Three I’d like to see at Arsenal
With the conclusion of the Champion’s League it looks like silly season can now get well and good underway. There is already alot of speculation around Arsenal and what they are trying to do. With the recent acusition of the club by Stan Kroenke we are being linked with big names and big money buys. But who is it that makes sense? Well, I have 3 choice players that I would like to see at Arsenal. Not sure they make sense either but hey it’s my blog and I can do what I like, right?
Eden Hazard
It’s a name that is getting a lot of play and linkage with Arsenal. His rise to stardom has grown substantitally year over year. The Belgian has undergone a remarkable transformation from unsettled Lille youngster to a Ligue 1 sensation and one of the most sought after players in Europe. He is a fleet-footed player who can play on the wing or in the midfield with many likening him to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. But it is perhaps the Belgian press who have paid him the biggest compliment by naming him as the heir apparent to lengend Enzo Schifo.
Hazard had issues to start this past season when he was criticized for his work effot by the Belgian national manager. He was also subsequently dropped by Lille manager Rudi Garcia. He didn’t play in Ligue 1 until November but eventually reestablished himself as a team leader. His re-emergence has drawn the interest of many of Europe’s top clubs but it is Arsenal that is said to lead them all.
Hazard is a defender’s nightmare having the ability to dribble the ball at pace and with a low centre of gravity like that Messi kid in Spain, he easily breezes past competitors. Also like that maestro in Spain he can turn most plays into a spectactular attempt and has scored some amazing creative goals. Still there are lingering concerns about his work rate and strike-rate is also inconsistent but he does create a lot of chances for others.
He is the only the only french player to win young player of the year award twice (not even Henry or Zidane did that) and his fearlessness and explosive ability caaused Zindane to say:
Eden is technicall gifted and very fast. I would take him to Real Madrid with my eyes closed. He can become a great footballer, he is a star of the future.
Gary Cahill
If Arsenal lacked steel in the heart of their defence surely signing one of England’s most promising centre-backs has to be a priority. He is young (25) big and strong (6’2″) and is a proven talent (multiple team related awards). His play has been solid enought to earn him international call ups whenever Terry or Ferdinand go down.
He is committed and strong who is a no-nonsense defender – something we need. He is good in the tackle and at 6’2″ is an aerial threat. He is a leader on and off the pitch and is someone who is not afraid to call his teammates out on the pitch. All in all his qualities are exactly the making fo the player Arsenal sorely lacks right now. There are some concerns about his consistency and on some occasions his positioning sees him get exposed.
Owen Coyle had this to say about him:
Mentally he is there, as well as physically and ability-wise. There is no doubt for me that he will really push himself into the England squad.
Yann M’Vila
Frankly this one is probably a pipe dream as M’Vila has just signed a new contract that takes him 2015 with his current club Rennes. M’Vila broke through the first-team barrier in 2010 after spending 2009/2010 as a promising youngster. But since his ascesion to the first team he has been a staple in the the midfield for the French club.
He has represented France at every level from U16 to U21 and he has helped the Rennes academy win the Coupe Gambardella (French Youth Cup) in 2008. He is a robust challenger and fears no-one when making a challenge. He has a fantastic work-rate but he isn’t just a lump in the midfield. He has excellent vision and is instrumental to building Rennes attack from the back going forward.
Where he does have an issue is when he takes on players of genuine place and well, if we’re honest his eye for goal is lacking. But when a player draws examples to Claude Makelele, he would surely be an asset to have.
There are certainly other players we are going to be linked with. Frankly I am not sure if any of these three will happen – as I did say M’Vila did just sign a contract extension with Rennes. The thing is, I think there will be extraordinary activity at the club this summer with the comings and goings.
By the way one transfer rumour that is getting a lot of play is the possibility of a transfer of Argentinian Ricardo (Ricky) Alvarez from Vélez Sársfield. A few English sites have had this but Youn Guns has gone so far as to report that Richard Law the executive in charge of negotiating players contracts is in Montevideo to discuss the transfer.
This guy is a 6’2″ midfielder who is extremely talented. Don’t believe me watch this:
And on a final note – looks like time has been called on Mark Randall’s Arsenal career – Young Guns is reporting . . . the promising player with the horrible attitude has been cut loose by the club. While he showed promises in his loan spells he never quite showed the effort needed. So while it is not a senior player – some of the dead wood on the lower levels continues to be cleared out.
Speaking of dead wood, we have gone back and forth on Andrei Arshavin. As much as I like the player I have been rather vocal in my desire to see him sold. However, the player looks set to stay as he has said he wants to stay and that the manager wants to work with him next season. So if its all true – I hope Andrei shows some of the spunk that got him here as well as the desire to improve. If not that this represents a step back in my opinion. Still, when he flashes that magic, he is as good as any.
That’s it for now. So, until next time. . . Stay Goonerish
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>@highburyterracesteve,
“.now he might try goal scoring and using his right foot…” :laugh: :laugh:
Yup, Inler did look good and Scott Parker looked like, well Scott Parker. I remember someone on here saying that Parker would start over Wilshere any day. I wonder who?
Theo continues to play up to my expectations, a potential impact player who has no concept how to stamp his presence on a game.
If Theo gets that one component to his game down – he will be deadly
DJ, following up on a disastrous end of season performance for Arsenal continued the trend by producing one of his worst ever . Playing for Switzerland against the Three Lions at Wembley he fouled his club teammate, Jack Wilshere, in the box , resulting in a penalty which Lampard duly dispatched and received a yellow card for his efforts.
Apart from that guffaw he looked totally out of sorts and committed numerous errors which thankfully for his team was not punished. He looked worse than Silvestre and Squillaci combined. Whats up DJ?
Jack had to be England’s MOTM along with Ashley Young, but faded badly in the last 10 minutes. The young lad obviously needs some rest and thank the lord he eventually had enough sense to rebuff Pearce who was trying to force him into the U-21 tournament.
Jack dutifully picked up a yellow for a studs up tackle which got everything else but ball. He was also seen jawing at the ref from time to time. Hope he can curb these disturbing tendencies as his potential is unlimited.
Sincerely hope some Arsenal coaches watched DJ’s performance today. It just might spur their desire to get another bona fide CB.
@CaribKid, Yeah Dj (JD?) was very poor today. It seems he fancies playing the ball along the ground when we (and Switzerland) need him to be tall and commanding. Personally, given that he’s so young (and missed so much time with injury) I figure he’s bound to make these sorts of mistakes. Same as Koscielny, really (who to me looks well ahead of him)….
Jack on the other hand was very good, but that’s maybe a testament to the very mediocre quality of the England squad. Influencing the ref is a HUGE part of the game and Jack is adding it….now he might try goal scoring and using his right foot….as it was, he was the 2nd best Midfielder out there (after Inler–I’m no closer to wanting Scott Parker on our team after watching today)…..
One thing I will say is that the clubs that hope to rely on some of those English defenders (Terry, Ferdinand and Hart) better line up solid replacements as the first two are seriously tired and the last is not all that. That would be the three teams ahead of us, and I fear that they will do what’s necessary to move better players in, if and when needed.
Finally, what about Theo?.,..For me he might do better if he weren’t such a nice lad. I don’t mean more tattoos, just better body language, esp. off the ball. It seems he tries to “disappear” and lose defenders by doing so. We need him to have a little strut so that each potential run or touch is more of a “statement” (rather than a question mark)…..There’s just a persistent lack of self-belief on display (perhaps warranted) that makes him invisible all too often…..
I guess I’m gonna try and watch a little Swiss-English football….The weather here is really poor….And I guess I’m missing the football…..Have fun at your match, Stag….Cesc not wasted in a friendly, sounds OK by me…..
Regarding the three DAG wants….I’m having trouble thinking there’s any chance of ANY of them happening. I think we have to realize that Arsenal are working at a fiscal disadvantage to our rivals and are not about to spend on anything less than an awesome bargain, you know, somebody completely off the radar, etc.
The positions and qualities of those players seem about right to me, however. We need speedy forwards who can play (happily) on the left (Hazard). We need quality, experienced MFs with some grit and a wide range of passes (Parker) and we need bigger, physical CBs familiar with the English game (Cahill).
IMO, the most pressing need is the first, (esp. given the uncertainty around Nasri and Arshavin) which makes some of the recent rumors about Defoe and Odemwingie at least somewhat plausible. I’m a little doubtful that Lille will sell off ALL their best players (Hazard, Gervinho, Sow) after winning Ligue 1, but you never know. Personally, I hope that Carlos Vela gets a run in pre-season and early on in the Fall. I followed and watched WBA as they comfortably secured their survival and Carlitos got them some key goals; Odemwingie scored considerably more….
The bottom line however is that I think it’s highly wishful thinking to believe we’re going to plug holes in our squad with high profile, ready to bust out players like the three mentioned. There ARE good things about English players but they are also relentlessly overpriced and overhyped. If we have any advantage over our rivals (and here I mean Liverpool and Spurs as much as United, Chelsea and City….) it’s that our squad is relatively deep so that we can take a punt on undervalued players, such as those with injury problems (Defoe) or Africans (i.e., Odemwingie….another ANC beckons….)
Anyhow, that’s my take on things as Theo fails to take the ball with him as he tries to go around Phillipe Senderos….(BTW, what’s wrong with Gokhan Inler as a MF? I am already scared about drawing Udinese in the CL qualifier what with him, Alexis Sanchez and their Serbian keeper, Handanovic, or even the tall, Colombian defender, Zapata, all of whom I think could seriously add to our squad…..)
@highburyterracesteve,
“I think we have to realize that Arsenal are working at a fiscal disadvantage to our rivals…”
We are only at a fiscal disadvantage to City and Chelsea. That’s it. We have massive reserves of cash and are extremely profitable. If you have the third-highest buying power of anyone in the league, you have no excuse not to make moves in the transfer market. The problem is not a lack of money, it’s that the board takes as much money as possible out of the club, while putting as little as necessary back in. Spending very little and finishing 4th is clearly the most profitable avenue, since that is what Arsenal chose to do. More profitable than spending even less and not qualifying for the CL, but far less risky than spending more and trying to be first.
@ChicagoGooner, Yeah, that’s one way to spin it. The “profits” only happen when you sell your shares, of course…..
Buying players, not raising ticket prices (or reducing them), better contracts to our better players, etc. All of these are ways we can spend our money. I prefer the latter two to the former, but they aren’t nearly as spectacular when it comes to “showing ambition…..” Oh, and paying off debt is another way (if you can’t find a bailout, in the form of an emir or russian oligarch) is another use for funds. Long term, I think, buying low, selling high and taking care of your assets while not accumulating debt is good business, certainly it’s how I’m able to spend so much time writing about stupid shit like Arsenal…..)
@highburyterracesteve, TWO-NIL to Switzerland, but now Jack wins a Pen off Djourou!!
(And Lampard just sneeks it past the keeper….)
1-2 now…..
(Hey Chicago, wanna join me in the GDC?…..)
going to the US v Spain today!
woot woot.
not sure why Cesc isn’t in the team… he and RVP were apparently in NY to see Thierry play for the RedBulls…
hope we spank the Spaniards!
going to the US v Spain today!
woot woot.
not sure why Cesc isn’t in the team… he and RVP were apparently in NY to see Thierry play for the RedBulls…
hope we spank the Spaniards!
Wow, Carlos Vela not even good enough to be selected for Mexico’s Gold Cup squad? Did I miss something (like an injury)? That doesn’t seem right. I know he had a 6 month suspension but that was for something he did last September.
@ChicagoGooner, I’ve been wondering/thinking about the same thing…..
I need to talk to some of my Mexican people (fathers of my kid’s classmates, in his Spanish Immersion Program) but I think it might be a combo of Arsenal/AW not wanting Carlitos gone all summer AND the party/suspension issue. It should be noted that the ’09 Gold Cup was a pivotal moment for Vela, in that he sustained an early injury but miraculously was able to play in limited cameos (cortisone shots?) and get his team to the final. In that match he came on at half-time when it was nil-nil (against the US) and imperiously led Mexico to a 5 goal victory…..(And he’s battled injury/fitness issues, ever since…..)
My hope is that Vela gets a reasonable pre-season and a decent (final?) chance early next year with the squad. With the uncertainty around Nasri and Arshavin, there could be some chances coming for a mobile, creative, left footed forward, and the “New Ronaldo” (Ryo Miyachi) still lacks a work permit (and is only 18)…..
Carlitos (along with Gio Dos Santos–where is he now?) WAS a major hope for the next generation of Mexican football, but the ease with which he was supplanted by Chicharito has been pretty shocking…..(Almost as shocking as the United player’s performance in the CL final. Did he do ANYTHING besides being blown for offsides?)
Hopefully, if our tubby tourist (Vela) stays with Arsenal he’ll find some motivation in Hernandez’ spectacular season, maybe in combination with an occasional pairing with Odemwingie, before the latter goes off to the ANC……
@highburyterracesteve,
I still don’t think Vela has ever been given a decent shot at Arsenal.
Yeah, ummm maybe I’m a bit impatient?
But the Transfer Window is OPEN, right?
Sure, Wenger’s on holiday in South America? great…. probably going to try to bring back some unknown 15 year old… who won’t be able to get a Visa?
But, why are we waiting to do something?
Denilson and Bendtner want OUT.
SELL. NOW.
And why wait around to allow other teams to get interested and bid on those players we want? GET IT DONE.
Surely, we already know who we are interested in? right?
we aren’t still trying to figure out what to do? We have scouts, we know the weaknesses… :skeleton:
both samba and parker are experienced bpl campaigners that seem to lead their teams well and give a shit about winning. but both have question marks. with samba, is he good enough to be a regular starter for arsenal? should we contemplate possibly sacrificing technical quality for physical presence and leadership? with parker, he is 30 and has had injury problems throughout his career. but he’s been playing well for about three seasons now. as a bidding war looks likely, how much would he cost and would he be worth the dough? i could argue both sides for both players but there doesn’t seem to be an obvious answer to either.
if i had to choose one, it would be parker. the difference between the two is samba’s leadership won’t be effective if he’s not good enough to start for arsenal. parker is good enough.
@joshuad,
I don’t understand why you are comparing the two, given that Samba is a CB and Parker a CM.
We can get both players to fill both problem positions.
Also this statement “possibly sacrificing technical quality for physical presence” is a bit strange.
What “technical quality” does Koscielny, Djorou, Vermaelen and Squillaci have????
Same question can be asked of Song, Diaby, Denilson, Wilshere, Ramsey. There is absolutely nothing fantastic regarding their “technical qualities” that any other competent CM does not possess.
A lot of Arsenal fans keep on talking about how we have the most “technically superior” team in the league but it really is just a feel-good mantra that is based on absolutely nothing.
Samba, Parker, Cahill ARE more than good enough to play for Arsenal.
@Fred, I think Parker, Cahill and / or Samba would WALK into the starting line-up at Arsenal… they’d get a LOT of playing time, at the very least.
I like the idea of Cahill / Vermaelen combo… or Samba / Vermaelen.
@Fred, dude, stop changing my words around. nowhere in my post did i compare parker to samba. you made that up and argued. likewise, i haven’t questioned parker’s talent. once again, you made that up and argued. last, i haven’t said we couldn’t sign both players but simply asked the hypothetical “if i had to choose”.
as for samba’s quality, i don’t know that he’s that good a footballer. a good question to ask is if samba’s shit was that tight, why is he still at blackburn? i don’t see teams from all over the world beating down the door to try and sign him. in fairness, i don’t watch enough blackburn to see every time he saves the day or screws up like we see with our players so i placed a question mark on how good he is. if you watch blackburn every week, kindly share with us how great he is. what i do know is the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence. i also know that blackburn conceded a shit ton more goals than arsenal did this season.
@joshuad,
Oh BOO HOO. Stop the continued “feigned outrage”.
There is absolutely NOTHING in my comment that can be deemed offensive to you. READ IT AGAIN if you dont believe me.
You said “if I had to choose one” …. why would you have to choose one when they are in two different positions that need filling?
Whatever.
You dont see teams from all over the world beating the door to take him??? Really?????
So the only quality players must have top teams beating down the door to take him? Vieira, Henry, Ljunberg, van der Vaart, Sneijder and 99% of all footballers would be bemused by that.
Who was beating down the door to take Vidic? I could go on.
Plus if lots of teams were really interested, then that would automatically rule Arsenal out, wont it??
Sigh.
Personally I prefer Cahill. But Samba would also be an upgrade.
Either way, we better get some one new in – in both CB and CM. No excuses from Wenger.
@joshuad,
I don’t understand why you are comparing the two, given that Samba is a CB and Parker a CM.
We can get both players to fill both problem positions.
Also this statement “possibly sacrificing technical quality for physical presence” is a bit strange.
What “technical quality” does Koscielny, Djorou, Vermaelen and Squillaci have????
Same question can be asked of Song, Diaby, Denilson, Wilshere, Ramsey. There is absolutely nothing fantastic regarding their “technical qualities” that any other competent CM does not possess.
A lot of Arsenal fans keep on talking about how we have the most “technically superior” team in the league but it really is just a feel-good mantra that is based on absolutely nothing.
Samba, Parker, Cahill ARE more than good enough to play for Arsenal.
If Wenger’s latest comments don’t prove what a deranged idiot we have as manager then nothing else will.
“Easy to correct”
Really Arsene?
He still doesn’t realise HE is the problem – creating a culture of pampered complacency – and while he is still here, the likes of 6ft 4 inch Johan Djourou will continue to get beaten at corners against the likes of Bolton, at the business end of the season.
@Mazza,
“Easy to correct”
Then why have you not been able to correct it over the course of 6 years?
Seriously, how does he get away with saying this shite?
@vibe4arsenal,
Because most fans are a bit dense. That’s the only conclusion I can come to. Check out comments and reaction to this brilliant article for a startling insight into the mind of your average Arsenal fan:
http://www.onlinegooner.com/article.php?section=exclusive&id=2308
Wenger also said back in 09 that if we didn’t win anything within the next two years then the youth project would have to be scrapped. Surprise surprise, two years on and trophyless, Wenger is doing nothing of the sort.
Arsene Wenger
“We conceded very few goals from open play, most of them were from set pieces in a way you don’t want to concede goals.
“It’s something that’s easy to correct. We need to improve the size of our squad. We need a bigger variety in the height of our players. We need to be more capable of fighting against some characteristics than we have been this season.”
No fu***ing kidding, it took him 5 years to realize he had personally hand picked a group of aerially challenged players . Which closet has he been hiding in all this time.
My continued frustration with Arsene is that he always takes too long to change, whether it’s formation, style of play, in game substitutions or other general tactics.
@CaribKid, actually, he has hand picked a group of smurfs!
singing the smurf song… as the team disintegrates.
and he’s Papa Smurf.
@stag133,
I was trying to do the PC thing :)
Last time I facetiously referred to them as “midgets” I was lambasted by the AKB’s.
@CaribKid, actually, he has hand picked a group of smurfs!
singing the smurf song… as the team disintegrates.
and he’s Papa Smurf.
Here’s the true skin on Scott Parker.
– 30 years old
– Broke down at the end of season
– Short
– Aerially challenged
– Slow as Fabregas
– British
– Full of grit
Do we really need someone like that? A MF at 30 is basically going down the speedy climb to retirement unless he is named Ryan Giggs or Paul Scholes.
What we absolutely need is someone in their prime who is an established world class player with 3-5 years left in the tank. Who would he start over on a regular basis, Song, Ramsey, Cesc, Nasri, Wilshire?
Cahill I can understand, but he lacks a ground game. Get Samba for half the price and he will do the same job and spend some money on another world class striker in their prime. If you have closely watched Vermaelen and Koz we have two superb DM’s in our fold but the genius doesn’t see it yet a la Song.
Arsene Wenger three years ago, “Song does not have enough stamina to play DM”. His justification for playing Denilson in the position after selling Diarra and Gilberto, and losing Flamini.
Reminds me of an old Bible saying, “The devil can quote the scriptures for his own purpose”.
@CaribKid, don’t agree at ALL on Parker… watched a lot of West Ham matches… and you under-estimate him… but its opinion… so I can understand you not liking the player…
Cahill is far superior to Samba… in my humble opinion.
The only reason we’d go for Samba, is because he won’t cost as much… and we always go for the cheap fix.
Spend whatever is necessary for quality… it cost as much as guessing on 4 guys at CB and hoping one is going to work out.
@stag133,
I tend to look at things more on a needs and value basis and that’s why I would choose Samba. Yes, it’s always subjective but my rationale is based on the following:
1) We need an aerially dominant CB to partner with Vermaelen Samba is and Cahill is not. Defensive partnerships tend to work better when both defenders have different attributes to bring to the table eg. Rio & Vidic, Pique & Puyol
2) Samba is captain of his team and has demonstrated on and off the pitch leadership. Don’t know much about Cahill from that aspect.
3) Way better value for money in terms of both transfer fee and wages, especially with the likes of Bartley, Jenkinson (yes, he plays RB but also plays CB and is forecasted to end up in the middle) and to a lesser extent, Miquel, looming in the near horizon.
Again, no knock on Cahill, just my take on the situation.
@CaribKid,
Wow, what a hatchet job on Parker.
Slow?? Really??
Short? He is tall for a DM. (check out Makelele).
He is faster than Song and Fabregas and plenty fast for the EPL. And he is PROVEN in the EPL without doubt. I dont see why you doubt his competence in those two areas.
The only thing you can say is that he is 30. But as long as we can squeeze 2-3 years … who cares.
Scott Parker is SIGNIFICANTLY better than ANY of our players as a DM, so yes he would start over ANY of them as a DM. Song is a laughable DM. No need to mention the Departing Denilshit.
Personally, I dont care if we dont get him, as long as we get someone truly competent to fill that giant hole in midfield.
The only reason some of us like Parker is because he would had “grit”, he is already completely used to the EPL so can be used from DAY ONE. Plus he already lives in London. Easy move for him.
My bet though is that Wenger would get NOBODY. And Song the Snail Twerp would amble around next season before juntering off to Africa in January.
The predictability of it all.
@Fred & Stagg,
Not really knocking Parker as a player. I have watched him on many occasions and enjoyed his skills and combativeness.
Problem is though:
1) Last season was his first outstanding one for a long time.
2) Are you willing to take another gamble on a 30 year old mid fielder who is coming off a nagging injury which sidelined him for the last 1/4 season? Wingers, box to box MF’s and wing backs all have the shortest life span in general because of physical demands of those positions.
3) Parker playing for other EPL teams which have tall squads is fine, as Makalele did for Chelsea. With our height challenged squad that is the same recipe for disaster we have been courting for the past 3 years.
Yes, he’s a good player and one which many other teams could utilize effectively if he stays fit. Just doesn’t fit into Arsenal’s needs at this stage of his career and the current imbalances in our squad.
@CaribKid,
I hear you on his height, but Diaby’s height has not helped us one bit this last season.
His grit overcomes that weakness in my opinion. If we bring in a tall CB and Lansbury (who is a six-footer) returns, we would have improved in the height department alone while improving significantly in the “grit” department.
Either way, as long as we buy some one experienced and strong, I would be overjoyed.
But we have been waiting 6 years now.
@Fred,
That we agree on Fred “Experienced and strong” mentally and physically.
BTW, Vermaelen and Koz have all the tools to be outstanding DM’s. Not that Arsene would ever think along those lines.
@CaribKid,
I hear you on his height, but Diaby’s height has not helped us one bit this last season.
His grit overcomes that weakness in my opinion. If we bring in a tall CB and Lansbury (who is a six-footer) returns, we would have improved in the height department alone while improving significantly in the “grit” department.
Either way, as long as we buy some one experienced and strong, I would be overjoyed.
But we have been waiting 6 years now.
@Fred,
To be fair on Diaby he hasn’t had much of a chance to showcase his talents due to injuries. On the other hand, neither he nor Wilshire rotates into central defense when the WB’s are upfield a la Song, Gilberto, Petit, Viera and Flamini. Whether that is by design or not I truly don’t know.
Since Arsenal are seeeded in the qualifier for the CL it avoids the likes of Bayern and Villareal – the potential opponents are:
Udinese/Lazio (Italy)
Twente (Netherlands)
Rubin Kazan (Russia)
Dinamo Kiev (Ukraine)
Standard Liege (Belgium)
Rangers (Scotland)
AEK Athens (Greece)
I will add this – it is frustrating to see Bellerin make the comments he made so soon after signing for Arsenal. Frankly though it is likely he would’ve made those comments after signing for any club.
As a Catalan footballer, there is a sense of obligation to play for the club. There is a sense that it is in essence their “national” team.
However the problem for these promising youngsters – the promise of first team football is realized more often away from Barca. Do you see many spots opening up in the next 4 yrs? Not likely. Bellerin is a talented youngster and by all accounts highly sought after – it’s a good catch for Arsenal. If he is here at 23 and wants to go back we’ll deal with it then.
@DaAdminGooner,
Why would he wait around till 23?
Wenger must have promised him first team action as soon as possible who else he wouldnt have left the Barca youth team for the Arsenal youth team.
So once his 3-5 year contract ends by age 21 at the latest, he is gone … possibly on a free transfer.
We on the other hand would have wasted the years training him (BUT WINNING NOTHING).
No matter how you slice or dice it, his comment was humiliating for Arsenal and shows his complete, utter cynicism. Wenger FC is nothing but Barca’s b$&ch.
I don’t think a given player can improve Arsenal (or any other English club for that matter) just by virtue of the fact that he is English… but they are less likely to see Arsenal as a means and more likely to see it as an end in itself than foreign players would be. That’s the claim I think Stag’s making.
Furthermore, I think the three players he mentions would bring qualities that the team is currently lacking even if they weren’t British. But Stag, you silly boy, you’ve got to realize that grit and toughness are anti-football and as such have no place in Arsene Wenger’s system. But in all seriousness, none of these players are central attacking midfielders, and I’m not being facetious when I say I think that any player who doesn’t fit that mold is necessarily less attractive to Wenger.
Seeing Barcelona play is VERY painful for an Arsenal fan, I dare to think that the humiliation ManU, and their fans, took was less then what many AKBs, Arsenal purists, or just plain AFC fans must have endured.
We think that we hate Barca because they cheat, they are after Cesc, they have gloating fans, etc. but the main reason we hate them is because they show us “the light”, they show us what we thought was our own way of playing, they show us a club philosophy that WORKS for both players and fans, they show us that AFC is just another company activating in the EPL.
We “hate” them because we realize that our beloved AFC cannot get to the same level, at least in the immediate future, we “hate” them because they play better then Arsenal of our best imagination.
They have violated our most personal space, not even in our dreams can Arsenal be as good as this Barca team/club.
Destroying someones dream is as cruel as it can get, we do not thank you FC Barcelona for it, but we thank you for sharing the delight with us FOOTBALL fans.
@Arsenalistul,
Speak for yourself.
My dislike of Barca comes from the fact that they do cheat – the final was the first time I did not see them crowd a ref enmasse in any of the last few rounds of the CL.
I also dislike how they do business – with this holier than thou attitude yet bend rules – let’s say tapping up rules for their own good.
Fact is this current crop of Barca an anaomly – one of those clubs you have to wait 10-20 years before you see a similar club of that stature.
The things you speak of in terms of their play are not specific to Arsenal, its likely typical for most clubs that play them.
@DaAdminGooner, yes Barcelona does crowd the referees, doesn’t everybody?
Dani Alves and Busquets, among others, have mastered the art of faking.
They’re not angels either, recruit very young children and most likely not all of them will become.
Both AFC and FCB have a style of play, both clubs have a “philosophy” about nurturing youngsters, both clubs try to impose their way and not adjust much to the oposition.
FCB is just much more successful on these aspects.
I strongly disagree with the term anomaly, this team is the result of 20+ years of very hard work at the youth level, it is the brainchild of one of the greatest footballers of all time. Of course they have some players who only come in a generation or two, but they are made even better by the system.
Our best player was formed at Barca, and yes matured at AFC. We constantly go after their “products”.
Our way of implementing the youth policy, developing a playing style, and building a team is just flowed compared with FCB.
It is better then what Bolton, Sunderland, etc. do, even better then Liverpool or Spurs for now.
Let’s face it, those are our peers at the moment.
I’d like to see us get Gary Cahill… OVERPAY if necessary… English core, he won’t be using us as a stepping stone to get to Barcelona or Inter or some other giant of the footballing world. Toughness, grit and experience in the center.
I’d like to see us go after Scott Parker… Again, English, not using Arsenal as a stepping stone… and provides toughness and grit and experience in the middle of the pitch…
While we are at it… add Craig Bellamy to the mix for 1 year…
Will give his all… will provide a different dimension, and … yes, toughness and grit…
Of course, I’ll be forever the skeptic with Wenger at the helm. He won’t want to bring in Brits with experience… as they already know how to play here, and he wants to be the one that taught the players everything they know about football.
So… we’ll get the 16 to 19 year olds … again.
I PRAY I am wrong… :skeleton:
@stag133,
Someone explain to me how being British saves this club? Given that foreigners make up the core of most of the clubs in the top flight.
As for Cahill it is increasingly looking like we will opt for Samba instead.
@DaAdminGooner, Are we trying to SAVE the club? Are we in a relegation battle? I am hoping we IMPROVE the club.
Being British, in my mind, means the player is used to the EPL style of football, having grown up in it… used to the weather… and would likely see Arsenal as a BIG CLUB … not a stepping stone.
Maybe you like this novel idea of bringing in some kid from another country, nurturing him… coveting him…. coddling him…. and then when he reaches a certain point, he wants to go “home”… back to the place he loves, away from the cold harsh British Winter and TOUGH style.
I was a huge proponent of the Arsenal foreign invasion back in the day… loved it, but there was ALWAYS a number of leaders in the team that were British… Adams, Seaman- ,… notably from our last glory era… Parlour Campbell Keown and Ashley Cole were ALL in the Invincibles team… all experienced … all willing to do whatever it took… play a roll… etc.
You can discount this… if you like… but tell me whose won the EPL without having it… Chelsea and United… both have it… and will continue to foster it in their line-ups.
Liverpool just improved by a MILE by off-loading Torres… and over-paying Carroll…
We have? Theo?… is he a leader? I like Ramsey & Wilshire in the middle… but are they old enough to lead?
What do you have against getting proven English players to lead the club?
@stag133,
I have nothing against English players int he club. I scoff at the phallacy that only English players will improve this club.
Its frankly a load of bollocks.
@DaAdminGooner, so English players can’t make Arsenal better? why? they aren’t good enough for Arsenal?
Going with what we have been doing with young foreigners is the definition of idiocy.
you have your opinion, I just know what I have seen in the past 6 seasons…. and that my friend, is a load of bollocks… this season was shit… if you want more of the same, vote Wenger.
@DaAdminGooner,
How is it a load of bullocks??
Arsenal play in England, not some fantasy league in Wenger’s imagination.
The ability to dominate the English style of play is EXTREMELY CRUCIAL in actually winning the league.
Also, English players would not be “homesick” or all that BS. How can you even argue this point, when the “wonderkid” we signed from Barca just recently already WANTS TO GO BACK HOME …. before he has kicked a single ball in training???
Besides, what is wrong with bringing in Cahill or Scott Parker. Kos, DJ and Squill didnt exactly cover themselves in glory and Alex Song could not see Parker in his dreams. No need even mentioning Diaby or Denilson.
We NEED an English SPINE. No one is saying flood the team with Englishmen just for the sake of it.
PSS: I would definitely take Parker over some random Argentine 23 year old (who as of Jan 2011 had less than 20 starts his entire career), and who would be “shocked” at how ferocious the game is played in England and eventually tell us of his dreams of playing in Spain or Italy.
Yet we are looking at blowing 12 million on the kid.
(shaking my head)
Ah look tweedle dee and tweedle dum –
First I never said English players couldn’t make Arsenal better. I scoff at the the notion that ONLY English players will make the team better as you two knotheads seem to insinuate.
Sure an English lad won’t be homesick – but he will piss off for the first big pay day that completely overrates his talent. Cough Cough Andy Carroll.
And how did English spine do for West Ham, Blackpool and Birmingham?
You two of long for the glory days of yore – sorry lads that boat has sailed and is never coming back.
@DaAdminGooner, DAG?
You alright? Because your arguement is just out in left field…
The thread is: THREE I’D LIKE TO SEE
Sorry, that the 3 I’d like to see are actually British…
I know that goes against everything Wenger stands for… but having an English Core has worked just fine for Manchester United and Chelsea… those teams that have been better than Arsenal for the past 6 seasons… the one’s we are chasing.
Is it degrading to you in some sense that a few British players worth their salt would improve our team?
We don’t HAVE to bring in all British players. Never said that, don’t want that… but ummmmm, since its “my opinion” of the “3 I’d like to see”??? I don’t get why you are all in an uproar about it.
It apparently offends your sensibilities that British players could help our team… if we bring in PROPER players, I wouldn’t care about where they were from, what color they are, or their favorite dance tunes…
but ummmm, these are my very own “3 I’d like to see”… sorry they differ from yours… sorry I am tired of the foreign 17 year olds… sorry the good foreign players all want to leave Arsenal or get sold to the highest bidder…
:skeleton:
@DaAdminGooner, DAG?
You alright? Because your arguement is just out in left field…
The thread is: THREE I’D LIKE TO SEE
Sorry, that the 3 I’d like to see are actually British…
I know that goes against everything Wenger stands for… but having an English Core has worked just fine for Manchester United and Chelsea… those teams that have been better than Arsenal for the past 6 seasons… the one’s we are chasing.
Is it degrading to you in some sense that a few British players worth their salt would improve our team?
We don’t HAVE to bring in all British players. Never said that, don’t want that… but ummmmm, since its “my opinion” of the “3 I’d like to see”??? I don’t get why you are all in an uproar about it.
It apparently offends your sensibilities that British players could help our team… if we bring in PROPER players, I wouldn’t care about where they were from, what color they are, or their favorite dance tunes…
but ummmm, these are my very own “3 I’d like to see”… sorry they differ from yours… sorry I am tired of the foreign 17 year olds… sorry the good foreign players all want to leave Arsenal or get sold to the highest bidder…
:skeleton:
@DaAdminGooner,
Wow, you do get b%tchy when your opinion is challenged, dontcha? Grow thick skin.
Some English toughness (or grit or whatever) especially as available in the TWO mentioned players (Cahill and Parker) would DEFINITELY make us better. Sorry, if your head is far down in the sand. Those are quality players no matter how you dice ’em.
And please dont embarass yourself by comparing Arsenal to Newcastle. Sorry, that is a ridiculous argument point.
Your mocking of the relegated players is hilarious. By that sort of genius logic, then Barcelona should not have a core of Spanish players afterall the 3 relegated teams in Spain were full of Spanish players!!!!
That is how Wengerish (BS) that argument point is. Sorry.
Yes, you are darn right we long for the glory days of yore. 4-6 top quality English players and a large dose of top quality internationals mixed in.
The big question is why dont YOU long for the glory days of yore??
@DaAdminGooner,
Wow, you do get b%tchy when your opinion is challenged, dontcha? Grow thick skin.
Some English toughness (or grit or whatever) especially as available in the TWO mentioned players (Cahill and Parker) would DEFINITELY make us better. Sorry, if your head is far down in the sand. Those are quality players no matter how you dice ’em.
And please dont embarass yourself by comparing Arsenal to Newcastle. Sorry, that is a ridiculous argument point.
Your mocking of the relegated players is hilarious. By that sort of genius logic, then Barcelona should not have a core of Spanish players afterall the 3 relegated teams in Spain were full of Spanish players!!!!
That is how Wengerish (BS) that argument point is. Sorry.
Yes, you are darn right we long for the glory days of yore. 4-6 top quality English players and a large dose of top quality internationals mixed in.
The big question is why dont YOU long for the glory days of yore??
Speaking of transfers if you don’t read the Swiss Ramble – you should. On today’s blog he completely laysout the Arsenal financial story – top to bottom.
http://swissramble.blogspot.com/
Its a long read as are all of the posts on that site but this is pretty the best financial examination of the club that exists.
Also yesterday or was it this weekend – Arsene was interview by Bixente Lizarazu on french radio station RTL – here is a summary of topics covered:
Wenger on Arsenal’s 2010-2011 season:
“I was upset. We though we could win all the trophies, but we failed due to a lack of character. It is the most frustrating season I’ve had to go through.
“The team played some of the best football I saw at Arsenal, but failed to reach the top when needed. It is frustrating and questionning. We need maturity.”
On potential signings, Wenger said:
“We will try to buy players who could gave us what we need. It’s a difficult task. Firstly, we have to enforce defensive line. We lost points against teams who play the natural English way of football, with long balls and physical struggle.
“So we need players who know how to manage this kind of game, which means English players, or players who know the Premier League.”
About the possible departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasir, Wenger said:
“Fabregas will not go this summer. Last summer,Barcelona made offers, but on this one there is no offers at all. He’s the best midfielder in the world, we built the team with him around him. He’s our captain, we want to keep him at any cost.
“Regarding Nasri, one thing is absolutely sure, that we will not sell him to Manchester United. We have a financial disagreement with the player, and I will work on it during the summer, to ensure he will extend his contract.”
Regarding Arsenal’s rumoured interest in Karim Benzema, Wenger said:
“As far as I know, Madrid doesn’t want to sell the player, which is understandable. And the fact that Zidane is now close to the club will reinforce possibility of that Benzema won’t move.”
On his philosophy for next season, Wenger said:
“Only world class players can reinforce our team, because we already have a world-class quality football. The target is to keep our qualities, strengthen them and get rid of our weaknesses.
“We still have to improve offensively, because we are an offensive team. There are people who ask me to change our way to play, but I think we have to keep going with this style of play.”
On his plan to travel to South America on holiday, Wenger said:
“I will spent my holidays there, scouting players and meeting people in South America.”
@DaAdminGooner,
I like what he says here, especially about not selling big name players and bringing in other talented players… but I refuse to believe it until I see it.
@DaAdminGooner, Wenger doesn’t see anything fundamentally wrong.
He seems to be as convinced as ever that the team has many world class players, that the defense is easy to fix, and that the lack of character can be solved by buying untested youngsters from Patagonia.
Making the same mistakes over and over, and expecting better results, isn’t this a sign of mental illness?
The question is who is ill?
Is it him, or is it us believing the same bullshitt from him and the club?
@Arsenalistul,
Where does he say we have a bunch of world class players? I see him say world class quality. That speaks to the style of play.
I think he also says the mental ability needed for the Premier League needs to come from players within the Premier League not Patagonia.
Are you reading the same quotes?
I was checking in on the AKB f$§k-fest website – Young Guns, and they had an article on how Wenger FC had stolen another 16 year old winger from Barcelona (the vaunted “Arsenal Way”).
And guess what the 16 year old twerp says in his first news conference?
He declares his desire to return to Barcelona once he has had some “experience”!!!!
LOOOOOOOL!!!
Fred –
1. Explain to me how reporting on the reserves and youth teams is an AKB site? Jamie does an outstanding job reporting on an aspect of Arsenal noone else does and on a level that noone else can. As a matter of fact he is so good that he is now writing for SI.
2. How is Arsenal’s signing of Toral and Bellerin from FCB any different than what the Catalan’s or any other club have done? Wenger prefers to make his targets older – so what. Barca, United, Chelsea and others all do the other thing. With Bellerin the other clubs that were in the running should tell you how highly regarded he was – United, Chelsea, Madrid, Inter and Bayern all wanted to sign the kid.
@DaAdminGooner,
Not trying to be anal here DAG, just informative.
http://arsenalyouth.wordpress.com
Jeorge Bird’s Arsenal Youth is another blog which features the youth players and actually was in existence pre Young Guns. He seemed to have taken a sabbatical for a while but is back now. Have to say I am a fan of Young Guns though as Jamie seems to have a lot of inside info and most of his predictions have been accurate to date..
@DaAdminGooner,
Not the admin….. am talking about the commentaries. They literally jizz themselves talking about 15 year olds and have intense AKB tendencies. Go have a look.
Jamie usually doesnt comment and kinda just stays above the fray.
—————————————————————————-
Yup, my point is that in his very FIRST press interview he is already talking about going back to FCB soon.
He is showing how cynically he views his move to the Wenger Babes. For him its just a route to gain experience … but the overwhelming aim is actually to play for Barcelona the moment he comes good.
He has a 3 year contract that can be extended by 2 years and given that he is 16 now, IF we wait for him for the next five years and sacrifice trophies for him, the moment he comes good he is gone for sure.
Very idiotic system we have going on.
@DaAdminGooner,
Not the admin….. am talking about the commentaries. They literally jizz themselves talking about 15 year olds and have intense AKB tendencies. Go have a look.
Jamie usually doesnt comment and kinda just stays above the fray.
—————————————————————————-
Yup, my point is that in his very FIRST press interview he is already talking about going back to FCB soon.
He is showing how cynically he views his move to the Wenger Babes. For him its just a route to gain experience … but the overwhelming aim is actually to play for Barcelona the moment he comes good.
He has a 3 year contract that can be extended by 2 years and given that he is 16 now, IF we wait for him for the next five years and sacrifice trophies for him, the moment he comes good he is gone for sure.
Very idiotic system we have going on.
Let’s not forget that Keown was doing his Coaching Badge at Arsenal during the 2005-2006 season and organized a defense led at that time by by an aging and oft injured Lauren, Sol Campbell (Injured for the greater part of the season), Eboue, Cygan, Toure, Senderos, Gilberto, Cole and Clichey.
With a combination at the back of Senderos/Cygan, Toure, Lauren/Eboue and Cole with Gilberto at DM went 10 straight games in the CL without conceding a goal including home and away ties with Juventus and Real Madrid.
Including the 2 goals which Barca scored against us in the finals we conceded a total of 4 goals in our 13 CL appearances.
Keown was not retained the following year and our defensive decline has accelerated ever since.
Could be coincidence, but that was the season when we started the unloading of the invincibles and Arsene took over all training duties himself.
@CaribKid,
“and Arsene took over all training duties himself.”
Yup, the exact moment Nero lit the first house on fire …
Alvarez also holds an Italian passport – there will be no Visa issues.
@CaribKid, don’t forget that flamini and sebastian larsson also played lb that year.
fred, i almost forgot. while i may have made arguments about buying in january, still, i’ve never said that no one is available in january. only that good players are hard to find at a decent price. you made up the rest. btw, i’m still waiting on those three names of the hundreds that you claimed were available and clearly better than diaby during this january’s transfer window.
rosicky has never been on 90k a week. the only players i recall ever making that much at arsenal is henry, campbell when he first signed, and fabregas. in fact, rosicky mentioned after he signed his most recent extension that he felt it the right thing to do to take a pay cut as his health was in question. also, i don’t know much about dalglish so i haven’t really talked about him. kindly tell me how you’ve come up with your claim that i don’t rate him?
while mahamadou diarra may be playing at monaco, he looks no where near his best. i’m a monaco fan and, in fairness, i’ve only seen him play once since he moved. that could have been a bad game but i remember the lyon diarra and he’s no where near that guy.
while i have defended denilson on numerous times, there are not many times where i declared him better than anyone. maybe lucas at liverpool and anyone else we had in the team to play dm during the ’08-’09 season but that’s about it. i know for a fact that i never rated denilson higher than pirlo so the likelihood of me actually saying that is essentially impossible. i certainly don’t make things up to win an argument. i had praised denilson at one time for getting 2 goals and 7 assists in 18 games (which is likely higher than pirlo ever has) and i may have compared denilson’s style of winning the ball to pirlo’s but that’s about it as far as pirlo/denilson is concerned. show me where i declared denilson is better than pirlo and i’ll send you a check in the mail today.
while my memory may fail me, i also can’t remember a time where denilson was the regular dead ball guy for arsenal like you claim. isolated games, maybe but throughout a season or even part of a season? i’m not saying you’re lying but it’s difficult to imagine denilson taking corners REGULARLY on a team which has fabregas, van persie, and nasri in it.
@joshuad,
No need to twist yourself in nuts man.
You said there was nobody who was better than what we have and would come for cheap … and even if he existed he would not want to come to Arsenal without a guarantee of being a starter.
I called BS on that and told you 95% of players in cost less than 10 million and a significant amount of them are definitely better than the shite we had playing for us.
I then gave the example of Afellay – an excellent player and starter who cost Barca 3 million.
Sorry, there are SEVERAL understated players in Europe better than Song, Diaby, Denilson, Koscielny, Squillaci, Theo, Eboue, Rosicky etc. I know it might be hard to believe for some. We had that argument in early February.
Wenger got burned like a bitch for not doing his job.
PS: I have made several list of CBs and DMs and young managers, I think could be successful at Arsenal, most of those lists numbering well over 10 on each occasion. I dont feel the need to dig them back up. You can find my posts yourself. Needless to say, there is actually a full-time department at the club whos ONLY FULL TIME JOB is to actually scout and recommend players.
I was telling you lot (at Arsenal America) about Neven Subotic, Simon Kjaer and a host of other CBs and DMs playing in the Bundesliga, Netherlands, East Europe, etc THREE summers ago before a lot of them had wikipedia pages. All the info I got was from following the Bundesliga, Eredivisie and UEFA cup.
There are lots of underrated and very talented players out there – just waiting for a chance at a big club. There is absolutely NO excuse whatsoever for staying put with utter shit like Denilson, Diaby, Eboue and co.
——————————————–
Denilson WAS the corner kick taker at the beginning of the 2008/2009 season.
There is a reason the pervert Wenger called him “brazillian ankles”.
—————————————————
Denilson’s style of winning the ball???? Denilshit couldnt win the ball from any half decent AM if his life depended on it.
The no name Leyton Orient AM shat on him for 90 minutes (TWICE). And you compare him to Pirlo, one of the legendary midfielders of the last decade??
Whatever man. This is just getting boring.
@Fred, i made about a dozen arguments as to why it’s difficult to sign players in january. being benched was just one of many.
i remember your list from a few years ago. i didn’t know a few of those players but many of the names were quite impressive. many of them are the best player on their team; heart and soul. some of your list are clearly better than our fringe players. considering their obvious quality, how many of these players do you think were actually available in january? that’s been my point all along, fred. no team is going to release their best player in the middle of the season unless something bad has happened. honestly, do you believe for a second that arsenal could have signed neven subotic this past january? not a snowball’s chance in hell.
as for denilson, i defended him because i thought it unfair that he was taking most of the blame for arsenal’s demise in the ’08-’09 season. arsenal had a shit-ton of problems other than denilson. our 30 goal striker from the year before, along with rosicky and eduardo, spent most of the season injured. van persie, fabregas, and denilson all had to learn new positions. arsenal failed to replace the central presence of hleb and flamini. gallas and toure were feuding openly. almunia’s spell that he was a decent keeper had worn off and there was no lehmann to fall back on. yeah, the entire dynamic of the team changed. denilson was only part of the problem and didn’t deserve so much of the blame. even though i defended him, i wasn’t stupid enough to say he was better than anyone; especially pirlo.
@Fred, and affelay doesn’t count. barcelona paid 3 million for a kid who only had six months remaining on his contract. if you admire barcelona for that bit of business…
@joshuad,
Who cares if he had just six months left, he was a top class 23 year old Dutch AM …. and they decided NOT to scupper their chances of winning trophies by being cheap, so they splurged a measly 3 mill euros (2 mill pounds) to take him.
And he DID provide good depth. Being decisive in quite a number of games.
Why isnt Wenger looking for those sort of deals? He sure would have been infinitely better than Rosicky or Diaby. And we sure needed the depth.
@joshuad,
Who cares if he had just six months left, he was a top class 23 year old Dutch AM …. and they decided NOT to scupper their chances of winning trophies by being cheap, so they splurged a measly 3 mill euros (2 mill pounds) to take him.
And he DID provide good depth. Being decisive in quite a number of games.
Why isnt Wenger looking for those sort of deals? He sure would have been infinitely better than Rosicky or Diaby. And we sure needed the depth.
@ChicagoGooner,
Thanks Chi. I just like to read and I tend to read more than just about Arsenal – it makes all those bloody match previews easier to do.
I learned the thing on Hiddink when City were still had Hughes as a manager. Speculation was rampant that he would be replaced and City had supposedly sent out feelers on Hiddink. A few of the stories mentioned this extraordinary clause in his payout from Chelsea. I was like – wow- talk about power tripping.
As for the rest, I do think Dennis is going to be a good manager. You don’t get made the head of Ajax’s youth team without some managerial skill.
Tony not so sure. Martin if he can get along with the manager will make a fine second.
The general consensus is that there will still be 1 or 2 additions to the coaching staff. No dismissals just additions. Word is that if City release Vierra or he retires on his own then Wenger will approach him. But that seems unlikely since another story popped up with Vierra hoping City give him one more year.
Tom Cruise was cut free and Gavin Hoyte is set to be let go – if he hasn’t already. Wenger is starting his cutting with the youngsters. A lot of people think this is the most significant cutting he has done at this level in years and quite a few think this signals a change in his attitude. We shall see.
Curious is that Wenger is on his way to South American after having taken a week off after the league finale. I am hoping this is for the Alvarez kid. There is definitely something there. Arsenal have done good spotting Argentinian talent having tracked Javier Mascherano for quite some time but failing to sign him. I don’t remember the last time Wenger went to a country to do anything for contract negotiations.
@DaAdminGooner,
Alvarez? Meh.
If we get him, we better be able to get a work permit for him IMMEDIATELY.
No more BS like loaning him out to Spain to get a passport.
fred, sorry i couldn’t get back to you earlier as i was out of town. clearly you and i have a different take on the value of leadership. it’s something near and dear to me since i began to learn about it in 1987. it’s applicable in my day to day line of work to practice, teach, and mentor leadership. the idea of putting yourself in harms way for freedom sounds noble until bullets start flying and you begin to contemplate your mortality. leadership is what provides guys the motivation to take the hill despite their contemplations. it damn sure isn’t for the money.
leadership is a continual and comprehensive PROCESS; meaning it does not stop. in soccer terms, it takes place in matches, on the training pitch, in the dressing room, in the film room and everywhere else. strong leaders provide CONTINUAL guidance, direction, purpose, and motivation to the teams they lead in every scenario. ie. they provide the same focus whether playing barcelona or stoke. arsenal haven’t had that since gallas lost the captaincy. ironically enough, arsenal haven’t come close to challenging for the title since then either. it’s not as much the players as it is the lack of leadership. it’s difficult enough to win a championship but it’s impossible without leadership.
example; what leader policed ramsey when he did the blind back pass that pennant intercepted and scored on when we played stoke? clearly, no one as he did the same stupid shit against fulham two weeks later which lead directly to their opener. ramsey is not a bad player but he’s young and needed to be policed by a senior colleague.
i could talk for hours about this but i think you get where i’m coming from. btw, tell your punk-ass little sister, stan, to stop throwing rocks from the sideline and hiding behind her big brother. everyone who’s been here for a while and knows the difference between their ass and a hole in the ground know that i’ve been talking big on leadership ever since it became relevant (henry being announced as captain).
@joshuad,
No one on here has EVER said leadership is not important. What we are saying is that no amount of leadership would turn this frogs into princesses.
Our players are LOW QUALITY.
Our manager is a tactical buffoon.
No amount of “leadership” can override our deficiencies.
And leadership has nothing to do with captaincy, so I dont see why you gripe about the choice of Henry, Gallas, etc so much.
Outside England and Scotland the captains handband is not taken that seriously and is mostly symbolic. Sheesh.
Instead of worrying about who is wearing the captains handband, how about we FIRST worry about the QUALITY of the players in our team.
And why dont you ever mention leadership with regards to Arsene Wenger?? It is the French Twat who creates the scenario anyway.
@Fred, i agree that the armband has nothing to do with leadership. that wasn’t for you, it was for your little sister. the comment about aaron ramsey and the fact that on one policed him was intended for you. my point is arsenal have zero leadership.
i understand that you are angry about how arsenal’s season finished this year but if you reflect, this team of “ZERO QUALITY” managed to beat man city, chelsea, man united, and barcelona this season. a team with “zero quality” couldn’t do that. while this isn’t the best arsenal team ever, there was enough quality in the side to win silverware this year. the problem is there was no leadership. a team with no leadership won’t win a championship regardless of the quality.
@joshuad,
We beat Barcelona….. but so did Hercules …. and they got relegated. So its neither here nor there.
I am strongly believe without Fabregas, RvP and Nasri we are a 10th place team. For a club of Arsenal’s stature that is just ridiculous.
When we get in proper hard-nosed playing personnel, I guarantee you that the leadership problem ceases to exist.
@Fred, btw, i put wenger on blast just last week when i talked about how he didn’t support gallas. besides, it’s not the general in the air conditioned building that inspires one to take the hill, but rather the senior guy in the trenches facing the same threats and adversities along side you.
Extremely happy for Swansea. Nice and interesting to have a Welsh club in the EPL.
I hope Nottingham Forest, Cardiff and Leeds get promoted next season.
The article could as well be a three worded piece: “One I’ll not like to see at Arsenal”.
Arsene “Nero” Wenger.
Probably accompanied by a picture of Kenny Dalglish telling him to do one.
Couple of things Hiddink would never happen – in his payout from Chelsea there is a clause that stipulates that Abramovich can veto any move to a EPL club or he forfeits the remainder of his payout.
Then this someone needs to tell me how being a star player suddenly qualifies you to be a manager. Certainly the better managers for the most part seem to be players who were nothing more than average players. I love Adams, Keown and Dennis but with the exception of Dennis none have shown good managerial qualities.
@DaAdminGooner,
Fair point on Hiddink. DAG you are perhaps the most informed football fan I know. But I still stand by my point that a change in player personnel will not solve Arsenal’s woes. Only a change to the coaching/managerial staff can do that. Over the past seasons we have seen Gallas, Rosicky, Eduardo, Sagna, Vela, Ramsey, Nasri, Arshavin, Vermaelen, and Chamakh come to Arsenal on transfers.
These are not fringe players (except maybe Carlos) but players who have been integral parts in the first XI at one time or another during their Arsenal careers. We’ve had an awful lot of player turnover these past few fruitless years, and despite that the end result is always the same… always. I see no evidence which leads me to believe bringing in players this time will produce a different result than all the other times.
I also agree with you that being a star player doesn’t necessarily qualify someone to be a good manager- if anything history says that it indicates the opposite. But it does not preclude them by any means. Admas I admit has not done so well as a manager thus far, but Keown and Bergkamp have shown a genuine interest in coaching and I think Bergkamp especially has the tactical knowledge to do it. It’s like someone once said of Cruyff- he mastered every technical football skill possible by the time he was 20, so he spent all his time, even as a player, focusing on tactics. As for Keown, I’d argue the whole “stars don’t make good coaches” thing doesn’t apply to him as I don’t think he’s the type of “star” player that argument refers to.
Finally I would argue that there is big, big difference between being a head manager and an assistant who focuses on one area of the pitch and one group of players. Assistants are far less visible in the public eye and are almost never subjected to the ferocious media scrutiny of the head coach. They also merely provide input on scouting, team selection, etc.- they provide input but the headache of final decision making is not theirs to deal with.
That is why I proposed someone with a proven managerial pedigree to be the Manager of Arsenal FC, while I thought it would be best to leave the technical experts in a more focused, subordinate role.
The three I’d like to see at Arsenal:
1. Guus Hiddink – Manager
He’s currently the manager of Turkey, but has said he’d consider any type of offer from Chelsea, so why not us? We’re an equally high-profile club. He doesn’t have the past connection here like he does at Chelsea, but it’d be hard to turn down Arsenal. Excellent track record when it comes to tactics and man management. Took South Korea of all nations to a World Cup semi-final, and took Russia to a Euro semi. In three seasons at PSV in the late ’80s he took them to three Eredivisie titles, three Dutch cups, and one European Cup. A winner and one of the greatest managers of his age.
2. Tony Adams – Defensive Assistant
In his playing career he displayed two things that Arsenal sorely need right now. First, as probably the best CB in England for the two decades of his career, he can teach our back 4 how to play as a unit, be compact b/w the lines, and… protect leads and defend set-pieces! The other thing he had as a player and could bring is leadership and passion. Those are both musts if you want to Captain a team to the title in three different decades. Also an Arsenal legend who would be fully committed to the cause of making the team successful on the pitch (not just at the bank).
3. Dennis Bergkamp – Offensive Assistant
Another Arsenal legend who loves the club and has a drive to win silverware. In addition to these qualities, he is a technical and tactical genius when it comes to moving, seeing, passing, and scoring.
@ChicagoGooner,
I love those additions. Keown instead of Adams would also be acceptable and more doable since Adams is coaching some no name team in some far away hinterland.
@CaribKid,
Fair enough. Keown might be better anyways. The point is that player changes won’t make an impact at Arsenal if the coaching apparatus doesn’t change. Then all we need to do is get a board that actually realizes there is no trophy for 4th place.
@ChicagoGooner,
Totally agree. Three things need to happen if we are to regain our status as one of the top teams in the world.
1) Addition of coaches in the defensive, offensive and tactical areas.
2) Addition of at least 3 experienced, world class players in their prime, some of whom who should have current EPL experience. Samba, Cahill, etc.
3) Either creating team formations to utilize the natural skills of players in the squad or acquiring players to fit the desired formation. IOW, stop trying to fit square pegs into round holes.
Unfortunately, for these changes to be made, Arsene has to re-invent himself or give up the reins to someone else. I personally would take 50-1 odds on that happening in the upcoming season.
Ole pink nose of the wine swilling, inordinate ego, Fergie, seems to be the only manager to have done that successfully in recent memory. :X-P:
My bad. I meant Mark Randall. I was thinking of something else related to Kyle Bartley.
Updated article.
@DaAdminGooner,
Tom Cruise, the once promising FB has also been released as per George Bird and two other youngsters were not renewed some weeks back.
Seems as if we are finally trying to weed out some deadwood although we will receive nothing in return for our financial investments in these youngsters.
A few other pieces of deadwood including Gavin Hoyte (out on loan for 3 years because his talent didn’t match his wages) will be purged.
Time has been called on Mark Randall not Kyle Bartley.
@REDgoon, i saw the bartley release rumours but then i think i remember young guns confirming bartley HAS NOT been released. i would be disapointed if he was seeing his good form on loan. but randall has been released yes.