Morning all.
When it comes to English teams, Liverpool are low down on my list of likeable clubs. Actually, I really don’t like them at all but what they achieved last night was incredible. The goal of the game for me was the one from their corner. Such quick thinking from Alexander-Arnold, a twenty year old Englishman. Origi was switched on too, the Barcelona players were certainly left with egg on their faces. To be 3-0 against one of the best teams in Europe to then defeat them 4-0 in the second leg is pretty incredible. Well done to them. The Champions League trophy is theirs I reckon, unless they have a complete meltdown. Ajax v Toots tonight which could be another interesting battle, one which I hope is won by the Dutch team. A Liverpool v Toots Final would be one to be gushed over by the media for years.
Alexander-Arnold though, a twenty year old Englishman who Jurgen Klopp has long trusted. Southgate too for England yet at Arsenal, our English twenty year olds have been held back. 18 year olds too, the age Alexander-Arnold was when he made his senior debut for Liverpool. Our youngest player to make his Champions League debut after Jack Wilshere is AMN who was 17 years old at the time. He replaced Aaron Ramsey in a match against Galatassaray, a match we won 4-1 but soon after he was gone. Off out on loan he went to Ipswich. Last season and again this season we’ve seen more of him. Next season perhaps will be even better for him.
For others too, especially if all the rumours about having a small transfer budget are true. Well soon see if they are. Winning the Europa Cup would boost the transfer kitty but the chances of us achieving that are quite slim I’d say. If recent performances are anything to go by. I think our situation is a win win one whatever happens tomorrow and then in the final should we get there. If we do and we win, it’ll have been a good season as far as trophies go, but if we don’t, it’s Europa again and more playing time for our younger players. Arsenal’s future.
Xavier Amaechi, Emile Smith-Rowe, Joe Willock, Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah and perhaps even Bukayo Saka. They are just our attacking players, players who could if used, inject a bit of pace and width into our team, Willock and Smith-Rowe, something different in midfield but of course, they can’t all be thrown in at the deep end, just like our defensive players can’t be but they sure as heck be on the bench at least. I’d love to see Saka or Amaechi play against Burnley on Sunday. Willock too and perhaps give Eddie a rare, especially if there’s a final to be played in a couple of weeks time.
Anyway, my point is, if Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp can trust a 17 year old to help them to a Champions League Final and challenge for a Premier League title, then surely it’s time for Arsenal and Unai Emery to put a bit more faith in our own younger players. It’s ok to play them in the group fixtures but why dump them as soon as the so called ‘bigger teams’ come out of the draw?
Finally, the £45m summer transfer kitty rumours rumble on which personally I refuse to believe. Players sales will boost that amount apparently but thanks to the previous regime, we don’t have any players who the club could make a huge profit on and the ones we did have, they allowed to leave for free, a pittance or a swap deal which hasn’t really worked out for either player.
In any case, reports suggest that last season, finishing 6th earned the club.
TV income: £32.7m
Prize money: £29.0m
Equal share: £80.4m
Total: £142.0m
Add to that the new Adidas sponsorship money, ST and ticket sales, the wages of Ramsey, Cech, Welbeck and Lichtsteiner removed, I’m sure there is more than £45 million available. That’s not counting in other earnings like merchandise, prawn sandwiches and watered down Fosters beer. Or what we earn from reaching a Europa League semifinal.
Or a Final, If we can get past Valencia tomorrow night..
See you in the comments guys, I’m sure someone can explain where Arsenal’s money is. Other than in Ozil’s pocket of course….
Morning all and another top notch post Rico.
Yes I hate the Bindippers aswell, but like you say an incredible achievement for a club run on a similar level to us ( we were their blueprint when the yanks bought them ).
Now had that been the spuds I could not bring myself to say anything nice, the hate for them is too much.
In terms of teams I hate it is basically the spuds first and foremost and the rest I dislike immensly !……………..Bindippers and Manshafter are on a similar level then followed by The Chavs…………………..somewhere along the line the Mansour lot will be above the last 3 mentioned as they will constantly be winning trophies with no lapse in sight with the owners they have.
Tomorrow I expect us to secure the EL final with a record away win in Spain.
Thanks Lc. I fear for us tomorrow…
Good morning Rico, I have to say that Liverpool are right at the bottom of my list of favourite teams.
As far as the first team are concerned, I can’t see how Emery can have faith in more than a very small handful of any of them.
If the rumoured shortage of funds turns out to be true then he will be forced to give the youngsters a chance.
According to the press Edu is set to take up the DoF role in July. Oh goody, another wage to be found for another desk bound suit!
There is, seemingly more to follow, the promotion of Francis Cagigao to head of player recruitment is expected shortly and has been on the cards for a while. It was first reported in January by the Daily Star. Another expensive mouth to feed!
We are getting close to the point where “executives” outnumber the playing squad. I don’t suppose any one of them earns as much as Ozil, even Emery is on only £6,000,000 a year, almost the breadline by today’s ridiculous standards, but their wages have to come from somewhere presumably out of the same pot where the transfer cash resides.
Somehow our priorities seem to be a bit unbalanced.
As if my week couldn’t get worse, the scum of the north have to fill up my TV screen with endless the YNWA diatribe. If the knuckle draggers from down the road get through, that will tip me over the edge. I would love Ajax to win the whole thing for the good of football. For the love of Bergkamp, let it be so. I think theres also a lot more that can be spent but we have to get shot of Ozil, Mikhi, Mustafi and Xhaka off the wage bill by any means necessary. Swap, free , whatever. They are either liabilities, offer little or are just bad bad value.
Morning Cicero.
It could be that these appointments are all part of the long term plan. After all, there has to be one. Also, as I’ve suggested before, it could be the old fuddy duddys on the present board are soon to stand down. Makes sense to me if that’s how things play out.
There is no quick fix for our club because even when Mansour lot took over it was not instant, so with our investment(£0) it will be a long time in the wilderness !
If we are going to be the poor relations then we have to take a gamble on youth and potential cheap players whether from abroad or lower league, we have to accept even though we dont like it that we are in the second tier compared to MC, Manu and Chavs.
Bindippers and Spuds are our level , yes the Bindippers are way out in front at the moment, but I feel as all the stars alligned for them in how they sold and bought players and having a manager with such a positive frenetic attitude that everyone around him feeds off.
Yes we hate them, but aint that how we wished we played and how we wished the atmosphere at the ems was ?.
It took a couple of seasons to get right(even though technically they have won fcuk all ), so do we give Dick the same time as he`s a bit of an unknown entity really, he won 3 EL`s but did fcuk all in Spanish league and won stuff in France with another club with a bottomless pit of money.
I`ve no doubt he will be given the minimum of his contract.
Chrispy, you’re not alone re Ajax, I really hope they win tonight for starters..
I will be more physically sick if Spuds qualify tonight than if we get knocked out on Thursday !
I thought about this as I drove to work this morning and decided that more than hating the club it’s the fans I dislike.
Too many years of being shoved kicked and pissed on as they left the pub and stormed the Avenell road gates to the North Bank.
Then after blaming anyone but themselves for Heysel they did a repeat performance at Hillsborough . I didn’t care what all the judiciary say ,I doubt that they were ever on the terraces . I doubt that they ever stood in pubs hearing the boasting about getting in without tickets. Yes It’s the fans ,the victims not the club.
Rant off my chest!
Potter, that’s half of it for me too. It’s always been someone else’s fault yet had the fans stayed at home instead of pushing their way into the crowds, Hillsborough might never have happened. The one I feel sorry for is the ex cop who is being blamed.
I did think last night though that for a couple of hours at least, Liverpool was probably a safe place to be….
Morning Gooner’s
Morning Rico.
Regarding the cost cutting measures at Arsenal, I wonder if the LA Rams have to operate under similar circumstances to the English franchise?
Interesting figures in the post Rico, I wonder if any of that £142m will find its way into the coffers of KSE and be put towards the purchase of a cattle ranch or a quarter back?
What an interesting development we have in store, the first transfer window under the auspices of total control from KSE brought us zero signings, will the 2nd transfer window under Enos bring us players sales, minimal outlay on new experienced signing and Project Youth II..?
Is this the beginning of another era where our major aim is to buy youth cheaply, develop it and sell at a profit, a bit like Southampton?
If so, then get used to be a Europa team, because Enos doesn’t care…
Morning Kev, I think it’s the beginning of a new era. I really do.
I hope it is Rico and whilst there is no doubt that millions have been wasted by Gazides and Wenger and a change of direction is needed, I do hope that we don’t get more platitudes in the Daily Telegraph from KSE next summer.
We are in the midst of a massive rebuild and it might take 5 or more years, a couple of different coaches and a big turnover of staff to rectify the mess that the previous regime left us with.
All this have been exacerbated by the inertia and lack of interest from the Owner…
Whatever happens on Thursday Rico and beyond, I’m sure that we’ll have Unai Emery and his staff in charge next season, his appointment was maybe to shake up the culture of the club and it was affordable given that we’ve been paying Wenger his wages as well this season.
What happens in 12 months time, who knows?
The Director of Football probably needs to be looking beyond Emery and his successor now, watching who the young, up & coming coaches are, those that can work on a budget, those who promote youth, I’d love Allegri in charge but we aren’t that kind of a club, even Arsene Wenger was a gamble, Bertie Mee, Terry Neill, George Graham, Don Howe, we rarely if ever go for the Guardiolas or the Klopps or the Ferguson’s…
It has to be Kev or surely Wenger would have just carried on. For sure we need to be patient, just seeing what Utd are going through confirms that I think.
Instant gratification seldom comes.
Good comment Kev, I’m sure Emery will be at the club next season. It’s the telltale one imo.
I think we need a bit of realism here, Arsenal after twenty years under Wenger, the last decade of which was an unmitigated disaster, are reduced to the second tier of Premiership clubs. No amount of handouts from Kroenke will make that much difference, He will never provide the sort of cash that would enable us to match Man City in the spending stakes meanwhile our squad is both uninspired and unmotivated by either ambition or indeed by our Head Coach.
Initially we saw some improvement but that turned out to be no more than a dead cat bounce.
With judicious spending, of the meagre transfer budget, and the bold use of our academy players, we should be able to stabilise the squad enough to retain a top six position and be able to compete at the Europa League level.
Emery has, just about, earned another season but his greatest task is to teach our players how to defend, with the number of chances squandered by Aubameyang in particular, we cannot rely on outscoring our opponents every time.
Perhaps the very fact that Rob Holding was key to our defending before he suffered injury, Emery can improve players. Some however aren’t for improving and their poor performances are simply just down to them being poor.
We went on a run of unbeaten fixtures which was great of course but Mustafi, Xhaka, Aubameyang, Iwobi etc were all playing the same way they always have since being at the club.
I think the only realism required is from the club and that’s many of this group of senior players are not good enough to challenge for the league cup let alone anything else.
Jurgen Klopp became Liverpool manager in October 2015, at the end of that season, with a mish mash of a team, he won 13 out of the 30 EPL games that he was in charge.
Liverpool finished 8th…
He coached Liverpool to the League Cup Final where they lost on penalties to Man City.
He also coached his team to the Europa League final, where they lost 3-1 to Unai Emery’s team Sevilla.
2016/17 Liverpool won 22 of their 38 EPL games, scored a lot more goal and finished 4th
2017/18 Liverpool won 21 out of 38, finished 4th again and reached the Champions League Final where they lost 3-1 to Real Madrid.
2018/19 So far Liverpool have 29 wins out of 38 and will probably finish 2nd but are in another Champions League Final, the 9th in the clubs history which makes Arsenal’s european record look pathetic, and they’ll probably win it….
Almost 4 years, 30 players moved on, a gradual improvement, the template for Arsenal?!
Nice one rico, yet again.
Good reading today guys. Ive joined the party late, been busy.
Cicero 1:15. Wise words buddy. 3rd paragraph. Our days of eating at the top table are gone, certainly for the foreseeable future.
But with judicious spending, meagre budget, use of youngsters (Cicero) I see no reason why we can’t sustain top 6 next season.
We must give UE at least to the end of his two year contract. Give him a chance.
We have imo 8 players, including Holding? , that are good enough for that position. Add some youngsters ( Willock, Smith-Rowe, Medley, Nketiah) plus a couple of gems that Im hoping UE can unearth and we may be surprised.
I try and maintain some faith. Lets hope after Thursday night Im still in this frame of mind!!!!!!
A bit of good news, if true, is both Borussia Dortmund and Zenit St Petersburg are said to be interested in Henrihk Mkhitarayan, but no mention of a fee, so far….
Exactly Kev, it’s early days for us after twenty years of one guy.
Thanks Vcc, I’m just trying to work out who the eight are… lol
The manager is the most important person at the club for me. Watching Man City and Liverpool over the past few days, the intensity in their players was incredible. Watching Arsenal throw away a very advantageous position in such a pathetic and sickening way showed precisely how not to compete and also where we are as a club. Pep and Klopp are winners from what I can see and they instil a hyper-competitive attitude in their players. Even Barcelona, for all their quality, simply couldn’t compete with that last night.
kev 1:53. Can you tell their managers if they are serious, you will drop him off in your black cab and LCM with pay the bill. 🙂
rico…..
LENO
BELLERIN
SOKRATIS
HOLDING
TORRIERA
AUBA
LACA
AMN
😉
sorry kev but LCM is not a good tipper though. 😉
I know why you have been busy, Vics ……………………..taking that zimmer frame through the car wash is a bastard !
😆
Don’t knock my Zimmer, LCM. It’s been customised. The hollow frame work is filled with Gin. I syphon the alcohol out with a straw while I’m watching The Arsenal down the pub. It saves me a fortune with amount I need to get through 90 minutes of watching the Sh1t we’ve served up the past several weeks.
Keep on trucking Cocker. 😉
Adam, it took Klopp time to get Liverpool where they are now though..
No Iwobi Vcc? 😂
I’m afraid not rico. He continually runs into blind alleys and cannot finish to save his life. Not much of a crosser either. Cannot defend. So, all in all, the only thing he can do is dribble.
Wouldn’t be on my list of players for 2019-2020 season thats for sure. I cannot understand why UE hasn’t started Willock instead of Iwobi??????
It’s a shame as the lad lives round the corner to me.
I know it did Rico. It took Wenger far less time.
Just pulling your leg Vcc. Lol
Agree re Willock.
With that back five Adam, I’m not surprised really..
rico…. you ticker…..;-)
tinker
Ha ha Vcc, indeed I am. He’s actually probably one of a few who might make us a few pounds.. But I think there are others I’d rather see go before him..
Afternoon everyone.
It looks to me that a new game has been developed over the past couple of days…Fantasy Transfers. What we could do is put all the players, under threat, into a very large bag, haul them into the air with the help of a large mobile crane, give the bag a few jolly good shakes and then let the first seven or eight drop through an opened zip at the bottom of the bag. Those let behind we could keep for another year, the rest could be marched down Holloway Road, for as long as it takes for a suitor to pull up on their horse and cart and carry them off to either the knacker’s yard or, if they’re really lucky another club. All in the interest of getting rid, and loosening up the money belt! Just got to throw a double six to start😊
https://twitter.com/afcDW/status/1125858183405277192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1125858183405277192&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fdailycannon.com%2F2019%2F05%2Farsenal-appoint-ken-gillard-permanent-u18s-coach%2F
FIFA have confirmed the two window transfer ban on Chelsea, they cannot sign players until after the end of January 2020.
Good start in Holland.. 😜
Nice. 😂
Ajax 3-0 up on aggregate at half time. They’re ripping into Spuds with pace and accurate passing, pressing when they don’t have the ball.
Toots have had their chances though, they just fluffed them. 😂
The Ajax keeper is their worst player.
VCC, I have heard that Cockers wallet rarely sees the light of day, in fact I was told that he still has white fivers in it from before the War…
So he really is Wenger then Kev….
Isn’t is fab to see so many Ajax greats in with the fans watching their team…
Oh dear…..
FOOOOK THAT….
well ya gotta give it to them…
my only hope is our club looks on with envy and does something about it come summer.
This final change anything for next year in champions League? The winner goes ahead but was one of the fourth, so the 5th have a place there or not?
I dunno about the summer, tomorrow night would be a start! Can we and the chavs monopolise the Europa final? I really hope so, I really do.
Just watched the celebrations after the Ajax v Spurs game.
What a contrast from those swamp dwellers to our powder puff team.
Even their Chairman is out on the pitch clapping the Spurs supporters. Our chairman barely comes to watch us at the Emirates.
Boy, we have a mountain to climb to get back where we were several years ago, If ever.
You have to tack your hat off to the Tottenham Manager and his team. His substitution at half time totally changed the game. No matter how much you/we /I hate them, that was a team showing they have bundles of Cohonas. Lets see how much we want it tomorrow night.
really don’t fancy facing hazard in his farewell game wavy..
Frankfurt all the way
P’raps Sarri won’t pick him because he thinks he’s looking a bit tired! I wish!
Just to get to the final of the second division euro cup would be an achievement for us in our current state of disarray. What we don’t want is Valencia to do a spurds of copy the dippers at our expense, but I’m not over confident. I’m not sure we will confront the ‘hazard’ to come, although I hope we do😊
We have a bit of a ?…..curse over them of late. I can dream can’t I?
Do = don’t
It seems like there is a spate of games being decided in the last seconds of “added on time ” .Is it just me that has the impression or has it happened more frequently since the guy with the board comes out and announces the end of 90 minutes and how much longer is to go.
Most famously was McMahon’s famous 1 minute , did Liverpool switch off feeling that the job was done ? and lastly did Spurs redouble their efforts as they knew time was running out and Ajax just relexed feeling that it was virtually over ?
It just seems to be happening more often .
Or was an all English affair on the agenda from the beginning?
New post up now.