Friendlies, Squad Lineups, etc
July 28, 2008
Monday, July 28: Burgenland XI 2-10 Arsenal, Match Report
Wed, July 30: Stuttgart 1-3 Arsenal, Match Report
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July 28th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
The Stuttgart, Juve and Real games should be more of a challenge to our young squad. We did well againts Burgenland but we have to remember that is Burgenland, a team that we never heard of. Not to down the efforts that was done in that game but that’s fact. Looking forward for the next 3 games. Should be fun and my hope is to see more of Wilshere. He is pretty impressive at this point. But I am guessing Wenger will put more of a experience side againts those teams.
July 28th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Whatever happened to our supposed signing of Bischoff, does anyone know?
The team fielded today looks more like our CC squad, hopefully with the exception of Justin Hoyte.
Sagna once again played as a CB in the 2nd half. Is this Wenger’s way of telling us something or maybe he is just giving him some interior experience.
The lineup against Stuttgart on Wednesday will probably give us a better view of our possible starting line up.
I am looking forward to that game as it will be a better yardstick upon which to assess our tean at this junction.
July 29th, 2008 at 12:15 am
Hoyte…. argh.
Villa are asking 18 million pounds for Barry. Combining other factors (i.e. the drawn-out saga with Liverpool and his public desire to play Champions League football), lets say we could haggle them down to 16.5 million. How much more would giving them Hoyte reduce the price tag? I don’t really know, but lets just say 3 million (if anyone else has an educated guess, feel free to share). That would lower the overall price to 13.5 million. I’d go for it, but would AW? (Then again, Arsene knows.)
July 29th, 2008 at 1:49 am
Earlier on this year we were offered between 4-5 mill for Justin Hoyte by Rednapp. Price must have fallen now due to his performances, so 3 – 4 mill sounds about right.
How about both brothers for 5 mill and 11.5 mill up front
Gavin has potential but we have a lot of other youngsters coming up, even though we are still fairly light at the back.
July 29th, 2008 at 11:33 am
Seems like the Crying Gallas is being given another chance at the captaincy. Hopefully he has REALLY learnt his lesson.
I cant wait to see the Stuttgart, Madrid and Juve games. I especially want to see Diaby, Nasri, Vela, Ramsey and hopefully Wilshere (why not?)
It would be nice to see how they blend with the first team – though the concept of a “first” team is rather vague with Arsenal right now.
Bendtner should definitely start over Ade in these games. I am sure Bendy will do very well. Ade should be made to sweat it on the bench.
July 29th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
The Stuttgart game pisses me off. I’m only a couple hour drive away; when I’m home but now I’m sitting in the fucking desert. I’d love to take my boy to see Fabregas. He probably likes Fabregas more than he likes his old man.
July 29th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Fred – i’m all for Gallas being capt. Plus i can’t think of anyone better… it would have been Flamini
July 30th, 2008 at 12:09 am
For team unity at this point, Gallas is the logical choice. It will keep him happy and hopefully he has learned from his mistakes.
July 30th, 2008 at 6:02 am
We’re going to miss Flamini next year. He was so important to our team with his work rate, energy, and leadership on the pitch. I’m sure he had the same fire in the dressing room. He was always the first one to come to the defense of one of his teammates after a bad foul and never backed down from fight. Lastly, he wasn’t a half bad footballer who was dynamic enough to play numerous postions. He had a good degree of intelligence and played within his limits. I’m sure he’ll play at Milan but he should have stayed at Arsenal.
July 30th, 2008 at 10:22 am
Yeah, Josh, that is why we need to buy Gareth Barry…he is strong and burly and he is prem ready right from the start. His passing is quite good too.
Plus he is an excellent backup for Clichy in a big game – as opposed to using Traore!
If we get Barry we would have adequately replaced the players who left – leaving us with our problems in CB and GK.
July 30th, 2008 at 11:08 am
I am currently rubbing my eyes… I think Fred and I agree on something?
Arsenal need Gareth Barry.
Yes. I think so. He would suit our needs perfectly.
July 30th, 2008 at 11:43 am
Here you go, Kiwi.
http://www.arsenal.com/article.asp?thisNav=News&article=494612&lid=NewsHeadline&Title=Portuguese+midfielder+Amaury+Bischoff+joins+Arsenal
July 30th, 2008 at 11:52 am
maybe we should move on from the “we will miss flamini next year” stuff. that has been bemoaned exhaustively by now. not that i disagree.
on a different note, are we all sure that gol tv is in fact broadcasting the emirates cup this weekend? i haven’t seen confirmation of that on their website, nor in the tv listings on my satellite channel listings.
July 30th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
I won’t go so far as to say that Barry is the right answer but he could be. He’s awful expensive. I’m hoping Wenger can pull a rabbit out of a hat or better yet, Djourou, Denilson, or Song can come in and make us forget about Flamini.
Last year, I predicted Everton to do well and challenge for Europe. They lost form in the end and fell short but this year I predict Aston Villa to be the team to watch. Their decision to buy Ashley Young from Watford a few years ago was an excellent one. While it’s good we’re getting money for Bentley, if I were Spurs, I’d prefer Ashley Young. That kid is fantastic and going to get better.
About Bentley, I think Spurs did well to sell Robbie Keane to Liverpool. Isn’t Keane like almost thirty? Liverpool just paid over twenty million for him. Spurs sponsored the sale of Bentley by selling an aging player. Mark my words, Spurs will not miss Keane. After Darren Bent gets a run in the team, his goals will come. I believe he’ll be one of the league’s top scorers this season.
July 30th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Not sure if Villa will be the team to watch this season, I still think it will be Spurs. I agree 100% that selling the 28-year old Keane and replacing him with the promising Bentley and Bent will work out well for them. Looks like they’re taking a page out of Arsenal’s book, eh? The signing of Luka Modric supports that theory as well.
July 30th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Well, it doesn’t matter if we want Barry or not, because we’ve signed Bischoff, who’s played a grand total of 1 match for Werder Bremen. To quote F365, “Sir Alex must be quaking in his boots.”
July 30th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Another anti-climatic signing. I’m now down to using my toes to total up all our midfielders. That’s not counting the pseudo-midfielders like Eboue and Traore. On the subject of Traore, it was refreshing to see someone actually do the simple thing well for a change: run to the (L) byline and cross the ball into the box to produce 2 goals against Burgenlands XI. What a novel idea, a cross from the (L) wing into the box. Then in the midst of all his glory, he is struck down by the Arsenal injury du jour: groin pull.
A blogger reviewed the season in review DVD and noted that 75% of all the goals scored against Arsenal came from the (R) side of our defense. For those of you counting, that would be the Gallas/Senderos-Clichy side. We can all recall the howlers that Clichy had in games at the close of the season. “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows”-Dylan.
First chance today to get a look at the team against serious competition. I would like to see Ramsey, Wilshere, and Coquelin in this game. Walcott needs to show better end product. Bendtner has to show that he is not going to to turn into an Adebayor ‘clone’. I am not finding Randall very interesting at this point. If we start the Hoyte Bros. in central defense, then you can turn your set off right there. The over all pace of play has been too slow and needs to improve.
Keane to Pool at the age of 40 for 18mil, Bentley to a non-Champions League team (not in my lifetime), Andy Johnson moving for another big transfer fee to a bottom feeder, will we see the rise after the fall of Darren (I cost more therefore I’m better than Henry) Bent, Hull and Sunderland trying to prove that quantity equals quality, did I miss the moment when Johannes Kaboul turned into Cannavaro, pssst, Johannes, that earthquake happened yesterday so you’d better get your ass to Sunderland, “Berbatov, Berbatov, we don’t need no stinkin’ Berbatov”-Modric, Ferguson can’t sign African players-maybe its his accent, he can’t sign a smart young Welsh player either so maybe that’s not it.
July 30th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
This Bischoff guy MUST be Wenger’s illegitimate child … definitely. No other explanation for this. If he had this profile but was 6 foot 4 then I would at least see his upside….but at a measly 5 foot 9, and injury prone he is a mind-boggling purchase!
I would rather we left space for Wilshere, Ramsey, Randall and Coquelin than waste time with this guy.
PS: Bischoff has already “flamini”-ed Bremen – showing his true colors already ………sigh……….Wenger never learns.
July 30th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
ctpa, perhaps you see why I was screaming for Traore to come in when Rosicky got injured. In the reserve games, he played on the left and he looked way too good for the reserves; like a man among boys. Notice, he came in and won us our last home game of the season against Everton doing that same thing; skinning that old-assed man they had playing RB and putting the ball right on Bendtner’s head. Wenger opted for Diaby instead.
July 30th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
lol lol lol lol .. Kiwi’s asleep now probably. He’s going to need those pills tomorrow morning before he goes to work
July 30th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
just started watching the game. anyone know the line-up ?
July 30th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Only surprise is Eboue is in midfield partnering Denilson ..he’s looking good though
July 30th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Bischoff.
Yawn.
21. Never played top flight except for 1 match.
Yawn.
Yes. We are surely going to challenge for the League and CL now.
Seeing that we don’t even try to win the FA Cup any more… or the Carling Cup, we look to be going yet another year without hardware…
unless we sign a few real players…
Should be some exciting football… looks pretty… and we’ll play teams off the pitch on occasion… but we aint winning shite with this current squad.
The defense was laughable at times last year, and we done exactly FUNK ALL to improve it.
July 30th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
0-0 at the half.
RVP best chance but he tried a poor chip over Lehmann.
Nice 1-2 RVP to Walcott but a better save from Lehmann.
Djourou battling super Mario and has picked up a card already.
Clichy has had 2 attackers beat him at the by line to get into the box for pull back attempts.
Eboue in CM and looks pretty decent at this point.
Nasri on the (L) still finding his way.
Ade and RVP are showing ring rust.
Denilson as Fabregas is also having a decent game.
Almunia
Sagna-Gallas-Djourou-Clichy
Walcott-Denilson-Eboue-Nasri
RVP-Adebayor
July 30th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Vela and Bedtner up top in the 2nd half.
July 30th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Basturk right down our vulnerable (R) channel w/ J. Hoyte the culprit. 1-0 Stuttgart.
July 30th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Vela pulls one back, nice strike
July 30th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Vela with a great finish to a superb assist by Bendtner ..1-1
July 30th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Super goal: Vela off a feed from Bendtner. Very crisp score.
July 30th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
i am really hoping for something special from wilshere. as impressive as he has been, i think this is his first true test
July 30th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Nasri=>Wilshere
Eboue=>Ramsey
July 30th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
Wow….Brilliant play by Bendtner ..2-1
July 30th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
vela to bendtner, wicked. Nice finish
July 30th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
boularouz got worked, and out muscled by nick
July 30th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Bendtner off a give and go w/ Vela. Very nice for 2-1 lead.
July 30th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
Too good..Wilshere!!!!
July 30th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
nice work by clichy and wilshere
July 30th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
i like this kid wilshire, great goal. 3-1 Arsenal
July 30th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
16yr old doing what hleb wouldnt
July 30th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
WILSHERE! from Clichy’s hard, hard work on the (L). Wow! This boy needs to be in the first team. 3-1.
July 30th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
These young kids look good.
Glad to see the hustle
July 30th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Randall for Walcott and G.Hoyte for Sagna.
July 30th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Simpson and Lansbury on for Vela and Denilson.
July 30th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Great performance overall…..everyone played well..and it did not look like a pre-season game…both teams played hard.
All those who have been writing off the team..keep watching
July 30th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Big name signing, big name signing, buy buy buy…. Do we really wanna waste 17 mil on a “name” and block our youngsters’ path?
I have watched Arsenal for over 20 years, and hand in chest, never had i ever seen so deep a pool of raw talents in an Arsenal squad.
Stuttggart might take it as an insult that in the 2nd half they found themselves virtually playing a bunch of babies, and lost. Wilshere scored past someone who’s old enough to be his dad, no fear, this kid…. Vela’s touch…. Bentner’s drive and awareness… Ramsey’s assured short passing, and keep it simple…
forget about the clich “The future is now”, it’s exactly this same “the future is now” mentality that broke Leeds United. soon Man City will be followed.
i for one, really excited about this young Arsenal side. as far as i m concerned, The future is red-and-white!
July 30th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
More meaningful result against last’s year’s 6th team in the Bundesliga.
Some thoughts from this game:
J. Hoyte is not a CB. Not yesterday, not today and not tommorrow. Send in the Senderos.
A lot of players still need bulking up for the BPL.
Adebayor and RVP need more games.
Where’s Diaby?
Fabianski has really got to start catching balls into the box. Right now he’s a weak no. 2 GK w/ his always punching CKs out.
Randall still looks like the weak sister in that midfield and that may expalin why Ramsey came on before him.
Nice sweat and no one appeared hurt.
July 30th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Why exactly are u mentioning J. Hoyte….you mean Djorou right?
July 30th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Ade better watches out, Bendtner will be pushing him all the way.
Vela looks bigger than i thought. good awareness, and best of all, his touch. if he cut his hair short, he and Theo would look like twins!
Narsi, with him wearing number 15 kit, initially i mistaken him as Cesc. despite being his first game, he already looks very much like an Arsenal man – technically sound.
Eboue as DM, why not? if we are going to spend 17 mil on a player, better one someone who could make a “DIFFERENCE”. Would England miss Barry if he doesn’t play? Would Aston Villa become a less team without him? Would Liverpool become a title contender if they land him?
hell, NOT. with 17 mil, i would expect a new Vieira. carrying this 17 mil price tag, soon the impatient Arsenal fans today would tear Barry into pieces when he makes mistakes (as every player inevitably would).
July 30th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Andy Johnson for 13 mil pounds? Gareth Barry for 17 million??
If Andy Johnson is worth the 13 million Fulham paid for him that must put me around the 4 million price range….
These transfer fees for English players are ridiculous. You could get 17 Brazilians no one’s ever heard of for what Villa want for Barry that would be twice the players Gareth Barry could ever dream of being.
July 30th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
I keep saying, ” Wilshere is too young and needs a couple of seasons to bulk up”, but he keeps making me eat my words.
At this rate, he certainly will be on the first team as will Ramsey.
Blowing my own trumpet here, Vela is the real thing and will be spectacular for us this year. Strong on the ball, best clinical finisher outside of injured Eduardo, technically sound and seamlessly fits into Wenger Version III. This lad could make us forget about RVP.
Hoyte, Justin that is, as usual was forgettable and still think we need to trade him to his love partner at Villa, Rednapp.
Djourou and Gallas individually played well but had no cohesiveness as a CB pairing. Their relationship in terms of the offside trap was pathetic and they obviously need to spend more time together off the field to develop a symbiotic partnership.
Where is Senderos? Does this this mean we may really sell him for 6 million this year.
The “Great Dane” is laying claim to Ade’s spot so Ade to the great Barca for 30 Mill may not be a bad idea
. Just kidding.
Eboue not bad at CM, so where does that leave Diaby?
Irony, we gave up the first goal again down the middle. When do we stop that crap?
July 30th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Value me at 4.1 mill
. You are absolutely right. Transfer fees are getting totally out of hand in a depressed economy.
July 30th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Roy Hodgson is doing what he does best – trying his best to break the club, just like what he did with Blackburn Rovers.
curtisimo, there’s one more, 6.5mil for Bobby Zamora. u gotta see it to believe it. only an English manager would spend their chairman’s money like that. that’s altogether 20 mil for Johnson and Zamora, and rumors that they are going to bid for Gomes for 15 mil. Gomes, the one who linked to Arsenal, the one who missed two sitters from 2 yards out during the EURO, and the one who played against us tonight. Nah, i m happy with Bendtner, Vela. and let Fulham get their man for that kind of money.
July 30th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
So you folks are getting carried away with a pre-season friendly with kids versus kids… zero pressure on the result… and you think we will challenge for the title and don’t want to “block the path” of the youngsters by signing actual first team players.
Ahem. Yeah. OK.
Sure. We’re gonna win the league as is…
its PRE=FECKING=SEASON.
It doesn’t mean a damned thing.
July 30th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
Wow, that game has lifted my spirits. A squad that seemed thin before is suddenly bursting at the seams with viable options up front. The key word here is “viable”. I always had these names in the back of my head (i.e. Ramsey, Wilshere, Vela, Walcott, Bendtner, Nasri), but they’re all looking to do much more than I thought they would. For some that means making the first team, for others it could mean a consistent spot in the starting 11.
But hey, maybe Bischoff wasn’t such a bad signing afterall. You know we didn’t pay sh*t for him, and if Eboue can really play the DM position soundly, then he’ll have time to develop.
July 30th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Justin Hoyte did not play that game (only Gavin at 78 minutes).
July 30th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Stuttgart didnt played their FIRST TEAM with over five players from the Euros in the team.
We used our first team minus Fabregas and Toure.
So where you get your “kids versus kids” is beyond me.
We had a SIMILAR team LAST SEASON and we did CHALLENGE … though came up short post-Eduardo.
You can say we are unlikely to win, but you cant say we wont challenge.
Except ofcourse you havent learnt anything from last season!
July 30th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Justin did play, 2nd half came on at CB.
July 30th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
who said we are going to win the league Stag? that kind of rubbish u wrote and u call urself a Gooner?
July 30th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
btw Stag, preseason means fucking nothing because we HAD WON. Had we lost today, i bet preseason would mean everything to you. and u would be talking about how crap our overrated kids being.
July 30th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Bentley to Spurs for fifteen million. Says much about English players with the price tag. Oh well, Spurs got an Arsenal reject.
July 30th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Another Wenger masterstroke, we received 7 mil out of that 17 mil from Blackburn’s Bentley sales. more than the money we paid for Ramsey. so it’s like Tottenham Hotspur bought Ramsey for us as a gift, with 2 mil cash to spare!
July 30th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
Where did u get the info on that if I may ask?
July 30th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Pessimism from Stag? What a novelty. I still recall your prediction that without Henry Arsenal wasn’t even going to finish in the top four.
We’ll have to wait and see, but I’m feeling pretty good about this season.
July 30th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
The Official EPL site is reporting it.
July 30th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Speaking of which… it’s almost that time again for the fantasy thing.
http://www.premierleague.com/page/Home
If you want in, the access code (after you build your squad and select ‘join private league’) is…
91639-27572
July 30th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
The end of July and teams are are really starting to spend big. If I were a supporter of some these teams, I would be really depressed about the lack of value teams are getting in return. Fulham are an absolute travesty. Andy Johnson best quality today is how well he falls over in the box. bobby Zamora hassn’t done jack since he scored that volley against us. Only Harry Redknapp seems to have a clue. Tevez is a good player but come on, he’s not worth 32mil. ManU were bidding against themselves and still overspent. 18mil for a 28yo Keane is just silly. We are apparently getting 7mil from the Bentley deal. Honestly, today there is no one I’d spend that money on.
Is Wenger brilliant (it’s rhetorical) or what? Here we are all foaming at the mouth about the DM position and who to buy and who to try and he puts Eboue in there. He actually looked good there. I can recall just 2 bad passes he made in his 45min.
J. Hoyte was subbed on in the 2nd half and at 6 min he was ball watching as Basturk (Stuttgart’s AM) ran by him into space for the through ball and score. Remember this, be on the look out for how many goals we give up in that (R) channel this year.
Isn’t it f**king amazing how Sp**s use the tabloids as the main source of their scouting network. Any player linked to Arsenal by the tabloids and the next week they get transferred to Sp**s. Modric and now Arseshavin. Let’s not forget the ex-Arsenal players who now toiled for Sp**s: O’Hara and now David (I can’t get into the Arsenal first team) Bentley.
How would you like to be in Lennon’s shoes tomorrow night?
July 30th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
I’m curious now what the total amount of money is that we have made off of Bentley. We get 7 million from his move to Sp**s, plus whatever we sold him to Blackburn for. Does anyone remember how much that was? (Because I can’t, but I’d really like to know.)
July 30th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
I only watch the goal highlights on today’s game so I didn’t really see Eboue play DM. How was he btw? You think he could be our new DM coming in this year?
July 30th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
If anybody from anywhere table a bid for 2-3 million for Hoyte, Wenger should take. This guy is a mess. Not good enough to be a back up I think. Might prefer to have some reserves play there. But whatever.
July 30th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
There is one very simple logic i am actually very surprised many teams fail to see it –
In terms of spending, the rich clubs can afford to spend big. ‘Cos even if they get it wrong, no big deal, they could easily fork out another 30 mil on another big star. in short, they have the finanical muscle to take the RISK. Veron for instance, arguably one of the biggest flops in Premiership history, but not too many ppl remember it now. cos 23 mil to Man Utd is not such a big deal.
20 mil though, to clubs like Fulham, is a BIG BIG DEAL. if i were the chairman, i surely would hope my manager would spend that 20 mil more carefully. as if he gets it wrong, the club would be in hugh trouble. spending 20 mil on Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora to me gotta among one of the worst buyings of EPL history. as 20 mil to Fulham is like 200 mil for Man Utd.
as for Spurs, they are the classic example of THE FUTURE IS NOW. they sure hell been spending like no tomorrow in recent years. To me, they are taking a hugh risk banking on the team could qualify for CL for the very next season. as if they fail, they will be in big trouble.
the same can very much speak for Man City.
despite all the ‘crisis” talk as usual, though i am not sure if we will win the title, i m pretty sure though we will finish among the top 3. because our squad look more stable than other rivals. apart from Flamini and Hleb, the full squad from last season remain, while Gilberto and Jens weren’t the starters anyway last term. and the youngsters can only get even better than last term, just like they did in 2008 than 2007.
and let’s dont kidd ourselves – losing Flamini and Hleb is nowhere close to losing Henry. if we can bounce back from losing Henry, i just can’t see how we won’t bounce back after losing Flamini and Hleb.
Flamini himself a few years ago was exactly like Bischoff. Now ppl ask Bischoff WHO?? back then it was Flamini WHO?? and back in 1998 it was Patrick WHO??
July 30th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
I think Arsene is giving Justin every chance to prove himself in the pre-season and if he fails to impress, which he is doing, he probably will be traded. Younger brother Gavin seems to be a better player and his youth certainly provides more upside. Maybe Gavin will be sent out on loan this year.
When Arsene let Gilberto go to Pana I knew he had a plan, but figured he had targeted someone outside the squad as his replacement in the form of a Veloso or Barry. I knew Ya Ya was not an option as this would have happened un the same window of Hleibs transfer to Barca.
It now looks like we will see Eboue, Diaby, Ramsay, Coquelin and Bischoff compete for the DM spot. This does not inspire total confidence in me but maybe one of them will be this year’s Flamini and do a “I am the greatest” imitation while Arsene laughs at the disbelievers.
Wonder what happened to Senderos and Diaby. They have not been featured at all so far and have not heard of any injuries to them. Is this an omen for transfers in the wind and will the British media start a whole new set of unfounded rumors based on conjecture but shown in quotation marks.
Maybe my overactive brain cells have been overly energized by a total lack of football for the past two months and by my incessant craving to simulate the thought process of Arsene “Guru” Wenger, but the Emirates Cup should give us further insight as to the composition of our final squad and the Arsene experiments we will have to endure this season.
July 30th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
One game does not a star make TAI, but Eboue performed well today at DM. Does this mean he could be effective at this position? Only time will tell.
He does have the skills set, good pace, and his stint at RB shows he is a good tackler. My potential question mark on Eboue is not physical, but whether he has the mindset to perform consistently at a very important position or not.
July 30th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Obviously the other EPL managers are not reading from the book of “Wenger”, and this current 20 mill sortie into the transfer market by Fulham is one of main reasons the EPL may be faced with financial crisis, sooner than later.
July 30th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
” Flamini himself a few years ago was exactly like Bischoff. Now ppl ask Bischoff WHO?? back then it was Flamini WHO?? and back in 1998 it was Patrick WHO??”
Very true Andez.
Same goes to Fabregas I guess. An unknown quantity to now a superstar at such a young age. Takes patience and ultimately skill.
July 30th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
I didn’t see the game, but a few points.
- Eboue was good at DM? Well, he was good at RM in the first few games of last season. Guess, Wenger is still not sure who is going partner Cesc and is trying out options.
- Where is Diaby? He hasn’t played a single minute of pre-season, right? But you can see him in the pre-season training pictures on the website.
- When Wenger said there will certainly be one more signing, little did anyone know it would be Bischoff!! I doubt we will be getting anyone else now.
- Common theme in all pre-season games -> no clean sheet. Sound familiar?
Finally, Andez, I do believe that losing Lehmann, Gilberto, Flamini and Hleb is worse than losing Henry, because the latter was clearly planned by Arsene by not playing him for 3 months of end 06-07 season. Time will tell.
July 31st, 2008 at 12:18 am
Andez, preseason means NOTHING.
Didn’t we lose to Barnet in our Undefeated Season…
The players are NOT playing their hardest on either side… nobody wants to get injured in a friendly, there are no points at stake.
Its a WALK IN THE PARK.
Fred. We didn’t win anything last season. Accept it.
We had a good run. Yes. It was fun and exciting at times, but at the end, it was simply frustrating to watch it all unravel. Thats just reality.
Reality also says we have lost more depth, and lost experience.
These were two things we were lacking from last years squad.
So, we have not gotten better.
Defensively, we were LOUSY at times, and it cost us in the big games. We did nothing to sure up the defense… other than Lehmann leaving and that might be a negative, not a positive.
So yes… I am not all that optimistic about our chances of winning anything.
That IS what we are trying to do? Right?
Arsenal are a great team with lots of history… and we are doing all we can to win titles and trophies… right?
Or are we just trying to survive… make the top 4… make money?
I guess I don’t get it.
Why not actually make moves to put the club in position to challenge for the title…?? We were close last year… and have done zero to improve the areas we lacked, because we don’t want to stand in the way of young players coming thru?
Are you feckin’ kidding me? That’s ridiculous.
I am not saying we need to spend 36 Million, like Spurz… or some crazy amount of money to buy a title… but please… it would make sense to try and actually improve the team with a few players each season… that aren’t 21 or under.
July 31st, 2008 at 12:25 am
“Planned” by AW for not playing Henry towards the end of the season? from what i recall, Eduardo was somewhat a rush buy that AW admitted himself Henry’s departure had thrown his plan out of window.
All a sudden the loss of two backups, + two one season wonder became more damaging than our icon player who the team BUILT upon for a decade?
Time will tell? Tell will tell what? Tell will tell we are going to fuck up?
July 31st, 2008 at 12:29 am
Stag/BrendanK:
Please point out where I said we won anything … last season I said 3rd or 2nd….you said there was no way we will get into the top 4.
All in all, we have all been moaning and griping since April … we have got it out of our system. But you are just beginning to MOAN and MOAN some more now that the games have begun.
We all want some buys, but we have NO control over the club, so we accept it and support the team….if not dont be surprised when you get attacked on here….REAL fans dont like to hear unnecessary belated moaning after club games.
July 31st, 2008 at 12:43 am
nipiuna, yes no clean sheet, but do u know what kind of lineup we put up there? in the second half, it’s virtually a whole bunch of babies, taking on the grown men of Stuttgart. I actually felt funny, and wonder how those Stuttgart players felt. it sure hell brought back the memories of their youth team days.
we are talking about Stuttgart, not Stoke City. yes the preseason friendly may not mean much, but the fact that we actually beat them with a bunch of kids… no, babies, if this cannnot make ppl feeling positive, you lot are destined to be doom and gloom forever. as i sure hell don’t know what else could lift you out of the depression.
go ahead, keep predicting Arsenal is going to fuck up. if that’s the way you want to SUPPORT the club. so be it.
I am just waiting for the day when Arsenal do win the league again, and i have no doubt in my mind we will (under Wenger), and see how those doubters are going to have the cheek to join in the celebration with the rest of us. TIME WILL TELL.
July 31st, 2008 at 1:33 am
Well, if there were any quality veteran players available out there who the club could use AND afford, you don’t think AW would go after them?
Problem #1 Stag… everyone else wants those players too. You think we’re the only ones who are in need of players? That’s how prices get inflated. Supply and demand.
Problem #2 Wait a little while longer… watch what happens to United and Liverpool when they can’t afford to keep their players. Look at the numbers and tell me that United and Reds aren’t posting losses… and losses build up. The Glazers brought a lot of debt to that club, and spending money the way they do on one or two players is not only irresponsible, it’s fiscally dangerous over the long term. They’ve about peaked in their ability to come up with more cash… and Liverpool is looking at a new building. Ask the board at Arsenal how much it effects the budget to move to new digs after playing nearly 100 years at the same old place. See what Rafa (if he’s still there by then) can afford after they leave Anfield.
Wenger is managing his money wisely, picking up several quality youngsters for what a club like United would splash down for one guy (e.g. Tevez)… prudent spending now will help us later when the other three of the ‘big four’ are hurting as businesses go.
Meanwhile, look at United, not leaping at the opportunity to sell arguably the most valued player in the world right now. That, to me, is stupid. He’s a solid player and all, but c’mon. He’s one guy on a team that was winning before he arrived and will continue to win after he’s fucked off to Spain or Italy. Ronaldo won’t even be around til October. Let’s see how well they fair without him and then we’ll know how foolish Fergie is for not taking Real up on the silly money they’d pay for him.
ANd as for improving the club, AW did that last year. Sagna and Eduardo came in on transfers and performed very well. Is it AW’s fault that the players and their agents are greedy and leave before the plan has a chance to gel? Personally, I’d rather not have Hleb or Flamini or anyone else who doesn’t want to be there. I’d have sold Adebayor already and invest the money in the defense. What we have up front will score goals. The MF will solidify.
The defense is where the problems lie, I agree. But for God sakes man, quit complaining already. No one wants to hear it. We all want to win, but it’s not just about the hardware, it’s about enjoying the game too. As we saw last year, talent only gets you so far… there’s a bit of luck involved as well (remember last year where we stood before and after that miserable away day against Birmingham) , and unfortunately, Wenger can’t buy luck at any price… but — here’s the kicker — neither can United, Liverpool or Chelsea either. Keep the faith young man.
July 31st, 2008 at 2:57 am
Boys, didn’t see the game as I have no cable and my internet is crap. Got a question; based on this game are we going to miss Flamini and Lehmann? Got another question; is young Carlos the heat like I told you guys he would be?
Eboue at DM; that might work. He’s quick, strong, good vision, descent passer, descent tackler, works hard, and he already knows how to play Wengerball. I’ve always liked Eboue. He’s just unpopular because he’s dramatic but that’s no testament of his footballing ability. Question is if he plays DM then who’s going to play RM?
Some said that Nasri was Hleb’s replacement; I said no he ain’t, not yet. Maybe in April but not in August. I said that he was no Ribery and was not going to just walk into the team. You guys have seen him in the Euro’s and pre-season so you’ll know better than me. Question; is Theo ready to be a fulltime starter against the likes of A. Cole and Evra?
Was Diaby injured? Why didn’t he play? He’s no DM in my opinion. He’s got to want to improve his vision and has to work hard to do it or all of his talent will go to waste. You can’t be a proper CM with bad field awareness.
I had a Columbian kid that played for me last fall that was the same way; all the skill in the world but, despite my protests, didn’t feel the need to improve his vision. He’s only half the player he could have been. I had to play him at fullback like Wenger played Diaby out wide because in the middle he kept giving away possession; all because he didn’t see that defender or didn’t see his teammate was open or he held the ball too long. His problem wasn’t his skill, it’s his vision. Diaby’s the same way. We’ll see how that plays out.
July 31st, 2008 at 3:05 am
Sure, Spurs paid big money for Bentley but Liverpool sponsored that deal by paying 20 million for Keane. I said it yesterday that it was a good deal for Spurs. They won’t miss Keane.
July 31st, 2008 at 3:21 am
We simply have to improve on last season to show that Henry leaving hurt us more than others. That’s what time will tell.
July 31st, 2008 at 3:28 am
It’s a good deal for Arsenal too. I hear we get 40 or 50% of the fee. Genius!!
July 31st, 2008 at 3:30 am
You can’t make a negative comment without being accused of being depressed?
I fully support the club and Wenger. Doesn’t mean I cannot point out a few things. Just feel that we need more to improve on last season. Remember this (pre-)season is starting a lot like the last one. Just need the ending to be different.
July 31st, 2008 at 3:31 am
I can’t help but laugh at the naivety of people who think that 1-2 ‘star’ signings would magically transform Arsenal into an unbeatable team. They have obviously never managed a team before.
And ironically 99% of the same people will have probably said that ‘stars’ like Flamini, Hleb, Henry …all left the club because they can’t wait around for the young players to develop and win trophies.
Is it only me who sees the disconnect there?? ..Why would a ‘star’ join Arsenal when established ‘stars’ are leaving because they are unable to wait for trophies
There are only 2 ways to be successful ..either follow Arsenal’s long term strategy and reap rewards for a long time…or follow the Chelsea/Man U strategy and reap the short term rewards….but no guarantee over the long term. There is no in-between way. Those who want that..want the best of both worlds…unfortunately that does not happen in real life.
People will talk of Eduardo and Sagna…but think of how many people slated Wenger for buying Sagna at the cost of other positions..and also think of how many people slated Wenger for buying an unknown like Eduardo when we lost Henry. Coquelin has already entered a lot of people’s list players to watch out for thanks to his performances…..I don’t remember anyone saying a good word when we signed him. Who is to say that it cannot be the same with Bischoff??. No one has told us that Bischoff is the player that Wenger was talking about….so people slating the poor chap just because he’s joined Arsenal need to relax.
July 31st, 2008 at 9:21 am
Was watching Adebayor in the game yesterday…and I can’t help but feel sorry for him for the enormous pressure he seems to have brought upon himself.
The kind of striker that he is….he will need the backing of the fans to give him the confidence to score goals…but everytime he displays a bad first touch or misses an easy one-on-one witht the keeper…..i think he’ll be really scared of the reaction from the fans at the Emirates. If he stays..unless he has an absolutely blinding start to the season…he won’t get the fans behind him…and the pressure will start building instead of the confidence.
I know it was his first game yesterday….but he was woeful with his first touch as well as the no of times he got caught offside…..he’ll have to do some really hard work in training to prove that he is not a one season wonder. If he goes on an extended run without scoring…he can be sure that he will lose his place to Bendtner this time…especially with some of the coments Wenger made about Bendtner yesterday. And if Wenger continues to put Bendtner on the bench this season when Ade is not scoring…Bendy willl definetly seek a move next year..and I don’t think Wenger wants to lose him. I’m not sure if we may have a repeat of the Ade situation with Bendtner next season…but one thing that has clearly stood out ..is his change in attitude..it’s almost a complete change from the cocky attitude he had when he was first promoted from the youth team. He’s been willing to help…assist..and score when required. Adebayor on the other hand has gone the opposite way.
That’s why i began by saying i feel sorry for Adebayor….whatever the situation…he has to make sure that he has a repeat of last season in terms of goal scoring….atleast 30 goals. That is serious pressure…and if he manages to achieve it…I would say that he deserves the pay rise next year. Otherwise he will be on his way..and not to Barca or AC Milan
July 31st, 2008 at 10:40 am
In defense of the naysayers, doom merchants, and the cadres of Arsenal ‘supporters’ who constantly cry out for those one or two magical player purchases that will send us to the promise land of titles and trophies galore: they have a right to lambaste Wenger and his transfer policies all they want. Just because Wenger is a genius and has gotten more players right than wrong doesn’t mean his ‘luck’ will hold w/ a Coquelin, Ramsey, Wilshere. He can’t possibly get it right w/ Eboue to DM, can he? One day, one day sooner or later Wenger is going to get it wrong and then all his ‘supporters’ will be able to crow for days.
Not to single anybody out Stag133, but just who are those 1or 2 over 25yo players who would want to come Arsenal, fight for their place w/ a 12yo, fit in our salary structure, clean up diapers, tell bedtime stories, be eligible for a work permit, play CL football all for a transfer fee of less than 10mil.
July 31st, 2008 at 10:50 am
I don’ t feel sorry for him. Football history is littered w/ the carcasses of players who forgot to remain humble in their ascendancy. There is no way on this earth that an Eduardo scoring 30 goals is going to ever become an a**hole. Bendtner on the other hand has already been an a**hole w/ his attitude so it’s not a stretch.
July 31st, 2008 at 10:54 am
United are posting losses?
Who cares? They just posted the LEAGUE TITLE and the CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TITLE.
That is what it is ALL ABOUT.
They won the League AND Euorpe.
They are not going bankrupt any time soon… sorry. It ain’t happening.
If you want to hold your breath waiting for that… go for it.
If they sell Ronaldo for 60 Million … it will be a blessing for them…
they have enough talent to compete against anyone… and would BUY players to replace Ronaldo…
We apparently are going to get 7 Million for Bentley going to Spurz!!!
What are we going to do with that??
How about BUYING SOMEONE WITH IT.
How is it we are told repeatedly there is MONEY TO SPEND, but we can never make a signing for 20 Million GBP?
I’m not buying it… and we’re not buying…
If we were to get Gareth Barry… for 20 Million, it would be GOOD BUSINESS.
There is NOTHING WRONG with that type of purchase.
How can you never take a chance on buying a player with some experience?
Its football, there is no guarantee on any player… its educated guessing.
I don’t do the SHEEP thing… where I follow and rubber stamp everything Arsenal and Arsene’ does… or doesn’t do … in this case… as in doesn’t purchase replacements or improvements.
I will support the team, regardless… but why not complain.
We have the right to, when we buy tickets and shirts for outrageous sums of money… travel all over to see the team… they OWE it to the supporters to try and get better EVERY SEASON.
Playing manager / owner / coach… is part of being a supporter or fan(atic).
July 31st, 2008 at 11:22 am
Josh, u r right about Vela. he only had about half an hour of the action, and in fairness, he wasn’t always involved in the action neither. but when he did, boy, this boy got a great awareness with and without the ball. he’s definitely the Arsenal class. a few of his combination plays with Bendtner were excellent, consider these 2 boys hadn’t really played together much before.
in terms of football intelligent, he’s already far better than Walcott. and best thing i saw from him was – his touch. he surely get a South American touch, though he’s from Mexico.
downside though, like other youngsters, he has to learn how to get himself more involved into the action.
Nasri. I have a feeling – when he starts fitting into the Arsenal system, this kid will be better than Hleb, at least in terms of shinning under our system. He reminds me a bit of Fabregas in fact. Good technic and good passing. with an eye of the killer ball. i am pretty sure he will be getting more goals and assists than Hleb did.
July 31st, 2008 at 11:29 am
Wayne, exactly, the point of Sagna. i remember it vividly when we first signed him, ppl were asking who’s that guy, and WHY would we sign a RB when we alerady had Eboue stuffs like that.
Sagna WHO??
well, he’s by no mean a big name, and in fact, i bet 90% of folks here never even heard of him, let alone seeing him play before he arrived. but guess what, a no name Sagna somehow became EPL’s best right back in one season.
the same can very much speak for Fabregas, Clichy, Adebayor, Toure, Bendtner…. who had actually heard of those players before they joined us?
I sure hell had heard a lot of Darren Bent though.
July 31st, 2008 at 11:30 am
Wayne, heard that Barry was booed by Villa fan. yesterday Adebayor not exactly playing in front of the home crowd, let’s see how the reaction from Arsenal fans would be during the Emirates Cup.
July 31st, 2008 at 11:54 am
Funny thing is – while ppl are crying over the loss of Flamini, saying how much we will miss him…. yet WHO’s the one who bought Flamini here at the first place? And under what circumstance? I seem to remember back in those days when Flamini was also another “NOT ANOTHER KID”, and Flamini was also another nobody. And when ppl that time were calling for AW to sign Papa Diouf, or Reo-Coker NAMES like that.
Why? Becuase those were the NAMES they know. They didn’t know nothing about Flamini. So naturally the signing of Flamini was yet another blunder from our boss. Who just happened to know a little something about this little midfielder, and believed that he’s better than other bigger NAMES. Who actually believed in AW at that time? Arsene had lost the plot.
now after Flamini’s departure, we signed Ramsey and Biehoff (hell i don’t even know his name), and ppl are asking the exact same question as they did with Flmaini. Barry surely is better right? Come on, “NOT ANOTHER KID”, Arsene has lost the plot…
July 31st, 2008 at 12:33 pm
@Andez..Precisely what I wanted to say. We are in a minority here..but our line of thinking for some strange reason seems to match word for word
) …Probably for the 3rd or 4th time on this thread..you’ve posted exactly what I wanted to say.
Offtopic…Was just watching Lehmann’s post match interview..and a great one at that. He was praising the youngsters who came on in the second half. At one point when the interviewer was asking him about Carlos Vela ..Lehmann’s answer was ..”Yeah..Wenger signed him a couple of years back…and he’s going to be a very good player for US” ..The Interviewer pointed it out to him that he said ‘us’ ..to which Lehmann somewhat sheepishly replied that it’s been such a long time at Arsenal that it would take some time to get used to. This interview and the one ATVO posted of Gilberto are really nice ones. A dying breed of footballers..but one’s I will remember long after they have retired from the game.
July 31st, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Back with a vengeance Stag!
July 31st, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Andez, one thing to remember about Flamini: he had a great year last year, no doubt. But when Arsene bought him, he was a young nobody who didn’t have a position. He ended up as a RB out of necessity, but everytime he played DM I heard comments like “rudderless boat.” The key is that he TURNED INTO a good player, but it took a few years for him to get it, apparently. That is the fear that people like Stag have with buying youth. Yes, they may be good eventually but it may take them awhile to grow into the game and it doesn’t help the team NOW which could eventually cost the team valuable money from the CL. That’s why a litlte experience is a good thing. Those players are more likely to slot in and play well consistently. Not always of course, but more often than a 17 year old kid.
July 31st, 2008 at 1:55 pm
In response to Stag, Arsenal definitely has money at it’s disposal to purchase new players if Arsene wants.
This is not an educated guess, but fact, based on their last financial report which I took the time to read in detail. In fact, not does Arsenal only have A-1 credit and substantial cash in the bank, they also have a large reserve fund which is added to on an annual basis, and which is in excess of 50 mill.
Just needed to clear up that piece of inane conjecture that we are financially burdened by the new stadium and basically broke. Although our revenue stream is about 5th highest in Europe, our net income ranks us as # 1, and as any accountant will tell you, Net Operating Income is the key to financial success.
Our match day revenues cover all our basic expenses including debt repayment and a % is taken out every game and put aside for just that purpose.
Having flogged that myth to death, YES, I would love to see a few EXPERIENCED and ESTABLISHED players come into the squad to provide balance. Guess what, it’s not going to happen so we all need to stop beating that drum to the point of rigor mortis setting in, and move on to a new topic.
We may get one more experienced player and my bet it will be at the GK position.
If Senderos is not sold in the next 2 weeks, which I highly doubt, our CB contingent will come from Gallas, Toure, Senderos, Djourou (sorry lad, you and Song are destined to play at CB under Arsene) and Song. Without the possibility of losing any of the CB contingent to the ANC or other competitions this year, excluding Song for the Olympics, Arsene probably thinks this area will be strong enough to compete on all fronts. Nordveidt, when he returns from his mild injury, will also be used as a supplement in the CC.
My guess is that Arsene feels comfortable having Diaby and Eboue competing for first team at DM with Ramsey, Bischoff and Coquelin providing competition in the not too distant future. He also has the option to play Song and Kolo at that position in an emergency, and could also call upon Djourou in a desperate pinch.
Will this be enough to win the the EPL and CL? Only time will tell.
Sounds like I know it all. Not really. Just a SWAG (Sophisticated Wild Ass Guess) from an avid Arsenal fan who is desperately awaiting the new season with high hopes for the best but with dread in my heart fearing for the worst.
July 31st, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Agreed 100 %. Experienced players are also more likely to turn in better performances in the crucial games because they have experienced the pressure before and will have learned from their mistakes.
July 31st, 2008 at 2:04 pm
seattle, basically i understand experience helps. problem is when i look at our youngsters, they are so gifted, so talented. Against Stuttgart for instance, we not only beat them, but we “controlled” the game. and the fact that we controlled a game so well with a bunch of youngsters against a Stuttgart side who were much older than them and with a few Germany internationals in it just showed me how much those Arsenal kids have in them.
i feel it would be such a waste if we buy someone to block their path. one thing i m pretty sure, had Denilson, Diaby the likes not joined arsenal and stayed in their original clubs, they probably would develop even faster with playing experience, and right now ppl would begging for their signatures.
only problem is if we didn’t buy them years ago, they would now be costing a fortune. typical in football – u can’t ask everything going ur way. so we have to make a CHOICE.
Credit to AW, he has been decisive enough to make his choice, and stick with it. The way I see it – either we will soon develop into an awesome force in EPL that leaving Man U, Chelsea the likes eating dust behind us with the massive DEPTH of our talents, or this young generation fail and never live up to their potential.
it’s a GAMBLE. perhaps a HUGH gamble. but i would much perfer it this way than playing SAFE. yes, buying one or two veterans would help us in a short term, we probably would go on and finish 2nd, winning a FA Cup or something. while at the same time risking a few talented youngsters leaving the club due to lack of first team opportunity.
OR…. we stick with our young guns, and back them 100%. sure, not everyone of them will fully develop their talent, but we don’t need ALL of them anyway. only if some of them could fulfill their promise, now imagine how STRONG Arsenal will be in a few years’ time.
We will DOMINATE. I am ambitious, i want to see our team winning everything. If i have to wait for a few years to see that happen, so be it. bottom line is – i just cannot believe anyone can look at those talent our kids got and still refuse to believe they will be GREAT.
among our midfielders, among Denilson, Diaby the likes, Flamini is probably the least talented one. remember, virtually all the folks here agreed that merely one year ago. yet if he could have turned up with such an outstanding season last term, imagine how far Denilson, Diaby, Ramsey and co will go.
July 31st, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Wayne, Stag is at one extreme, but you are on the other far end – blind hippie optimism. Both extremes are not good.
We do NEED 1 or 2 experienced players. NOT big names or big money players, but experienced all the same. Eduardo and Sagna are not old but they have some valuable experience under their belt before they came. Same with likes of Vidic, Ljunberg, Pires.
It is foolish to write that off.
Our kids can take us to early March, but from then on everybody is running on fumes, the CL is at its peak, the games are coming in hard and fast and everybody’s legs are wobbly.
At that point the kids will start looking useless, plus they will be goddamn tired.
I am not in Stag”s boat who wants name players for the “wow” bullshit….but your stance is on the other far extreme.
Even the very young Ajax team that had Kanu, Kluivert, Davids, Seedorf, Finidi all in their teenage years, had Rijkaard, DeBoer, Litamen amongst others to guide the way.
It is always the same way, the kids play wonderful football but by March/April the team is in trouble and PSV and Feyenord are on their necks, then the few experienced players take the baton and bring the title home.
We dont need star players and we dont need to spend 20 million for them…but we definitely need some reasonable experience in there.
If we dont get it in now, we sure as hell should get it in January if we want to win.
July 31st, 2008 at 3:30 pm
“experience” is a term needs to be defined. what kind of “experience” we are talking about by the way?
judging from last season, the only experience we need is for someone to guide us pushing over the finishing line in a title race. as in the early part of the season, even when we were down in a match, we always managed to find a way to fight back.
so in other words, we need a “WINNING” experience, someone who has actually WON things before. the been there, know how stuffs.
so a John Terry, a Rio Ferdinand the likes perhaps would help us. A Gareth Barry, what kind of experience he will be offering us? The man hasn’t even played in the Champions League, let alone winning anything.
say if we find ourselves in the same situation towards the end of season, when things start to turn bad after a good start, would Barry’s EXPERIENCE helps us to turn the tide?
July 31st, 2008 at 3:50 pm
People keep bringing up past and present AW signings. “Bacary who? Cesc who? Matthieu who? Patrick who? and so on…
I think its important to remember that before all of that, it was: “Arsene who?!”
July 31st, 2008 at 4:36 pm
I think we have enough experience now. I thought we had enough last season. I think Eduardo’s injury broke our season though people will disagree. We would’ve probably won the title if he’d stayed fit even if he hadn’t scored another goal.
AW’s signings dont bring big grins to the mouth so people can boast to their ManU friends about how has more money. They are usually very very effective though. The Eboue DM experiment had me going huh? huh? huh? Eboue a DM? Who knows though? It might well work. Most of what AW does seems stupid initially but when it pays off most of the pundits look stupid and backtrack painfully.
I think we’re fine. I do rate Gareth Barry though. Not at 18 million though. But he’s a solid solid player who has EPL experience and technical ability. Anyway I’m not exactly crying if he doesn’t come. I’m not sure who that 1 player is going to be though if at all. A goalie wud be nice but MA didnt make too many horror gaffes last season, mediocre as he might seem so not fair to him. No strikers..please. We’re clogged there. AMF’s? How many more? FIghting for a first team slot are Eboue, Theo, Nasri, Vela, Rosicky..primarily. And u can add Traore etc in there as well. So its got to be a DM or a CB. If its a DM then either DIaby/Denilson is gone for sure. If its a CB then Senderos/Djourous days are numbered.
Anyway cant wait for the season to start. Don’t care if he buys no one either. AW’s not a fool..really. People moan too much IMO.
July 31st, 2008 at 5:27 pm
I think Almunia is fine, just think that Fabianski and Mannone are too inexperienced at this point. Last year, if Almunia was injured we were all reassured that “Mad Dog” Lehman would be fine.
Anyway, let the season begin so I can suffer my anxiety attacks over late game come backs.
July 31st, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Andez, my point is that there is a fine balance. The team is getting younger and younger. There needs to be a bit more experience to balance the squad.
July 31st, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Well, lets look at the experience. There are some older players like Gallas, Toure and Rosicky who have been consistent starters for awhile. Then there are young players like Fabregas and Clichy who have been starters for a few years even though they are young. Lots of game experience there. Then there are players like Adebayor and RvP who have not been consistent starters throughout their career. The problem is that Arsenal have been losing players who are experienced like Gilberto, Hleb and Flamini. These are players who were pretty consistent – whether they consistently drive fans nuts is another matter entirely.
Replacing these players with players like Vela, Ramsey, Nasri etc. puts players in who are not ready to perform consistently (usually). These type of players are great to put on the bench where they can watch, learn, sub and occasionally start.If you look at most sports, teams that win titles tend to be a little bit older and experienced. Also, young players tend to wear down as the season goes on (like last year) – they are not used to the grind. Our young players are getting experienced, but at the same time older players are being replaced by even YOUNGer players so the team will consistently be relying on youth going through a learning curve.
They know what it takes. Often times a young team will make a charge to get there (like the Colorado Rockies last year in MLB) but don’t quite know how to get over the hump. Much like what happened with Arsenal last year. When the going got tough, they folded a little bit and it cost the team a title. We have witnessed the Young Arsenal team get close the last couple years (league, CL, CC) but they haven’t been able to win anything. I think getting a player or two who is used to playing at a high level consistently and knows what it takes would go along way toward winning a title.
July 31st, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Stag, talking to you is like talking to a ceiling fan, so I’ll just say this and be done with it:
1. Gareth Barry isn’t worth 20 million, so no, it wouldn’t be good business. Apparently, you are as clueless about business as you are about football.
2. You don’t get it. Look at Leeds and Forest. Debt and bad money management that led to said debt, is what snuffed them out of the EPL. I don’t give two shits what United did last season or this season. Arsenal were right there with them last year, and because AW manages the money well, it helps protect the club’s future. I don’t think you understand how dangerous a precipice United sits upon with the amount of debt the team has vested in it. Why do you think the supporters were so unhappy when Glazer took over?.. or weren’t you following football a few years back?
3. Sheep thing? What sheep thing? I like what Arsenal and Wenger do, which is why I support the moves he makes and the style they play. If you don’t, well, I don’t know what to tell you other than pick another team to follow. No one twisted your arm and said you had to support Arsenal… you may not ‘do the sheep thing’ as you say, but you DO do the whining and complaining thing, which is annoying — especially since what you say is typically negative as well as illogical (forget for a moment that it’s not good business… why would Wenger spend all of a sudden spend that kind of money now, when it’s completely out of synch with th eway he does things?).
Supporters SUPPORT… and fanatics typically end up dying miserable (they’re never satisfied…). Pick one or the other, but quit whining. You sound like a girl.
July 31st, 2008 at 10:49 pm
Rye. You can go fawn over every single move we make or don’t make as BRILLIANCE… but we haven’t won a trophy in how many years?
The goal is to win trophies. We are not a mid-table team, hoping to avoid a relegation fight, and try and get into Europe once in a while.
We are competing against the likes of ManU/Chelsea/Liverpool… thats the 4 team league we are in… so you don’t have to care what they do, but they are THE COMPETITION. If its just about kicking ball about nicely for you… and loving all the things we do and say…. rah rah rah… then thats wonderful for you… but we actually have a chance to win titles, with a bit more experience in the squad, and some depth … to NOT go for it… is ridiculous.
To NOT bring in new players… because you don’t want to retard the growth of 19 year olds…. is BOLLOX. It retarded.
Arsenal are not that far off the top… we led the league most of last season.
Had the chance to win the league… and even make a CL run… but we didn’t have the horses, the depth, the LEADER…
Its NOT my money… we’ve made LOTS of money on selling stars and buying kids… A Gareth Barry type purchase… or Fernando Torres… or Carlos Tevez… yes EXPENSIVE. Nobody is truly worth that money… but we NEED that type of player to win titles. We have no true leader… nobody to take the game by the scruff of the neck… or stand up when the going gets rough.
NO ADAMS, or VIEIRA… or even Ray fecking Parlour… for that matter.
Flamini was sort of in that Parlour mold, and he left.
Not a star… but you do need character type players. We don’t have them.
We don’t buy them. We don’t learn from the past apparently.
You can rubber stamp the “plan”… but it hasn’t produced a trophy recently… and we keep getting YOUNGER… every single season.
What will you do when Cesc leaves in a few years… do we go for a 15year old to replace him?
Balance. Please.
August 1st, 2008 at 12:57 am
I know. I can’t believe Arsenal get 7 million from that sale. Wow. Quite a bit of smarts there.
August 1st, 2008 at 2:01 am
@Fred..i’m sorry you consider my posts as ‘blind hippie optimism’ ..but believe me..I know what I’m talking about.
My points are simple
(1) Experience is relative.
I think we all agree that Arsenal play in a style very different from other teams..probably a Barcelona might come close…but I can’t think of any other team. A lot of us also agree that when players leave Arsenal..a lot of them have failed to reproduce the form they showed at Arsenal. Isn’t there a strong possibility of the reverse also being true??…..Are you telling me that just because a player has been playing well for a particular team for 5-6 years..he will slot right in at Arsenal? …if you can give me a cast iron guarantee that it will be the case then I admit we should be spending 15-20 million and going for the guy. But if there is no guarantee then it makes no sense. If Wenger spots the guy who will fit in with us…he will sign him…Nasri is an example. He may be young..but calling him inexperienced would be akin to calling Fabregas inexperienced just because he is young. Eduardo for all his experience took half a season to adjust before it was unfortunately cut short by Injury
Secondly..a Diaby or Denilson or Merida…have been with the team for a a couple of years atleast…they have been training with the team everyday…playing with the reserves who play a similar style….the manager has seen them and knows their positives and negatives….I say in some ways they are more experienced (for Arsenal) than other guys. Noticed anything about the game against Stuttgart……once wholesale changes were made with the youngsters coming in….did we see Wenger shouting instructions….changing formations etc?….No..everyone walked in and played their part. That does not happen by chance..it comes with experience of playing a particular style day in and day out. In contrast check out Benitez’s antics sometimes when he makes substitutions and he does sign a lot of experienced players
(2) Underestimating the Young Guns
All of us who are shouting out for signings are guilty of underestimating the young guys. I’ve said this earlier but if Wenger had signed Bendtner and Vela this year for 8m and 10m respectively..all of us would have been going ga ga over the big strong striker and pacy winger we signed. But hey..this was a boring promotion from the reserves…no glamourous press conferences…no newspaper headlines stating….”Arsenal win the race for Bendtner” or “Arsenal swoop for Vela”. It’s a myth that Wenger doesn’t make big signings..he just signs players 2-3 years in advance.
(3) Waiting till the transfer window closes
I think we all need to relax and wait till the transfer window actually closes to judge Wenger. Which is why even I think that your reaction to the Bischoff signing was also extreme..what has the guy done to deserve that kind of reaction?… When the transfer window has closed and everything is finalised….then we should start worrying about no new signings. Complaining before that is just acting like impatient kids.
Contrary to popular opinion…we did not lose the titlle last season because of lack of experience…it was just an unfortunate series of events starting with Eduardo’s injury which destroyed the season. I was really positive about last season as well all along the year…take a look at my post 5 minutes after the Birmingham match ended .. i said with Eudardo’s injurty the season was over.
I find an inherent disconnect in the way you say that at the crunch time it will be the senior players who can take over….so does that mean that the guy is willing to sit on the bench for the first half of the season while the youngsters play their part…and then take over when the youngster says he is too tired..or is it the other way around because like it or not..the older the guy he is going to get tired playing a run of matches. Or maybe you want it to be a mix..with the youngster and the experienced guy alternating….but name one player who would join the squad when he is not guaranteed a starting place..and if he is willing to do that he’s obviously not good enough. Or maybe you want the youngster to get a run in inconsequential matches or be subbed in late in the game to gain ‘experience’ ….i’m sure that 2-3 years down the line when the now ‘experienced’ player becomes old…the young guy would be really ready to take on..or hey..we can always splash out 18-20 million again and get a new ‘experienced’ player
..notice where Wenger’s comments on not ‘killing’ off young players came from.
I admit that there is one thing missing in the squad..and that is they have not won anything yet. It will come in time…Fabregas stated it best yesterday ….he said that when these kids win….it will be a revelation for the whole team…and then you will see the run on which the team can go on.
I’m not saying that experience is not important….but there are other constraints with which Wenger is operating as well…..All i’m saying is we need to take everything into account before complaining that Wenger can’t spot such obvious needs like adding ‘experience’ to the squad … and this to a man who has been in football management for as long as I can remember. We may win ..we may not win…but for sure we will be competing at the end of the season.
If you still consider this as ‘blind hippie optimism’ ..i’m sorry I can’t argue any further.
August 1st, 2008 at 6:09 am
Couldnt have said it better. In fact you probably said it better than I would have
August 1st, 2008 at 6:45 am
Arsenal handed FC Twente in the CL qualifier. Steve McLaren’s team.
August 1st, 2008 at 10:07 am
We lost the league because of an unfortunate series of events?
That is CLASSIC!
No. Actually… it was because we were NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
Injuries happen. Chelsea had far more than we did.
What was unfortunate, is that we didn’t have proper depth, proper experience, or proper defending.
The “events” you mention were… that we didn’t bring in the players we needed, in order to compete against ManU & Chelsea, for an entire season…
Blind Hippie Optimism?!
Not so sure about that… but ummm… I would say you wear Arsenal Red tinted glasses…!!!!
August 1st, 2008 at 10:08 am
Oh… and FC Twente… is certainly no pushover in the CL.
They aren’t a cakewalk team like some Norwegian or Icelandic squad.
That would be a REAL kick in the ass if we got knocked out by FC Twente.
Can’t start slow. Thats for sure.
August 1st, 2008 at 11:16 am
1) So because an experienced player MIGHT not slot in therefore we should NOT buy any more experienced players??? I am not talking about expensive star names, I am talking about mid-20s relatively cheap Sagna/Eduardo types???
Are these experienced types LESS likely to fit in than younger players like Nasri and Bischoff???? Really???
2) Diaby and Denilson having “experience” in the reserves will not help us in April when we need that little extra to push us over to the title.
3) I dont underestimate the young players. I have always been one of this transfer’s policies biggest fan….but the young players will only take us to the end of February and March like they did last year.
History has shown that young players always do that. The experienced players take you through….even the young Ajax teams had that model.
If we had two other players of the Sagna/Eduardo age/experienc/competence level in midfield and defence we would have WON the league last season.
August 1st, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Well said wayne. especially that part “experience is relative”.
August 1st, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Thats all it came down to..actually. Eduardo’s break and Sagna’s ankle injury at the Bridge. If those two had been fit throughout we’d have won the league. Havent seen a RB have as much impact in defending as Sagna did. Anyway – I guess the younger you are the easier it is to adapt. So yeah Nasri will learn faster than a 25 year old. Whether he puts all that into practice and shows bottle is a different thing. But he will adapt faster..footballistically speaking atleast. If he gets kicked and isnt mentally strong enough that is a different question which is where you come from I guess. Its a fine line really – an exp player would be nice. I wouldn’t be crying if we don’t get one though – The kids are too too talented for that.
August 1st, 2008 at 2:21 pm
And you think we will NOT have injuries again this season???? Really????