Summer break for Arsenal fans has never been easy. We long to see our Gunners take the pitch; we wait with untold expectation for yet another charge at trophies and glory. And this year, adding to the expectation, we await the sights and sounds of what seems like a breathtaking new stadium.
But I must say the last two summers have seemed much longer than seasons past. Even this year?s crown jewel of football?the 2006 World Cup?has not satisfied my longing for the EPL season to just get under way.
The reason?
The lack of (or perhaps just the slow drip of) Arsenal transfer activity.
Before everyone jumps down my throat, please read on.
I do not buy into summer ?blockbuster? signings as a way to make a squad infinitely better. It just doesn?t work out that way. (Unless, of course, you are a crooked and slightly socially awkward Russian with a few billion to spare). Great sides, sides that are more than just a flash in the pan, are built slowly with care. They are developed from within. Messier Wenger knows this fact: he buys carefully, buys at his own pace and buys to add those elusive missing pieces to the puzzle.
Yet, there is just something plainly frustrating about the approach. Sometimes, the addition of one or two marquee names offer that extra something to push a club to new heights. Last season, I anxiously clicked my way around every football web site?from proven media outlet to absolute homespun, rumor rubbish?trying to see who Arsenal would bring in to replace our beloved Paddy. In the end, it was no one. The first half of the season we struggled to fill that gap. Eventually the new players and the young ones stepped up. And the Arsenal Football Club was among the very best of Europe by season?s end. But let us not forget: we won NO trophies last season.
As we are rapidly approaching the 2006-2007 campaign, the same sense of restlessness has begun to set it. The club has lost Sol. Senderos is out for several months. Lauren is coming back off a hard injury. And Cole may be heading for the door too. Of course, Arsene has a plan to address these issues and it may be as simple as waiting for Chelsea and Real to close their check books so that the transfer market comes back to earth. But with so many quality players having already moved (many from disgraced Italian clubs of course), I get the sense that Wenger is looking for youth and bargains yet again.
Fine. He?s the boss, but let?s hope we do not ?sacrifice? another season for building up our teenagers or those just clear of their teenage years. I simply do not see how buying one (or perhaps two) aged, experienced stars would hurt the club or its youth development in the long run.
I offer no answers here. I only wonder if other AFC fans share my unease. We all may be in for another long summer, one with no ?big? signings; and come January, we may once again rue the money not spent to bring in proven men that hit the ground running. Let?s hope I?m wrong.
8 Responses to “The Torturous Wait for Those Summer Transfers”
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July 24th, 2006 at 8:50 pm
I wrote this a couple hours ago and posted it earlier but it applys so I cut an pasted:
Boys, I’ve had a couple surgeries this month (yes plural), and have been laid up at the house trying to heal. Lord knows that’s the only reason I wasn’t in London on Saturday. Anyway, with all this extra time, I threw in the Arsenal Centurions discs and was totally amazed at the beautiful football we played in the late 90’s into 2004. Is there anyway in the world Wenger could ever replicate that kind of soccer?
Arsenal was so good it was mindblowing. I had my wife pull up a random Arsenal tape from the basement and it was a league match against Leeds. Watching this game, my jaw dropped. I haven’t seen anyone play that kind of footie in the past two years anywhere, be it Arsenal, Barcelona, Brazil, at the World Cup or what have you.
That team was class throughout. Henry was the man but he wasn’t alone. He had a supporting cast that had the apparent MOTIVATION & ABILITY, fcuk potential, to rip the heart out of any team, bar none. Henry didn’t have to save the day everyday. We had a squad full of match winners. Now we have a team where everyone’s looking for Henry to win us every game.
Besides Henry, who are our match winners? Before we had match winners by the boat; even Keown or Ray Parlour could pull a match out of their arse periodically. Henry will respect teamates that demand respect by proving they can help him win. Instead of Henry applauding a beautiful build-up to a chance/goal his team created, he’s applauding longballs from CB’s. Surely, I’m not the only one that’s noticed.
Rosicky is one but we need more game winners. In 2000 Wenger brought in Pires and Wiltord; two experienced players who proved they knew how to win big games before coming to Arsenal. That strengthened our already awesome team. That’s what we need now. We can still continue to develop youth but I don’t care what anyone says, Wenger didn’t replace Anelka, Petit, Adams, and Overmars with kids. He replaced them with champions.
Sometimes even brilliant people need to be taught again things they’ve already learned. Sure, Wenger’s got faith in the young boys but perhaps he should put in an old tape to remind him what men can do.
July 24th, 2006 at 10:17 pm
In 1996 I had held season tickets to the Tampa bay mutiny and before that, the tampa bay rowdies(pre MLS). I knew nothing of English football but I got tired of my Irish brother in law going on and on about Man utd. He kept talking about a team that was spoiling the epl because they brought in so many foreigners. ARSENAL! Hey! I’m a foreigner! I bought a kit. I haven’t looked back.
For me, the hardest part is he quiet.
Thuram.quiet. gone!
Buffon. quiet.Staying!
Saviola.Why?
But…….Then the season will start and no matter what happens, I’ll be a gooner! The highest high when we win. The too many pints when we loose. No matter what, I’m an Arsenal fan. I’m un-easy, yes! But I am an Arsenal fan! I’m not just there for the silverware. I’m there for the joga bonita! And we do play the beautiful game! Up The Arsenal!
cheers to all JS
July 24th, 2006 at 11:44 pm
I believe many of us feel similarly… we are simply waiting for Wenger to bring in the much needed player or two. Last year was torture for the 1st half of the season, in which we played ourselves out of the league race, and almost the CL automatic berth. We didn’t care about the Cups, and we put all the eggs in the CL basket. What a fantastic run. But thats a “CUP”, and we could easily get knocked out early this year, who knows.
We can not go into this season with the current squad and expect to win a damned thing or compete for the league in any way. We have too many injuries in defense, and the season hasn’t even started yet. You can’t start slow with Chelsea, because they are going to be consistent. The last 2 years have shown that. They’ve attempted to get even better with 2 STAR players coming in… as well as others (Obi Mikel is young and HIGHLY regarded)…
So yes… as my recent post said… I am anxious. I am impatient. I would like to see our team improve by bringing in an infusion of talent. I think we could use a player at EVERY position. How’s that for needs.
Buffon at keeper would be a great idea.
We need a Central Defender who can play NOW.
We need a Central midfielder with some steel NOW.
We could even use a proven star striker to partner Henry… because maybe this is the year he doesn’t score 30 goals?!!
I don’t see it happening. I HOPE Wenger is waiting for something??? But what? Why wait… if he’s bringing someone in, lets give him a bit of time with the squad to gel… because the CL qualifier is not that far off… and neither is opening day for that matter.
I read a blurb about us asking Chelsea for 25 MILLION for Cole… or 16 Million and Gallas!!!!
Thats smart… make them give us Gallas AND the cash, or …. tell them to feck off!
Time will tell, it always does… but without bringing in some talent, we aren’t winning any trophies this season. Sorry.
July 25th, 2006 at 12:02 am
I feel you man. Plus I am really looking fwd for this new season. 05-06 was….hmmm. Hopefully some magical moments would happen again
July 25th, 2006 at 12:30 am
I’m pretty ok with the attacking force we have: this should be a telling year for RVP. With all the ball movers in Hleb, Rosicky, Cesc, JAR ect I think its fine to use what we’ve got. For CM and defensive cover I would think there would be less adaptation necessary to the EPL since you’re in a holding role. This is where I agree we could use some real class coming in - even if older. Older might even be better since they are short term, but they can help the youngsters along while providing real cover with experience. I sometimes wonder why Arsene is so hesitant to bring in veterans at the back (although Gilberto was proven and he’s turned out fine).
July 25th, 2006 at 4:06 am
Sometimes this ‘need to buy’ sounds like an addiction! I need a fix man….just give me anybody….a Graveson, the Queen Mother…anybody man
July 25th, 2006 at 4:23 am
I jest, I know where your coming from
But this lot aren’t kids (or not ay longer):
Henry..Reyes..van Persie
Ljungberg..Hleb..Rosicky
Gilberto..Fabregas..Flamini
Lauren..Eboue
Cole
Toure..Senderos..Cygan
Lehmann..Poom
That’s 17 + the ‘kids’
July 25th, 2006 at 8:17 am
Well, outside of Chelsea, there hasn’t been any blockbuster signings happening. Torres has announced he’s going nowhere, and the Italian job ended up at Milan or in Spain. Wenger is acting on the extreme DL so as to keep Chelsea and other clubs with some “f*ck you money” from driving up the price. There will be signings to help alleviate our pain from losing so many vets, but only one of them was really helping the club last season.
There are many things to consider: how have our new signings from the last two years and the kids improved? What Plan B are we working on? We’ve got a potent strike force, but we need ball winners in the middle of the park and some cover in the back for our balsa wood contingent. Damn, we’re brittle. But I doubt our luck could be as bad as it was last season.
Also, that flowing football you missed will sadly become rarer and rarer when clubs have figured out how to distrupt it with negative football. Now clubs have bastards on the payroll who are only there to close down our frail-looking midfield and kick lumps into them. It used to be every club cared about the quality of football the fans were seeing. But since Chelsea showed up, they take advantage of the top of the table disruption by kicking their way closer to Europe. Don’t blame Wenger for that, he’s still looking for a way around it and still managing to get a few games here and there of the stuff that made this club legendary.
But I agree with you on match winners. Bobby was one, and Sol and Dennis had their moments. But if our talented squad improves 10% from last season - meaning Reyes, Hleb, RvP, and Freddie can contribute one or two here and there, along with new signings Rosicky and Ade, we’re making up 15 - 20 points right there.
And remember Eboue’s runs, and Sendy’s eye for goal coming around…there’s stuff to look forward to that might keep your mind off of bringing in the ringers. If we can stay healthy, that is.
Up the Arse, Kiss the Crest, Keep the Faith.