He’s also spoken about the bumped and bruised ahead of Saturdays’ game against Swansea and apparently there are quite a few.
The only serious one though was to Laurent Koscielny and he’s now out for three weeks at least with a muscular problem in his thigh.
Bacary Sagna also took a bit of a knock on Wednesday night right at the start of the game and his foot is now badly swollen so he will no doubt miss the game on Saturday too. If he took a knock at the start of the game, why on earth did he stay on?
Although others had a tough workout, Wenger says they all should recover.
They need to do more than that, Swansea must be full of confidence after beating the ‘in-form’ West Bromwich Albion 3-1 on the same night we were at Everton. We struggled again, not only to find the back of the net more than once but to actually make any clear-cut chances and poor old Giroud, for all the work he did, nothing was really fed to him in the danger area.
Giroud though, who has publicly declared his hope that Thierry Henry will join us again in January, looks set to get his wish. As might we fans who keep saying we need additions and before the summer.
Wenger is reported to have said:
This winter we will work very hard because we have some funds available. It could happen that we buy two players, but I cannot reveal the names. A loan for Henry is still a possibility, but we will still try to strengthen for the long term.
Henry is the talent that you dream to have. He has fantastic physique, fantastic technique, a fantastic brain, all built together in one man. At the start he was not confident enough but he has gone on to show what a great player he is.
We all have our wish list of players we’d love him to sign but personally, I hope the first one in the door is a defence minded midfield. Whether that is an out and out defensive midfielder, a holding midfielder or any other fancy named midfielder, I don’t care. As long as he looks the part, plays the part and breaks down the opposition when they attack. A player who protects and looks after our defence, win’s the midfield battles and then pings the passes around the pitch to those who want dazzle the fans with their fancy football.
The second one, well that’s a tough one. I wish he’d said he was planning to sign four….
Still, we have heard him say he’s going to sign players before, we’ll see if he’s ‘fibbing’ again soon won’t we….
Finally, yesterday an Arsenal spokesman said:
Each player has an individual contract which contains elements of performance-related payments, which are linked to a player’s individual contribution and also to the club’s progress in both domestic and European competitions. This is normal practice across football clubs.
That’s it for another day…..
Good Morning my Esteemed Fellow Gunners.
Good round up Rico.
While on the NN all hell is breaking loose regarding the Get into the CL or take a paycut issue, I for sure agree with it. Yes that is the start. Get in there or take a paycut. I would also add up…..win the league or a cup and you will have an increase.
Nothing wrong with that. It should have been done in 2006 not now after 6 years. At least the club is growing up.
Morning all…
Thanks devil, what’s going on on NN
Every one is commenting that AFC are planning to fail with this issue. However imo if AFC do not do such clauses they are planning to fail. And it puts the fear of hell in players. If they want to leave? Then so be it. As I said. These clauses should have been put there since 2006 when we moved to the EMS.
It’s all a bit after the horse has bolted imo.
I don’t really know what to make of it, is it really such a big deal?
We all say too many players are overpaid, so if this performance related pay helps sort that out, then it has to be a good thing…
Does that mean that Walcott will get his pay increase because he has been our most improved player and highest goal scorer(i checked it twice, yes) this season?
IMO i will just pay him , because what is the point of teaching him all this years , training him and given him the lost football brain then now sell him to Chelsea that cant seem to find the net nowadays.
What will be the point really?
good morning
Henry again?….
Morning Rico and Lee and DG.
Good morning all,
This item in today’s Telegraph grabbed my attention, I thought for a moment that we would be looking for a new Chief Exec. No such luck
“Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis appointed to two influential posts within Uefa”
“The 48-year-old, who last year earned £2.1million from his post at Arsenal, has been named by the European Club Association (ECA) as its representative on Uefa’s primary policy-making body – the Uefa professional strategy council.
As a consequence of that appointment, Gazidis will also take up a seat on the ECA executive board.
The ECA represents the interests of Europe’s top 207 teams, which includes 10 sides from the Premier League.
Gazidis said: “I am delighted to be joining these important groups which are hugely influential in the future direction of the game in Europe”.
“I am looking forward to representing the top European clubs in many important debates as we move ahead.”
Will dear Ivan be taking a pay cut at Arsenal?
Gotta go, it’s time for the Friday walk, six miles in the Salhouse area, then down the pub for lunch.
Back later.
It is Lee, but I guess they had to finally wake up some time…
Morning Adam
SD – he is our most improved so far, and by miles I’d say. Like you, i’d just pay him and as Lee has said before, if it doesn’t work out, sell him…
Yes JM, again but I think that’s just for fitness adn he wants to one day return to do his badges. I think he’s our future manager…
Wish he’d stick to to his day job JW… We come first..
Morning Adam, Rico I posted on yesterday’s post AW commenting on French radio about how Barca would be nothing without Messi…..I really wish he’d just concentrate on all things relating to Arsenal!!
Not sure that statement means that. Arsenal used to pay some of the lowest wages for the level we were at. However, our bonus structure is very high. meaning in a season that Henry scores 30 goals and Arsenal win the League he would earn as much if not more than any other player in the league.
Unless there is more to the statement I dont see where Arsenal are linking being in the CL to wages.
Couldn’t agree more Lee. And he is just trying to justify his own signings…
me too Lee me to.
He seems to talk to the media a lot, French radio, paper , English televison , Papers etc.
Wenger is always saying something.
He needs to be lucked up in his office with Bould with nothing but green tea and think think think about whats going on.
How he has time to talk to so many press people baffles me when we have Swansea on Saturday.
As for me, i am scared of that game.
You know, if you win the lottery jackpot,you can more or less have anything you want, materially. Most premiership footballers have sort of won the lottery. Their pay packets are huge, so long as they turn up play a bit of football on a Saturday they can go off where they like, do what they want in their dream mobiles living the life of super rich playboys!
Given that scenario it is not surprising that motivating them to sweat a little on a playday may be a little difficult. I think Wenger has lost his motivating mojo and has reached the conclusion that his team can only respond to him if they know it may cost them loadsamoney if they slack on a play day and don’t achieve his trophy winning 4th place finish.
Why else would he choose to threaten them with a pay cut?
I think Wenger’s lost it! Time. For a change!
Problem is SD, the media ask him so many questions about so many different things and he seems to love to answer. He needs to tell them that he will only talk about Arsenal..
That’s who pays his wage.
The media will soon learn…
We are five points worse off than this time last year….I really don’t know if Zaha or Huntelaar are going to really halt our decline!
We need more bite in midfield, surely he can see that? Relying on Diaby and Rosicky has backfired….
It didn’t used to be like that though Wavy. Back in the days of Pires, Freddie, Henry, Overmars etc etc, they were on a good wage for that time in the game, they didn’t need motivating…
They had inner drive and that was what’s won us silverware…
Again Lee you are right and didn’t most of us say that back in the summer. How many times did we say that we hoped Diaby would stay fit, but deep down we suspected he wouldn’t..
And selling Song was the most stupid thing for Wenger to have done without replacing him.
Welcome babakrdaemi.. The media report it that way. Tbh, I really don’t know what to make of it but it kind of implies that those who are looking to get new contracts won’t get such a good wage if we are not in the CL…
But that’s just my interpretation…
So the news creeps out that we are in for a couple of players the day before the march of discontent. Someone trying to head something off at the pass ?
Morning all, Nice one Rico,
Henry is not an option for me, to old and passed it, if you said he was coming back to coach or in a position to help or guide yes i could see thay but as to play forget it. We need to sort our players out and start working out the best posible solution that suits our team throughout the season. By this i mean internationals, we can do nothing about them but what usually happens is when internationals come round we normally have a break in our fixtures but when the African ones come up we are without certain players , this disrupts the team and leaves us short so players like this should be avoided. we should always put Arsenals progress first and if it means they miss out playing for their countries so be it after all they may get paid for games for their countries but the bulk of their pay is from Arsenal. I don’t want to see Henry playing in an Arsenal shirt at his age we need to invest in young good talent that have longevity to the team pay the amount his worth and install good players not has beens. We all know the positions that we are falling down on and we know that Diaby when fit fits in well but we also know that he will only last a short while so it makes sense to out him and let him find a club who are not as busy as us a solution to both player and club. Buy what we need and if it means no African players so be it, lets get our house in order and start to compete.
😆 Potter, you old cynic. I strongly suspect most won’t be fooled…
Thanks Steve. I don’t mind him coming back, good person to have around the changing room, BUT, not at the expense of what we need and i reckon any signings should be PL ready and proved…
Got to pop off for a bit…
HEY Rico we have few footballers now and more lottery winners as Wavy said.
Have you noticed how vocal Walcott has been all of a sudden the boldness and the language.
If he thinks he is convincing everyone that the only reason he hasn’t signed is for footballing reasons he is having a laugh.He is not even convincing when he speaks.
He is one of those people without a poker face , you could always tell when they are insincere.
But anyways my point is , we have few footballers now.
Remember when Henry was offered 140 000 a week of course he deserved it , he didn’t ask for it they offered him.
I hope players can learn from that. But their days are coming , Arsenal always teach others to copy and Wenger has done it again watch other club follow us in reviewing contracts to PAYE and not PAYT – Pay As You Train.
Morning all,
Potter could be on to something there, why don’t we resign Bergkamp as well while we’re at it to partner his old pal Thierry, we could save ourselves a shed load of money.
Have another Guiness Micko and include Adams He’s got nothing else to do
I’ve noticed a lot of cynicism on here of late…Micko you could be onto something mate!
Majority of the media thinks the new contract condition set by arsenal might backfire but i think it will work because there are players in the B team that wants to get into the action and get paid for it.
You watch competition grow because another thing it means is that Wenger is saying there is no assured first team positions anymore , you don’t play up to standard you dont get paid enough and before Podolski knows it if he doesn’t play well Ramsey will be getting paid more than him. (but we know that is unlikely though)
Your on Steve, see you down The Vine about 1 o’clockish for a swift half, lunch is on me, whatcha want cheese and onion or salt and vinegar.
Life on the hard shoulder….
Goodday all,
Why do we always love to go back to our vomit. Henry is past it why not use the fund you will pay for the wages and insurance to get a quality LB. Get in a CDM, that is the most urgent issue that should be address not zaha who is not premiership proven. Get a utility/mobile striker in the mode of a ‘Javier Hernandez’ not Huntelaar.
Story about incentive is no brainer. It’s like getting bonus if you win a match, the league or FA Cup. Don’t know why the fuzz. I believe same thing applies if the team qualifies for the Champions league.
Afternoon Gooners & Cynics alike…
Interesting post Rico.
Stevo & Mick will, no doubt, be standing on a table in The Vine, singing by now.
Probably “Show me the way to go home”
Ithink the best thing we can do is a draw,but not forgetting that on our day ,we can slap any one 5 goals,so plz enjoy
Afternoon folks, off to catch up. It’s cold out there….
Sorry if this has been posted 🙂
Very funny…..
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/world-of-sport/hilarious-sexy-managers-calendar-already-selling-fast-104542158.html
Good day all.
I said this the other day but as Arsene never changes his tactics or is too stubborn to drop players who aren’t pulling their weight, I ask again. We are struggling to create chances yet we have arshavin, he can’t be any worse that what has been on the pitch the last few games, why not give him a run FFS?!
Or Eisfield, he has looked seriously handy.
It’s really difficult to defend our coaching team anymore. So fed up with it.
He’ll continue running Cazorla into the ground….beggar’s belief!
well looks like there is a protest tomorrow should check it out if you have not done so – http://www.wherehasourarsenalgone.co.uk/
Lewis, been saying the same, many have so surely we can’t all be wrong. Same timed subs, seldom changes things during a game. Never changes our set-up according to who we play, it’s same old same old regardless….
He alraedy has I think lee, where is the player who burst onto the scene a few months ago…?
Hope it sends out a strong message to the board Matty, but I suspect Stan will be sleeping soundly whilst it’s going on…
A protest march !! What a great idea!! The press will love it!! All it will do is give the media more sticks to beat the club with. It will have zero effect on the board, it will hardly register on the other side of the Atlantic. It’s not the fan’s club, it belongs lock, stock and barrel to Stan Kroenke, the man who holds all the aces.
One thing such a march will do is make it harder for Wenger to attract top players, who in their right mind will want to sign for a club in turmoil? A club whose fans are turning against it?
The people behind the march are living in Cloud Cuckoo Land, for one thing they want the club to introduce safe standing areas. IT’S ILLEGAL. It would require an act of Parliament to change the law.
I could go on but I really can’t be bothered….
What else can be done JW?
Kroenke needs to know that fans aren’t happy…
Evening all, Just read what the march is all about, and what these supporters want for their Arsenal I’m sorry but i don’t buy it. They seem to me as not asking but demanding. It seems that these supporters dont want the owner to take any money out of the club, how can you ask that when the guy has spent plenty to buy his way in what gives them the right to ask that. They also want cheaper tickets they want standing room in the stadium they want the chairman out, they also want to appoint another share holder to the board and hope he spends some money who do they think they are, if these supporters are not happy with the price of the ticket dont buy them you are not forced to watch, give your expensive ticket up and let waiting list supporters get a ticket they have been waiting for. Its one thing being a supporter but making demands is not on. The owner and his board run Arsenal FC they have invested their money in the club they also work for the club they are doing the best they can so they say . If these supporters do not like how this club is run dont go. show them that with your absense not demands.
When the stadium is empty and the owner wants to know why, tell him then, and if he wants the stadium full again he may just listen, but ask yourselves one question if you give up your expensive ticket do you think the stadium will be empty.
Not sure the ripples will be felt in the boardroom rico, business as usual.
Hillwood will be knocking back his 3rd bottle of brandy.
Gazidas will be putting the finishing touches to his speech about how competitive we’re gonna be in 2028.
Arsene will be bouncing around the boardroom table on his space hopper.
And Kroenke will be blissfully unaware, probably looking forward to the big game of the weekend St Louis Rams vs The San Francisco 49ers.
Beat Swansea tomorrow and the march will be no more than an after thought, I was over last season when the fans demonstrated, blink and you missed it.
Rico,
I suspect that Silent Stan knows full well what the fans are thinking, but I also suspect that he knows more about running a sports franchise than those same fans do.
As to what else the fans can do…Steve has the answer.. they should give up their expensive season ticket and explain in a letter why they are doing so. It will have more effect than a march down Blackstock Road.
I’m going to have a read of that Steve, I just thought it was about telling Stan Kroenke to wake up and get with the times….
Or naff ooft…
And the Walcott negotiations rumble on, looks like a stand-off.
JW – I’m not so sure he does, didn’t he turn up at the last AGM and asked why he was there?
Micko – I have a feeling you could be right….
I can’t see him staying Micko….
I actually agree with all of these points.
The objectives of this walk are to heighten the Board’s awareness in the following areas:
We want Stan Kroenke’s commitment not to take money from the club.
We want Peter Hill-Wood off the Board. He has become an embarrassment to the club and its supporters.
We want Red & White Holdings to be offered a seat on the Board. Ivan Gazidis called for us to all come together and work in the same direction but how does this work when a 30% shareholder in the club doesn’t get to have a say? In what other large business would this blocking of a major shareholder happen?
We want action from the club to stop poor allocation of our money. From wasting money on players we have to write off a year later, to handing out huge contracts to players who we can’t then sell on because nobody will match what we pay. It’s mismanagement and it’s the fans who get hit in the pocket because the club fails in other revenue generating areas such as commercial deals.
Whose fault is that Micko?
Some “fans” have been slagging the kid off ever since he signed for the club. Do you think that helps to make him want to stay.
There is no loyalty left in football, a player can leave for a better wage or better chance of trophies just as a club can buy or sell players like like any item on a supermarket shelf.
Look around the game, Abramovich sacked a manager six months after he won the Champions League and the FA Cup, Where’s the loyalty in that?
QPR signed twelve players last summer, the new manager called them “embarrasing” and is ready to “move on” most of them, loyalty?
Football is a business! The fans are clients!
Rico,
They are also “demanding” that away fans be moved to the upper tier, safe standing areas, reduced season ticket prices, the list goes on.
Just reading the second part JW, not sure about those….
Can’t see any of these changing but the asterix ones need thinking about… ….
A ‘lite’ version of a season ticket with no cup credits
A short-term staged repayment scheme for season ticket renewals
The ability for season ticket holders to downgrade to Silver membership
Move away fans to the upper tier, thereby providing cheaper seats for Arsenal fans
*******Introduce season tickets in the Clock End at Emirates; recreate the atmosphere of the famous old stand at Highbury and improve the
Emirates atmosphere on matchdays.
Introduce safe standing. This continues to be investigated by more and more clubs across the country but continues to be ignored by Arsenal.
****** Cheaper tickets at Emirates Stadium. If you can afford to sit on £70m of cash in the bank, you don’t need to charge fans the highest ticket prices in football.
Off to get dinner….
Well I hope he stays JW but if he goes as looks likely I won’t lose any sleep over it.
Moving the away fans up stairs is a very good idea imo, one of the better suggestions.
Catch you later guys.
Don’t like marches and don’t like protest banners usually they are started by people that have an agenda, i was a union member for many years and often we were guided by the officials, i often voted against but majority rule put me on the picket lines the only times i saw an official was when he came in for lunch with the guvners to sort our little problems out after twenty odd years of that i realised i was being manipulated for the purpose of other people. In my opinion if your not happy don’t go
Afternoon all. How is everyone? Staged payments for season tickets is a great idea
Right gang, only popped on quickly (doesn’t seem to be anyone about anyway!). Off to bed now as I’m up early to fly to Boston in the morning. See you all in a weeks time. COYG!
Arsenal has many information outside The Club.
So, we are nort very confident for tomorrow
not and not nort
Sorry to have missed you Rocky, have a fab week….
JM – I’m not…
I’m off for the day folks, soaps and I’m a celeb calls 🙂
You all have a good evening…
Night all….
David Haye, that was a bit of a shock eh Rico..?
Hello all
Morning STV and all…
New Post up….
Charlie Kev 😉