If Jens Lehmann is the answer, exactly what IS the question?
“Arsenal have a goalkeeper emergency at the moment. I’ll gladly step in.” – Jens Lehmann to Das Bild
If media reports are true, then Arsenal are set to tender 41 year old former keeper the chance to return to the team as Manuel Almunia’s backup until Wojiech Szczesny returns for the last few games of the season. At first blush this looks to be one of those moves that leves you scratching your head and going – WTF?
But if you dig down, there might be other more practical reasons why Wenger is (as reported) reaching out to Jens Lehmann. First let’s just remember. He was the spine of one our most glorious moments in club history. He was also not without some glaring errors that left the team blushing. What ever you think in the scant 5 years he was at the club he a personality of magnitude. Soon after leaving the club he went back to the Bundesliga. And it was June of last year that he finally decided to retire after his illustrious career was certainly over.
My name is Jens . . . I win things.
But the “mad man” looks to be back as a player. However, we didn’t need to go far to look for him as he is actually working with Arsenal as a coach working with young keepers. He is working on coaching badges so he is right there with Wenger and the possibility of Wenger reaching out to him doesn’t seem so unlikely. As a matter of fact I would say Jens was likely Wenger’s first choice after Szczesny.
Say what you will about Jens – he is a winner and he is vocal. Of those two things there should be no doubt. He is exactly the kind of personality this team needs right now at this particular moment. To me it is that kind of presence – that one singular presence that can just absolutely shred teammates when they are slacking, or pull them together when the chips seem stacked against. Whatever, they need that person.
Jack Wilshere likely at some point will be that person. So too maybe Aaron Ramsey but at their age it is asking too much. Van Persie is not a vocal leader. He is the quite strap the team on his back type. That is how he leads. And Cesc is also a performance leader. As much as I love the lad, he just doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who is sitting in the locker room yelling at people to get their acts together.
Finally, our manager is a cerebral leader. I don’t suspect he does many “blow drier” speeched ala Fergie. I suspect they may happen once in a blue moon. No Wenger’s style is to be a father to the team. Make them see their potential and strive for it rather than challenging and calling them on it. And you know what, there is nothing wrong with that, especially when you have the bad cop or let’s say vocal cop in the team.
I’m going to be honest – I love this move for exactly why I theorize it has happened. Sure, this is a problem that could be addressed by bringing in a “mature winning type player.” But is it. Being new on a team even if you are a star is not an easy task of becoming the vocal leader for it. You have to be part of a team and for some time you have to follow what is going on the team and fill that void after you have only proven yourself. That is why bringing in someone isn’t always the answer.
Jens comes to Arsenal with instant credibility. There isn’t anyone in that room who doesn’t know him. Even new boys Squilly and Koosh will know who he is. He has done the deed and know what it takes. He is going to call it like he sees it. Hell this is a guy I would offer the player/coach role to in an instant.
Sure it smacks of desperation. But if going down to one available keeper from four isn’t desperate I don’t know what is. Sure it is likely some area Wenger should’ve covered with more proven players before. That’s not his plan right now. Take it for what it is. It is a chance for us to be thoroughly entertained by one hell of an Arsena player.
Oh, and one other plus I don’t want to leave out – when was the last time we actually all thought Almunia had what it took to be a star keeper? When he was trying to keep Jens Lehmann on the bench.
By the way next season’s old timer signing will be none other than Dennis Bergkamp. Let’s see RvP hit the word work after he comes in and steals his place.
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interesting to have mad jens back in an arsenal kit. however, diaby is unavailable again. while i’d love to see diaby at his best, it’s unlikely to ever happen as he can’t remain fit long enough to find his best form.
arsenal announced significant losses so we look unlikely to win the profit league this year. it seems quite a bit different when you don’t make so much in transfer funds. perhaps arsenal does’t have as much money as people believe. not sure that the board weren’t waiting for a negative result as an excuse to raise ticket prices.
wenger announced he never believed vermaelen would recover this season. many of us believed the same after a while. i mentioned a few months back that the worst thing that could have happened to vermaelen was for him to partially rupture and not a complete rupture. with that kind of injury, you’ve got to have the maturity to sit down and heal. young jocks simply don’t have that maturity. the biggest problem i have is if wenger really believed that, why didn’t he buy someone else in january. if arsenal fail to win the league because of a lack of defenders, he’ll have a chance to explain himself to fans.
steve, i feel your pain. i love everything about football, including talking about it with others. when i first came to aa, all we used to talk about was arsenal football. but after a few bad results, some of us started talking about things other than football and all of us got kicked off the aa site as a result. it really is a damn shame when you’re new to the game and are denigrated because your ideas or opinions differ from others. surely you’ve noticed the attrition as most people don’t have time for nonsense, but kudos to you for staying in the fight. personally, i like “pussies” because it’s funny. my sense of humor is clearly jaded.
I’m happy overall with the CL draw. The chances of one of our 3 main rivals lifting the trophy has been significantly diminished because of it. Since Chelsea and Man U are playing each other, it obviously means one of them will go out. Spurs would also have to get past BOTH Spanish sides. Call me crazy, but I give them a 50-60% chance against Real. Barca will kill them though. The only downside of the draw is that whoever wins the all-English QF will almost for sure win the ensuing SF against either Schalke or Inter. The odds of anything other than a Spain v. England final are slim, IMO.
@ChicagoGooner,
I think Inter has a very good shot at beating either of the two English teams. Remember, neither Chelsea nor Man U are that great.
Plus Inter still have a few of their injureds to return … plus they’ve got Eto’o and Sneijder. Sure they have defensive problems, but these are the same players who did the business defensively last season, so if they do a bit more work there, things change.
And I doubt Spurs can beat Madrid with Mourinho at the helm.
Personally, I predict an Inter-Barca final.
@Fred,
Perhaps I am underestimating Inter. I keep forgetting Rafa is not their coach anymore…
New quote of the day from our Delusional Twat of a manager:
“I never expected him (Vermaelen) to be back before the end of the season.”
Sigh.
Now that the party is over… I would like to give my opinion of the Man U game.
We were unlucky, really ;-) . I have not checked the stats but we must of had as much shot on goal as they did, well maybe not but it could have easily have been us that went through after that game.
I do not think that was bad considering we started with Double Disaster aka Denilson and Diaby. 2-0 to ManU away from home is nothing to be ashamed of really, it is not as if they outclassed us or anything like that.
But what is does show is a reoccurring pattern with us always looking so vulnerable on the break and them looking so comfortable as they subtly park the…. minibus.
Nothing for the anyone to get depressed over… you know, shit happens and all.
The worst thing that happened was Djourou’s injury, really unfortunate again, but just another of those shit happens moments ;-) It would be nice to have had Bartley available as cover or rather an alternative to Squilla but either way things are always going to drop down a level when you are introducing a 3rd string player to replace our most outstanding DF this season.
I am not going to talk about the poor performers, I am sure there has been enough comments on that but I will say Aaron Ramsey looked really bright when he came on so I hope he can help patch up the void in the MF with the DD performing so badly.
@arfameister,
“We were unlucky” meet “Shit happens”.
Mad Jens back in an Arsenal shirt, wow! Contrary to popular opinion I thought he was a terrible GK apart from one or two seasons (the world cup year being one, he was outstanding then).
People seem to forget the amount of errors he used to make especially in his first season. I think we were the first team to win the EPL without a decent keeper. But hey like Eboue he will be written in Arsenal folklore mostly for the wrong reasons.
I still think he is a good signing as a back up option to Big Al though, probably no one else we can call on with the transfer window closes anyway.
Don’t quite know what’s going on….I expected to be shouted down for my last post, but maybe as Vibe indicated there is some new posting protocol (which I haven’t seen)….
Anyhow, the CL draw is in and it’s Chelsea-United (winner to face the winner of Schalke-Inter) and Spurs-Real Madrid, winner to face Barca (assuming they can get past Shaktar, which I guess would finally indicate that they ARE better than us…..)
So a big 1/4 final showdown between the English giants and a semi showdown between the Spanish ones (assuming that Spurs roll over for Jose and Cristiano….)
But the games must acutally be played….
My hope for Arsenal is that our boys actually watch the matches to feel the pain of missing out, while trying to take care of the dirty business we still have….starting with (another “cup final” of our own) tomorrow in the Black Country…..
@highburyterracesteve, well, I am sure Cesc and probably Nasri will be playing CL football with someone else next season!
:)
So they aren’t sweating it anyway!
@stag133, Don’t know which one to respond to…. (Try another browser, I use Mozilla….Unless, of course, you really feel that you prefer to comment twice….)
“I am sure Cesc and probably Nasri will be playing CL football with someone else next season!”
Not saying you’re wrong, but weren’t you equally sure that Cesc was leaving last summer?
And of course, with his twangy hammy thingee, he’s not playing that much football for us as it is….
Just saying…..
@highburyterracesteve, well, I am sure Cesc and probably Nasri will be playing CL football with someone else next season!
:)
So they aren’t sweating it anyway!
For the CL draw, it would be nice if Man Utd got Barca and Chelsea got Real, or Man Utd got Real and Chelsea vs Barca. Those draws should give Man Utd and Chelsea a bit of a workout, not to mention the British press a chance to resume their verbal love making with Jose. That should also ensure Arsenal would drift away from the headlines and that might give the team some time to get their act together. Pressure and this team are not best friends.
Anything would be fine as long as Man Utd do not get Schalke or Shakhtar. I rather Schalke and Shakhtar play each other.
Well, I’ll start by ceasing with the silly acronyms…..And in truth all I’m seeking is a respectful debate about whatever we feel like discussing when it comes to the club we love…..
My point about player purchases is that the club has been buying. Maybe not to the level some would like, nor in the areas some have identified, but regularly. In my short time we’ve bought Nasri, Sagna, Eduardo, Arshavin, Vermaelen, Koscielny and Squillaci and acquired Chamakh on a free. That said, the club clearly wants to develop from within, which seems to provide a constant shifting of focus to a future which never (quite) arrives. It’s especially frustrating at the moment as the English competition has never seemed weaker. A couple of key buys in January might have shown our ambition to grasp the low hanging fruit….
Even so, I fear the team is not there yet and it’s more than plugging a couple of holes. The injury problem, which I associate with trying to develop talent that is too young, is massive and recurrent. The lack of leadership is also huge and we need some promising young defenders (TV5, DJ, Sneezy) to stay fit AND prove themselves on the pitch over time. We also need to (somehow) create a notion that Arsenal is where players want to find their sucess. All of these things will take time, which many supporters seem to be very short on these days.
Nonetheless, I still find the club’s contrarian perspective appealling, and better than just praying for a sugar daddy to come in with big money.
There’s plenty more to discuss, of course, but for now, I’ll leave it at that, and hope that maybe we can do so in a civil way, without resorting to banal, simplifying labels….
@steve,
As he often is, I believe kiwi is correct in saying that you’re not an AKBer. The easiest way to tell that is you continue posting, no matter what is happening (not merely when the team is doing well).
And, as I’ve said before, a level of name-calling on here *sometimes* makes me uncomfortable. Between people with whom it goes back and forth, meh. But I don’t recall you ever calling names, so for my taste, you don’t deserve to be on the receiving end. But it’s also fair to say that length of posts doesn’t really equate to respect. I do think there’s some obfuscation/complication of things that are kinda clear-cut.
For instance, the idea that’s it’s merely ‘pithy’ to suggest we can go out and find (relative) bargain players suggests a certain shrug-the-shoulders-they-must-be-doing-the-best-they-can mentality. Which walks the line of ‘I’m not an AKBer, I just play one on TV’.
Arsenal is one of the biggest, richest, MOST PROFITABLE clubs in the world. It’s not merely ‘pithy’ to suggest our resources could be utilized to have filled holes in ‘the project’ (TM, E. Petit), is it? By proof of the ‘talent’ that has and/or has not been brought in over the last 3/4/5/6 seasons, is it not fair to say (at this point) those resources have been squandered/misused, at best? Consciously underutilized, at worst?
That’s not pithy, is it? Just an simple observation of reality, based on the evidence.
You seem like a good guy. Frankly, you do a better job than most of at least trying to keep the tone high here. Hopefully, I’ve done a good enough job of interpreting the new posting regs so that this one will remain up long enough for you to see it.
Stevo’s not an AKB, he’s been expressing a range of thoughts for quite some time, and certainly hasn’t been an apologist for the current establishment.
We’re in a bit of a low patch, I sense everyone feels they’ve expressed their opinions on many ocassions and repeating them seems a bit futile and boring for other readers. Our club’s agenda and strategy seems pretty well set and unlikely to change unless the manager moves on or up….. or does the unlikely and wins something again.
A month or so ago I said I feared this side had gone as far as it could. Then we reached the CC final and I thought I might have to happily eat humble pie. And then we lost!!! And lost and lost. So perhaps I was right after all :-)
I’ve gotten pissed off at Wenger countless times over the last 3 seasons, but the Board’s decision to raise the prices of what are already the most expensive football tickets in the world by 6.5% angers me more than anything Wenger has done. You know there’s got to be life-long Arsenal fans, people who may as well have been born on the North Bank, who’ve been season ticket holders for years- perhaps even decades- who at some point will have to take the decision not to renew because they can not afford it.
The most delusional, most incredible and most ridiculous manager in world football history:
GUESS WHO?!
“It’s a very, very difficult schedule. It’s been very difficult for the players but they have never shown any sign of weakness mentally. Even on Saturday they have put in absolutely every effort and can only be proud of how much they fought.”
“Nobody in England believed we could even fight for the top four. The fact we are in the position we are in I think deserves a lot of credit.”
“I don’t know [if winning it now would be my greatest achievement]. I let other people judge my performances. The only thing I can say is that I’m ready to give absolutely everything to do it.”
———————————————
OK, AKBs come defend your master !!!!
@Fred,
“I let other people judge my performances… but never till the end of the next season.”
The Arsenal Supporters Trust are not too happy with Arsenal FC’s supposed 6.5% price increase…
and ask them to think again… as folks are out of work… the economy isn’t exactly booming… and the AFC is going to the well again trying to suck more blood from the fans…
all this on the backs of another collapse on the pitch in the last few weeks.
—
Apparently Vermaelen has suffered 6 SET-BACKS in his recovery… and still has no idea when he will be able to play again.
Amazing.
@stag133,
Add the fact that matchday merchandise, food, jerseys and all will each get a significant increase as well. Despite the fact, Arsenal fans pay the HIGHEST prices in world football as it is.
All for what? All for the opportunity to watch Denilshit and Eboue strut their stuff on a weekly basis. By next season, we wont even have our only world-class player (Fabregas) to watch.
And the AKBs would come out singing … “kumbaya wenger, kumbaya”.
———————————————————————
Re: Vermaelen …. what is shocking about this. I predicted this way back in very early January. Infact, I would even extend my prediction further and say we might not see him this calendar year (not till 2012!) …. so Wenger better keep that in mind when planning in the summer!
Needless to say I dont expect him to.
@Fred, to me, what’s shocking… is that his injury was in AUGUST…. and he’s missed the entire season… and when he got injured, that was NOT even a possibility.
@Fred, Fred, next season… if Wenger is still here, the same AKBers will say the same exact things… echoing whatever Wenger is selling…
Cesc will be “Judas”… Wenger will have made Nasri, and Nasri disrespects him by wanting to leave….
all the same shit …
And we’ll be no closer to winning a trophy… and we’ll likely be far further away without Cesc.
@stag133,
And if Arsenal is near the top of the league next January,. they’ll be out in full force crowing ‘Told you so!!! It’s all coming together now!!! See??? Wenger was right!!!!!”
Just like the previous three Januaries.
I didn’t get to watch the CL matches yesterday but they sounded good….a wide open, barn burner in the finals rematch and some squeaky bum for United….Overall, I feel pain that we’re down to a match per week and I really can’t see us matching United all the way until the “showdown” event on May Day (and then beating them, and holding our nerve in the remaining ones….) But that’s just me….
Given my low feelings (and the lack of commentary here among the regulars) I’m inclined to throw out some meta-narrative about Arsenal and the “project.”
I read this the other day. http://www.arsenalreport.com/2011/03/the-mighty-transition-why-arsenal-havent-won-anything-in-6-years/comment-page-2/#comment-273 and I have a feeling that if others do likewise we’ll see some renewed frothing….It proposes that there is a vision and a plan and some underlying rationale….on the part of the board and its manager. I realize that many will only skim it and dismiss it (and me, for some reason) as more AKB BS, but my hope is that we might try and go a little deeper….
I think some parts are reasonable. The influx of Billionaire money has skewed things (esp. in the transfer market) in a massive way and I think long term supporters really have a hard time wrapping their heads around this fundamental idea. In light of upcoming ticket price increases (our bottom line is NOT being helped by the early cup exits….) some will surely go on (and on, and on….) about the profit cup and all that, but I really don’t think it’s all about putting money in the pockets of board members. At this point I’m still convinced that there is a real desire for Arsenal to be an all conquering club….The article argues that it’s all about the timeline….
As much as the fans believe we can buy our way to trophies, I think the club itself has UNDER-estimated the effect of new (and irresponsible) money on the game. If a player arrives at Barca or Real Madrid or Chelsea or ManCity (and perhaps the Milan Clubs and Bayern) it’s time to put up or shut up….Not so (at least not yet….) at Arsenal, and if you look at the players who’ve left for those clubs (or flirted with them) you can see some glaring holes that our young boys have yet to (completely) fill.
I also think that there are some other elements that warrant further examination, starting with our absurd (and recurrent) injury problems. An over-reliance on youth may be a huge part of our incessant injury issues, and perhaps players need to be judged (and signed) on their innate talent/potential AND their ability to adjust to injury. For example, Fernando Torres may have 50 million pound talent, but, after sustaining the injuries he’s had, is he now worth that figure? By signing talented young players (often foreigners who are used to a less combative footballing culture) aren’t we banking on their talents (as judged when they’re very, very young) being developed intact, rather than them having to adjust their games to the injuries that playing in England inevitably brings. As many have argued, we pay them (relatively) big, they get hurt, and then we hope they come good. They may come cheap, but over time it doesn’t always remain that way. Is it a reasonable approach? (Of course published contract data would help us immensely in analyzing these matters) One thing you can say about an older, more proven player such as Andrey Arshavin (who may now be WELL past it) is that (inch for inch, especially) he is an iron man…..
Anyhow, those are just a couple of issues and my take on it. (Thanks for reading….) I keep HOPING things bounce our way and that we can round the corner and I definitely don’t think the Arsenal plan is the worst one around, (and it certainly is DIFFERENT….) but maybe my more jaundiced (or more positive) colleagues have additional insights….
@highburyterracesteve,
Sorry HTS, that is AKB BS. Your talking about Chelsea and Man City’s spending means you and the other AKBs STILL dont get it. What does other club’s spending have to do with Arsenal buying a 5-10 mill CB or CM?
As I said, nonsensical AKB BS!
Do you also wish to cheer for the 6.5% increase in ticket prices and the new astronomical increase in merchandise prices? Its an AKB’s duty to! ;-)
@Fred,
Fred/Vibe, etc:
What’s funny is that you guys (I’m pretty sure) are actually far more “optimistic” than I am. The team sucks, I keep saying it, and yet I’m just another AKB baby who thinks everything is OK….
Sorry, but bringing in a 10 million pound, back-up CB in January (name please….) or a 3 million pound keeper (Schwarzer) in August, would have done nothing IMO….Sure, Gary Cahill in the squad would be nice (David Luiz, even nicer….), but both those guys would’ve cost more than Liverpool paid for Luis Suarez! These mythical 5-10 million pound players are just that. Sometimes they come good (Sagna for example–who has relegated Eboue to a squad player, but other times not so much—Squillaci, or Kolscielny, etc.) Fred, I know you favored Mahamadou Diarra as a possible DM (ain’t no such thing at Arsenal, by the way, for the 10th time….) and he might have been had for a reasonable fee (and his high salary would’ve fit right in our squad–you do realize these items also need to be accounted for….) Instead he went to Monaco where he’s made all of 5 appearances this season….Check out the prices that players like Alonso or Barry or Ramires commanded and then evaluate how happy you’d be with them playing as they have in our squad….In other words (Vibe), tell me how we work a middle ground (that we’re not already working)?
The objection to buying a ready-made player like Arshavin SHOULD be that the only reason we bought him is because we were nervous about 4th place that season–And that we didn’t buy a real impact player or three this summer (but who and for how much? And it’s all freaking guess work, isn’t it? ) Arshavin did his job, but now (and I believe he made Fred’s list of “must gos”) I agree that we should sell him on….(and hopefully not for the 15 million pound loss that Fred is willing to accept, while HOPING that he can carry the team during the run-in….LOL, as people sometimes say….)
Likewise, In my opinion (again) winning the Carling Cup, while a nice thing to have accomplished, wouldn’t mean that we’re suddenly all that. We blew it, no doubt, and there’s a carry over effect, but it wasn’t going to bring us to a whole other level, where our aspirations lay…..maybe if Freddy’s boy, Nicky B. could’ve done better than that backpass to Valdes, I’d feel better about things, but even if he had, I still believe we would’ve run into one of the (several) better teams and the big trophy would go begging.
My point is, I think many in the Sack Wenger Brigade (SWaBs?) are actually underestimating how bad the team really is. (We’re only where we are because of huge implosions all around us…..) Though I hope I’m wrong, I’d have to say that I think we have zero chance of winning the league this season, and I would be well pleased with a top three finish (and at least a draw at Spurs). I think we’ve got some deep problems, which I’ve tried to enumerate, but nobody wants to discuss those…..Instead it’s just “You AKB babies, waaaahh, waaahhh, waaahhh….”
It boring and it’s juvenile but if it’s all you can do, I can just work my “ignore poster” function and write up my thoughts when I feel like it, or head elsewhere. IMO, it’s disrespectful to DAG, who has put a lot into the site. It’s also disrespectful to me and other posters here….
Sorry, I don’t support the club’s decision to raise prices (like the club, I prefer bargains….), but if I can make it over to London, I’ll pay what I have to in order to see the team play. In a free market disgruntled supporters can vote with their feet….I’d argue that the most vocal on this site (those who can’t be bothered to respond with more than, “Ooh you’re an AKB, you’re an AKB, Ooh, ooh….” are hedging their bets. If the team ever does win, you’d better not jinx it by actually enjoying the experience….
More winky face again, and I really do want to respect EVERYBODY here, but you guys actually need to back it up with more than the usual taunts. Really, it’s just as easy to view the contrary positions as the whinings of children who’ve played too much fantasy league or football manager or whatever. You know: buy everybody, let them compete and sit ’em down if they can’t do the job. I might as well sum it up as “Pissed Until Someone Spends Insane (Emir-style) Shit….”
In other words…..PUSSIES!
@highburyterracesteve,
ONCE AGAIN, completely sidestepping the argument and writing a bible to obscure the facts.
99% of players in the world cost less than 10 million.
Of all that, there is NOBODY better than Denilshit, Eboue, Diaby? Nobody in Europe who can do a job in CB or on the wings?
Keep on drinking the Kool Aid.
@highburyterracesteve,
And dont talk nonsense about wages. Diarra was earning 40kpw at Madrid. That is 50% LOWER than Denilshit, Eboue, Diaby, Almunia and co earn at Arsenal.
And no, Diarra is/was not the only option. Arsenal has a scouting network that costs millions to maintain.
@Fred, The pussies always have an answer, bow down before the great pussy in the sky…..
Thank Freaking god, Diarra wasn’t the only answer. And tell me where to find the salary data, please, without Nipuna here on the site (voted with his feet, I guess….) I need some information….Sorry, I’m having a hard time believing that the guys you mention are on 80,000 pounds/week, but, if you’re right, I shall salute you…..And our “multimillion dollar scouting system”, again more info needed…..
And technically you’re right, most players cost well less than 10 million pounds….We just need to find the right ones—-this IS a brilliant thought….and so pithy….i.e., please pardon the length of my posts….for some reason (respect, perhaps….) I like to do more than just call names (PUSSY!) and make up BS responses…..
Seriously though, do tell if ALL purchases (BY WENGER, would that be…..or is it now the scouting team or Gazidis or god?….) are up to your standards or have they all been crap?
(Actually I am interested, but there I go again, showing respect for others on the board…..)
@highburyterracesteve,
Are you nuts?
Wages as reported in the freaking spanish media.
In Spain, the clubs are required by law to disclose yearly wages of players on their roster. And the press publish those.
There is a reason why our wage bill is actually at par with that of Madrid. Madrid only pay high wages to their top stars. Unlike us who pay good money to garbage.
And no, if our shit players that I mentioned earn 50% more than 40k that isnt 80k, that is 60k …. sheesh!
Ofcourse to entrenched AKBs like you, NOBODY in Europe can be better than the garbage we have trotted out for 6 years straight.
This time next year, clown AKBs would still come out and you will say exactly the same thing you are saying now. Drivel.
Keep on drinking and bathing in the Kool Aid. Wenger needs those dollars.
@highburyterracesteve, so, if it is difficult to find a “bargain” player… or a player 10 Million or under… then the answer is…
DO NOTHING? Just go with the shit you have?
They have scouts, don’t they? Why not TRY to improve the team in the areas that need improvement… the areas that almost EVERYONE agreed on…
When you make the profits Arsenal FC make, there is FUCK ALL as an excuse… other than outright GREED!
As is evidenced by a 6.5% increase in ticket prices, when we haven’t won SHIT in 6 years, and the team are bunch of dissapointments AGAIN.
FUKING GREED.
No winky face. No smily face… just another PISSED OFF Supporter.
@highburyterracesteve, so, if it is difficult to find a “bargain” player… or a player 10 Million or under… then the answer is…
DO NOTHING? Just go with the shit you have?
They have scouts, don’t they? Why not TRY to improve the team in the areas that need improvement… the areas that almost EVERYONE agreed on…
When you make the profits Arsenal FC make, there is FUCK ALL as an excuse… other than outright GREED!
As is evidenced by a 6.5% increase in ticket prices, when we haven’t won SHIT in 6 years, and the team are bunch of dissapointments AGAIN.
FUKING GREED.
No winky face. No smily face… just another PISSED OFF Supporter.
@highburyterracesteve,
As Fred says, it’s constantly painted as ‘Well, you want us to bring in EVERYONE? Spend $50/100 million dollars like (they) do? Drive the club into DEBT, like (they) are????’
No. No one wants that. No. One. This extreme argument is just a deflection from a much more simple, reasonable reality.
We want him to spend SOME money in the same, few KEY spots we’ve wanted him to for three years. That’s been the failure of the project. It’s been painted as it has to be ONE or the OTHER, and there’s plenty of room in-between that’s gone unexplored.
Big-game Samuel Eto’o at it again with a goal and 2 crucial assists.
Javier Hernandez an up and comer as well.
Imagine if that was Arsenal defending a dicey 2-1 lead at home against Marseilles knowing that the next goal could take us out. Would we have survived?
@Fred,
Man U did what Bayern could not. Up 3-1 agg. at half-time today, and at home, they conspired to lose. You might say they pulled an Arsenal.
FYI – I think I know what is wrong with the editing and other commenting features. One of the mice in the back room accidentally may have deleted the WP Widget that runs it.
As soon as I remember which Widget it was, I will replace it or put a whole new commenting system in. Either way figure a day or so for me to figure it out.
The Swiss FA has issued a statement on Johann Djourou’s injury. Basically it is less worse than manager or club feared and JD may be available to the Swiss for their March 26 friendly.
Whic either means:
1 JD is more durable than any other Arsenal player
2. The injury is not serious
3 arsenal no longer know how to predict when a player will be back and assume worst case each time.
3a. The Arsenal medical staff is inept
4. The Swiss want a name in their lineup – Arsenal be damned
We shall see
First the only thing that has changed about Jens is this time he knows he is only here as a backup. That madness and passion still rages. I caught a couple Arsenal matches in Germany and he was commentating – he truly has a love for the club but is still very capable of being Jens. That never goes away
The question is: Name the last Arsenal player who didn’t think twice about shoving a Man Utd player into the boards?
Or name the last time an Arsenal player stood up for a team mate, especially when that team mate, the current captain, got punched in the back of the head?
Yes Mad Jens had his eccentric moments but he had a fire and anger that was useful at times. Ofcourse, that anger was dangerous as it was exploited by opponents and made to look like a liability. The anger side is one extreme and being completely passive and asleep is another extreme. The following quote from the Guardian story link posted by DAG is quite revealing:
The boss is trying to build a team of kind people,” says Almunia. “He wants easy-going people who have character. He doesn’t like arguments in the dressing room.”
Almunia’s words from 2008 also highlight another goal of the project — not only was the project meant to build a youth team with no experience but also a kind hearted, gentile team. In that sense, the project has another success against it. The team is so kind that they fell sorry for others and have no problem in providing goals for others. The team also has a very easy going character, so easy in fact that the players glide effortlessly through games as if they have a beer in one hand, a margarita in the other and are too afraid to make any sudden movements lest they spill something. Some players have no choice but to be easy going because they are trying to not get injured or they are playing despite being injured. If a player is playing even though he is injured, will he be anything but kind and caring?
Yet, the Jens that will return to Arsenal won’t be the mad one. He learned his lesson and was humbled publicly. After two back to back mistakes, his Arsenal career was finished. He was replaced by a man who has made 10 times more mistakes than Jens and has cost Arsenal more points than Jens ever did but still continues to stay at the club. I think Jens Lehmann has learned his lesson alright. He will know better than to get angry. He will most likely be an observer who will toe the party line.
After all, the last thing this Arsenal team needs is someone to tell them to wake up and save their season. No, the team needs to be nurtured and given love so that they can learn from their mistakes in their own time. The team has great mental character and they will bounce back, provided no one tells them to win a game. Winning is stressful and does not mesh with the kind character that is a corner stone of the project.
while it’s true that lehmann and almunia have a history, his return to arsenal will be under different circumstances. back then, lehmann was the man; without doubt, he was one of the world’s best. but he’s not that guy anymore. he’s not trying to be the number one or looking for a contract extension. he’s just looking to do a job for the club where he played his best football.
since his departure, lehmann has gone on record praising almunia for some good performances and saying he was fit to be the arsenal #1. i believe there will be a mutual respect and maybe even a picture together. we’ll see.
Henri Lansbury scores yet again for Norwich. He has pretty much scored the winner in each of the last few games he has played.
@DaAdminGooner,
Yeah he has the look of young Freddie Ljunberg. I like him (no homo).
If we got rid of the following nine:
Denilshit, Diaby, Rosicky, Squillaci, Eboue, Almunia, Bendtner, Asharvin
AND replaced them with the following currently on loan.
Lansbury, Frimpong, Coquelin, Bartley, JET, Vela, Mannone, Miyaichi …..
we would be better off just by having the team annoy its fans less.
That said, we would still NEED to get in 2-3 top quality players to really have the team as a proper trophy winning force.
But we REALLY need to clear the deadwood more than anything else.
@Fred, how many consecutive years do we have to say:
“we would still NEED to get in 2-3 top quality players to really have the team as a proper trophy winning force”
Only that happens is a new manager in charge.
@Fred,
See, Fred you and I can agree on something. . . I would get rid of everyone you said – but I might be inclined to keep Andrei.
I have been down on the lad but there is no denying his ability. The problem is – can he bothered. I think he goes. Word is that Juve are willing to offer £20 million for him.
I am still not 100% in Vela. Sure he has scored two goals for WBA, but his work rate needs vast improvement.
Other than that I can’t disagree with any of your changes.
THis is easy.
A) I am sure he costs very little, just like Sol Campbell did..
B) Even if he does play, and play well, he’s still going to retire again… no chance of him playing on for years and … thus won’t bury Wenger’s young kids.
No Cost, Doesn’t change Wenger’s plan…
He’s the perfect guy for Wenger & the Board.
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I dunno, DAG, I think we’re grasping at straws if we think Jens is going to provide the leadership necessary. Nonetheless, I like the move and I like the idea of Jens coaching the Poles and others in the future. As the Guardian article suggests, Mooney has come to terms with the level of respect he gets (none) and he’s been a model professional. He’s also has done well in these past two matches when rest of the team has given up after the first hour or so. Both scorelines, due to his good work, flattered us….
As I said in the last thread I think the only real chance we have is to play (and win) each match one at a time and the leadership we need must come from the Capitan. Cesc is the only player we’ve got who can put others through on goal while being able to make a chance for himself if the defense is overly focused on his passing. Jack’ll be there soon, but not quite yet and RVP, Nasri and Arshavin try to freeze opponents to create their own shot while trying the occasional 1-2. It’s good, sometimes, but not enough to carry the team. Diaby, Rosicky, Denilson….the less said, the better….
As others have mentioned, despite the (pre) assist to Iniesta, the Barca fans have turned on our boy, so now is the time for him to help us grind out a decent run-in. After that we bump up his salary and add a couple of years to the contract, much as we should with anybody who can get on the end of any Cesc-assists for big goals down the stretch….
Speaking of which, any news yet on why we saw no Super Nick on Saturday?
Personally, I think it’s quite a long shot for Cesc’s mind (not to mention his hamstrings) to get excited about the run-in, with Spring mud in places like West Brom, Bolton, Stoke, etc., far less inviting than sandy beaches on the Mediterranean….
@highburyterracesteve,
As far as I can tell Nicky was healthy butlisted as having the sniffles. I wonder if Nicky’s absence had more to do with his going out and partying only 24 hours after the defeat in Barcelona
Adds a bit of spark to proceedings, but it could all end up very anti-climactic if Big Al stays the course. Can’t see Jens being too happy if that happens(lustre might wear off for him too)
However it wouldn’t be Mad Jens if he didn’t get to play a spate of games and at some point find himself trying to get a last gasp winner/equaliser in the dying embers against United at home………..
@Mazza,
Ha. Or punching out an official two minutes in.
A guy who was more interested in himself than leading a team the last couple of years he was last here, suddenly being the stabilizing force we need? Seems kinda romantic to me.
Man, if *this* sideshow is what we have to get excited about…
@vibe4arsenal,
Arsenal fans have become rather adept at revisionism over the years. Part of an evolutionary process of some sort.
Great article from the Guardian . . . from 2008 on the feud between Almunia and Jens:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/apr/12/newsstory.sport8