EPL Match Day 25: Arsenal v Everton; Match Preview
Maybe I should feel guilty that I didn’t do something a little more comprehensive about the silly season that all ape shit yesterday. Someone needs to really explain to me how a player who has played all of 6 months in the EPL and scored 11 goals is worth £35 million. By that reckoning we should sell Chamakh for about £40 (an extra £5 million for the goal more he has) and come out ahead. Ah but I digress.
Arsenal are coming off a very busy yet fruitful January. In 9 matches they have moved into second in the EPL, they have moved into the 5th round of the FA Cup and secured their place in the Carling Cup final. During all that they have managed to score a plethora of goals and at the same time have managed to keep EPL teams from scoring against them. (Arsenal are the only EPL team to NOT concede a goal in January). Now it is February and frankly I have to agree with our danish wonderkid Nicklas Bendtner when he says –
“This next month is a bit of a decider,” said the Denmark forward, whose deflected goal put Arsenal ahead against the Terriers, only for them to later need a late Cesc Fabregas penalty to see off the challenge of the npower League One side.
“Two cups will be decided and there are matches which will have a massive influence on the Premier League as well.
“February is a big month for us and at the end of it we will see where we are at. Hopefully it will all look fantastic.
The Gunners go into the month with one arm tied behind their back as Samir Nasri simply the best player on the team for the last few months recovers from a hamstring injury he picked up in the first half of the FA Cup tie against Huddersfield Town. His likely replacement will be Andrei Arshavin. Andrei’s season we have disected ad nauseum. Suffice it to say he hasn’t had a good season. We know that and so does he. However, there have been signs in the last few games that he is bearing down on trying to fix his game. Arsenal will need him to do so now so that there aren’t any major blips for the next few weeks.
However, the rest of the first team seems to be back with Bacary Sagna likely to play after his injury suffered against Wigan. This all means that the team that has been so effective of late only has one major change to and if Arshavin finds his form, there should really be no drop off. With Robin Van Persie leading the line and Walcott and Fabregas supporting the attack in their own way the team that faces Everton should be solid top to bottom.
The good news defencively is that Sebastien Squillaci is suspended and can’t cause us any harm. And our regular and growing partnership of Johann Djourou and Laurent Koscielny will take on Everton’s anemic strike force. Arsenal’s new number 1, Wojicech Szczesny will go back between the sticks while Lukasz Fabianski goes under the knife for his injured shoulder.
All in all the team is solid and frankly, I don’t expect it to be easy. Everton are playing well, they just can’t seem to score. But in the end I think the current Arsenal form is too good for Everton and we close the gap on United.
How the Match Should Play Out:
David Moyes is no fool and he is going to know that attack wise his best effort is to try and close up shop and get Arsenal on the counter. The biggest problem for Everton though is that pace of Steven Pienaar is gone and they don’t have someone who is good enough to get the ball up to Louis Saha. Arsenal, at least the first team, are starting to show that they understand how teams are going to set up against them and they are using chip shots over clumped defences to try and unlock them. Their success against “parked teams” comes from a combination of their passing game and lobbed balls over heads to the likes of Van Persie or others. Look for this to happen and the first Arsenal goal to come with the first 25 minutes. The second one to start the second half. End of the game at that point.
Players To Watch:
Arsenal: Andrei Arshavin. In any situation replacing Samir Nasri in his current form is a tough task. Honestly if any player could do it it is Andrei Arshavin. The big question is, can he be bothered?
Everton: Louis Saha. With the departure of Steven Pienaar, this is essentially the frenchman’s team. They will need him if they are going to close the ten point gap they have between themselves and Sunderland inthe 6th spot.
Probable Starting XI:
Arsenal 4-2-1-2-1 Everton 4-4-2
Injuries and Suspensions:
Arsenal: Squillaci (Suspended -1 ) Nasri (thigh) Fabianski (shoulder) Frimpong (knee), Vermaelen (Achilles)
Everton: Anichebe (groin) Cahill (international duty) Hibbert (virus) Barkley (leg)
Leading Scorers:
Arsenal: Nasri 14 (9 league) Chamakh 10 (7 league) Walcott 10 (7 league)
Everton: Cahill 9 (9 league) Coleman 5 (3 league) Beckford 5 (3 league)
Last Meeting: (EPL)
Arsenal: 2
Everton: 1
Last 5:
Arsenal: DWDWW
Everton: LLDWD
Goals For:
Arsenal: 2.3 (home)
Everton: 1.1 (away)
Goals Against:
Arsenal: 1.0 (home)
Everton: 1.2 (away)
Goal Difference:
Arsenal: 26
Everton: -2
Match Officials:
Referee: Lee Mason
Assistant referees: Stephen Child & Patrick Keane
Fourth official: Kevin Wright
Broadcast Information:
US: FSC 2:45 PM EST
UK: ?????? 1745 GMT
Feeds:
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www.iraqgoals.net
www.jason.tv
www.myp2p.com
GAMEDAY CHAT: It’s Open!!!!!!
www.youaremyarsenal.com/gamedaychat
YAMA Prediction:
Arsenal: 2
Everton: 0
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Given that it is the day after one of the wackiest deadline days ever, I thought I should spend some time commenting on it. A lot has been made about a couple of things –
1. The mega deals for Torres, Carroll and Luiz, and
2. The lack of Arsenal movement
First the mega deals. I am absolutely astounded that in this day and age teams would pay this much for players. Now for Chelsea a lot are making noise about this signals intent to go out and try and nip the league. Sorry that ain’t happening. What did Chelsea really get? Well, they got a hell of a striker to complement their other two capable ones. Problem is, if there is one player who has more glass in them than Robin Van Persie, it is Fernando Torres. Additionally, if Le Sulk wanted to find a player who is more moody than he, he has only look at his new teammate.
With the addition of David Luiz you have to wonder what this means for John Terry. Why John Terry you ask? Because David Luiz and him share one thing – (no John hasn’t slept with his wife/girlfirend – yet) – they share the same position. Thats right, they areboth right sided central defenders. So in signing Luiz have Chelsea admitted that Terry is now a weak link?
Make no mistakes about this. These moves for Chelsea had more to do with making sure they don’t slip behind Tottenham or moving ahead of City in the table. Roman Abramovich is an egotist and his team has to play in the Champion’s League. If they hold their current form, their dream of winning it this year will end before March does. If that happens and they also manage to have Spurs pip them to fourth, there will be a drop in Chelsea revenues that Roman couldn’t handle – egototistically speaking.
Finally, for Chelsea, this means that this summer like last, you should expect to see some players jettisoned. IN order for Chelsea to comply with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules, Chelsea are going to have to lose some salaries. Chelsea before their mega signing said they had loses in excess of £64 million. That number is going to increase because they tied Nando up for a 5 year deal worth £180K a week. Chelsea are going to have to pull the belt in to comply. Should be an interesting summer to see who goes – my best guesses by the way. Ashley Cole to Madrid and Anelka to somwhere in England.
As for Caroll whom I alluded to in oopening of this piece, I simply do not understand the English mindset on this. He has played well no doubt but he is crocked right now and he has only played in 6 months of the EPL. And yet he garnered a £35 million bid. Mike Ashley is laughing himself all the way to the bean shelf (while Newcastle fans burn him in effigy). Seriously this is just outrageous. But ah well.
As for Arsenal. Next to United they were the quietest club today. Now, I hve to confess that like a lot of the naysayers, doom and gloomers and some of the more rationale fans, I did want to see a cover brought in for CB. Even a loan for Rangers CB Majid Bougherra would have sufficed for me. But for whatever reason, Wenger did not budge.
I don’t pretend to know what deals Wenger looked at or didn’t but from a couple of press repots it did look like that Arsenal made a player for Raul Albiol from Real Madrdi and Matthew Upson from West Ham. In both cases the team was rebuked. Again, I am not sure if this true. It is just what was relayed to me.
But again I would like to reiterate something about this defence that some people believe is so frail and weak:
1. They are the fourth best squad in goals allowed
2. They haven’t allowed a goal in 2011 (League play)
3. They are second or third best team in shots allowed
4. Currently on a run of 3 clean sheets in the league
All in all the team isn’t doing too poorly with this make shift defence.
Finally, as for the players out on loan. The official site has said today that the team is considering recalling players to fill in for the injured/suspended players. However, if the player is signed to a “youth loan” then the club cannot recall them. Such is the way those contracts are set up. As for the outflux of players to other clubs, I see the rationale for this in a couple of ways. First it gets the players more playing time. Remember most of the players going out on loan, would’ve been the Carling Cup/Reserve squad. Well, considering the A/B team will take us home in the Carling Cup many of these players simply would not play at all this season.
Additionally, with roster squad sizes rules, this was likely the best solution. And finally, for those ranting about Bartley’s loan, someone please tell me when Kyle Bartley figuredinto even our THIRD team plans?
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Jumping the gun here, but I’ve noticed that Denilson’s attempt at doing a Nasri (pulling his hammy) in the Huddersfield match has suddenly become real….He will not be available for tomorrow’s match at Newcastle….Instead he’ll spend another day counting his lotto winnings….
I guess Diaby will have to play the GOAT tomorrow…. Certainly Pardew is the sort of manager who will know how to exploit a weakness of such extreme ineptitude (Joey Barton’s gonna EAT him UP!!!)….If only we had bought Alonso, Mascherano, Barry, Matuidi, Melo or any number of Diarras, or held onto Merida or not loaned out Ramsey or given Flamini the pay raise we gave Cesc or given Gilberto a tanning bed instead of a Greek vacation or…..ANYTHING but what we’re actually doing….
Up the TOOOOOOON!!!!!
@highburyterracesteve, LOL nice one Steve.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/feb/04/arsenal-wojciech-szczesny?CMP=twt_gu
V. funny interview with our madcap Pole keeper. Great attitude. Nice confidence. 6ft 5in tall.
@Macmac007, Sorry, but I love Sneezy….Like I tried to say recently, (amidst the shouting) he’s just about the most exciting thing to happen to this team in a long. long while….
Of course he needs to avoid crashing into his mates (and others) and keep fit for the bigger upcoming matches….And the article conveniently leaves out the fact that it was Sneezy’s shot in warm ups (vs ManCity) that injured Fabianski….
Maybe, just maybe (OK probably not….no, it’s IMPOSSIBLE….) there’s a silver lining to AW not paying a ransom for 80 yr old Mark Schwarzer back in August….
over the past five years, wenger has made obvious changes to the way arsenal do business. i believe the theory i made up the other day is legit. that is wenger’s primary goal is creating a world class institution, both in business and in football, capable of sustaining itself as a world class institution (both in business and in football) for years to come. “world class” is the key. his approach is revolutionary so he’s got to lead by example and that may mean sacrifices. but the evidence of success has already begun to manifest itself.
this project isn’t focused exclusively on winning trophies; certainly not in the short term. arsenal could win all four trophies this year but wenger’s job still isn’t done. it’s about developing the institution. if the institution is right, the trophies will take care of themselves. until arsenal can march out 8 of their best 11 being youth products and his team being considered among the best in the world and debt-free, wenger will persist on this course. likewise, if wenger can march out the 8 out of 11 youth products that are considered one of the best teams in the world and not win another trophy, i believe he’ll be content with that also.
for fans, it’s different. our perspective is myopic at best. our primayr concern is often whether we win silverware. we’re often not thinking years down the road. our job isn’t to shape the club’s future. it would do our souls well to accept that, at the end of the day, wenger’s the boss and it’s his show. we, as fans, are just along for the ride. our role is simple.
go team! fight! win! rah-rah!
@joshuad, I agree. Wenger simply won’t deviate from the plan.
Arsenal never get ripped off in the transfer market, and if it looks like we are, Wenger just walks away. I’m convinced that Wenger believes he will lose the upper hand in all future transfer negotiations if he’s ever seen to make a panic buy.
The “institution’ will be an amazing legacy to leave behind.
@joshuad,
Wenger’s tyranical system is not world class in any way, his football team lacks depth or dynamism and economically he FLEECES the Arsenal fans, grossly overpays mediocre, undeserving youngsters and arrogantly refuses to invest in the squad.
Why on earth should Arsenal fans sacrifice? We already pay the worlds highest ticket prices! Absolute BS.
The big problem here is that ONE tyrant has decided that a whole club’s ambition should take a back seat to his “genius” plan.
And no, Arsenal fans are not “myopic” for wanting to compete properly NOW while still balancing the books. Both are not exclusive.
@joshuad, Interestingly this link talks about Wenger’s success in non-trophy terms and his youth policy:
http://arsenal-mania.com/articles/3109861/The-vindication-of-Wengers-youth-policy.html
Although the article makes the mistaken of using the forbidden word: “superclub”
Arsenal are a small club at heart that just happen to live in a superclub’s stadium with superclub type of merchandising and prices. Small technicality :)
@joshuad, This link seems to talk about Wenger’s success in non-trophy terms and also the youth policy:
http://arsenal-mania.com/articles/3109861/The-vindication-of-Wengers-youth-policy.html
The article also makes the mistake of using the forbidden word: “superclub”
Arsenal are just a small club at heart but just happen to play in a superclub’s stadium with superclub merchandise and pricing. Small technicality :)
note: this comment may appear twice as after my first submission, it seemed to disappear.
@joshuad, @joshuad, Interestingly this link talks about Wenger’s success in non-trophy terms and his youth policy:
http://arsenal-mania.com/articles/3109861/The-vindication-of-Wengers-youth-policy.html
Although the article makes the mistaken of using the forbidden word: “superclub”
Arsenal are a small club at heart that just happen to live in a superclub’s stadium with superclub type of merchandising and prices. Small technicality Smile
Current score: 0
I wonder if Wenger will ever try this to show the players he is serious LOL
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/875555/luca-toni:-bayern-boss-louis-van-gaal-showed-us-his-balls?cc=5901
@Chicago, in reply to your earlier post. Yes I agree that if Wenger bought a player then we would have had a better chance of winning the league in 07/08.
I am still mightily pissed off that he didn’t buy a CB in January. And Fred will have his day going postal when the injuries inevitably hit.
Wenger never panic buys. He only buys players he has thoroughly researched. Koscielny is a perfect example. What other manager at a big club would take such a punt on an unknown?
Yes, there have been some failures. Squillaci is dismal. As were Silvestre and Cygan.
My support for Arsenal is now based on more than just winning trophies – it has to, otherwise I would be as bitter as Fred.
The style of football, the balance sheet, and the player development all make me proud to be an Arsenal fan. And all because of Wenger. Am I an AKB? If Arsenal fans only fall into 1of 2 categories, then I guess I am.
But yes, some trophies would be nice.
@rocka,
Am not bitter at not winning trophies, I am bitter at NOT even trying.
Even if we get luck from a quality point of view, when the injuries mount we will collapse again like we have numerous times over and that can be prevented. But we dont learn from history.
@rocka,
Nothing is GIVEN.
We have no divine right to win trophies…
The fact that we make so much profit, every single year, and REFUSE to go out and get the players needed to TRY to win… is what is so off-putting, and unacceptable…
Year after year, window after window, we refuse to address squad issues…. while year after year, we make more profits than anyone else in the world.
There is something wrong with the equation.
It’s really simple.
Art, just read your comments about how we adressed the CB problem by buying 3 CBs the past 2 years. That is playing with numbers if you ask me. Yes, technically we bought 3, but we had two leave. One that was with the team for about 5 years and was once Captain. And another who was a starter from the invincible season right up until he left.
3 in and 2 out only equals 1 gained. But you have to factor in the loss of experience, knowledge, wisdom, and leadership as well.
(Silverstre left as well, but that’s a +/- of 0 due to his all-around crappiness. Sol is also a +/- of 0 since he came and left in such a short period of time.)
@ChicagoGooner, Four capable CBs is standard practice for a decent premiership team. That is what we have Vermaelen, Kosch, Djourou and Squilla.
Naturaly Kosch and Squilla need time to adapt as would any new addition to the ranks.
Nobody was talking about CB being such a problem at the start of the season except that many felt Djourou could not be relied upon.
The only reason CB has been discussed prior to this transfer window is because Vermaelen is injured and Squilla is in poor form. I do not see the need to buy cover unless he can be bought cheap or on loan.
@arthur3sheds,
Conveniently ignoring the small issue of INJURIES, hey? They are a sure fire certainty for EVERY club especially in the second half of every season.
@Fred, Fred I think you just enjoy having me repeat myself :-D .
We have reserves to cover injury and 4 CBs at present if you dare to include Song in the mix. You cannot spend money If you are going to do that why not do so for every position.? Get a new FW, CM and MF as anyone could get injured. That’s why we have reserves and cover.
@arthur3sheds,
Aha, but if Song plays as a CB THEN we are short in midfield. And he doesnt exactly get to rest does he since he is both starting DM and backup CB.
One injury in midfield and one in CB and things crash instantly.
This crap repeats every single season yet we keep having this conversation.
PS: What reserves? Bartley is out on loan, and Ignasi Miguel has never played competitive football and according to J at youngguns is lightweight. That is really our backup?
One thing is for sure. If all those financial and “level-the-playing-field” regulations that characterize American sports ever become common in European football (as HTS suggested they might earlier, though I’m not as sure about that as he is), Arsenal will have a HUGE advantage over everyone else, as Arsene already has the club running in a mold that would conform to those rules, whereas everyone else would be playing catchup with us.
@ChicagoGooner, My theory is this….TV and Internet TV are going to keep expanding coverage of club football (perhaps at the expense of “free” streams like the one that got shut down the other day) because it’s such a better product AND because there’s a worldwide audience hungering to see football. And, of course, all serious fans “pick” a team they can watch week in, week out, to follow. Vibe’s article of 100 million plus United Fans isn’t so far fetched and Arsenal, despite our lack of trophies, is becoming a great “brand”–We play good football, are competitive and, for a while now, we’re often underdogs….
So, how do you get to our level? Spend like crazy or grow responsibly. Long term, even the sugar daddies don’t like pissing money away and would rather see “fair play rules” or revenue sharing than having to subsidize all the lesser clubs while giving them a chance to beat (and beat on) their teams. And because they/we have the money they/we also have the power and UEFA /FIFA is no match for that (witness Qatar getting a WC….)
We’re loving it with the “openness” of English football, (esp this season and the rise of ManCity/Spurs and the fall of Liverpool) despite the last 6 titles going to the top two teams, but it get sillier in places like Spain. For now the CL and the domestic leagues are OK, but the former is getting mighty predictable, and the days of a Porto or Ajax winning the CL, I would guess, are long gone. “Luckily” for UEFA, we blew our group and somehow the ping pong balls conspired to make a good match-up in the round of 16, between everybody’s two favorite teams….
The next year will be interesting in that we’ll get to see what loopholes are put into the UEFA fair play rules. In the meantime, expect MASSIVE spending and a hyper inflated market over the summer (and Arsenal sitting on the sidelines or making a net profit. More tough times for poor little Veruca….)
Fair play rules are a start but eventually I see a more “league-like” Champions League with home and aways between the top 8 or 12 or 16 clubs, hopefully with some element of merit (promotion/relegation) involved.
For Arsenal supporters (and I use the term in its broadest sense) it’s frustrating that we don’t have the money to buy numerous “Macheranos” (22 mil pounds) and then happily let him ride the pine while our home-grown product plays. (Although you could argue that our record buy, Arshavin, is a pretty pricey sub….currently playing behind Walcott and Nasri, when they’re fit…)
It’s not good for the players either, who maybe we can portray as greedy (Adebayor), but mostly just seem sad (Shay Given comes to mind)….And having those sorts of “good” players sitting is bad for the product (the game) as well, so long-term, it just seems unsustainable….Like Rocka above, I’m glad we’re bucking the trend and positioning ourselves decently for the present and really well for the future….
Only time will tell, of course…
Wow. A comments explosion, mostly from everyone’s favourite posters, Fred (and his little brother Vibe), and Art.
Re Barca, aren’t they in tons of debt? That would suggest to me that that is not “how to run a club.”
Is there even another big club in the world that makes a profit, or just breaks even? Bayern perhaps?
Arsenal punch above their weight. Arsene has flaws, but not as many as some like to perpetuate.
@rocka,
“Arsene has flaws, but not as many as some like to perpetuate.”
This is true, but I think what gets so many Gooners’ blood boiling is that he never seems to make any effort or indication that he will try and improve upon his flaws. And he only increases those fans’ frustrations with his inane double-speak. And what makes it even more exasperating is the fact that he once-upon-a-time proved himself to be very adept at the things that are now seen as his flaws, the things that legions of Gooners have been calling on him to do for that past half decade. And to make it EVEN MORE exasperating, is the (I think correct) notion that he wouldn’t even have to fix all of his flaws, or fix them very drastically, for Arsenal to be a markedly more successful side.
——————————————————————————–
Now, to return to my earlier question that I asked of the “AKBs” as they have come be known (and which no one has yet to answer):
Can any of you honestly say that our chances of winning the league in 07/08 wouldn’t have drastically improved had Wenger bought at least one player in the January 08 transfer window?
Art you said that buying a player this January could have very well left us with unwanted and unneeded wage expenses after the season is over, even if a player goes down between now and then. Fair point. But I won’t allow you to use it in response to my question about 07/08, since (apart from the fact that is not what the question really asks) lord knows we REALLY could have used additional reinforcements pretty much anywhere we could get them in the season after that, as we had that rather significant player exodus in the summer of 08.
@ChicagoGooner, That was answered below when you posted it originally ‘Cago.
If your were posting back then you would heard everyone expressing their concerns with the lack of replacements way back from Vieira and Flamini and through to Lehman at least. I was particularly dismayed that they didn’t give my favourite, Pires a 2 year contract.
In fact the there was no such thing as an AKB on AA, nobody used that term. Why? because everyone was dissapointed with the quick dismantling of the Invincibles. The term Hippie was crowned because Fred is funny and likes name calling. It described those who instead of vilifying the manager were saying “he is doing what he is doing, we respect him, we hope it works out/ it will work out” so the optimists became Hippie Optimists.
fred, my points last night about barcelona are simple. they, too, had their time in the wilderness before they came to where they are now.
as for merida, wilshere had a bad game too. messi got booed. so did eboue and fabianski. the difference between those guys and merida is the fact that merida quit. when he got his chance, he failed to prove he could cope with a proper bpl midfield and then he quit. his failure to cope has nothing to do with denilson or eboue. diaby, on the other hand, was his competition in the team. diaby not only came off the bench to do in fifteen minutes what merida couldn’t do in the previous 75, but he made it look easy.
denilson, as a holding midfield player, had eight assists in the first half of the ’08-’09 season. that’s phenomenal for any player, let alone a 19 year old defensive midfielder. most attacking players don’t get that many assists in a complete season. what deep lying player has been able to assist that many goals in open play since beckenbauer? at the time, it seemed a legit comparison but time always tells. with that, i haven’t thrown the baby out with the bath water. denilson is still very young.
as for wenger signing a cb in january, i have deliberately avoided expressing an opinion. as a fan, i know my role. the fact is we’ve got four cb’s on long-term contracts with kyle bartley on deck. we’ve played the entire season with only three cb’s and done fairly well. if we sign someone on loan, will they actually be good enough to adequately cope with barcelona and man united’s attack? are arsenal blowing a chance to win silverware by not buying this januayr? sometimes it’s good to just be a fan.
@joshuad,
Why are you still repeating the false arguments of the thread.
If YOU had the choice of joining the first team squad of the third largest team in your home country – UEFA cup champions no less, with seemingly high potential and with several very good players (Aguero, Forlan, etc) OR to stay in the reserves at the fourth team in a foreign country …. which would you choose???
He made a calculated and VERY sensible move. And got higher wages and far more playing time.
So talks of “quiting” is rather bemusing.
————
Also, you keep talking about a random FA cup game against West Ham in the beginning of January even though he played and scored in other games AFTER that one.
The continued fixation with West Ham game doesnt make any sense whatsoever.
PS: Diaby doesnt have any vision, is goddamn lazy and overall is rather incompetent. He has absolutely no place in this conversation.
————————–
Lastly, you continued defense of Denilson is hilarious! And the doubling down on the Beckenbauer reference is even more ridiculous.
Denilson playing so many minutes was a MAJOR reason we were utter garbage in that season. He is slow, very lazy, lacks fight, lacks bottle, lacks concentration, doesnt stick with his runner, lacks intensity or desire. Hands down the worst player at the club.
@Fred, Fred Josh is correct from top to bottom.
I liked Meridia but it is clear you overrate him. But to be fair to the boy he didn’t leave because he couldn’t hack it rather because he loves Atleticao Madrid that is the team he supports, like Cesc and Barca.
It goes to say if he cannot get a first team spot at Atletico he could not get a first team spot within our MF. The boy is a great passer of the ball and his attacking awareness is good but he is less combative then Denilson.
@arthur3sheds,
Hmmm … he IS in the FIRST team AND has played 24 games already this season. That is more games than the great Iniesta was playing just 4 years ago.
Denilson is combative?? There are 15 year old female players more combative than that garden gnome. Every single AM he has encountered can shove him off like an old rag, anyday anytime.
It’s an interesting discussion Art. Wenger has always liked a compact 1st-team squad, still does. One difference between his early successful period and the recent period with no success is how jolly robust the earlier squads (and its stars) were. Contrast that to the last 5-6 years and the way our players (including some key players) are absent more than present. I think the combined impact of poor robustness, reduced ‘proven experience’ and more youthfulness has made his job a lot harder. The thing is, it is his choice, no one else can make the fine-tuning adjustments that might get us over the line sooner – only him.
@Kiwi, Yes that’s right Kiwi, he likes to pay out as little as possible he is so stringent with his cash, that’s why he loves it so compact I think.
I also specifically remember that we had very litle injuries in th Invincible year or was it the double before that or both. But over the last few seasons our injury record has become shambolic, I don’t know if I can put it down to anything more than bad luck though.
Yep it is all Arsene work, the insistence on the youth policy and his unwavering loyalty to his players, that’s the way he is. To be fair he has adapted the policy somewhat, I think I mentioned that somewhere below but Arsene is Arsene and will always be Arsene. Hopefully he will get away with the inflexibility sometime soon and we will be able to add some significant silverware in the near future.
@arthur3sheds,
Absolutely, we all want Arsenal to win again and for our gripes to be lost behind our admiration of how Wenger mysteriously creates unique footballing teams that both win and impress.
Art you present a reasoned case for Wenger’s (in)actions. And I agree with you, he is an intelligent and clever fiscal operator in a field that is rarely intelligent or clever. Whilst I may question his lavish and premature rewarding of young talent(?) I don’t doubt his general capacity to prudently manage (in a financial sense) a leading club.
That said…… as in any endeavour there is always a balance to be achieved despite competing tensions and truths. We aren’t only debating this particular resource shortfall at CB, we’re questioning why Wenger seems happy to make the challenge of winning something even harder than it already is by refusing to have real strength in certain areas. We have no right to expect the title every year, but it is rational to question why we can’t address shortcomings that repeat.
I really do think that part of the problem is the clubs mindset and its place on the (nonexistent but very real) continuum between (1) fiscal prudence (profit), and, (2) aspiration to win. The lame way Hillwood comes out periodically and peddles the line about he’s happy if we win nothing makes me spew.
All that said, as at today we’re in a good position, it remains to be seen can we execute. If we can’t then it simply adds further evidence to the belief that we lack ambition.
@Kiwi, We agree on the imbalance in the transfer policy. I have advocated for the DM and GK in particular in the past.
To be fair to Arsene has tried to address the lack of experience albeit inadequately with the captures of Silvestre, Squilla and to a better extent Arsh. He has also splashed a sizable amount on Nasri and debateably he has tried to buy Villa (not too sure I believe he was serious or just trying to placate Cesc.)
However my contibution to this debate has purely been about this transfer window and the vilification our manager has being getting over the CB position.
@Kiwi, We agree on the imbalance in the transfer policy. I have advocated for the DM and GK in particular in the past.
To be fair to Arsene has tried to address the lack of experience albeit inadequately with the captures of Silvestre, Squilla and to a better extent Arsh. He has also splashed a sizable amount on Nasri and debateably he has tried to buy Villa (not too sure I believe he was serious or just trying to placate Cesc.)
However my contibution to this debate has purely been about this transfer window and the vilification our manager has being getting over the CB position.
As I said before name the name. If you cannot put up shut up.
Let me give you a small insight into the problems that our dear manager has to face.
1. the January transfer window is a time when prices for players are inflated.
2. There will be NO bargain CBs to be found that we can rely on being ready from the get go in the EPL. the PL is the fastest league in the world and is sometimes overly physical and 9/10 times it takes time to adapt, look at poor old Squillafor example. I can only remember 4 in PL history that have come from overseas and been an instant hit and all of those had a pre-season.
3. Arsene is not going to play £10 mill for a cover for half season, the man is prudent not foolish. Cover is not something that you spend big bucks on, cover is why you have reserves and buy multi-skilled players.
4. What top CB would want to come to Arsenal to be cover anyway?
5. If we are going to buy a long term signing then what does Wenger do with the three CBs he has bought over the last two seasons, sell one of them at a loss? And why would he want to do that? None of them have shown that they are in fact incompetant, or should I say that Arsene being the prudent man he is would not make a rash decision on any of these players until they have played a full season at least. Loyalty is generally seen as a virtue.
The solutions would be to buy someone with PL experience however we are not going to pay excess of £10 mill for Samba or Cahill because these are not cover and we have just bought 3 CBs in the last two seasons. As it is the Jan Tran’ we would have had to pay at least £15 mill for any of those two anyway.
Bringing in a loan signing presents another set of problems. Who is going to let a decent CB out on loan? If they are loan candidates are they good enough for Arsenal?
Loan players are either going to be underperforming, inexperienced or old. We have plenty inexperience in the reserves and out on loan why would we import it. Underperforming, we obviously don’t need that we have Squilla. As for old I have nothing against old, look at Sol last season. But if they aren’t from the PL it is going to be a gamble anyway, might as well gamble with what we got and bring back Bartley if need be. I have watched Bartley for some time and he appears to be the only young CB that has the capability of making it at our club.
Now please someone explain these difficulties away or name the name. I will remind you all that our manager is neither an idiot or a fool, if he could have bought a £3 mill CB that is good enough for AFC (like the big mouth know it all thinks is so easy to do), he would have certainly done it, he loves a bargain after all.
@ArfaSheds, ‘
So you really think the need for a CB just came up this past month?
@vibe4arsenal, Come off it vibe, it is a January transfer window after all. we have bought 3 CBs in the last two years. The need for new CB was addressed in the summer.
@vibe4arsenal, Vibe it is a Jan transfer WINDOW after all. Our need for new CBs was addressed with the addition of 3 new CBs over the past 2 years.
@ArfaSheds,
I know you understand that it’s longer-term policy being discussed, though. A consistent failure to address a variety of holes in the squad, that’s occurred over a period of yea…oh, forget it.
It’s the same conversations over and over. This isn’t first February/March of recent vintage that’s been a good time to be an AKBer. In recent history, it’s been one case of Premature Exultation after another.
As ever, we’ll see where we are in May. If we have something to celebrate then, there will certainly be something brand new and shiny to talk about. The rest of this chat, like that in the AFC trophy case, has grown kinda dull over the years.
(I do agree about the scrolling here. But it’s DAG’s house and my measly donation to date doesn’t give me a right to want to decorate.)
@vibe4arsenal, I think at least 90% of YAMA has been frustrated with Arsene’ transfer policy at one time or other over the years. But I think we are discussing this trnsfer window at present.
We have developed well as a squad this season. Some players have improved a lot i.e Song and Djourou and we have and will introduce great potential, Wilshere being the most obvious example. However I do not think we have been much better than last season as a team. We have relied on the demise of the big boys and the ability of the also rans to challenge them to be in the position we are presently in. However my confidence in the youth policy has increased somewhat because despite the big spending of the opposition we have shown we have the ability to compete, more so now than ever before. The youth policy has given us a stronger squad this time around but I still doubt it’s ability to produce a golden generation as the one that produced the likes of Wilshere, JET and Landsbury.
Trophy or not this May I will still feel that Arsenes policy although not perfect is generally the right way for the club to go. As a long time Arsenal fan I do not see it as a divine right for us to win the EPL every season.
As for the scrolling, it’s DAG site to do what he wants with it regardless of donations. But I think the scrolling is “nonsensical” and I can see no reason why it should be backwards, and of couse I am at liberty to say so.
@vibe4arsenal, I think at least 90% of YAMA has been frustrated with Arsene’ transfer policy at one time over the years. But I think we are discussing this trnsfer window at present.
I think we have developed well as a squad this season. Some players have improved a lot i.e Song and Djourou and we have and will introduce great potential, Wilshere being the most obvious example. However I do not think we have been much better than last season as a team. We have relied on the demise of the big boys and the ability of the also rans to challenge them to be in the position we are presently in. However my confidence in the youth policy has increased somewhat because despite the big spending of the opposition we have shown we have the ability to compete, more so now than ever before. The youth policy has given us a stronger squad this time around but I still doubt it’s ability to produce a golden generation as the one that produced the likes of Wilshere, JET and Landsbury.
Trophy or not this May I will still feel that Arsenes policy although not perfect is generally the right way for the club to go. As a long time Arsenal fan I do not see it as a divine right for us to win the EPL every season.
As for the scrolling, it’s DAG site to do what he wants with it regardless of donations. But I think the scrolling is “nonsensical” and I can see no reason why it should be backwards, and of couse I am at liberty to say so.
@ArfaSheds,
Still repeating ALL the discredited garbage that has been finely destroyed several times over by several prior comments and by the ever concise Kiwi below.
Your strategy as always is say something, have it completely rebutted by several other commenters … then turn around and repeat the same discredited points. Genius!
Have fun with your nasty, red-tongue inducing, Kool Aid.
@Fred, Over dramatising again i see. I cannot be bothered with the up and down merry go round so I rather scroll down for a bit and answer backwards when I can be bothered at all.
I have answered Kiwi now that I have seen it, I think he will no longer see my point of view as either silly or nonsensical whether he agrees or not.
@ArfaSheds,
So basically you shoot your mouth first then read what has actually been said?
LOL!
@Fred, :-D
@Fred, No i shot my mouth off to you not Kiwi. I read your diatribe first.
@Fred, No i shot my mouth off to you not Kiwi. I read your diatribe first.
Was it 14 players loaned out? You gotta think part of our financial strategy is as a player farm. We recruit/buy young talent, shine it a bit, and sell it. We KNOW 75-90% of the players will never make it but we put them through our system and know we’ll recoup on average say between 3-6m.
So what? Financially the numbers probably make sense. But there may be an on-field impact. It seems we now have the same mindset for our reserves that we do for the youth teams. So the reserve team is part of the player farm setup rather than being a back-up or reserve supply of players for the first team. The difference may appear subtle but it might be quite relevant and impact our REAL depth.
On Henri Lansbury. I like this guy. He seems to have a nice mix of attitude and skill. I see a bit of Parlour and Ljungberg in him. Not uber talented in the mold of Pires, Arshavin and perhaps now Nasri, but talented enough and with a great attitude and engine. The type of guy that adds balance to a flash team.
@Kiwi, Lansbury is not far off being uber talented at youth level at least. He is technically adept, used to score a lot of goals from MF like Wilshere at youth level. Injuries set him back a lot. Before Wilshere came on the scene Henry was the man, the one destined to make it, barring injury he would be further up the pecking order.
He has far more technical ability than Parlour and Ljungberg and the potential to be a better player than them both, only time will tell if he can fullfil it though and obviously Ljungberg’ pace and efficiency in fron of goal will take some beating.
@Kiwi, Lansbury is not far off being uber talented at youth level at least. He is technically adept, used to score a lot of goals from MF like Wilshere at youth level. Injuries set him back a lot. Before Wilshere came on the scene Henry was the man, the one destined to make it, barring injury he would be further up the pecking order.
He has far more technical ability than Parlour and Ljungberg and the potential to be a better player than them both, only time will tell if he can fullfil it though and obviously Ljungberg’ pace and efficiency in fron of goal will take some beating.
@Kiwi,
Loaning them all out is also a sneaky way to reduce the wage bill (our youth are very highly paid) and maximize the end of year financial report.
Personally, as long as the CC is not bottled … we should be thankful.
@ jroy:
I will gladly accept your nomination.
Order of business:
1) Buy a brand new cricket bat.
2) Call Denilson into my office.
3) Recall Lansbury, Coquelin, Bartley, JET and put them straight into first team practise.
4) Retain the exact same staff and setup at the club.
5) Hire Keown and one other experienced pro to develop a solid defensive drilling regime.
6) Appoint Bergkamp and Steve Bould as the first team coaches and de-facto hands-on co-managers.
7) Switch to a 4-4-2 against all teams other than the top 5 EPL teams.
8) Get into my office, open my online banking page to ensure my 6 million pounds has been paid in full.
9) Immediately transfer said money to Swiss and Cayman bank accounts.
10) Laugh maniacally.
@Fred, Funny. But you would be a shit manager though. chopping and changing the squad like Statford Hotspuds, overspendingand putting us into massive debt. And of course you absolutely destroy our players confidence and no one would want to play for you.
442! you act as if this is some kind of inspired revelation or something. How many seasons did we go without a trophy playing 442?
433 makse sense with the personnel we have, we have no Flamini, Petit or Vieira to make our 442 work on a regular basis hence the introduction of the 433. Three in CM areas is a good idea considering the inadequacy of our personnel to control the CM in previous seasons. How we implement this 433effectively is the question and of course we have to be prudent enough to switch formations within a game as neccessary.
@ArfaSheds,
How many seasons did we go without a trophy playing 4-4-2? Thats an idiotic question. We won ALL our trophies using a 4-4-2.
I see how facts would fly right over your head though.
As for the team and matchday itself, I would leave that to Bould and Bergkamp to worry about. I would just sit up in the directors box thinking of my 6 million pounds.
@Fred, Foolish statement Fred. 442 never won us any trophies dude, it was the personnel, as i have already stated we no longer have highly combative MFs like Vieira ,Flamini and Petit to boss the CM, hence 433.
You have deliberatly avoided the question again as is you like to do when the answer exposes your folly.
@Fred, Good idea leave it to the B&B and count your money. But I think I could get you to part with your cash after an email or two :-D
@ArfaSheds,
Oh I dont doubt it …. you Nigerian fraudsters are very convincing, I’ve heard.
@ArfaSheds,
What question did you ask? There was only one question mark and I more than answered it.
Keep up.
@Fred, The question was how many seasons did we go without a trophy playing 442? you did not answer it. The answer is four.
How many have season without under the 433? so far only 2. The point being 442 is not the solution to all our problems, or using 442 does not guarantee we will win anything.
Comprende Amigo?
@ArfaSheds,
Actually, its 3 years. And before than EIGHT years of winning with 4-4-2 ….. and ofcourse the most important thing – the personnel.
If you were not blind as a bat you would note that I said there should be a shift to a 4-4-2 against non-top 6 teams. We dont need 3 CMs against the vast majority of teams … but we need two strikers against those teams who pack the bus on us.
I expect the simple logic of this to pass right over your head.
Its ok, drink some more kool aid.
@Fred, Funny. But you would be a shit manager though. chopping and changing the squad like Statford Hotspuds, overspendingand putting us into massive debt. And of course you absolutely destroy our players confidence and no one would want to play for you.
442! you act as if this is some kind of inspired revelation or something. How many seasons did we go without a trophy playing 442?
433 makse sense with the personnel we have, we have no Flamini, Petit or Vieira to make our 442 work on a regular basis hence the introduction of the 433. Three in CM areas is a good idea considering the inadequacy of our personnel to control the CM in previous seasons. How we implement this 433effectively is the question and of course we have to be prudent enough to switch formations within a game as neccessary.
On the CB debate….
If all was well, i.e. no stubborn injuries and the 2 new players bedding in well, we would have enough CBs. Vermaelen, Djourou, Kos and Squil should be enough on paper if all basically fit & integrated. The situation is different however given that our no.1 CB (TV) has been out all season long and the timing of his return looks decidedly dicey. None of us have any idea when he’ll be fit to play and I suggest given the recent performance of our medical team it wouldn’t be surprising if Verme played little part in the remainder of this season.
So, we’re relying on…..
1. Djourou, who is playing his first season as a leading choice CB
and is returning from serious injury and who has a history of injuries in his short career. Offsetting that is his pleasing form.
2. Kos, first season in EPL, on a fast learning trajectory, adjusting with understandably mixed performances alternating between ‘oh dear’ moments and flashes of ‘hey, that’s impressive’.
3. Squil, first season in EPL, experienced but without wanting to disparage the guy at this stage looks a journeyman type. An ok no.4 back-up at CB. Wenger likes these guys, average French no-name types, think Remi Garde and Giles Grimandi.
The absence of Verme leaves this CB group pretty light for the business end of a season where we are in with a shot. As for just who might be suitable as cover (loan or otherwise) – I thought that’s why we retain expensive scouting networks. Asking fans to provide names is a bit silly, we are not privy to the detailed and comprehensive information available to Arsenal FC. To suggest that it is impossible to identify and sign a player capable of providing cover is, to me, a little bit nonsensical. My guess is that players are definately available but Wenger is deeply reluctant to go down this track. He likes a tight squad and would prefer the existing squad to cover all injuries.
Ultimately his (repeated) actions speak loudly for anyone prepared to listen. Wenger’s M.O. is well set, he sets a course and sticks to it. Some managers are much more responsive, not Wenger, whether it is; the use of subs, formations, players/squad – he sets his path and dislikes deviating. All good if it works……
@Kiwi, Oh Kiwi I think you underestimate our dear managers intelligence or believe that you know him better than you do.
Sometimes it makes sense to answer a fool with folly. If someone is foolish enough to believe we can gain a CB for 5 million in the JAN Tran’ then is it so “silly” to ask him to name the name?
I will remind you that our CBs even without Vermaelen have kept quite a few clean sheets of late. I will also remind you that any additional signing/ or panic buy would be open to the same criticisms that you have given the 3 you have mentioned unless he already had EPL experience and we know how much decent EPL experience costs in January.
Our manager said he was going to buy in the Jan Tran, although he has a notoriously long nose, I believed him as it appeared neccessary with the injuries of Verm and Squilla at the time. You said we have access to detailed and comprehensive information, as such if the right player existed at the right price he would have been bought.
But hey what you would have wanted to splash out on someone who will be surplus to requirements at the end of the season (as cover) and what Arsene would is always going to be different. He is a responsible and prudent man who has been entrusted to look after the finances of our club, we are supporters, what does economics, squad harmony and loyalty to players really mean to us?
We have a saying over here in England “put up or shut up!”
You still cannot name any names you just bitch for the sake of it over and over again, yet you have the audacity to tell people about “same old sob stories”.
Arsene is supposed to find “relatively cheap depth.” who? for how much? do they want to come? Of course you cannot come up with an adequate solution. You must think that real football management is akin to the Fantasy League.
If he did find someone suitable you would bitch that they are not good enough anyway.
Barca’s best team ever is made up of or has a spine of home developed players, it has worked for them but at the same time they are not afraid to splash the cash and end up in the massive debt they are reportedly in.
Arsenes’ wisdom and foresight has led him to pursue a policy of prudence which has kept us competitive in a league with 4-5 clubs spending above their weight and if not yet in finanacial difficulty run the risk of it. It is this prudence and relative success (in relation to spending) that has seen our great manager voted the mnanger of the decade, ahead of Jose and Alex and whoever else worth mentioning. He was voted manager of the decade by people who REALLY know about football.
@ArfaSheds,
Ha, thats also a saying in Togo, Nigeria (or whatever tin-pot country you come from?). Global village we live in!
Name names? Oh, we all have named names. But guess who is being paid 6 million per year on a full time job to improve the team?
It might shock the hell out of you and AKBs world-wide, but the vast majority, nay the overwhelming majority of players cost 10 M or less. And quite a few of them are better than some of the crap we have. And even if we didnt care about quality, there is the other issue of a literally threadbare squad.
Funny, how Barca got Afellay for 3 M.
When Wenger used to WIN over 6 years ago, he used to husstle these 3-7 M deals every transfer window. Now, he has absolutely no interest whatsoever because of his mania.
Facts: Arsenal fans pay the HIGHEST ticket prices (for soccer) in the world. The highest in England, which is the highest in Europe. Africa, the Americas and Asia have significantly lower prices than Europe. In addition to all that Arsenal have made nearly 50 M in profit on transfers alone in the last few years.
Spending 10-20 on a few players for depth or quality improvements to help us win NOW will NOT in anyway whatsoever get close to plunging us in added debt.
Keep on guzzling that nasty Kool Aid.
@Fred, I nominate Fred to be the new Manager of Arsenal FC. We have a duty at YAMA to get behind him, start a petition, and submit it immediately to the board of directors demanding a change.
It is clear, beyond a shadow of doubt, that his football knowledge, financial accumen, transfer policies, and tactics are superior to Arsene Wenger. Perhaps better than any other manager or player who has graced the game. We KNOW this because he shouts the loudest and those who shout the loudest are always right….
@jroybower,
I shout the loudest or rather e-shout the loudest YET the vast majority of my predictions have come to pass.
Ofcourse I get it. Only people with 20 years of coaching experience, who have coached a team as large as Arsenal can criticize Wenger! In other words, NOBODY in the world other than Alex Ferguson is allowed to criticize the AKB Master.
Keep guzzling that red Kool Aid, AKB drone, and go get your daily pat on the back from Boss W. Job well done.
@Fred, what predictions Fred?
@Fred, what predictions Fred?
@Fred, I nominate Fred to be the new Manager of Arsenal FC. We have a duty at YAMA to get behind him, start a petition, and submit it immediately to the board of directors demanding a change.
It is clear, beyond a shadow of doubt, that his football knowledge, financial accumen, transfer policies, and tactics are superior to Arsene Wenger. Perhaps better than any other manager or player who has graced the game. We KNOW this because he shouts the loudest and those who shout the loudest are always right….
@jroybower,
I nominate art. His gift with empty, feel good words and well worn cliches combined with an astute ability to ignore the same reality year after year ensures the smoothest transition from current management.
I would also like to nominate Status Quo as the official AFC band. Not only does their name reflect a really smart philosophy, but they haven’t earned any silver in years, either. Brand continuity!!
Can I get a second??
@vibe4arsenal, LOL. Brilliant Vibe,just brilliant that’s why I love you, thumbs up!
@vibe4arsenal, LOL. Brilliant Vibe,just brilliant that’s why I love you, thumbs up!
@ArfaSheds,
Here’s my take on it:
I mostly agree with Fred. I’m not sure if it’s Arsene’s stuborness or blindness, or the board’s tight-fistedness, or (most likely) a combination of all three that has resulted in the transfer policies of the last six years, but I believe Arsenal would be much better off results-wise, without being harmed financially, if they spent modest sums on a few players here and there.
The supporters of the current transfer policy are right that it has been successful: It has kept us in the top 4 and allowed deep cup runs, including semi appearances in the FAC and CL.
But I want one supporter of the policy to look me in the eye (not literally of course, unless you want to fly out here) and tell me that they don’t think buying two or even just one player in the January 2008 window would have significantly increased our chances of winning the league title that year. Do you really believe that? I’d have a hard time taking you seriously if you did.
As for the issue of “put up or shut up” I think it kind of misses the point. Any player on any team in any league is a potential target if you pay the right price. As the AKB’s rightly point out, Arsene is actually very adept at bringing in top talent that we’ve never heard of for low, low prices. Vermaelan? Koscielny? How many of you heard of them before Arsenal’s interest in them was in the news? Arsene knows Ligue 1 like that back of his hand, and if you think he couldn’t find another decent CB there (doesn’t have to be a world-beater just a competent guy) for 5-10 million, you’re flat out wrong.
Now, I’ll play your game Art. How about Jean-Alain Boumsong of Panathinaikos?
6-foot-3: would give us physical presence.
31 years old: has experience.
Formerly of Juve and Lyon: can deal with pressure.
27 caps for France: has quality and skill
Played for Newcastle: experience in England.
French: fits in perfectly at Arsenal.
AND, to seal the deal, Pana got him off Lyon for 750,000 Euros so he’d be dirt cheap, even if they made us pay 6-7 times that price, and he only makes 1.1 million Euro per year so we could easily afford to pay him.
Again, he’s not a superstar, but we’re looking for defensive cover down the stretch here, not the FIFA World Player of the Year. You’re telling me they wouldn’t sell for 2-6 million Euro what they got for 750,000?
Maybe there’s something about him I don’t know, but that’s not the point. The point is good quality players are ALL OVER the smaller European leagues, and unfortunately for their clubs, those clubs are strapped for cash so it’s a buyer’s market. If this guy doesn’t work, pick someone else.
@ChicagoGooner, As said to Vibe later on in the thread and many times over the years the most ardent Hippies have voiced their disappointment with Arsene’ tight fist at sometime or other. We have all expressed our concerns about the lack of replacement for Flamini/vieira and Lehman at least, however the issue is this Jan.
Boumsong, I did not rate when he was in the premiership and I doubt if I will rate him anymore at 31. Boumsong was a virtual flop over here, if he wasn’t he wouldn’t have been sold for 750,000, I think that price speaks for itself.
Right now we have 1 CB out, we cannot be expected to spend £10 mill on a decent CB that will be surplus to requirements in the summer,it just doesn’t make sense. I quote ten mill because it is unlikely a decent CB who can improve our squad in the notoriously inflated Jan Tran would cost any less. To buy because someone might get injured is simply not prudent, that is why you have cover in the form of reserves. Squilla is fit now,he is cover alongside Song (not ideal) and the likes of Bartley can be recalled I presume. If we want more cover we should get a lone signing if there was one to be had I think Arsene would have got him like he did Sol last year.
With Squilla back I see no pressing need for cover, Arsenes mistake may have been to let Gallas go, but he is always injured anyway and would have wanted a wage more than he is worth.
Talking of Boumsong, we bought from the bottom of the bargain bucket for cover before, he was nicknamed fishhead on this very site. i thinked Arsene has learned that it is better to buy nothing than adding to the wage bill someone who your fans are going to deride you for buying anyway.
@ChicagoGooner, As said to Vibe later on in the thread and many times over the years the most ardent Hippies have voiced their disappointment with Arsene’ tight fist at sometime or other. We have all expressed our concerns about the lack of replacement for Flamini/vieira and Lehman at least, however the issue is this Jan.
Boumsong, I did not rate when he was in the premiership and I doubt if I will rate him anymore at 31, Boumsong was a virtual flop over here, if he wasn’t he wouldn’t have been sold for 750,000, I think that price speaks for itself.
Right now we have 1 CB out, we cannot be expected to spend £10 mill on a decent CB that will be surplus to requirements in the summer,it just doesn’t make sense. I quote ten mill because it is unlikely a decent CB who can improve our squad in the notoriously inflated Jan Tran would cost any less. To buy because someone might get injured is simply not prudent, that is why you have cover in the form of reserves. Squilla is fit now,he is cover alongside Song (not ideal) and the likes of Bartley can be recalled I presume. If we want more cover we should get a lone signing if there was one to be had I think Arsene would have got him like he did Sol last year.
With Squilla back I see no pressing need for cover, Arsenes mistake may have been to let Gallas go, but he is always injured anyway and would have wanted a wage more than he is worth.
Talking of Boumsong, we bought from the bottom of the bargain bucket for cover before, he was nicknamed fishhead on this very site. i thinked Arsene has learned that it is better to buy nothing than adding to the wage bill someone who your fans are going to deride you for buying anyway.
@ArfaSheds, I love your plan. Don’t improve the team at all, because we have players in the team already, even if they are injured…
If there is a chance to win the league, and you have players out injured, and you actually WANT to WIN the league, you do WHATEVER NECESSARY to win. (see Torres for 50 mill)…
That’s if winning matters, if it is most important.
if making MONEY is more important than winning, then you do what we always do, NOTHING… besides loaning out young players to save / make even MORE money.
And, because folks (like you) keep lining up to get into the stadium, and buying merchandise, no matter what Wenger and the AFC does, it will never stop. Winning is not Arsenal Football Club’s goal.
Reality is, if we bought someone in January, say… a Center Back… and he was good enough to STAY IN THE TEAM, or even START, when injured players come back… How is that a NEGATIVE in any way, shape or form.
There is NEVER a bad time to improve your team, or bring in good players. And there is NEVER a reason NOT to do so.
@ArfaSheds, I love your plan. Don’t improve the team at all, because we have players in the team already, even if they are injured…
If there is a chance to win the league, and you have players out injured, and you actually WANT to WIN the league, you do WHATEVER NECESSARY to win. (see Torres for 50 mill)…
That’s if winning matters, if it is most important.
if making MONEY is more important than winning, then you do what we always do, NOTHING… besides loaning out young players to save / make even MORE money.
And, because folks (like you) keep lining up to get into the stadium, and buying merchandise, no matter what Wenger and the AFC does, it will never stop. Winning is not Arsenal Football Club’s goal.
It would be terrible for Arsenal if Man Utd’s game away to Chelsea gets moved to May. Not only for the current season but also for Arsenal’s legacy as it would ease Man Utd’s smooth passage to an unbeaten season. Sure they would face Arsenal once and Chelsea twice but draw, draw and draw might suffice for them. Argh. One game at a time…Back in 2004, I never thought another team would ever come close to this unbeaten legacy. And yet, here we are 7 years later with one of the weakest teams that SAF has had to deal with on the verge of smashing what the last greatest Arsenal team did. Seems that the habit of winning all the time rubs off much more easily than the habit of winning tomorrow.
@Sachin,
“Invincibility” is not a barometer of the greatness of a team. It is mostly luck. Liverpool lost just 2 games just two years ago!
And ofcourse which team has bucket loads of luck – Man U.
Personally, I say if we are facing them when we are already out of the title race … we should go in HARD on them. As in Neville on Reyes hard. Full-on gamesmanship, berating refs, hopeful falls in penalty boxes, etc. We gotta pay them back fully in kind. Let them be the one throwing the pizza!
The whole “invincible” thing is the ONLY thing we have over Man U.
@Fred,
I agree. Normally I don’t like my team to play like that. But when the stakes are as high as they could be for that game, and recalling what they did to prevent us from getting to 50, then I say go for it. Sometimes you gotta get dirty with the people spreadin’ the dirt.
@Fred, which is why I would hate to see this invincible tag go away. Man utd have their trophies yet that tag is still Arsenal’s legacy.
Seeing Neville’s retirement yesterday brought back some ugly memories. Only a Man Utd player get away with kicks like that on Reyes. And no one swore more at refs than Rooney yet Cesc has to clarify himself. When Rooney gets mad, SAF calls it the boy’s passion and asks everyone to move on.
Man utd did after all stop Arsenal’s streak in non- footballing manner, so Arsenal might have to do whatever possible as well.
…choking on kool-aid? child please. i’ve got 99 problems and choking on kool-aid ain’t never been one of them. you know damn well that i’ll call wenger out in a heartbeat.
as far as this myth of barcelona buys players to win now, we all know that’s bullshit. where were barcelona during the galactico era? i remember valencia and deportivo being around. hell, i even remember celta vigo being around. but where was barcelona? oh yeah, not even on the fucking radar. i remember barcelona needing a virtuoso from rivaldo just to finish fourth. that’s right, even the great barcelona had their time in the wilderness.
barcelona had to step away from the mold of buying players to find the success that they are currently experiencing. that has meant a time without silverware. arsenal are following a similar mold, stepping away from the invincibles era, which has led to their time in the wilderness. the biggest difference has been that barcelona was able to keep many of their experienced players where arsenal have lost mentors at the wrong time. but it’s plain to see that arsenal’s time will come again soon. maybe i’m wrong. time will tell.
@joshuad,
Is a bitch one of ’em?
(Sorry I couldn’t resist.)
@joshuad,
Another sob story that has nothing to do with the issue at hand. What does Rivaldo’s wonder goal in 1999 have to do with Wenger’s blatant failure to buy relatively cheap depth to help us when it is obviously clear we are short if not in quality then surely in quantity?
Any implied connection between the two will find that despite Barca’s great youth system they still had to blast tens of millions of cash on Eto’o, Ronaldinho, Giuly, Deco, Van Bommel, Davids and co. to get back to winning ways. That surely wont sit well with AKB dreams that our youth teamers will suddenly turn good and win us trophies.
Their wilderness years was mostly due to a bad set of coaches and a lack of proper investment in the team.
Its a bit of an own goal to compare that to what Arsenal is experiencing right now.
Despite the fact Barca have:
1) been in a rich vein of form and have won 15 games in a row,
2) have won so many trophies recently,
3) are regarded by most to have the best midfield in football at the moment,
4) have a strong core team and over 8 strong reserves with significant first team experience,
5) are bringing through SEVERAL youth team players …
they still went out and BOUGHT Ibrahim Afellay … all because they figure some of their players might get injured or fatigued. Or that they might just need a FRESH option to bring new perspective or to just keep the current players on their toes.
But what about all those excellent upcoming youth teamers … wont they be “killed” by Afellay?? No they wont! Afellay will make them better! The exact same way Deco made Iniesta better, Giuly made Messi better, Van Bommel made Busquets better and so on. If the youth teamers are not good enough they get sold off like that clown that was sold to Spurs. IT IS THAT FREAKING SIMPLE.
But not to freaking Genius Wenger and his AKB minions.
@Fred,
Funny thing is that they even have some midfielders coming thru that would put folks like Wilshere to shame – guys like Thiago and Dos Santos … yet they make them wait.
Except ofcourse you have a biased and utterly IDIOTIC seniority rule like Wenger does where Denilshit plays 100% of the games and Merida plays 0% – things get a bit distorted.
Amazing really that in the summer despite having a Catalan world cup winner and established DM for both club and country they still went out to get Mascherano of all players to come in and compete with Busquets.
With a fire lit under his ass, Busquets had no time to rest on his laurels and “shockingly” stepped his game up significantly and Mascherano, who last season was considered one of the top 3 DMs in the world, is sitting on the bench.
Now that is how to run a club.
@Fred, i don’t think thiago or dos santos are better than wilshere. likewise, i don’t think merida is better than dos santos or thiago. however, i do agree with the idea of competition for places. it’s a point i made earlier about having the financial resources to bring in a higher caliber of player when required.
lastly about merida, please let that one go. merida quit. last january, west ham crushed his fucking soul. we all saw it. he couldn’t cope with the guile of scott parker or the power and work rate of behrami. instead of diggin in and proving his worth, he took the path of least resistance and is sitting on the bench next to jose antonio reyes. regardless of his technical skill, it takes more than that to be a champion. he can’t be a quitter and be a champion.
@joshuad,
It is obvious you have never actually watched either of those two players so its best you dont argue. The “I dont think” is wishy washy.
Playing a bad game in one match is having your soul crushed??? Thats ridiculous. Lionel Messi played an absolute stinker and got booed (by the Barca fans no less) in Sept. 2008 …. pocketed by some no-name LB. Am sure he was “soul crushed” as well!
Besides the West Ham FA cup talk is nonsensical considering he played more games AFTER that and even had the game against Bolton where he had a barnstormer and scored a very good goal.
There is nothing strange in a player waiting on the bench in Spain. Iniesta wasnt a nailed on first teamer till the 07/08 season. In the end Merida decided to go to the UEFA cup champions and sit in the first team behind some REAL midfielders rather than sit in the reserves at a STAGNANT Arsenal behind absolute cretins like Eboue, Diaby and Denilshit. Any sane person will make the same decision.
As for Reyes, bench warmer? He was a STARTER last year when they WON the UEFA cup. Started thru all the important games and started the final. And this season he has played more games than most of our first team. And if you remember, he was a major player when Madrid won the La Liga in 2007, scoring several vital goals in the crunch. Thats TWO major trophies he has been a main part of since he left Arsenal. Arsenal fans are hardly in a position to make fun of him given our 6 year barren spell.
Despite Reyes’ flaws, he and Walcott are not in the same universe – when it comes to football brains.
Ofcourse, Merida is more than 10 times superior to Denilshit (who you once and hilariously compared to Beckenbauer!)
————————————————————————–
Everything said, lets not obscure the real issue here, Wenger’s egotistical transfer policy.
@Fred, Thats because you can NEVER have too much talent… and the cream will rise to the top.
That’s why they’ll get Cesc as well… he will improve their team, even if he plays in only 1/2 the games.
@Fred, Thats because you can NEVER have too much talent… and the cream will rise to the top.
That’s why they’ll get Cesc as well… he will improve their team, even if he plays in only 1/2 the games.
The ZonalMarking site is great overall but I dont see anything spectacular in the insight that the game changed when we moved to a 4-4-2.
I have been advocating that for months while railing against our ridiculous persistence with 4-3-3 even against lower league teams or when needing a crucial goal. Its also not that insightful being told that their midfield crowded us out in such a manner …. lots of teams have been doing the same thing for years.
When needing two goals Its common sense to add a second striker – not necessarily a genius move by AW.
A LOT of Arsenal fans will be SHOCKED when they see some real tactical play – if/when a proper tactician ever gets to coach us.
PS: Not wailing on the site though. Its solid, with great graphics and proper English (which too many blogs lack) and they obviously put a lot of hardwork into it.
Been having a little jousting match with Fred over the course of the day, and I fear it gets a bit buried with the “newest comment at the top” format. And it’s a bit of hassle to scroll into the middle of everything to be sure that he gets the last word in….Also, it might be nice if the comments column could go a little wider, you know, so us “bloggers” don’t feel self-conscious….
On the transfer window and the spending thing….No doubt it would be exciting to see the team “Splash the cash” and reinforce in the areas where we’re clearly holding our breath on players keeping/finding their form/fitness….but it’s also exciting, for me at least, to see the team positioning itself nicely for the future. The number of Clubs, worldwide, that can afford to lose money is dwindling and it will continue to dwindle. Sure, Abramovich & the Sheik fell into their billions, but the urge to piss it away would seem to dwindle over time. No matter our “trophy drought,” we’re still a “big” club, while others fall by the wayside or have some mighty struggles….and we’re not accumulating mountains of debt that will require a sugar daddy or bank bail-out.
The mentality of our ownership is plain for all to see and they seem very content with a financially prudent (maybe overly prudent) manager at the helm. The misleading double-talk and “idealism” he spouts is most likely BS and just a technique or coping mechanism for dealing with the financial goals of the people he works for. If he were at Chelsea or Madrid or Milan, he’d justify those approaches just as easily….
Other managers maybe aren’t in similar lock-step with ownership, which makes the extra spending at Liverpool, despite the Red Sox owners reputation for frugality, very interesting. I think they’re just pumping up the “Brand” and re-establishing a bit of contact with the other 5 bigger clubs before doing an Arsenal-like Stadium project (maybe shared with Everton?). Likewise, the spending and attempts to spend at Spurs are also fun to watch. They’ll need a stadium as well, or a move to Stratford (which would be kinda sad….Despite their deals and attempted ones (Charlie Adam, the Scottish Cesc?) in January, both clubs are far more likely to emulate us than Chelsea or ManCity. In the interim I’d ask about the current odds on Dalglish or Redknapp as the next English national manager? (And could someone put a tenner on ‘Arry for me….)
The bottom line is that European Club soccer is on the rise, thanks to TV mostly, but also with stadiums that can be filled (at high prices) for the most widely known teams. Fair play rules are coming and, though it may seem implausible, some of the strictures that we know in US sports (revenue sharing, drafts, etc.), may not be that far behind. Believe it or not, the worlds richest people didn’t get that way by happily losing money….
Some people maybe couldn’t give a crap, but personally, I like it that we’re building responsibly….And doing well enough to be reasonably positioned in 4 competitions. But that’s my perspective as a “TV fan”–Grateful that we’re always on….Last week Chelsea wasn’t, but I guess I could’ve gotten a stream, Today Spurs weren’t….and none of them will be in the Milk Cup final!! When I finally get back to London, tickets will be just as expensive as everything else….
I appreciate that the traditions of the game are one of it’s strongest assets (like refs not knowing the rules!), and I can understand the impulse to resist that change, but it’s a changing world and Arsenal, for better or worse are changing with it….I don’t always agree with everything the manager does or says (or is purported to say) and I wish I had more information so I could really criticize him (and the players and the Club)….But all of that is (steadily) coming and it will only get tougher and tougher for those in charge. Still, in the end, I like it that AW and the Club actually try to PLAN for the future and that the manager has married his ambition to that of the Club, rather then the immediate needs of (some) of the fans and building his CV for other jobs. We may never get to the Promised Land (defined as what exactly?) but in the meantime, I’ll keep watching the matches and (try to) enjoy the banter in the GDC and here on the mainpage. (Which I usually do, with only a few exceptions. …)
So, before dismissing me and others as AKBs, idiots, fucktards, and whatnot, maybe try to take a step back and try to think of us as “supporters” with a critical eye…We wouldn’t be here (or on AA before) if we didn’t want the opinions of the doomers/realists. You guys may be right and we’ll never win anything and it’s all miserable and the way the Club is run is a travesty, and if only YOU were manager, etc., etc., but I know you’re still “supporters” and I will still (try and) respect what you’ve got to say…
But that’s just me, and as always, WTF do I know, etc, etc.
Thanks for reading….
@highburyterracesteve,
You talk a lot of mish-mash gibberish that has nothing to do with the matter at hand.
Please tell me, what on earth does Chelsea and Liverpool spending 70 M have to do with Arsenal buying an extra CB for 5-10 M????
So because some OTHER clubs spend big money we cant spend a LITTLE to fix our glaring quantity and quality deficit??? Thats fucking retarded.
The talk about “going into debt by spending” is utterly idiotic because 1) you dont need to spend big money to get in a CB and 2) we already have a MASSIVE profit from transfers alone. Instead we are two strategic injuries away from COMPLETE collapse.
Keep on drinking the nasty, drugged up, AKB Kool Aid.
PS: I have already told you and any other AKBs … y’all better NOT include injuries in your excuse-roster for later on this season.
@highburyterracesteve, Red Sox owners reputation for frugality?
Surely, you jest?
or you don’t really follow Red Sox Nation.
When they didn’t go out and improve enough last year, to compete with the Yankees and Rays, and finished 3rd, and out of the playoffs, the fans STOPPED WATCHING… and you could get tickets to EVERY game the last half of the season.
For fear of becoming irrelevant in the Boston sports market… they went back to bringing in BIG TIME TALENT… for CRAZY MONEY.
The Sox have been the 2nd or 3rd highest payroll in baseball since Henry and Werner bought the club, and have spend multi-millions on Fenway Park itself.
Frugal? Not true in any sense of the word.
@highburyterracesteve, Red Sox owners reputation for frugality?
Surely, you jest?
or you don’t really follow Red Sox Nation.
When they didn’t go out and improve enough last year, to compete with the Yankees and Rays, and finished 3rd, and out of the playoffs, the fans STOPPED WATCHING… and you could get tickets to EVERY game the last half of the season.
For fear of becoming irrelevant in the Boston sports market… they went back to bringing in BIG TIME TALENT… for CRAZY MONEY.
The Sox have been the 2nd or 3rd highest payroll in baseball since Henry and Werner bought the club, and have spend multi-millions on Fenway Park itself.
Frugal? Not true in any sense of the word.
FYI: atdhe.net is now atdhe.me
@Fred,
Yeah, I posted about this earlier. Apparently it’s b/c the US gov (or any gov for that matter) only has jurisdiction over certain domain endings, and .me is not one of them.
i, am by no means declaring i have insider knowledge to arsenal’s internal mission statement or anything of the sort. in fact, consider this statement a disclaimer where i publicly declare the previous post was merely a swag based on my observation mixed with some shit i made up.
however, if you consider barcelona’s best eleven, minus dani alves and david villa, those guys are all barcelona academy grads. my perceived arsenal plan is very do-able indeed. but it does require patience.
wut up, folk. it’s been a few days so i might mention old stuff that’s already been talked about. there are too many posts for me to go back and read them.
first, glad to see adebayor got a new team. watched real’s second half against osasuna; dynamite game for the disinterested. ade got pt but played like crap; reminded me of baptista when he played for arsenal. he needs time but i don’t think he’s built for spain.
watched fulham beat spurs (first half). they did the same against stoke a few weeks ago. fulham are playing good football since dembele’s come back. we should have signed that kid.
darren bent to villa was a good signing for them. they’ve won a few games but he was expensive. also just heard about torres to chelsea and carroll to liverpool. 35 million for carroll is fucking stoooopid. first, he hasn’t proven capable. second, what kind of human being is he that he needs the likes of nolan and joey barton to keep him out of trouble? wtf? so dalglish has completely changed his attack in the middle of the season. we’ll see how that works out.
now, to what’s important. arsenal just keep winning. they looked out of sync in the first half yesterday. it’s understandable since they just played two days prior and had to play against the officials too. in the second half, they pulled it off. biggest concern is the frequency and volume of football is beginning to catch up with some of our players. song and samir are huge losses but i’m hoping we won’t miss their swords in the battles to come.
wenger signed no one in january, which is no surprise. we’ve been incredibly lucky in the first half of the season with only one striker, to still be in the title race. time will tell if our luck holds. i know a few will be upset about the lack of transfers but there has been a change in the paradigm.
the future of arsenal is not necessarily about winning trophies this year or next. we could win the quad this year but that’s not the end game. it’s about creating a mold that will continually sustain itself; both in footballing terms as well as fiscally. it’s about building an academy capable of developing world-class players and filling slots for one of the best teams in the world. it’s important that the majority of the team have been at the club since they were youngsters; making the transition from boys to men and becoming champions together. those bonds are for life. for the positions the academy was unable to create the necessary talent, there is the financial strength to go out and buy the players required to fill the gaps, regardless of the price (“supertalents”). this end game is the reason i believe wenger no longer buys experienced players. this is also when i think wenger will finally retire, trophies or not. time will tell.
@joshuad, btw, this is a disclaimer for the previous post. i really don’t know the club’s end game. that’s just some observations mixed with some shit i made up.
if you look at barcelona’s strongest eleven, minus villa and dani alves, those boys are all academy grads. this is a very do-able project. but, it requires patience. enjoy.
@joshuad,
Josh, you missed the BIGGEST DAY OF THE SEASON!!! (1/31/11)
Predictable responses along the lines of this….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRTkCHE1sS4
@joshuad,
YET, Barca did the exact same thing – bringing thru a steady stream of the good youth teamers WHILE also buying established stars to win NOW.
I see some still find the Kool Aid delicious … despite choking on it for 6 years running.
I cant wait for Wenger to leave.
Article on United and their 139 million fans from today’s New York Times.
And now it appears I’ve vomited all over my keyboard.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/03/sports/soccer/03manchester.html?hp
@vibe4arsenal,
Are you a member of nytimes.com? I followed the link but it wants me to log in.
139 million? No fucking way. Not if you’re counting real fans. Even if your counting the most plastic fans in the world, 139 million is bullshit. I remember 7-8 years ago the quote you’d always here was, “Manchester United, with their 53 million fans, are the most popular sports team in the world” (or something like that- it was always 53). No fucking way it just magically increased by 86 million in a few short years.
@ChicagoGooner,
Yeah, it’s simple registration (fake name, anonymous e-mail address) for access. I’m so used to being logged in, I forgot it might be a problem for some.
Here’s are the relevant two graphs….
“Perhaps no other team has the global reach of Manchester United, which is seeking a record 19th English title and is valued by Forbes at $1.84 billion, first among all sports franchises, ahead of the Dallas Cowboys ($1.65 billion) and the Yankees ($1.6 billion).
Manchester United counts 139 million core fans worldwide and as many as 339 million followers, has a jersey sponsorship with the insurance broker Aon that pays $34 million a year and a long-term deal with Nike worth $470 million plus profit sharing. Some fanatical fans have their ashes spread beside the field when they depart for that Premier League in the sky.”
@vibe4arsenal,
And despite all that, you managed to become Gooners. Very impressive :skywalker:
@Mazza,
I also hate the Yankees and Cowboys.
@ChicagoGooner, I can read the article without registering. I have seen this happen before where sometimes I can read some articles from Canada while I can’t access others which friends in the US can. I guess since their website figures my ip address is from Canada, I must be a Man Utd fan as that is all we have in Canada. Then the country has Chelsea and Liverpool fans. Sure there are some Arsenal fans but they don’t count for much as even in the days of the invincibles, an Arsenal game was not shown live. Man Utd’s final game of the season (which meant nothing) was still shown live over Arsenal’s last game of the 2003-04 when Arsenal were trying to finish unbeaten.
If you are a tactics guy – Zonal Marking is by far the best blog out there. Here is a great piece on yesterday’s match that sums the difference in the halves of yesterdays match.
It does a great job of what Everton did in the first half to negate our midfield and what Wenger did to address it in the second half.
These guys are pure gold over at ZM:
http://www.zonalmarking.net/2011/02/02/arsenal-2-1-everton-tactics/
@DaAdminGooner,
The ZonalMarking site is great overall but I dont see anything spectacular in the insight that the game changed when we moved to a 4-4-2.
I have been advocating that for months while railing against our ridiculous persistence with 4-3-3 even against lower league teams or when needing a goal. Its also not that insightful being told that their midfield crowded us out in such a manner …. lots of teams have been doing the same thing for years.
When needing two goals Its common sense to add a second striker – not necessarily a genius move by AW.
– Fabianski – Out for the remainder of the year.
– Cesc escapes any sort of “punishment” for his supposed ranting to Mason in the tunnel during HT
@DaAdminGooner, Why oh why is nobody crying out over Flappy’s absence?….
Probably because nobody can forget last season’s horrors….And because Scznesny between the Scznticks is just about the best thing to happen to this Club since…..(fill in the blank)…..
Do people know how Flappy got hurt?
http://younggunsblog.co.uk/2011/02/szczesny-reveals-how-he-injured-fabianski/)
I tell you what, the kid’s got moxie…..
And no need to worry, for back-up we’ve got a keeper who’s played in the CL Final, and behind him a future England #1….
@highburyterracesteve,
I was crying…….tears of joy.
Turns out the death of ATDHE was part of a huge raid by the Dept. of Homeland Security on tons of online sports streaming sites that all had their domains seized by the US gov yesterday.
Here’s a story about it:
http://deadspin.com/5749841/last-nights-winner-homeland-security-hates-sports
(The story is from Deadspin, a comical/satircal sports news blog that is generally pretty funny and has the occasional football story- like the one about the Liverpool fan who changed his name to Fernando Torres just a month ago. Oops.)
The article also points out that atdhe have set themselves up again at a new domain, atdhe.me and that apparently the US gov doen’t have jurisdiction over that one. That also explains why myp2p.eu never had any problems yesterday.
With Nasri, Song, and Walcott out, here is what our front 6 will look like:
Arshavin……RVP……Bendtner
Rosicky……Cesc……Wilshere
Other possibillities: Diaby, Eboue in MF, Chamakh at CF (would have to play 4-4-2, or move RVP to the wing, which would be a huge loss in itself by not having him in the box).
Please not Denilson.
@ChicagoGooner,
There must be some sort of clich here DAG: It started off saying I had 9999 minutes left to Edit the comment. Now it’s down to 9995 minutes and 14 seconds.
@ChicagoGooner,
All that time and you still haven’t changed ‘clich’ to ‘glitch’? :-)
(When the Edit button works, I see the same countdown. I like having that much time. I can change all my opinions to reflect the current reality. And then, look like a genius!!)
@vibe4arsenal, LOL….
Is winning trophies or looking like a genius more important? With the new editing possibilities, perhaps we no longer have to choose….
10,000 hours, of course, is ONLY 416 days….
Clock’s ticking, AW……
(edited to say) Oh, wait, it’s only 10000 minutes….That’s only a week…..
@ChicagoGooner, Based on where Rosicky played yesterday, I would think that he would be eligible to be a stand-in for Theo, while Diaby perhaps has surmounted he of the Brazilian ankles as Song’s replacement, assuming neither of those regulars can play….Note that both carried on for several minutes before the half or the match ended. Theo, in fact, had one mighty fast sprint after he was “hurt”….
On a plus note, Bendtner (who I’ve been told is better than both Edin Dzeko and Andy Carroll), I thought, did pretty well yesterday (esp. with headed flick ons) and actually got a bicycle kick on target!!….
And, (consensus seems) Andrey (slotting in for Nasri) is getting his mojo back. (Gotta say, I loved the field blow while trotting back to the center circle as his new celebration….and classy not to put his fingers to his lips to silence the home “support” who have been riding him in recent matches….)
In other words, at least according to the logic of some, maybe there isn’t such a drop off in quality, after all….
@highburyterracesteve,
Bendy IS technically superior to Dzeko and Carroll. Take it from someone who told you Song was vastly superior to Denilson way back in 2007 (to your great disbeilef) and from the same guy who correctly predicted Vermaelen’s fate and Wenger’s refusal to buy a CB long before they happened.
Wenger is out again making detailed comments about Chelsea’s spending.
To him, spending the Arsenal supporters money to fix glaring holes is very bad, a billionaire spending his own personal money is very bad BUT overpaying Denilshit, Eboue and co WHILE f&*king some random fugly rapper like a creepy, adulterous pervert is A-OK!
He has no moral high ground to speak from.
He should STFU, stop being a voyeur and concentrate on his OWN team.
@Fred, I haven’t seen any “detailed” comments, just a quick observation that Chelsea’s spending is at odds with their earlier statements about respecting upcoming UEFA fair play rules….Again, it seems that you’re happy to embellish to create conclusions just like the tabloids do to create their headlines….Or maybe you don’t even read the actual quotes but just believe the headlines that support your preconceptions….
Personally, I don’t care to speculate on the personal lives of footballers or managers….Nor on the quality of their WAGS….but, if I were to do so AND I also took quotes out of context….I would find it pretty weird that Harry Redknapp allows himself to get blow jobs from strange men and, even worse, that he pretends he doesn’t “know” what they’re doing)…..
‘Arry in the (usually reputable) Guardian 1/21/11:
“The next thing there’s two guys on their knees in front of me and I felt someone pull my overcoat. I didn’t take any notice but then they’ve got my trousers and they kept pulling them.”
“I didn’t know whether to knee them in the gob because I was thinking: ‘ What are they doing, these two blokes?’”
I’d go with a headline/conclusion of “Arry admits to having men on their knees in front of him, Pleads Ignorance” Full article here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/jan/21/harry-redknapp-robbed-madrid
(But I guess Redknapp’s, er, procliviites, don’t come in for criticism because he was “trying” to buy Kun Aguero and Charlie Adam and Phil Neville….Maybe HE should be the one down on his knees, with Daniel Levy, who I guess doesn’t want him to do another Pompey, en route to the England Job….)
Winky face, of course….
@highburyterracesteve,
Embellish what? Are you freaking insane? If those BBC and Guardian comments are not a sustained dive into the affairs of others then you must be the most loyal AKB Wenger Defender EVER!
He doesnt have a problem RECEIVING big money for his players … but he has one for those who give the money. If he had objected to City giving him 40 M for Ade and Kolo and instead asked for their “true worth in a proper world” – say 20 M, then maybe I would respect his madness.
Either way, the adulterous French perv should STFU AND focus solely on his OWN team rather than looking over the fence at other people.
@Fred, Did you read the article I linked to?….Your hero, Harry Redknapp, got robbed (pickpocketed) at the Bernabeu…..
My point is that I think you should actually read the statements before just trotting out the same (tired) criticisms. (Or listen to them, BBC has the post match interviews, and, I guess, AOTV carries the press conferences, I don’t subscribe….)
Personally I try to use my powers of observation and analysis with the info I have at hand (the matches, and sometimes, the statements to the press….). And sometimes, as you may have noticed, I agree with you and wonder WTF the manager is thinking. In that way, I think it’s pretty rough to toss me in with the AKBs.
I mean, you wouldn’t want me to think that you disagree with EVERYTHING the manager has ever done….Or maybe you would….
I realize that some want the manager out and that day will come, but in the meantime, it seems kinda hateful to hate on him for hate’s sake, (or wish ill for the Club that you love, etc.)….But, different strokes for different folks, whatever floats your boat, etc….
It seems better to actually discuss what we see and try to make sense of it, rather than try and force it into a particular world-view, whether it’s AKB or AIAIATT (Arsene is an idiot all the time….)
@highburyterracesteve,
What on earth does an article about Redknapp getting robbed have to do with what I am talking about???
Are you saying Wenger did not make any comments about Chelsea?
Absolutely incredible!
@highburyterracesteve,
Nice try … trying to compare someone getting robbed to someone widely caught on camera roaming the streets with some random fuggly chick not his wife.
Personally I dont care one bit for his personal life but he keeps on bleating endlessly about the “moral high ground”.
Wenger on Song:
He cannot walk. I don’t know what he has got. He was kicked, I think it was by Koscielny, he knocks out everybody in our team. So we have to see how he responds to that in the next days, but he cannot walk at the moment.
Wenger on Theo:
He has an ankle problem I think, but I don’t know how serious it is.
So that’s potentially 2 more first-teamers out for a couple of months. Song’s absence obv the scarier.
@OziKenyan,
The incredible predictability of two players getting laid out a day after the window shuts close.
Song cant walk?? I hope this doesnt turn out into a long term Vermaelen type saga where the “medical” staff dont know what is wrong.
Yeah, some of the shots RvP attempted today were simply hilarious. If it had been the anybody else (especially the Bendtmeister) he would have been slaughtered by the fans!
But because he is the great Persie, the fans and even the commentators back him up big time.
Interesting that Chamakh Attack is not even coming on as a sub anymore. Not his fan in the slightest but no need to Vela-ize him. No reason he cant come in for Perse in the last 5-10 minutes.
@Fred,
“Yeah, some of the shots RvP attempted today were simply hilarious.”
Not the least of which was that sad little free kick from just outside the effin’ box.
As for Cesc turning into a “hard” tackler, now I don’t have problem with that. As I said before, let’s don’t count on the refs to offer us any “protection” on the pitch, let’s take things into our own hands. Give it as we take. If the oppositions can be the HONEST, NOT THAT TYPE OF LADS, type of bone breaking tacklers, why shouldn’t we have the similar type of players? As far as I’m concerned, more of our players should do the same like Cesc. Only by doing so, the opponents will finally learn that our Arsenal bunch aren’t pussy. If you wanna play hard ball, you will get your wish.
@AndezII,
I strongly agree and I have been saying this for years.
The rest of the team, RvP, Walcott, Wilshere, Nasri (but not Song, since he is our only DM and we dont want him risking too many cards) should rotate a bit with Cesc – ARGUE every decision, surround the referee after every hard tackle, surround tackling player … make sure the ref knows you are properly aggrieved. But ofcourse do it sensibly, no hands near an opponents neck or head.
Some will call it gamesmanship, I call it common sense. No point lamenting the poor decision or lack of yellow cards for the opposition AFTER the final whistle. Get it during the game so you can earn the result.
Walcott should especially get into it. Being English he might have some more leeway … PLUS he doesnt contribute much else anyway.
David Moyes believes Cesc should be sent off by things he said to the ref during half time interval. The Everton boss himself has had his share of bust up with the refs at the past, wonder why he didn’t ask the ref to send himself off?
Gutsy win. And nice to see Arshavin starting to get his mojo back.
Rosicky is still rusty. Nasri is clearly a vital component who is sorely missed. Wilshere struggled. Cesc has got to learn to button it. He could well get suspended if his “in the tunnel” comments to the linesmen get reported verbatim.
That said, I’m still not sure how the linesman felt K’s interception was a pass which could then play Saha onside for the first goal.
Overall, a good win without being a good performance. V. happy we got to Tyneside that no longer has andy Carroll to torture us in the air at the back.
@Macmac007, our captain is truly a talented footballer, but his attitude needs an adjustment. Spanish hot blood ?
Dirty tackle from behind on Arteta. Deliberately stepping on his achilles (from behind).
A few matches ago, Cesc comes from behind on Caldwell (maybe Wigan match)- not even playing the ball, but going into the back of his lower legs……then Caldwell goes to have a few words with Cesc…….and our captain places both of his hands on each side of Caldwell’s neck.
Too bad for Caldwell, he should have cold-cocked our captain – taken the red card then, vs taking it later for a last man tackle not long afterwards.
Our captain is playing like Gerrard and Fletcher.
Some lit into Bendtner for missing a few shots last match, lets remember the shooting spectacle tonight from vP and Cesc. Both had numerous chances and only chance for 90 minutes was a vP free kick that almost found the top right corner.
Great match for our defense. Deserved another clean sheet. Kos (for me) was MOTM.
Its amazing how officials and linesman don’t know the laws of the game.
The Everton goal – a travesty. Then weeks ago, the fool in the center who called play back because the ball hit him, bouncing to the advantage of Arsenal player………
none are fit to work U6 matches.
Everton has a good team. They are strong on the 50-50 balls, have speed and have a blue collar approach.
Arsenal did well to recover and take the 3 points. It was good to see Diaby get some needed minutes, while even better for Arshavin to take his well deserved goal.
I’m happy for Andrei! Been out of luck all season.
Didnt catch the first half. What happened to Song? Injured or just taken off?
@Fred, Injured I think. Hopefully precautionary..
Whispers of a possible FA investigation and ban for Fabregas for repeatedly saying something to the linesman. If it comes to pass, with Nasri out as well, suddenly the ‘easy’ fixtures aren’t going to be so easy after all…
I appreciate how Everton always come to play. Fun match to watch. At least, better parts of the second half.
In other news, http://www.atdhe.net is dead.
@vibe4arsenal,
Oh yeah, I noticed! RIP atdhe.net … we will miss you. :weep:
@Fred, DW guys, either use sopcast, or if you wanna stream on your browser:
http://www.soccertvlive.net/
This comeback, after the first half factors- Everton playing well, us not so much, linesman being either stupid, blind or biased- gives me a lot of hope. We have an outside chance of the league IF we hit the injury lottery, unlikely though that may be. Hope song is alright…
Barca is almost a win-win in some ways. If we lose, it reduces fixture congestion, if we win, helps the big-game mentality that much more. Obv I hope we go thru, but it won’t be a disaster if we don’t, unless our mental fragility crops up and we spend 5 games recovering from the “shock.”
Great comeback, Chelsea looking good, which is excellent news for us. We need them to do the double over Utd, and if with the lead we have over them we can’t finish ahead of them, then we’re undeserving anyway
Great win. Still can’t quite believe we pulled it out.
Everton at home is always one of the toughest match ups of the season for us, so to get a win is genuinely something of note, and a result that the AKB’s can rightly flag up as something to differentiate from previous seasons. For a change ;)
I always enjoy a great comeback. We deserved the victory and deserved to win by a couple goals I think.
Arsh looked bright and proved his worth again. I was also impressed with Bendtners stint at target man, I have noted he is winning a lot more flick-ons in the air . Diaby’ performance was encouraging a few games under his belt and we may have another Song in the making… I know that’s a bit too optimistic, but I’m hopeful anyway.
Rosicky had a stinker but I think our squad is sufficient in the MF. Good performance by our CBs today happy for Kosch to get another goal , shame about Clichy bottling it near the end.
Anyway we have more to see from this Arsenal team and you never know we may end up as double winners of some sort this year.
COYG
What a fucking win. “The stuff of champions” as they say. We just need to keep doing that and we can be the champs.
From the last thread:
Just read Arseblog, don’t read him much but at times like these he is a real breath of Hippie-like fresh air.
He quoted Goonerholic “Name me the players who moved, that we would have wanted to buy, at a price that we would have wanted to pay, and who would have wanted to come to us? You can’t, can you?”
An arguement I have presented to the likes of Fred and Stag almost word for word on a couple of occasions. We can moan about Arsene not buying in the all important postion, (now that we are not moaning about the GK position anymore) centreback, but who do we buy? at what price? and do they want to come to the club? It is very hard to find a name right? I cannot ever remember getting any names in reply.
As for loaning in someone, generally loans are for players who are not good enough for the first team, therefore they will not be good enough for Arsenal or better than Squilla whom a certain YAMA blogger laughably claimed was ahead of Kosch in the pecking order. A “controvesial” claim in the cold light of day… WRONG.
Thinking about “hard reality” I heard the Wenger interview a few days ago where he mentioned Arsenal playing with 3 alternating CMs rather than utilising a DM. I thought it was quite obvious that has been Arsenes policy since day one. Whether a 442 or 433 that generally what Arsene has demanded from his Mids, dynamism, box to box CMs with DF and attacking focus. Not saying that a agree with him though, I think with a 4-3-3 and our DF frailties that Song possessing the most DF intelligence would best suit us with a more DF remit freeing up Wilshere to do what he is best at, attacking.
Well now the manger has brought “hard reality” into the “cold light of day” the scapegoating of Song for our DF frailities may finally be put to bed until Arsene chooses to play him as a CB that is.
As for the loans out, I couldn’t understand it myself, until I heard that he has the option to recall the majority of them anyway. Still we lack a decent a back up for Song, with Denilson apparently not up to the task and Diaby an unknown entity until he regains full fitness at least, that would have been a easier gap to fill as a loan signing. But of course or manger has faith in Denilson and Diaby and of course… Ramsey.
So there you have it a perfect January, I think deep down we all knew this was going to happen.
The rumour is that Rosicky – not Arshavin will start in place of Nasri
@DaAdminGooner,
ITs confirmed –
Starting XI:
Szczesny, Clichy, Sagna, Djourou, Koscielny, Song, Wilshere, Fabregas, Rosicky, RvP, Walcott
At least there is no Cahill to head in from a corner. So one less thing to worry about :)
also read (have not verified) that Carroll’s transfer fee was about a quarter what Ashley paid for the club. Wow..
Bendtner ———-> Chamakh
Carroll ————–> Chamakh
Anyone that can tie their own shoe laces ———–> Chamakh.
@Mazza,
Pretty much on point. Aliadere 2.0.
DAG, how did your wife become a Toon supporter? You gotta straighten that out man! (Just kidding- my sister is a “big” (in her words) Liverpool fan.)
@ChicagoGooner,
IT is rather stupid how she became a Toon supporter – she saw Goal.
@DaAdminGooner,
Meh. I have two friends who became West Ham fans after seeing (wait for it)….Green Street Hooligans.
I love the intentional distortion of reality Wenger and all his hippie minions have been coming out with after the clubs failure to fix obvious deficiencies in squad quality and quantity.
To them because other club’s spend big-money we MUST NOT spend a LITTLE money on a CB or any other problem situation – even though we are clearly short and a very injury prone side. So because Chelsea/Liverpool spend 70 million, therefore Arsenal can not spend 5-10 million???
If any of you AKBs complain or whine about injuries for the rest of season I will attack you relentlessly with expletives and refer you to all the comments I made in January.
So kindly start thinking of non-injury related excuses for our upcoming crash.
I personally only care about winning the CC. If Nasri is 50-50 for the Barca first leg, we MUST leave him out and rest him for the CC final a week later.
@Fred,
“If Nasri is 50-50 for the Barca first leg, we MUST leave him out and rest him for the CC final a week later.”
Will never happen.
@ DAG: I recall you swearing that Wenger would buy a CB this January if Vermaelen is out.
Needless to say I was completely right.
————————————————————–
Re: Kyle Bartley.
He matters because Wenger has constructed a situation where there is NO OTHER CB at the club. Bartley is far more advanced right now than Miguel Ignasi. No one would be mentioning Bartley if Wenger had just gone out and got a CB in.
————————————————————–
As for the Carroll, Torres, Suarez deals. How does it really matter to you all. Liverpool BROKE EVEN. They sold Babel and Torres and got Suarez and Carroll. Nobody lost money in the deals yesterday other than Abramovitch’s pocket being 70 m lighter. Newcastle and Ajax (both small teams) are recharged financially. I dont believe in “trickle-down” economics but this is good for them.
Homing in on the Carroll/Chamakh comparison … Carroll is def. far more dynamic than Chamakh and is def. more useful in the EPL. I will bet you right now that Carroll will outgun Chamakh 5:1 on goals per minute played for the rest of the season.
Your end of that bet might be a bit unfair though seeing that Chamakh doesnt look like he will ever score again.
@Fred,
Fred,
I said what I said based on what was being released by the club. Sorry, the club and its manager seem to think we are okay defenceively.
While the statistics seem to bear that out – cover in terms of depth would’ve been warranted. However, not signing a CB given how well our make shift defence is doing doesn’t seem like bad business right now.
It’s all well and good to criticize based on what you thought would happen. There are people on this board that said we would struggle to be in 4th place based on the moves made by Wenger. Well, we are hardly struggling and we are fighting for 4 competitions.
So in terms of how our club is doing I would say the manager, the rabid AKBs and the club know best – so far.
The YoungGunsBlog did an excellent write up on the transfer window and paid specific attention to Kyle Bartley – and i quote:
“The transfer baffled some Arsenal fans, but Europa League football, the prospect of playing Celtic three times and a Cup final to look forward to in the next few weeks, add up to a solid experience building move.”
In other words Bartley is going to play more and in bigger games than he would if he sat on the bench waiting for an injury to happen.
As for Chamakh v Carroll – I will take that bet. $50 USD to the charity of choice. Caroll still has to get up off the trainer’s table. He’s out and won’t be playing for the foreseeable future.
As for his “dynamic” ability – how much of Newcastle have you watched? I watch a lot of them as they are the team my wife supports – he is a good and talented youngster – he likely will be a star and under Dalglish may blossom. But he has a problem with his feet (much like our Morroccan) and doesn’t score or shoot with them. He is a force and a body in the air and that is about it.
I am not concerned what other clubs do. I was merely pointing out that I find it ridiculous to pay 35 million for an unproven quantity and 50 million for a player who is either injured as much or more than our own player of glass.
You don’t like my opinon – don’t read it.
@DaAdminGooner,
Oh stop acting all upset, you were the one angrily attacking me when I told you all that 1) Vermaelen would not return and 2) Wenger will NOT buy a CB no matter what.
You attacked me as a doom-monger and said that Wenger will SURELY buy if Vermaelen is out. That is the story here.
You were wrong and I was right.
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I am looking forward to the match today. Everton have always been one of the 3-4 other English teams I like to cheer for when they’re not playing Arsenal (despite the shit-bag Neville). Not sure what to expect in terms of match outcome: I’ve given up trying to speculate on that type of thing this season. It’s impossible.
DAG, as for your comments and stats about Arsenal’s defense, with regard to their transfer dealings (or lack thereof), I agree with you that loaning out all those youngsters is not a problem as they were never going to play for even the ‘B’ team anyways. I also agree that our defense has played very well this year. Statistically speaking (which is the best way to measure them), they are amongst the very best in England.
But it is not the quality that worries me, and I don’t think it is what worries anyone else. It is the depth. Depth = quality in reserve, and we don’t have that. The back-ups don’t have to be as good as the regulars, but you don’t want to see the type of drop-off in quality that characterizes our CB back-ups. That (along with the evidence that is the 07/08 season) is why I firmly believe Wenger should have bought a CB. (Still haven’t made up my mind about whether he is ignorant of his managerial shortcomings, or knowledgeable of them but stubborn nevertheless.)
@Ozi,
Your post on the previous topic was the first I heard of Michael Bradley going to England on loan, so thanks for that info. I agree that his game is taylor-made for the EPL, and as a Yank, his move excites me. He is a superb box-to-box CM in my opinion and I think he will be the leader of, and most important player on the US team in the future.
DAG, I agree. Ideally I too would want a CB for cover. And ideally, a loan move as Wenger pointed out. Problem though is – a quality CB, why would any team want to loan him out? A not so quality CB who is available for loan, why would we want to loan a player like this at the first place?
Despite of his professor image, if there is anything I learned about Wenger over the years, he is a very strong man, mentally. Intelligent, strong, clam and never panic. The cliche “Arsene knows” is lame. But I have learned so much from him, not in terms of football management, but more so of his way of dealing with things, and his school of thoughts.
Finally, here’s a quote I love very much –
“People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Worship,” The Conduct of Life, 1860
DAG – many excellent points in your write up.
so to digress on yesterday……
Sachin Reply:
February 1st, 2011 at 01:57
@Arsession, how many times have Arsenal played to their potential over the last few years? Not much. Was injury a big part of that? To a good extent. Is that an adequate consolation? Not really. I just think 1-2 players could have been added as a safety measure in case more injuries pile up. I can’t imagine Arsenal going thru the rest of the season without any more injuries. I just would have liked some temp loan signings because who knows what will happen in the summer with Cesc and maybe Arshavin.
Sach……we have never played to our potential in the last 5-6 years. At least I can’t remember.
Why? Not so much injury (imo) but…..
Because we are a team composed of players who are years from reaching their prime.
Fab, Szczesny, Gibbs, Kos, Dj, Ver, Wilshere, Ramsey, Song, Denilson, Cesc, Theo, Vela, Bendtner, and Diaby: 25 or much under. vP, Sagna, Clichy – just
entering their prime years. Arshavin, Rosicky, Almunia, and Squil – already there.
Why won’t our manager bring in more experienced depth to handle all the competitions? I’ll speculate that he’s blooding these core youngsters…….forcing them to step up and perform under pressure situations WITH THE LIKELY HOOD THAT THIS DECISION WILL RESULT IN (necessary) FAILURES.
As Fred has pointed out, our roster is bare bones, when you consider all the injuries we can expect – based on the past 3 years.
If Song gets injured, then Diaby and Denilson will have to step up and perform. If , one of our CB’s is injured, then Squil, Kos, or Song is used temporarily. As a fan, we would prefer for the player stepping up to have a more solid foundation of performance (over Diaby, Denilson, Eboue). Yet, the manager has consistently show his confidence that these players will achieve for the club.
Everton will be a very difficult fixture – even at the Emirates. Their recent form is impressive, even in the absence of Cahill. Arteta has the service to exploit our back line and the Fellaini is a terrific player (IQ and skill).
If we don’t press for 90 minutes, and force them into mistakes, it will be a long evening.