players in it, and then the likes of Brady, O’Leary, Stapleton, Rix in the 70’s, then Davis, Roscastle, Thomas, Hayes, Quinn in the 80’s and even Selley, Hillier in the 90’s.. But I have a source at the club who is well up on the youth scene and he gives me updates on how players are doing, he rarely misses a youth game.

    Its such a pity that Arsenal player does not broadcast u18 and u21 games, I really don’t know why they don’t do as they do with first team games and show the full 90 minutes delayed, this 6 minute highlight thing is nonsense.

  18. Tai says:

    And if you’re talking about Arsenal first team next season, DNA…

    Cech

    Bellerin, Per, Koscielny, Monreal

    Coquelin, Ramsey

    Ozil

    Walcott, Giroud, Sanchez.

    Sub…Ospina, Debuchy, Gabriel, Gibbs, Carzola, Wilshere, Welbeck.

    Now, you will immediately notice I didn’t start Carzola…that was my toughest headache…for me to force Carzola in, Ozil has to play from the bench…I’ll be skinned for that. That or Ramsey drops for Carzola…but there’s something about Ramsey…he’s a world class b2b player that all he needs is be on the pitch once fit. Again, Ox didn’t make my bench…incredible! Akpom couldn’t get to the bench either.

    For me, the biggest headache for Wenger is starting Carzola…it may well mean Walcott not starting!

  19. rico says:

    Devil, I kind of think along the same lines as you, I love the look of Hayden, he just needs to show what he can do and a friend of mine rates Samper quite highly, so why not..

    Eduardo, have to agree re Jeff looking like a young Anelka…

  20. Drake says:

    Tia a 1st choice cf will be signed like it or not,samething happened with the keeper we signed cech,did you hear ospina complain?no

  21. goonster says:

    Sorry tai as much as I love rambo he just doesn’t have the discipline to sit with coquelin. Santi and lecoq worked marvelously last season and I don’t see arsene changing that anytime soon. Plus I think we ll set up according to the opposition. Against relegation fodder at the emirates we might see rambo and santi with coquelin sitting it out.

  22. goonster says:

    My God the squad depth is unbelievable. I totally forgot all about jack wilshere tr7 welbeck and sanchez. My God we ll kill them.

  23. frednerk says:

    Great performance from the squad high tempo stuff first half-hour
    killed the game.
    Lyon supposed to have a few players we need..must get..Hmmmmm.
    Three players stood out to me .
    Coq once again his speed at closing down and breaking up and then
    spraying,all he needs to do now is pace himself through the 90.
    Ozil we know is good,but he looked stronger in his running,he looked
    like the main man.
    Oxo showed what a player he could be,,He needs a run of games.
    If Danny did go to Turkey….Bye Bye ..England.
    Wenger loves him,as far as I know.
    Liked the lad who came on late Adelaide..Wow Factor player.
    will be going along to see him play.

  24. rico says:

    5′ 11″ isn’t he Goonie… 😉

    Gdna, I don’t know but you labelled them generally so I followed suit!

    Eduardo, agree again, I really miss Afc TV on Setanta…

  25. goonster says:

    Am sorry guys I don’t see anyone coming in unless we sell. Some players could barely get a game right now. Who would you leave out? We can only name 7 players on the subs bench. I don’t envy arsene right now. Lol

  26. goonster says:

    My bad rico 5’11 😀 and that from the same region that produced Iniesta xavi Bojan et al. He’s huge sign him up arsene. Let flamster go and bring in samper before maureen does. I ll be devastated if he goes else where especially to the scummy chavs.

  27. Drake says:

    Tai Of all the strikers we had at arsenal in past they all had one in common that is speed…giroud is slow and it about time he is removed.we play our best when we have a speedy cf,i can even have theo playing cf…did you see how we killed westbrom?villa?

  28. Malaga gooner says:

    Goonie the problem of having too many players can change very quickly with our injury record

  29. frednerk says:

    Sorry Tai agree with stan
    Ramsey has to hit the box whereas
    Santi has the football brain of a team player

  30. Gunnerdna says:

    Henry – “Arsenal need to buy four players, they need that spine,” he said on Sky Sports.

    “They need a goalkeeper, they still need a centre-back, they still need a holding midfielder and, I’m afraid, they need a top, top-quality striker in order to win this league again.

  31. Tai says:

    Goonster…

    Yeah…when you’re told to name your starting 11, it is assumed you’re playing against the toughest opposition…

    Well, Carzola played once alongside Coq when Ramsey was not available…when Ramsey came back, Carzola has been so excellent Wenger had little choice…but Ramsey has always been Wenger’s first choice b2b…second choice is Wilshere…but because of Ozil, Carzola left his best position…and luckily for us, Carzola can now play in all three midfield positions. As much as Carzola is class, Wenger won’t keep Ramsey on the bench either….that may mean Walcott missing most of the time or Giroud missing to give Walcott top striking role.

  32. goonster says:

    Drake we killed villa at the emirates too with giroud up front. Not forgetting the 5.2 mauling of the spuds. Yes we need pace up front but it’s overated sometimes. Lennon agbonlaahor nzogbia all have pace to burn. Zizou bergy and heck van Persie had none. Just look at the OX’s goal yesterday then you ll see what giroud brings to the table. We need him yes but I tend to agree that in some games we need pace up front.

  33. eduardo says:

    I really hope Gnabry gets some game time today, it has been such a pity that injury interrupted his progression, he is a real talent.

    Wenger basically said yesterday that Cech, Bellerin, Chambers, Gabriel, Gibbs and Wilshere will all start. and it would be a mix and match for the rest. I think we are certain to see Walcott start too, its just a matter of where, wide or as main striker. If Arteta is fit enough to start I’d expect he will, then that would leave Rene-Adelaide, Akpom, Toral and Gnabry all in with a chance of getting a start.

    possible line up
    Cech
    Bellerin Chambers Gabriel Gibbs
    Arteta Wilshere
    Rene-Adelaide Toral Akpom
    Walcott

  34. tsgh says:

    Lol Rico… I read a slight misrepresentation on previous page…;)

    I have nothing against Le Coq as i have always said… I always stated his performances drifted off in the second half due to his fitness issue. 🙂

    Same as when I use to go on about Ozil covering a lot of ground when media and fans were bashing him for being lacklustre…

  35. goonster says:

    Howdy ts back to pick our team apart again 😀 I live you dude 😀 you always see stuff in 3D 😀

  36. Tai says:

    Drake,

    We have Walcott who is yearning for top striking role…we have Welbeck who is best choice for England…all with pace…we still have Sanchez…Giroud brings something different your pacing strikers won’t…and we have pace all over the pitch.

    I’d rather we shift Walcott to centre to challenge Giroud than buy another striker to limit Walcott’s chances upfront!

  37. eduardo says:

    the only time Giroud’s lack of speed becomes a problem for us is when we don’t have quick players around him, Walcott, Ox, Alexis and when we don’t have Ramsey in the team making runs by the striker.
    and of course there is the opposite problem when our opponents sit deep and all we have is small quick players with no one to bounce balls off, even when Welbeck is in for Giroud he is not nearly as good with the one touch flicks and passes, nor with contesting the high ball and battling with big CBs

  38. tsgh says:

    Adam- have you read about this new police state stuff?
    Dna/Goonie- have you noted the whiff of Operation Jade Helm where you are in the good ole’ US of A?

  39. goonster says:

    Watch closely tai had rambo played in that game we would have been swamped. See santi’s starting position and watch how he covers for coquelin most times. Rambo ll bomb forward on so many occasions and leave us to be dissected. He just doesn’t have the discipline to sit.

  40. scottfromoz says:

    Still negativity on signings?
    2 years ago we were signing no good players…Ozil.
    1 year ago we were not spending…Sanchez…
    6 weeks ago same again…Cech.
    When will some alleged Arsenal fans finally bloody concede we are progressing?
    NEVER!
    That’s when.
    I am not sure why we even bother discussing transfers or targets.

  41. eduardo says:

    when Henry speaks it becomes clear why he is a pundit and not a manager, just like the vast majority of pundits.

  42. Drake says:

    I dont trust arteta as our 2nd dm,we really need cover coq…ts it looks like we have a gem in adelaide,lens do know how to produce them

  43. rico says:

    Scott, you should know by now that if AW doesn’t spend £100 m each summer, we’ll never win anything…. 😉

    Eduardo, not sure what’s happening today but I agree with you again… Lol

  44. tsgh says:

    I sussed you were trying to take a shot Rico. 😀

    lol Goonie- when do i ever pick our players apart? 🙂

    Poldi- I said he was lazy and never a no.9 because unlike the media I had seen Poldi play at Koln and Munchen. Where is Poldi now?

    Santi- I said he was capable at no.11 to track back, but that should be played as a CM and not as ano.10. He is now playing as a CM and he is playing better than ever.

    Ox- I don’t think he is world class like most fans think he is. If I am wrong for stating the obvious then maybe… 😉

    Still Ox has a huge potential but still consider Serge a better all round player.

    Arteta- will be my Pirlo-Fix until Ramsay or Pjanic step up to fill the void. 🙂

  45. rico says:

    Neither do I Drake which is why I hope we see Hayden in there today. Not trying to suggest he’s the solution yet but until he’s played, we don’t know that he’s not….. Just in case no DM comes in….

  46. tsgh says:

    Dna- come down bro’. Its just football mate. flipping heck…; at least you are consistent in your views.

    I haven’t heard your views/excuse on Falcao though seeing as you called AW all the names under the sun for not signing Falcao for £20m on loan last January so you can get your fix. 😉

  47. rico says:

    Gdna, so? None are proven managers are they?

    It’s easy to sit behind a keyboard and type who we should or shouldn’t sign etc, but unless we all know what is going on on the inside or how good some of the younger players are, then we are all just playing football manager….

  48. tsgh says:

    Rico- It will be lovely to see Hayden come through…The boy can play most positions and so he can be our Grimandi…

    AW needs to get one of the younger guns in the first team…; still 17 or so years later no striker has come through from Hale End; maybe Aladiere only.

    I hope Akpom makes it…

  49. goonster says:

    Lol ts that’s exactly why I said you see stuff in 3D 😀 Alex oxlade chamberlain is the closest thing we have to hazard right now. Strong powerful and hard to knock off the ball. I guess because he’s english and he plays for the arsenal that’s why he’s not give the accolades he deserves. Had he been a manure or heck pool’s player folks ll be singing his praises. What he needs is consistency and watch him break into a demon on the pitch. He can shoot dribble and has an eye for a pass! Come on ts. Really 😀 where’s kev when you need him 😀

  50. eduardo says:

    well said scott, the changes in our squad sine 2011/12 season is incredible, 22 players who played for us that season are no longer with us, and that does not include Jenkinson, and Campbell, and of course it looks like Szczesny is going out on loan too, so that would make it 24 players plus Campbell(who did not play for us that season but was our player), all gone in only 3 seasons, that is a massive amount of players sold and of course their replacement bought,

    strange that we are still told Wenger does not buy players.

  51. goonster says:

    Rico ts cracks me up 😀 he’s like the antimatter. Always going against everyone’s view. I love you man atleast you keep the discussion going. We all can’t agree at the same time. We ll be like sheep on pasture 😀

  52. rico says:

    Ts, Hayden could be much better than Grimandi imo but I get what you are saying… Just give the guy a chance I say…

    Jeff and Chuba could be our main strikers in a couple of years time….

  53. Gunnerdna says:

    Ts, how can you hear my views on Falco when i was incarcerated from HH. lol. You won’t remember the time though when i said keep Coq as a utility player/backup right back and send Jenkinson on loan or sell him and i was classed as a mad man, now he is the best thing since slice bread. I notice the agendas bro where selective memory is necessary but i wont fall for it this time, if we win the PL with what we have, i will be happy and eat as much humble pie.

  54. tsgh says:

    Dev- Have you read Pere Guardiola’s views on Samper.

    I think Samper will want guarantees like Bellerin to be in the first team

  55. Hell Raising Devil says:

    Henry risks loosing his credibility as a legend if AFC win one of either the CL or EPL. I do not understand those pundits at all. All they need is to comment on the game as they see it. Not as they wish to see it.

    I reminds me of the old saying….Those who can teach….Those who cant end up as administrators.

    In our case…..Those who can MANAGE…Those who cant end up as pundits.

    It will be one of the worst days in AFC history if TH14 ends up as Manager.

  56. Adam says:

    As TH has never actually been a manager (a trait he shares with all here) it seems presumptive to me to condemn him and to suggest that he is merely a know-nothing pundit.
    TS. Only in bits and pieces. It all seems rather disturbing and rather un-British initially.

  57. rico says:

    I must admit Goonie, I don’t see OC as anything other that a super player and he’ll only get better and if Walcott is to play central, OC will make that right wing his own for a good few years….

    Well, until he plays centrally…. Lol

  58. eduardo says:

    Hallelujah , praise the lord, Rico has seen the light and has finally came round to my views on things, maybe there is still hope for DNA

  59. allezkev says:

    Morning All…

    It’s tipping down in South London…
    I could really mullah a bacon beigal with brown sauce, and an apple turnover…

    Ah well, it’s Fruit n Fibre as usual… 🙁

  60. goonster says:

    Get ready dna I ll feed you agag size humble pies 😀 cause trust me we will win the league. Play out a boring draw at the bridge old shit hole and wastelands. Smash the scums poop and everton at their grounds and pick up maximum points against other teams. We ll win it in a canter.

  61. Tai says:

    DNA,

    Spot on on selective memory…here in HH…there is evident intent to only bring up one’s comments whenever it went off the mark…but none makes any attempt to give another due credit whenever one hits bulls eye…

    It sort of sickens me because I always believe in taking the rough with the smooth.

  62. tsgh says:

    Flipping heck Dna- liverpool has gone over 2 decades…

    Goonie- I don’t know if you are joking when you say i rip our players apart? If you would be honest; who on here wrote a post saying that we would win the FA cup over 2 summers ago with the squad we had when you were ranting on about who sperds had signed whenwe had not even signed Ozil?

  63. scottfromoz says:

    Devil, stop making sense lol.
    Henry has no pedigree as a manager or a pundit, yet anyone who hates Wenger will agree with him out of convenience.
    Stan, I seem to recall Ginge AND Devil as the only two agreeing with me when I was defending Ramsey a few years back, so maybe going against the grain isn’t a bad thing.
    I mean, as I said a few lines back, we could all take the easy route and agree with Thierry.

  64. rico says:

    Really Gdna, I didn’t know it had been that long….

    Common sense will get you so far but I doubt all is a simple as signing any one player, as that player has to be right. Right for the changing room, right for the style of football and right for the budget….

    It’s surely tougher, a lot tough than many fans would like to think….

  65. frednerk says:

    Hayden could be the answer but he would need a run of games
    not sure wenger would risk losing points to blood young players
    this time round,
    theses young players need to play weekly
    to build stamina not wait around for injuries to happen.
    The squad looks very good,so I think wenger could be
    telling the truth for once.
    Who’s available thats better than we have?
    This squad will not accept a stop-gap player
    coming in now.
    Wenger will have to bring in the best…Harris is right.
    Sorry Lord.

  66. Drake says:

    Rico if there is no dm signing i hope hayden is one…giroud will be our second next season people need to put their feelngs aside and be happy that we are upgrading…1st it was cech…benzema will follow…maybe welback will be loaned out?or am i wrong rico?

  67. tsgh says:

    Dna- I rate Scez and still do… I always say our goalie coaching is an issue.

    De Gea is over rated… he had 1 good season…

    Scez won the golden glove same as Cech 2 seasons ago…

  68. scottfromoz says:

    Rico, some assume we can just sign any player.
    No agents involved.
    No parents.
    No chance a player is happy where he is.
    Nothing to suggest a club won’t sell.
    We should just choose a player, and hour later, they’re at the Emirates 🙂

  69. Gunnerdna says:

    Rico, Common sense was telling Coq to sit, win the ball back and give it to Santi who is a better distributor of the football than he is, it give more balance to the team other than having the DF in the opposition half at all times. You don’t have to be a genius to figure that out. He was asked to perform a limited role and it works.

  70. Tai says:

    Cool Ts…

    Don’t know why fans over there believe Iwobi will regret playing for Nigeria…Kanu didn’t. They robbed us of Akpom…isn’t one robbery enough?

  71. rico says:

    Fred, I thought he’d have gone to Singapore and got a bit of playing time under his belt. AW mentioned him on the official site as being one of the players who can play so perhaps he’s ready to use him….

  72. Gunnerdna says:

    Rico – “Shall we stop trying to score ‘I said this that and the other’ points, it’s tedious”

    That’s not the intent rico, it wont happen again.

  73. tsgh says:

    lol Tai… Personally I will suggest Iwobi to play for u-21 for 3 years at least and then when he has made it choose Nige if he so feels.

    Playing for Nige will kill his career!

    With Dyke and co. playing this new found 1930’s nationalist crap… 😉

    Scott- ”We should just choose a player, and hour later, they’re at the Emirates”; will the players fly on Kevs’ helicopter or Malaga Gooners private jet which is still sitting on the ‘tarmac’,(note not taxiway btw) awaiting to bring Bender over? 3 years and still waiting. 😛

  74. rico says:

    Not all Scott… 😉

    But looking at Di Maria leaving Utd it’s clear what that was all about and Jose has got a few wrong too hasn’t he, De Bryne (spelling) is a good example but not many get to Arsenal and have to be got rid off after one season.

  75. tsgh says:

    Fred- I think Hayden’s problem is he is a footballer and not a player if you get my drift.

    As someone who has seen him play live a couple of times I think he holds onto the ball too long to be a CB or DM for now but needs to make mistakes to learn from…
    I agree we do not have the time or leeway currently…

    he can play too many positions too well. Good news is he is no Randal or Frimpong and so…

  76. Tai says:

    Sunday Oliseh is the new Nigeria Manager…he won’t mess up with Iwobi’s development…Oliseh’ll invite him sparingly.

  77. eduardo says:

    tsgh the BPL Chairmen have already rejected Dyke’s “little Englander” plan, so it aint coming in.

  78. scottfromoz says:

    Rico, I respect the opinions of plenty on here.
    Most are genuine in their love of the club, and their knowledge of football is brilliant.
    That’s why I stick around, even though it’s a chore come times 🙂

  79. eduardo says:

    the problem with Iwobi playing for Nigeria is not anything to do with who will manager or coach him when on international duty, its about him missing a couple of months of the season every year while on ACN duty and not being sure of what condition he would come back in. We’ve had it with Gervinho and Song in the past. Its a problem.

  80. Tai says:

    I think Wenger must be the happiest football manager this moment. He has a squad everyone, including his only Henry would love to underrate.

    Yet he knows he’s got a team with the balance of Man U’s 1999 squad. He’s most probably grinning in the dark, knowing what he’s got, sending opponents on a wild goose chase with transfer promises and secretly willing Mourinho to jump into the market to disintegrate his team.

    Only problem is – for the moment Mourinho is not picking the bait!

  81. Adam says:

    Morning Kev. A lot of tension around today and we are looking as good as we have for a while too. Not difficult to understand though.

  82. allezkev says:

    Morning Ginge, interesting comments this rainy day (rain all day, no use in being uptight, just let it, groove it own way. J.Hendrix)
    Good to read so much positivity…

    Rico, that was a sumptuous post… 🙂

  83. Micko says:

    rico, rather you than me, I would have retired a long time ago !

    Gotta love the “know it all’s”…..morning to you all.

  84. eduardo says:

    yeah Rico, I seen Scudamore give an interview on BBC and he said BPL chairmen had discussed it and were against it, so Dyke can no implement it in the BPL, he might be able to get it in the football league, but not sue if there is any reason for it there

  85. tsgh says:

    Eduardo/Tai- Iwobi issue is more to do with the age issue and registration. If he makes it big by 22 then it won’t be an issue…

  86. allezkev says:

    Yes Adam, but it’s a good day for laying on the settee and vapourising…

    Just let the mood take you over Bruv.
    Chill out and enjoy those Gunners 🙂

  87. goonster says:

    Rico I just did Hahahahahahah the resemblance is uncanny. That’s laccazette alright 😀 ts you cheeky devil 😀

  88. frednerk says:

    Ts I see a lot of young players Hayden is one I have seen play when very young
    your right in a way he played midfield not restricted at that age,
    I also see Terry play as young boy,he also played midfield.
    It’s all about getting the knowledge.
    If Hayden can make it through he could be a captain in time.

  89. Micko says:

    Kev, some good advice, a day to lay back and think of Arsenal !

    Adam, I gotta come up for air sooner or later.

  90. tsgh says:

    I can imagine Micko, listening to Lionel Richie reading his conmspiracy and geo-political stuff. 🙂

    Easy like a sunday morning…

  91. goonster says:

    Lol ts nothing gets this far. Am in the country side surrounded by rednecks 😀 those dudes only talk about trucks and motor sports…not even the good kind . Lol

  92. Micko says:

    rico, keep plugging away, there’s still a chance the day will come when a chicken can cross the road without having her motives questioned as the saying goes lol.

  93. goonster says:

    Sometimes I wonder how I managed to survive all these years away from europe. I gotta get back home guys. God help me. Next thing you know brianna ll be calling me “paw” yikes.

  94. goonster says:

    Scott before yesterday most probably have never seen him play. Just jump on the band wagon. Hahahahah now apparently he’s shit. I love arsen fans 😀

  95. goonster says:

    Would you rather play with Henderson or ozil behind you??? Think about it rico 😀 plus if he ever leaves BD he ll be going to barca or Madrid.

  96. Micko says:

    Max Verstappen, 17 years old, drives around at over 200mph but hasn’t passed his driving test yet ! Only has a racing licence, incredible stuff.

  97. eduardo says:

    Arsenal v Wolfsburg: Cech, Bellerin, Chambers, Gabriel, Monreal, Arteta, Cazorla, Reine-Adelaide, Ozil, Wilshere, Walcott

  98. eduardo says:

    subs: Martinez, Debuchy, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Giroud, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ramsey, Akpom, Coquelin, Hayden, Iwobi

  99. goonster says:

    Is he trying to play ozil into the ground this season? Come on arsene it’s just preseason! Sheesh

  100. eduardo says:

    Wolfsburg: Benaglio-Jung,Naldo,Klose,Rodriguez-Träsch,Guilavogui-Vieirinha,De Bruyne,Schürrle-Bendter.

  101. tsgh says:

    Lyon fans are like the dippers fans. They expect to be winning or there about. Fournier is in trouble.

    He is lucky OM and Monaco have lost big players too…

  102. eduardo says:

    so Villareal have 10pts, Arsenal have 9, a win, or a score draw or a defeat with us scoring two goals gives AFC the Emirates cup

  103. tsgh says:

    I wonder if AW will keep JRA as a winger or he will convert him. 😉

    I want to see how Josuha performs against the trio/’foursome’ of Arteta-SC19-Ozil and JW

  104. goonster says:

    Nice Ts JRA rhymes with JLA hopefully he ll have the same effect in my life : big fan of the JLA 😀

  105. Lee says:

    Get the bunting out….more siverware on the the way! If Wenger can do the vertically challenged one for the first time the treble is on! Hallelujah!!

  106. tsgh says:

    the bvb performance was very good. I keep telling my fellow yellow and black fan goonie, tuchel will be a top manager…

  107. goonster says:

    JRA has a bit of abou in him. My God he’s going to kill them 😀 what a player we have on our hands.

  108. goonster says:

    You can say that again ts. He’s been immense so far. Plus he’s been claiming everything in the air. Commanding performance so far. That’s what top dollar gets you.

  109. goonster says:

    Ozil ll ton tons this season. He’s bursting a gut to get into box lately. I see goals in him and Ramsey.

  110. eduardo says:

    Rene-Adelaide with great footwork and then a defense splitting pass to theo who finished very calmly 1-0 to the Arsenal

  111. tsgh says:

    interesting how Wolfsburg have moved Josuha farther forward since Arteta went off…

    Dev- your boy max kruse is on…

  112. rico says:

    Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola has agreed to become Manchester City’s next manager for the start of the 2016/17 season, claim BeIN Sports.

  113. rico says:

    Cech has been really good…

    BvB want Soldado, or is that old news too….

    No idea Goonie- ask Ts, he knows everything… Lol

  114. tsgh says:

    Rico- was that a dig. 🙂

    I mentioned Pere had hinted Pep will join city around when Pelle’ was under pressure last season…

    Kev- that is the concern. JW has held his ankle a few times. JRA has made more dribbles and has not been kungfu kicked like JW.

  115. allezkev says:

    Chris Froome wins Tour De France…

    Brilliant result despite the racist reaction of the French cycling establishment and French cycling fans…

    Maybe they’re all Front Nationale supporters?

  116. allezkev says:

    Wilshere gets zero protection from referees Ginge…
    Wenger needs to protect him as much as he can….

  117. tsgh says:

    JW being English I would have expected the establishment to protect him a bit more…

    The only protection AW can give JW is to keep telling Jack to keep it simple. Its feels like its always a dribble too much with JW

  118. allezkev says:

    The media continually complain about the lack of technically proficient English players. And when we have a technically gifted Englishman, the thugs are allowed to kick the shit out of him by clueless officials with no criticism from those self same media tossers….

    A joke…

  119. rico says:

    Froome has endured some nasty stuff Kev, what idiots those people are eh…

    Really pleased for the younger players to get a run out, dropping Jeff into the under 21s would be hard for AW after today imo….

  120. Joe says:

    That’s a better win than yesterday it was a proper football match.
    I am just in from the pub off to catch up.
    But it looks like Wenger has done it again Rene Adelaide Looks like he’s going to be Avery good player.

  121. rico says:

    And we were far from being at our best imo Joe, good to face an organised defensive side ahead of the Chelsea game…

  122. allezkev says:

    Rico, Team Sky apparently have a couple more British riders who can win the Tour in the near future…
    It’s possible that British riders could dominate for the next few years…
    That should really please the French cycling public….
    C’est la vie vous tossers…

  123. allezkev says:

    Ha ha ha, that makes it even sweeter Rico.

    There’s an Australian cycling team in France, that is the Aussie equivalent to Team Sky, they currently have two English twin brothers who are top top quality cycling talent.
    Another two Tour winners of the future?
    The Brits are gonna dominate for years.

  124. Micko says:

    Kev, dunno about you but I’ve often found myself wondering what’s behind the National Front !

  125. allezkev says:

    Mick, not sure myself tbh…

    It could all be a conspiracy…

    But don’t tell Ginge…

    Mums the word…

  126. Hell Raising Devil says:

    Good Evening lovelies and hunkies.

    I bet you are all happy.

    Well I am, though I missed a good part of the 2nd half.

    Good win.

    And good to lift another cup. yes its a friendly pre season cup. but still….its a cup and the more you win the more the habit sets in.

    Just a word on Reine-Adelaide. I was not impressed during the first half. Yes he has lots of skill, but physically he has a long way to go. he needs to bulk up, especially for the EPL. His tactical awareness is very good, and his legs think on the same level as his brain.

    However he is still very young, and I hope he is eased gradually into the first team. His shoulders are still weak to shoulder such a responsability.

    Yet, from what I am reading is that in the 2nd half he upped his game. Good. And bagged an assist to his hame.

    So suddenly we have Chambers, Bellerin, Akpom, Iwobi, Reine Adelaide, Zelalem etc who are all under 21 years of age. That is only good for the club. I feel they will save millions.

  127. Micko says:

    Just a little play on words kev, wasn’t meant to be so thought provoking….honest ! Mission aborted tsgh.

  128. Hell Raising Devil says:

    Good Morning Lovelies and Hunkies.

    Can you wait till our next game against the Chavs?? I feel its an eternity away. Cant wait to see how Jose parks the bus against our team and if we can break it.

    I have a geeling that the team will be the following…..

    Cech
    Monreal, Per, Gabriel, Gibbs
    Coquelin, Cazorla
    Chamberlain, Ozil, Wilshere
    Giroud.

    subs to come on…..Theo, Aaron, Arteta

  129. Hell Raising Devil says:

    With Alexis and Welbeck still to return, with Theo on the form he is now, with Ollie established and with Akpom, Iwobi and to a lesser extent Reine Adelaide throwing a spanner in the thoughts about team recruitement, I feel that AW…..WIL NOT buy either a CF or a winger.

    I might be mistaken. But deep down I feel that is the way its going to be.

    Maybe only a DM as yesterday Arteta’s display confirmed that his legs are no longer up to it. And if Flamini leaves then it leaves us very thin in the centre of the engine room.

  130. rico says:

    Morning Devil and all..

    I looking forward to finding out who our big summer signing will be more than the Chelsea match… 😉

  131. allezkev says:

    Morning Coach…

    Arteta probably needs games, but I guess that he’ll be a regular off of the bench to help close-out games…

  132. Adam says:

    Morning Rico, Kev and all. I remember Arsene saying that, if you made squad decisions based on tournaments like the World Cup, then you were foolish. Fair enough. So to make them on the basis of the Emirates Cup probably borders on madness. Yet I read that “If you score 6 goals you don’t need a striker”.
    Really?

  133. rico says:

    It was a good day Devil…

    Morning Kev and Adam…

    I’d like to think AW knew long before the season ended who his transfer targets were and in what positions and imo, pre-season shouldn’t change that….

  134. allezkev says:

    Football is all about saying one thing.
    And then.
    Doing something totally opposite.

    Mourinhos comment about City, United and Liverpool ‘buying’ the EPL is a classic example…

    That from the man who spent a fortune on Costa, Remy, Fabregas and several other imports 12 months ago…

    But did you all notice how the majority of the media deliberately failed to pick him up on those comments…

  135. Adam says:

    Morning Devil. You may be right but if he doesn’t win the PL then we will be left with “Buying players is not always the answer”. I say fair enough to that, but ‘buying’ Ozil and Sanchez worked out rather well didn’t it? The PL title has to be the target this year. The club have the players and the money to achieve that. Anything less must be deemed failure.

  136. Hell Raising Devil says:

    many go with the idea that a club should always aim at the CL. I beg to differ. imo the PL should be the priority of every club every season.

    Many may chastise me with regards the following but I would trade one CL win with 5 years WPL wins on the trot. Even if we win the CL….the feeling I had when 2004 season ended will not be surpassed. Why? we were undefeated.

    the only way that feeling will be surpassed is if we repeat that feat again.

  137. Adam says:

    I agree Rico but our respect and admiration for Arsene is couched in the fact that he has been at the club for so long and bought us through the stadium move so well. Our affection for him is huge but now is the time to go for it and make the decisions to achieve real success for the years ahead. I often think that he finds the big money reserves more of a hindrance than an advantage especially judging by the way he has reacted to Harris’ statements.
    PL this year. It has to happen.

  138. scottfromoz says:

    Guys, there are 4-5 clubs with the financial “capacity” to win the League.
    Is winning the League the decisive factor on whether or not a manager and his club is a success?
    I don’t subscribe to that theory.
    We have a long term sustainable system.
    Liverpool don’t.
    Chelsea don’t.
    Cited don’t.
    Utd….well, maybe.
    A League title gives us bragging rights but do any of us envy Chelski?
    God I hope not.

  139. Hell Raising Devil says:

    I often cast envious eyes towards the German league (where BM always win) and the Scottish league (where Celtic always win). Do I care if the EPL is rendered the same level as the german lge where the same team wins the lge year in year out?? If its us who win it all the time it will not matter to me. it simply means we are better than the rest.

  140. Tai says:

    Morning All…

    Well, the same old habit…buy, buy , buy.

    I too love to see us sign world class players all over…yeah.

    But last season, Arsenal scored 71 times, just two goals fewer than Chelsea who won the title…third best attack in the league…yet two of our best goal scorers were missing at crucial moments…Giroud…three months; Walcott, most of the whole season. With Giroud and Walcott set to start…plus Sanchez, I doubt if any other team could present a front three with greater goal threat.

    Still Arsenal possess midfielders of real goal poachers…Ramsey, Carzola and Ozil…

    I sincerely believe we presently have enough attacking players to win the title…where we could fall short is in the defensive department…unless Gabriel proves me wrong and becomes a rock that will improve on what Per gives!

  141. Hell Raising Devil says:

    yeah Scott. financially we are stable and have a long term sustainable system.

    However we should make sure that we have the right players to win the EPL back to back to back titles.

  142. Adam says:

    Chelsea were a couple of weeks away from Bankruptcy when Abramovich stepped in. I think he has done rather well for them. Both Liverpool and City seem to have sustainable systems I think.

  143. Tai says:

    Dev,

    I’d trade one CL title for five League titles…the CL is the ultimate club honour…we must add it within the next three seasons!

  144. Adam says:

    But the PL is the hardest to win. Give me that every time. It’s a measure of a club’s quality, resilience and durability.

  145. tsgh says:

    Morning Rico and all..

    Dev- not sure your assessment of the Bundesliga is accurate.

    Hamburg, Stuggart, Wofsburg, Koln, Bremen have all win the title in the last 22 or so years. Not mentioning BVB who won 2 on the trot 3 years ago. Wolfsburg 2010.

    This league is becoming more like Serie A in the 90’s and La liga than the SPL imho…

  146. Tai says:

    Still the CL is a competition for title winners all over Europe…the bragging right for the so-called best league in the world…presently Spain holds that acclaim.

    The only pain for me as an Arsenal fan is not having won it …even the same year we went on an unbeaten run, we couldn’t even get to the semis!

  147. rico says:

    To be honest Adam, any sensible manager would react to the Harris comments in a similar way, it’s only those like Jose, Brenda etc who love to spend money like it’s going out of fashion. But as many of us have always said, the amount of money spent should be little to do with him, he’s the manager and his job is on the pitch.

    The price and wages etc should all be left to Ivan or whoever else it is who deal with the thrashing out of transfers.

    If Harris is right and ‘that person’ does have a list of players AW wants, then we can only hope it happens. But £40 million on Benzema would have the same concerns for me as it would probably Arsene Wenger…. lol

  148. tsgh says:

    Bremen also won in 2004 and so we should be looking at the Bundesliga where a good coach and team spirit can win the title unlike the Serie A, EPL and La liga when a sugar daddy wins the title for the team…

  149. Hell Raising Devil says:

    I agree Tai.

    The only two players I would pull everything for AW to buy are Bale and Ronaldo. Messi??? yes he is the best player, however I feel that he will be hacked down and destroyed. Bale and Ronaldo have the physical attributes of a gladiator. Messi does not.

    I feel that Iwobi, Akpom and the plethora of players we have in attack are more than enough. as you said….Ollie and Theo were missing most of last season as well. Ozil was missing to a certain degree.

    But I feel that Gabriel will prove you wrong. But he will share the place with Kos not Per.

    If AW rotates sensibly we will see Gabriel and Chamber play more and Per and Kos rest often.

  150. Joe says:

    So Arsenal don’t win the PL next season then what happens do the idiots at Stoke railway station get released on the manager and team again.

  151. Adam says:

    Rico. I think it has become easy to castigate people like Mourinho, Brenda and LVG for spending a lot of money purely because we don’t. Their clubs want quick success and don’t want to go through the laborious business of building a team. I completely get that and if Wenger left and we had a couple of poor seasons Arsenal fans would be crying out for the same thing.

  152. tsgh says:

    Kev- I thought you didn’t do conspiracy? 😛

    Jose is a loser of a character but then again the media say he is a winner so he must be right.

    Listening to an ex-player go on about Liverpool, Yanited, Chelsea and City being the biggest club in England because Arsenal and AW do not do enough and just finish 3rd and 4th… and then going on to say because Liverpool has history and is the biggest club they should be finishing 4th made me chuckle this morning…

    A bunch of hypocrites.

  153. tsgh says:

    Lol Adam. don’t get me started on the black economy on Serie A. 🙂

    Ref bribing and the lot of it…

    I am sure you can conjure a fine post on that topic one day for us to enjoy…

  154. Adam says:

    TS. I am genuinely interested but have no research except whenever I have heard of friends doing business in Italy and the way that is conducted. It has always surprised me that top players want to play there instead of in England or Spain. Who knows why?

  155. Tai says:

    You can definitely say that again Scot.

    I love football managed the Arsene and Arsenal way. I love working hard for whatever I get…not suddenly getting the luck of lottery draw… then a billionaire over night!

  156. scottfromoz says:

    Tai, we Arsenal fans laugh at Chelksi out loud, then commend them between yes elves.
    We criticise Wenger in private but defend him when others abuse him.
    Fickle…yes we are 🙂

  157. rico says:

    Morning Ts, Scott and Tai.

    Adam, I don’t personally judge them based on our non-spending, I judge them for throwing money after money and in Brenda and Ciy’s case, for little reward considering. The way Roman sacks manager after manager and then throws more money at them is simply wrong imo. But it is just my opinion.

    But that’s what they do and no doubt they’ll always do as long as it’s allowed but I’m just glad we don’t behave like that. And I’m not suggesting being frugal is right either but there’s a happy medium to be found and imo, that’s the right way…

  158. tsgh says:

    Adam- I think Sth American players prefer Spain and Italy for language and colonial reasons, the same way as Franco-African players prefer Ligue Un.

    It is also easier for South American’s to make the nationality grade e.g Costa.

    For Western European players post the Saghi era, it use to be the relaxed approach to taxes that Spain and Italy allowed pre- the IMF/ECB bail out that attracted players like Eto who were probably more likely to receive racial abuse in those counties from the terraces.

    If I may cite Sami K and Ozil as examples. Before they both moved to RM, Arsene had a bid accepted for both of them and were offered similar gross weekly salaries however, our tax for top earners was 42% or 45% whilst it was 22 in Spain. we could never compete…

  159. Adam says:

    We spent a fortune on Ozil and Sanchez and won 2 FA Cups. Isn’t it just a matter of degree? Who knows what will happen to Arsenal when the stability that Wenger has bought is no more?

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