To all Gooners accross the Pond,
I’m from London and this is my first post on AA. Great to hear all your comments and to know that there are so many Reds over there. For those that didn’t make it to Cardiff, don’t you think that in some ways, beating Manure in the manner that we did, was even more enjoyable! Especially when you saw the look on Fergusons face at the end.
Watching Liverpools unbelievable Champions League success on Wednesday made me (and I’m sure all Gooners) wish that was Paddy lifting that trophy. Mark my words, as a Highbury regular, with the likes of Senderos, Fabregas, Flamini, Reyes, Van Persie and the “old” boys like Vieira and Henry, we WILL win the Champions League within the next three years. Just Keep the Faith!!!!!
NorthBank
17 Responses to “HI FROM THE UK”
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May 28th, 2005 at 8:59 pm
Greetings Northbank…
Thank you for your contribution. A pleasure to here a positive outlook on our future stars and your belief that we can and will win the next few years! I echo that sentiment… Keeping the Faith here in the USA!
May 28th, 2005 at 9:22 pm
My faith is gowing year after year !
I can see a great team (squad) coming next season.
Northbank : I have a question for you guys who live in England , Do you guys get bothered becuase Arsenal do not have more english players. Me I dont really care, but I feel that this could be a factor for the CL.
May 29th, 2005 at 3:11 am
Icould not agree more we have a fine crop of youngsters and some good oldies this mix i think will lead us to the CL,i find it puzzling that player for player we are better then Liverpool,maybe the system played in the cup final is going to be the prefered system in away game in the C.L i for one really dont care as long as its successful,i have noticed that the style Arsenal play in the C.L is not working and it seams a more gritty style is the way to go.I think another central defender is required because Sol is picking up injuries quite reguarly and i feel the cover is a bit thin in that area and maybe a striker and a keeper .but i am optimistic next season will be a winning season again.alls well in goonerville.
May 29th, 2005 at 4:10 am
To be honest none of us here really care too much about the lack of English players in our team. Having watched us through the early eighties when we had all Englishmen (plus a couple of scots and irish) we produced some of the worst football ever so compare that to watching the likes of Bergkamp, Henry, Overmars, Petit, Pires etc etc - I know what I’d rather watch! This last decade has been the best in Arsenals history - and the most entertaining. It’s been an absoloute pleasure!
May 29th, 2005 at 4:38 am
Despite 3 defeats to the northern girls there was a lot of confidence among the arsenal’s fans all over the world that we could win the FA.
We luck such belief and confidence in Europe.
The fans must make sure the team play with the maximum confidence and joy by supporting them through difficult periods.
In some way the kops won the trophy for the reds.
Moanrinrho underestimated the Kops support and Chelski paid the price.
We must get together in believing we can win.
I can already hear the demoralising comments coming from some tactical “experts” more concerned by showing their football skills than thinking positive and believing in the ability of the team.
To me the biggest tactical error that a fan can make is to think he’s a tactician or a coach.
Maybe I am an ‘idiot’ but I think it’s easier to get behind the team than crying at the manager or the players for their ‘weaknesses’.
If we can behave like the Kops we will help a lot the team.
May 29th, 2005 at 5:08 am
I agree - and the CL ruling is a mega-disaster as there aren’t enough half-competent ‘home-grown’ players to go round. The only beneficiaries of the ruling are Chelsea who can afford 30 million for a token English player to sit on their bench. Any chance they might fancy Bentley?
May 29th, 2005 at 5:25 am
I don’t really agree with you here but hey that is my 2 cent. Football had change a great deal and can’t compare what happen in the 70’s or 80’s to today. I loved Arsenal then and I loved Arsenal now.
But you missed the point.
May 29th, 2005 at 5:58 am
Let me try and answer your question if I can. As soon as people say they hope there are more English players at Arsenal the race and anti England sentiments start flying.
Most ex players talks about the importance of having home grow players. I remember Wrighty saying the best player he had played with was DB10 and hope we have those types of players in the league but not just buying non-English for the sake of it. Adams said it and even the best non-English player to play in the league said it “he played for Chelsea”. Every club needs a core number of home made players and that happens it Italy, Spain Germany or France. Zola because DB10 is still playing.
It was Wenger himself that said he hope we have English players at Arsenal for a number of reasons. Yes they can be very expensive but this is not something new cuz English clubs hate selling their players to another English teams. M. Owen went to RM for 10m ish but the kops were trying to sell him to another English team for 3 times that amount.
It is believe and known that every club needs a core players from the country of origin. Every club in Europe does it but is a question of getting the best and right players.
Every teams needs to mixture of both. If you have more non-English players in Arsenal it can have a very negative affect on the whole set up.
As both the managers at Chelsea/Kops said
May 29th, 2005 at 11:41 am
Ok, I think there is something I am not clear on. The UEFA ruling is that starting from the year 2006, there should be atleast x[be it 4 or 6] ‘home grown players’ on each team’s squad. I assume home grown means players within the vicinty of the club, meaning players growing up in areas only around the club, right?
UEFA is not referring to the entire country as qualifying for home grown is it?
May 29th, 2005 at 2:17 pm
I agree !
May 29th, 2005 at 2:52 pm
All I know is that I cannot think of one position in our starting (best) eleven that could be improved by an Englishman. To compare:
Lehman v Robinson NO!
Lauren v Neville NO!
Cole (no contest)
Toure v Ferdinand (OK maybe this one)
Senderos v Campbell (He’s keeping him out and isn’t injury prone) NO!
Vieira v Lampard NO!
Gilberto v Gerrard (Difficult as so different)
Ljungberg v Wright-Phillips NO!
Pires v Beckham NO!
Bergkamp v (well theres no-one better than the Master!)
Henry v Owen NO!
Only my opinion I know but, hey, that’s what this forums for!
Keep the Faith
NorthBank
May 29th, 2005 at 3:53 pm
No, it means either of English (UK) nationality or a player, regardless of nationality, who has spent 3 years between the age of 16 and 21 in your academy or the academy of another English club. That’s the gist of it, though actually it’s slightly more complicated and the home-grown requirement increases the following year, and again the year after that.
May 29th, 2005 at 7:29 pm
Yes the player requirement gets worse as you say. By 2008, it is supposed to be 8 home grown players. How is that possible?
Atleast in England there is an infrastructure youth system. In Italy, things have gone off the rails quite a bit. The only European team that is probably laughing with these rules is Athetic Bilbao who only have local Basque players.
May 30th, 2005 at 1:27 am
I’ll take SWP over Freddie. SWP has an ability few players have, to take the game by the scruff of the neck. Freddie scores, but I doubt SWP will fail to do the same in an Arsenal system. SWP can take on players and beat them, kick from outside the box, and bring something specail which our team doesn’t have right now.
May 30th, 2005 at 5:24 pm
AG
I love us to have SWP as well. Like Henry, he can be a match winner. With his speed and trickery, he will be a handful down the right flank against any opponent. He had been a thorn against Manure in the last few Manchester derbies. He might be out of our budget though.
May 31st, 2005 at 2:06 pm
Northbank:
Arsenal will take the top next year. Forget three years. Never forget that two seasons ago the lads were undefeated. We’ll lift silver again, too.
-jondude in SoCal
June 1st, 2005 at 12:30 am
Super confident from the JohnDude man. That’s what I like to see. I actually meant winning the Champions League (European Cup) within three years. Whereas our style of play in the FA Cup was, at times, hard to swallow, it was effective and a similar style in the away legs of the CL is what is needed - and this will take time to perfect. As for the English Premier League? I’m sure we’ll win it in 2005/2006 as a “goodbye” present to Dennis and Highbury.
NorthBank