Morning all.
This time next season we will no doubt be lining up without three players who are currently seen as first team performers.
The contracts of Mikel Arteta, Francis Coquelin and Abou Diaby run out at the end of this campaign and to be honest, I can’t see any one of those three being offered an extension to their current deal. Well I hope they are not.
Coquelin has barely played for us so unless he suddenly blossoms this season when he’s asked to play, I just can see him staying.
Mikel Arteta will be 33 years old and those legs, which are already pretty slow, will be even slower and the role he’s being asked to play by Arsene Wenger will become more and more difficult for him. Whether Wenger chooses to keep him just because he’s a good guy and a role model for the younger players remains to be seen. If not, we will again see a captain depart. It seems to be the thing at Arsenal doesn’t it…..
Abou Diaby. Well enough has been said about him over the years and his injury record has to be one of the worst the club have ever had. It’s not the players fault of course, no doubt he hates being injured all the time just as much as we fans do but he’s filling a squad place and 2015 should finally see him move onto pastures new.
However, he’s fit right now and being very gently introduced back into the game with the odd 45 minutes here and there and should his body finally cope with the demands of 15-20 games this season, I have a feeling that Wenger will be tempted to offer him a new contract at the end of the season, or even before. For the player sake, and for the team, I hope he will be finally over his injury woes as he could play a big part in our season as there will be plenty of matches in which he’d be a very useful addition. Not against the more aggressive sides of course as he’ll be one of the first players targeted, Jack will be the second…..
The following year, the summer of 2016 – Tomas Rosicky, Mathieu Flamini, Lukas Podolski, Theo Walcott, Ryo Miyaichi (on loan at FC Twente) Joel Campbell and Olivier Giroud will be in the same situation and I can see a few of those departing then. If not before…..
Wojciech Szczesny has raised the stakes in the goalkeeping department whilst talking to Polish newspaper Przeglad Sportowy:
I feel confident of being number one but I know I can’t let myself play a few bad games. I know Ospina’s ambitions don’t end at sitting on the bench and clapping his hands while watching me play.
He is a nice guy. In a sporting sense, he is a suitable player at a suitable club. But it’s easier for me just in one aspect: I do not feel sorry for him.
I do not think ‘he’s my friend’ as I thought about Fabian [Fabianski]. I was convinced Lukasz deserved to play but not at my expense.
A suitable player at a suitable club?
No, he’s a very very good goalkeeper and if our man from Poland sits back and rests on his laurels, he’ll be the one sat on the bench clapping his hands. After all, he only needs to remember the last time Arsene Wenger plonked him on the bench because he wasn’t performing well enough……
Friends, la la la la………
That’s it for this fine Saturday, have a good one all…..
Morning all..
Visiting family today so catch up later…
Germany V Scotland might make good viewing… 😉
Morning all.
Gonna be a slow haul to 9,000,000 the way it’s going hahahaha.
Kidding, of course.
Bloody interlulls!
Good Morning to The Lady of the House and all fellow Gooners in residence. With Rico gone walkabout, I assume Wath is lurking? in the background.
Scott – Good evening to you. How are things in the Southern Colonies? It seems like it will be another quiet day.
nice read Rico and morning scot and the house…….who ever introduced international breaks? totally kills the vibe of the new season need to get some proper footie back….I see schez had been talking hope he backs it up with some good performance also……don’t really want arteta to leave as he can still be useful but we definitely need a replacement even if he stays
Hi CG.
It’s actually pretty full on here.
Our Sydney Swans won their semi final today.
Now watching the Wallabies hopefully spank the Springboks, and tomorrow morning, I’m heading to watch the final trials of our Arsenal Greyhounds, Dennis and Theo, before they head to their trainers kennels to begin preparations for their racing careers,
Very exciting times,
Are you freezing your backside of as usual, CG?
snaparse – Boring as these international breaks are, this one does offer a bit of a little respite to coaches, managers, players and supporters after the frenzy of the Eleven P.M. Dash that was the close of the summer transfer window. I just hope all our international players return unscathed.
What`s this, Arsenal has gone to the dogs and Scott has been lured to The Dark Side, leaving the Beautiful Game behind for the ugly game of Rugby. Maybe he can find a place in the Australian Rugby League for Stoke R.F.C.?
Scott – I`m assuming you have a pair of new young dogs and you`re filling the idle time of the inter-lull with the other game.
No, I`m not freezing my backside off just yet. We`re enjoying some nice warm weather as summer draws to a close. We may be lucky and have an Indian Summer that takes us well into October.
I`m also looking forward to my older son`s first league game of the season next weekend.
Potter re: ticket fiasco…
Mate, why don’t you write to Gazides, pen and paper mate not email. They’ll have to read and acknowledge a letter…
Tell them the whole story, what happened, what the box office told you, try and remember what was said and who you spoke to, always get a name (that always shits them up when you can quote a name)….
And finish it off with what you told the guy in the phone.
Basically they were paid twice!!!
Sounds to me like a box office feck up and them covering their arse…
The summer transfer window hasn`t even been closed a week, yet the newspapers and websites already have dozens of stories on who Arsenal are going to sign in January. Talk about a slow news day.
nice post on a nice Saturday giving us a nice contract update…….Morning Rico and all, I can’t believe we are stuck with Flamini till 2016 I thought it was a 2year contract, I think Arteta will be giving a one year contract and Rosicky will be released when his contract is up, Theo can’t leave Arsenal he just can’t because Arsene won’t, the only contract rebel who has ever stayed back and signed his Theo
Good Morning Kev! It is good to see the old positive allezkev persona has returned. Let`s hope our teams performances can keep him front and centre.
CG, yep…two greyhounds just finishing their education, and going very well.
One will hopefully be named Gunflash, and we might be having a monthly report in the magazine of the same name 🙂
I watch any sport, but Arsenal is always number one, and always will be.
maybe cg but new players (late purchases) rarely have time to settle with their respective teams plus players always come back with injures or fatigue it is just not planned properly IMO
snaparse – Possible injuries is certainly the big downside to the inter-lull. I can understand the Euro qualifiers, but the international friendlies is adding insult to injury. Then again, when did UEFA/FIFA care about the club game. Unless it is the likes of the Champions League or the World Club Championships, where they can make money, they aren’t interested. Also, the international coaches/managers have a very short outlook when it comes to player fitness and health.
Scott – We don`t have a lot of dog racing here. There is some in the east of Canada and the US. So, I don`t have any direct experience and look forward to hearing about the exploits of your brood.
Morning guys….Gosh this interllul sucks eggs. Bring back footie please and while you re at it scrap international football too cause scotty oz’s Australia sucks at it 😀 poor ausssies always qualifying but getting knocked out on the first hurdle. Hahahahah stick to cricket scott you mongrel. Lol
Stan, we scared the carp out of your mob recently, and considering we are a third world country………Not too shabby hahahaha.
CG, greyhound racing is big here.
Like everywhere, it gets a bad rap due to the scumbag element involved, but most participants love the dogs.
They are the most beautifully natured dogs of all….placid, friendly and gentle.
Just gorgeous.
Where is everyone??
Scared the crap out of us?? Are you having a laugh? ? We weren’t even on half tank while playing you guys. We didn’t even break sweat. We knee we could beat you guys with our eyes closed. This ain’t cricket scotty oz. We trounced you in football always. Historically you re our bitches 😀
Organisation has never been football authorities strong point.
Make the prem a league of 18 teams like Germany
Therefor league matches ……………………………36 matches
F.A & Cap 1 maximum 12 matches
C>L to final max 13 matches
Gives a max of 61 games. 1st September to 31st May gives
38 weeks. Not every team will have to do this possibly none. There should be time to organise this with weekend and midweek matches.
June international month , July Holidays , August pre season and off we go again.
Simples.
Morning potter what’s good my man 😀
Nearly finished the decorating , then off to a beer festival tonight , live bands ,local real ales and ciders with a hog roast . Paracetamol sandwiches for breakfast.
That’s all true, Stan, but more than balanced by the fact Van Persie is from your country 🙂 🙂 🙂
Cheap shot scott well viduka is from yours too. Lol. Not to mention ryan Nielsen. Hey Scott where is viduka these days? He ll make a better pundit than Micheal “short prick” owen. What’s he doing currently? ? Coaching? ?
Scott, the springboxs are stronger!
Did we sign anyone?
Autralian try!
Stan, Viduka is a private, shy person and has retired that way……very quietly.
On his day, what a player though.
JM, we have our nose in front 🙂
true cg we can only hope our players don’t get injured….p.s uefa and FIFA are a bunch of clowns….they only care about the money but then again so does the arsenal fc board lol
Potter, enjoy an ale or three for me.
I’m off guys, so have a great day.
Springboks are not better this year jm. I hate to say it but the ausssies look really good. They ll win this one am afraid. Yes jm we ve signed jean pierre papin on a season long loan . lol
Australia won by one point
hi scot does harry kewel(spelling?) still play for the national side?
Yeah he was a handful I ll give you that nothing special but a goal threat for leeds and Australia. I miss the old epl. I can’t stand what oblomovich and the oil shit have done to football. They ruin it for me.
Hello CG. Not sure about positive. Maybe resigned is a better way of putting it…
Rico, you posed the question in your post about the futures of Arteta, Diaby and Coquelin…
Personally I reckon that Arteta will be offered a one year extension, and then it’s up to him… I would like to see him stay, as he is a good Proffessional.
Diaby won’t imo, play any significant role this season…
He is damaged goods, sadly, and unlikely to ever recover sufficiently to be an integral part of any future Arsenal squad/team….
To offer him a new contract, even if he managed 10 apps’ would be rediculous….
Let the guy return to Ligue 1 where he might be able to salvage a big of his career…
Coquelin is the joker in the pack….
He could be an irrelevance to our season.
Or Flamini Mk2
Leeds vs Liverpool was a game I look forward to back then. Always a goal fest . lol. One game ended 4.3 to leeds if I remember correctly. What a game. End to end stuff. That was the epl at its best. So sad.
Morning kev
Potter – Your proposal has been on the agenda of the BPL Managers meeting on more than one occasion and has always been rejected by the majority of the managers.
The teams that usually finish in the top six to eight positions are in favour of the motion, but the rest (i.e. those are at risk of possibly being demoted in the following few seasons) always vote against it. The loss in revenue for those teams demoted is huge and with five to go down in the first season of its adoption, the risk is too great (i.e. a 5 in 20 or 1 in 4 chance of demotion). If you remove the usual top six finishers that shortens to 5 in 14 or 1 in 2.8 chance of demotion. They just won take the risk with odds like that. If you don`t bounce back up within the next few seasons (i.e. before the BPL parachute payments expire), it could be decades before you have another chance.
Kev – More positive or just resigned to the current situation, either way it is better for your blood pressure, health and temperment. I think the team will pull together and could well surprise us with a good run.
If we can make it to the New Year without any or many major upsets, we could have a good season with a couple of judicious buys in January. The wild card, as usual, is the injury situation and we`re not off to a good start there.
Off for the night. Have a great day everyone.
Keep The Faith!
Morning/Afternoon Stan…
How’s things mate?
Coquelin can fill in at full-back if need be…
I’ll probably see him in the Southampton Lge Cup game…
In midfield I expect, in a game where Theo Walcotf could begin his playing season, all being well….
Tickets sorted for that one….
Always enjoy the early round of the League Cup when Wenger is a tad more imaginative with his team selections….
Ospina should get his Arsenal debut in that game…
yes Ospina will be the gk for the League cup
and he played yesterday versus Brazil
Afternoon peoples…
Catch you tomorrow….
Gee this interllul sucks. Whose idea was it anyway? God in heaven only 46 comments on HH and less than a 200 on leshite. It’s really biting isn’t it? Bring back footie please. Am losing my mind.
Morning all.
Our two greyhounds look like being bloody decent.
Deebeeten and Gunflash can run 🙂
Morning Scott and all…
Just seen your boys Scott… 🙂
Morning Rico and all.
Morning Adam..
So according to Scholes Danny boy will never be 20-25 goals a season player we all hoped he could be.
http://www.soccersouls.com/2014/09/06/paul-scholes-blasts-manchester-united-for-selling-welbeck-to-arsenal/
Morning All
Morning Adam n Rico
kel, Scholes is not the only one to be cross about Welbeck being sold..
Morning Kev…
I’m looking forward to the GP today, will of course be cheering Theo on…. lol
They’re had some devils, aren’t they Rico 🙂
Scholes?
Who’s he again 🙂
England U18’s beat Holland 3-1…
England U17’s beat Italy 4-3….
So the talent is there at that level…
Not sure what happen between there and senior football?
They are Scott… lol
I blame Stuart Pearce….
Kev, and Sanogo scored two goals for the French under 21’s… 😉
It seems that way rico, I still feel a bit underwhelmed about tbh. Just hoping if he’s played through the middle he could be similar to what Adebayor was for us… minus the attitude of course
I see Alexis played 85mins last night.
Obviously, I detest Scholes.
I don’t kel, I’m really looking forward to seeing what he brings to Arsenal..
Rosicky played 90 mins too, as did Ospina, the latter is good news, Rosicky playing isn’t imo…
You surprise me Adam..
Welbeck has to be a positive surely.
I thought so Rico. 🙂
I despise all of that Man Utd team and the way that Ferguson manipulated every situation including their shocking on-field behaviour and his off-field antics too. Who can forget Van Nistelrooy’s punch on Ljunberg or the general massacre of Reyes by Scholes and the Neville’s under the nose of Riley who, unsurprisingly runs the PGMOL now? The fact that Webb has joined him is almost laughable.
I think he is Adam…
I think all Arsenal fans will share that view of the Man Utd team back then….
I know I do..
New post up now..