The 'real' captain speaks which makes a change! Invincibles are again Arsenal…..

Morning Gooners,

Let’s start by congratulating the Arsenal Ladies who yesterday beat Birmingham 1-0 to win the WSL Continental Cup trophy.

They have already secured the WSL title and like their male counterparts in 2003/04, they went unbeaten the entire season! The ladies are the 2012/13 Invincibles and well done to them!

A few of the players suggested winning this latest trophy makes up for not getting to the FA Cup Final, although deep down, I bet it doesn’t, this group want to win all that is on offer these days, and they very often do. Their Champions League campaign continues on the 1st November with the first of two legs against FFC Turbine Potsdam which takes place at Boreham Wood.

Over the last few weeks, maybe longer, I’m not sure if it’s my imagination but seldom do we hear much from our current captain, Thomas Vermaelen. More often than not, Mikel Arteta has been the one with something to talk about with the guys/gals on the official site.

He’s talked about all sorts and that obviously carries on into the changing room as we all read the interview with Santi Cazorla, who said that he looked upon Mikel as the captain in any case because he always has wise words to speak.

Maybe that’s the just the way it’s all been agreed, Thomas does his bit on the pitch and off the pitch, Arteta takes over. I am guessing of course.

Finally though, our proper captain has a few words to say, and that’s on our young midfielder Jack, who he believes will lift the whole squad when he finally steps out for the first team.

You know what he did in his first full season for Arsenal – he was amazing. For me, he can be one of the best midfielders in the world. He has the potential for that.

I’m really happy he’s coming back now. He’s working on his match fitness and that’s the most important thing. I think in the future [he] will lift the team.

When I was out with injury, I was in the gym a lot, Jack was in the gym even longer working hard on his weaknesses.

You can see that now in his body on the pitch. For me he looks much stronger and that’s good. Sometimes you have to take the positives when you’re out for more than a year and I think he’s done that.

Thomas Vermaelen is right of course, not only will Jack’s return lift the squad, it will lift the fans too.

Now to get Rosicky and Diaby out of the physio room!

That’s it for another day, have a good one….

0 thoughts on “The 'real' captain speaks which makes a change! Invincibles are again Arsenal…..

  1. JW says:

    Good morning all,

    I personally couldn’t care less who wears the captain’s armband, if every player on the pitch gives 100% all the time, there is no need for the the old fashioned, sleeves rolled up, Tony Adams type exhortations. Any modern day player who needs that type of encouragement is missing something in his make-up.

    Just look at the mess England are in, Rooney, of all people, is set to captain the side tonight….enough said.

  2. Adam says:

    Morning Rico and all. The newspapers are full of Jimmy Saville these days.
    There’s a joke in there somewhere.

  3. essienspecial says:

    Good post! Nice and short! Which leaves more time for… The boring international matches! 🙁 NOOOO! U should have kept typing! Anytin! I would prefer reading ur post 24 hours than see those boring games!!!

  4. Adam says:

    Yes Rico. Boring but tragic when you realise how the whole thing was hushed up and accepted. It’s just the tip of the iceberg I should imagine. But the papers are lapping it up aren’t they. The only good thing is that it keeps Cheryl Cole off the front pages. Now, she really is very boring indeed.

  5. JW says:

    Rico,

    Well done for at least finding something original to write about. Too many blogs, NOT HH of course, are more than happy to regurgitate the back-page lies, speculation and other assorted garbage churned out under the name of sports journalism.

    This morning’s gem must be that yet another Chav left-back has disgraced himself on Twatter. I’ll repeat yesterday’s advice. ” It’s better to remain silent and appear a fool, rather than speak out and remove all doubt”

    Off into the Wicked City now, back later,

    Have a nice day.

  6. rico says:

    Hi JW, hows you today?

    I agree to a degree about the captain,like you say, as long as someone takes responsibility when things are going wrong.. One who grabs the game/players by the short and curlies 😉

  7. GoonerB says:

    Will be great to have Jack back and hopefully he can soon be putting in performances like the famous Barca home game, although I don’t expect that level of performance till a few weeks after he makes his 1st team debut. Him alongside Arteta with Santi in front of them makes the mouth water and we would even have a player of Diaby’s ability on the bench.

    Re the captain, I think it is good that Arteta has a strong voice in the squad. You need 2-3 players like this to lift and advise younger and newer players, so if he acts like a captain that is great and I can imagine the BFG being like this also. It has been to some degree spun in the media, however, more as a negative towards Vermaelen rather than a positive that we have 2-3 strong leaders in the team, and I don’t think the positive of Arteta acting like a leader should detract from TV who I think is a good choice as captain and a vital part of the team.

    Knee jerk reactions seem to still be the in thing where Arsenal are concerned and a couple of defensive errors, possibly involving TV, seems to have made many question his position. Last year many were salivating over the TV / LK partnership but felt we needed to buy another good CD as the BFG was too slow and not up to it in the EPL. Wind on a few months and the BFG is the best thing since sliced bread and should be a guaranteed starter, especially in the Chelsea game, where his presence would have undoubtedly prevented the 2 goals that we handed to them. Personally I am not so sure that it would have made any difference. We switched off as a team and made some basic defensive errors. It happens and you have to move on and be confident that Stevey Bould has made a point of ensuring it doesn’t happen again. Those instances don’t make TV and LK bad defenders overnight.

    My stance is that TV is a great defender and a good leader on the pitch. Maybe he leads more by his actions than by words but with players like Arteta, Podolski and the BFG out there the leadership of the team can be shared out in different ways. TV is now one of 3 excellent defenders we have who all bring different qualities to our defence, and I think we should all be very happy that we now have a quality rotating trio of CD’s to choose from.

  8. Adam says:

    Going against popular opinion I know but I rather enjoy the break from club football myself thought this is tempered with the possibility of International injury of course.

  9. rico says:

    Hi GB,

    I can’t wait to see Jack back, and I suspect he’ll be on the bench for Norwich and start against Reading.

    I have just been told there is a ticket with my name on it if i want it, down side is, i’d have to sit with the Reading fans…

  10. rico says:

    I’m not sure fans are on TV’s back, not as much as they are Kos…

    Adam, injury is the main concern for all, probably because you know who always used to come back with one. At least Kos injury was nothing….

  11. DutchGooner10 says:

    Morning rumbling Gooner Canons,

    Rico I very much appreciate you regularly give our womens team the words of appraisal they deserve. Not many blogs do them justice, cutting corners on what makes our club whole.

    Nigel Tufnel & TSGH thanks as well for pleasurable readings the past 2 days.

  12. essienspecial says:

    7 days Rico? 😮 7 boring days then? Well Im in safe hands in HH then! Wen is ur next post pleeaaase!! lol…:-D

  13. essienspecial says:

    7 days Rico? 😮 7 boring days then? Well Im in safe hands in HH then! Wen is ur next post pleeaaase!! lol…:-D …

  14. Adam says:

    Agreed Rico. I find I have become far too involved emotionally. I am restless for two days before the game. Like a madman on the day and like a deranged psycho during. Afterwards I am either entirely affable, opening bottles of champagne with gay abandon or plotting my revenge against those who I hold responsible.
    I am searching for the “middle way”.

  15. rico says:

    Morning Dg, I am glad you appreciate the news on the ladies. Some buffoon came on here the other day suggesting the laides news is a waste of his reading time… 🙄

  16. rico says:

    What made you name yourself after a chelsea player essien?

    Good job we are doing quite well then Adam, hate to think there is a mad man on the loose…

  17. Adam says:

    Rico. As ever, I am on the cusp, but I live a long way from you so you needn’t worry. But even enraged I am the equivalent of a moist mauling by a soft mouthed retriever.

  18. TsGH says:

    Morning all,

    A beautiful day down my ends.. its a shame I am at work but I guess the bills have to be paid.

    There is nothing worse than working up on a Friday morning during an international break hearing that Rooney is going to captain england against the worse team on the planet..

    Then there ws the small matter of the opening of England new ground St. Georges park. what is the point in having a £100m ground when you still have Fat Sam as the better of the English managers in the league. And then their is Poo-lis and Stoke down the road practicing throw-ins. lol

    Rico thanks for keeping us sane with your sweet post as always.

  19. rico says:

    Morning Tsgh, it’s a beautiful sunny day where I am too, looks like winter is on it’s way as the temperature has dropped. Good I say…

    I forgot that Wayne Wooney is wearing the armband for England tonight, what a joke. How football has changed, from a gent like Bobby Moore to Wayne Rooney today…..

    Sweet posts 🙂

  20. DutchGooner10 says:

    Rico you have enough blog experience to ignore such load of twaddle. Not everyone turns on the light in his skull each day. 😉

  21. devilgunner says:

    Good Morning my Esteemed Fellow Gunners.

    Good points Rico. I always said that to have a good team/spine is to have two good centrebacks, a solid DM and a creative AM. If you have a top quality keeper then its better and if you have a a regular finisher in front of goal you have a great chance of trophies.

    Good post

  22. DutchGooner10 says:

    Haha Rico I’m on the same page with you only a different spin on the goalie situation. What’s going on with all these contract conundrums??

    In the summer Tottenham wasn’t the only club linked with Hugo Lloris. At the beginning of July L’Equipe ran a story saying that Arsenal had made Hugo Lloris their priority ahead of the coming season. The French newspaper explained that the idea was to push Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny onto the bench and that Lloris would be Arsenal’s starter.

    Lloris is only 25 and if Arsenal had signed him then you’d expect he’d have been their number one for the foreseeable future, leaving the Polish goalkeeper in a difficult situation. The next week L’Equipe said Lloris much preferred a move to Tottenham, presumably because he didn’t fancy a fierce and potentially fractious long term battle with Wojciech Szczesny.

    He turned up at Tottenham and has had a battle on his hands there to be their starting goalkeeper but that looks to be settling down. In a lengthy interview with the same newspaper this week he said that Arsene Wenger had spoken to him during the summer about interest from Arsenal but he obviously chose Tottenham in the end.

    But why were Arsenal so keen on Hugo Lloris?

    Last season many Arsenal fans were confident that Wojciech Szczesny would be their number one goalkeeper for quite some time and would go on to be one of the best in the world. He has mistakes in his game but also a natural ability and replacing him didn’t appear to be an issue. Come next summer Szczesny will only have one year left on his contract and, aside from speculation, there’s no way to know if Wenger anticipated a contract situation arising with the Poland international.

    He didn’t have the best Euro 2012 and has been held back by injury since, Arsenal have been linked with Michel Vorm several times over the last few months and that reared its head again this week. For whatever reason, if Lloris is correct then Wenger doesn’t see Wojciech Szczesny as the nailed on number one for Arsenal’s future.

  23. Adam says:

    Fresh cream from Lidl? As you know I am a devotee of the Carol Voorderman diet and she recommends that one abstains from such things and wears clothes two sizes too small in order to achieve that
    “Trim” look.
    I think Wooney will make a twemendous captain I weely do Weeko.

  24. devilgunner says:

    Frannie Jeffers has is moving to Maltese league outfit Floriana……I presume he will stay on the bench. lol

  25. rico says:

    Ha ha Tsgh, nothing like a jam and fresh cream duffnut 🙂

    Hi devil, thank you. Merts & TV are my choice, but we sure need a bit more behind them. I’m liking the Vorm rumour…

  26. rico says:

    Dg, I watched Lloris in the euro match against p’kos – i thought he was poor.

    I’m not sure anyone is totally convinced by Ches. Maybe in another 5 years, but right now, we need a more mature keeper…

  27. rico says:

    In the freezer section Adam, nice when you just need something sweet 😉

    Back shortly, got to find my way home 😉

  28. TsGH says:

    DG- Jeffers will definitely be starting. How do I know that you may ask? Well because you will be the only fox in the box…lol.

    On Lloris that was not the only time we tried to sign him. 3 seasons ago we went in for him but Lyon rebuffed the offer 2 days before the close of the window as Lyon felt they couldn’t get a decent replacement on time.

  29. DutchGooner10 says:

    Adam

    The Jimmy Saville pervert intrigue currently has it’s front page equal here in Holland, like you said tip of the iceberg. Ours goes all the way to the upper upper echelons with international secret intelligence services and political blackmail networks involved. It goes well beyond any Hollywood true story whiteboard elite crime script. Fit for a epic trilogy. It’s even rumoured to surpass Watergate by mach 10 when the lid blows. It has a span well over 20 years.

    You can read some of it here.

    http://www.arrestdemmink.com/

  30. TsGH says:

    DG10- not surprised at all about Demmink. Some high society figures will be pissing themselves in fear across the ‘civilized world’ the longer these types of topics appears on front pages.

    Adam – some of these rumous make your fave man David Icke credible. 😀

  31. TsGH says:

    also nice to hear Ox saying he preferred us to the Red Nose and his manure farm

    Speaking to Sport Magazine’s Sarah Shephard, Chamberlain relayed how events panned out in the months before signing on in North London.

    “It was a bit surprising at first, because I used to watch Match of the Day every week and dream of coming to a massive club like Arsenal. But my parents never let me get carried away, and at the same time I had a lot of respect for all my teammates at Southampton.

    “It was nice to hear all those clubs were interested, but it wasn’t hard for me to keep my feet on the ground – I had a lot of commitments at Southampton that season.

    “So I just kept my head down and focused on that. You almost let everything take care of itself, as it did in the end.

    “I always favoured Arsenal. It’s a massive club and I’ve loved the way they’ve played football and brought players through.

    “When I was younger, I used to go and watch Southampton versus Arsenal when they came to the club and loved watching Thierry Henry.

    “I went to the Emirates a few times, too, and the atmosphere was just unbelievable. So it wasn’t a hard decision for me.”

    Perhaps surprisingly, Chamberlain also confirmed that the first time he met Arsene Wenger was the day he arrived at Arsenal to finalise his contract. Revealing that the boss proved motivating from the off, he continued:

    “The first time I met him [Wenger] was actually on the day I signed. He’s a nice man, you know? He’s very calm and has that aura about him – you know he’s the boss.

    “The way he speaks is really intelligent and everything he said to me on the first day was quite inspirational, it gave me a lot of drive to come in and prove that he made the right decision to sign me.”

  32. DutchGooner10 says:

    Rico & TSGH

    What makes me pull out my hair isn’t missing out on Lloris but we could have another contract rebel/forced transfer request waiting behind the curtains. At the end of this season Szczesny might harness the same dislodging leverage as ‘he who shall not be named’ and if he realy wants to go hardball negotiate a undisputed squad spot like Theo. I mean we can do without even a slight whiff of suggestions like this. You know this story is still gathering substance at the moment.

  33. devilgunner says:

    Maybe that is why AW did not go for an experienced keeper. He knows that if he got another keeper Chezzer would not have signed another contract. So he elected to keep the trio of Flappy, Chezzer and Don Vito so that he will be in a stronger position.

    But would Chezzer and Don Vito repay that faith or scuttle off at the whiff of a striped shirt in Milan and Catalynya???

  34. DutchGooner10 says:

    TSGH

    You’re familiar with the Demminck case? Indeed true re high society figures pissing their pants. Though such networks are like the head of Medusa, poisonous snakes no matter which angle you approach.

    Major LOL on David Icke’s credibility. 😛

  35. DutchGooner10 says:

    Coach as always you put the finger on the flesh wound. Ouch……that must have hurt at least one gutter journo’s ego reading HH for the juicy bits, frantically looking to uplift flat drivel towards the level of a rabbit hole news breaker.

    Yeah, we know you’re here! Don’t be shy. We only want to know your bank account number so we can sponsor a rope.

  36. TsGH says:

    DG10- heard about it last week through an acquaintance from Fokker.

    I know a few guys who work as ‘security consultants’ for Newspapers and TV stations mostly in conflict areas who have mentioned certain things they see but just know you are not ever to mention them without.

    Its a twisted world my gunner friend so I trust no man in a suit. Like Mugabe and Chavez have said before, there are no differences between a military dictator and a western politician. The only difference being one wears a suit and a blue or red tie and the other wears a military uniform.lol

  37. DutchGooner10 says:

    TSGH

    I’m in marketing/advertising. Suits are just packages to lower your critical attention and investigative sensors. Consume your dependant position sheeple seems to be their cunning devise. Unaware they only rigorously train our BS antennas like we would be dropped in a Jihad boot camp.

  38. Bob John says:

    Hi Rico,
    re: 10.48
    Sorry to dispel the myth about Bobby Moore but suffice to say there are very good reasons why the only jobs he got within football were Southend manager and Capital Gold Radio pundit! Mind you, he was still in a different class to Looney Rooney!

  39. stevepalmer1 says:

    Morning all.nice one rico.Arteta captain material hadnt thought about that posibillity why not virmin seemd to say very little after the handshake

  40. TsGH says:

    ‘Wenger praises Squillaci’. what the heck is happening there? As Dennis Lachter said in July Wenger will say or do anything to sell a player.

    There is hope yet though gunners, if AW can get £2m for Cygan in 2006 then we can get at least 50p for the squid if you factor in inflation.lol

  41. rico says:

    😆 Tsgh, runaway with the mower and strimmer, and i help a couple of older folk 🙂

    Last one before the winter maybe?

  42. JW says:

    Rico,

    Re your 9.58, I’m feeling fine thank you. I can’t believe that it is not much more than a week ago that I was lying on my sofa, in agony, gasping for breath and convinced I was dying. Now I am well enough to have been out and about in the city and enjoyed a bowl of Moules Normandies, with my wife, for lunch. Life is sweet.

    Adam, It has to be rasberry jam in doughnuts for me.

  43. rico says:

    Not surprised Tsgh, he’s not match fit I suspect… What a waste of his career, said the other day, he should have left us in the summer…

  44. rico says:

    I bet he wishes he had now, Jan move for him i suspect, and Chamakh..

    I like the striker and keeper rumours…. 😉

  45. Adam says:

    JW. I tend to agree with the raspberry but I prefer a bit of bread pudding myself. Just goes to show what an ill educated heathen I am. Rico knows this to be true and will be happy to tell you 🙂
    On a more serious note. I was very sorry to hear about your health scare. I wish you all the best and pray that you take it a bit easier for a while. And don’t forget that the Pie Shop offer holds good.
    Not sure that the risk of a dodgy moule is worth it though. You are in Norfolk I believe? I was in Suffolk on Monday.

  46. Will XL says:

    Hi all. JW, i read about your health a couple days ago. I’m happy you’re doing so well so soon and most importantly, enjoying and appreciating life.

    I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel… The week is finally over. I’m dog tired, but my desk is clear and vacation is now hours away! For the next week I’ll be busy exploring Boston… Whale watching and all. Wish i was coming to London, but everything in due time!

  47. rico says:

    I don’t mind the raspberry, as long as no pips Adam….

    Hi Will, have a fab week in Boston, and look forward to your safe return….

  48. Adam says:

    Yes Rico. Raspberry pips hang around in the teeth don’t they? Just off to prepare a feast for Mrs A’s tastebuds. 🙂

  49. arsenal11730 says:

    Rico Point well taken
    How about a sneaky bid for Timmy Howard, not sure about his contract situation

  50. DutchGooner10 says:

    Sounds like a vacation well earned Will XL, enjoy.

    Boston is regarded as the unofficial “Capital of New England” for its economic and cultural impact. Sounds like you’re just doing a younger version of London. And they do have The Red Sox. 😉

  51. DutchGooner10 says:

    Adam you’re such a puritan when it comes to food. You’re putting up a steep learning curve, but I love the finesse.

  52. TsGH says:

    Tim Howard had an initial trial with us but AW was worried about his Tourette syndrome, I believe AW went to the Spanish chef instead. 😀

    AW has since said he regrets that decision

  53. Adam says:

    DG. Many thanks but I enjoy street food as much as fine dining. Fine wine is my favourite thing but it has moved beyond my meagre budget these days. Rico is going to recommend some Lidl best buys for me. 🙂

  54. DutchGooner10 says:

    Adam I’m in the same mixed bag. I love Caribbean, Asian and Indian takeaway/deli shops (discovering a good one always feels like unearthing a golden nugget, doesn’t it?). For the contrast there are specialized lunchrooms or exclusive butler dinning with a bottle of red to match the opulence.

    But you can wake me in the middle of the night for Suriname cuisine, like a mild ch*cken curry on a freshly grilled pistolet with sour cucumber. 🙂

    Lidl has excellent wine for recession prices, long before crisis became the latest fashion.

  55. DutchGooner10 says:

    Ahh ze Germans are still expanding their sauerkraut empire huh Rico. Keep that Bavarian lot in your crosshair. 😉

  56. rico says:

    😆 Dg, have to admit that I don’t really like most of what they do as there is a lot of different meat, but their olives are good 😉

  57. DutchGooner10 says:

    Goonster is still on stars and stripes soil, isn’t he? Maybe he’s busy campaigning door-to-door for Obama.

    Stan if you’re reading, we need your ‘ Yes we can!’ overhere.

  58. agirlagunner says:

    Boo! Shame my hols end just in time for intersnooze. 🙁

    Cannot wait to see Jack back to his pre-injury best.

    Adam, what have you whipped up for Mrs Adam now? 🙂

    Hi; Dutch. I was in Amsterdam– so lovely and leafy and… coooold. 😉

  59. DutchGooner10 says:

    Rico Germans love meat in sizes that preferably look like an optical illusion, as there seems no plate serving it. 😛

  60. rico says:

    I’m heading off now folks, have a good evening Dg and all, and a safe flight for you agag…

    Night all, catch up tomorrow…..

  61. DutchGooner10 says:

    Agag

    Why didn’t you throw an invite upfront? It would’ve been an gentleman’s pleasure to tour you around for a day and top it off with a superb restaurant. I have good contacts. My nephew works in Amsterdam at the Royal Theater.

  62. agirlagunner says:

    Dutch, nope– I steered clear of that street; and ended up spending all my money on all sorts of cheeses and chocolates for friends back home. But all those pleins and straats look the same– we were so hopelessly lost. Ack.

    rico; I know: Haaate it; eeeek.

  63. Adam says:

    Agag. If I told you then you would think me pretentious.
    I told you about those (gorgeous) pouting Dutch girls.

  64. DutchGooner10 says:

    Agag I find the traffic of all sorts frantic. But indeed it can be a very confusion experience without GPS on your mobile. The Foursquare app could’ve done you a huge favour.

    Hope you got a piece of Brussels as well. Much more relaxed for wandering through it’s historical core and glancing boutique windows.

  65. agirlagunner says:

    I did not know you were from Amsterdam; Dutch! 🙁 That would have been nice. The best sandwich I have had; I bought at the Central Station. Hah.

    Adam, I agree about the pout; such pretty smiley girls. And I could never think you pretentious.

    Sleep tight; rico: 🙂 Theo will be fine.

  66. DutchGooner10 says:

    Agag it wouldn’t have been an effort to provide you a couple of suggestions to make the most of your lighting visit. There’s a site called 9- streets, all connected, where you easily could’ve find all the thrilling surprises on offer. The odd as well as the affordable exclusives, including one off design shoes.

  67. agirlagunner says:

    Dutch, I might be back next year!! Will let you know: 9 streets felt like 900 streets; 😀 we met a lovely Filipina lady at the Rijksmuseum; took us close to The Hermitage which turned out to be closed; haha.

    I thought the restqurqnt scene in Amsterdqm was good; lots of choices.

  68. DutchGooner10 says:

    Agag I wish you a safe comfortable flight. Hope the jetlag keeps it proportional.

    Need to go out. Night all.

  69. DutchGooner10 says:

    Ooh no. Missed out on the Hermitage by 2 weeks. Real shame, world renowned art collection worthy of your valuable time. Traded signs (open/closed) with the Rijksmuseum recently which been updated, modernized and renovated for the 21st century. Still building up their new expos.

  70. stevepalmer1 says:

    Theo, seems a bit lightweight up front, not knocking him but first clash and out of the game.has he realy got it to be a centre forward.

  71. Micko says:

    Steve, in Walcott’s defence he probably thought Mick McManus had retired from the game and wasn’t expecting the tombstone pile-driver that came his way.
    Ireland were woeful tonight, Trap’s days are numbered, Merts came through unscatched and Podolski made a cameo appearance.

    Alright Smudge, got anything by the Meanapecky Mama’s by any chance ?

  72. Micko says:

    Don’t you know, the cold and wind and rain don’t know, they only seem to come and go awaaaaaay……brings back memories of when pussy was a kitten and my nights out on the mean streets of Kilburn.

    Nite Smudge.

  73. allezkev says:

    Morning,Afternoon,Evening Gooners.

    Smudge,where the devil have you been?
    We’ve all missed your vids, in particular Rico…
    Good to have you back.

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