So the news that none of us wanted to hear came out yesterday.
Our captain, our Dutch Master, our main man announced that he would not be signing a new contract.
Let me just clarify that ‘main man’ bit – he was our main man, but for just one season.
He hasn’t done what the likes of Tony Adams, Nigel Winterburn, Lee Dixon, Keown, Bouldy, Wrighty, Dennis, Thierry Henry, Bobby Pires, Freddie, Paddy etc did for us, they all worked hard for more than just one season.
When they left, they went with blessing from most fans, they came, they played and they won our club a few trophies.
They were good, very good…. Maybe even GREAT!!
Robin joined us back in 2004 and apart from that wonder goal against Charlton, nothing really sticks in my mind about what he has done for us up until the 2011/12 season, other than keeping the medical staff busy of course.
Starts/Goals
2004-05 18/10
2005-06 21/11
2006-07 25/13
2007-08 20/9
2008-09 38/20
2009-10 18/10
2010-11 26/22
2011-12 45/37
Total 211/132
Not a great record is it?
Truth be told though, I am very sad, I honestly thought our captain was a better man, a loyal man and one who would stay and lead this side to its first trophy for a few years but it seems he wants to win a trophy at another club, one where it is slightly easier to come by, one where maybe he doesn’t have to work so hard in just one season.
Well, good luck to him I say and that’s because I think he’ll need it. Last season he was on fire, that can never be denied, but for a man who has suffered so many injuries which could at anytime hit him again, he won’t be looked after by any other club in the way that Arsenal have looked after him but I guess he won’t care if he’s picking up £250,000 a week.
Does Robin have a reason to lie?
If what he has said about the way Gazidis and Wenger want to take the club forward is not what he believes in, then that has to ring massive alarm bells.
Out of my huge respect for Mr Wenger, the players and the fans I don’t want to go into any details, but unfortunately in this meeting it has “again” become clear to me that we in many aspects disagree on the way Arsenal FC should move forward.
Robin wants to win trophies, do his comments suggest that Gazidis and Wenger don’t share that same view…..?
What’s also interesting is the word “again” in his statement, what does he imply by that?
Robins statement insinuates the club lack the ambition and the intent to bring in the quality players we need to make us a force to compete for trophies again or is this a way of him getting out of the club and not loosing face with the supporters?
Did he mention these concerns to the club when we was laying injured on the treatment table for large parts of the last 4/5 years?
I think not.
Do we read between the lines that Arsenal have told him the buying is over and done with and Podolski and Giroud are it…?
Do the club think we can compete with just those signings alone..?
Is this the ambition and intent we want to see from our club or is it a smokescreen for RVP to leave and milk a huge salary somewhere else…?
Is it a ruse from Arsenal to get out of paying him a new huge salary and signing on bonus when he may be injured the next 2 seasons and have no saleable value when 33………..
A great many question and very few answers…!
Yet again the fans are the ones who suffer, what is the truth what are the facts? We will never know will we.
It’s just us yet again left to pick up the pieces and fork out for those mega expensive season tickets and have the club and players alike pull the wool over our eyes.
However, it’s not always all about the players who choose to leave The Arsenal, it’s about which players we bring in to replace them!
This is now the most important issue for the board and Wenger to resolve and put smiles back onto the faces of the fans. Now is the time to show some ambition and intent and make sure us the fans can see the path the club is going in.
As much as the word coming from the club suggests they hope to keep RvP to his contract and then let him leave for free next summer, I hope we don’t.
He has now made it quite clear he wants to seek pastures new so let the bidding begin…..
Snippet from that good old rumour site:
Thomas Muller is the one that somebody believes could be lined up to replace Robin, and before we dismiss this one totally, he’s unhappy sitting on the bench at Bayern. With Podolski and Merts in the side, maybe a move to us wouldn’t be too daunting for the 22 year old.
Would he be the one to make us think Robin who??
Oh well, reading that made me smile for a moment – we all need a bit of that don’t we?
Have a good day all…..
The curse of the AFC captaincy strikes again. sigh.
Oh, good post.
Excellent post. I love rvp for what he achieved last season but the stats show that is one great season from eight. A 12.5% return. Not good enough
At his age he will definitely be more susceptible to injury so dream on if you think he’ll get another 40 game season.
Sell him and cash in. I can’t wait to see Podolski and giroud next year.
If we have chance to sign Thomas Muller, we should go for it.
Morning all and welcome UK
Thanks re the post guys, have to thanks a couple of others too, DG being one for the stats 🙂
It’s time to sit down and thinking. However, I think Podolsky and Giroud signs it will be for prevent RVP out. But we must invest heavily in the team (or not, for be an average team)
it hurt 2 c him leav just lyk dat
I know the Muller rumour is poss far feteched but, having signed two germans already, this one may not be as daft as it may appear, and as I said in the post, he is fed up with sitting on the bench for Bayern. His contract is up in 2015 and he’s been with BM for a while….
Certainly would lift a few Gooners spirits eh…
it hurt 2 c him leav just lyk dat we r going 2 means him
Sorry, but you are suggesting that we should sign a player that sits on the bench at Bayern and that said player could replace RVP!? Is this your/ our ambition? What does that say about us? It says we cant compete on the big stage.
it hurt 2 c him leav just lyk dat we r going 2 means him we r goin 2 survi dis
You fools, don’t you realise that Wenger makes these players captain in a failed attempt to try to make them stay.
“Look I’ve made you captain, what more do you want”
“Some silverware would be nice”
Oh and I say let’s buy huntelaar
What better way of moving on than elevating huntelaar to first choice for the Dutch.
While rvp sits on the bench at city or the treatment table
His stats here. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/player/_/id/23164/klaas-jan-huntelaar?cc=5739
Hi JM
It certainly is a big time for the board and AW, fans will be very angry over this decision made by RvP.
But, that anger can be short lived it the club do what we all hope and believe to be right and that is to invest now with the money we get from RvP sale.
I think we need one more striker unless either Theo or Gervinho are going to be that player.
Losing RvP isn’t the bee all and end all, IF we build now…
RvP suits Arsenal very well, I honestly think he’ll flop where ever he goes. He’s hardly brilliant for Holland. He’ll regret it. Alex Hleb all over again.
Another one bites the dust… 🙁
Good post Rico!
Loic Remy would be a good addition!
james, no one can ‘replace’ RvP, just like no one could replace other great players who have left in the past, but getting Muller would be a good place to start – German international, what more is there to be said…
He’s 22 and fit, not soon to be 29 and crocked… Pod is the ideal replacement for RvP, Muller would be a great addition…
And, regardless of your view, I actually think that signing another German international would be showing ambition…
Sell him abroad to PSG / Juve / Anzi.
Players just have no loyalty these days.
Us fools? No none of realised that….village looking!
By the way, Podolski and Giroud are nothing to get excited about, Podolski kept getting subbed at Euro2012 as he was one of the worst performing Germans and Giroud, well he hardly had a sniff did he, even with the French team firing blanks.
And as for Muller……give me a break
Yeah Messi and Ronaldo along with Casias and Xavi are all on the way to Arsenal Football Club…… IDIOTS…..!
Gio – why are we fools, maybe had you read HH last summer you would realise that we don’t need you to tell us about how the emotional captains are appointed these days!!
Great post which asks plenty of questions. But will we ever know the truth? And how does Kroenke – our anonymous majority shareholder – fir into this? More questions….plenty more…still no answers!
Morning Lee – thanks 🙂
Remy would do me too, wouldn’t mind us snapping up Jordan Rhodes either
Who is Casias??
Your village is looking for you Silver!!
Didn’t Remy has some medical issue?
Guess it must be the Real keeper Lee, had to work that one too though 😉
Or was he a boxer?? 😉
Gio – give the guys a chance, playing in the euros and playing settled in a club cannot be compared…
Welcome Rocky Rots – thanks…
The club won’t tell us anything, certainly not he who sits over the water counting his pennies….
Morning folkes
Well well what did i say IVAN the bold headed punk strikes again!! Dont blame RVP one bit for going club lack ambition and he is at his peak..
Just read that ray parlour has just suggested we should now go for papa c!! that would be a wkd replacement in my eyes.
Some kind of heart defect mc but don’t think it’s hindered his career though, well remembered..
Hope we swap Van Persie with Higuain
Morning all,
Looks like the fertiliser has hit the fan.
Feels like i’ve been screwed with my pants on.
Matty – as soon as PHW opened his choppers the other day, Lee said thats it, RvP is off…
Can’t see Newcastle letting him go…
This is where Wenger and Gazidis will surprise us. RVP out, Neymar in……..
As you remarked, the word “again”, what is the meaning for that? Does it mean that the club repeated that they wouldn’t keep their star players to form a solid team, losing 1 or 2 quality players yearly and start the season on a handicap? Did Theo’s extension come up in the conversation?
It’s sad but as the numbers say (and they don’t lie), he’s not getting any younger, only one magnificent season and seven others where he played over 30 games in only one of them.
Now it all depends on who’s coming in. I think that Muller would be an interesting player for Arsenal.
Frank McLintock calls for Stan Kroenke to explain Arsenals vision…
Amen to that Frank…..
the name has changed from RVP TO RIP this the end of the road 4 RVP.
mc that would be the nuts!!!
let him go.no player is bigger than a club.we are used to manufacture good players like we did with him.give others a chance to shine unners always gunners
won’t happen though… 🙁
Morning Micko…
Messy few weeks ahead at the club I think, which way it pans out is anyones guess….
mc – from Santos?
Gio,in a few very short posts,you’ve shown me and plenty of others your distinct lack of football knowledge.
In the interested of fair play though,we acknowledge and endorse you’re right to be totally and utterly wrong!
(RICO,I hope you appreciate me holding back there)…
Check the picture out guys, it’s cracking….
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2169023/Christine-Bleakley-Frank-catch-Becks-LA-Galaxy-match-Lampard-considers-US-team.html
Well i feel compelled to write sth after many time, although i read your posts every day. Undoubtedly both sides are to blame for this situation. Wenger and Arsenal board making mediocre signings especially last year was a massive mistake and we couldn’t compete i agree. But Robin you easily forget how Arsenal supported you with your injuries and not flog you as she should have done. We have have to start from zero point again abut hey this is the story of our club isn’t it? It is painful to watch Cesk play like that and you know that you had this player and let him slip of you because of your incompeteness.. And now Robin the same route. But Arsenal never dies. Muller is a player i always liked and Reus is there too, i hope AW finds a solutin fast. Just sell RVP don’t have him in the squad, don’t make the same mistake with Cesk. And for God’s sake not make Wilshere captain. With our recent history with our captains, he will be next!
Scott – don’t know why you bother to even bother 😉
yes Santos. 109 goals in 184 appearances, 29 in 29 last season. I am sure he’d prefer the Arsenal to Real or Barca 🙂
btw top video:
and don’t worry gunners. We have been there before we know how to survive..
Well, good luck to our Captain. Where ever he goes, what ever he does, I hope he does feel happy and don’t end up like Owen Hargreaves.
Other than that, now I think we’d go for some one like Roberto Soldado or some one of old flavor like Di Natale. We have to replace him. There is no other way. The best deal could be getting Ba. He’s modern day Ian Wright.
But I still think we should play out his contract. Or sell him to City only. Get 10mln + Dzeko for him. Dzeko will be raring to go. He’d be dumped by City and he’d want to prove himself. And from that 10mln + other 7mln get M’villa.
And if we are selling Robin, get Batman. Go for Kaka. Get him. He can be like what DB10 was for us.
Who the hell knows what’s going to happen??
Gotta love this time of year.
give him time to chase what he want. give walcot the position
Welcome to those just joining HH this morning
Hi Rico! Loooooong time. I am slowly getting back to commenting on blogs again after a long absence. Hope you are well.
On the RvP statement, I am not losing sleep over him leaving, while he was great last season, he was on the treatment table when we needed him in the past seasons. The club stood by him during his injury prone past seasons and he has chosen to forget that loyalty, so let him go.
He says he does not share the vision on how move the club forward, is he for real? Since when do players have a say in how THE Arsenal is run???
Having said that, why does a club like Arsenal let the contracts of their best players run down to 12 months? Very poor on that front!!
I dont get it, Arsenal fans are used to crying every time a player is leaving. look back when Henry left, then Adebayor , then Fabregas and now Van Persie,. every time one can have a feeling the club is officially dying but that never happens, another player comes in that gives us a chance to cry when he is leaving. the captain is good but one fact about Arsenal is that they create twice as many chances in front of goal than even the eventual champions in any tournament save for when barcelona is involved. so the captain scoring the number he scored does not really show that he is above the other strikers, and his national duties can bear me witness. the only constant in Arsenal is Wengers ability to use strikers effectively and thats why people like Adebayor, flamini, Hleb, Anelka even Viera etc could not replicate what they did at Arsenal in their new clubs. one fellow likened Arsenal to a dog seller who gives his dogs marijuana on the market day so that the dog behaves like it is ready to bite everybody on site , but on reaching home once the drug wanes the dog just enjoys its sleep. let the captain look for what ever trophies or money etc. he will have to retire at one point and Arsenal will have to get some one to replace him, I wish him luck.
as much as I love RVP,I really think its time for him to go if that’s what he chooses to do.Just because we won’t pay him 250k a week doesn’t mean we lack ambition.It was the same lack of ambition that made him the kind of player he is today….begone RVP.
I love it how people say our new signings are no good because of their performance in the Euros, if that meant something how many of us would want to buy RVP after his pathetic showing for the dutch…. as rico says you cant compare club football to international performance in general!
Good comment Max..
gunnernet – no way can he stay now, the fans would crucify him from the terraces..
A few here like Reus too but hasn’t he not long moved to a new club?
Welcome and spot on Paul…. Give the guys a bloomin chance I say 🙄
great video gunnernet !
Oh – I forgot to mention in the post about Denilson, apparently he is staying out on loan…
Where’s that devil, he owes me a pint 😛
Great post you hit the nail on the head gutted to see him go but it proves he doesnt have the spirit to be a true arsenal legend so lets cash him and use the money and show him how much he will be missing up the gunners !!!!!
Paul, some fans are never happy well not unless they’re moaning! 😉
@ Rico
Do you see Wenger buying that Italian journo a Caramello?
And you owe me one Rico!! 😉
132 goals from 211 games is not too bad. Better than 12.1/2%
Maybe RVP is right about lack of ambition.
Alonso might have kept Cesc at Arsenal, and Hazard, Mata
or similar might have kept Robbie.
Can’t blame him wanting trophies. He would have liked
to win them here, but it’s not to be – not under AW
Arsenal will be lucky to get £15 million for RVP as a result of his outburst. His PR stunt has really hurt us badly. No wonder Juventus made an initial bid of £8 million. What he did is not good for team spirit and he should be sold. RIP RVP
It Reaches a time that change is inevitable and if RVP think it is his time of change he is free to seek for it. Before RVP there was Arsenal. He has been a great player and as a fun I wish him all the best as he pursues the desires of his career.
Thanks daz..
Hi Satan, no, when?? 😉 And they are expensive aren’t they….
😆 Lee i forgot that….
sell him buy dezecov/ papis cisse/ mousa dumbia go for mvilla. looris.
@ Rico
You know Rico, as soon as I heard RvP is leaving, I thought we’d need 3 players to replace him. One Striker, one AM and one Dm.
Btw, with all due respect to him, he should not have gone with this public. This means while negotiating to sell him, we’d have no bargaining power. Till now, we knew clubs wanted him but we didn’t want to sell. Now clubs know, he wants to leave.
Hell…thank god I am not CEO of Arsenal F.C.
emma – we’ll get more than that i’m sure, many clubs want him, so hopefully his price will go up in the bidding war…
Yes i guess you are right Rico about Reus. He ‘s signed for Dortmund in Jan. 🙁 Myabe it’s Walcott’s chance to play through the middle. He was craving for it last year and his finishing has been improved considerably.. However, i am not sying it wholeheartedly.
@ Eashammer,
Its not about scoring 132 goals in 211 games, its about how many did he play. We as a club play roughly 60 games a year i.e. 480 games in 8 years. And he’s not even played half of them. That is the issue.
Leshan – I think what narks most is how we as a club have stood by him, and now he’s not prepared to do the same..
Next will be Diaby 😉
rico i disagree about another striker- pold,giroud, chamakh,park,afobe is good enough in any system that is not centred around cesc or rip. What we need now is a change of formation(not to suit theo) and a cm, dm and somebody to compete with scheszny.
Trouble is satan – had he just said he wants to leave, he’d be crucified even more, he kind of had to justify his decision..
Maybe he has done this in such a way to tell the fans?
Satan,we do have bargaining power.
He still has a year to run,and another year down the track,clubs will be less likely to want him.
My view of RvP’s statement and a possible explanation of what it all means.
I think as Captain he took his responsibilities very seriously. He played every game last year, he recognized the strengths and weaknesses of the team he played in, he knew who could play a bit and more especially those who couldn’t. As Captain I believe he saw his role as part of the Snr Management, and as such felt he had a part to play in the decision making of who the targets and dorks were or should be. I suspect the Le Chef felt his position was being usurped by an underling and dismissed RvP’s ‘wants/demands’ out of hand. A state of impasse, well not quite, RvP is no fool he’s bright and in touch with his team mates. and better than any sidelined coach knows fine well who needs to play, who should never play and who should be targeted to replace the useless players. Wenger would never accept any negative opinion of any of his signings that contradicted his view. The contrarian, RvP would simply be ‘put down’ and considered an outspoken ‘upstart’ He would be dismissed summarily! Tantamount to the sack! Sad thing is RvP’s views are/were probably right. Wenger’s ‘vision (eye for a good player’) is no longer 20/20 and is more often than not, these days, wrong. When have you ever heard a stubborn dictator admit he’s got it wrong, that his judgement is impaired – that he’s lost it? RvP has tried his best to expose the weakness that now seems to pervade the once hallowed marble halls. And what has he got for his troubles – nothing but disloyalty from the man who ‘wants to keep him at all costs’
Just an example perhaps – when Van der Vaart was available, for not a lot, he suggested Arsenal should not hesitate, they should buy him – no chance! He had a pretty good season with the spuds, granted he was injured a lot! Robin made a positive contribution and was knocked back. You can imagine Wenger saying, “We don’t want his sort here!”
Good luck to RvP where ever he hauls up. I share his view the club is progressively going backwards and shows no real sign of winning anything in the foreseeable future!
Theo now has a choice gunnernet, stay and step up to the mark, or quit and become a bit part in a larger squad….
joyswed – Park and Chamakh will be gone hopefully.. and with Campbell out on loan again, we will be short – unless as i wrote earlier, Theo or Gervinho are to be played more central…
Lets forget Robin and focus on beloved Arsenal. He’s going, who do you want to see. My 3 men list is:
Kaka (hell, we got to get him and he needs us if he wants to play in WC2014)
M’villa ( Get him and let him lose, all bad boys have done wonders: TA, PV, NA to name a few)
Dzeko ( the men is dumped by City and must be looking for revenge)
Lets swap that fool with any good striker like dzecko or tervez or higiuan.
I have a question, for the other 7 years didn’t RVP see the lack of ambition?
That traitor. I even didnt want him to sign a contract for more than 2 years with us because of those rotten legs
ARSENAL WILL KEEP MOVING.
or wait, he should be sent to the reserves to see his contract thru.
longlive captain TV5
His comments may actually bring more clubs into the equation.
Watch the Russians chime in.
I reckon we should tell the world that bids must be in by midday,Saturday 7th of July.
Off he goes to the highest bidder,like it or lump it.
Even Robin would not want to risk running his contract down,as any injury problems will destroy any clubs paying him the bucks next year.
i think van persie will be the real loser at the end of the day. For me though there is only one option either he moves abroad or rots in the reserves. Enough of being city feeder team.
I’d do an even swap for Dzeko.
Actually,screw ’em…make those bastards pay.
Actually,no….anyone but that mob,and I mean anyone.
Swap hm for Torres,even though he’s married with two kids 🙂
Really good comment Wavy….
@Wavy:
When VDW became available, at that time we had Cesc and even Nasri. Tell me you would chose VDW ahead of any of them. Ahead of Cesc?
And you’re saying Wenger is losing ability to spot a player, you kidding me? I’d name just most recent ones, Jack, Koz, Rambo, Oxo, Santos(U may not like him), Gervinho (don’t tell me you don’t think he’s not talented).
All you remember is Chamakh (he’s hardly got games these seasons), Park (He hardly paid. Still remember his goal against Bolton, was a beaurty) and Squid.
Don’t your personal disliking cloud your judgement about the man.
I fear Rico that there are no alternatives. And Gerv is scary in the middle. He is a bit clumsy. And Satan no City business anymore. If he wants to leave out of the island and MVila is some player but i’ll pass. No more Nasri types..
He states that out of respect for the Manager and the fans that he won’t go into any detail. Sorry but if he has any respect for the fans (don’t worry I am not deluded enough to really believe he gives a fuck) then going into detail is exactly what he should do.
This was all on the cards when no announcement was made after those initial talks when if it had been a contract extension then ahead of renewals it would have been the perfect time for a good news story. Instead the club and player went for an agreed media silence until “after Euro 2012” or as I prefer to call it “after ST renewal date had passed.” So were player and club colluding to mug off the fans?
Football is morally and ethically corrupt, but thats not new information. But would anyone like to see Arsenal cut their noses off to spite RvP and actually for once do what they have publicly stated and hold him to the last 12 months of his contract? That would cost Robin a signing on fee now and something in the region of £6m-£7M in lost wages this coming season. It would also be interesting to see what other teasm think he is worth by way of a contract when he is another year older and has spent the previous 12 months playing in the reserves. It would also be interesting to see what his sponsors made of such a low profile 12 months.
I know it won’t happen as Arsenal won’t write off the transfer fee despite their public declaration otherwise and we know our Manager and Board are fond of half truth spin and down right lies anyway !! But atleast I feel better for having ranted.
Thanks
rico chamakh and park leaving is impossible. Infact any other player leaving will send too much shock to the system. You dont suddenly dismantle your squad. Apart from vela squill bendtner and maybe arsh i dont see any other departure
None of us should be surprised by this even though it hurts. It was obvious otherwise he would have signed by now. RVP had 1 good season and now thinks he deserves More, I think the lesson we need to learn is keeping Darren dein the fuck away from our players! Flog him to the highest bidder, not where he chooses to go, Dzeko and some cash anyone?
Anyone seeing Bendtner back as back-up for Giroud? Same system differnet approach.
@Scott,
We’re club of good people. We want best for who have ever worked for us. That is why, Cesc went to Barca and not Madrid, Nasri went to City not United, Clichy went to City not Livrpool.
I wouldn’t wish anything bad for the player except saying ‘You’d miss us. Ask Henry.’
But I agree with that Torress for RvP. Wouldn’t mind that. Wouldn’t mind Kaka for RvP either.
wonder what david and darren dein’s ambition are? Now i see the reason why he was chased out. He wanted to milk the club dry. And his son is getting revenge. Nice family
VdV would have been a good squad addition though Satan..
Scott – 😆 re Torres, I’d certainly do that deal though with the Chavs…
Good post Rico. And good morning Rico. The one thing we all understand is that we don’t and will never know what has and is going on. It’s all brinkmanship at the moment. I can’t think of another player in van Persie’s situation who has felt the need to issue such a loaded statement as this pile of steaming shite, which is so disrespectful. I will let others pull it apart and examine it for hidden meanings but to me it is badly worded and crass. All it really does is to serve van Persie and of course his agent. It does nothing except to try and force a move to a club that I have little doubt has tapped him up and probably through his agent, put an offer on the table.
So, all of a sudden van Persie, in his own mind, has elevated himself from player and captain to the one who decides who the club should and shouldn’t sign. He has believed all the hype that has been heaped upon him, by us as well, and is now Billy Big Bollox. Mmmm, interesting move that. He craves world-class players to play alongside, just as Vieira did when Wenger pointed out to him that he wasn’t world-class when the club bought him. And as you so rightfully point out, it’s surprising that he didn’t feel the same way when he was laying injured for over 50 % of his Arsenal career, still taking his money.
But I still believe that none of this will be news to Wenger. His statement the other day about van Persie being so important struck me as odd at the time and I think was just a market ploy to drive the price up. Looked at dispassionately and in purely financial terms, which is exactly the way that van Persie sees things apparently, isn’t it a good move? We know that the club cannot compete with the financially doped regimes at Chelsea and Man City where astronomical losses are just part of the whole stinking way those clubs are run. Given that, just think for a moment about the deal that was on the table for Robin, supposedly. A 4 year deal at £7 million a year? Yes, I could see that. Plus a £5 million signing on fee /loyalty bung? Possibly, yes. Ok, so that’s well over £30 million quid outlay for a player with no resale value, who has just had a truly great season which he will probably never equal, plus he will likely (based on experience) spend at least 25-30% of that time injured and possibly more. Add that to the £20-25 million that we will possibly get for him and that makes say £55 to £60 million? this is what Robin would in effect cost Arsenal and even if the figures are not accurate, it is his age that is the killer for any financial assessment and believe me, these calculations have to be made for all English clubs, apart from those other two. The question is simple. Could that money be put to better use? What about a £35 million offer for Goetze or a £40 million plus offer for Neymar? Ok it won’t happen, because it is Arsenal. We know that. But, look at the resale values of both of those young players in 3 to 4 years time when they move to Barcelona or Real Madrid? Robin, we thought, was different but his behavior should serve as a warning and a reminder to us as to where football is and to where it is heading. The ONLY thing that should be important to Arsenal and us is to get this bloke out of the door ASAP and for as much money as we can. What he wants is completely irrelevant now. He has burned his bridges with his “statement” which is as self serving a piece of tripe as I have ever seen. Do what is best for Arsenal and do it soon.
@ Gunnernet
Bendy is TGSEL. He won’t do back up.
@ Rico:
I am still surprised AW hasn’t had any heart attacks yet.
gunnernet, maybe i am thinking too much like AW 😉
Seriously though, I know it was a long time ago, but I recall the two goals he scored in the Ems Cup, he finished well, maybe playing wide doesn’t suit him either and with Pod coming in, you never know…
And we have Ryo on the left too…
joyswed – park is off do do his bit for his country, and Chamakh wants out – i honestly expect them both to be gone…
Giroud is no doubt in for Chamakh…
@ Rico VDW has just as a big ego as TGSEL. He won’t have done back up to Cesc or Nasri.
It’s of utmost importance RVP not stay in England. We claim that our main target is EPL. Therefore we should not reinforce constantly other teams with our stars because then AW and the rest are liars and we are already in the process of becoming a feeding club, a stepping stone like Porto.
Lewis – I’m not surprised but I had just hoped he wouldn’t depart, but now he has made up his mind then offski asap I say….
Morning all. Good post. Still not happy about the lack of loyalty shown by RvP. Hopefully Bouchra and his mum have given him a hard tiome, as it’s well documented how they feel about him staying with us.
Some “interesting” posts on here today…. 2 bell-ends in particular who posted a couple of shitters and left. Podolski nothing to get excited about because he was subbed a few times…. Sweet Jesus.
@ Rico:
Btw I guess its time for new #10. I guess that would be Poldi.
Satan – I don’t think Gerv is all that. At all.
@Rocky
Don’t let his looks fool you. He’s very smart. He’s the best dribbler in the team. He’s ball control is amazing. He’s got behind defenses more than Theo did last season. The only prob is his finishing. Once that is improved, we’d have a true gem.
Morning Adam, and thanks re the post…
Top comment – a while back devil suggested that the club would sell him this summer as it is no doubt the last time we would get a really good price for him and now that transpires to be the case.
I don’t like what he has said publicy either but I did wonder if it was a way of trying to tell the fans what we all probably know and that is we can’t and won’t try and compete with the rich clubs.
However, what saddens me is that RvP seems to be trying to say that big names in the door would have kept him.
But as someone pointed out earlier, when he first arrived he wasn’t a big name, in fact he was a player with an attitude.
I hope you are right with your view on AW comments being about now getting the best price for him and I sincerely hope that all that money will be put back into the squad..
Do that Arsenal, and not many fans will be disgruntled….
And his crossing Satan. Unfortunately, finishing and crossing are 2 things I want from a player in his position! I agree he is very skillful, but end product and self belief seem to be massively lacking.
I’m not surprised he (has effectively) left, but the manner he is leaving is sour.
If he wants to leave because he thinks he will win trophies elsewhere that might be understandable, but as it is, it smacks of David Dein pulling strings. Releasing the statement without even giving a hint to the club has caught Arsenal with its collective pants around its ankles. RvP’s made his position untenable and is engineering a move. He’s insulted the club, the manager who stuck with him through 7 injury blighted seasons and the fans who thought he was better than Nasri.
One good season does not give even the captain licence to tell the manager how the club should be run. Did the meeting involve Wenger saying he didn’t see Arsenal winning any more trophies or was it Gazidis saying we aren’t rolling in oil to regularly shell out 200k a week to someone to kick a ball?
I think whether you support Wenger and/or the board is beside the point. RvP didn’t even have the common decency to signal his intentions to the club before spouting out to the world.
It was a while ago but might be worth noting RvP was the first to publicly defend Adebayor when the lad wanted a massive pay packet (a statement he retracted the next day when the fans turned venomous on the money-grubber).
It doesn’t look good that the statement flat out lies Gazidis was on holibobs. It reads like a smokescreen. We’ve heard players want to leave because Arsenal lack ambition. We’ve heard Wenger won’t shell out for top drawer players. But when Giroud and Podolski have already been signed, all sounds a bit empty.
Surprising what a 150%+ mark-up on the pay packet does to one’s judgment. Not saying that’s wrong, but no excuse to be a deceitful little snake about it.
If Robin joins MC or God/heaven forbid it MU,and he were to win the epl,Wenger will be made to look like a fool. I beleive RVP has had enough of Wenger. If for some reason the gunners can’t challenge it’s time for another manager.
I thought the building of the ES was to help the gunners fight for top players. Instead the gunners could be a feeder club for the big boys.Well Wenger can fight back by paying the market rate. If not the gunners could be stuck in the 2nd league for years to come.
Of course RVP may get unstuck at another club and fail to win anything. Anyway the bookies are the best in predicting how the gunners would fare without RVP and85% of the time they are right.
morning rocky, there is always one or two like that, saddos eh,…..
I no longer care where RvP goes, one ping of his hamstring, or a pop to his ligaments and i’ll smile…
Sorry if that sounds harsh…
Real are rumoured to be lining up a bid…..
Weve spent 1/4 of our kitty sell RVP and bring in NEYMAR wenger already said if he had the money hell put it on him so f**king do it then.
RvP has salso suggested that further talks will take place with Gazidis when he returns from his holiday..
Anyone know when Gazidis hols are up??
come on guys i really believe dat Giroud and poldi can do well, and since rvp well leave i think theo will follow
Shampoo Adam SHAMPOO. (Contraction of Shame & that stuff sticking to your sneaker’s profile when having a stroller)
Football has become pearls to hogs.
After the Bigbang people have been the biggest spectacle. 😉
Not in a million years K2. I precisely remember how much AW wanted Robinho from Sao Paolo and even made an offer of 20 m quite a sum that time, however Real stepped up their interest and as a result AW withdrew his interest instantly. You can’t compete for these signings. PERIOD. Be realistic.
Arsene and board loves only 4th place, not serious about trophies, no more additions this season as we are covered for 4th place.
Swap him for Benzema or buy Neymar now that would be a decent sweetner!!
Why the fuck is that useless egg-headed twat Gazides on holiday at the start of the transfer window? It’s been well documented a number of players want to get contracts sorted when the Euro’s are over. They’re now over. And the c*** is nowhere to be seen. Do any of these clowns actually care for the club or is it just, like I see my job, “just a job”?
K2, how do you know we have spent 1/4 of our kitty?
Do you really think Neymar would cut it over here? I really don’t see it. Brazilian flair players have never cut it over here. Since way back in the day with Mirandinha at Newcastle. Robinho started well and faded. Juninho had some good games. But faded.
Morning AKB’s…
Great great post Rico.
Some very interesting and diverse comments today from many ppl who are not fluent in English.
Good to see a lot of new names.
Hope you’ll all visit again.
Muller is an exciting rumour to me.
Really hope there’s some legs in that one.
Casias hmm Lee, wasn’t he the geezer who stabbed Julius Ceasar???
Oh and that’s Julius, not Gus.
Sure would Lee…
Absolutely crazy rocky, TW opens and he naffs off into the sun, makes me wonder if he knew RvP’s statement was due….
Dutch. Say again! .?? 🙂
Hi Kev. The more I think about it all, the more it makes sense.
if rvp wants to go let him go he has a reason and a geniue reason at that.if it were to be any of us we will make the same decision.but we must find a suitable replacement for him with the likes of llorente,huntelaar t.mullar,doumbia or lopez. With any of these we wont br missing him
Hi Rocky. Fair point.
Morning Charlie – thanks re the post…
Good nights sleep and all seems so much less painful eh 😉
scott (not from oz) 3rd last season, come on now 😉
Morning AK. Pretty sure if it WAS Gus, he’d have turned round and ripped his head off (If what Merson says of Gus in his book are true!!)
Poldi and Giroud are replacement for RVP, as for people who are saying that AFC were not aware of rvp’s departure that is bullshit.
Still, FFP will sort to all out. Won’t it? 🙂
Sort it all out. Sorry.
What I still don’t get though is Why?
Why did RvP feel the need to mention the difference in opinion in the way the club are going forward..
Was he warning us fans to expect little change in transfer policy?
To warn us that no other signings are expected?
Or was it simply to try and justify him moving, but didn’t want to confirm its for money…
Morning Charlie, I’m out with handbrake and clients tonight….I may buzz you!! 😉
Throughout last season, I was never holding my breath over this whole Van Persie thing. We have seen it before so it shouldnt come as a shock to see him leave. Vieira, Henry, Cesc, Nasri, now Robin. It seems we are bleeding uncontrolably and with Robin now leaving, we have become a pseudo feeder club.
I dont hate him or anything, so long as he leaves the EPL.
I think this is an opportunity for us to start a fresh. For once, Wenger is making some signings that carry some weight. Rather than looking for one single player to try and carry all the weight like we have been doing for some time now, I think what we need is a collective effort of massive proportions from the boys (new signings included). Everyone has to get stuck in it and make a contribution.
Wenger needs to make sure we offload RVP this summer and use his transfer fee to inject some new blood into the squad. He will have to one way or another to placate the supporters.
I also dont understand why some of you are hating on RVP (*cough*Rico). Some of us need to stop looking at this so much from a fans point of view and try to see where he is coming from from a players point of view. Fact is, we havnt won fuckall in 7 years. If Henry left to win trophies, then why would you expect RVP to stay? He has come out and said its not about the money and I believe him. So please cut him some slack, at least he is leaving for that and not a fatter pay cheque. Hes 28 and not getting any younger with only an FA cup to show for his eight years of service with us. How can you really blame him?
Put that on the manager and the board, not on the players.
I have no problems with him, so long as he doesnt join any of our rivals, let him do what he thinks is best for himself. and good luck to him. We need to look forward and hope the right signings are made.
A club with no egos like ours and with the sort of football we play, we should be able to finally brake this duck.
It hurts to say this but we can’t pay kaka or deko or any man city real madrid players wages,may be muller,de Jong, huntenar.
Guys,Gazidis is NOT ON HOLIDAYS,!
Think of him what you will,but how would Wenger be feeling??
These scumbags he’s showing eternal faith in when they need it drop him like a hot pie when the money is flashed.
The more I’ve read today convinces me that RVP is chasing money,as much as it disappoints me to say.
I was positive he’d stay,so am obviously a woeful judge of a mans character.
His statements content,timing and total lack of respect towards the club tells me he’s no better than Nasri,Cesc and all these other stars of our club who have left for “greener pastures”…..it’s never about money,is it??
As captain of Arsenal,he had absolutely no right to publish this statement without forewarning the club.
RVP really loves the club and i believe every word of what he has said. He really wants AFC to progress. The joyous look on his face when he scored at the death against liverpool. His angusih and surprise when OX was subbed against manu. The guy is genuine, we need to respect his decision and we will always love him. AFC will not be the same without him.
LSG – I don’t hate RvP at all, but I don’t like what he’s done…
@ gavin
Huntelaar is rigid, De jong not an arsenal type of player although i like him and Muller the most feasible choice.
LSG….you say he’s got little to show for 8 years service…….well,neither has the bloody club for 8 years wages!!!!
Scott – I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find out they were all in it together, strange that RvP statement came out the day after AW’s begging comment…
Adam RvP’s board room provocation/situation. A shame as well as an dog’s excrement.
SHAMPOO!!
I think the danger here Rico is to try and read hidden messages to the fans in a statement that is entirely self-serving. It has been drawn up by van Persie and Darren Dein. It says nothing to the fans. It is badly an clumsily worded and completely disrespectful. In the long run we are better off without him if this is his mindset. He is guilty of believing the acclaim he has received and arrogance and not humility is a certainty when you do that. I am reminded of the Roman Emperor who, after glorious victories, had a man standing behind him whispering constantly in his ear that all victories are fleeting. We can see what a few bob and an unrealistic inflated ego did for Adebayor and Nasri and even Clichy. None of us thought van Persie would suckle from the same teat, but we were wrong.
james says: July 5, 2012 at 9:24 am
‘Sorry, but you are suggesting that we should sign a player that sits on the bench at Bayern and that said player could replace RVP!? Is this your/ our ambition? What does that say about us? It says we cant compete on the big stage.’
Have I missed something, baring last season RvP wasn’t even fit enough to sit on the bench half the time.
If agreeing to buy two players BEFORE the transfer window officially opens is a sign of ambition then quite frankly I can understand why RvP didn’t to line up with 2 internationals – including one who has appeared in over 100 international for some small country called germany.
Perhaps what finally pushed RvP over the edge was Holland losing 2:0 to this small unambitious country called germany.
And who’s fault is it Scott that we have won nothing for seven years
The players
The Manager
The Board
Scott ( not from Oz). You speak for yourself with that one I’m afraid.
I’m a bit confused by people being angry about Van Persie showing no ‘loyalty’ after Arsenal supported him through all his injuries. Well, I’m pretty sure Arsenal were contractually obliged to pay him, and it’s partly the Club’s fault if they buy an injury-prone player, Sure they gave him the best traetment, but that is only sensible business. If he eventually comes good,
well it didnt come as a surprise to me,hes never said i will or i wont,that tells me there,who to replace rvp ?if we get £20-£25-£30 mill depends who we sell to,shity say £20 mill but we could get players +cash,utd £25 mill and juvay £25 mill then we have the spanish who wants a forward not real or barca,i think shity is best bet ?adam johnson(12mill)kolo toura(8mill)+10mill cash that said hes going to go say thanks white van man all the best goodbye.
Agree rico, this was decided longtime ago, AW needed to complete the transfers first before rvp called it quits, so that the impact is not huge. Poldi, i think is replacement for walcott, who will move out to some other club.
Adam, the penny has just dropped re Dutch’s comment!
You’ve not been on the Moroccan woodbines have you Dutch? 😉
Kind of agree Scott Oz regarding it being about money. He came out and said the meeting was not financial to start with. That’s a moot point because he knows there’s no way in hell we can match other clubs wages, so it benefitted him saying that. He knows he’ll be on exponentially better wages somewhere else… That’s a given.
But thats my point Adam, why say anything like he has done at all?
One day he says he loves the club and he’ll always be gunner regardless (which looking back, he already knew then he was off) to coming out with a disrespectful comment about Wenger, the man who gave him most of what he has today in football….
All he had to say is he’d thought long and hard and wanted a new challenge before he retires….
Like i say though, I think they are all in it together, a cunning plan to get the best price, just as you suggested earlier…
rico, you might wanna think about changing your wallpaper, its so yesterday.
Think the board have a lot to answer for here, another summer and another one of our best players wanting to leave to have the chance to compete for trophies, they can’t all be liars.
Lee. I still can’t quite grasp it. The subtlety of Dutch’s construction eludes me.
Mystic – excellent point well made!
You need a joint then Adam! 😉
Apparently not Adam lol.
Alan Skirton – And standing by him when he was banged up for allegedly raping someone, and then helping sort the whole mess out was something they were contractually obliged to do? I can think of a few clubs, particularly if they had a history in the not too distant past of scandal (Adams, Merson anyone?) that would have cut him loose. But we kept faith and gave him a new deal 3 years later.
Has RVP been sold yet………….?
😀
Morning all….. Adam get with the program mate DG talks in riddles you know that 😉
Alan Skirton,I’d like to ask RVP why he had no concerns about the clubs “vision” when injured and collecting a wage!!!
I’d like to know why he wasn’t concerned about their “vision” when noody else wanted him.
Morning WATH. How’s tricks?
Ah Micko, very good point – both could be gone soon, I will get onto that right now….
See everyone’s fave Piers Morgan has been throwing his (unwanted) opinion around on Twitter!
Hiya Adam, yeah mate, it’ll soon blow over.
The King is dead, long live the King, be it Poldi,Gerv or Giroud.
Morning Rocky, you ok mate?
Rico, I had a lovely sleep. Dreaming of shortcuts thru the City…. Worrying!
Lee, i’m on the case mate. Give me a bell.
Rocky, He’s a mindful of knowledge that Morgan twat…! self opinionated shit more like..!
Fair point Wath……
He’s still at the club.
Look at things realistically…..how many clubs will want to sign him??
FFP WILL be taken into account,and I can’t see clubs wanting to spend big dollars on a renowned injury riddled striker at his age.
Is there any chance he’s shot himself in the foot??
I’m good thanks AK. You? You in town at the mo or at home?
I’m busy as hell at the mo. Can’t complain. Means I still have a job. Can’t even complain about my companies vision for the future either so life can’t be that bad!
Am good Rock, how’s you mate….
Charlie AK AK You be careful out there…!
I think we need a wallpaper of Arsenal pics etc etc as then least they won’t be leaving…!
He issued his statement to draw a line in the sand and to take a position Rico. I am sure he did love the club but when people tell you how great you are all the time and half man, half slug Darren Dein slimes up to you and talks to you about understanding your market-value, blah, blah, blah plus he has an agenda of his own plus you are generally pissed that you are getting a caning in Holland for playing like crap in the Euros etc, etc. well, you ain’t gonna look to yourself are you. It will all have to be someone else’s fault. And aren’t Ivan ( you know him, the lizard excrement salesman and general idiot ) and the club and Wenger, the perfect scapegoats. Don’t you deserve better? Aren’t you the player of the year and brilliant? You’re world-class. The papers all say it. Barely a day goes by when there isn’t an article about how great you are. But you’re not winning trophies are you and you, a player of mercurial talent, deserve trophies. Why, you’d even get off the treatment table to hold one aloft. It takes a man with a strong sense of who he really is to resist those pressures and football and especially Arsenal history under Wenger is choc-a-bloc with other examples. Let him chase his dream and let Arsenal move on.
Not sure Gerv will be the king AK…. More like the court jester! I hope to be proved wrong thouh!
I have taken up glue snorting Lee. While constructing a vodoo Persie.
Now what you gone and done Micko…. Now we have a naked “blog”….!
All good here thanks WATH. I agree… nick pics from those on the outside of the stadium of the more recent players… Wright, Seaman, Rocky, Pires, Dennis etc. Players we remember fondly!!
Lee. 🙂
Is that better all 🙂 🙂
Steady on DG you won’t be able to breath properly you’ll get all bunged up…!
That’s put the mockers on it Rico, they’ll both be off next year now…!
I was thinking a nice pic of the “Old Girl” in her heyday… No NOT you… Highbury..??
Afternoon Wath. Not started yet mate. Been reading about. RVP all morning… What’s your take on things?
Rocky i’m up ere for a long one mate.
Won’t be going home till August…
Righto, I really have to go to work.
Lata you Gooners
Better in that I can only see 2 random arms, yeah!
Ahhhh, ignore that…. Just maximised the page and seen the full pic! May have to change it soon though when LJW leaves….
Wow lots of posts here already. Been tied up at work so not had a chance to look at all posts. I had a heated debate with my mate yesterday about this. He falls very much into the “it’s all the fault of the board, Wenger and Gazidkis”. He doesn’t blame RVP at all and felt he was doing us a big favour by going public like this and even at one point said “what a legend”. Now I am a long way from agreeing with him. While I, as many others, have been far from impressed by the behaviour of the management and board over the last few seasons I did feel that the addition of Podolski and Giroud and if we kept Song Walcott and RVP would make a huge difference. The club have a lot to answer for about our current situation but the bigger blame for me now lies with RVP.
On the tactical discussion yesterday I felt we could switch our formation to play RVP centrally behind one of our other new forwards and that this would have a massive effect on how we play. I felt these 2 signings were an early signal of ambition to build a new look team around RVP while giving him an even more influential role. We had a good run later in the season before running out of steam near the end. That run included out-playing City at the Emirates so I don’t buy this thought that they automatically have more chance of winning than us if we had kept RVP, Song and Walcott as well as the new additions. Now we will not have as much chance but that is not because of Wenger or the club that reason is now because of RVP. So if we don’t challenge as well next year we will hear all this RVP was right in his assessment. Bollocks, if he was staying this year we would be title challengers. If we had had extra goal-scorers in the team then I believe we would have finished more strongly than we did at the end of last year.
RVP and his advisers knew exactly what they were doing with this statement. This was purely a statement to burn his bridges to leave his situation untenable so that the club had to sell him. He knew the club were prepared to hold him for another year potentially even if he didn’t sign. This statement was designed for one purpose and that was to get what RVP wanted. What is the most nauseating is that he actually tried to dress it up as if he was doing us, the fans, a favour by going public like this and that he could no longer, out of resect and loyalty to us, keep quiet. It is full of nauseating waffle about respect for this and loyalty for that and love for us all. In many ways Adebayor treated us with more respect. He at least didn’t attempt to hide the reason he was genuinely looking at other clubs with all sorts of fawning love messages. The friend that shafts you while smiling at you and declaring their undying love for you is far more unsavoury than the one who does it while not trying to dress it up as something entirely different.
The problem is many gooners, including my mate, are buying this crap. The board have their share of the blame, but let us not under-estimate what he has just done. If AW had said “Robin, we still want you here next year even if you don’t sign”, then he should have kept quiet and set about doing his best for us on the pitch next year. If he then leaves he can explain why. This repayment of loyalty is an outdated thing but bearing in mind he has collected huge wages when injured for long periods in his years with us, while not actually doing what he was supposed to be doing for this huge salary, is it too much to ask that he doesn’t put a hand grenade under the club while pretending he is doing it out of respect for the fans. This statement in order to try and force the club to get rid of him i.e to aid RVP and RVP only has done the following to our club.
1 Devalued what we can get for him, and possibly will mean clubs will play hardball til the final knockings of the transfer window therefore creating a similar situation to last year for the club.
2 Devalued the club to the world and all the top footballers therefore vastly reducing our attractiveness and therefore ability to bring top players to the club.
3 With Walcott and Song being in the same contract situation and the 3 of them being as thick as thieves they are now likely lost to us. It looks like they were both waiting to take their cue from RVP and will now likely need to be replaced also bringing even more upheavel and stress to the club and its fans this year.
RVP and his advisers knew this and didn’t care about the fallout and how much it would set the club back as long as he was well away next year on his new wages. Another thought about this is the Dein family. If the lesser, who must have been implicit in this, gets anywhere near the Emirates next year I hope all fans will let him know he is as welcome as Jack th ripper in a brothel. I am one that has always thought Dein senior should be back at the club but I am starting to wonder if he has inside knowledge of all this. Could it actually be that he is rubbing his hands at the situation this brings on the current board and that this might speed up his return to the club. It doesn’t matter that the club seriously suffered as a result if it achieves the end objective. Stranger things have been known in the coridoors of power.
All in all whatever the board and AW have done wrong it did seem they were trying to change things this year and up until late yesterday I personally believed we were moving towards a title challenging squad. Some may disagree with this and still see RVP as blameless and focus all their anger on the board but as far as I am concerned he has royally shafted us and knew full well the resulting problems the club would have after this statement went out.
I’ll tell you later AK when I have time to put it all into words mate 😉
Have a good day and drive careful fella..!
I was thinking a few pics of the deadwood might help shift a few……
Me too Charlie, but dreamt of new signings 🙂
Fair point there Adam, like you too, I want him gone now asap…
Afternoon wath…
Bloomin heck, you fussy one Wath 😉
Ok, who would rather Highbury as the background??
Me re Highbury Rico. Or an emergency exit sign.
or a massive pic of Gunnersaurus…..
Just out……….. letter from Usmanov to Kronke about how the club is being run…!
Sorry, forget to say. End of Rant. Now if I only had a time machine to reclaim the lost time I spent on that rather than doing the paperwork I should of been!
Arsenal should sell Rvp and invest all the money from his sale and other deadwood players sale to strengthen the team and prove to the fans and ex players that arsenal have ambition. I take my script from the story of Abraham lincoln after all the trials and tribulations and all the tries in his life he became the president of america so arsenal have been trying for 7seasons now but when the flood gates opens we would be sick and tired of trophies.
Rico,
I don’t disagree that signing a German international shows ambition. If that international was say: Reus, Gotze or even a Klose. Not a player that sits on the bench for Bayern, sorry. The likes of Bayern are supposed to be our competition in the champions league and buying one of there B players should not be the heights of our ambition. I would love to see huntelaar come in as a replacement! I think that he would do better than RVP for us over the years. I sincerely hope that we bring in 1 or 2 more quality players otherwise it’s just another case of continually stripping our best assets for less quality. No, this is not the end and there is no doom and gloom….Arsenal will carry on fighting for 4th unless something changes.
That’s one heck of a comment GB 😉
Has anybody managed to find the letter issued by Red & White holdings to the board…?
we shud keep him. Might aswell get another year out of him could be worth more than the money we get now!
Look on it from the bright side people. After the acquisitions of Ollie & IPod there was me thinking Chamug and Bendtner would even drop further in market value beyond Standard&Poors junk rating, while RvP still on board.
Now they are actually worth a penny if only for their thoughts.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2169165/Arsenal-crisis-Alisher-Usmanov-attacks-club-open-letter-Robin-van-Persie-snub.html
Wath, its in the Daily Mail….
Fifa are on crack…. http://www.fifa.com/worldranking/rankingtable/index.html
All of the players that have left ‘to win trophies’ seem to absolve themselves of any responsibility for us not winning anything recently. Yet in 2008 they were all there and imploded once Eduardo got injured. You could add another couple of seasons in there too when they fell apart when the going got tough. Far too easy to blame everyone else!
must be true then, hey Adam? 😉
😆 rocky, he’s been sold hasn’t he ….
Spot on Bob John all these players leaving for trophies are the nancy boys who bottled in when we were close enough to win something and yet they failed dismally…!
Thanx Rico 😉
Just to add: players come and players go and that is the nature of the game. My problem is not reinvesting that money properly back into the club. It worries me that this has been the path that we’ve been going down since Viera and i fear that the trend will continue. I hope i’m wrong. Gunner 4 life.
each to their own james, but i think many would be quite happy to see a player like Muller join us….
Well said Bob John!
Is the poop well and truly about to hit the fan Wath??
Rico, the letter from R&W is 4 pages long….! That thing in the mail is merely a few headlines…! Apparently it’s a very broad open letter asking many questions…! Seeking many answers…!
Spot on Bob…
More to follow on the DM story, where would the letter be, have googled but nowt….
Lee – is that fifa and england being ranked above italy – they are mad….
Cassias – he did his share of stabbingI think but he was dangerous before the murder. Caesar warned “beware he (Cassias) is a lean and hungry man” Meaning he was fiercly ambitious
Now apart from Iker, Iker wunnay! Who else might raw ambition be a characteristic of?I RvP perhaps especially as he has just stabbed the club in the….front!
Shakespeare a visionary 400 years ahead of his time!!
Cool Rico…Let’s agree to disagree. Mueller would not be a bad signing…Just not a marqee one.
The letter is on the AST site BUT seems the page crashes when you try to view it…! their site can’t cope obviously..!
James, was RVP a Marquee signing when we bought him..?
Add him to Pod and Gir plus a proper defensive midfielder we’d not be far off at all, Yep I’d still love Gotze but we can but dream eh…!
M’Vila / Capoue
An older experienced keeper to play back up to Chez and for me we’d be very competative.
Yes Rico we’re currently ranked 4th…. 😮
Good Afternoon Fine Folk.
Muller signing implies lack of ambition??? Well PV04 was rotting in the Milan reserves when AW plucked him from obscurity and put him in the AFC first team. Muller is a good advanced midfielder who would only be happy to play for our club.
I have been banging the drum that beneath it all AFC DO WANT TO SELL RVP. So they offer him a good contract but one which falls short of expectations. So that he will up and leave.
Those who say that AFC should pay him those wages should be aware that the moment that he gets those wages it will be mutiny within the team. Once one gets 225kpw the rest will want that also. Do not simply think that if shitty offer that then AFC can do likewise.
Let us say that RVP signs on 200kpw + the 5million bonus (which would have made me very angry). We start in August and come the first international break and RVP gets injured. Breaks a metatarsal. And he is out for around 3 to 4 months. So 17 weeksx225kpw=3.82million for doing sweet FA. And we are a striker less.
I will be angry if he leaves and the money is not re-invested. Then yes. But if with his money we get a 24 year old then that is different. Robin will not be able to give us more than 2 years at the maximum. So if someone offers good money for him then I would say…..Well done AW. Now go and invest it in another good quality player.
🙂 james, we don’t do marquee ones though do we, and they don’t always bring the best, maybe just a big ego…
I’d rather big heart coupled with a lot of ability and passion, with a love to play for afc and not just a big wage…
Not a loyal bone in his body!
Does he know what loyalty means???
Selfish selfish selfish!!!
Can’t believe his desion.
Hope he ends his career watching from the sidelines on the bench!
He can be the water boy for Man City!
Ashamed he wore a no.10 arsenal shirt.
He played 1 decent full season for arsenal after all them years!
Absolute disgrace good riddance!
Try and get as much money as possible while we still can for the traitor!!!
How’s you WATH? Another summer of discontent!?!?
What a joke Lee, we should be 6th or 7th at best….
http://arsenaltrust.org/resources/documents/1341487040rws_open_letter_05_07_2012_%283%29.pdf
Here is the open letter Wath & all
BDW Rico…….well done for changing the background players.
I’m good Lee, you…? No mate i think this could act as a huge wake up call to the club what ever way you look at it and if we buy properly I reckon we could be very very competitive if we piss around like last season then we’ve yet again missed another opportunity…!
Rico, it’s like a new blog.
OK that’s a change. I’ve just renewed the site and i ve seen the new pictures. Shouldn’t you upload at least a picture in a pitch.. It’s like they are in a hospital dining room or sth like that.. I hope you will prove more inspired next time lol..
Bacary Sagna could be fit in time for the start of the season after confirming he is already running again just two months after breaking his leg.
The Arsenal right-back sustained the injury in the club’s final game of the last campaign against Norwich at Emirates Stadium.
The blow came just seven months after breaking the same leg in the north London derby against Tottenham.
The France international, who missed out on playing at the European Championships, has spent the summer break concentrating on his rehabilitation.
It was feared that he may have to wait until September to make his first team return but his recovery appears to be ahead of schedule.
Sagna said on his twitter account today: “Back to my life in London after time off/rehab in middle east. I started running again without any pain.”
I am listening that Usmanov tries to grab of this ailing situation and seize control of the club.. Generally it seems that there is a lot of tension inside the club. There seems to be sth like a rous…
Afternoon devil, looks like the pics have gone again 🙁
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2169165/Arsenal-crisis-Alisher-Usmanov-attacks-club-open-letter-Robin-van-Persie-snub.html
You guys read that letter from R&W holdings to Kroenke??
I still have them Rico. But although I agree that with Jack it is a good background I think it would be better to have one on the field of play and not in a treatment room. 😉
For anyone who hasn’t seen it yet
http://arsenaltrust.org/resources/documents/1341487040rws_open_letter_05_07_2012_(3).pdf
😆 Micko…
IMO Rico it’s time for a change. Kroenke proved to be an indolent and inert owner taking a back seat. He clearly doesn’t give a S!@t. He needs to go now. Usmanov should be given a chance.
Ooops sorry Rico, re my 12.56 i didn’t press the comment button read the letter and then posted the link…!
Yes I read it Rico. But it does not tell us anything new.
read the following article……….
As the fallout of Robin van Persie`s statement of intent to decline to sign a new contract for The Gunners (meaning it`s likely he will leave) continues, there are people with the opinion that Arsenal fans are being a little unreasonable with their reactions.
Of course some fans take it a little too far on occasion, however the majority of Gooners are well within their rights to feel a little disgruntled.
The timing and wording of Robin`s statement is one of the reasons Arsenal fans aren`t best please. It appears to be a thinly veiled attempt at forcing Arsene`s hand into allowing the Dutchman a move away from the club. Not cool.
My personal opinion is that I don`t believe van Persie should be castrated simply for wanting to leave the club, things haven`t gone well for us in recent years, yes we`ve qualified for the Champions League for a gazzilion years running, but one Carling Cup final aside, we haven`t really looked like winning a trophy. van Persie is a winner and wants to win silverware, you can`t blame him for that.
However surely it`s not too much to ask for a little bit of respect and loyalty is it?
I`ve seen many rival fans commenting on the situation and a common sentiment expressed is that Robin “doesn`t owe Arsenal anything”.
Doesn`t he?
Being a professional footballer is a privilege, it doesn`t just take talent and hard work to become a professional footballer living the life of luxury, it takes the loyalty of the fans of the individual clubs. Without that loyalty, football would cease to be as a multi-billion pound spectacle. It`s not just about the player and what the player wants.
Or at least it shouldn`t be.
The biggest complaint about this whole sordid affair is that van Persie`s statement claimed that his goal had been to “win trophies with the team and to bring the club back to its glory days”, yet his attempt to bring the glory days back to Arsenal is to leave after what appears to be the first time he`s managed to play more than 45 games in one season for the club in his Arsenal career.
Arsene Wenger has shown tremendous loyalty to van Perise throughout his career. Through the false rape charge to his constant injuries, and what does he get in return? Very little.
Robin van Persie is a world class player, of that there is no doubt, but the fact is that in only three of his 8 seasons at Arsenal has he managed to crack the 20 goal per season barrier (20, 22 and an impressive 37 last season).
In the 8 years van Persie has played for Arsenal, he`s only managed to feature in 60.3% of the competitive games for the club. 462 games played by Arsenal whilst the Dutchman only took to the field 279 times.
True, some of those games were in the Carling Cup of which van Persie might not have played, but that number of games is negligible to say the least.
Of course van Persie didn`t want to be injured and would have preferred to be on the pitch, but that doesn`t help the club when we can`t count on him for half the time, then the one season he manages to stay injury free and scores a lot of goals he rewards himself with a transfer to another club (probably).
It would have been easy for Arsene Wenger to have got rid of van Persie years ago, but he stood by him, the fans stood by him and sung his name. With his injury record it would have been very unlikely any of the top teams would have taken him, indeed even though we knew he was a great player he wasn`t much sought after .
Arsene helped shape the career of van Persie and got little in the way of thanks.
That hurts.
Read more: http://www.arsenal.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=529975#ixzz1zkSwU6iC
Gunnernet………..its not simple as that. Its not as if you are just giving your chair to another person. There are many legalities to such a takeover.
Sod work, I may as well spend time on this more important issue. Lots of discussions about who to bring in to replace him. I have never been sure about the like for like replacement. I think this is a time to change our line up and breaking the team down simplistically, and what we should be looking at is what key components we require to have a strong team capable of challenging with the best. I am going to assume Walcott and Song are gonners as well. For Song I would go for a like for like replacement, whoever it is, end of story.
RVP brought us goals and creativity. He was involved through his direct goals and assists in some 53% or more of all our goals (I think I read this somewhere but will stand corrected if anyone has more accurate stats). Yes if we didn’t have him last year we would have been in trouble, as some would focus on, but it just emphasised that we were overly reliant upon him and needed other players in the offensive third that knew how to find the back of the net.
Losing RVP does mean losing a key goal threat and also some creativity up front. Losing Walcott means mainly losing pace up front. If you look at any teams offensive stats the most important factor is how many goals the team scored as a whole not how many one player scored. If we can increase our overall team scoring stats this year we should actually be better than last year and it shouldn’t matter if one player is not so dominant at scoring if you have 2 or 3 that score 20 plus a season. We also need to replace the lost creativity of RVP and the pace of Walcott. I actually think that with Podolski and Giroud we will have a greater goal-scoring potential as a team next year so I am wondering if it is really another goal-scorer that is required and that maybe we should look more at replacing the creativity and link up play that RVP brought us. If we get this then maybe the forward line will be stronger than last year even minus RVP.
I would like to actually play Podolski behind Giroud in a different formation. I actually believe in the long run the Ox will be a number 10 behind another striker so would like to see him getting game time here as well. Podolski and the Ox also give us the wide options. I think we should be looking for a pacy attacking player who has goals in them and can play wide or centrally but has that ability to bind our offensive moves together. Someone like a Mata or David Silva or Hazard. Remember RVP was a deeper lying striker/ wing forward and only just recently started playing as a lead the line forward. I wonder if someone more like Belhounda or Reus may not be the better option and look at Giroud and Podolski to be the main goal-scorers.
gunnernet – i’m all for a AU takeover tomorrow…
I was busy reading the letter from AU 😛
And regarding Thomas Muller, since making his debut in 2008 he has made 106 appearance and score 32 goals. Not bad for an advanced midfielder.
So saying that he warms the bench is a superflous comment.
Wath, he’s got a very good PR team, not sure if it will be enough to wake Stanley from his deep sleep though.
A good read……….
http://www.footballfancast.com/2012/07/football-blogs/an-insult-all-round-at-arsenal
Good comment GB….. lots of variations and options out there and not all would break the bank for sure although with the last few seasons us fans would love just one kick arse signing…! I really think Pod & Gir will be good signings and will give us more options up front but we need pace down the channels and width… Who now leaves is dependent a lot on who we look at bringing in.. Def Mid priority for me to start then lets see if Theo stays or goes as to needing a pacy winger or a Gotze..? Belhanda isn’t a bad call either long as Citeh stay off the case..!
Off for a couple of hours. cu Fine Folk.
@ devilgunner
Muller is a team player, runs relentlessly, not technically at the same level with others in his class but surely big heart and efficient. He has scored crucial goals in the past both for Germany and Bayern. He had a bad Euro so it’s the best opportunity to swoop for him right now. One of the best in the market concerning the ratio quality/cost
Now that is one hell of an open letter. If this really did come from R&W then I am heartened as it seems like a statement of intent for the long-term and the first blow in a battle for the club that, I believe, the fans will have more than a small say in. We must face the fact that, however distasteful we find it, football today at the very top, is all about money. We see ourselves at being at the top table of world football but Kroenke doesn’t have the financial clout to achieve that. This is unambiguous and clear. The famous and laudable self-sustaining model is now a joke as everyone of the directors who espoused it has sold their shares for a mega profit and it is now a self-serving anachronism with which to beat the fans and to prevent Kroenke from putting his hand in his pocket. R&W want Arsenal to be at the top. They seem to have an appreciation that the infrastructures are in place and also have great belief in Wenger and would like to free him financially to compete and stop him from a van Persie type situation very year. This must be the way forward. I think, as I have said before, that Arsenal are actually pretty lucky to have a man of such enormous wealth interested in taking over and I hope that he does. We’ve seen what Stan is about and it isn’t going to work, if we want to really take the club places.
GoonerB – you losing me again on tictacs 😉
Micko, within 24hrs every Arsenal fan the world over will have read that letter and have an opinion on it, Stan may have no choice but to catch a wake up mate, every point they have made is spot on and yet not once do they slag off wenger either… ALL the blame with the board..! there is a lot of accusations there that the board will have to answer to yet they will refrain with some pathetic comment about not doing things in public watch…! Gutless…! If they approached a company regarding sponsorship and didn’t even check who the owners are how amateurish is that…? How can they not know AU is a 50% shareholder when seeking a sponsorship deal…? Are we so pathetic in all our deals hence the state of all our commercial deals..? makes you wonder mate. Au ain’t going anywhere thats for sure…!
Sorry devil, i think the R&W letter has side tracked us all 😉 Laters…
Totally agree with you Adam… Our board are the epitome of hypocrisy..!
How coincidental all frontlines start spraying bullets. Maybe RvP been playing poker on Usmanov’s yacht??
I feel my conspiracy pinky twitching. Austin Power’s ‘ The spy who shagged me ‘ springs to mind. Oohhhh…………do behave!! Maybe we did judge RvP as inconsiderate. But could he have been in the loop and told there would be qualified back up?? Keep your eyes peeled I say.
Suddenly I shed a whole different light on van Persie’s unannounced publication.
Ditto Adam, it’s a cracking letter and I hope it is no spoof.
The closing paragraphs make it clear what R&W intentions are and hopefully will stop some from thinking AU is only out to ruin our club.
This man/R&W are going nowhere, and imho it’s not about if they takeover anymore, it’s simply when…
And the sooner that day comes the better imho…..
Wath – i thought the way they blame the board and not AW was quite interesting too, they want to keep him…
DG, Darren Dein tells Daddy that RVP isn’t going to stay…. Daddy has a chat with AU who has a chat with RVP and many things fall into place which merely highlight how the club has stagnated under this board… We need a young pro-active board who shake things up and who are not happy with coming 3rd or 4th… where winning is a trophy…! Time to shake things up me thinks and this could be the catalyst..!
AFternoon People.
I like this sentence:
“Robin has one year to run on his current contract and we are confident that he will fulfil his commitments to the club.”
It can means that finally Arsenal FC had grown two pairs and tell RvP he is staying and we don’t want £25M from Abu Dhabi CIty.
It means that when Hleb threatened to invoke Brewster CLause, Wenger threatened to let him rot in the Reserves with his case tied for years under litigation court…i.e. “Barca, you can’t get him on the cheap, cough up or f**k off!”
So, what Wenger is telling Manchester, Turin, Madrid, etc “You are not getting him on the cheap..cough up £30M or f**k off!”
That is, this is another case of “Hleb” Saga where Wenger said “enough is enough. You stay put for one mroe year, either start playing or rot in the Reserves; with all your suitors finding new replacement and by July 2013 with UEFA FFR kicking in, who in his right mind will offer you £200,000 pw for 3 years.”
Menaing, that playing hard-balla dn refusing to sell him will ensure that RvP wil lose out £200,000 x 50 weeks = £10M.
Just hit RvP where his pocket is and let him rot in the Reserves if we can’t get a decent price..like say..£30M .
Well, all RvP got to do is to submit a transfer request..like Cesc so desperate to leave that he waived his “loyalty bonus” and Barca cuttign hsi salary to pay a portion of his transfer fee.
No way that’s a spoof Rico it’s gone through AP to get released and it’s been sent to the right and proper people through the right channels.
Funny enough DG, I have just been having a similar conversation with a friend of mine….
Nice post…
Does the Arsenal captian’s armband say for sale? I hope the team can adapt quickly, there’s room now for someone to step up and become our new hero.
WATH Catalyst is a fine word to describe the currents unfolding.
Isn’t it at least creditable this open letter has been crafted over a couple of weeks. Carefully weighing each word to leave no light between any meaning or interpretation.
I don’t think so either Wath, another thing, that letter wouldn’t have been written within 24 hours either, that imho has been sat in the ‘ready to send’ box for a few days/weeks….
Interesting letter and a documented marker if its genuine.
Assuming it is genuine, the one thing that immediately jumped of the page was the fact that Ivan Gazidis has clearly stood up in front of the fans and lied AGAIN !! On the same night that he also admitted to some incompetence in last summers dealings !! How does this bloke keep his £1million + per year job ?!!
I’d be surprised if that letter was written overnight DG, there are many things that AU has answered to the board who have over the last few months done nothing but disrespect the man and to a degree insult him now like him or not he’s as said nearly a 30% major shareholder, should a board be throwing stones and smearing his name in public isn’t that totally childish and very unprofessional and yet when R&W ask sensible questions of the club we get a stone cold silence from the board. I think he’s ready to make a move and this is the icing on the cake. They wanted AW on board they wanted the fans more on their side and now with this letter may feel the time is right. Time will tell.
Great minds Wath 😉
Got to pop off for a while, back later…
Have a good afternoon all……
Of course, the fans have incredible power where the ownership of the club is concerned and this letter, if genuine, is certainly aimed at the fans. If enough fans wanted it then Kroenke would sell up quite quickly and walk away with many many millions profit from doing sweet FA and as we see it would all have been financed by a bank as he seems to have borrowed the money to buy the club in the first place. Never underestimate the power of the fans.
No mention of Squillaci in the Red & White letter…wtf is going on?
Lee. They are fabricating a statue to Squillaci as we speak.
How oddly intrigued and struck were you WATH when Wenger piped about he wouldn’t mind UA at the board table. While such things were further from remote as to what AW should be commenting on. Considering the Aristocats/board & Stan made such a protocol out of ignoring R&W holdings.
Yes Adam its called throw ur empties in here
What will they fashion his statue from? Robin’s 40 pieces of silver?
Chamack replace RVP 😉
Perhaps, with the van Persie situation and the Red and White open letter, if genuine, we are actually seeing the struggle for the club start. Hearts and minds will be important and Usmanov has just made Kroenke the big bad wolf who bought the club with the banks money and doesn’t want to put any of his own in. Perhaps Kroenke will feel the need to respond or perhaps Gazidis will be wheeled out to do it. Whatever the case, Kroenke will hopefully be shaken out of his comfort zone and we might see things start to happen. It could be a bumpy ride.
JM……………. Thats not funny…! 😀
Don’t be daft Adam, the club will issue a statement stating they do not comment about club policy in public and it’s regrettable R&W have chosen to air their thoughts in public…! Some drivel like that…! When even AW said he’d not object to AU on the board thats a very telling comment although whats it to do with the manager who sits on the board in any case..?
Very difficult to work today.
Some really great postings.
Adam, you really should do a post for Rico mate, you’re in the zone…
And GoonerB, we need a post or three from you.
Tea break…
You might be right WATH. You cynical sod. 🙂
Aftrenoon all. Just back from a very long lunch so a little sleepy. Reading extracts of teh Usmanov / Moshiri letter on Sky sports certainly perked me up though!! I love those guys!
Indeed WATH Wenger didn’t speak about it as if it was for breakfast or lunch.
Where abouts are you holed up for your tea break AK?
Click the link rocky and read the whole letter mate…!
Adam. me cynical… never… just say it how i see them operating as is usual with the board… try fob it off and stiff upper lip bollox to try make it go away !!
Is it a bit tasty wath? I’ll have a read in a sec.
It’s proper mate… extremely well written and very well put across..!
Thanks Kev. This one feels different to me and the R&W letter, if genuine, is unprecedented. Usmanov wants the club, to put it at the top and he has the financial muscle to do just that. Kroenke has no such ambitions. He wants to maintain the status quo and let Man City or Barcelona rape us every year while asking us, the fans, to pay him for the priviledge. The fans are being taken for mugs but, if enough of them felt the same way, the power they have to facilitate change is awesome.
It’s a cracker Rock
In fact if I was a cynic I’d of said Adam had proof written it for them it’s so well written……
Did I just read WATH say “If I was a cynic” 😆
Adam, fan power is indeed powerful but not enough to get rid of an owner if he is not willing to give in just look at the Glazers BUT the factor is Krunke can walk away after doing sweet FA as you previously stated and he has a willing buyer waiting in the wings ready to make him an enormous amount of money to just walk away…! that is the killer punch for us…! AU wants in and stan wants to sit around and do nothing…!
I thought I wrote cleric Lee……………
hahahahahaha!
Just read it! Pretty good stuff! Although I can imagine Silent Stan and co reading it and deleting it… totally disregarding this and carrying on as normal.
Bloody Rico changing words again!
They can delete all they want Rocky, with questions like that fans want answers and every fan worldwide will have access to that within 24hrs to all have an opinion..!
I was thinking it was Charlie on the sauce again doing it…!
Not a great record? Are you mad? He get one every other game, and even more when he gets a good run in the team. He is injury-prone though.
Agree wath. Surely they know that the letter sums up the general feeling. They will be aware of forums and public opionion. That’s what makes it all so frustrating as to why we are kept in the dark about so many things.
Good Morning all and good morning to you Rico.
This is a painful post to read about someone who we all love so much. But, do any one knows exactly what was said among the trio (RVP, AW and IG) There is enough blame to go around and it easy to point fingers when the fact seems obvious, “DISLOYAL”. Just maybe, RVP planed this ahead of the season after witnessed what Cesce and Na$ri did last season. But the facts are not yet in and the jurors is still out, I wouldn’t bash him. Everyone is entitle to there opinion but can’t rule out the fact that this might be Arsenal handiwork. I’ll say this to RVP, go Arsenal will survive with you or without you, what men have done; man can still do.
Arkadiy – I have to admit, I was thinking exactly the same thing! There’s a lot worse records out there….
WATH. If only 10,000 people started to show up at the Emirates every week believe me, that would have an effect. The share price would drop, the sponsors would kick up hell and Stan would begin to wonder. The Man Utd fans could see that the team was still winning and never acted, apart from in relatively small groups. But if Old Trafford was virtually empty of home fans for games and no-one bought a shirt or a beer, then something would have happened. The fans are the business. It’s not Kroenke or the Glazers. As fans we don’t even know what Kroenke’s vision is. Usmanov has more or less told us what his plans would be. I am really fed up with taking it from an arsehole like Mancini, aren’t you? Arsenal are a giant who has been asleep for years or since Abramovich arrived. The game has changed and Usmanov must look at the club with its London location, stadium and history and at Chelsea and Man City and think what the hell is going on here? All the pieces are in place, including a manager who could be great again, given the tools. With the right financial incentives, what top player would want to play for that wimp Mancini or for a negative anti football coach like De Matteo when he could play for Arsenal? At the moment Kroenke has us sleepwalking towards a possible 4th place. Next year we will lose Jack or OC, the season after it will be someone else. Who needs that shit?
Sorry Rocky, been catching up mate.
Queen Victoria St, close to Blackfriars.
Off to read B/W statement/letter.
It’s not his goal scoring record at all it’s the fact he’s missed so many games thats where the poor record comes from and what it’s meant to come a cross as when i think someone states he could of played over 400 games…!
Totally agree with you Adam but still to many fans think nothing is wrong…! there lies the problem, blinkered…! blind faith..! call it what you want but we are the loyal ones we won’t not turn up as people always think we cannot effect change yet they could not be further from the truth…!
I don’t know anybody, apart from a couple of blokes on Untold Arsenal who don’t see what happening now. You would have to be a complete dummy not to have detected a pattern. We are lucky in that Usmanov is waiting. Not many clubs have that possibility.
The problem as I see it is that if we have a shit start like last season fans will turn on wenger and not the board who are clearly the root of all the problems, wenger is culpable as well but not the root cause, i believe him stubborn and egotistical but i feel he need a kick up the arse and someone to put him in his place and that means a new board, he runs the team they run the club he manages its simple the rest they take care of.
Can someone cut and paste the letter from R&W as my phone is crap.
Adam, when BSM had a march last season they were frowned upon for looking to get rid of Wenger yet no one bothered to look at the fact they were marching to complain about the board and how the club was being run… when people like that are not backed then where does the support actually stand… there is far to much apathy people sit back do nothing and say what can I do and thats a shit attitude…! get off your arse and do something and you’ll see what you can do… If everyone gets off their arses stan will be made to feel very very uncomfy…!
Wath, a cleric…..
Mullah Wath is it?
Praise be to Allah…
It won’t let me cut n paste AK…..
I think you must be careful AK…. comments have a habit of re-writing themselves…! 😉
Just 4u Ak,
Dear Sirs,
In recent weeks a couple of separate actions have occurred, which have caused us, as a near 30% shareholder in the club, to have serious concerns about the approach of the Board and the management team:
Firstly, there were some very deliberate and public comments by Ivan Gazidis which were intended to leave the club’s supporters with an impression that Red & White is in some bitter stand-off with the board over its desire for a board seat and that out involvement on the club’s board might cause conflict and “destabilise” the club; and
Secondly, OJSC MegaFon (Russia) received a cold call letter from Mr Gatzidis requesting a meeting to discuss a possible international partnership deal including shirt sponsorship. MegaFon is one of the three largest mobile phone companies in Russia and also happens to be over 50% owned by Alisher Usmanov. Is this really the level of professionalism that is being applied to securing long-term commercial contracts?
Let us not forget that we have invested circa £200 million of cash in the equity of the club. We are part of this club and naturally want the best for it, but our investment is less important than the fact we are loyal supporters and will never do anything that would destabilise or “create conflict” at the club.
We do however believe that you, the board, and the executive management team should focus your energies on the most efficient operation of the club and desist from seeking to create a false enemy in Red & White. In our view it is clear that you are trying to distract attention from the more fundamental issues facing the club, and which indeed many of the supporters discuss through social media and other forums on a regular basis. These are the financial model, the lack of investment and the club’s future strategic direction.
However, before addressing these points, it is important to deal with the issues surrounding a board seat for Red & White once and for all. As you all know well, Mr Usmanov has never sought himself a board seat at the club. Indeed Mr Usmanov does not hold any board seat in any of the companies where he is an investor. Since the purchase of our first share in the club, we have not only steadfastly adhered to a policy of non-interference in the running of the club, but have consistently supported the management and given no reason whatsoever to be accused of subversion or sabotage. The history of our voting in support of the board at the annual general meetings is proof of this.
Indeed, in any conversation about conflict, it is clear from a look at the history of the club in recent years that the board has achieved conflict without the help of any outside parties, notably the acrimonious departures of David Dein, Keith Edelman, Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith and Richard Carr, who then reappeared on the football club board. You also instituted a lock-down agreement originally to prevent Mr Kroenke from gaining control and then, later, to exclude our involvement even though there were no grounds or need to do so.
The real conflict seems to be between the supporters’ expectations and your vision for the club and at the heart of this is the policy of so-called self-financing. The self-financing model was created to suit the major shareholders at the time, all of whom subsequently sold their shares. The previous decision by the board to fund the building of the Emirates Stadium with long-term debt was, we believe, certainly not about self-financing. If it had been, it would have been funded through a mixture of debt and non-divided equity. Instead, it allowed in our view, the majority shareholders of the time, who happened to all be board directors, to load the club with a liability, to benefit from increased future revenue streams and consequent increase in value of their holdings, whilst avoiding dilution of their equity. The board of the time then appeared to pursue a policy of increasing ticket prices and squeezing the fans to cover the short term cost increases which allowed them to bridge until all of these shareholders and board directors sold 100% of their holding and cashed out vast profits.
This policy does not seem to have changed. We have sought and been refused any meetings with Mr Kroenke despite the fact that we own almost 30% of the club or to put it another way almost one in every three seats in the stadium. It is clear that our stated policy for the major shareholders, namely Mr Kroenke and ourselves, to inject non-dividend paying equity into the club by way of a rights issues to reduce the debt and invest in the future is of no interest to the board. Mr Kroenke was sold a vision by the board at the time that the club could be successful without further investment, so he is pursing a similar policy which is to run the club without any investment and to avoid and dilution of his equity, a good part of which was funded by a loan from Deutsche Bank AG to KSE, UK, Inc. at the time of the mandatory offer. The status of that loan and whether it is still outstanding has not been clarified by Mr Kroenke.
As a consequence of this policy, which is dressed up as prudent financial planning, it is down to our manager, and not the shareholders, to have to deal with the club’s tight finances, carry the burden of repaying the stadium debt by selling his best players and having to continue to find cheap replacement. All of that, naturally, comes at the expense of performance on the pitch.
This policy is leading to the loss of our best players, often to our main competitors, and even causes the players themselves to question their future at the club and the club’s ambitions. The situation with our captain and outstanding performer from last season Robin van Persie sums this up. Yet again we are faced with losing our true marquee player at the club because we cannot assure him of the future direction and give confidence that we can win trophies. Where are the safeguards to ensure the this doesn’t happen again and again in the future? As a top club we should, at the very least, match if not beat the offers that other clubs make to try and lure our very best players away, and also provide a more compelling vision of the future. You can try and put a good face on a bad game for as long as you want, pontificating about the merits of this model, but it will not hide the obvious fact that it just does not allow our great manager to fully realise his managerial talent and deliver success for the fans who are paying the highest prices in the land. It appear that a place in the Champions League will be the pinnacle of our ambition again next season. Unfortunately, in the future we may see this ambition lowered further. It doesn’t help to turn a blind eye to the reality of the situation and keep thinking of ourselves as being in the same league as Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester City and Barcelona. To have a fighting chance of success, which means winning trophies, we need to match them in every aspect, including, if not first and foremost, financial.
So what is Red & White’s vision for the club? It is simple. A debt free club, with a big enough war chest to buy top players who can hit the ground running and who can compliment the club’s long tradition of developing young players and homegrown talent. Together they can help the club win the most prestigious trophies – because it is the trophies which are the crowning achievement for everybody at the club. The trophies are also key to the commercial success of the club – they increase the value of the players, the value of the brand, attract the best sponsors and maximise the value of our commercial contracts which should in turn mean that the club does not have to squeeze any more income from hard pressed fans. We also believe in the transparency that a stock market listing brings so we are committed to the club remaining listed on the stock exchanged and to greater fan involvement both through share ownership and also board representation for the fans.
Today we weigh the majority shareholder Mr Kroenke every success in running the club, even though we have deep reservations about the viability of the policies being pursued by his management team and sanctioned by the board.
Finally and reflecting on our long-term commitment to the club, we will continue to purchase more shares in the club from anyone who want to sell them to us. Also in order to formalise our long-term involvement with the club and put an end to any speculation over our position, we, as the co-owners of Red & White, will proudly retain our holding in the club as a long-term investment for ourselves and our family members to benefit for generations to come. We want the absolute best for the club and will do what is necessary to ensure the success of the club that we all love.
Yours sincerely,
Alisher Usmanov
Farhad Moshiri
Wath you Che Guavara you. Fill your super soaker canon with pigs piss. Arm the legions!!!!! Revolt people of Gunningham.
🙂 If only you knew DG…………. lol pigs piss………. thats a classic, could use a few of those to water the shower of shit down the rd…. that would upset them…! 😀
Doubt it would wath…. It’s probably the norm for them!
Bath water may frighten then Rock……………
2007/08 Team:
……………………………..Almunia
…Eboue………Kolo………………..Gallas…………..CLichy
…Hleb…………..FLamini………….Fabregas…..Rosicky
………………….Adebayor………..Van Persie
Only Rosicky left.
2012/13 Team:
………………………………….Szczesny
…..Sagna………Mertesacker…….Koscielny…….Gibbs
….OX…………..Song……………Wilshere……….Rosicky
………………….Giroud…………….Poldolski
LOL..I think our new Captain is ROsicky then.
If Song is Captian, he will leave for PSG next season. 😆
That’d be a serious upgrade for those James Hunts!
I hope Song ain’t around come end of August Merlin i’d be quite happy 2 c him gone… replaced by someone with discipline and a bit of nous…!
Rocky WATH they even serve it as a women’ cocktail, paper umbrella and candy stick straw included.
let him go,, he is not goog as he think,. one can give me his record.how many good chances he had, to score,how many he misses,all arsenal last balls was eyeing to him, did he favoured them? absolutely not, he had a lot of mistakes,to me he is not a man to cry for, i will cry if song leave,not him, the important thing is to stregthen our defence,we conceded more than 40 goal last season,that is too much.and there is where our weakness is.
Nigel De Jong would be ideal for me wath. The guy’s an animal, and already up to speed with the game over here.
That would not surprise me one bit DG…………..!
incidentally… What exactly IS Alex Pleb doing these days?
WATH, you can blame Wenger for Song’s Dilenma.
You recalled a few years back when Wenger siad SOng’s best role is as CB and not DCM?
ANd now?
Wenger wanted to convert him into ACM, claiming he is our best creative playmaker and played in “Fabregas’ Role” against WBA..which nearly costed us the game if not for Fulop…
I suspected that it was Wenger’s instruciton for SOng to roam forward….and urging him to do so as he had developed an excellent understanding with RvP…at tehe xpense of other Arsenal players..especially 9 out of 10 passes from SOng are channeled towards RvP.
Nay.
SOng is Wenegr’s lovechild and he will never sell him and will let him run down the contract till summer 2013..and we will have the same saga all over again.
Put it this way:
1 – RvP
2 – Theo
3 – SOng
If by July 9, Theo still refuses to sign a new contract, just sells him and move on as we have OX and Benik Afobe eager to play at right flank.
SOng?
How come no news on his contract extension..and no interest from other clubs, incluidng PSG?
Dutch, that mental image just made me shudder!
thing is Rock he’d get sent off every other week in an Arsenal shirt…!
The fact you missed off the little plastic animal (Not sure about over there, but little brighlly coloured plastic monkeys, dolphins and mermaids were all the rage here in the 80’s on a drink!!) is unforgivable!
Forget M’vila and De Jong.
I think Wenger might have told RvP that he is not buying and will bring Frimpong, COquelin, Yennaris, Aneke and Lansbury into senior team.
Wenger: “Why buy when M’vila and De Jong is no better than Coquelin and Frimpong?
And we have exciting youngsters like Bellerin, Toral and Gnarby ready in 2 seasons time!”
Merlin, if we grew some balls we’d give them a date to sign and then sell them to the highest bidder totally agree i want players who wanna play at AFC not ones who can’t wait to walk away for a pay cheque thats bigger…!
I still got a feelin that M’Vila isn’t a dead deal…..and I’d rather him than de Jong!
Well if he could try and be there for the big games, and let Frimpong and le coq battle it out for the matches he is suspended…. I’d be happy with that.
M’Vila is better than Coq n Frim though thats the point…! He also way better than Song…! Maybe they said they selling Song and RVP got all upset lol
Not sure Lee. I love the way NDJ plays. Absolute animal.
How much better is he though wath? I’d love us to loan Coq out (that doesn’t read too well….!) so he gets some prem experience. I really think he could be the shit in midfield.
Tell me something, would you not have heart attack if this was the situation every season and you were manager? I don’t know how Wenger is still holding up. I agree this is not the time of TA and Bouldy and all those loyal players. But I still think at the end of your playing career loyalty counts. If you can’t stand up in front of the people who loved you most then what would you do?
In very first post today I said Good luck to him where ever he goes. There will be time, at the end when he’ll look back and think what it could have been but its not now.
You know I learned to live without my GF after it all ended. It took me couple of years but I did. Now, all I think is proving myself. I bet Arsenal F.C. and Wenger would want to do the same.
Life stops for no one and neither would we.
It’s a sad demise of a once mighty football club…
Coq for me also a very good player Rock, I’d sell Song replace with M’Vila and Coq then gets lots more games…! the boy gets stuck in has a great engine and is also versatile as well
Good Afternoon Fine Folk.
Afternoon Rocky. A bit of a long time no see.
Pigs Piss???? what that W.A.T.H?? The new GG substitute?? 😆
Satan…. He’s holding up because he is partly responsible for this shit. It’s not as if everything comes out of the blue at him! Plus the £7m a year he pochets is enough to soften any blow. Don’t worry…. He sleeps well at night.
pockets*
@ Rocky
Mate, Gerv has end products. But some times there is no one to cash in. And look at him, he hasn’t had even a full season yet. He had hardly settled down when ANC came and he went away. He came back, heart broken and slowly picked up rhythm. And by that time season was over. I am sure he’d be awesome this season if he starts finishing this season.
Afternoon Dev. You ok? Yeah I know, been really busy lately. Nice to drop in now and then though, spout some crap and then leave!!
Look People, have some faith as Arsene Wenger is still a lucky manager and always managed to snatch victory from Jaws of Defeat, partly thanks to Tiny Totts bottled it on two occasions…..10 points lead and 2-0 up by hafl-time at home…. 😆
2005/06 – Vieira f**ked off to Juve
We qualified for our one and only CL Cup FInal
2007/08 – Henry f**ked off to Barca
If only a daft CLichy ahd not stretched out the leg……
2011/12 – Cesc f**ked to Barca…
We still finished 3rd after being 17th in September..
2012/13 – RvP f**ked off…
We still can be title contender as one way to look at it that RvP ahd become “Henry-like”, a one man team with all balls channeled towards, a predictable team and inhibiting the devleopment of other attacking players like Walcott, Gervinho, OX, et al.
WIthout RvP, Wenger may veyr well pay Walcott what he wants and push him towards central………a brilliant 30+ goal season and Manchester, CHelski, Liverpool, Real and Barca bidding 50-mil for him in summer 2013..
Isn’t Arsenal FC a fine feeder club?
My wife was screaming at me,”Leave!! Get out of this house!!”
As I was walking out the door she yelled out “I hope you die a slow and painful death!”
So I turned around and replied “Fuck sake make your mind up, you want me to stay now!?”
Hpope you’re right Satan. But I’ve seen him miss far too many easy chances. And when one on one with a keeper, he just doesn’t look like he has it in him. His crossing is shit though. Low balls are ok, but, like most of the Arsenal team, can’t get any height on it at all.
Spout some crap and then leave??? that is not your style Rocky.
I think that what RVP and AW differed on was not money or trophies. He wanted his best two mates…….Affellay and Wonder Fart. And AW, since he is more interested in French/German players said a sounding NO.
@ Rocky
Mate, 7mln is not such a big amount considering if Robin goes to City, he’d make 12mln a year. Now, just imagine how much Wenger had made when Real and City came calling him. You think they would have asked him to take a pay cut? Everyone says he’s this or that etc. But the man feels. You could see that on his face.
Merlin – I agree, and don’t think RvP leaving is by any stretch of the imagination the end of the world. I was all for him going a few months back. But why come out with the statement like that yesterday? Doesn’t help anyone at all. Least of all him.
Also, you mention Wenger being lucky…. It shouldn’t just be about us being lucky. I’m tired of us having to rely on other teams fucking up for us to benefit rather than us being at the top on merit.
Satan – I want a job wherever you work if you think £7m is not much!! It’s a fuckload! It’s enough to keep him well and truly under the boards thumb….
@ Rocky
That one thing I agree. May be its his chicken legs. You see ball always looks so big when it is at his feet.
@ Rocky,
I am talking about it relatively. You know as against how others earn in football. RvP will get 12mln and Rooney already gets that amount. So you know what I am saying. Not saying its a small amount. Hell if I get that amount for one year’s work, I’d invest in a way and never work. All I would wanna do is research. Nothing else. Hopefully would help society.
Well Rocky, what goes around comes around.
Karma always balanced out and Wenger had his share of bad luck with many a dodging referee decisions costing him valauble points and derailed his many attempts to win CL CUp and two consecutive titles.
But really, without even RvP and Theo, a fully fit squad………Wenger is spoilt for choice to field a Starting-11?
It is TEAM that wins game not individual..like Spain 4-6-0 and Italy 4-4-2 “Diamond” Formation beating “powerful Germany”…and not Portugal depending on one brilliant individual.
As long as the team scores and we garner 70 points out of 72 points against Bottom-12 teams, we are in excellent shape.
I think at £7m a year he is one of the highest paid managers. Definitely in England, but must be up there in terms of European managers too. Granted, compared to Ibra, RvP et all it’s not “loads” but no manager will be on anywhere near what the top players are on. And lets face it…. £7m a year would make you pretty comfy in life, no?! I get your sentiment though.
@ Rocky
The reason for that is, he is a major reason why we make profits or break even each year. Man believes in sustainable development i.e. even future generations will see AFC in same colors as we do.
If you see in top 5 we and Totts are only ones without sugar daddies or huge pockets. City and Chelsea have sugar daddies. And United have decided to run a Ponzhi scheme ( I don’t know how NYSE can allow such a loss making unit to go public in U.S. Its just ripping off fan’s emotional value i.e. Ponzhi scheme.)
P.S. Once I was talking to United fan whose a friend. I told him I’d love if my grand kids see Arsenal/Utd fighting for titles, if Utd don’t go bust. And he said he doesn’t care as long as they keep winning now. Don’t care about future. I.e. the difference between SAF and AW is just that.
I.
I think The Bleacher Report will be carrying the definitive account of the van Persie story. Hiram J Quaterback the third, a 13 year old high school student phi beta cappa, magnum cum laudi in the third trimester and a guy who is due to start a journalist course when his balls drop has the ” juice ” on the dude Wenger. It should be great reading.
Satan. I beg to differ. Spurs have had a sugar daddy for years. His name is Joe Lewis and he is a tax exile, living in the Bahamas. He is not as rich as Abramovich or Sheikh Yermoney but he has been topping up the coffers for quite a while down at the Lane.
I can see you been talking to your mate from across the pond then Adam to get the low down on the story…! 😀
Btw just read Henderson on loan to Charlton. May be. Good luck to him.
The Bleacher Report is a massive skidmark on the underpants of society.
WATH. I have. As you know, The Bleacher Report and Here Is The City are my bibles.
@Adam
Didn’t know that mate.
And lets face it, we have our own sugar daddy waiting in the wings who the majority of us want at the helm! But like I said Satan, I get your sentiment. Just have slightly differing opinions!
I know they are your trusted guidelines Adam and I cherish the input they have on all our Arsenal thoughts…!
Rocky. A bit harsh. It is merely the rancid bull’s pizzle of sports journalism.
Is it childish that I’m chuckling to myself about the word “helm” from my last post?! Don’t answer that… I know it is!
Adam, surely Football Fancast must be up there also?!
@ Rocky
I am not fond of that not at all. Everyone should live within their means. And one of the major reason I love this club is cause we do.
Satan. Oh yes. Uncle Joe calls the tune at the Lane. Levy is his bitch. How else could a team so epically unsuccessful have spent so much on so little over the years with no real CL success, apart from that one year that was so insignificant that nobody in their right mind can remember it.
Rocky. It is known chez Adam as Soccer Turdcast, such is the high recognition we hold it in.
Ahoy there captain Rock….
I think even with Usmanov we won’t go balls out…. we’ll still be living within our means, but I think it will all be handled beller.
Satan. Unfortunately and I really mean unfortunately, financial sustainability translates to losers in today’s footballing world. If we maintain this path we die as a top club because other very rich men will buy other clubs and we will slip down the table. We simply must embrace unsustainable, irresponsible and ridiculous money spending soon. Preferably while Arsene is still around.
Transfer Tavern has to be the biggest steaming turd with relation to gossip, surely?!
@ adam,
Totts are great club aren’t they?
@ Rocky
On that I have my doubts. I think he’d be out there to beat the other Russian.
Transfer Tavern is at the very helm of the good ship Excretia.
I think if AU gets in and spends sensibly in regards to when we get proper commercial deals in place especially through his chain of companies we can be as self sufficient as we want but spend lots more money on players if need be.
Satan. The Totts fans are the psychopaths of the footballing world.
1. They have an over riding sense of entitlement.
2. They treat other clubs with disdain.
3. They are not living in reality.
4. They don’t care who they destroy to achieve what they want.
I once wrote an article entitled The Psychopath In Your Home, so I recognize the traits.
@ Adam
I get your sentiments. I really do. But we got to stick to basics. I think the best way forward is Academy. Even if it takes 7 more years I’d be ready to wait. Remember that Barca lean period? They went to their shell developed their youth and came back stronger.
Remember Dortmund? I mean where were they? They were deep into Financial crisis. They went back to their academies and developed youth. They have come out and won cause they bought time. I think we need to do the same. Buy some time. And this time we have real Arsenal spine. Jack, Jenks, Afobe, Gibbs, Ox(kind a), Henderson, Rambo (Kind a), Aneke etc. We should build team around them who are emotionally so much attached to the club and bring in some player who would want to play their trade with this players like Dortmund did with Sahin and Kagawa. I think that is the best way forward.
helm!! haha!! Sorry, been reading Viz today so am in a very childish mood!
I respect your opinion Satan but this is the English PL, not reality. I don’t want to wait another 7 years with no guarantees myself and by the evidence before me I reckon that top players don’t want to either. I am a long, long term supporter who has become a glory hunter. We need money, loads and loads of it. Kroenke hasn’t got it and can’t see the wood for the trees, Usmanov has bundles and sees the future in the same way I do. I want him in charge while Wenger is still manager. Then we will have a much better chance. Don’t take a knife to a gunfight.
@ Adam
I guess I can still be lil bit patient. In any ways hope our club moves forward.
Wath, cheers for cut & paste.
God bless you.
Can the club ignore it?
What would no response say??
That it is true???
Am outta here for a while so back in abit… behave you lot 😉
Your welcome AK…!
Admittedly, it is shock for Arsenal to loose RVP, but I would expect Mr Wenger to keep him so that he will be able to intergrate him with the two signings and hopefully if he is satisfied and wins any trophy next year then it is up to RVP to decide if he wants to remain an Arsenal Player.
Unfortunately players could fake injuries even being out of form or otherwise get as many yellow or red cards which is a detrement to the team.
We all know that RVP is prone to injuries, so Arsenal could capitulise by fixing a fee not (negotiable) in Stg50,000,000 region, take it or leave it.
Contracts are there to be honoured and it is about time that FIFA put its foot down and see to it that the clubs enticing players through their agents to move from club to another have the means to buy a player from the cash generated from the seasonal football matches and not from some sugar daddy, who goes to the bank, get a loan and then pay interest instead of that interest paid which should have been available for players fees, ground maintenance and able to join the transfer market.
Supporters pay good money to support there team week in week out, particularly during this present recession. With millions these players earn if I was the exchequer I would charge them 70% tax with 50% going to the exchequer and 20% donated to clubs in the lower division.
I would say this when Arsenal pay the loan on the ground they will be then the richest club in Europe
and then could be able to pay the right wages to those up and coming young arsenal players who make the grade.
Evening everyone, we signed anyone??
😆
Capoue is the one I reckon we could get rather than M’Vila….
Talksport reckon we are close to sealing a deal for Lloris, what a load of tosh…..
I will apologise if someone has posited this before (I started reading the comments but after about 70% of them, I just came down to the end).
Anyway, has anyone considered that far from encouraging van Persie to stay, the purchase of Podolski and Giraud frightened him?
Now that may seem strange but bear with me. Last season, van Persie was the main man and captain. This coming season there are two new strikers, one of whom has more international experience and a better scoring rate (not to forget a better fitness record). As I was reading all the comments about how the players will line up next season, it struck me that it is not impossible that van Persie did not/does not want to share the limelight.
I could be completely wrong and his choice of which club to join will be a big clue: Man City would prove I am wrong; Juventus would be suggestive that i am right.
How’s it going post RvP rico ?
Me Micko, I’m fine and dandy now thanks, not sure you meant that though 😉
@what was her respond Lee?
Welcome Kevin, it’s been a busy day here 🙂
You may have a point, maybe RvP doesn’t have the stomach for a bit of competition, who knows.
One thing for sure though, if he goes to Citeh, Barca, Real, he’ll no longer feel the kind of love he gets from afc fans…
Sad, but thats his choice I guess, if he goes….
No point to keep RVP, sell him for the best value in the market and use the funds to bring in a couple of quality younger yet experienced players. Would love to see Muller in Arsenal kit though.
Hi Rico. We had a bit of fun while you were away. Why do you think Capoue?
I’d be more intimidated going to any of the above clubs and having to fight to be top dog than having to fight against Giroud. And no disrespect is meant to Giroud there at all (as I’ve never seen him play). But up against Aguero et al at City? Higuain, Benzema, Ronaldo, Kaka at Real? Messi, David Silva, Pedro, at Barca…. He certainly won’t walk into any of those teams. None of their teams set up to benefit his style
Hi Adam, not read back all the comments but just about to 😉
Some suggest Capoue is better, he hasn’t had a tantrum or been arrested, and the biggest factor, he is cheaper I think ….
I think they will sell him. I think it’s a tricky move by the club to say they intend to keep him no matter what. This is probably to turn the eyes of the clubs, who hold the players Arsenal is interested in, away from raising the asking amount. In the end, Arsenal might just come out and say, “Robin did a Cesc/Nasri and we had to let him go.”
rocky – if he wants trophies, then he get get them Nasri style, if that is what floats his boat, good luck to him…
Still, he got us 3rd last year all by himself, if we are to believe those in the media who obviously know best….
Mind you, I think Arteta would have something to say about that, especially as we struggled to buy a win when he was out injured….
Adam, re Capoue, he also plays CB and DM, bargin 😉
I think he would too Rico
Yes, but does he fit the self-sustaining, low cost, budget footprint we are trying to leave in the transfer market Rico. We now know that Stan has borrowed the money to buy the club and as the details are unforthcoming I guess we can assume that he still owes the capital and is paying off the interest. As far as I know the money from Sqmmy the Snout and Cesc is now residing in the bank account of the Rapids or the Dodgers or the Nebraskan Nonces.
Who was RvP when AW signed him? Certainly not the sort of player that he wants the club to buy to show ambition.
@rockyrocastle07,
I agree with your assessment of van Persie’s chances of commanding a starting place with some clubs (Real Madrid, Man City, etc.), that is why I mentioned Juventus. If he goes to Juventus, he will have significantly less competition, especially with Del Piero wanting to leave.
I could be wrong, and if van Persie goes to a club other than Juventus I will be. However, there are some strong rumours of him going to Italy and if it does happen to be Juventus, then I will strongly suspect that he does not like the competition.
you got to see this……..its hilarious.
😆 Adam, maybe he does…
Sorry, my internet crashed for a while 🙁
cheer up guys.
After watching this video i felt okay
http://m.talksport.co.uk/magazine/virals/120705/funny-rvp-rant-video-angriest-arsenal-fan-ever-175903
😆 emma, think we are all over the shock …
Just off to eat, back real soon ….
Welcome to those just joining HH this evening, good to have you all on board…
can’t see any way forward, other than to let RvP go where we get the best price….
rico says:
July 5, 2012 at 7:26 pm
😆 emma, think we are all over the shock …
Rico, even though the most of us were expecting it, and in my case I wanted it, the statement still came as a shock. Even the fact that he wants to go. It is similar to other scenarios. Henry, Cesc, etc. I still remember that when DB10 retired it was still a shock. Even though I knew that he was going to retire. The first game of the season after I felt hollow, similar to when Rocastle went, to when TA retired, to when Parlour left. They were tailor made AFC players.
RVP seemed exactly that. A player who the club stood by through thick and thin. We all expected that RVP would stay out of loyalty. But I believe that the club was putting pressure on him to go. Half of the percentage I think lies at the club. Its the club who want him to go. NOW. Since they can get money for him. And ultimately that is what counts in a company. Its the money.
The club are aware that by paying him 200kpw+5million bonus over three years he will cost the club a lot. If they sell him he will make the club a lot. So the best way out for everyone is to sell him. It is economics.
The harsh reality of today is that the club is no longer reliant on the ST holders only. It relies on the world wide brand of AFC. RVP did not do well at the Euro. The club has already squeezed him like a lemon regarding shirt sales over the world. But Podolski did ok, and if Giroud and any other player the club buys hits the ground running then you can bet anything that shirt sales will soar more. Those who already have an RVP shirt will not need to buy another. But if in the first 10 games Podolski or Giroud start scoring then his shirt sales will soar. Yes even those who have RVP shirts would want to buy one.
Maybe RVP wants to go abroad to a lesser league. Lets say Juventus. He will do well over there since the pace is slower and there are no 100mph tackles. But I can assure you that if in the next two years he wins two leagues and AFC win either the league or the CL deep in his heart he would say………it could have been me there today.
We will forget him dont worry. But he never will. Just ask Samir. He does mention us with negative vibes. But that shows that he is still bitter that he is not here anymore. It means that we are etched in his memory. Fortunately for us……….neither Samir nor RVP will remain in our thoughts once the team start gelling and maybe winning. For we are AFC ……. the club which is greater than any other player who has, is and will be playing for us.
Arsenal Football Club has announced it is reluctantly postponing its proposed trip to Nigeria this summer.
The Club has taken the decision as a result of complexities linked to the planned game against Nigeria on Saturday, August 5 in Abuja.
Arsenal marketing director Angus Kinnear said: “Bringing a top-level club to an international market is always complicated and logistically challenging. With the proposed match in Nigeria planned for early August, we could not get comfortable on everything needed to satisfy our requirements, so we have reluctantly taken the decision to postpone the team’s visit.”
Kinnear continued: “We have a huge and loyal following in Africa, and we are sorry that the team will not be visiting this summer. However, we have a long-term commitment to Nigeria and we are already making plans for a visit next summer.
“In addition, we also have some exciting forthcoming activities planned with our commercial partners in Nigeria – Emirates, Airtel and Malta Guinness, which will kick off in the next few weeks.”
Emirates are the presenting partner of the Arsenal 2012 Tour and Boutros Boutros, divisional senior vice-president of corporate communications said: “Emirates shares Arsenal’s disappointment that the team’s visit to Nigeria has been postponed. We look forward to working with Arsenal to bring the Club closer to its loyal Nigerian fans through new initiatives over the coming months.”
All further updates on Arsenal’s future activities in Nigeria will be communicated on http://www.Arsenal.com
Hi devil,
I know, you have been saying all summer that you fully expected him to leave and totally understood the reasons why…
I had hoped otherwise, but….
Thats a shame about the pre-season to Africa….
I know Rico. It was not a case of repeating or saying that I am right or whatever. But even though I was practically 99.999999% certain that he was going to go I still felt a sort of pang. When TH14 left it was as if the world fell around me. Deep down I was hoping that he would stay. But even though this time I erected bastions around me and prepared myself and managed to distance myself from him and also was glad when his scoring rate slowed down and others started scoring, it still felt like a punch in the stomach.
Yes it is a shame not to go to Nigeria……….but the reason is not clear is it????
Evening Rico, Housers.
What is the general feeling today?
read all the comments Will. They will tell you all the feelings. 😆 😉
Evening bdw mate
If you scroll up a bit you will see the youtube clip on Hitler and RVP. It is a bit hilarious.
devil – i didn’t for one minute think you were suggesting that, you just looked at the situation with logic
Evening Will
AU in I think 🙂
Having been a coach for the last 19 years a large part of emotion has been torn away from me when it comes to team. So I usually distance myself and weigh all situations. But deep down it still feels like a punch in the stomach. I always wish for one club players. Sadly they are a dying breed.
That’s how I believed you to have made your call devil and as much as you have turned out to be right, i also sensed that his decision hurt too….
You are right, the days of one club players are long gone, or even the loyal ones from overseas like Dennis Bergkamp.
I think deep down, I always believed that RvP would have learned from his fellow gracious countryman….
DG, I am not reading 400 comments 😉
I say sell him, sell Walnut if he doesn’t sign and actually build a top class squad. Anyone agree with what Usmanov has done?
Morning all.
Some great posts tonight,so I dip my lid to all involved….best discussion in a long time.
Off too work now,so will try and catch up during the next few hours.
Keep it up.
Go on Will 😉
I totally support what AU/R&W Holdings have done, I think they are spot on with everything written in that letter….
At the end of the day its financial packages which matter. Although it seems as if RVP has the upper hand in reality AFC have it also. RVP knows this too. He is in his final year of his contract. The club can hold him to his contract which is on around 90kpw if I am not mistaken. He also knows that if he is forced to stay he might get injured………and that would spell the end of his wish to get a better contract. If he gets injured on international duty than AFC are free to pay him till the end of season and then what??? He will be left in the lurch. Who in his right mind would sign a crock on the wages he demands? Remember Gallas? He wanted to be paid around 110kpw and AFC were willing to give him 90kpw. He left, thinking he would get more. But no one offered him anything and he ended up at the Scum……..for 70kpw.
The club should dig their heels down and demand that either other clubs stump up or else he will rot on the bench.
Hi Scott – apart from the odd comment, it’s been a great day, so many new guys/gals too who all have played their part in a really good discussion….
Walnut!!!!!!! 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆
Will……you are a cracker mate’ Thumbs up
Let’s just hope it sparks a response because while I am ok with giving Stan the benefit of the doubt being a huge sports owner, he has to tell us something. It is our club, not his.
No devil – no way should he stay on and sit on the bench, we’ll get a good price for him, IF he doesnt do a u-turn and sign 😉
Will, as the majority share holder, i strongly suspect he thinks its his, but we all know different…
I am of that opinion also Rico. He should not sit on the bench. But if no one pays what he is worth then keep him. His value will diminish……..as much as his wage packet.
I think we will sell him devil, regardless of what the ‘final’ offer is, fans will give him a hard time etc, he doesn’t really deserve that does he….
Sell RvP and Walnut both overseas and build a team around Wilshere and Arteta.
I’d rather keep Theo, we don’t need more crap in the press…. and i still think he’ll come good….
Ok, I am done for the day, its that time of night…
Nighty all, have a good evening
Catch up tomorrow….
I am off now Fine Folk. See you all tomorrow.
The RVP news apart its been wonderful here on HH today.
cu all and have a good night.
Ok so now I’m back and all you lot have gone 2 bed……….. Zzzzzzzzzz
Scott your awake stop trying to move out of the Kiwi Northern territory 😉
Wath,I can tough it out here mate.
You must be struggling there in the Highlands though 🙂
Another point of view on the man waiting in the wings. Than again show me a billionaire who’s fortune is build on a pet shelter, digging water wells or financing education plans for nomadic coffee pickers.
Make up your own mind
http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/category/usmanov/
DG, that article is so “history” it’s not funny as in check out the date 2007…. He’s taken the people to court as well and still come out smiling…! You think Abramovic is squeaky clean, he made his dosh buying shares off of the public who were “persuaded” to sell to him…! says it all…! Kroenke deals with Walmart… slave drivers who pay shit to kids in the far east… lets not be drawing lines on who is above reproach they all dodgy in my book…!
Question is who is best for AFC…!
I’m having a quick dip ihn the channel Scott and it’s piss cold mate but least it means I get to have a swim and enjoy the sun… ok ok sunbed… Stop laughing ya Northern Kiwi 😉
DG,
I think Adam summed it up perfectly earlier, anyone who thinks footie is still about tradition and loyalty and respect is living in cuckoo land…! The real world is that those things we used to cherish are long gone i am afraid, no one cares for them anymore not least the players and in many aspects the clubs who treat the fans like shit as we are but a revenue stream…..
If we can have an owner who adds money to the club, does not take out more than he puts in and runs us in a proper manner then that is what we need in this day and age to compete and if anyone thinks differently then fair play but we will be sadly left behind as FFP won’t work and using that as an excuse to run the club we are is hiding behind something that will not happen…… wake up and get real and thats where having a board thats set in its ways is such a hindrance.
WATH I’m not that fickle to underestimate the reality of all conundrum surrounding our board and managerial policies.
Some would rather struggle to compete with the Chelsea and Man Shitty of this world, as long as dirty money does not become involved with the club. I discovered what kind of a character Roman Abramovich is. I duly disrespected Chelsea football club as a consequence. The sad thing is that it appears that Alisher Usmanov is an equally unsavoury character. And so is Kroenke.
As I adhere in my link post. Show me a billionaire who has acquired his fortunes investing in pet shelters. My point was a significant amount of people make it out to be a moral bereft in their personal options. Reality is our choice isn’t one between the pest or cholera. We can only choose to be a voice of protest in the club’s ambitions and end products on the pitch. That’s where our realm of influence ends. Opinions fluctuate by those standards transfixed in sharing our emotions. Compressed into numerous Arsenal blogs and communities.
http://www.eurosport.com – Paul Parker
Following Robin van Persie’s revelation that he will not sign a new contract at Arsenal, I don’t think the club have any option but to sell their captain immediately.
He’s just had a great season but Arsenal need to move on. What is the point in keeping hold of Van Persie when replacements need to be sourced and bedded into the team? Not to mention the fact that Arsenal can make some money on him now rather than losing him for free next summer.
Ultimately you have to put sentiment to one side and admit it is best for all concerned if he leaves. Arsenal can’t afford to go through this whole saga again. We’ve had it with Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas and it’s getting boring. It’s the same old drama with their captains.
For the sake of the team, Arsenal have to sell Van Persie as soon as possible because they don’t want this issue hanging over the squad. Last summer Samir Nasri and Fabregas were only sold towards the end of the window and it left Arsenal scrabbling around for replacements right until the last minute.
As things stand, the Van Persie issue will cloud the club’s start to the new season, when instead the discussion should be about their hopes for the coming campaign and the talented new players they have signed. Recruiting Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski was a step forward and there could be more to come, yet we are focused on players who want to leave the club.
He is now a bad egg. Not a bad person, but a player who is going to make things very difficult. If he stays and doesn’t perform then the fans will have a go at him. If he does perform, then the fans are going to have a go at the club.
At least Arsenal know where they stand. Now it is down to the club to do what is best for them. They have already signed two forward players so it is not worth their while keeping another who no longer wants to be at the club.
If he stays, every goal he scores will be followed by speculation that he will be leaving in January. Then when 2013 comes around, he will be able to sign a pre-contract with a foreign club and you have a player who will spend the second half of the season trying not to get injured. Arsenal are in a situation where they must get rid of Van Persie now.
They need to cut that umbilical cord and say, ‘We can’t do this anymore, we have done it too many times’.
The Arsenal board also have to reassess the way they deal with contracts and try to anticipate these problems before they arise. Other clubs at Arsenal’s level are not run like this, so why are they allowing key players to run down their deals? You have to look at Arsene Wenger and Ivan Gazidis here. They are failing to tie important players down to long-term contracts. The club’s policy is detrimental to their hopes of achieving success on the pitch.
Given the strength of his statement, Van Persie has essentially made his position untenable. He is adamant he is not leaving for the money but the opportunity to win trophies, so his next move is very important indeed.
Arsenal fans will be very disappointed if he goes to Manchester City, and I think a lot of other people will be as well. He has a lot of respect from English football fans and he needs to get his next move right. Can he trust he will play every week at the Etihad Stadium? If he is on the bench, how will he react? Roberto Mancini won’t be able to treat him like he has Edin Dzeko.
Will he go to City? I think that’s very likely. Perhaps Barcelona or Real Madrid will come in for him, but despite talk of Juventus being interested, I don’t think Italy is the right place for him. It is still a very negative league where they play sideways more than they do forward. He needs to go to a club that gives the best opportunity to play and perform, and City have a lot of forwards.
I hope Van Persie and his agent have thought this through carefully.
Integrity as well as prudence has become the club’s smoke screen vehicle. It stretched our patience over a period of seven years but now it draws to final conclusions.
Spot on DG….. The arabs at Citeh are hardly flag bearers of humane behaviour either and thats just toward women…!
We’re in a place where right and wrong actually bears no fruit…! We have no choice we have no says it’s down to whats best for the club and we have to in certain instances turn a blind eye to what may of gone on in years gone by…!
Integrity in football now that is funny DG… 😉
Let’s me summarise:
If Kroenke sells Van Persie to Abu DHabi, jsut another proof he is in it for the money and not long-term investment.
Keep Van Persie and let him play or rot in Reserves:
We send a strong signal that we are not pushover and will keep any palyers that will strengthen our rivals.
Sell RvP only to European clubs or he rots in Reserves.
Goodnight all
JM, I have a really funny feeling VP will end up at United….!
It won’t happen Merlin… RVP will not be allowed to rot in the reserves and all that hurts is us the fans who ultimately end up paying for it one way or another..!
Mate it’s been grand. All, okay most, threw insightful thoughts in the hat today.
Time to sandwich between the sheets. Night WATH catch you in cyberspace.
JM good night to you too. Get some sleep old square eyes.
Indeed DG it’s been a proper day of well thought out comments and true passionate comments…!
Sleep tight, am also off…!
Amen to that Wath…
Hill-Wood, that paragon of the Eton Gentleman, does plenty of business with shady Russian companies.
He’s just a big fat hypocrite.
Evening Ak… you ok mate..?
As i said earlier mate our board are the epitome of hypocrisy !!
As a wanker sorry I mean banker, can you imagine the people hill-wood has stitched up over the years…?
Hugo Lloris, what is that all about?
Surely not???
If we spunk 12 odd million on Lloris I’ll be mighty pissed off, think the bloke is a complete doughnut….! NOT where we need to be spending that kind of dosh at all far more important areas need to be strengthened and all we need as keeper is an older head who’s competent to come in as back up for Chez…! Hope the stories are yet more media bullshit…!
We thinking on the same lines there AK……
Terry Burton back as reserves team coach…. A proper Arsenal man thats a good appointment…! Lets hope Arsene listens to him…!
Terrible signal around here tonight Wath.
I’m gonna sign off mate.
Btw 455+ comments today.
What’s the record?
Goodnight GG man…..
About 525 mate but been a good sensible day considering the way passions are running high with the news of RVP…! Take it easy mate and take care..! lata..!
exchange our striker and captain, the third top scorer in Europe (after exceptional performances by Messi and Ronaldo in a shit league), at his peak, with a young midfielder with potential (Mueller)? That sounds about right for Arsenal.
Good morning Fine Folk.
Something to make you smile.
Theo Walcott, after learning that his friend RVP wants to leave, was a frustrated figure. He was in the club’s entrance hall and he saw AW coming towards him.
AW “Theo you will not go”
Theo “Yes I will be leaving”
AW “Come on Theo. You are loved here”
Theo “Its not love I want. I want trophies and money”
AW “And it seems one of our balls as well. Why are you hiding it?”
Theo “Er I thought to take one signed by all the lads”
AW “Give it back Theo. It costs money. I do not throw it around.”
Theo “I dont want to give it back. Tell you what. Let’s make a challenge between you and me. You and I take a shot each and if I manage to get the ball in the revolving door out I will keep the ball and go out of the club this summer”
AW “Ok then.”
Theo “you go first boss”
AW duly obliges and despatches the ball cleanly through the revolving door. On the outside SK kicks it back in and amazingly it lands at AW’s feet.
AW “Your go not Theo.”
Theo places the ball on the floor takes aim and BAMMMMMMM.
He misses the door by twelve yards.
😆 😆
hope usmanov takes over the board …
hope he spends money like anything .. i dont care ..
i just wanna c the likes of m’vila, muller, yarmolenko, maybe ronaldinho (hrd he’s free agent), afellay, ben arfa, neymar, etc on arsenal colors, which will send a cold chill down the spines of manu,manc,chelski, etc … and die hard fans like us, excited to orgasm !!!!
Morning coach!! It’s believe it or not peeing down with rain here AGAIN!!
😆 @ Walnut joke!!
Can’t you guys see, Van Persie made up his mind long time ago and the board quickly move to secure Podolski and Giroud to “replace” him (and maybe Walcottt).
The idea of arsenal board telling VP to keep quiet until after Euros was to make sure no one puts the blame on board and everyone will be cool that we’ve signed 2 good players.
There is no way Wenger will buy 2 quality players this quick except he knows someone is leaving. He learned his lesson from past not to buy last minute, but him and the board will never change.
It wouldn’t surprise me if we don’t get anyone else in transfer, especially to replace VP.
VP out = Podolski in
Walcott out = Giroud in
But I really hope he gets a good playmaker in the team, and move Song back to DM duties.
I call this a “drama” by Arsenal board, and one that VP played his part well to move on. He was “gone” long time ago not after Euro.
VP for me was as par as Henry, had huge respect for this guy but people do change and go for more money. He doesn’t care about winning as much as the money, no matter what excuses he gives.
VP, you should be ashamed of yourself. All the support we gave to you while you wasn’t available and this is how you repay your club and fans? Karma is a bitch, remember that!
Hopefully Karma will bite him in the ‘arris!
Schwarzer…he wants to play for us….he is the ultimate pro….he has a few years left in him.
Morning all….
Morning AKB’s.
Scott, is that Mark Scwartzer of Fulham?
Yeah, he’d be a good back up to Chez.
New Post up….
Morning AK, see you on the new one, another rant 😉
Morning Rico.
I wonder if there will be any response from AFC to the Ursmanov letter today.
Methinks not.
writing was on the wall as soon as we signed our new 10 poldo.rvp in the lean years the club/fans gave you support now you run for cash………
Arsenal are like a rich man.’They won’t buy a roll’s royce but a mini. to go racing. Winning is not paramount but taking part in the race and winning a consolation prize is good enough. This sums up the height of the club’s ambition.
In life,nothing stands still. At the moment the club are among the top five richest in the world.If the current slump ie taking part in the cl,continues,soon the gunners will find themselves in the 2nd tier of epl teams. Liverpool is a good example. The reds are having problems getting out of the rut. Mark my works. It could be the gunners next.
and now Walcott wants to go?