Jul 25
I don’t know if there’s anything to this, but at the height of the Cole tapping up furore, I read somewhere that Cole had spoken to Vieira and that PV had urged Cole to hold out for more money from Arsenal. The usual followed - i.e., Vieira denied it and after a couple of days that particular aspect of the matter seemed to disappear entirely.
I just wonder if there was any truth to the Cole/Vieira conversation and whether it caused Arsenal to finally run out of patience with Vieira, quietly shop him around and accept the best (only?) offer that resulted. We may never know...
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Jul 24
Last season we conceded the Premiership title to Chelsea, what was the main reason I don’t know, but one of them, in my opinion, was our set-pieces defending in the midst of a period of bad run last season. It coincidented with the time Gilberto was absence through injury.
I remember Tony Adams once said - one of the main assets the Vieira/Petit partnership brought to Arsenal was their height, offering the back four a great help, particular in defending set-pieces. The Vieira/Gilberto partnership brought the similiar effect. Both players are tall and strong. And it may not...
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Jul 24
I just got this link from bigsoccer for a Hleb video montage. Bloody awesome!
http://s36.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2KYD7HK5LURXD1J8QUS7A58J77
(copy and paste)
It requires a divx codec and is played through windows media player. You can download the codec at divx.com.
Let me just say that my fears are somewhat allayed now that I’ve seen this kid in action. He seems quicker than paddy, and can pass or blow by guys at will. Nice shot from medium to long range, and some of the clips remind me of a vanilla-henry. Overall great ball control and he can stop on...
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Jul 24
When my phone rang on that night, I looked at the caller ID and wondered what news my friend had for me. He’d been monitoring the net, and feeding me with all valid and verifiable transfer news. I wondered who Arsenal had signed to make him call me. “Juve have signed Vieira!” He shouted at me, his voice ringing with joy. I told him “Congratulations.” for he was a Juventus fan, and hung up. For fully ten minutes, I didn’t move. I’d been following the rumours same as everyone, but I was fully confident that Arsenal wouldn’t sell. We’d held...
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Jul 24
1) Jose Mourinho
Jose is big on motivation, always telling his players they are the best, geeing them up all the time. That kind of approach is fine when it’s new and refreshing, but the novelty wears off and the effect of it in a second season will be diminished.
2) Second seasonitis
Many players who burst onto the scene having a fantastic first full season find it very hard to reach the same levels in their second season, often having a mare by comparison. Expect one or two key players to under perform this season.
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Jul 23
Who has ever heard of Carlos Alberto Tevez? Well according to his national team coach he is the next Maradona! Born in Argentina in1984 he stands 168cm tall and weighs in at 67kg, bearing a distinct likeness to his boyhood hero in his prime. Although only 21 he was a regular fixture in the national team until his sudden transfer from Boca Juniors to Brazils Corinthians. The previous season he had helped Boca win the Championship, Copa Libertadores and the Inter Continental Cup, so the sale shocked and enraged the Boca fans. Previous to that the #10 scored a hat full of goals as Argentina stormed...
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Jul 21
Just been reading the report of yesterday’s friendly on Arsenal.com where I spotted a familiar friend in one of the pix from the game. Click onto this link….
and see what’s behind Justin Hoyte.
The following still shots were originally posted on BS by “mixmastermatt” and are hosted by imageshack:
...
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Jul 21
Vieira’s departure, without a doubt, will weaken our side, especially if we fail to land a replacement in time for the new season. But I don’t see the necessary for us to hit the panic button. To suggest Wenger has lost the plot without a ball even being kicked is not the fairest’ statement to our manager neither.
What is the real reason behind the selling of Vieira I don’t know, but I don’t think it matters now. I suggested prior to the transfer that selling Vieira without buying in a replacment in advance would make us even harder to buy new players....
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Jul 21
Hello Gooners,
This is my first editorial, but I felt it was a perfect time to start. First, stating the obvious- losing Patty was a huge blow. I think it’s frustrating a lot of people that we (a) sold him at all (b) took much less money than we could’ve gotten last summer. Personally, I think one of three things has happened:
1. Arsene felt he was past his best and decided to cash in while there was still a buyer.
2. Patty wanted a new challenge and requested the move be made(this seems unlikely).
3. Arsene knew after last year’s champion league...
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Jul 21
As the summer moves quickly to it’s conclusion (seems like that FA Cup final was last week!), a few things occupy my thoughts. Since I am also an avid baseball fan, I have noticed some key similarities between MLB and the EPL. Mainly, the presence of a salary cap is little more than wishful thinking. While I have always maintained that a large bank account won’t ensure success without the right man to steer the ship (the New York Mets being a prime example), it can certainly keep you in contention. Chelsea, right now anyways, seems like the New York Yankees of the EPL. There...
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