Morning all.
Before you get excited, the winger come striker, come bench warmer at best, was talking about his future when his days in the PL are done. Some might say that day is already here..
When asked about the football in the MLS and whether it’s something he’d one day consider, ‘It’s something you can never rule out’ was his answer. The MSL attracts many great players, albeit they are at an age when retirement is not too many years away and Friday mornings game showed that with the likes of Kaka, Villa, Dempsey and the 38 year old Drogba to name just a few were on show.
I finally watched the game yesterday from start to finish and as much as it’s only a friendly, the defence still looks weak, especially Chambers. Holding looked far more accomplished than his fellow countryman. Walcott was hopeless as always but the one thing which stood out to me was finally, players were shooting from distance. Xhaka, Elneny and Oxlade-Chamberlain all took a pop at goal when they had the chance. Whether Arsene Wenger attempts to stop such antics remains to be seen but I sure hope Elneny and Xhaka don’t listen to him if is he does.
Good news yesterday afternoon as Alexis flew back into London ahead of the new season.
He’s still struggling with an ankle injury apparently and isn’t expected to be fit for the opening match of the season, but then we knew that. He had a good summer other than getting injured, having won the COPA Cup yet again with Chile. The rest of the players who were involved in the Euros are due back on the 8th August and they too will miss the first few matches. That’s Ozil, Ramsey, Giroud and Koscielny. Not ideal, but other clubs too will be missing players of their own although I doubt they’ll be having to rely on a strike force and defence as inexperienced as ours. Or hopeless in the case of Feeo… Maybe the latter will surprise us all this season, then again, I feel like I’ve been writing that for a while now and it’s yet to happen.
Still, there’s two weeks to go before that opening fixture, which is plenty of time for Arsenal to sign a striker and defender….
Then again, I’ve been writing that for a few years too….
And I suspect you’ll be writing it for a few more years Rico. 🙂
So do I Adam…. 😉
Ashley Williams is available for £10m…. Just saying….
Hey guys good post Rico! Wasn’t Williams rated at a similar price 2-3 years ago?
All gone quiet on Ben Yedder except for one outlet reckons he’s goin to Seville!
Think he and Mahrez would be a nice addition speed x2 but looks like he’s gone pity!
Hi Silky, not surprised if he was, he’s always been a solid defender and with all the money in the game, Swansea will want to get as much as they can for him. IF he’s really up for sale of course.. lol
Yup a couple of years ago he’d have been a great addition even now he would add a lot!
But of course he should have a cult status for almost decapitating van Per$ie a few years ago! Gotta go try n catch up later, at the very least I will read the posts!
Ha ha, poor RvP… lol
The clock is ticking. Fans will demand more ambition on and off the field and the contracts of Alexis and Mesut are perhaps going to be tricky. Even more so given our spectacularly unspectacular window thus far.
Ten years of absolutely doing nothing of note,not one recognized season of outstanding performance,take a bow Sir Feo.
Ten years of fleecing the Arsenal fans,take a bow Sir Feo.
Surely he has a plan Adam, he seriously can’t expect Alexis and Ozil to stay if he doesn’t….
Can’t blame Theo Dg, blame the club for sticking with him.. They’ve had plenty of chances to sell him…
Given the evidence of the past and our experiences with Arsene, I doubt that the ‘plan’ is any different this season Rico.
Sadly, I reckon you’re right Adam. Such a let down isn’t he…
I read an interesting take yesterday which said that old men can identify problems but it takes a young man to implement change.
I also think that the PR from the club this close-season has been nothing short of a disaster. Gazidis has gone in the head if he truly believes that he has done anything other than drive a wedge between the club and the fans and Wenger’s rather pouty reaction to the prices being asked show me that wherever the pulse of the fans is, those two aren’t anywhere near it.
I have supported Ivan in the past as I hear he is a good man but he is so far from achieving anything notable that I cannot see what possible use he is other than being Wenger’s yes-man.
I’ve heard that/read it before. It must be true, certainly at Arsenal..
I really don’t understand what Ivan was thinking with his comments, after all, wasn’t it he who once said we will be able to compete with the so called bigger/richer clubs? And looking at how much is in the bank, we can…
Rico. I think we should file it under the general heading of the usual bullshit. I believe the ramifications with regard to the fan’s support are far greater. Then again the support of the fans has never been high on the club’s agenda despite the usual bullshit. 🙂
It hurts I know. I hate feeling this way about AFC , all I can hope is, we gotta go thru the pain before things get better. I’ve resigned myself to not (well trying not) get hopeful about transfers. If he does nothing then when it starts to go wrong, it will get pretty toxic quickly, & he’ll deserve everything he gets.
It’s time for change, people are afraid of change. But what have we got to lose ? Surely the buzz that comes with a new manager invigorates the team, fans etc. 22 years without a title, 12 A YEARS!
And you don’t want change? Football is for winners. And if you can’t win or want to try to win , then leave.
12 not 22 ?
🙂 Adam. What a way to run a club eh….
Mark. I can’t disagree with that at all. This season is critical for so many reasons.
As long as AW is in-charge, can we really compete for readymade talent anymore in the open market? Imagine Wenger agreeing to pay Pogba 290k p.w…..oh well. Btw here are Arsenal top earners for 2015-2016 season : Ozil 140k p.w, Alexis 130, Theo 110, and Giroud and Cech 100. Total wage bill was 180m compared to Chelsea 215m, United 214m and City 206m (source Sportek. com).
Yes Rico. I completely get the fact that Wenger doesn’t like big transfer fees and that Gazidis has decided to adopt this nonsensical nodding-dog stance.
If you can’t pay the ante, then you can’t sit at the table. We saw how good they both were last season when we blew out to Leicester. That’s where their way of doing things ended. If the fans don’t push for change, then who will?
Mark, I’m desperate for change, after all, could things really get much worse?
A younger and more motivated manager could do a lot better, I’m sure…
Obi, what infuriates me is the club won’t spend big money on players yet waste so much paying a big salary to so many very average players…
Agree again Adam, Ivan has certainly under Wenger’s spell… I do so hope there’s no thought of another contract extension…
Rico. I guarantee Gazidis will be waiting for the right moment to announce that one 🙂
I’m sure Adam, maybe just after we win the Capital One Cup… lol
Rico. 🙂
Actually, we don’t seem to be able to win that one… 😉
With mental strength we could though. 🙂
But we have loads apparently….. 😉
Afternoon Rico…
Afternoon All and Mr Adam…
Now don’t you all go getting yourselves worked up over a new striker…
Because I have great news… ?
Yep, Arsenal have just released their brand new 3rd kit… Hooray… ?
Agree Rico @ 12:38
Afternoon Kev. Don’t like the cuffs much…
Yedder has signed for Seville…
Were we ever really in for him Rico, or was it his agent and the Press shit-stirring?
Lacazette seems to be Wengers main target attacking-wise…
It’s all excitement being an Arsenal fan these days isn’t it?
I just got the Official Arsenal Newsletter.
It begins “The new season is nearly upon us and Arsene Wenger has seen it all before…”
So have we.
I doubt Kev, although I’m surprised as he was cheap….
I deleted mine without reading Adam, have done for a while now…
Perhaps the trick now is to increase the bid for Lacazzette just enough to make it look serious to the fans but not quite enough to have it accepted.
It’s a delicate balancing act these days. 🙂
You old cynic Adam… 😉 😉
Rico. I know. It’s Lee’s influence. 🙂
And there was me thinking it was your influence on Lee and Kev, and me… 😉
I’ve just read the email. I bet Arsene is please the rule has changed re kick-off. That’s another forward pass that can be avoided….. 😉
You old cynic Rico. 🙂
Touché Adam… 😉
Thrust and parry..
Afternoon Rico and the House.
Its H/T in Durban and our U19’s are beating Sporting Lisbon 1-0.
They scored on the stroke of H/T with another goal from Stephy Mavididi
More Latta
Afternoon Rick, Bt…
Saturday night and I’m off out so catch up tomorrow sometime…
Nighty night….
Rico, you party animal, have fun..
Won 1-0
Evening all.
God this waiting for some true transfer news is depressing !……………..so how about something funny with Arsenal mentioned in it ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui7EB1Yx9SM
https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/759429489772392448/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
I too am still looking !……………in the car showrooms, in the jewellers and wont buy, but I like to look !………………we have a lot in common me and Arsene !. 🙂
Reading through all of that, I’d swear we’d finished 16th last season.
Scott as usual your getting us confused with Bournemouth, they’ve got bigger fish to fry !
Evening All
We have opinions around the ground
and on here.
We have the happy Wengers…You
know….We in top the four again brigade
ain’t it great..
The business angle I call it.
What I think is happening to our
great club is without doubt
Leadership……
We are run by people that in my
opinion are on Holiday.
My great love of true supporters
are the wimbledon fans who have
restored the club and put them back
at the level it should be.
So where are we then?
We came second last season
great..But who were first..
If we were told at the beginning
we would be behind Leicester
we would be the championship league,
in betting terms.
What Leicester done was to catch
a lot of the big clubs in transition
manages that were on the way out.
Yet we did not see this happening
again…did we.
We are run by a group of Wankers
sorry Bankers.
We have supporters that are happy
we finish in the top four every year.
We have owners that are ecstatic.
Wenger is the hero..
So to a lot of the supporters and
and a lot of people who think
Wenger is the Dogs-Bollocks.
The time is up amongst fans that
have been through the whole process
The lies and bull we hear when the
views of the fans get back to this
smug money grabbing foreigners
making money out of our club and
ripping our off our fans.
Fans that have supported our club
home and away for most of my
55 years of supporting from
the age of eight.
We have now come to our level
after being told once the stadium
is paid for we can take the big boys on again
so we paid out believing the money grabbers
were telling the truth.
I think people of my age have seen it all
the good times the bad times.
We have seen the worst players the
worst mangers you can imagine.
So our views are from experience
we also seen the young players
come into a team that were nearly
relegated.
So to be told we can’t have it with the
big boys is a real bring down.
The syrup should sell our club he has
no prospects regarding winning.
Passion is what we what plus
a manager who will spend what we
have in the budget.
If we can’t outspend the big clubs
and can’t out the small clubs.
Either the people running our club
or the manager of our club are not
fit to takes to the next Level.
Fred, talk to me about Citeh, Chelsea and Liverpool a few seasons back when they all un-veiled new managers and Arsene still some-how managed to fluck up the league…..he’s about as much use as a broken leg these days !
Micko
As much as I love wenger
the only people he has fu’ked up
are the true gooners
He has the master keys
to the gunners empire.
The prawns sandwich mob think
its great .
Fred, give a man a skeleton key and he’s always gonna take advantage lol !
Ps. Yedders, count your blessings Gooners……nite all.
Stan goes, get an owner with a touch of ambition, and Wenger either succeeds or he goes.
That’s the only way I can see change happening, unfortunately.
Is Arsene capable-hard to say but if he’s put on the spot, we’d all be under no illusions as to what’s the real cause of the problems.
My son who sits next to me is in the its the boards fault camp.Personally I blame Wenger but not because of finance and buying but of poor tactics. What frustrates me is the style we play and it’s lack of originality and the way we get caught out.
Jonny Evans……
Please tell me that this is a fcuking wind-up….
We finished 10 points behind Leicester fucking city, let’s get some perspective here?!? A team that nearly got relegated the season before, cost 4/5ths of fuck all to assemble. A wage bill a 1/5th of ours. The main reason was down to that shower of shit up the road wanking off wholesale when it really mattered!
We should of pissed the league last season for quite a few reasons!
Blaming the Syrup for Wenger’s ineptitude is beyond a joke, he’s had money he’s the one that refuses to spend it, he thinks that prices are over-inflated. Wastes funds on wankers like Walcott,Diaby etc. Does he not know that his salary is inflated for what he’s delivered in the last 12 years???
Where’s the CB and striker we so desperately crave?
Where’s the plan?
This season will be super tough to win the PL, with all the managerial changes that have occurred and we’ve got Le Ditherer morning about player prices, maybe if you’d strengthened last summer it would of been a cheaper option and bearing fruit now?!?!
I pray this is his last season and we get a younger more dynamic manager in, because I’m losing interest in Arsen(al) on a daily basis.
Morning all, it’s my son’s 12th birthday today on a much lighter note!
It has to be Kev, surely…
Potter, I’m with both you and your son – Kroenke is gutless not to change the manager, Wenger is hopeless for what he does with the players he does have…
Morning to you all…
Morning Rico and all……..
Morning Rico and all. Not the old Kroenke or Wenger debate again. 🙂
Happy birthday to your son Lee, doing anything nice?
Good comment by the way but why the heck doesn’t Kroenke and the board tell him time is up?
Morning BT and Adam.
I blame them all Adam… 🙂
It’s easier it’s easier that way Rico. 🙂
Dunno what happened there.
The thought of him getting a new contract is scary, really scary….
But ultimately, as far as the squad/football goes, there’s only one man to blame…
But with Johnny Evans anchoring the back line, who could defeat us?
He wouldn’t, would he??
Remember Silvestre?
Perhaps it was part of the long-term strategy all along.
Who could forget Silvestre.. 😉
Mind you, Evans will cost him a lot more….. lol
Rico, BBQ with the family in the sweltering heat……he’s still sound asleep at the moment though!
“Super qwalidee we look for….!” Jonny fucking Evans you are having a laugh!!!
Federico Fernandez of Swansea linked to us too…
Are you in Spain Lee? lol
That’ll be nice, bless him, he clearly likes his pillow… 🙂
I mean it’s not like we knew there’d be loads of tv money pumped into the PL, and that new managers were coming who’d be strengthening their respective teams is it??
This shit just sneaks up on us doesn’t it??
Anyone know a good economist???
Silvestre was frustratingly rubbish !……………..never caught Tweety Pie !……………………….Evans will improve the squad immensely ! ……………….sufferin` succotash ! 😯
And who sneaked in the Euros and COPA during the summer, meaning we’ll be missing players at the start of the season… ??
They could have told Arsene!
Good Morning Lovelies and Hunkies
Evans??? Good cover up imo. But he is homegrown, seasoned in the EPL, knows it all. He would improve us for sure, but is not the level that we should be aspiring to.
Kev…….its not a wind up. its as it is atm….paper talk. ……Silvestre is mulling a return to action I’ve heard.
😛
New post up now…