I couldn’t catch the whole game and I knew the score before they showed the replay so I decided to go and sleep instead of watching through the pain. And anyway I knew people here would have ranted and ranted and…you get the point. The previous thread was more about people getting their personal ego’s satisfied for a large part and less about the game to be fair. Yeah Yeah…Its a forum..I know.
The first half wasn’t really bad as far as I saw it. Almunia looked decent again and made a couple of smart saves. Senderos was good enough and had a decent game as far as I saw. However I am 100% sure that if Jerome had got that early goal then Sendy would’ve been put to the sword and not Gallas who stopped tracking back. What’s that?? A goal wasn’t scored?? Yeah right…
Sagna looks a bit weary IMO..he’s solid as ever but I wonder if he will last the season bombing up and down every game. Plus the fact that he played CC as well. Hope both Clichy and him stay fit this season. Traore is not ready to go yet.
Moaning about Rosicky won’t do any good either. Although Theo’s woeful form was a bit of a factor; its not as if Mozart despite a marked improvement overall has set the world on fire when he’s played. Dudu needs a break as well IMO. Since that RVP injury he’s been playing non stop and that might explain the misses. That header was point blank - no way he would’ve missed that had he been fresh. But it happens and I think his overall play has improved so much. Ade’s energy is wonderful but I think he runs too much at times — yes linking play is great but yesterday because of him dropping so deep I think our midfield was even deeper and creating lesser than usual. Also get the feeling he’s feeling a bit insecure because Eduardo’s been banging the goals in. Could be rubbish …still just a thought. Which brings me to the problem yesterday — Cesc and Hleb. I wonder if they’ve got a bit big in the heads after that cracking first half of the season???
And that’s the point of this piece (IF IT GETS PUBLISHED.. please Mike 
) .. I think this is the first hurdle for the kids…as in..
– Physical opposition — OK
– Coming back in the last 10″ — OK
– Lead at new year after being tipped to come fifth — OK
– North England — OK
– Big Teams — OK
– Small teams — OK
– Average teams — OK
– Emirates adjusting — OK
– Loss of big players — OK
– Being in a comfort zone and keeping a run up ??? — NOPE
What are your thoughts?? Would love to know.
January 14th, 2008 at 10:26 am
Quite true indeed LDE. Lately this site seems like more about who’s right, who’s wrong, not much really about the games, or Arsenal.
For instance, Denilson got criticized again….. in a match that he didn’t even play?
The Birmingham draw, I think AW basically summed it up pretty accurately - we were a bit guilty of taking the foot off the padel.
1st half, Birmingham paid too much respect to us that we should have taken the chance and killed them off. We didn’t. So we paid for that. Period.
Will we still stand a chance in the title race? I don’t know. The table says we are levelled at points with Man Utd at the top. so i let others to be the judge.
January 14th, 2008 at 11:01 am
Agree with both of you that thread regarding Birmingham game was painful enough to read (arguably even more painful than watching game) without putting in my own two cents. LDE, you have asked the $64,000 (or the cost of the average Wenger purchase, LOL) question. My fear is that the answer is we cannot keep a run up because we’ve been doing all we can to sustain the EPL lead through December and beginning of January as is. But that doesn’t mean I desperately hope I’m wrong and that also doesn’t mean I won’t watch each and every game during the run-in.
January 14th, 2008 at 11:52 am
Maybe we should start our analysis with a clean slate:
Almunia (7) Goal wasn’t his fault, too far to come out of goal and the header rebounded off Fabregas
Gallas (8) Kept the back four in order, came forward late and nearly grabbed a winner
Senderos (7) Would have said (5) at half time but played particularly well in the second half, amazingly
Clichy (7) Bombed forward like a terrier in the second half, but to no avail
Sagna (7) Competent at the back and put some good crosses in
Walcott (3) Just dreadful, seems to be in his own little world
Flamini (6) Tried to keep the midfield ticking, completed more passes than Fabregas but then he isn’t trying to be creative
Hleb (7) Looked like he was finding his form, but with the whole attack out of sorts things simply weren’t coming off
Eduardo (6) Won us a penalty, and got more involved in the build up than usual
Adebayor (5) A bit off colour to be honest, probably wishes he was at ANC
Subs
Bendtner (6) Hard to make an impact when everyone around you is off colour
Diaby (7) Smart feet, kept going through the middle but waste of time, needed width
All in all, pretty dismal. I agree with Wenger that the team expected to win and you would think they would be more hungry for the title considering hardly any of them have won it. Tactics played its part, we need width but chucking crosses in for the sake of it isn’t the best way to score goals. Need to work more in training, get more players in the box and have them practising how to get on the end of crosses.
By the way, I do think the crowd really got behind the team on Saturday. You don’t see that very often but it bodes well for the future.
January 14th, 2008 at 11:55 am
Fabregas (6) Still nowhere near his best. You can expect that from youth I’m afraid. A class act but will probably be a few years before he finds that week-in-week-out consistency.
January 14th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
I thought Ade was quite good in the second half - getting back on defense several times. Granted, his primary function is striker…..
January 14th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
LDE, yeah Senderos was not that bad. He had some nervy moments, but actually had some good challenges. Like Andez mentioned, Birmingham gave too much space to Arsenal in the first half. But they closed the gaps up in the second half. Still, there were some chances to get a goal. I thought that Gallas almost nicked one late but it was not to be. Sometimes these games end like this. The team did not look too sharp. Maybe they got too relaxed with their break
But my thoughts are drifting to the Champs League already. In Milan, they are going crazy over Pato. His goal was nicely taken yesterday against Napoli. Ronaldo, who was rumoured to leave Milan, actually played and scored twice. Kaka also got on the scoresheet. I am glad that there is some time before the Milan game. Hopefully everyone at Arsenal can stay injury free and fit in the next few weeks.
January 14th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Danny, did you notice that Arsenal were playing too many long balls in the first half? I found it strange in the first half, Arsenal were not going by their regular passing game? Was it the expecatation that Edu could work his magic?
January 14th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
Wait.. didn’t Arsenal get a draw and only go into second place because Man U scored 6 goals? (to be fair, Arsenal would be in second place no matter how many goals they had won by but 6 was quite a lot.)
I’m looking at the table here (p) and I see… 1 loss. Just one. All season. I see 3 losses for Man U. and 3 for Chelsea, but only one for Arsenal.
Yes, it was a bad match, Birmingham got very lucky, but the ball rolls funny for everyone sometimes…
Now, if Arsenal lose to Fulham then maybe there should be some concern, but this thread is literally flogging a dead horse. The match is over, Wenger will address the issues. Let’s talk about something positive.
Like the fact that all the pundits had Arsenal finishing 5th; below Spurs. Second place then looks damn fine. I said at the onset I would be happy with one trophy. And one is all I expect. It will take a few more years for this team to be truly great like “les invincibles.”
RELAX.
XXOO!
January 14th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
I am confident that we will get back to our winning ways vs. Fulham. Like Timmy noted, everyone expected us to be 5th and all that, and even if we finish 2nd, it’s still an improvement. True we should have won the Birm game, but heck, we cant win all the time. Hopefully the lads can bounce off and move on.
January 14th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Losing the odd game isn’t the problem over a season. It’s drawing games you should win. Win 5 and lose one gives you 15 points. Win 3 and draw 3 gives you 12 points.
The anxiety over this past month is that we have won games without playing well (nice, but not a confidence builder for next three months) and now we’re not even winning them.
At the start of the season, we really battled to win games. Our loss at Boro was collective shitness, the kind of off-day every team has. But our other results - Sp*rs, B’ham etc - indicate we are not functioning. Some of the cogs are off. Players out of form, or coming back from injury, or looking downright lost.
Initially, it was our defence that was wobbly at times, and our attack was erratic. But the key area - our attacking midfield - was always creating something and even picking up the goal-scoring slack.
Without the midfield meshing, we can wing it with individual goals for a bit, but our fallback now - the longball - is not something we do with any sustained conviction (thank God). So it keeps coming back to our creatives - hence the intense debate over who’s best.
I can’t explain why Cesc is off colour right now. It doesn’t feel like a drop in confidence. But it does make it clear he is the hub, which is a little risky when he is not yet a week-in, week-out player.
I think this draw will sink in and sting, so the boys come roaring out at Fulham and give him a masterclass before half-time. That would be the sign that they can push ManUre to the wire.
My plan b) is to stumble for the next month and let ManUre get so complacent, their focus wanders to the Champions League.
January 14th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
The Spurs match was a bunch of children playing against a full Premiership side. So, I have no problem with a 1-1 draw there. In fact, that match showed that a bunch of Arsenal reserves can hold their own in a cup match against “the best striker in all the world!!!”
Seriously, they could crash out of that cup for all I care. Arsene plays youth in the CC to get experience. And what experience they have got from it! They all know that they are at least as good as Tottenham and maybe with a little hard work and some luck, they can beat Tottenham — at Wet Fart Lane.
And one more thing… Win 4 and draw 2, gives you 15 points as well. I’m not suggesting that you can draw your way to the title. I’m just saying it’s not a loss. It’s a draw. And sure, Man U played better this weekend, but last week they lost to West Ham. Man U are going to lose some more matches. You can put bank on that.
Not trying to rain on anyone’s parade just give a a little perspective. It’s not the end of the world. Let’s stay positive and root for 3 points against Fulhamerica on Saturday.
January 14th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
In the end, and I have said it so many times, its always the main 2 or 3 players that decide a team’s season. For us that is Fabregas and Hleb….RvP should be the third but he has been injured for so long…so some credit to Fabregas and Hleb for keeping up so far.
They have been slack since November, due to a combination of injury and bigheadedness (ie. everybody saying they are the best in Europe). However to be fair to Fabregas he has still been delivering the assists. Hleb’s contribution has been a bit more subdued.
The draw will be very bitter one for Fabregas’ ego, as this is his team - his expression at the end of the game said it all. So I am sure he and Hleb will be really fired up for the Fulham game. And van Persie (hopefully - touch wood) joining up next week will be a very good spark.
But all in all we are still very, very much on track.
And yeah the 6-0 drubbing Man U gave Newcastle looks scary…but I watched that match…and I can tell you Ronaldo was the MAIN difference. Infact Ronaldo was directly responsible for over half of all their wins this season.
Ronaldo’s formula is practically unstoppable (so far anyway). And his success combined with that of Lampard, Henry, Pires, Van Nistelrooy confirms that very few individuals actually drag their sides to the title.
So in the end, our winning the league is up to Fabregas, Hleb and RvP. And if they dont step up significantly I am sure we can still hold on to second place.
January 14th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Just watched the launch of Arsenal TV. They had an Arsenal question time with Parolur, Keown, Wenger and Matt Lucas of Little Britain fame. It was very good with Parlour providing the anecdotes and Keown was very well spoken. Des Lynam, the presenter, was a prat though, using the occasion to rip into Wenger about Arsenal’s lack of english players. In these sort of programes with Wenger it’s like, when in doubt, talk about Arsenal’s lack of contribution to the english national team. There is so much more interesting stuff to talk about.
January 14th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
Macmac123 you have got it spot on all the way (bar your plan B, but that was a joke right?). Hleb is the other hub (albeit a lesser one) and the long ball thing I think is the infamous “Plan B” that everyone in the English press said we never had. Mr Wenger is not a stubborn as people think he listens and sometimes reacts to criticisms like his new found emphasis on English talent.
The long ball It can be useful when those teams are defending high up and it gives us a bit of unpredictability which makes it a little harder for teams to stiffle our pretty footaball as they need to be wary of the long ball. However if the passes are not accurate it is really, really ugly but we won the double in 98 without Wengerball, I mean we mixed it up a bit. But I do not want us to start to look like Bolton Wanderers last season.
However I will not be happy with 2nd place this season, we can do better than that even though on paper Man Ure have a stronger first team than us. If it means we have to kick long balls against teams determined to all out defend against us, so be it.
January 14th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
The Walcott situation is a tad perplexing. I’m pretty tolerant with our young players, and try to see glimpses of their future potential, but with Theo there is little on show at present to get excited about.
Sure he has pace (but so had Perry Groves, lol) but where are the goals he was reported to score by the bagful pre-Arsenal? I honestly can’t see a lot of creativity, linking, goal threat, incisive passing…… I can only assume that on the training pitch Theo is pretty impressive and Wenger sees that and knows it will come out at some undetermined future time.
January 14th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
I am not sure the legend that was Perry Groves would get in the present team. He did have a spirit and passion that him and others like David Rocastle (R.I.P) had that I wish we could recreate.
January 14th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Concerning Walcott the jury has always been out with me. I have always looked at the situation as hype because I had seen nothing from him accept as Kiwi said pace.
However I think if he develops some strength, aggression and consistency he will be a very good player, how long that will take if at all is another story though. He was woeful against the Brums but he should a slight glimpse of his ability to dribble not long before he came off. Although it was relatively insignificant especially as he lost the ball eventually, he did show a glimpse of potential.
But the next Thierry Henry as was once suggested by the press he is not.
January 14th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
Aargh I just read post 12. All his talk about 2nd place is depressing me
January 14th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
You can divide our season thus far in 2 parts. Part one is roughly August to Nov and part 2 Dec/Jan. And who really stands out as the key difference in the 2 parts? For me it’s Fabregas.
Whilst no major team is one player, both parts in our season highlight the importance of Fabregas. He is not just our playmaker and continuity metronome (like Bergkamp), during part 1 he also provided a huge number of highly significant goals (11).
During Part 2 Fab was injured his game has dipped and his goals have dried up (last goal 3 Nov). But what that highlights is that neither Hleb nor Rosicky are at a stage where their own games can pick up the slack. Mazza is right in as much as Hleb and Rosicky are very talented footballers with great footballing intelligence, but what we need them to show is that when Fabregas has a dip (which everyone does) they are able to influence our game. They need to be a key creative force and pick up a little more of the playmaking role. Critically, they also need to weigh in with a few more vital goals.
Hleb’s importance to the team has risen this season no doubt, but let’s not get carried away with a good 3 month period. If he can decisively influence our game even when Fabregas is average, then he has arrived.
Rosicky is still to make the breakthrough. At this stage he presents as little more than a fairweather player. When things are going well he can look good in the team, when they aren’t he flits around the edges looking largely irrelevant. Hmm, quite like Hleb last year.
Going forward in January, hopefuly Hleb can impose himself decisively on games a little more whilst we await Fabregas’ return to form. Otherwise we need Ade & Eduardo to keep nicking goals.
January 14th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Some great gossip going around.
Anelka wanted a return to Arsenal but Wenger declined!!! I can wholly believe that story. Wenger has forged an iron reputation for Arsenal being a place players SHOULD NOT LEAVE. I love how Wenger has popped Chelsea’s bubble on that signing.
Mourinho to Liverpool. It’s possible. I reckon Rafa’s days are numbered. Liverpool would offer Mourinho a lot of players to work with - he could add a few players and mold a Liverpool side in his image pretty quickly. Then he could poke Abramovich/Chelsea in the eye. In the near-term success would satisfy Liverpool fans but not ultimately cause they are a style club. And Mourinho can’t create both success and style.
January 14th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
The Arsenal TV launch Mazza brought up, it just showed that as a player, it surely won’t harm if you got a club u can call home. Parlour and Keown maybe two low-keyed, squad players for Arsenal at the past, but fans can be very loyal to the ex-players who have shown loyalty, or being a model pro when they were playing for us.
And they don’t “forget”, be it the good or bad things you had done to the club. Lot of folks even remember Perry Groves today, let alone Parlour and Keown. But for those “show me the money” type, when they retire one day, they may get the cash, get the medals, but forget about the honor.
Cashley for instance, once his game slows down, Chelsea would not think twice to get rid of him. And i doubt Chelsea fans would ever see him as “one of their own.”
January 15th, 2008 at 12:04 am
walcott was only bought because wenger was desperate not to miss out on “another rooney”. i think wenger was looking for a player just like rooney to complement henry in those days, so he was probably bitter to see him go to Man U.
even his “legendary” pace isnt all that - toure, clichy and eboue are faster….yet i cant count how many times the english press put out the “he can run across water without creating a puddle” HAHAHA
u can say anything you want about denilson, diaby and the rest ….but they all have the arsenal skills. the funniest part is that if walcott could play even at the “denilson” or “senderos” level wenger will give him a starting spot in an instant.
so much for english players hey.
January 15th, 2008 at 12:58 am
there is also another factor - even with my FM game, i been struggling to find 5 “home growth” players which are required into the CL squad. The simple truth is as we won’t spend 16 mil get a Darren Bent or some typical overhype over rated, over price English established talent, we need to get the best young English players into our team. And Theo, despite struggling at Arsenal, still among one of the best in his generation.
another thing abt Theo is - he definitely needs games. because chances been limited, and as an IN and out player of our squad, i think he been trying too hard to impress. a lot of times a simple pass or give and go will do, he opts for taking on opponents.
but i still love what i seen from young Theo. and his potential is obvious. but now i start to concede in order to speed up his developing process, and since he does not look ready for Arsenal starting XI, maybe it won’t be a bad idea to loan him out.
that will benefit both Theo and Arsenal in a longer term.
January 15th, 2008 at 1:10 am
You have to admit, Mourinho at Liverpool would be very interesting for the EPL…
Theo is still a very young player. Young players develop at different rates… they do not all gel and become great at 17. He needs some games regularly. Hard to do in this squad, when we are fighting for the league title. I’d give him time before I jettison him… surely.
January 15th, 2008 at 1:23 am
i have a feeling Mourinho already got a secret agreement with one of the big Italian or Spanish sides when he turned down the England job.
The man is not stupid. To him, it’s never about the team he manages, more about his own CV, so he can continue to be the Special One. In short, his next club will be the club offers him the shortest path to glory. A side like AC Milan or Barcelona surely look more likely than Liverpool. Liverpool got a new owner, but they are no Chelsea, they won’t be spending unlimited money.
And if one of the reasons Liverpool board sacks Rafa due to his constant demand for transfer fund, imagine how they r going to deal with Mournho?
January 15th, 2008 at 3:13 am
yeah, a loan deal will probably do walcott a world of good….but he must only play as a striker. he should always be the last person to get the ball up the pitch (eg. Owen), he shouldnt be involved in the buildup of play.
hopefully his head doesnt get all screwed up on loan like djourou!
hey, whats up with diarra80k?? is he leaving? is he staying??
January 15th, 2008 at 3:30 am
Loan him out too (LD80K) haha!
First Team football (for LD80k)…. checked.
Keeping hold of a talent (for Arsenal)…. checked.
Substaining the team chemistry (for Arsenal)…. checked.
Aid the player’s development (for LD80k)…. checked.
January 15th, 2008 at 5:34 am
Like LDE said, we have ridden all the challenges posed to use this season. Now we have to guard only against ourselves - complacency and consistency. The only thing beyond our control is injuries.
January 15th, 2008 at 6:48 am
Yeah nipuna and if we manage to make it through even with the number of injuries that we have got this year it’ll be one hell of an achievement; even better than ManU last year coz they hardly were hit by injuries.
January 15th, 2008 at 7:25 am
Arsenal can keep one thing in mind for the rest of the season. While a loss can sap morale, it is better to win one and lose one rather than draw two. If you look at the table, Arsenal have lost just one, ManU have lost three. But ManU have won one more game than us. The same problem haunts Liverpool too.
Go for the win!!!
January 15th, 2008 at 11:17 am
http://wrighty7.blogspot.com/2008/01/cheeky-look-at-current-arsenal-squad-in.html
amounts for some hilarious reading…. enjoy..
January 15th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
if we finish second this year its only to give a warning to the rest of the league that we intend to win more than one cup next year and the years following!
January 15th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Andez, what exactly has Theo displayed that makes you sure of his potential? That’s not intended as a sarcastic question
I got the impression when we signed him that Wenger was determined that Chelsea wouldn’t get him. I think it was Chelsea who were the main competition. But after all this time I’m still waiting to see something of what he offers…… I recall Wenger was under the pump to make some signings…..and he did……Adebayor, Diaby and Walcott.
It was a bit like some years back when Wenger signed a 3-pack - Jeffers, van Bronkhurst and Wright in a rare spending splurge. That was in response to heavy public pressure and the Ade, Diaby, Walcott signings had that same feel to them. Interestingly none of Jeffers, van Bronkhurst and Wright ever made a meaningful contribution to Arsenal. And all 3 made quiet exits.
Ade clearly is making a significant contribution to the team, with Diaby it is hard to assess given his being played out of position and the interruption of the serious injury, but Walcott has made almost no impact.
January 15th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Diaby doesn’t have a future at Arsenal. How can you be a central midfield player for Arsenal when you have no vision, you can’t tackle, and you’re a poor passer? Wenger plays Diaby out wide to make it easier for him to see the field. When Diaby plays central, he has not a clue what’s going on around him. The only thing he does well is dribble but even doing that, he loses the ball half the time. Then when he doesn’t lose the ball, he lacks the vision to deliver a tellling pass so what makes him an asset?
If he can’t be effective wide left, which seems to be popular belief, then it’s just a matter of time before he’s jettisoned. Anyone can argue with my points but if you’ve watched Diaby as closely as I have then you’ll know that what I’ve said is true.
The New Vieira, Nuts!
January 15th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Diarra looks to be headed to Portsmouth. Who in their right mind goes from filet mignon to hamburger helper? Assclown.
I tried to compare him to Reyes but it’s not so. Reyes left because Wenger dropped him for the Barcelona game (his last for the club). He had every right to be disappointed as he was as effective as Fabregas and Henry in helping us get to the final. Not to mention, he got dropped in favor of Ljunberg, who was hot garbage all season. It’s a shame because everyone knows Jose’s a big game player. But alteast Jose fought his way into the team (putting the great Pires on the bench) and helped us win a championship, FA Cup, and advance to the CL final. What has Diarra done?
January 15th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
The difficulty for all these midfield lads is that Fabregas has one position stitched up which leaves only the defensive midfield role. Flamini is making a pretty good fist of that and his ‘worker’ mentality is very complimentary to the team.
That leaves guys like Diaby and Denilson in a tricky position. I think they are both suited to central midfield roles but they are likely to get limited game time there injuries apart. I’ve seen enough from both to be happy to have them as back-up players within the squad. I still have this feeling that the injury removed some of the bite from Diaby’s game.
Walcott is in a totally different position. He has real opportunity to get meaningful game time and make a telling contribution to the team. He can compete for 4 starting positions or get playing time off the bench. The question I can’t sort in my own mind is what can the lad actually contribute? I’m not down on him - more perplexed. There was such a hoopla to buy him…… Again, Wenger sees him every day at training so he probably sees stuff we don’t.
January 15th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
#36 doesn’t relate to Diarra……the guy is an assclown
January 15th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
Walcott can contribute more than Denilson in my opinion. I remember when we were at home to Sunderland in October, score 2-2. Walcott came on and added real spark to the attack and set Van Persie for the winner. He seems to have gone south since then but when he’s got his head out of his arse he does bring a raw pace that can help the team in certain scenarios. Probably only against crap teams at this point. And even then only as a super sub. Comparisons with Rooney at this point are farcical.
January 15th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
I think raw is the right descriptor for Walcott. He needs to spend a bit more time in the Wenger tumbler to bring a bit of luster to his game…….that’s if he is a gem.
Anyway, I’m looking forward to getting RvP back. He is the real deal now, still has upside development potential, and would add much of what we need immediately in large dollops.
January 15th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Andrei Arshavin anyone?
I must be bored but I followed up this speculative link from the Independent.
He does meet the basic Wenger specs…….
1. unknown to us, although not a lightweight cv
2. versatile attacking midfield player, can play striker
3. 26 (think Pires, Hleb, Rosicky)
4. scores about 1 goal in 4 games
5. ……superb pace, dribbling qualities, vision, technique and passing. These attributes and his hard working nature have turned him into one of the most important players for club and country.
6. Plays for a relatively unglamorous east euro team and wants away
Fred et al, maybe this is your competition for the wide midfield spots?
January 15th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
I have a feeling that Walcott is going to end up a HUGE disappointment to Arsenal fans everywhere. Sure, he’s fast, but he has absolutely no touch. Against Birmingham he lost possession every single time he tried to dribble it and that wasn’t a fluke performance. True, he’s still young, but after two years in the Arsenal system he should have improved somewhat.
January 15th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
ok ok pobably nonsense but look on the positive side……he wouldn’t complain about the climate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu7×98AKcSs
January 15th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
I hope he’s not a huge disappointment Seattlegooner but the glimpses of quality are relatively few.
January 15th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
@ Kiwi: I would LOVE it, if we can get that Andre guy or someone similar. He seems coldblooded! When he gets near the box, he has only one thing on his mind, which is much more than you can say about some of our attacking players.
Someone like Andre on the right, Hleb on the left and Fabregas in the middle will be a KILLER combo. And he is used to playing on potato patches in sub-zero temperatures…. PERFECT!
January 15th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
@ joshuad: I think it is a bit too early to rule out Diaby yet. One has to remember that he has made less than 50 first team appearances and less than 15 first team starts in his WHOLE career. PLUS, he has had 2 major injuries that has taken him out of the game for two years! 2 major injuries at age 21 is quite a big hit.
Just before his first injury when he played in the U-19 French team he was imperious and singlehandedly carried them to the title. Guy Roux, the legendary Auxerre coach called him the next big thing but injury cut that short.
Before the first injury he could really go box-to-box all game. That reduced with injury, and now he barely exerts any energy disappointingly. Wenger bought him despite injury record because he thought he could mold him the way he did with Overmars and Kanu.
Either way, I like him because he has shown in his younger days that he could take responsibility or “carry” a team on his own. He is also a winner - he singlehandedly brought back his team on several occasions in that tournament. But for sure he is not a Hleb type creator…..so dont expect “visionary” passes from him. He is more like the “Baptista” type of player - coming in from deep.
His main problem is that he still thinks he is the same box-to-box player like he was at the France U-19 and at Auxerre….unfortunately for him box-to-box players are old-fashioned and Arsenal definitely doesnt need that anymore.
Anyway, I am sure if he is given 3 consecutive starts with the first team….in the center or on the right he will make a decisive impact in his favor. He just needs to get his engines running…and quit the laziness as well. lol.
January 15th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
@ 38: nobody compared walcott to rooney…..please read properly before commenting.
January 15th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Kiwi, of Theo - I watched English game for a long time, and been through the all-English days, so i have watched lot of English players.
From a pure dribbling skill point of view, John Barnes and Chris Waddle were always the best I ever saw. Because they were “smooth” when they ran with the ball. But they were the exception.
English players often gave me a very “direct” feel. say, if he’s a winger, he just get the ball, run at the opponent, drive to the wing and cross. And they relied more on their sheer pace than balance. e.g.SWP, Lennon, Pennant. those guys probably will always be the wingers, hugging the line and nothing else.
Walcott, however, (and i m not saying that because he’s a Gunner) if u watch him running with the ball, he got that great balance and agility it made his motion looks so smooth. That’s not something i saw often in a typical English player.
of cos, he’s game is still very raw. he needs to improve on his final ball and decision making. but the raw attritubes are there.
I won’t guarantee he will make it. but i believe if he fails, it’s gonna be a case of talent wasted.
January 15th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
You know I normally ignore transfer speculation and don’t expect Wenger to sign anyone of note, but this Andrei Arshavin chappy has more than a passing resemblance
to the Wenger wide player prototype.
Would Wenger take a punt at this time?
It’s unlikely that the guy would make an immediate splash, he would need time to adjust, so if Wenger moved it may be more because he needed to do so to capture the guy. Potentially he would provide competition for Rosicky and Hleb, and be an extra option as a second striker - which given RvP’s recent injury woes and the delay in Walcotts development may not be a bad thing.
All speculative fun.
January 15th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
“walcott was only bought because wenger was desperate not to miss out on “another rooney”. i think wenger was looking for a player just like rooney to complement henry in those days, so he was probably bitter to see him go to Man U.”
Yeah, god knows where I got the Rooney comparison from.
January 15th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
Andez #47 fair enough, let’s see how he goes.
I well remember John Barnes playing in Kenny Dalglish’s great Liverpool team - he was incredible. Indeed that team was incredible. I remember one season they simply played football on another planet. Every team seemed to get destroyed 3 or 4 nil. Probably the best most balanced British club team I have ever seen (and that includes ours and ManU’s).
Barnes was lucky to be in that team, otherwise he would most likely be remembered like Chris Waddle - lotsa talent but never really found the team in which to excel.
January 15th, 2008 at 11:26 pm
excellent point Kiwi (referring to Waddle and Barnes). actually Spurs also got a great side back then, with Waddle, Hoddle, Clive Allen the likes. unfortunately they were all style no substance, and as usual, simply being bottlers.
and yes, that Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool side was amazing, i used to secretly admired the way they played. back then English football, if compared to today, simply painful to watch, Liverpool’s passing game was like a breeze of freshair.
but my favourte player at the Liverpool side was Jan Molby. i never thought he could cut it with the English game, cos he was so slow. but the man was a genius.
January 15th, 2008 at 11:37 pm
Yeah for sure Molby had a lovely touch for a big guy. And to make that Liverpool team you had to be special both in talent and substance. I admired them too - big-time. Until they re-signed Rush. An icon no doubt, but Aldridge was right for that team.
January 15th, 2008 at 11:59 pm
two pieces of transfer rumors that interest me -
(1) Diarra to Pompy for 5.5mil
(2) Marlon King to Fulham for 5 mil
if those folks still don’t understand why there are more and more foreign players come to the game these two piece of transfer (rumors) might as well just sum it up.
yes they r different players play in different position, but guess who would be making a bigger impact to their respective team if the deals really go through?
and which club would be getting a better value for the player they bought?
January 16th, 2008 at 12:05 am
@ mazza: wenger scared of possibly missing “another rooney” from WENGER’S POINT OF VIEW. considering i dont rate walcott and have said that repeatedly on this site, its obvious you are just looking for another stupid argument.
in the same comment i go on to say he doesnt have the basic arsenal skills unlike even our wiping boys, denilson and senderos.
yet the only thing you can take out of it is - Fred said “walcott is the new rooney”. whatever man, whatever.
January 16th, 2008 at 12:10 am
diarra80k is really a disappointment. by the summer i am sure he would have been first choice - and at a top european club at that.
he is talented but either greedy (80k :-)) or brainless.
January 16th, 2008 at 12:46 am
Walcott is struggling. If his future is in the striker role, we already have many strikers and Vela is also returning. With his pace, I would like to see him succeed as a winger, but that is looking increasing unlikely with every passing game.
January 16th, 2008 at 2:59 am
Greetings, I’m a first time poster and I’m very exicted to find a community of fellow Gooners. I am not joining the ranks of so many pessimists I hear on 606, and various blogs and media after a poor performance versus Birmingham. We’re still in the hunt for silverware at the half-way point of the season!!!
I must apologize for getting a bit off topic, but I’m curious to know your opinions on AC Milan’s match versus Napoli on Sunday. I know that it’s just one match but Milan seems to be repeating last year’s patterns: bad first half followed by a good second half. Can this replication of patterns extend to Champions League ties?
The Brazilian trio was impressive (can Ronaldo resurrect his career for a third time?!). Their attack was relentless and smothering. Ronaldo, Kaka, and Pato, wow, I just hope Kolo returns from the ANC in one piece (knock on wood!!!) Luckily, they looked a bit shaky on defense. I must admit, I’m getting a bit nervous.
January 16th, 2008 at 8:29 am
No Fred, you just assumed I was inferring that you thought Walcott was comparable to Rooney. I didn’t even mention your name. The media have always compared Rooney to Walcott, and I think Andez thought he could be better. I was referring to that. And I’m the one looking for the argument? lol.
I suggest you read properly before deciding whether or not I’m disparaging your post.
January 16th, 2008 at 8:38 am
Well Arsenal’s saving grace against Milan was that the Rossoneri had probably the best midfield in Europe with an impotent attack. The problem is that they’ve still got a great midfield but now they have Pato and Ronaldo in attack, so all in all, this tie looks set to be a great one to enjoy but beyond that….ah well, let’s just enjoy it. Pirlo and Kaka may actually get injured for once in their lives.
January 16th, 2008 at 11:19 am
“Well Arsenal’s saving grace against Milan was that the Rossoneri had probably the best midfield in Europe with an impotent attack. The problem is that they’ve still got a great midfield but now they have Pato and Ronaldo in attack, so all in all, this tie looks set to be a great one to enjoy but beyond that….ah well, let’s just enjoy it. Pirlo and Kaka may actually get injured for once in their lives.”
Can’t believe what I read here……. Is this an Arsenal supporter talking? We would only beat Milan with their key players out?
January 16th, 2008 at 11:22 am
A bit of news via the BBC - the G14 are disbanding. This had been rumored last year, but it actually is happening. I’m surprised.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/7190186.stm
January 16th, 2008 at 11:47 am
Lassana Diarra has agreed his move to Portsmouth from Arsenal.
The French international has been locked in talks with Pompey boss Harry Redknapp this week after they agreed a fee in the region of £5million with Arsenal for the midfielder.
Diarra has agreed personal terms and passed a medical at Fratton Park and is set to be unveiled as Pompey’s latest signing later this week.
———
What an idiot.
January 16th, 2008 at 11:56 am
And we never got to see Hleb, Fabregas, Diarra, Rosicky in midfield once. Shame.
January 16th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
i hope for his own sake he has got at least 70k….because career wise he has just plummeted.
January 16th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
I believe he got 3 million.
January 16th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Shortest Arsenal career ever?
Portsmouth aren’t a bad team at present, so in the short term he’ll probably get the game-time he wants. But don’t be too surprised if he angles for a move away from Portsmouth relatively quickly. I wonder if we have a clause in the xfer agreement getting a % of the next fee.
He hasn’t acted professionally at Arsenal, normally what goes around comes around. I’ll watch his career develop or unravel with mild interest.
Welcome ComeonUGunners.
January 16th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Au revoir. You put your career and trust in old ‘Ary. When is the last time he had a club in Europe? I’m waiting for a reply before hell freezes over. It’s called the “big four” and when last I checked, Portsmouth will not be getting an invitation this year. How many games did Redknapp promise you’ll start in place of Muntari. Yeah, right. You couldn’t even beat out Flamini and now you’re going to beat out Muntari. Redknapp now clearly favors strong, fast, athletic players (ie. Africans) unless your name is Kranjcar and then you would be creative. Except for tenacity, Diarra does not tick off enough boxes for Redknapp’s squad. That’s why Matt Taylor and 6mil David Nugent are laying on the road side. And finally, nobody ever says in Redknapp we trust, do they?
January 16th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Mazza, good point. I can respect another clubs performance (however, it’s easier when they’re not in our league). Milan earned my respect this weekend. The Arse is not in top form right now, yet their mental resolve has helped them remain in contention for silverware. I am man enough to admit I’m a bit nervous, but I still believe the Gunners can defeat Meeelan! I know big matches usually are super edgy; they are often a bit disappointing after the huge expectations by fans and the media, but dammit, I’m excited about this one! Come on you Gooners!
Thanks for the welcome Kiwi. It’s unfortunate Diarra left because I thought Le Boss would have made a fine player out of him. However, he revealed his youth and inexperience through his impatience and childish outbursts. Screw him. Maybe we should have let him go to the Spuds so he could have created some drama and division in their fitting room. Like those drama queens need any further incentive to self-destruct!
January 16th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Fulham get McBride back so we will have to a better job defending in the box. That goes double for Flamini who failed to deal with O’Connor last Saturday.
Fulham are looking to become the EPL’s Major League Soccer representative as they now try to sign Eddie Johnson. I would question his maturity and work rate but not his goal scoring. The problem for Fulham is who do they have in the MF to get their strikers the ball. Danny Murphy? The only reason he’s not shoring up some Championship side, is that Fulham are desperate. He’ll be in the Championship shortly along with Robbie Savage who join the sinking ship, Derby.
If we are professional, we should win this game. Will the real Fabregas show up.? Hopefully the Birmingham City Senderos shows up. Do not give Terry the satisfaction of being proven right about our losing points.
A rampaging AC Milan finally beats a team it should beat. The media are foaming at the keyboard with superlatives for Ka-Ro-Pa or is Ro-Ka- Pa. Just remember this, the defense and GK did not get an infusion of speed, youth and competence. Maldini had to be subbed off and was replaced by Favalli. That’s a 39yo being replaced by a 36yo defender. That works in Serie A but not in the Premiership. Teams that do that in England wind up in League One. AC Milan still remain a long way from 4th place and Europe (unless they win the CL, again).
Bendtner admits that there were times at Birmingham when he didn’t work hard enough. Wenger is not blind and he won’t take that s**t at Arsenal. Maybe Bendtner is ‘maturing’ a little. How many teams do you know that have had 3/4 of their strikers get red cards?
January 16th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
We have 7 games before AC Milan, so that’s a good amount of time for the 1st team to tune up. I can’t get away from the fact that we really are reliant upon Fabregas to be the teams metronome…..to provide the fluency and continuity in our play. Everyone in the midfield plays better when Fab’s form is reasonable. And when the midfield has fluency it provides our strikers with better opportunities.
It’s not fair for such a weight of responsibility to be on Fab’s young sholders but the truth is he is good enough and mature enough to cary it.
Once he finds his range and pings the passes about in his effortless way Hleb will also look better and probably Rosicky as well. He is as important to this team as Bergkamp was before him.
If we find our rhythm before the AC Milan game I think we’ll be competitive. Even without our rhythm I’ll be looking forward to the game.
January 16th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Firstly I am gutted Diarra or should I say LD80k (nice one Andez I like that one) has gone. I think he would have become a great player at Arsenal. But I gotta agree with macmac’s sentiments “what an idiot”.
Joshuad I got to disagree with you strongly on both 34 and 35. So much so I might have to start a never ending feud with you like Fred with Mazza! (don’t take me too seriously.) Firstly Diaby is a good player better than Denilson at least, he can be influential when he is on his game i.e coca cola cup final last season he was our best player he ran (UKslang for being in control of) that game, we lost domination of that game when he came off. His injuries does appear to have affected his mentality as he does not go into challenges like he used to. He has the potential to be better than Vieira if he can develop the tenacity Vieira had, technically he is superior to Patrick. Sorry to say, as I will always love Vieira but he used to give the ball away too.
As for Reyes he was one of the most disappointing buys Arsene has ever made considering his price was reportedly up to £17 million! Only Jeffers can be considered as bad at a mere £9-10 mill. Reyes looked great until Man ure kicked him off the park at Old Trafford (I think) he has never been the same since. He is not a big game player at all, rather a big disappointment. He could never replace Pires he is not in the same league, he only played ahead of Pires because Wenger knew Pires was leaving and Arsene wanted to develop Jose and wanted to give him incentive to stay. Freddie even when he is hot garbage is more dependable than Reyes. the fact that Real Madrid didn’t even want him after he helped them win La Liga tells you that at least someone agrees with me.
Nothing personal Josh, just my well informed opinion. I feel almost as gutted about Reyes’s underachievement as I do about LD80k leaving, but to be truthful I was happy when Reyes left only wished we had got a good price for him.
January 16th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
I reckon the seeds of Reyes Arsenal demise are related to when he came. He came when Henry was still king. And Henry/Reyes didn’t work. They both played in the same areas in the same way……they weren’t complimentary. Henry/Pires worked. Pires game fitted nicely with Henry’s and he was happy to serve Henry. It was win win.
This is academic but if Reyes was in this team think of the room he would have to do his stuff on the left, without falling over Henry?
….and maybe the weather wouldn’t have seemed so bad.
January 16th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
There is NO way Reyes could have been a failure. It is ALL perception. Yes he didnt get on well with his teammates but he was actually a big game player.
His passing, tackling, running, assists and goal stats will embarass Hleb and Rosicky. Stats dont tell the whole story but those are a lot of stats.
If we had him right in addition to Hleb and Rosicky…and those 3 could rotate, I would have been very confident of winning the league and at least beating Milan.
January 16th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Keegan’s appointment gives our 2 upcoming games against them an edge.
The romance of his appointment is likely to give the club a temporary lift……not time to slash our wrists but they don’t look quite as easy now. At least they are both at home.
January 16th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
I am disappointed Diarra left, as I think he will be a great player. I didn’t expect him to break into the first team straight away, and neither did he - but neither did I expect him to sit on the bench or be left out of the squad completely in favour of “dead man walking”, Gilberto.
Portsmouth sounds like a lousy move, but he’s only 22 and he will put himself in the shop window there for a much bigger club and probably leave in 1-2 years maximum. I guess some players just want to play, and you can’t begrudge them that - but he’s ruled himself out of ever playing for Arsenal and Chelsea again I would have thought.
January 16th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Fred what stats are you referring to friend? Send me the link I will glady look at them and then quote you by saying “stats don’t tell the whole story.” Where I come from Reyes is a well regarded… failure. He used to miss chances galore, at times he was more wasteful than Ade, God Bless him.
And to think Hleb could be embarrassed by Reyes, stats or no stats, is ludicrous and would rather have one Rosicky in may team over two Reyes. What impact is Reyes making in Spain at the moment I can hardly remember the last time I heard his name.
However Kiwi raises a good point Reyes may have coped better in a team that was not so Henry centred. But that does not take away from his general lack of quality, from what I hear Reyes had some good stats before coming to Arsenal I cannot remember seeing a player that can run faster with the ball at his feet but that’s it.
After a good old fashioned kicking he showed he lacked guts. EPL is too tough for a boy like that some of those players will murder you on the football field if they get the chance, however when he got his dream move to Real, back to the the relatively sedate Spanish league he still flopped.
Kiwi you’re a cool guy, but I hope you ain’t from the camp that seems to believe that Henry hampered Arsenal, I see it as the Arsenal boys relied too much on Henry thus refused to take responsibility. Pires is a star in his own right Henry in World Cup 98 was virtually his understudy, he never “served” Henry, I doubt if we will ever get a winger as effective as Robert Pires, a master in his own right. By the way Kiwi are you from New Zealand? hence Kiwi?
January 16th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
#66 “shortest Arsenal career ever?”
No, I think that honour belongs to was it Clive Allen? Bought one June and sold in early August before playing a game. Is my memory playing tricks with me? He went on to play for Spurs in later years.
Flamini has kept out Gilberto, one-time captain of Brazil and World Cup winner who has kept Diarra off the bench. It is difficult to say that Diarra is a loss at this stage. He has not proven anything at Arsenal or Chelsea. Yes, if Flamini and Gilberto move on, then Diarra is a big loss. Let us wait and see. The guy has looked for and engineered two moves in six months. Does he have personality issues? If Vela and the Bulgarian come in, will Wenger want to give Diaby more time in the centre? We don’t know the answers just like the way people on this site questioned the signing of Sagna, there may yet be method in Wenger’s apparent madness to some. We have yet to see any official confirmation of the deal so all may not be lost - we may still challenge for trophies this season.
January 16th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
Sort of disappointed that Diarra left. But Pompey is the place for Gunners moving on apparently. Just like Birmingham is the place where a lot of young gunners go on loan.
January 16th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
IG on Clive Allen your right! Forgot about him.
January 16th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Hi arthur3sheds, yes I am from NZ.
On Henry, did he ‘hamper’ or did the ‘boys’ fail to accept responsibility? I think that’s a continuum where everyone will pitch for a slightly different position on where the responsibility lies. He gave so much to Arsenal, one of our greats, but team dynamics change. I felt circumstantially it was the right time for Henry to go. And the transformation in the team this season vindicates that - imo. I don’t find it hard to remember the legend that Henry is whilst acknowledging negative impacts. To not do so seems a bit silly to me.
On Pires, a beautiful footballer. At his best, one of the best. My use of the word ’serve’ is not a slur. For me, he always served Henry, they were like hand and glove. Bergkamp (moreso as the years went by), Pires and even Ljungberg were players who looked to create/feed for others - that was a primary feature of their game. Henry benefited from having them. For me Reyes was a different animal, his game was more suited at the sharp end, and this together with Henry’s pre-imminence as the (left sided) attacking focus at Arsenal limited what he could do. I always saw Henry and Reyes as being too similar.
On Hleb, I’ve loved his development this season, he has had a stella 3 mth period pre-injury. But let’s not forget that most fans called his contribution crap before this season.
January 16th, 2008 at 11:47 pm
@ arthur3sheds: god knows what planet u are from…go to soccernet, guardian or any major newspapers websites and look for yourself at past season’s stats. i assume u are literate enough to use the web.
stats only tell half the story….i already said that in my post. but stats do tell at least half the story. reyes is not a better player than hleb or rosicky….but he certainly produced a great deal - more goals/game, more assists/game, more distance covered/game, more tackles/game, more completed passes per game. FACT!
reyes missed chances like adebayor?? nope he didnt. he frustrated the hell out of henry and ljunberg….but whenever he was one on one with a keeper he ALWAYS scored. i should know, i have not missed an arsenal match in a very, very long time. so hopefully u didnt just start watching arsenal THIS season.
anyway, forget it……..i dont want to be dragged into another stupid argument.
January 17th, 2008 at 12:14 am
No official confirmation Diarra’s move, yet. If it’s true, I wonder if Wenger will spend the 5.5M on a winger and play Diaby more central. It would be a tad unfortunate if he is let go without given a chance in his preferred position.
January 17th, 2008 at 12:30 am
Seriously he can go to Spurs for all I care. He’s proven nothing and people dont want any more potential..so I dont know. Oh and Danny…its double standards on Diarra by you IMO ..sorry.
January 17th, 2008 at 12:53 am
Just read in Martin Tyler’s Sky Sports page that C Ronaldo has score only 3 goals against top four teams, all coming against Arsenal, none against Liverpool and Chelsea. Considering how many goals he scores, that’s very little return against the top four teams.
We could do with a player like that, who can score routine goals (to use Fred’s expression) against smaller teams in games like the one at the weekend. Maybe that will be Eduardo or Ade, although it would be nice to have some goals from midfield too.
January 17th, 2008 at 1:10 am
hahaha, yeah nipuna, routine is my favorite word … LOL.
well, the thing is “routine” players win you the league. but they wont necessarily win you the CL and they might be labeled “big-game-bottlers” too lol.
January 17th, 2008 at 1:20 am
Fred, I was amazed that a player of Ronaldo’s caliber had scored so few goals against the top teams. I now know why so many call him a big game bottler.
January 17th, 2008 at 1:53 am
@IrishG, yup, i think Clive Allen must be the record fewest appearance holder of his club in English football history ever in fact. afterall, u can’t beat the 0 match appearance record.
anyway, it wasn’t Allen who wanted to leave, the club traded him for Kenny Sansom. so that makes Diarra’s case more unique - or we should say, he’s the fastest player to find himself unhappy here at Arsenal.
@Danny, i don’t think it’s a case AW left out Diarra and opted for Gilberto in match squad that drove Diarra away. More like the case because of his moaning and sulking AW left him out of the squad.
AW is not a manager who ususally got piss off by anyone as easily, and generally being tolerated to his players. so i m a bit surprised he sold Diarra as well, but that probably also suggested that LD80K really piss the gaffer off big time with his attitude.
January 17th, 2008 at 6:03 am
Diaby had one good game against Fat Frank and slow-assed Ballack. Name another really good game that he’s had. Vieira, on the other hand, was a world beater at 19. He’s dominated world class opposition weekly. He had the class to force his way into the side. He was one of the most intimidating sites on a football pitch ever. Vieira’s won World Cups, European Cups, Premier Leagues, and FA Cups. Diaby hasn’t won a thing. Arsenal still haven’t won a thing since Vieira left and you’ve the audacity to compare Diaby’s so-called potential to our former captain? Are you freaking kidding me? That’s f*cking disrespectful.
Jose Reyes won a Premier League and FA Cup in 2 1/2 years at Arsenal (he should have won a Champions League too). He won the Spanish Championship last season. Cicinho and Jonathan Zebina got dropped from their World Cup teams after Jose finished with them in our run to the CL Final. No one matched up with Jose in Europe that year. If you were an Arsenal fan then you would know he put Pires on the bench two years before Pires left, not just his last season. You would also know that Jose loss of form coincided with the Arragones comments about Henry, not the Man Utd game. You would also know that, despite the red card, he (along with Lehmann) were the only players who really showed up for our FA Cup game against Man Utd in ‘05. The whole world knows that Reyes won the “Big Game” for Real Madrid last season and plays for Atletico Madrid who presently sit third behind Real Madrid and Barcelona. That’s nothing like Francis Jeffers, or even Abou Diaby.
Wenger got the Reyes purchase spot-on, he just didn’t anticipate Reyes being so determined to leave after being screwed for the CL Final. He truly deserved to play, just as much as Fabregas did. There’s no way Ljunberg was more dependable than Reyes that year as Reyes was the form player while Freddie had been crap all season, only scoring one goal.
That’s my well informed opinion.
January 17th, 2008 at 6:29 am
I think Reyes was a good player and could have been a great one if he had his head screwed on correctly, which he did for the early part of his Arsenal career. Remember him scoring 7 goals in the first six games of the 04-05 season? Didn’t he play with Henry in all those games? Yes, they did have problems playing together, but it could have more to do with Henry’s persona and the Aragones incident than the fact that they simply both played on the left side of the field.
As Fred said, Reyes + Hleb + Rosicky would have been an awesome threesome to have in the side. But it was not meant to be.
January 17th, 2008 at 7:26 am
Reyes was a decent player, but Wenger should not have bought him. Reyes should have played as a left-sided striker, not a left-sided midfielder, but Henry was always drifting out and vacating his position.
In the end Reyes was restricted, he is not the Hleb/Pires/Ljungberg type who prefer to drift into the middle. He didn’t fit Wenger’s tactical system, and Wenger would try and move him around but there was only one position for Reyes - where he played for Sevilla.
The reaction to the whole Aragones/Reyes affair was what really killed him off. Henry never forgave Reyes for not defending him in public and treated him like dirt after that. Reyes is a dumb gypsie boy, he didn’t know how to deal with either situation - he just wanted to go home.
January 17th, 2008 at 7:48 am
Diarra to Portsmouth is confirmed. Wonder whether Wenger will sign anyone now.
January 17th, 2008 at 8:48 am
Yeah, the situation Aragones put Reyes in was tough for him to deal with. Such a young kid in a foreign land in a dressing room full of black guys has got to be tough to deal with. Aragones was selfish and instead of admitting he said the wrong thing as a national team coach and neutralizing the situation he simply went on about how he’s not a racist. If he was smart, he would have realized it wasn’t about him but the situation he put young Reyes in. He could have had a completely different player at the World Cup and Reyes might still be a Gunner. Assclown.
January 17th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Reyes+Rosicky+Hleb would have been awesome but Reyes+Henry+Hleb was probably even better. In fact, they got to the CL Final together but for some un-godly reason, they didn’t play together in the big game. I’m still trying to make sense of that one.
January 17th, 2008 at 9:54 am
still not quite sure what diarra was on about. no one doubts his potential, but when he was handed the start against boro he did fuck-all. i know everyone played poorly that day, but if one of the only games you start is the only one your team loses all year and then you do little but complain about your lack of opportunities, well, good riddance.
January 17th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Nah, Joshuad, I think Reyes in this present team would really have exploded. his playing style matches this one exactly in my opinion….his passing was very, very good and he would have carried our counter-attack (which presently doesnt really exist). he would have added an extra dimension to our play.
plus he was EXTRA clinical in front of goal….he always scored important goals…..i will always remember that barnstorming goal against boro, when we were losing 3-1 at highbury. classic goal. the sort none of our current team can dream of scoring.
he was also by far the most fouled player in the whole of europe for 2 consecutive seasons at arsenal and madrid. that is a lot….and he won a lot of yellow cards. that would have been quite useful for the likes of hleb. reyes can “soften” a defender by drawing a card….then hleb or rosicky can then go in there and do their thing peacefully. LOL
if rosicky, hleb and reyes were rotating 2 spots presently, ALL of them will be on tip-top form - none will want to be odd one out who sits on that cold bench. LOL.
and it wasnt reall everybody in that team that had a problem with him….i know vieira didnt (publicly anyway) as he always chatted with and encouraged him on the pitch). infact only henry and ljunberg really. incidentally, both players had something to lose when reyes played….because pires was usually moved to the right to displace ljunberg….and reyes was hunting in henry’s portion of the field. lol
anyway, no need crying over spilt reyes, wenger needs to REPLACE reyes.
someone rapid, good control, good passing, cool in front of goal, preferably left footed.
now that will complete this team.
January 17th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Well said Nicosian; other than the blackburn game, I didn’t see anything extraordinary from this guy. Sure he has potential, but so does every freaking person at Arsenal (I mean u wouldn’t be in the team if you don’t). Diarra really is an idiot.
January 17th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Djourou and Van Persie have been ruled out for a few weeks.
http://www.arsenal.com/article.asp?thisNav=News&article=486487&lid=NewsHeadline&Title=Van+Persie+and+Djourou+set+for+extended+stay+on+sidelines
January 17th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
“It isn’t Arsenal, it isn’t Chelsea. But I know the Portsmouth manager, I know he is going to play me.
“I need to play. I really want to think about myself, about those who appreciate me, who want to see me a little more on the pitch.
“I am 22 and the most important thing for me is football, my job, my passion.
“I read that the club [Arsenal] wanted to keep me. But when you want to keep someone, you do it by playing them. This hasn’t been the case.
“I am very happy. I feel better already because I know I am going to play and string together matches.”
Someone is full of themselves…
January 17th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
This Van Persie situation is turning into a complete piss-take. His absence is killing us. Even Wenger is starting to annoy me with the matter-of-fact way he reveals the news like clockwork every thursday. You would think it was the first time he got injured the way he tells it. That’s his style though, he doesn’t piss and moan about injuries the way Mourinho did.
January 17th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
“Waiting for Van Persie,” the name of my new play.
January 17th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
There’s nothing wrong with Diarra’s statement at all, why are you looking for the villain where none exists?
It’s alarming that he says, he “read” Arsenal wanted to keep him. Who speaks to the players there, anyone? Is it because Dein has gone that nobody bothers to reassure them. Is there no link between board, manager, player? Is Wenger taking on too much?
As I said when this whole thing blew up, I think Friar told him a load of bullshit about playing, that’s why he signed and that’s why he subsequently felt promises were broken.
I’m not going to stick up for Arsenal on every single issue like some dumb robot. Sometimes clubs mess things up, and for me they have messed up with Diarra something rotten.
January 17th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
A few random comments:
Walcott: Andez #37 hits it. He’s actually improved his dribbling and close control significantly this year, whereas last year it was only push and try to outrun the defender. The problem is his vision and lack of understanding where he and his opponents are on the pitch. Compare how Rosicky turns, rolls, jinks with and without the ball… Always into space, always seeming to know where the opposition is. Walcott, in contrast, had some nice tricks and decent control, but it seemed against Birmingham he was always picking the wrong option… and would always turn straight into a defender he didn’t realize would be there. It happened time and time again. I wouldnt give up on Walcott just yet because there seems to be some real ability…. the question will be his brain.
Ryan Babel: I havent watched too many Liverpool games but one thing about Babel seems that he is totally unafraid to shoot. He unleashes shots from everywhere. As soon as he gets a whiff its gone. With Fabregas’ goals and form drying up, and RvP on the injury list, we need some more people unafraid to shoot. For a wide attacking player, Hleb needs to shoot more. So does Rosicky. Diaby has his faults but he gets off more shots per minute than our other midfielders and we need that.
AC Milan: Did anyone see highlights of PATO? If Walcott were 50% of this kid, we’d all be happy. This was his VERY FIRST GAME FOR GODSAKE! Unbelievable how confident he is. I am getting worried about playing them now because he looks like a game changer for them. Here’s a youtube compilation… fast forward the first 90 secs or so. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltmVTjjFcF8&feature=related
January 17th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
danny: dont be ridiculous. just look at the facts…wenger didnt promise him anything. next, his transfer was an automatic one. arsenal made an offer at the beginning of august … chelsea declined it fully….and only accepted it on the very last day when no other offer came in. so did friar or whoever promise him a first team place at the beginning of august?
how would he have known he would be first choice at arsenal when chelsea unilaterally decided to offload him at the very last minute??
he hasnt done anything at the club, so why exactly do you trust him over the club?? ashley cole had a more believable case than this guy.
believe what you may, but dont try to slate everyone else for believing the club over a player that has done zilch for the club. the fact that a player is talented doesnt make him trustworthy.
January 17th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
But seriously though, the whole RvP thing is now getting annoying. Now Wenger is saying “a few more weeks” with a virus!
and there is no guarantee he would even stay fit once back.
January 17th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Danny you obviously really rated Diarra, and fair enough we all like particular young players. But there is little to no evidence to suggest Arsenal have acted any differently with him than the myriad number of other players they have signed. The chap Friar you refer to has given almost all his working life to Arsenal.
Fred and Mazza, I agree, this RvP injury thing is certainly strange. Is there an underlying problem that Wenger is masking? We need him, he brings a set of qualities that no one else can offer.
January 17th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Trust me..I’m not crying. I’m glad its over and he’s gone. Hope he’s happy at Pompey.
January 17th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Obviously none of us have an inside track to what the real situation was with LD80K and Arsenal. However, the kid is a tad bit impatient. U (i.e LD80K) just arrived at one of the best teams in the premiership if not the world in mid season and has already played over 10 games. You are currently on the bench due to a one year wonder (so far) Flamini and you are battling for second place with a has been world cup hero who is on his last legs and may not even be on the squad next year. People are acting like this guy was the second coming. Maybe he’s trying to pull an Anelka, but young Nicolas was a prodigy that delivered where it mattered most – at the striking position. So you can see why clubs continue to want him. LD80K on the other is a defensive midfielder that hasn’t exactly redefined the position, ala Makele nor is he a Danny Alves at fullback. At best, he is a utility player with potential (which may or may not be realized). It makes me question the character of this Kid; he obviously doesn’t believe he can challenge for his position. There could be complex issues here.