Morning,
Well it seems the media bandwagon is starting early with the stories for the summer already. No sooner has Mr Henry said Giroud is not good enough the same old names hit the headlines that we have been linked with since 1958…!
It’s amazing how the papers can drum up the same old drivel when the season has not even finished. Players are still under contract and those who are out of contract in June will probably have contracts already signed as that would of been done in January.
Top quality strikers are a valuable commodity indeed and none that I know of are “freely” available yet we read daily that this striker and that striker are set to sign….. Give us a break, I think if we look at the squad we currently have then yes an out and out goalscorer would compliment Giroud a lot, he is good but isn’t breathtaking in that a moment of magic will win you a tight crucial game, he isn’t going to blast past three defenders is he, I think that’s where TH was coming from with his weekend comments but to give them more meaning and for the papers to bite which they definitely did he left the comments open that Giroud just isn’t good enough to win us the title, Yes Thierry on his own he isn’t I quite agree so we need to buy him a strike partner then don’t we…! Will we compete in the summer with auction prices on the best talent around or will we look to buy a striker who is under the radar..? Are there any..? It’s no different to the fact we all know we need another central midfielder so the names get spouted in the media huge sums are mentioned yet what will transpire…?
Will we go the conservative route or will we splash the cash on a few big names? Do big names big the wrong kind of baggage? Do we and can we compete with players wanting 300K a week wages? There are a few clubs all over Europe who are all seeking the same kind of players so players and particularly agents can cherry pick when it comes to clubs and offers on the table. It’s easy to discard what we have and some clearly are not good enough and happen to be on loan and need to stay there others need a run and a chance, Akpom needs to play, will he play if kept at AFC or does he need a full season in the league on loan to really learn his trade?
What to do with Theo, again the papers would like us to believe he will be off to Liverpool if we buy Pedro from Barca, really..? Theo has hinted in the last few days he won’t be going anywhere, is that a change in attitude and a lowering of his demands? Is he realising he needs to fight for his place and show some form to earn a contract extension ? We need committed players and Theo for the most part doesn’t put in a shift and he needs to put that right, if he does he gives us pace up front and that width we are always lacking. Another conundrum that if he stays or leaves how do we resolve the lack of width in the team that’s often is the answer to beating the “parked bus”…..
It’s yet again another big summer coming up and again it’s being said we are still 2/3 players off of being a great side….. How many years we been saying that..! We are most definitely closer than we been in 10 yrs to being nearly there…! Lets hope we finish the season well, take second place, CL footie assured to buy early, win the FA Cup and build from there. Then to a few players we say thank you and bye bye and welcome in the new ones.
Morning you lot………..
On the subjecct of finding a partner for Giroud, I was watching Chile in the World Cup last summer and they had this guy who was quick, skillful and knew where the goal was, plus his work rate was phenomenal. We should really look into getting him.
I didn’t mind the look of him either Dick but his penalties were shit so think we decided against him….!
If we tweeked the system we have a few potentials to play off/next to Giroud..! Thing is we don’t play two up so it’s finding the right balance..!
It’s weird that we’ve had to deal with actually taking penalties this season too.
Good read Wath…
where is the lady of the house btw?
the price of GG is going up I read… 😉
Wath enjoyed that, i think some people got their knickers in a twist, over the G Rod comment…
Busy day ahead, so i’m off…
GG supply me direst Ts so i am fine mate… 😉
Penalties are a strange one for us, Sanchez pretty crap at them and Ozil very crap…!
As for the Giroud comments it’s exactly what the media crave from an ex legend…. they can run with that for days and weeks when the news is dead…! and revive anytime Giroud has a shit game or misses a sitter…!
Have a good one BT…!
Lady of the House off attending to some family stuff Ts..!
Moaning all…
I read somewhere that Everton’s back four have scored more goals than Liverpool’s front four!! And we think we’ve got problems!?!?!?
Good Morning to The Lady of the House and all fellow Gooners in residence.
Rico – Great article. I think you covered the subject very well.
The wage demands being quoted for some of the BPL players who are negotiating new contracts at current clubs like Liverfool and ManUre are frightening, far less those quoted for ‘top player’ transfer targets the likes of Cavani. How many 150-200,000+ pounds a week players can the likes of ManUre afford, especially if they don’t qualify for the Champions League?
I think Arsenal will sign one marquee player plus two or three good experienced or young promising players this TW.
I got a feeling we are going to sign a cracking player….
Wath – My apologies. I missed your byline at the top of the page. Great article.
A cracking or crackling player Lee..?
Morning CG, Am sure Kev can roll off all the payers we been linked with since “58”
A fair summation , as you say the problem is the formation . Giroud is the traditional big man ( the Toshack ) but we don’t play with a Keegan . We do have players capable of being the Pires , Ljunberg type coming late into the box player but often they are back over the halfway line defending because they are required to drop back to cover for Gibbs/ Monreal and Bellerin/ Debuchy who are frequently further forward than their midfield partners. It’s the formation and creating a style that gets the best from the players we have . If we do buy a player to sit alongside and feed off Giroud we have to give up a player in midfield which would require an increase in workrate from the three in their as Coquelin or another DM will be anchoring in front of the back 4. Perhaps we could practice with 3 at the back , certainly Gibbs and Bellerin have the pace to play a little more advanced, in some games it would work. Back to square 1 really :- It’s all about the formation.
Lee 😀
Finally got on after a week phew…some gremlin must be keeping off HH. Well its good to be back. Morning cookies and creams 😀
Morning Stan, Hope you well fella…!
P-45 for Brenda…
Potter- we are one of the most inefficient teams in the top flight football…
Not sure abt Brenda and his P45 Ts, wondering if livpoo won’t think they’ll look rather stupid sacking him..! A committee buys players so are they his choices and they lost Suarez and did a swampie thing by buying bulk and not quality…!
Hi all
Off subject but doesn’t it say it all that The Chavs have got far more upset at being called boring than when they were called racist!
Howdy WATH me old China 😀 where have you been hiding? Gee talk about going AWOL in HH. what happened mate?
I’ve been here Stan, watching you misbehave as usual….. I’m never far…! 🙂
Exactly Bob, seems the boring boring comments have truly hit a nerve….
We are great, we deserve respect bla bla bla…..! Piss funny…!
You are onto something Wath…
I think he has lost th dressing room though; It depends on who they lose this summer and how much more the owner can stomach another year of no UCL football…
I guess the new TV money will soften the blow.
Potter, the whole formation thing for me is to make space for players Aw is scared to drop and to also cover up the deficiencies of the midfield not being combative enough. If we went back to a 4-4-2 then we’d need to players in the middle that can tackle win headers get physical and also play a bit. where do we then stick Ozil, Santi, Aaron, Jack etc etc… For me Aaron wasted on the right and stuff up the balance of the side as he is never actually on the right he’s inside hence Bellerin can get exposed and we lack width down the right… Not entirely Aarons fault as he isn’t a winger although he should have the discipline to keep the shape better in my mind and hold hi position….!
Back wth a vengeance, hey Wath??
How are you champion…..nice post.
Morning all.
The new dosh will soften the blow Ts but the problem this is attracting players when they not in the CL not just keeping players who want CL footie….! Extra cash with a clause to say they can be sold maybe worth a risk for a player for a yr and see if they finish top 3 or 4 but it will been to be a nice hefty incentive in the wage packet…. They have done it before though..!
Something not right behind the scenes there for sure and long may it continue lol…!
I’ve never been gone Scott lol
Am fine mate, trust all well your side…? How’s the camels..?
I think Brenda Rodgers days are numbered he ll be fired soon. According to legend no liverpoop manager has gone 3 years without winning a trophy. so am guessing the scouse crowd ll want to be rid off him sooner. Hey he ll make a great manager over at newscastle. Those turds just keep going from bad to worse. I fear for them next season they might be relegated.
All good here, mate.
Camels are well 🙂 🙂
Oh no…
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3062250/Arsenal-stars-Alex-Oxlade-Chamberlain-Kieran-Gibbs-American-rapper-Tyga-tour-Emirates-Stadium.html
Wath/Potter- AW set the team up 4-4-2 or 4-1-4-1 if you like the first half of the season though…; it did not work as we all know. Maybe we had the wrong personal in CM but I think the issue is more who we can play on the wings and behind the main striker.
There are currently no proper goal scoring no.10’s around anymore due to all of them becoming false 9’s in the last 7 or so years…
These days if you play 2 proper strikers upfront like Man city your midfield get over run like Man city’s in the big games; and city have 6’2 plus CM in their squad plus proper wingers like Navas…
The no.10’s of this era are not like the John Barnes’s or DB10s’ or Ruuds’ or Platini’s who were able to score 12+ goals a season….imho
Imho- 4-4-2 is dead at least against teams who are possession based. I think Man City was the only team that played a traditional 4-4-2 and they struggled…
Gooonie- I thought the dippers had won the UCL the last 3 season conservatively… 🙂
Ts, think your correct in that 4-4-2 only works with the right players, we cannot play that with the players we have it’s back to square pegs in round holes…! We do also have to remember we didn’t have OG when we attempted to play 442 so no real target man.
I wonder is Alexis would enjoy playing in and around OG…. then it’s finding the right players to play 4 in midfield.
the odd 3-5-2 as Potter says against certain teams may be an option…!
Problem for me is lacking genuine width and pace and when we play the parked bus we always try to tippy tappy through the middle yet when attacked down the wings there are always holes to be found and chances created which in my opinion is why we struggle so much against said “parked buses”…!
Agreed Wath re. OG12 being absent.
In my opinion Alexis is only a winger… I know I said that in the summer and got shot down because AW said AS17 could play anywhere across the front 3…
As I said then AS17 played next to Di Natalie in a front 2 at Udinese and struggled hugely… and Di Natali is none of the deadliest poachers ever… I guess it was not the big man small man combo…
Oddly, OG12 has always struggled playing with a partner too… remember him and Benzema. The closest he has played well in a form of 4-4-2 was during his days in Montpellier but the one who played behind OG12 was Younes Belhanda who is very similar to SC19 or Nasri imho…
The only way teams are able to play 2 up front now is to go 3-5-2 as Juve and Pep is playing now.
Towards the end of last season Klopp, AW, Pep, Carlito, Simeone adopted a variant of 4-4-2 but all but AW and Klopp started the season that way…
Klopp went 4-4-2 earlier this saeason and flopped so much he has not been able to recover…. the rest is history as we know. Di Matteo is not doing greatly at S04 with a sort of 4-4-2 either…
I think with as an observer and armchair expert Aw has to have personnel with a mixture of playing style to be able to adapt to the opposition and injury…
Agreed re. 3-5-2 set-up.
Pep imo, realised that loads of teams were parking the bus against his teams domestically even though he had the width in Robben and Ribery. He needed 5 in midfield because he liked his team to have possession but when you have only 1 upfront like OG12 or Madzukic, a back 4 would always outnumber the lone striker.. playing 3-5-2 against teams who like to counter attack worked because you could dominate midfield and still cause problems to the opponents back 4 with the 2 strikers as opposed to just having a 1 lone striker…
I am one of those who said AS isn’t just a winger and I stick by that, he can for me play anywhere up front and if used more centrally he’ll score goals as has been proved, what I think we lack is the fact he is betwixt and between sometimes and the fact OG does get isolated means we don’t cause enough threat in the box and again its from the eye through the needle balls through the middle as the pen box all to congested as we don’t use the width…!
If AS played through the middle more off OG i think the little and large combo could be rather interesting but then again its back to the rest and the balance being out if we play 2 up…!
Afternoon all, I havent a clue what to do with Walcott. Im on the fence for once. Certainly Ill slap him with a porcupine fish if if he asks for a pay rise!
Akpom out on loan for me, I want to see what he can do for Palace or a team like that first. Prove that you can lead a team in the PL and score double figures at least, before you can be entrusted with helping lead Arsenal to a title.
My mate raised an interesting idea the other day – would you swap trade Walcott for Sturridge?
I mentioned Lacazette yesterday as my number 1, 2 and 3 choice for a striker yesterday. So I wont bring that up again. Whoops guess I just did.
Ya, Lee hilarious that Evertons back 4 have scored more than liverpools front 4. Hands up again who on HH wanted to buy Balotelli last summer. Just joking, all is forgiven. Arsene knew.
I was hoping AW could use the sumer to experiment playing AS17 behind OG12 but then recalled AS17 has Copa America…
Where will that leave Ozil if AS17 plays as a no.10?
Agree Wath that Alexis is more than just a winger. He is a wonder attacker and very dangerous in a range of roles. To TSGH, dont worry about Ozil, he floats where there is space and is an intelligent footballer. There is not a single position that defines Ozil imo. Besides if Ozil wants to be regarded as an out and out #10 then he needs to develop a shot.
Lol Roger, I still rate balo’… I wanted him.
Aw would have bought him if we hadn’t gotten AS17/Balo’ hadn’t flopped at the world cup. Galliani also not decided to ask for more money…
Bless tsgh for outing yourself 😉 But secretly you should be happy to save yourself all those bruises Liverpool fans have smacking their heads against the wall! Before this season I wouldnt have said he is a bad player, just a bad influence on the team and far more trouble than he is worth. So Im actually surprised how he has bombed at Liverpool this year… the canary in the coalmine was that AC Milan couldnt flick him off quick enough!
Lol… Agreed about Balo’s attitude but Balo’ was Milan’s top scorer last season though…
Milan was in debt and so they had to sell..
Their better players were El Sharaawy, abate and Montolivo…
Montolivo was 30 and so was not marketable… El Sharaawy was shite last season and injury prone and so Balo’ was the only option…
I think balo’ would have scored more goals than Welbz if he was playing for us…
Both Balo’ and Welbz are Ghanaians like myself but if I had to choose one to play for Ghana as a striker I would choose Balo’… I am not sure Welbz is an out-and-out striker as yet…
Time will tell…
I dont think Welbz is and out and out striker either Im afraid. At least not a prolific goal scoring one… Im always happy to be proved wrong on such things though, so go Danny go!
Meanwhile Wenger needs to be setting the wheels in motion for a prolific striker to complement, cover and compete with Giroud.
Is there anybody out there?
Theres been some strange goings on around here recently just today theres been no site with an error code and I was just asked for a pass word to log on.
No one but us mice
Alright Joe, same here, posts gone, drop down box looking password, told a few times site was down for maintenance….Did you have a good weekend?
It was fun not sure I’d spend that kind of money again to watch Arsenal when we are playing Chelsea in the future.
The lunatics have taken over the asylum…
Well, at least you had fun along the way……
Drink helps
Oh and family and friends also help 🙂
But mostly drink
Potter, tried to find that out earlier, did you get the server was down for maintenance message?
Sorry for the interference everybody. Site has moved to a new server. All problems should be fixed now! We hope….
Morning…………..
Morning Wath and all…..
Morning Wath, Bt and all..
Thanks Mr Manager, fingers crossed… 🙂
Morning Rico, Wath, BT and all. The site seems a lot easier to access. So far anyway. 🙂
Morning Adam.
Morning Rico and Adam.
Morning BT. 🙂
New post up now….
Hi