A Game In Hand is Worth? Arsenal v Bolton; Match Preview
A Game In Hand is Worth 2nd Place
This is it! It’s here. The bloody match we’ve all been talking about. The one we’ve all been illuding to when there is a discussion about our position in the table and our position in the EPL title race. That’s right its time for the ever illusive game-in-hand to be played. It’s time for Bolton to come to the Emirates for their first EPL match up of the season.
I am not sure we can rehash the usual story that precedes matches recently – you know the one- a month ago we were out of the title race . . . We know that story. Well it’s a month later and despite all the obvious obstacles Arsenal find themselves right in the middle of the title race, securely in 3rd place and with a solid chance of moving into 2nd place and one point behind leaders Chelsea.
The Gunners face the Bolton Wanderers, a club in that is in turmoil. They are without a manager and will be led onto the pitch byassistant manager, Chris Evans and first team coach Steven Wigley.
Bolton when led by Big Same Allardyce were considered to be a bogey side for Arsenal. Either drawing them or forcing a long arduous battle for a point. Their last win however on Arsenal’s home turf was in 1994. As a matter of fact Bolton have only won 1 of their last 20 league matches in London. And to make matters worse this season they have only won once in their last 9 league matches.
These are not stats that put fear into the hearts of opponents. But if Leeds FA Cup win over Manchester United showed us anything, it showed us that no opponent should be underestimated.
The Gunners come into this match undefeated in their last 7 matches in all competitions. The squad that is beset with injuries and missing players scored 10 points in 3 matches and did not miss a beat in its holiday fixture set up.
Arsene Wenger has worked hard to keep his side focused on the task at hand. A win today leap frogs the team over Manchester United and places them in 2nd – 1 point behind Chelsea.
The early season scoring form has returned and once again many players are chipping in.But the one thing the last few matches has shown is the emergence of welsh wunder kid – Aaron Ramsey. In league matches and cup ties, the youngster is showing exactly why Arsene made such a stink out of signing the lad. While he does not yet possess the prowess of Cesc Fabregas, he is slowly placing his mark on the team.
He plays with a thought process in the game that is well beyond his years and experience. And he is not afraid of the tough stuff – something a lot of teams figure they can use to throw the team off its game. With Fabregas out for at least another week or so, Ramsey needs to become a dominant force in these next few mathes. We need to see that development continue. The game against Bolton offers him the chance to continue that development.
Also coming on lately is Eduardo. The crozillian with the soft ankle has managed to score in three matches in a row. While they have not all been beautiful, scoring leads to confidence and that is something Dudu has missed of late. Like Ramsey, Arsenal are going to need Eduardo to continue pushing this current form and he needs to become a central part of what the team do on the field.
Arsenal have worked hard to make the Emirates a fortress. Wth the exception of the loss to Chelsea, Arsenal have not lost at home. In the last three league matches at the Emirates, Arsenal have yet to concede a goal. With Bolton ruderless right now and in all sorts of disarray this an opponent that is ripe for the taking. And as you all know, I’ve said who cares what you do against the big four – its what you do against the lesser opposition that really counts. So far, Arsenal have done their job. They should do it again.
How It Should Play Out:
The real question is – will it play out. Bad weather has forced the cancellation of all the midweek Carling Cup fixtures. While the Emirates has a ground-heated pitch, roads and walkways around the stadium could be treacherous. With Bolton still reeling from the firing of Gary Megson and a permanant replacement yet to be found, the Wanderers are a team to take advantage of. I suspect we’ll see a match much like the most recent league matches, with Arsenal pressing and probbing until the right moment. Arsenal even with all their injuries will have two much quality for Bolton to handle.
Players to Watch:
Arsenal: Aaron Ramsey. With Cesc Fabregas out he has begun to show his worth. He has played solidly and plays years above his true age. Still prone to some mistakes he is quickly maturing and is likely the next big Arsenal star.
Bolton: Ivan Klasnic. Bolton’s leading scorer will need to step up big if the Wanderers are to pull out a draw or a shock defeat
Probable Starting XI’s:
Arsenal: Almunia, Gallas, Vermaelen, Sagna, Traore, Denilson, Ramsey, Diaby, Nasri, Arshavin, Eduardo
Bolton: Jaaskelainen, Cahill, Steinsson, Knight, Robinson, Taylor Muamba, Cohen, Lee, Davies, Klasnic
Injuries & Unavailable:
Arsenal: Bendtner (groin), Clichy (back), Djourou (knee), Fabregas (hamstring), Gibbs (foot), Song (Africa Cup of Nations), van Persie (ankle), Walcott (side strain)
Bolton: Davis (knee), O’Brien (knee), Riga (hamstring)
Match Officials:
Referre: Howard Webb
Assistant referees: Ceri Richards & Mike Mullarkey
Fourth Official: Kevin Friend
Recent League Form:
Arsenal: WWWDW
Bolton: DDWDL
Television Schedule:
US: Setanta/Setanta-i 2:45PM EST
UK: Sky Sports 1 1945BST
Online Feeds:
YouAreMyArsenal.com is not responsible for the content on any of these sites.
GAMEDAY CHAT: Will Be Open www.youaremyarsenal.com/gamedaychat
YAMA Prediction:
Arsenal: 3
Bolton: 0
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fabulosa rmante de preencia y diama con amoseniam cetopria. adiamos a mimondu y ssandrava centeal con inhaba estoub!
I am not sure why threads have disappeared. But it could do with the pesky Chav fan I am pissing on. M
I
Bill Shankley once said “Some people think football is a matter of life and death…I can assure them it is much more serious than that.
Tell that to the players of Togo.
Football is definitely NOT more serious than a matter of life and death.
A Togo player summed it up well “It’s disgusting to take bullets for a football match.”
I don’t know if they will cancel the tournament. But I think Togo is likely to pull out. Don’t think anyone of them is at the right mind to play anyway.
I think if I was a player for ANY of the teams involved I would think twice about playing in the tournament. Is it possible that you would get banned from the national team for not playing? Yes it would be a (slight) possibility, but I would rather be alive to play again than risk my life for a tournament.
They are saying the tournament WILL go on…
Can’t imagine Togo playing, so do they just disregard all their matches?
Odd number of teams…
its all meaningless when it comes to the loss of life really…
Anyone heard the breaking news? Togo national team was being fired on by machineguns. Will ANC still go ahead?
I bet Ade will watch his offsides now.
CRAZY.
Two players reportedly hit or injured.
I would doubt they play the ACoN with this happening.
Yeah, I didn’t realize there were injuries when I posted my comment. I tried to have it deleted, and thought it had been. My apologies.
I don’t see your comment?!
But does this have any effect on the World Cup?
I still see it, but it says “waiting moderation” now.
It’s probably way to early too judge fallout of the shooting. One thing is clear: there is no such thing as enough security to protect any of us from the truly crazy, evil people out there. Let’s just hope no one is permanently injured, and worry about games later.
the bus driver is dead, two players hit, and staff/doctors hit as well…
hard to see how the tournament can start or be played…
They will just have to play without Togo. But the show will go on.
A strange place to hold the ANC in the first place. Angola has not long come out of a civil war fueled by the likes of the former South Africa and Israel. You have child soldiers who have now become men and living in conditions of poverty that we can only imagine.
You can bet your bottom dollar that they will be looking to get paid whilst all these “wealthy” tourists are in town.
Children that have been forced into being killers will inevitably grow up with a an extremely damaged moral code and a lack of empathy. Hence you get so much violent robberies in places like Angola.
Too busy hating to be considerate.
and they are now saying SEVERAL people on the bus were hit/injured… not just two.
Ade was not hit. One of the Togolese players believes the team will pull out from the tournament as none of the players wants to play.
We even had a winter break from the weekend football here in India, I wonder why they can’t do it in England? :)
I am back in action on the pitch tomorrow morning. Hope to see you all on GDC tomorrow night.
let’s pray tomorrow’s match is on. There’s no guarantee at the moment..
Well, the postponed match(es?) combined with the open transfer window make for an antsy Arsenal supporter or two. Certainly compressing the season further only seems to justify having ample cover so we might be able rotate players into the squad…..
As always, I’m with the Hippy Optimists, Wenger Worshippers, Kool-aid Konsumer Klub, etc., believing that AW has the best interests of the club, both short-term and long-term at heart. The personnel issues in the squad are pretty clear and I believe we’ll see some movement here before too long. I actually feel there is growing consensus among most of the posters on this board about where we need to strengthen. Now it’s mostly a case of keeping our fingers crossed that the various options make themselves available or fall into place.
Disregarding OUR rumor of the day (Sol Campbell will be a better–or at least happier–back up in central defense than Senderos?!?) I’m heartened by some of the transfer dealings considered by our competition. First off, Liverpool, might swoop for Chamakh, paying well over AW’s valuation for a guy who will be off for free in the summer? Unlike our board and manager who move in a future-driven collaboration to make us one of the world’s most powerful and respected clubs, Liverpool live on their past reputation and both manager and owners will grasp at whatever short-term straw (and Chamakh is awfully thin….) might help them weather the momentary storm. And but for Torres’ last minute brilliance at Villa Park, it might be worse than the one currently canceling all the matches….
And then I love that the Billionaire clubs have the two Milanese managers who must come from relatively similar perspectives about who’s worth bringing into their (inherited) clubs. The financial might of Chelsea and ManCity may allow them to succeed in their short term goals, but longer term….well then you’re getting into ideas about clubs operating at a loss and how club football might need to change its whole financial model. And while some might argue that we’ve bought our team (for a whole lot less money, of course) I would argue that we are building something real and whatever we accomplish will be all the more sweet.
Somebody said, “The waiting is the hardest part,” so I would counsel patience. The snows will pass, games will be played, transfers will be made. Like all things, the next match, the transfer window, our season and our future will come and go; the future will become the past. In the meantime, hopefully, we live each moment to the fullest and enjoy ourselves….(blah, blah, blah…insert other platitude here, etc.)
So, when does “short term” end?
Chelsea is no longer short term, they have arrived, won titles and didn’t we just read they are not in debt?
They are here to stay as a power in England and world football.
We, on the other hand, are more questionable in regard to becoming a world football power… because we keep selling off our best players, and getting younger and younger.
If Man City’s owners have the money to spend, why do we care HOW they spend it?
If I were that wealthy, I certainly wouldn’t be worrying about what other people said or cared about in terms of my money.
“Somebody said, ‘The waiting is the hardest part’
Yeah, but it’s as if we’ve been in negotiations with Godot for the last few years.
Never thought I would see an obsure reference to “Waiting for Godot” on this site.
Not exactly football related, but such a wonderful picture
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8447023.stm
Winter break anyone?
It is a nice photo, but it doesn’t bode well for tomorrow’s match….Matches already being postponed all over the country….So maybe we are getting our winter break….but damn I need a little Arsenal…
“We have got the money. There is no question about that,” he said. “I just don’t see that player who can make a difference for us in terms of value or ability.”
Guess who?
Nope, not the usual suspect. Click on link for a nice surprise.
http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8652_5843123,00.html
OFF WITH HIS HEAD!!!!
Or is it a case that they’re running out of money?
I don’t think Fergie will stay on for long if they are running out of money.
Some transfer gossip make more sense than others.
Sendy swap with Louis Saha for six months?
Would have been ideal if not for Saha’s injury record.
If you pay attention, so many people have repeated what I said initially. I never said that we shouldn’t buy. I also never said it was impossible to buy experience. What I said was it’s “easier said than done” or something to that effect. I’m hearing “it’s not impossible” a lot. Similar theme; just with different words.
Fred, the “21 year old” was hypothetical as Arsenal have plenty of players around that age in the side; kinda like Gallas isn’t really 34.
If you look at Arsenal’s starting eleven, minus Gallas, Vermaelen, Sagna, and Arshavin, all of them started at Arsenal as a back-up. That’s where Wenger wants the meat and potatoes of his squad to come from.
For all of those hoping for Wenger’s head to roll, Gazidis has come out and said that he expects Wenger to continue with his prudent approach to buying. He also said that buying is not always the answer. Sound familiar? Maybe he’s already lost the plot too. Maybe we should sack him and Wenger. Or, maybe he’s invloved with the day to day affairs and actually knows what’s going on at the club, unlike any of us.
Lastly, or rather firstly, how do you buy a backup? Who in their right mind is willing to spend the best years of his career sitting on the bench at Arsenal when he could be playing elsewhere? There are countless player that have already left Arsenal because they couldn’t get into the team. Sol, Lauren, Kanu and Diarra all went to the same shitty team. Muamba, Pennant, and Larsson went to an even shittier team. Even Senderos is trying to leave. Sure, players might come in thinking they’re going to play but what happens when they don’t? Diarra was at Arseanl for less than six months. Gone.
So, to be clear, you’re saying that managing a World Class football team isn’t easy?
Man, I guess that’s why they get paid so much to do it.
V4A: You gotta feel sorry for AW, he works for peanut. Don’t you know? ;)
I doubt they’re going to come out and say in January, Arsene’s head is on the line!
Not exactly the way its done.
I wouldn’t care if we sacked Ivan, what’s he ever done at the club?
;)
Again, misrepresenting facts. Oh how “difficult” it is to find players … bla, bla!
IT IS THEIR FREAKING JOBS!
And stop the nonsense about nobody wanting to come in as backup at Arsenal.
In case you dont know Arsenal is a top 10 club in Europe.
90% of clubs do not have one-tenth of our budget and salaries.
Yet you want to convince us that we cant get better players in than Silvestre and the departing Senderos.
Stop drinking that nasty drink!
‘Dez I think I remember agreeing with you on this one before. I also felt Petit was the outstanding player of the duo too.
Petit and Vieria IMO was probably the best CM partnership we had. But it would be hard to bet against the ManU CM partnerships containing the mad dog Roy Keane and probably the best partner he had that I can think of, Paul Mad Dog Scholes as being the best in PL history.
No I’d take Petit/Vieira. Both of them more individually complete than Keane/Scholes. In my opinion anyway. And I think better as a partnership – partly for that reason – For example, Imagine Scholes covering as a holding midfielder.. Though I admit he is probably the best attacker of the 4, and the most technically gifted.
I think I get your point Ozi. Petit and Vieira were the better all rounders as a duo but Roy Keane IMO was the best all rounder as an individual.
I could not see Paul Scholes as a DM either, but he did enough defensively to compliment Keane. But if you watch Keane keenly you will see he is technically gifted too, creates a fair few goals as well as having the ability to get past players when neccessary. He had it all really, but he was most appreciated for his DF abilities.
arthur, I like both Keane and Scholes. But I’d take Paddy/Petit over them.
They are far more complete a set of CM pair than Keane and Scholes. In terms of both attacking and defending.
But most of all, the two’s game actually complimented each other perfectly.
Dez Keane and Scholes scored far more goals then Petit and Vieira ever did. Even Flamini and Cesc had a better record than our greats in Europe too I might add.
If I were to pick an outstanding player of the four I would go for Roy Keane. You cannot get much better than that.
Vieira and Petit were the ANCHOR of our team, they weren’t needed to score goals at all, though Paddy scored some massive goals.
They ruled the middle of the park, and allowed the Pires Henry Wiltord Ljungberg of the team do the rest.
Neither were Keane and Scoles required to score really. United has always a potent attack and winger of their own, but the scored anyway.
Roy Keane did not only break up play as well as Patrick or Manu but he scored more goals. I think his professionalism desire to win and stubborn nature helped to make him a cut above our two greats.
Had he played for a more high profile International team he might have recieved the world wide acclaim that he deserved.
Might also add that Keane and Scholes won everthing there was to be won.
Unfortunately our greats didn’t win anything at all in Europe.
speaking of Vieira/Petit partnership. Everybody knew Vieira was a great player at his peak. IMO, Petit was even better during his 3 short years playing for us. He was more consistent than Paddy.
Without doubt (in my mind at least), the Paddy/Petit partnership was the greatest central midfield partnership the Premiership has ever seen.
Interesting thing about footballers of the yesteryears is – when u mention a certain player, you immediately link him to the club where he had the most successful spell. Despite spending only 3 years at Arsenal, when u mention Emmanuel Petit today, I think people would think of Petit of Arsenal, rather than Petit of Monaco/Chelsea/Real Madrid.
I remember Petit scoring against us. The B*stard!! I joke I joke.. But was a good game that, 1-0 in the 85th minute, 3-2 final score.
PRAYING that the 5’9″ Zarate at Lazio is NOT the target
for Arsene and Arsenal at striker.
I think he’s had 2 goals this season, is short and lightweight…
and the article / rumor I saw said 40 Million Euros?
WTF?!
Let’s hope that is pure non-sense.
Gotta be his agent talking him up.
It is nonsense Stag, definitely. No way would Arsene pay £40 million for a player and “kill” ;-) Bendtner or Sanchez Watt.
I do not know what is happening with Zarate at Lazio. But watching him play for lowly Birmingham City last season, I have to conclude the boy is quite special.
I am not sure how lightweight he is but Arshavin, Michael Owen in his heyday were light weight but it didn’t stop them from being effective.
I do not think we need to be too obsessed with height. RvP is what no more than 5’11, two inches ain’t gonna make that much difference Vermaelen is proo, of that. However we do need someone who is good in the air. Mauro may fall short on the aerial ability check box, but I don’t know. Still never worth 40 million Euro’s.
I was shocked and very happy when we were linked to him. Have loved everything I’ve seen of him. Although for 37 m that is absolutely ridiculous.
He is young and still has a lot of room to improve, got premier league experience and hat should drive his price up but I wouldn’t think it would be worthwhile if he cost more than 16-17ish (about Reyes value).
Although all that being said, I would prefer a plan B striker if we are to get a striker. Someone powerful.
Agree with you totally Ozi, we need a Plan B striker someone more effective than Bendtner if possible.
However I do not think Wenger will buy a striker now Bendtner is coming back to fitness and I still think he wants to get Cammankh in the summer and will not “overstock”.
A belated happy new year folks.
When I last posted it was after the turgid display against Chelsea. Things looked gloomy. Yet our December EPL performances have been effective, 5 wins and a draw. You couldn’t ask for a better on-field response. I can’t comment on the quality – I didn’t see any of the matches! No televised coverage where I was so I made do with sporadic match reports.
Anyway, kudos to the team for responding and accumulating points. By doing that they have placed themselves back in the race given the strangely erratic performances of ManU and Chelsea. Chelsea have missed the opportunity to make a breakaway pre-ANC. They might regret that.
From what I read Song continues to impress, and young Ramsey is making headway. I’m interested whether anyone else has really stepped up to the plate.
I see an article stating that Sol Campbell is a possibility if Senderos goes. I’ve got no idea what shape Sol is in nor whether he is still capable of turning it on for a burst of EPL matches. If he could – it may be a clever short-term solution. Before he exhibited head-wobbles he was the defensive lynchpin and major presence. Let’s see…..
Sol at Arsenal again? I highly doubt Wenger would do that.
When was the last time he played competitively at this level?
You can’t tell me we can’t find someone to come in and play back-up / play in a few matches, and be effective over the next 4 months.
There have to be players out there that can fill that roll/void.
For all the economics majors here…
“Arsène Wenger has transfer money to burn at Arsenal”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/08/arsenal-arsene-wenger-transfers
Nah, can’t be true!
LOL
Right? Reality was hell on the Unicorn, too.
some of the book keeping stuff we are talking about…. I don’t think it’ll need to take an econcomics major to figure that out.
How many of us wanted Arsene to sign Melo?
He would have been an additional option in CM.
If he didn’t work out, it wouldn’t be the first time a player didn’t work out.
So, on your premise, we shouldn’t even TRY to bring players in, because they might not work out?
You know its funny, the Wenger Worshippers Club first tell us we shouldnt buy any experienced first teamers because that will “kill the kids”…. now they are adding that we should NOT buy any backups either … even in obvious cases because “nobody will come to Arsenal as a backup” … “besides it will kill the academy kids”. LOL.
Either way … WE MUST NOT BUY ANYBODY!
If Wenger perseveres and does what I think he will do (i.e. buy nobody this January), he better fucking win the league!
LOL!! Wenger Worshippers Club! Nice one Fred that is almost as funny as Hippie Optimists.
I don’t agree with Fred much… but he is correct again.
Don’t buy experienced or proven players, because that will upset the apple cart… and there aren’t any players that are worthwhile to be back-ups, that would sit at Arsenal?!?!?!
What the hell?!!
So the arguement is to do NOTHING. Stay with exactly what we have… don’t dare address any issues, because we don’t want to upset anyone in the team?
You must be watching a different team… if we were up 10 points in the league, I might agree, but we aren’t… we are frail at certain positions, and have inuries all over the pitch.
I would echo, if he does nothing in January, and we don’t win the league or CL… Wenger’s gotta go.
He will not attempt to win the FA Cup… which is why I was perplexed by Gallas and Vermaelen playing against West Ham. Beyond explanation.
How do you buy a back-up? Do you really want someone who’s ambitions are only to be a backup? If not, how do you convince prospects they have a chance of replacing top players? How do you tell an experienced player who plays every week to come to Arsenal and be a back-up for a 21-year old? How good do they have to be? How much do you pay them? If they feel they should be playing but are not, how do you deal with their discontent while keeping team spirit high (Diarra)? How do you deal with that player you want to jettison but can’t? What do you do when Djourou comes back?
This is the gray area of being a manager that fans don’t contemplate when we’re playing fantasy manager on YAMA. We don’t care, just win us trophies. Being a manager is easier said than done; sometimes like trying to sell water to a fish.
My belief is if we start buying more experienced players, they’ll leave if they don’t play regularly. We’ll turn into Liverpool or, even worse, Spurs. It’s impossible to establish continuity with such a high turnover of players. If you’re buying or selling more than two to 3 players in a season, that’s too much. That’s just what I believe, not Wenger.
Chelsea have Alex and Ivanovic who costed 11 and 13 million quid respectively and are very handsomely paid to sit the bench, not to mention Paulo Ferreira. Arsenal can’t match that. We started the season with Sylvestre and Djourou. We kept Senderos because it was too late in the window to find and buy a new player to replace Djourou. In an emergency, we also have Song and Sagna. I understand fans want to see stronger players there but considering they are backups and compared to the rest of the league, I can see why Wenger would be content with the CB’s he has. As for DM, he has Song and Denilson. Many don’t like Denilson but the boss does. What are you going to do?
What 21 year old is there in Central Defence??
So we should not have a backup there because Djorou may OR may NOT come back next season??
You and I, and everybody else knows whats going to happen when either Gallas or Vermalaen get injured.
If that is what destroys the chance to sustain a challenge for the umpteenth time, Wenger should be fired for negligence and madness.
And yes, there are competent players in Europe, who will be happy to come to Arsenal even if to stay behind our current duo. A solid CB from France, Scandinavia or East Europe will see that Gallas is 34 and knows that Djorou is very injury prone. PLUS most clubs are much smaller in stature as compared to Arsenal.
The board better NOT renew Wenger’s contract till this season ends.
You are making total sense Fred. Hypothetically great but we all still have the problem of coming up with a name. Someone that is going to be better than Silvestre and Senderos, not cost too much and be prepared to sit on the bench until Gallas retires or leaves.
Mr Wenger has a problem, it not such an easy job finding the right person at the right price. Yes I know he has done it before and struck gold with the likes of Sagna and Vermaelen but he may not be so “lucky” this time. But I agree that our title hopes may well depend on who if anyone at all he brings in.
Fred is right on the money. Why can’t a CB play the FA Cup match, or even against a lesser team in the league.
Who the hell expects Vermaelen and Gallas to play EVERY MATCH?
You can’t find a player to come to the Arsenal and play behind Vermaelen and Gallas? or behind Song and Denilson?
Does nobody have any belief in their ability to overtake a player in the pecking order? Players always think they can play well enough to start. They are cocky by nature, thinking they are the best. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be at this level.
Arsene bought an ex-United “fish head” for that vey purpose Stag back up to Vermaelen and Gallas he also has at the time of writing ;-) Senderos.
Ok we may all agree Sivestre is not ideal, we would would want someone younger and better. Arsene decided it was experience that we needed as back up in that position and signed Silvestre on a two year deal. It is a decision Arsene has made and he will feel he has to live with.
Four CBs and Song or even Sagna in an emergency is usually adequate for most teams, we do not have CB issues to the scale of ManU so I can only see Arsene going for a CB if Senderos is leaving.
I don’t mind Silvestre at all. I like the signing… but if he NEVER PLAYS THE POSITION, then how is he a back-up?
I assume you think its a good idea to go on the assumption that Gallas and Vermaelen play every match?
If Silvestre or Senderos do not play, what are they in the squad for?
(and I mean at CB)
Stag, back ups play when needed. I.e when the the first teamers are injured or tired.
Very few teams rotate the CB postions unless it is ENTIRELY neccessary, that partnership is crucial.
Only half a season has gone and you think our highly paid and highly fit CBs are tired. Not yet Stag, but when they are then you will see the likes of Sivestre making an appearance.
Furthermore I don’t think those two will play all the FA cup games. But I think he is taking the competition more seriously and would not risk an semi experimental backline against such strong opposition.
Don’t worry be Hippy ;-)
LoL.
Be Hippy, indeed.
Finding quality backups may be difficult, but it’s clearly not impossible. How else would you explain the fact that most teams of Arsenal’s stature have at least SOME cover in case one of their players goes down. And you can’t point to Man U as not having cover. They did have it, but it went down too.
Wait, you can’t say that… it makes sense!
Of course other teams have players that are back-ups…
in every team sport in the world its that way.
Maybe Arsenal should find some flattery inwhat Citeh are doing. Toure, Vierra, Sylvinho, and Adebuywhore make up a third of the City squad now.
I wonder how Gooners are going to feel with t
one of their best players ever wearing powder blue.
Sad really that he is there. Not sure what he is going to add to City. As much as I hate that team, they do have some pretty good midfielders. What they don’t have is a defence.
City have some really good players, that is factual. They have players that are winners, have won titles and have that experience. I think that will help them down the stretch in the chase for 4th.
With Given as their keeper, they have to hope that their defense gels, and play better as a unit.
They have the talent, and a new manager, perhaps he can organize the defense better than Hughes did.
They are the new Portsmouth with all the ex-Arsenal players…
The term “winners” is an overused term that’s in fact misleading.
So what if someone has been on a winning side. That’s has very little to do with any success. If that were the case Arsenal would be winning because they have “winners” on their squad. You can have all the “winners” you want on a squad if they refuse to play as a team and more as a collective of individuals they will ne doomed to fail.
I would argue that PART of the reason Arsenal haven’t done crap lately is that some players were more intent on personal glory than the teams. I would conversely argue that our success recently is due to the collective belief that this team can achieve things. That promotes the team building process being nurtured by Arsene. In the long that will pay dividends quicker than any group of “winners” will
Couldn’t disagree more.
Who do Arsenal have in their squad that has won the league? the FA Cup?
It’s not a misleading statement.
Experience counts, and is a positive thing to have. Having the experience of playing for a title winning side = played in matches that meant something, pressure on, and SUCCEEDED.
Does that make the Portsmouth FA cup winning side a team full of winners?
Not completely disagreeing with you, in that I think a winner mentality is important, but i think the label “winner mentality” is just that, a label- for mentally strong players. Winning of course helps culture such a mentality.
I just don’t think anyone who has won anything automatically become ‘winners’ or that those that haven’t become ‘losers’
No, not exactly, but don’t discount the fact that Portsmouth team had experienced players in it, that had WON trophies PREVIOUSLY.
Sad that Vieira is close to signing at City.
I wish he’d gone back to France and played there… I don’t
want to see him fail at City, but I don’t want to see them win either!
The interesting thing is – most of the players “recommended” by fans (yet AW didn’t go for), they didn’t turn out as a good buy for whatever club that eventually landed them. Not “every one of them”, but “most of them” (just in case someone plan to twist my words).
Yet most of the players AW bought, and turned out as good buys, hardly anyone had the foresight to “recommended” AW going for them in advance.
Fred recommended Arshavin, Ok, I’ll give that to him.
But players like Sagna, Vermaelen, Song, Clichy, Diaby… in fact, a long long list of today’s and yesteryears’ players, hardly anyone ever heard of them, let alone making a suggestion to bring them in. Vieira WHO? Fans were 10 times more excited when David Platt joined than Patrick Vieira. Why? Because everybody heard of David Platt, none heard of Vieira. Only that… how good a player is does not entirely depends on his reputation, or hype.
It is WENGER’s JOB to find players. He actually has the ability to buy them, though he rarely will.
Why the feck would a supporter know about the Ivorian 6’6″ striker he’s looking at?
We can only see players we can watch on TV (or internet).
When they want to pay supporters to scout player worldwide, I imagine the queue of scouts will circle the globe.
In the meantime, Wenger NOT getting proper depth or replacements for outgoing players… has in fact hampered our chances to win titles.
I know, Arsene knows everything, supporters know nothing, don’t ever question him, don’t ever complain.
Andez – There is a difference between buying players and buying players who fit the style of the team. We’ve all seen teams spend big money on name players only to have them fail. Why? Because the often are buying the name.
Most of us don’t care whether it is player we have heard of or not, but the problem many have is that Arsene doesn’t usually bring in ANYONE. How many years in a row does Arsenal need to suffer a crippling number of injuries before they fix the problem? The team always seems to be huge at teh beginning of the year (not factoring in the annual injuries to RVP, Rosicky, Gallas, etc.) but by December the team is down to it’s 3rd/4th string LB. God forbid what happens if Vermaelen or Song goes down.
There are plenty of good players out there that could be brought in as backups and part time starters yet it never happens.
We don’t talk much about Flamini anymore
—————————–
exactly AS.
Last season, some folks were talking about what a big mistake AW made for not buying a replacement for the GREAT Flamini.
Now the name Flamini had not been mentioned for a long time. Flamini WHO? I would not want him back even if he begs his way to come back. I’ll take Song over Flamini anytime.
Remember someone cried for AW to buy that Appiah or whatever, the free agent DM who AW were supposed to make a big mistake for not signing him up (currently playing for the mighty Bologna)?
That tells you how much fans KNOW.
Andez,
Flamini was primarily a clumsy oaf who managed to stitch it together for one year. Mostly by throwing his body around recklessly, usually to good effect (I remember he almost killed Sagna once). That’s why I think he so was so anxious to make the money-grab. He knew it was his lucky window. Not unlike Ade, really.
I don’t think anyone has ever missed Flam as a player, as much as we were calling for a needed quality, experienced replacement at the position. There’s a distinction with a difference there.
__________________
On another subject, you made a very interesting point on an earlier thread about the salary cap in (some) US sports. It’s probably too late to get back to that the way I really wanted to at the time, but I wondered if you were aware that do to Collective Bargaining issues, the NFL is (likely?) about to enter into an uncapped year? Thought you might find this worth a read.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d808736ba&template=with-video&confirm=true
I do think the NFL is a little different. With only 16 games, some sort of parity is vital in maintaining fan interest across as much of the season as possible. (Though a few franchises remain so woeful, even this system is no panecea.)
LOL! Hating again I see :-D
Andez.
What the hell would be wrong with having BOTH Flamini AND Song in the team?
So, Song is injured or… hey, he’s away at ACoN… and we actually have a player that can slot in as a replacement or sharing the responsibilities over the course of a season with CL, League, FA Cup and CC matches.
If Flamini wanted to come back, again… he would be a GOOD PLAYER to have in the squad.
So would Hleb…
Hell, if Appiah signed on a free, and didn’t work out, what the hell did you lose?
Andez I like Song he is far more technical than Flamini, passes better and is generally a more classy player but he ain’t got the engine and aggression that Flamini had.
Flamini is the best partner Cesc ever had in the centre of the park IMO. I rememeber Arsene saying that he thought the CM partnership of Cesc and Flamini was the best he ever had!! That is an amazing statement considering he had that fantastic pairing of Petit and Vieira.
If you did not appreciate what Flamini brought us so, so close to becoming a title winning side then have a look at the whole AC Milan (away) game again.
If Flamini were able to replicate that kind of form from season to season there is no-one I would rather have alongside Cesc in our MF other than possibly Mascherano, he is another mad dog that will break up play and harry the opposition into making mistakes.
I would have him back in an instant. Although I would hate to put Song back on the bench, that is where I would put him.
Flamini and Cesc, could not even carried the water jug for Petit and Vieira.
I don’t care what Arsene said, he was trying to make people feel good.
Maybe he was indeed trying to make people feel good but a crotroversial statement as it was, Arsene had a point.
Cesc can unlock defences like Vieira and Petit couldn’t, Flamini had the work rate of two players and broke up play comparably to Petit or Vieira.
I think if Flamini had hung around he could have become an Arsenal legend. I think he would have continued to develop. Although he does not have the techinical finesse of say LD80k (Lassana Diara if you have forgotten) he is a far more effective player.
I very much doubt if his final season was a flash in the pan as some suggest because of his excellent performances at LB in the champions League run, he was outstanding then too. All the man was playing out of postion his mentality, workrate and endurance made him stand out for special praise during that run.
People suggest that we should have bought Lorik Cana, he is a puppy compared to Flamini. The only player we have with that mad dog mentality is Vermaelen.
It’s not even controversial, because it is so far from the truth!
He was trying to make people feel good… Wenger does that.
Vieira and Petit in midfield would eat Cesc and Flamini for lunch, every day of the week.
Cesc and Flamini never won a damned thing. They are young and can get better, but we are going on when they played together.
Andez, Flamini is my Hleb ;-) . He is not the be all and end all however, Song has proven that. But I lamanted us not having replaced him with someone of similar ability and mentality LAST SEASON Andez. It didn’t moan much if at all as I hate whinging and whingers.Like yourself I remained quite positve but I knew that we would feel the effects of not finding a adequate replacement last season. In fact I could not see us finding tht replacement that would be able to gel with Fab in a season, I believed Wenger should have just upped his wages as he wanted. It would have been the most cost effective solution an adequate replacement may have cost us from as much as £15 mill and may have disrupted the team.
That doesn’t excuse not picking up Stephen Appiah on a free though, but his wage demands may have been too high for Arsene as was Miniero (what happened to him only ever saw him play for Chelsea once) and of course it would have “killed” ;-) Song and Denilson.
It was always going to take time for anyone to replace what Flamini gave us, for someone to develop to that level. I think Denilson last season proved that was indeed the case. Even now I would prefer to have Flamini at his best than Song at his best. I just think what he gave to the team THAT season was more than any CDM is able to give to Arsenal at he moment.
Josh -share your experience with parents, friends, supporters – all were expert back seat drivers.
I always listened politely to their analysis and recommendations.
Unlike most posting here, I am relatively new to following Arsenal. Its obvious from the club’s phenomenal success (when Arsene arrived) that fans would expect a standard maintained.
I empathize with the frustration from Fred, Mazza, Stag, and others: loyal fans care. We just aren’t privy to
the internal affairs within the club and its probably best we are in the dark.
Accountability seems to be a lost trait; we should be thankful that our manager is accountable; has a real long term plan for the club – youth academy; the right balance between expenditures and revenues.
Look at most of the clubs in the EPL – taking in $5 but spending $8 (just like our credit card mentality).
Also, everyone’s perception is rooted from life experiences -responsibilities! Single, married, have kids: hell, you’re going to look at everything differently. For me this is what I admire about Arsene the most, his patience with players. He genuinely understands for a young player (with talent) to be exposed to new ideas and challenges; allow them to fail; then give them time to nurture to the next level.
I follow Arsenal because of the amazing entertainment value of their play. Eduardo, Rosicky, Cesc, RvP, Arshavin – these players are gifted: I don’t see this level of talent anywhere else in the EPL.
Now we are seeing the emergence of Nasri, Song, Diaby, Rambo – players that can do the unexpected with the ball & without. I have been watching Song closely for the past 2 years. We don’t talk much about Flamini anymore, and soon his play will make us forget Vieira! He can play every position in midfield.
HOW DO YOU HAVE THE EYE TO SEE THIS KIND OF POTENTIAL?
Anyway, I consider ALL OF US lucky to be witnessing the evolution of Arsenal. How can you follow the Invincibles? Look at our roster!
I completely understand your point of view, just dont buy into the idea that buying backups means “wasting money” when we are CLEARLY making a PROFIT.
If the club came out and said they had no money, or the account books revealed that as fact, then NO ONE will be all over Wenger on this.
But that is not the case. The club keeps ADVERTISING how there is so much money! And the accounting firms keep telling us how we are the 3rd most profitable club in the world.
But we are using only 2 CBs and going into the final stretch of a season in which a title challenge is possible.
I for one am not calling for spending 20 million or whatever on one player. I just want competent backups in CB and DM especially. I believe you can get both for less than 20 million combined + salaries. We dont need to have known their names before, just someone who can do a job and provide INSURANCE.
Two years ago it all crashed because we were undermanned in AM and CB positions.
Why must we repeat that again?
because you can’t possibly question Wenger. ever.
;)
Fred,
I have also been one to see the lack of depth at CB and DM – and still feel we NEED TO invest in those positions – we are on the same page.
I am not clairvoyant, so what is rolling around in Arsene’s mind is pure speculation on my part. But if I were the manager, these two positions would be my priority.
Stag,
its not about questioning Arsene; I can’t see this man as being blind to reality for these positions.
Maybe he has tried to sign the right players and could not make the deals go through?
We have all seen him as very private; rarely shows his intentions!
so, for years he has neglected the depth issue… steadfastly refused to acknowledge that mistake… but you think its because he hasn’t been able to get the right players signed?
Seriously? You’re not joking, right?
That is laughable. That is HIS JOB. There are not players good enough to sign for Arsenal, that would help the team?
Not buying that one.
It is stubborness with a touch of arrogance or insanity.
He believes he is infallible. He was pissed off that supporters would actually question him on decisions.
Stag have you considered that Arsene felt he had enough CBs when he had Galla,s Vermaelen, Djourou, Senderos back from loan, Silvestre and don’t you forget Song in Wenger’s eye was to be a CB as well. It is Djourous long term injury and Sendero’ seemingly iminent departure that has made the CB postion such an issue.
As we have discussed on this board and AA on numerous occasions who are we going to get that is ready to play 2nd fiddle to Gallas and Varmaelen? Because if we were to try to get a DF that is better than say Gallas he is going to cost a lot of money and may not click with Verm anyway. CB only becomes a serous issue if big Phil goes as contrary to popular opinion Silvestre is not a bad back up to have until Djorouu is back in the equation.
As for the CDM position we will all have a right to say to Mr Wenger I told you so if Deni’ does not step up to the plate in Songs absence.
A striker, again an obvious position that we could strengthen in. But there will be an issue of “overstock” in the summer especially if Wenger is looking to bring in Camankh.
I would hate it to be true but he may not buy anyone because an addition may “kill” his youngsters as he puts it. And he may not want to do that unless he is able to buy that “special, special” player.
Arthur.
again, I ask SERIOUSLY?
How many matches can you actually ask Vermaelen and Gallas to play?
We currently KNOW the situation… so does Wenger. If he doesn’t address it, and either of them go down with injury… who is to blame?
You are saying we can’t find anyone willing to come to the club at CB worth having?
Are you having a laugh?
CDM. Again… if Song goes down… (and he’s already away at the ACoN)… why is there nobody to replace him. Denilson is a completely different player to Song. We know that, so does Arsene.
Striker.
You have GOT to be kidding … we don’t even know if Bendtner will be back and healthy soon… We are supposed to be TRYING to win the league title (or should be) 4 points back, with a game in hand… why the hell would we care about the feelings of the kids… if they don’t like it, play better or feck off…
overstock?
we play CC, FA Cup, League and CL matches and there are so many games that all teams usually have some fixture congestion.
There is absolutely ZERO excuse for Wenger not to address the issues at hand.
You can buy it if you want… but most supporters do NOT. It will be unforgivable if he fails to address these issues in January, someone gets injured, and we have no suitable replacement, and we do not win a trophy again.
We are poised to be playing for CL, FA Cup and League titles… it is 100% on Wenger now to have the team prepared, and weaknesses to be addressed.
If he doesn’t… and we fail again, “on your bike”.
Stag did you read a word I said?
I want him to strengthen too who wouldn’t? But there are a lot of things that Arsene will consider that’s what I was trying to bring to your attention. Doesn’t mean I agree with them all though.
Truth is if we won nothing at the end of the season I would rather the disatisfied supporters go on their bike rather than Arsene.
Never happen, we’ll have Wenger’s head or burn down the Emirates!
;)
LOL :-D . Brilliant Stag brilliant!
The real shame is that DAG will likely have to write a whole new match preview.
Vibe thanks for your concern. Maybe I can write the next one without half a bottle of wine and 4 Tennants in me
Well, at least it gives us more time for Cesc & co. to get fit.
true. not a bad thing.
On other hand, snow is slippery. ;-)
I had a feeling the match would be postponed, with all the
cold and snow in England… but hoped it would go on.
Don’t need this match jammed into a week with 2 other matches
being played, as we can’t afford to drop any points at this point.
Watching Chievo v Inter… and its a pretty good match, though the pitch is like a cow-patch! Vieira… for someone who is “gone” according to Mourinho, is playing pretty well. Playing for his career?
well… we’ll see how the weather holds up for the weekend.
Supposedly he is going to Man City for a physical.
It’s impossible to have winter break in England, England has more teams in top flight compare to other leagues (20), then u got FA Cup (with replay), League Cup (not every Europe nations have a third Cup).. Not to mention the international fixtures.
This snow storm of late in England, if anything, reflects more on our globe warming problem than the fixture problems. I think China also have a record snow fall lately. The globe climate definitely have not been normal in recent time.
its not global “warming” any more, its “climate change”!
whatever.
Spain, Italy and France also have 20 teams in their top divisions.
France also has a League Cup.
Either way, the only reason there is no winter break is because its “tradition”.
there is no time to have a winter break with the EPL, unless there are less International breaks…
or they decide to start earlier and end later…
Ah Geez, the match is off….
Thanks for all the TV info above, boys….Perhaps the game missed will give the various TV companies time to pull it together to satisfy our big demands….
Don’t know about the need for a Winter Break in England as snow issues could affect games anytime during at least Dec, Jan & Feb. What with two domestic cups, it seems to me that we need as many possible game days as it is (and as deep a squad as we can muster).
So, I’m sad there’s no match today but, perhaps it gives a little more time for bodies to heal, esp. Bendtner’s, which, if you believe everything AW says is the key to whether or not we move in the transfer market…. ;-) I’m sure the manager will have more to say about how the cancellation affects us….
Hopefully the Everton match happens as scheduled and that Landon Donovan takes it easy on us…..
http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8742_5837073,00.html
Every season, lot of games get canceled due to the weather at this time of the year. And yet, the EPL/FA do jack shit about the winter break. If countries like Germany and Italy have one, I would suppose that England needs one even more (haven’t been to any of the three countries, so …).
This will simply add to the fixture congestion, cue Wenger making some choice comments about it.
Folks, the game is off.
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/possible-bolton-announcement
Hey boys, as for my last post on the previous thread, I’m not attempting to compare my experience as a coach in an ODP program to coaching in the BPL. It was to make a point about how people have the audacity to try and tell you how to do your job when they don’t know anything about your background or what you go through on a daily basis, let alone how to do your job. It’s like me trying to tell Fred about engineering or him trying to tell me how to fly in the Afghan mountains. That’s absurd.
Fred, I don’t know why Wenger insisted with his CB pairing. Logic would suggest he believes his back-ups are adequate back-ups. It’s awful hard to sign someone who’s better than Sylvestre and Senderos that’s willing to come in and be a back-up when they could be playing elsewhere. That’s my SWAG but I’m not privy to what Arsene Wenger is and I can’t read his mind.
Even with a new manager (in waiting), I really doubt Bolton will pose too much of a threat. The new midfield axis with the absence of Song is the only concern. 3-0 looks about right, but can we keep a clean sheet? ;)
Steve,
I have the Setanta online: Setanta-i and the match was listed there at its starting time. Don’t know if that means it will be live on Setanta – but I won’t get to watch it live anyway – I am in Florida for a conference (its as bloody cold down here as it is up in Philly sheesh).
The match is NOT listed on FSC. I took a look at http://www.atdhe.net and the match right now has a single listed stream. Usually at match time they get up to 2 or 3 streams.
Hmmm…..It all sounds reasonably promising….Perhaps we’ll see you on the GDC? Enjoy the sunshine state…(I knew I should’ve invested in those Orange Juice futures….)
Match is now live on Setanta-i replacing the Manc CC first round, so maybe it will be live on Setanta USA as well. Not sure what EPL Talk was reporting about though : http://www.epltalk.com/breaking-fox-sports-international-in-talks-to-acquire-setanta-sports/14489
Whoops. Missed you’d already posted this.
Rosicky is healthy ???
Maybe not (though his contract signing wrist is fine)….but maybe Denilson isn’t either….many questions today….
From Physioroom.com:
T Walcott Chest Injury 17th Jan 10
Denilson Back Injury no return date
C Fabregas Hamstring Injury 17th Jan 10
T Rosicky Groin Strain 9th Jan 10
K Gibbs Metatarsal Fracture 27th Feb 10
R Van Persie Sprained Ankle Apr 10
G Clichy Back Injury 9th Jan 10
N Bendtner Inguinal Hernia 17th Jan 10
J Djourou Knee Injury Mar 10
Wenger has already confirmed that Arsh and Deni are back. Don’t remember any mention of Rosicky.
Even if he is fit, I doubt he will start. He will make his usual 20 min cameo before getting injured again.
Steve
Since they’ve already postponed the CC matches that were pushing us back, I’m hoping they’ll move us into the Live slot.
Speaking of Footy TV in the US and following up on the Setanta link I posted in the last thread….
http://www.epltalk.com/foxs-new-channel-to-be-baptized-fox-soccer-plus/14509
So far Arsenal are saying the match is going ahead as planned. However, many people are wondering if the away fans could even make the match.