Mar 10
Lost in the quasi-disappointment of yesterday’s draw was the fact that with the point gained, it is now impossible for Spurs to finish ahead of Arsenal in the table. With that, we provide a public service to aid in the enjoyment of the occasion:
INGREDIENTS
- 9 lasagna noodles
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
- 1 (16 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 4 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the lasagna noodles and olive oil; cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes; drain.
- Cook the ground beef and sausage in a large pot over medium heat; drain. Stir in the mushrooms, garlic salt, oregano, thyme, basil, and tomato sauce. Season with salt and pepper; simmer 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix together the ricotta cheese, eggs, and Parmesan cheese in a bowl.
- Ladle enough of the meat sauce into a 9×13 inch baking dish to cover the bottom in a thin layer. Form a layer atop the sauce with 3 of the lasagna noodles. Spread about 1/4 of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle about 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese over the ricotta cheese mixture and then ladle about 1/3 of the meat sauce over the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layering twice more, topping with the remaining 1/4 pound of mozzarella cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven 90 minutes. Allow to sit 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
“Lasagna, whoa….”
March 10th, 2008 at 11:38 am
That’s great. It shows how far this team has come that we don’t care about St Totteringham’s day anymore. We have bigger fish to fry. Long may that continue.
March 10th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Well I’m having a Swiss Chese Fondue for dinner and to hell with mashed spuds because plainly put they’re BORING.
That said I’m putting St. Totteringham’s Day in my personal calendar and in the years to come I think I’ll have a bowl of VICHYSOISSE (cold potato soup) on this day.
Lasagna is too good to spoil on Spuds anyway and cold soup seems more fitting even though I like cold soup to.
Now were the tables turned I wonder if Spuds have a day like this. Damn their a sorry lot with little to celebrate cause that isn’t going to happen in our life times. Mashed potatoes and spam, covered in a Bisto gravy forever I guess.
March 10th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
A bottle of wine, or champagne…. or whatever, anything comes with a bottle will do for me.
March 10th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
St. Totteringham’s Day is nice. Thats about it. And quite frankly I like the way Spurs play…always moving forward and trying to play. Love it when they get beat but I’d rather watch them than a good old fashioned Blackburn - Bolton brawl. Quite frankly they are atleast in the top 7 entertainment wise.
All said and done..Happy St. Totteringham’s day
.
March 10th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Andez..since I don’t drink and orange juice doesn’t come in a bottle all I can offer you in a bottle is a Spurs team which drinks lasagna flavoured mineral water. Now you know how they got poisoned last day of the season.
March 10th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
@ 4: actually i think spurs are top 3 with arsenal and Man U when it comes to entertaining, free flowing football. i would rather watch them than liverpool or chelsea.
to be honest if not for arsene wenger i wont be a fan of english football at all. luckily he came along just as the ajax team of the 90s was declining and the dutch league became kinda “mickey mouse”. lol.
st. totteringham’s day is nice though lol.
March 10th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
I remember reading in some articles in the summer after Henry was sold that this was the year that Spurs would finish above Arsenal. And then Spurs signaled their intentions perfectly when they signed the wonder striker, the future of English football, Darren Bent for more money than Barca paid for Henry. Yup, it truly seemed that Spurs were finally ready to challenge Arsenal for that 4th Champs league spot. Arsenal only signed Eduardo, a player who goals lead Croatia to qualify for Euro 2008 and who was a regular goal-scorer in Croatia. But surely, the talented Eduardo was no match for the goal scoring feats of Darren Bent.
But Arsenal had other plans in mind and could not fathom that Darren Bent would lead to their downfall, so they turned up a few notches to leave Spurs far far behind. Spurs for their part used up their quota of goals and wins against Arsenal in that Carling Cup and hopefully, we will have to wait another 21 games for an Arsenal loss to Spurs.
March 10th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
much as i enjoyed the puncturing of spurs’ exaggerated expectations this year, i agree with fred that they are third in the league in terms of entertainment value behind arsenal and man u. as long as they keep berbatov, i’ll tune in.
March 10th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Credit where it is due, and since the arrival of Ramos Spurs are a different proposition. Ramos is obviously a manager who achieves. The question for Spurs fans is now more toward the quality of their Board and their off-field managerial capacity. Have they the vision and business acumen to maximise the talents of this manager?
If yes, Spurs could be on an upward trajectory, if no, they may enjoy a period of on-field success but eventually Ramos will leave and they will rejoin the pack.
March 10th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
If the board does not maximize Ramos’s potential, you’re right Kiwi, they will have on-field success, but I feel it will only be in Cup competitions (Carling, UEFA, maybe FA). The League is a whole different matter. They need to tighten up at the back to do better in the EPL, no matter who their manager.
March 10th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
We need to dish out an old fashioned thrashing. Preferably 5-0 or 6-0. It’s the tonic we need.
Was the 23 Feb a defining moment?
Going into the Birmingham game the (1st) team had started to look a lot better. The midfield players had returned (bar Rosicky) and the combo’s were starting to gel. True, they weren’t on fire but Hleb and Fabregas were clicking and their passing was getting back to what we expect.
Up to the Brimingham game we had got the results, true Spurs and ManU inflicted embarrassing scorelines on weakened teams but the 1st team had always delivered and often with conviction. Then Birmingham. Eduardo chopped…..we lose the lead in the dying minutes…..a double blow. Did Gallas in his emotionally intuitive way sense that the conceding of that goal was a season defining moment?
Since Birmingham 3 draws in the EPL interspersed with real quality against AC Milan. We’re looking a bit flat and low on player options. So to Middlesborough. They’ve long been a tasty proposition for Arsenal sides. Middlesborough tend to play football, and we tend to appreciate that and oblige by scoring a few.
The stage is set really. Revenge for our only league defeat of the season, playing at home, against a footballing team, against a team who aren’t doing particularly well but are mid-table so won’t be super paranoid.
The only ‘but’ to me is our playing strength. We are ok in defence and CM - it’s the combo’s that Wenger can put out wide and up front and the ’spark’ available off the bench.
Can this team deliver the spanking we want?
………..Adebayor….RvP
Hleb……Flamini…Fabregas….Eboue
Clichy..Senderos…Gallas……Sagna
………………Almunia
I’d be playing RvP sooner than I would like, but it’s the last game at home before some really big encounters. If he tired, he could be replaced, even at halftime. The midfield & defence is relatively solid and not carrying injuries so it looks a risk worth taking. If we got off to a quick start and scored early it might just be the tonic we need.
March 10th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
We play our 3 main title rivals, 2 CL Quarter Final ties and a desparate Bolton in the space of 21 days after meeting Middlesborough. Bring it on!!!
I’ve had a little sneak at the fixture calender of our next 2 fixtures after Middlesborough - being Chelsea & Bolton. A little glimmer of hope……
Chelsea: have to play 3 games before they meet us - basically 1 game every 3/4 days. So they play 3 games in the space of time we play only Middlesborough.
Bolton: have to play 4 games before they meet us - compared to our 2.
So without being uncharitable there is a reasonable chance they’ll incur a few injuries and be feeling a bit more jaded before we visit them. Conversely we hope that we get more of our team back fit and available.
We have a reasonable chance of beating Middlesborough, Chelsea and Bolton and heading into a massive 2 week burst against our CL opposition, Liverpool & ManU feeling stronger.
March 10th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
I agree with LDE as well. Spurs is the only team outside of the big 4 which PLAY football.
Martin Jol’s downfall was because his spending spree. Mourinho couldn’t help himself and came out with another dig at Arsene Wenger, saying that it’s amazing he didn’t win anything for a long time yet still enjoying a job security.
What he failed to point out is - how much AW had spent? Big spending comes with big expectation. That’s why the moment Jol spent 40 mil back in the summer, I said that he’s going to get sacked.
make no mistake though, I afraid our fun over Spurs over the past decade or so may soon to be ended. Ramos is entirely a different class of manager from Jol. He didn’t win 2 back to back UEFA Cup with a relatively small club Sevilla by luck. Plus the fact Spurs will continue to spend big, added to the quality they already got, they may no longer be a laughing stock.
when u take into consideration City will continue to improve with more money to spend, and Aston Villa, Everton both seemingly under a good and competitive managers, next season the battle of a top 4 spot may be even more heat up.
March 10th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
If Ramos stays at Spurs for next season, I can see them getting Danny Alves which would make them a bigger threat. Although, I can’t see why Ramos won’t be around next year. If Klinsmann had not been hired by Bayern for next year, I could have seen him as an emotional hiring but that ain’t happenning.
Andez, every year I hope these other fringe teams such as Villa, Everton, Newcastle (& now Man City) improve and give more challenge to Man Utd and Chelsea. Newcastle this year have been pathetic and have helped improve Man Utd’s goal difference quite a bit. If these other teams can get some more points from the big 4, then that leaves the title a bit more open and can make for more breathing room. In that situation if Arsenal dropped a few points, then it would not be as bad because other teams were capable of getting points away from the other top 2.
I think of La Liga as an example of an unpredictable series of events. A month ago, Madrid were 8 points clear and people were saying the title was over. Then Madrid lost 2 games in a row, Barca came within 2 points and things appeared to be even. But Barca went on to lose the next 2 games in a row and Madrid scrapped two wins and are back to 8 points ahead. In Spain, the big 2 are usually expected to drop points away from home on a regular basis. I can’t remember which year but when Depor won the title, they lost almost 10 games in La Liga but their nearest rivals Madrid had lost more. So each week, the top 2 had an equal chance of dropping points. That makes the title race interesting. I suppose I miss the old days when 75-80 points were good enough for the title
March 10th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
Based on 3 straight draws in the league and just 1 win in 6 games, I wouldn’t look beyond the Boro game. Let’s win that first before dreaming of beating Chelsea at their home where they haven’t lost in something like 4 years.
March 11th, 2008 at 1:00 am
Nah, let the managers talk about “concentrating on the next game”, we fans are at liberty to dream all we want.
Seriously though, it gets a bit boring always looking just one out, we’re getting to the business end of the season, there is a little patch of 21 days just after Boro which is incredibly important……so it looks worthy of discussion to me.
March 11th, 2008 at 4:51 am
agree kiwi. in fact, i feel that the longest Chelsea remains unbeaten at home it would only work to our favour. ppl would inevitably talk about the “record”. and like our defeat to Spurs, the previous “record” basically means nothing. if anything, it would only play into Chelsea players’ mind to keep their “record”.
We aren’t going to give a feck all about their record, as if we beat them, we would not be happy because we break their “record”, we would be happy because of the 3 points.
besides, why should we “dream” about beating Chelsea? Didn’t we already beat them once this season?
March 11th, 2008 at 6:09 am
Check this out.
http://blog.emiratesstadium.info/
March 11th, 2008 at 6:29 am
Your right Andez, records are there to be broken. Chelsea are a tough nut but one I think we can crack. They’ll be feeling the pressure of chasing us and ManU all season, they have lost a final already, just been put out of the FAC, and I really do think playing 3 games to our 1 is a negative at this stage of the season. Like I said recently, it’s the law of the incremental, football is often won or lost by small margins. We might just be that bit sharper on the day.
JD, McLeish is protesting too loud. He should shut up. The more he defends Taylor again and again the worse it appears. Any way you cut it, it was a bad tackle. Forget the intent, just look at the execution and result. Football needs to do what other sports do and target undesirable aspects of the game as they creep in. I said at the start, Arsenal and Wenger would put it on the agenda and they have. FIFA have picked up on it. Sorry McLeish it’s out of your hands.
March 11th, 2008 at 7:19 am
Since the Eduardo incident we have seen two hideous tackles that both could have easily ended up with the same results. Can’t remember the player’s involved but what’s worse is that one of them certainly looked deliberate.
The FA, as usual, are like a rabbit caught in the headlights - they are afraid to challenge this issue and haven’t even got the backbone to stand up for football players within its own union.
I hope FIFA do act and ban Taylor for the same length of time that Eduardo was put out the game. Yes it was an accident, but I feel that football needs to be protected as do talented players from the over-physical approach of certain football teams. Just as people might say bad luck Eduardo, well I say bad luck Taylor - you tackled carelessly and did great harm and now you’re going to have to sit it out.
Will FIFA do anything or is it all hot air? Probably the latter once the legalities become apparent.
March 11th, 2008 at 8:13 am
That was my feeling too, Danny. Why does the hurt, talented, “could have lost his entire career” player have to bear the full brunt of an “unlucky” challenge. Everyone wants to argue about intent, but if Taylor didn’t go in to break his leg but he did to send a message, he took his big, dumb chances. Bad luck, you clogging arsehole. Off you go for at least the rest of the season. And here’s hoping it haunts you for the rest of your life.
And that goes for McLash, too. Stupid, blotchy Scot with the brain of a peanut trying to defend his team tactics which were obvious to everyone and only signal to the rest of the league that it’s okay to do the same. The last two major injuries of this type were both Arsenal players. If there’s a God, he’s a Gooner and they will go down. Or at least half of their players will suffer compound fractures of the spine including that not-good-enough-for-Arsenal twat Seb Larrson.
And to everyone who feels it’s necessary to give Spurs “their due” on a day like TODAY makes me a little sick into my mouth. What the hell is wrong with you people? You’re making baby Jesus cry, you know.
March 11th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Next time we are short of bodies, I’d prefer Toure as RB and Sagna in RM than the other way round.
March 11th, 2008 at 8:47 am
What annnoys me about the whole thing is that McCleish has had this very disingenious tone throughout the time since Eduardo’s injury. A smirk is never far from his fat sausage-head face. I can just imagine him sharing a gallon of scotch with Fergie and chuckling away to himself up in Carrington at the hilariousness of it all.
I’m sure Birmingham and McCleish are hoping Wenger chimes in to defend Taylor’s cause but I hope maintains a stoned silence and Taylor gets banned for a long time.
I’ve loved Wenger’s reaction to the incident. He’s refused to pander to the PC brigade and go out of his way to exonerate Taylor of all blame. I mean, how does this notion that the guy who committed the tackle is a victim get propogated in the first place? He’s apparently ‘mentally shattered’ according McCleish. Well i’m sure he would prefer to be mentally shattered than have his leg shattered. After all, he is a big harmless Geordie.
March 11th, 2008 at 11:36 am
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/7286112.stm
Fergie has been asked to “explain” his comments. I guess the folks at the FA don’t understand his English.
March 11th, 2008 at 11:49 am
I can’t understand that motherfucker’s English neither.
March 11th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
what do people make of this argument?
http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/2008/03/05/is-wenger-good-enough-to-make-arsenal-great/
March 11th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
I most definitely agree that referees need to be assessed, and in many cases put out to pasture. The refereeing for Brum away will haunt me forever, I feel. And I was all set to just have the first one haunt me for our lax display.
“Queiroz called Atkinson “a disgrace”, claiming the referee allowed Pompey to use over-physical tactics against Ronaldo throughout the game.”
Oh, really? Overly-physical tactics, you say? Get in line, ladies. And how I would love to demonstrate such tactics on that crybaby grease-ball for 90 myself.
March 11th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Querioz was clever - he attacks Taylor then the next day apologises. He got his point across at the time and knows it.
If I was cynical I would say Man Utd were using the Eduardo incident and Wenger’s own opinions on kicking players to ensure their own creative players will have free reign to run amok. And as a football purist, some part of me agrees - they should be able to run amok without being kicked 50 times in 90 minutes.
That Ronaldo penalty incident was absurd - it now seems you can run 30 yards, shoulder charge a player in the penalty area when the ball is 10 feet away and it’s regarded as a clean challenge?? If a referee can’t even get that right, then really, what hope is there?
March 11th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Ronaldo has no one else to blame but himself for that penalty not being given. So many times that he gets penalties by running into players and the one time it’s a genuine penalty, he doesn’t get it. As I said, he was asking for it.
It’s the same with Eboue. Everyone knows he dives now so unless he gets decapitated in the area he will never a get a pen. Hopefully players will learn that staying on your feet and being honest should pay off in the long run. Unless your Alex Hleb, of course.
March 11th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
I am long for the day when someone decapitates Eboue.
March 11th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
@26, that article reflects my sentiments about this team and Wengers youth development policy, which may have been necessary at some point in the past. However, here we are now, one the richest teams in the world and our squad cannot compete with the tops in our leaque, in terms of size and depth.
If this season goes trophyless then it begs the question whether we are fully utilizing our financial resources to achieve the outcomes we desire. As it is now, we have the wherewithal to compete with Man U and Liverpool (certainly not Chelsea) in having a squad that is deep enough to withstand injuries and compete in all competitions. As beautiful a game we play, the point howvever is to win trophy’s. So let’s hope that Wenger’s policy is not penny wise pound foolish.
March 11th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
I really don’t think the main reason Wenger has the policy he does is because he’s trying to show how cheaply he can win trophies. I think he won’t pay above value while he’s paying off the new stadium, and he wants a team to grow together over a few years. Why our players seem to break very easily is anyone’s guess. One day we’re top of the league playing “football from another planet”, and the next day we’re decimated and…well…top of the league. But likely not for long.
March 11th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
We don’t have more injuries than any other team - it just seems that way because you don’t analyse other teams like you do ours.
You have to replicate a real game in training, otherwise you cannot compete. Players get injured during games every week, therefore it’s natural that players will similarly get injured in training. I would say that it’s very unusual to have a full fit squad of say 25 players, if you do then either you’re extremely lucky or not training with the intensity you should.
March 11th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Such contingencies (injuries, international duty, loss of form, etc) should be taken into consideration when planning for the season. Right now, we do not have adequate replacement for Hleb, Fabregas or even Van Persie, whereas Man U has Anderson for Scholes, Nani for Giggs to name a few and I certainly think they can make do without Ronaldo. Look at how they missed Van Nisterooy (at least 18 goals a season striker), they missed him soo much they won the league without him.
March 11th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Ah, what goes around comes around, doesn’t it? Old Purple Nose does nothing but kick, kick, kick whenever his sides meet Arsenal, and now here he is complaining that his star attraction is getting kicked too much. Well, tough luck motherfucker, because this is a trend you created and now its come full swing to bite you in the ass. I can’t help but laugh! Reminds me of this poll:
http://www.football365.com/poll/0,17053,8806_54809_r,00.html
March 11th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
This may sound a bit far out, but if we don’t beat Middlesbrough on Saturday and Liverpool keep Gerrard and Torres fit, we could be getting dragged into the battle for fourth place. I see us finishing third but Liverpool look strong and could give us a titanic struggle at the Emirates.
March 11th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
ChicagoGooner, I thought the same myself!
Mazza, your right in the sense that the top four have closed up again,so it looks like anything could happen. With each side still to play 9 or 10 games there is a lot to happen yet. The injury bite and ensuing lack of attacking options available to Wenger has made me a little more circumspect.
This team just needs something to kickstart its EPL motor again, that and getting a few bodies back.
March 11th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
The injury argument just isn’t true this season, Danny. It’s the point of all the “thin squad” allegations. More than any other side up top we’ve had to play more formations and players in different positions, especially after the long term losses to Rosicky and Denilson. We’ve not had any squad consistency since around the week Robin got injured, and he was our leading scorer. And with the loss of Eduardo we’ve lost our main striking partner – and some might say only striking partner – to Adebayor. Would have been nice to have him in the second half of Wigan, due to his threat in the air, as well.
When we started the season, we couldn’t come close to being described as a one man team. We had goals from midfield, and Robin was insanely productive. After Cesc’s injury, Ade started really pouring it on. All you have to do is ask yourself where would be if we lost Ade at the start of the season, and where we would be after we lost him throughout the ANC (or ACN, whatever). We’d be in big trouble, that’s where. And due to injuries by and large.
March 11th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
If back in the summer, after we sold Henry, and somone tells us we were going to be without van Persie for a few months as well, what do u guys predict our season would become?
we had short term memory, before Flamini and Ade emerged (and who would have predicted back in the summer), van Persie probably was as important a player to us as Cesc. And he has been out for the large part of season so far. imagine how other big 4 sides would fare facing a similiar situation?
injury is a problem we have been dealing with for the past few seasons, and this is a FACT, not an excuse. The fact that we have been doing so well without one half of our starting striking pair is a tribute to the collective character the team has shown.
our team this season have come a long way, i have not even mentioned the rest of injuries we had, as well as the ANC break while everyone thought we would fall apart. And remember, we DID NOT buy like Chelsea did to cover for ANC neither.
March 11th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Off-topic. It must be really hard to an Inter Milan fan. They were dismal today and what was surprizing was despite them giving up a goal today, Mancini waited too long to make any changes. In the 75th minute, when Patrick Vieira was to be replaced, PV took his time walking to the touch-line until the Inter captain Zanetti rushed over to PV to pat him off the field. I think the Inter fans were whistling to urge PV faster off the field but he took his time to leave. Strangeness.
so 4 English teams in the last 8. Just hope Arsenal avoid the three other teams. I didn’t think of this possibility but Man Utd could get Barca. I am thinking that an Arsenal-Barca match might happen but Man Utd-Barca would be very good as Henry and company will give Man Utd something to thnk about, and hopefully tire them out a bit.
March 11th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
@ danny 30:
you are a fucking joke arent u?
do you know what decapitate means???
you spew some really sick shit!
March 11th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
@39, maybe we should be buying like Chelsea. We have the money, and there’s definately a need, so why not. This is not a competition for who does the most with the least, this is a competitiion to win trophies.
March 11th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
I knew you’d pick up on that - shit stirrer. Yeah, I really meant cut off his head. Fred, if you want a fight go look somewhere else or join your army pal, he really does decapitate people - probably.
March 11th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
groovehouse, it’s the same thing ppl said back in the summer, to buy. problem is if we’d bought more established players, we might not be seeing the rapidly improvement of Flamini and Adebayor. To a certain extend, Senderos as well, he probably has his best season for us so far IMO.
all these happened because they got to play more regualrity.
likewise, if we bought during the January window, the future development of Denilson, Diaby, Walcott, Bendtner, Song the likes may get halted. They are already struggling to get enough playing time to help their development.
in an ideal world, u would wish those young players could continue to develop without actually playing regular football, so at the same time we could buy in more established talent to add to the depth of our squad.
unfortunately things would never go this way. so one way or other, either u put faith on the kids, or go for star players like Chelsea does. but can never have it both way around.
@ Sachin, when i watched Vieira today, i really felt for the man. Most of us love Vieira. I do. but maybe it’s because freshing off from injury or anything i don’t know, he really looked like labouring on the pitch, no longer the box to box dynamtic midfielder. and he started to look really old.
perhaps years’ battling on the hardtackling midfield of Premiership started to take the toll on him.
there’s one thing i always feel sorry for both Vieira and Titi, they were sold after 9 seasons at Arsenal. One more season they could have both enjoyed a testimonal match which they fully deserved. in the event, none of them had the chance to receive a proper farewell from fans. The same speaks for Freddie and Pires as well, fans never got the chance to say goodbye to them. The awesome 4 who had done so much for the club.
March 11th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
yeah andez he looked like a distance from the player he was at Arsenal. Ofcourse, I am comparing him with those title winning years at Arsenal where he was in top form. PV & Henry ran themselves into the ground for Arsenal, especially in that 2002 season. Which is part of the reason they looked so tired in the 2002 World Cup. It was great to see Bergkamp receive that proper goodbye but unfortunately like you said, the awesome 4 didn’t. But PV’s and Henry’s departure was in strange manner. Just when it looked like PV was joining Madrid, he stays at Arsenal. And then out of nowhere, after the 2005 F.A Cup, he was gone. Henry seemed to be on his way to Barca a year before he left. So it felt strange because one had to think of life without the players, then one was glad to have them stay and then they are out.
March 11th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
my army pal??? u must mistake me for the wrong person.
your comment was disgraceful…accept that and dont repeat such on here. it was completely tasteless and is an awesome advert of your british “class”.
March 12th, 2008 at 5:42 am
I’ll say what I like when I like, if you don’t like it go and join another website. It’s obvious to a 5-year-old the comment was tongue-in-cheek.
Face it, you’re a troublemaker - you get a kick out of dragging arguments on for weeks, turning 5 page threads into 10 page threads and boring the shit out of everyone. Either that or you have mental health issues.
Stop doing it, people don’t want to read it.
March 12th, 2008 at 10:38 am
I saw Torres’ goal at the San Siro. It was (to borrow an oft-used English phrase?) top draw. Sheed, I think, it was who said that he is a great striker. Now all that remains is for him to show the same in some big games in the league. Like the one at OT in less than two weeks time.
March 12th, 2008 at 10:46 am
Yes Nip…all that he needs to show is a hatrick against us in a “big” game … that would be an absolute nightmare.. can we postpone it by a game??
March 12th, 2008 at 10:57 am
You mean, advance it by a few games, right?
March 12th, 2008 at 11:00 am
Torres really is world class - shame Wenger never would have paid for him. I can see him scoring hundreds for Liverpool.
March 12th, 2008 at 11:02 am
The four games between 23 Mar and 13 Apr is not just tough for us.
Arsenal play Chelsea (A), Bolton (A), Liverpool (H) and ManU (A).
ManU play Liverpool (H), Villa (H), Boro (A) and Arsenal (H).
Chelsea play Arsenal (H), Boro (H), ManCity (A) and Wigan (H). They also play Spurs (A) on 19 Apr.
Liverpool play ManU (A), Everton (H), Arsenal (A) and Blackburn (H).
The league table could change a lot depending on how the games go.
March 12th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Danny..You had doubts before the season started with Sheed in particular getting offended and asking you whether you were Torres’s mum
.. thats settled then I guess 
Nip…yes thats what I meant
March 12th, 2008 at 11:51 am
@ danny: sure, i am the troublemaker! i look forward to your hypocritical and snobbish responses to OTHER peoples comments.
March 12th, 2008 at 11:59 am
inter are a bunch of utter chokers….ibrahimovic was pretty much a joke….and vieira didnt turn up - typical for a CL hey.
bad news is that RvP has been called up for the dutch friendly later this month! just perfect.
March 12th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
After Reyes, I don’t think Torres at any price was ever going to be an option. And all that deal-making that was bandied about and Chelsea’s filthy money flying in everywhere? Bah, he looks like a lesbian, anyway.
It’s now up to Robin to potentially save our season for silverware. How cool would that be? When was the last time we scored from a free kick?
March 12th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
@live_dont_exist 53:
You’re right I did not rate Torres at all. I watch a lot of Spanish football and he never impressed me, he did doing nothing last season and did not distinguish himself at all. Must have had “Gilberto syndrome” - couldn’t be bothered, knew he was going to leave.
March 12th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Good to see you are changing your opinion about Torres now
LDE - great memory man, I’m talking about Torres’ mum, even I forgot that I have said that, you refreshed my memory :))))))
March 12th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
I hate friendlies. Can we fake injury and say RVP’s not fit? Just kidding …obviously wouldn’t be ethical and would be unfair to the player. Still I hope RVP doesn’t play at all ..he’s bound to get injured.
March 12th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Yep, hold my hands up. Sheed was right.
Torres is a brilliant player. As soon as I saw him score against Chelsea at Anfield I was sold on him. Rolls Royce goal.
I would trade every single one of our strikers for him. He doesn’t need to run around throwing himself about to make up for technical deficiencies. His class does everything for him.
March 12th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Sad about JAR though…if his head had been screwed on he was just perfect …perfect for the Gunners. Oh well…
March 12th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Unfortunately, I have to agree with earlier remarks by both Sachin and Andez, Spurs is an entertaining team to watch, even more so than Chelsea and Liverpool. I also agree that this may be the last year of ragging on the SPUDS with the arrival of Juande Ramos.
Ramos is in the mold of Arsene and is a great tactician to boot. Since his arrival he has already shored up his defense with three acquisitions, told the “FAT” boys to lose weight or lose playing time, comes to each game prepared for the opponent and has instilled a lot of confidence within his team. As shown with his stint at Sevilla he makes good player purchases unlike Jol and his Bent buys and should be there for a long time as long as the Board gives him freen reign over the Football side of affairs.
Arsenal to me is still an unfinished puzzle and I have often wondered why we never acquired Micah Richards, Anelka (£15 M))or Ya Ya Toure (£ 6.7 M)who is now flourishing at Barcelona. Richards is a fervent Arsenal fan and made it clear he would love to play for us as did Le Sulk in his last days at Bolton and Ya Ya when he was at Olympiakos and more currently, Monaco.
In hindsight, under £30 M would have finished 95% of the puzzle with Vela completing it next year. It would also have definitely helped us this year due to our injuries in the mid field and at CB. More importantly, Justin Hote and Gilberto would never have been needed to grace the field of play. Also, imagine if Togo had qualified for the ANC and Ade was gone for a few weeks or even if he had suffered a injuries in the manner of RVP and Rosicky. We would have been up the creek without a paddle. Both Richards and Toure are very versatile players and could fill in almost anywhere in the back 8 and we know what Anelka brings to the table, clinical finishing, which is the weakest part of our game at this point.
Oh well, too late for that now but really hope that Arsene makes 2 or 3 credible and mature signings in the off season to complement the “Young Gunners”.
Normally I am an optimist who feels the glass is half full, not half empty, but I can’t see Arsenal bringing home any trophies this year. We have too many players that are not match fit. It will take RVP a few games to get into gear and Rosicky, Song, Dhojouru, Diaby, Diaby and Kolo are all coming off extended injuries and will need a few games to shake off that rust. Based on my expectations prior to the 07-08 campaign we will still have had an incredible season and we still continue to play the beautiful game (Jugo Bonitto) which is a pleasure to watch.
March 12th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Spurs could be a proper team if they sort their defence out, but to be honest that side of things is not helped by the midfield. Zokora is a crappy defensive midfielder, and Malbranque and Lennon don’t exactly help out much. Jenas is very attack-minded too, and he’s inconsistent.
I have reservations about Ramos. I read that he didn’t even buy the players at Sevilla.
To be honest, Spurs league form hasn’t improved massively since he came and they only won that cup because Arsenal fielded kids and Chelsea were utterly woeful - still needed an own goal to win it in the end.
For me it’s the same old Spurs, they were good under Jol for a while too remember? They win the crapling cup, get pasted by Birmingham 4-1 in the next game and lose to PSV at home in UEFA Cup.
But yeah, if there’s a Spurs game on I’d rather watch it from an entertainment perspective than Chelsea or Liverpool.
March 12th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Don’t get too excited about AW spending money this summer:
http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8652_3291780,00.html
March 12th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
@ 60: well, technically torres isnt better than a fit, playing-all-season RvP. and in the box eduardo’s technique is also of a very high class.
and ofcourse you cant compare him to the likes of ade or bendtner…totally different. despite torres’ far superior technique he still has the same league goal tally as ade - and lets not forget ade has scored his share of spectacular goals too…..though they seem like random rush of blood to the head goals LOL.
March 12th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
“I believe a football team is not about buying and selling. It is about building, patience, working together and going through a growing process.”
Amen, AW.
March 12th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
@ chicago:
yeah, i doubt he will suddenly start spending money. not because he doesnt want to but because of his style of never benching first teamers unless they are injured.
look at this way, ferguson can have anderson, scholes, carrick and hargreaves and keep them all in check without any of them mouthing of crap……..but look how diarra went for us!
wenger never actually had a substantial back up for any of his main players which strikes me as really weird. his management style does not know how to juggle and keep players happy - THAT is why he doesnt buy.
the only reason depth is a problem now is that we are getting MORE injuries than we ever used to in the past. i cant recall henry, pires, ljunberg, vieira, cole or lauren getting small, frequent injuries in those days.
the main thing now is to hope that the youngsters in the second team grow fast or wenger brings in some more effective second teamers - especially on the wings and in the wing back positions.
March 12th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Wenger’s just getting in early and positioning himself for the mass cries for new signings.
When you look at how we’ve gone this year it’s hard to argue against the guys strategy. The team has collectively developed and is challenging…..what more can they do? Sure you can argue he should buy this guy or that guy but cherry-picking is easy for fans (yet admittedly fun to do).
Unfortunately the attacking side of our game has been handicapped by serious injuries……RvP…Rosicky…Eduardo. No one can anticipate or adequately compensate for multiple injuries in one area of the team. If those injuries had been lesser - perhaps just 1 instead of 3 - the team may well have looked better recently and turned draws into wins.
One of my concerns season-long has been our goal scoring ability, particularly just where the support will come from for the strikers. To date it is pretty apparent that Hleb is averse to scoring, Eboue has no strike ability at present, and Diaby strikes are irregular. Even Walcott struggles to be a threat from a wider position. So aside from the odd goal from our central midfielders Fab & Flam we are struggling to find goals to support our strikers.
A huge portion of our goals have come from Adebayor (which is good) and Fabregas (which for me doesn’t look sustainable). Fabs goals dried up at the start of Nov - I seem to recall that was when our form started to dip (although we did maintain are points accumulation). Other guys need to improve their ability to score - but how will that happen? Probably just a mixture of time, practise and experience. If Eboue and Hleb and even Clichy could bury a few goals when they get into goalscoring position it maintains our momentum and indirectly takes te pressure off our strikers.
March 12th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Have to say, Tottenham have been sensational tonight. Pissed all over PSV for the whole game. PSV were the better team in the first leg, but only counter attacking wise. Tottenham have been on the front foot tonight.
Remember Arsenal outclassing PSV last season in Eindhoven until we folded like a deck cards in the second half.
March 12th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
What’s the difference? Spurs went out anyway.
March 12th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
So are Derby going to let in 8 against Man Utd? They let in 6 against Liverpool and Chelsea and Man Utd need to thrash someone to take out their frustrations. I should stop looking at the goal difference column for Arsenal and only worry about points from now on.
Both english teams went out on penalties today. Since I didn’t see either game, I can’t comment on anything but was there any chance that Everton could have won the game in regular time over Fiorentina? I am surprized that they brought the tie level in the first place. Was it because La Viola just sat back and had no interest to attack?
March 12th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
What I’m trying say Andez is that we should all buy Spurs shirts and pay homage to the mighty Spuds and go on a pilgrimage to White Hart Lane.
March 12th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
To Sachin,
Everton had a ton of chances during regulation and a few half chances in the extra 30. Everton was denied by some poor shooting, poor heading, a few flops from Johnson trying to get penalties and Frey, the French keeper for Fiorentino, who pulled off some great saves. Everton totally outplayed their opponents and the score could easily have been 4-0 with Yakubu missing quite a few.
It was a crap game however, with Fiorentino defending 8 men behind the ball and Everton hoofing the ball upfield time and time again, especially in the second half.
March 12th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
Fred, you just don’t want to admit that Torres is a class act, do you?
I told you two years ago that if he play for a big club he will score 20+ easily, and he has done that in his first year in England, he didn’t need adaptation period at all.
And what’s scary, he can become even better, when he gets used to the English game completely.
Oh, and he would have scored even more if he played for us, coz we are creating far more chances than Pool
March 12th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Sheed, Torres is delivering, I have to admit I was one who preferred to wait to see him here before being convinced of his transition to the EPL. Credit to him he does look class.
Worth remembering tho, Torres cost between 20-25m, Adebayor cost 7m. So when you factor in cost Wenger delivers again. For 1/3 of the cost - we have a 20+ goal a season, team-oriented centreforward, who works hard, and is likely to have considerable future upside in his development. Nothin wrong with that.
March 12th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
I didn’t say anything about Adebayor, but you have to admit you are not so sure if he will score when he has the ball in his feet, when he is in a good position.
When there was a debate about who should replace Henry, I said Torres is the man and that’s it. I’m happy with the current strikers, we certainly have quality players upfront, too bad they are/were injured in the most part of the season.
March 12th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
@ sheed: actually i admitted he was a class act since the end of last year!
i never really rated him or his chances in england and he has proved himself for sure.
however he was always going to compete against RvP NOT adebayor. and i consider a fit and on form RvP world class material.
good for torres though - unfortunately he aint winning the EPL anytime soon
March 12th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Sheed, your right you didn’t but others have. So my reference to Adebayor was a general comment not directed at you.
This year we’ve probably been a tad light in the striking dept if the truth be known.
Adebayor: has answered the call.
RvP: looked real quality in his little cameo at the start of the season. Then sadly it’s been all injuries.
…..but the backup was probably a bit on the light side.
Eduardo: was always likely to need most of the season to adjust from Croatia. Then sadly Tiny chopped it short.
Walcott: He’s green, and this was always going to be another development season. Wenger probably hoped for a bit more.
Bendtner: He’s also green and hardly in a position to carry much responsbility. Anything he gave was realy a bonus.
So having only two strikers who are in a position to accept responsibility was probably one short. So for that reason I think we entered the season a bit light up front. The injuries to RvP and Eduardo have just highlighted that. Wenger did what he often does - he balanced the risk against the cost. He bought Eduardo relatively cheap believing he was the goods but knowing he would take time to transition. But the BIG injury problems for RvP and then Eduardo and Walcotts stagnation have caught him out.
March 12th, 2008 at 11:15 pm
Torres may not win the EPL anytime soon, but he can decide the destination of it. Let’s hope he rocks at OT and flops at AG.
March 12th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
We were always light in the goal scoring department. I’ve been saying it right from the start of the season. I even wrote an article on that (but was brushed aside by many thanks to all the goals we were scoring at the start of the season). All our hopes were on RvP, Ade (even he was not expected to score 20+) and Cesc (hoping for a huge improvement). I never believed the Hleb can score and was very circumspect of Rosicky scoring much. Eduardo was expected to chip in.
In reality, Ade has flourished, Eduardo did well till injury cut him off, RvP and Rosicky are sicknotes and Cesc has done well in patches (well, one patch at the start of the season).
I know now is not the time to think about buying someone, but I do pray that Wenger buys another goal scoring option in the summer. We will need it desperately. No Eduardo, and between RvP and Rosicky, we have usually half a player fit.
March 12th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
Nipuna, for the reasons you have outlined I can see Wenger feeling compelled to buy another attacking option. Probably a Robinho type, a versatile attacking player who can play across the front. Our squad can probably accomodate this even if/when RvP, Eduardo, Rosicky get fitter and Walcott improves. I know we’ll get Vela, but shivers we’ll look light if we take this attacking squad into next season with Eduardo out.
March 12th, 2008 at 11:37 pm
Yes Kiwi, ideal would be Reyes/Babel kind of a player who is comfortable on the wings but also as a support striker. The key is that the player should be a goal threat. Having a bit of a pace would be an extra help.
March 13th, 2008 at 1:23 am
Thanks CaribKid @72 for the info. I had wanted to check out some of the UEFA cup games but didn’t check the schedule and naturally assumed that all of them were on Thu and not on wed. In the last few years, the UEFA cup fixtures have been alternating with the CL league to enable them more exposure.
Nipuna @80:
Thx for that. This season, that has been the case unfortunately. I never expected both of them to have suffer with such long injuries although there had been warning signs in the past. I have read comments from Madrid fans who have been lamenting about Robben in similar manners. They have said that when he is fit, he is a joy to watch, but emphasized when.
RvP and Rosicky, we have usually half a player fit.
I know this is not meant to be funny given Arsenal’s title aspirations but it made me laugh
Am I wrong in assuming that RVP’s injury problems started when he celebrating tying that goal against Man Utd last season? I know he came back after that but then sufferred another injury this season with a meaningless friendly against the powerhouse that is Austria (might be the weakest team at Euro 2008) and then another injury after that. And when the ball hit RVP’s face on the weekend, I feared the worst again. If he does come back, I hope he is not picked for any Dutch games until the season is over.
March 13th, 2008 at 1:26 am
@ 80: actually nipuna, i sided with you too in those early days in worrying about goal source - mainly because i could see we were constantly scoring from “inspiration” rather than by routine - and our midfield was always going to dry up.
however wenger has never actually stockpiled on strikers before except last season when we had 6, henry, RvP, ade, walcott, baptista and aliadiere.
before then we usually had 3, the fourth striker was usually always a winger or something.
personally our goalscoring problem is not in attack, it is the MIDFIELD, specifically the wings - that is where we really need goals from.
March 13th, 2008 at 1:31 am
Sachin, it’s sad but true. This is the second successive season that both Rosicky and RvP are out for large periods. RvP had injury problems in his first season too (three years back) but he wasn’t a key player then. Surely, Arsene has learnt something from that.
March 13th, 2008 at 4:45 am
Torres is a fantastic signing for Liverpool. He’s really come into form and Liverpool always look a threat going forward right now. That’s mainly down to Benitez deciding not to tinker with the team so much, leaving Torres in the starting lineup and playing Gerrard in the hole behind him. As long as those two remain undroppable by Liverpool, they’ll score goals. We’ve seen what happens when Benitez drops Torres or moves Gerrard to the wing.
March 13th, 2008 at 6:13 am
Anyone see Damien Johnson’s challenge on Pedro Mendes last night? I wonder if he taught Taylor how to do that or if Taylor taught him. Absolutely horrible challenge.
What was even better was to hear what the manager had to say about it after the game. It sounded something like, “Uh, well, what had happened is, well, what I mean is, uh, uh, you see these things happen, uh, uh, it happened so fast, uh, what I’m trying to say is, uh uh, well, you know, uh, no comment, so you understand what I’m saying?”. I was like WTF?
What an assclown.
March 13th, 2008 at 8:17 am
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2008/03/13/ufnflamini_113.xml
You never know if such articles can be believed, but when a player professes that he wants to stay but doesn’t sign, there can be only one reason. Money. Josh might be right, after all.
March 13th, 2008 at 8:50 am
If Flamini wants to go let him. I’m still to be convinced he is nothing more than mediocre player playing at the top of his ability and with mental freedom.
He’s playing for his contract at the moment and is treating every game like a cup final. This is his first real season playing week in week out, and it’s a bit of a novelty to him. Let’s see what he’s like when he’s got a massive salary and the intensity levels in his game drop a bit. I think you will see an expendable player if that happens.
Fabregas is the great attacking player he is because of Flamini? Please.
March 13th, 2008 at 9:11 am
He is actually. Well maybe not ‘because of Flam’ but the harrying and running and closing down of Flamini has without a doubt released Cesc a bit more than when he was with Bert where he was worried of Bert getting caught out with pace. It would have been the same (MAYBE) if Diarra had stayed and replaced Flamini. Another high energy player which lets Cesc loose a bit more. However that is just conjecture and he didn’t stay so nothing is proved.
As for the contract..who knows what the truth is. I’m guessing he’ll go and Song or Diaby or Denilson will come into the centre.
March 13th, 2008 at 9:35 am
Torres is anonymous in big games. Ade is a big game player. Their goal tally is really the only thing that makes them similar where it counts. He’s proven to be a fantastic finisher against average English keepers and that’s key to moving up the table, but he’s flattering a bit to deceive. 25million? You’re having a laugh.
And let’s here it for England’s other other golden boy Frank Lampard! 4 goals against a completely demoralized Derby who gave up trying to defend back in October and are now exhausted from months of getting it from behind. He’s baaaack!!! Prat. I hate how the games on Sirius are on the “Chelsea station”, no doubt thanks to Steve Cohen. Just horrible listening.
And what Danny said about Spurs. Allow me to balance the commentary on this article by laughing hysterically at their crashing our of the UEFA Cup last night. If you’re a Gooner and you can’t roll around in their misery, you’ve not yet cultivated enough hate in your soul for English football and should maybe stick to watching MLS.
March 13th, 2008 at 9:35 am
“I’m guessing he’ll go and Song or Diaby or Denilson will come into the centre.”
On second thoughts, pay Flamini whatever he wants.
March 13th, 2008 at 9:42 am
It’ll happen..trust me. U think the boss is going to splash on Stephen Appiah or Bouba Diop if Flam goes? Nope. And I wouldn’t write off any of those 3 either. Yes I know u wont agree either..so we’ll leave it at that.
March 13th, 2008 at 10:53 am
Why would a 23-year-old playing week in week out at Arsenal - and loving it - want to leave for Juventus? Call his bluff. This is your offer, take it or leave it - or go and play in a league on the slide and the World will never hear of you again. Of course he’ll sign.
March 13th, 2008 at 11:01 am
I agree. But you never know …money does strange things to nice people.
March 13th, 2008 at 11:39 am
i’m hardly qualified to judge, as i swore off liverpool games after that dreadful draw v.s. chelsea, but it seems to me that if torres were all that, liverpool would be better than they are this year. a top-class striker should have an outsize influence on his team’s fortunes, a la adebayor, don’t you think?
March 13th, 2008 at 11:55 am
joshuad @86, I am afraid Rafa will attempt to make changes for the Man Utd game. He has yet to register a win over Man Utd in the league and I am hoping that Liverpool can finally get one. But knowing Rafa, he might think, think and then make a change. As long as Liverpool win, I don’t really care how they do it but they have looked like a comfortable and confident team with a formation they are getting familiar with, although not as much for the opening 20 min of that Inter game.
March 13th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
as i have said before….flamini has been quality this season but he is very replacable. he WILL sign….because he knows his career will go down hill when he leaves. he is just trying to wring out some more money….which is sensible really.
if he is idiotic enough to leave i think a player with large lungs and who is ready to run his heart out will do. maybe one of those english kids.
i like Song quite a bit, and i think he can do the job in there.
all that said, the likes of flamini who plays above his talent level deserve more commendation than players like hleb (who constantly plays below his true potential). so leave him alone.
March 13th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Wenger has surely put all his eggs in the Flamini basket. But he is notorious for not negotiating with players about wages - Cole and Edu spring to mind. Let’s see how this works out.
March 13th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Yeah, Torres hasn’t got the physical presence so he can be anonymous. That’s why I never rated him before, he never got the ball so I thought he was powder-puff. Little did I know then how good he was when he got the ball.
March 13th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Fred, I agree, agree, agree!
Flamini is good but is not irreplaceable. We have Denilson, Song and Dhojouru as cover there for now and ideally, call me crazy, but Kolo would be perfect in that position if we brought in another tall, robust CB. Toure actually started his career as a mid fielder and with his pace, excellent defensive and attacking skills, shooting power and desire we would forget about Flamini immediately.
Arsene will not, and should not compromise the team structure and spirit by succumbing to the Flamster’s demands. How soon we forget that he was the one demanding a trade because of lack of playing time not too long ago. Definitely not good for team spirit and would set an unnecessary precedence.
March 13th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
The great thing about Flamini is, to quote our manager, his mobility. He is all over the proverbial shop, and adds so much to the fluidity of our game. And technically I rate him as “good to very good”.
Usually I hate using words like “mobility” and “fluidity” but I really think this is the case. He is active component of our attacking moves, while acting as an excellent defensive shield. This is why his partnership with Fabregas is also so good.
Plus there are also all those other intangibles like the bond between teammates, his leadership and defensive skills, etc….
I don’t think he is replaceable as some think.
While there are some on here who argue that Diarra (who I rate very highly) is a superior player, his style is not dynamic as Flamini’s and as such don’t think he would fit in quite as well to Arsenal’s system. To me Diarra is more like Mascherano or a Makelele, generally sitting back to anchor the midfield. I don’t really think this style works so well with our style of play, or gets the best out of Fabregas.
Somehow Flamini manages to do both, anchor midfield and contribute to the build up of our attacks.
A huge loss if he goes. I think it is 50-50 either way…. As an insight into his character, a mate of mine went out with him as part of a large group one night. When I quizzed him as to what he was like, my mate said that when the drinks bill came in at the end of the night, he was nowhere to be seen.
March 13th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
anybody know precisely when tomorrow is the champions league draw?
March 13th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Nip - how about getting off the fence telling us what you think about Flamini?
March 13th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
nicosian, I do remember the CL draw for the round of 16 was fairly early — noon central european time (11 am GMT), so that was 4 am (mountain time) for me. And on one occassion, I did wake up early to follow the draw for the round of 16 on uefa.com. I am assuming it will be at the same time tomorrow.
March 13th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
DannyT, Wenger’s already called his bluff by saying it’s only March so I’m not worried but if he hasn’t signed by April then I’d be worried. He’s, essentially, put the pressure on Flamini to sign soon.
Flamini betrayed Marseille when he signed for Arsenal. His GM was obviously heartbroken in describing Flamini’s actions as “the perfect betrayal. I brought up that point the other day to remind everyone of what Flamini has already proven he’s capable of doing and to not be surprised if he says one thing but does another. Being a hard worker on the pitch doesn’t make him a good guy.
Personally, I’d be surprised if he signed before the end of the season. Sure, he’s playing good football right now but he’s still French. He might leave it until the end of May but Wenger won’t budge for him. He’s taking a chance but it’s not hard as he’s within his right to wait and he knows Wenger prefers the continuity Flamini offers as opposed to bringing in a newbie and hoping he adapts quickly. The risk is if Wenger signs a Veloso-type player on a pre-contract then the club’s sure to withdraw Flamini’s offer which means he’ll have to find a job. Nothing would surprise me with this one.
March 13th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
I would ideally like a defensive midfielder than can run in a straight line. Flamini is a bit crab-like in his movements which can result in clumsy tackles and lack of balance and subtlety in the physical battles; which can cost him against more lithe counterparts. His style means he lacks that concise penetrative ability. An elegant penetration that Petit had.
Veloso is a good talent. Two-footed as well. The jury is out on his work rate though. Flamini has set the bar in that respect.
March 13th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
It’s a bit rich to question the Flamsters character.
The guy has done absolutey nothing wrong or underhand toward Arsenal. He joined almost 4 years ago - that hardly ascribes to him a low-level self obssessed character type like Diarra or Anelka.
Before this season started he looked at best a utility player in the squad. Then Wenger signed Diarra! But Flamini chose to stay and compete for a position and has been so effective he has seen off all competition to secure the starting role beside Fabregas.
Now he’s dancing the contract 2-step with Arsenal. The thing is he is not a glam player and he doesn’t play in a glam role, so this contract is important to him. There won’t be an ongoing pressure to significantly improve his contractual terms ala Fabragas, Adebayor, RvP etc. He and his agent would know this and be trying to negotiate a decent level now.
March 13th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
As for replacing Flamini with ease.
I think we’re dreaming.
The 2007/8 version of Flamini is a vital cog in the Arsenal machine. He is vital because his attributes compliment the other players around him. Some of this is Flamini’s natural qualities and some I think he has ‘purposefully developed’ into his game.
In some ways he’s a water carrier doing the dirty work for the more technically talented Fabregas and Hleb (and Rosicky when he’s fit). He’s always been industrious, but he’s found a way to make that industry count. He’s also developed a bit more ‘physicality’ into his game. He was never timid, but he has obviously adopted something of the hardman mantle in the team. That also demonstrates his smarts - he saw that was lacking in this team and he has consciously worked to meet that need (reminds me of Adebayor in that regard).
Another area where he seems to be trying to meet a need is - scoring a few vital goals fro midfield. Again, I think some of this is intentional rather than natural.
Teams are all about combinations, we fans tend to think of ‘pegs into holes’, that’s why our first solution is to ‘buy’ a player to meet a need. But teams don’t operate like that. Winning teams have high levels of highly effective combinations. Flamini has been a round nearly 4 years and is making that knowledge and experience of Arsenal work to his and the teams advantage. He’s mates with Fab and Hleb and you can see they work well together. You can see that they play for eachother, with the gifted Fabregas prepared to defend and cover for Flamini.
Anyway, bottom line I’ll stick with my thinking that this is ’something nothing’, the high probability is that Flamini will stay at the club/team he clearly enjoys and that is on an upward trajectory.
March 13th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
to be fair to the guy he just shackled kaka over 180 minutes…….for a DM it doesnt come better than that. no test is bigger than that really.
March 13th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Agree with Fred, no matter if Kaka wasn’t on form, Flamini played great in both games, in fact, he has been great all season
He MUST stay!!!
March 13th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
Flamini is replaceable, hard workers are much easier to replace than creative players. But I like Flamini, he’s better than Ray Parlour ever was - passing is much tidier.
He’ll sign because he’d be an idiot not to - and I don’t think he’s an idiot. He probably has a greedy agent advising him to stall, stall, stall, but when push comes to shove players do what’s best for themselves.
March 13th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
I also like Flamini and think he has been a vital cog this season but like DannyT I still think he is replaceable based on our squad content. We have other speedy hard working players who are just as strong, just as technically adept if not better and with attacking skills beyond the Flamster.
I know he is close to Fab and Rosicky but we can’t be held to ransom by a greedy Agent. Would love to seem him stay but as an adult it’s his choice to make. I do not however, think he is handling these negotiations in good faith and should have either signed already or made his intentions of leaving very clear. The Flamster seems to be pulling a “TH14″ special and we do not need those distractions at this point.
Ala Reyes, Lundjberg, Henry, Viera, Pires, Edu and a host of other ex Arsenal players he will certainly find that the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side if he decides to take the money and run.
March 13th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
First, I think it’s disrespectful to suggest Flamini has been playing for his contract. From day one he joined, this is guy always gave 100% on the pitch, even when he had to play out of position during t