Aug 04
Where will Arsenal finish next season in the league and how far will they go in the Champions League?
96 Responses to “Hope Springs Eternal”
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August 4th, 2008 at 1:03 am
Hope springs eternal, and my dreams are filled with bulging trophy cases for the 08-09 season.
Reality awakens me and I can see my trophy cases empty and lacking in cups, medals and shields.
As a football purist however, my life will have been enriched by magnificent displays of skills and artistry comparable to that displayed by the formidable Ajax teams of the 70’s.
While I may have “over waxed” poetically
the truth is that I was extremely pleased by our 1-0 thrashing of of the mighty Real Madrid “Galacticos” and even if we had tied or lost the game I would still have come away with good memories of an excellent display of football skills.
Will we win the EPL and CL this season? I have no idea, and neither does any one else on Arsenal America. There are always too many variables to consider in making a prediction at this level. Be it Injuries, refereeing decisions, weather or just plain “ole fashioned” good luck, it takes a favorable combination of all these factors to determine who hoist’s the trophies at season’s end.
Do we have a skilled team and a system which puts us in the enviable position of having a odds on chance to win? Yes we do.
Buying a batch of new, experienced players would be nice, but it still would not guarantee us victory. Just ask Tottenham and Liverpool about that contradiction.
We have an excellent team, albeit a bit young and inexperienced, but barring Arsene’s obsession with playing Eboue at RM, Ade’s obsession with retirement funds, Almunia spending all of his salary increase at the hair salon, Sagna’s continuous bad hair day and a little help from above, we just may come away smelling like roses.
It is time for us as true “GOONERS” to get behind our team, including Ade, and stop being bearers of gloom and doom.
Yes, we did not spend 100 mill on a host of super stars. Yes, we signed no name kids like Wilshere, Ramsey, Coquelin and Bischoff, but they could be the no names of the past like Anelka, Lauren, Kolo, RVP, Henry, Fabregas, Viera, Clichy, Sagna and Pires to name a few.
August 4th, 2008 at 1:48 am
well said.
August 4th, 2008 at 1:36 am
I think before the start of a new season, every team has their own target. For Hull City, it’s to survive in the Premiership. For Aston Villa the likes, top 4 finish. For Arsenal, it’s the championship.
however unlikely it may seem, true fans always BELIEVE that their teams could achieve their target. You do not head into a new season thinking your team are going to f*ck up. If so, why bother even to watch?
even if deep inside their mind, they knew that 99% of chances they are going to head back to the Championship the next season, it won’t stop a full house at Hull City every game. as deep inside, even with 1% hope, their would still be hoping, and believing their team could do it.
a remark from a Hull fan touches me…. “I never dreamt I’d see a day like this” says a 53 years old Hull fan. in their 104 years history, it’s the first time Hull breaks into the topflight of English football.
when Doncaster beat Leeds in the playoff and won the promotion to the Championship, their chairman John Ryan said “I’ve been waiting 50 years for this. Now it’s here, it’s hard to take in”.
Gunner fans? 3 years without title? the Arsenal world is fallen apart. look at what players ________ (fill in the team name) got, and all we got are a bunch of kids…. cry cry cry, moan moan.
as far as i m concerned, you gotta have some PRIDE to earn the right to call yourself a GOONER.
August 4th, 2008 at 3:19 am
Its true guys really. All you’ve watched football is to get entertained. Why do you forget that along the way and want trophies? The only reason I’d want trophies is coz the good players will leave. But then again as long as AW is here - Wengerball will continue and thats all I ever want to see. SO I dont undestand the fuss..really.
August 4th, 2008 at 8:26 am
Jack Wilshere has been named in the Arsenal first team and handed the #19 jersey. This further reduces our average first team age to 22.8 years. WOW!!!
August 4th, 2008 at 8:49 am
That is Wow!! I agree.
August 4th, 2008 at 9:01 am
Off topic. Can Alonso tackle? Is he a viable alternative for DM?
On topic. It is too early to give predictions I think. Let’s see where we are at when the window shuts. E.g. wait and see if Ronaldo leaves for Madrid and if Arsenal make any more signings etc.
August 4th, 2008 at 9:07 am
Andez. please. You CAN support the team, and disagree with the way things are being done. You can want the team to do well, and support the players we have, with the realization that we are not good enough to beat United and Chelsea. It has nothing to do with PRIDE or calling yourself a Gooner.
Average first team age is 22.8?!
Wonderful. It will be another season without a trophy… unless we actually try to win the Carling Cup or FA Cup. Forget the league and CL. Not with the current team. That has zero to do with supporting the lads and loving the club.
We will probably be 3rd or 4th in the league.
We will play some beautiful football. But we don’t have the horses to beat the better teams in Europe… or United/Chelsea over the long cold season.
Not enough depth. Not enough experience. Defense is NOT improved, and thats what wins Championships.
The sad part is, we aren’t that far off the top… or that far from being able to make a real run at it… but we get younger & less experienced every year, and the mid-twenty players wonder what the feck am I wasting my time here for, we’re NEVER going to go for it.
August 4th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Fred, in regards to your comment on the last thread: “What do you mean he [Bentley] should be free?”
I wasn’t saying he should be free. He should be whatever Rovers could get for him, which was 17m. I was saying unless he was free (or really cheap, it’s hyperbole) they shouldn’t have bothered because they have enough players like him already and that’s not where they need to strengthen.
August 4th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Actually, they dont have any other person like him. Lennon is whack. The only other proper AM they have is Modric.
I agree Bentley isnt that great … and he definitely has a distasteful character….however we have EBOUE, so its hard to gloat too much.
Ramos is a very good coach….before he went to Spurs he was my very first choice as succesor to Wenger!
August 4th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
so we’re analyzing Totteringham’s strengths and weaknesses?
How about OURS?
We haven’t addressed ANY of those!
August 4th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
The unfortunate part with you Stag is that you think that any kind of improvement has to be external. It cannot be ..ever from within. It always has to be lateral. For eg. In my organization right now we recruit from scratch..kids out of college .. a max of 1 yr experience at most. And groom the rest..mebbe it doesn’t exactly work the same way in football but try and understand where I come from. These kids are 1 year older in the Arsenal way - the best place you can gain you experience from. You dont always have to be playing for AC Milan or Barca to be good. The same guys…the kids here ..if they had been at Barca or Inter or wherever..I think you’d have said wow. What talent!! Worth the 12 million ..buy him. Its just that since they’re at AFC that you don’t appreciate it as much. I’ll even go one extreme further - If Leo Messi had been brought up through the ranks would you still appreciate him as much as the world does now at Barca?? Maybe..maybe not - I’d love to see what you said when Cesc replaced Paddy. Probably something like - Fecking who? Viera is ir-replaceable or the likes. That turned out quite well as far as I can see. Atleast ur not predicting 8th this year - that much I’m happy about. And please dont tell me do go looking through the archives - I’m not really bothered if you yourself are in self denial.
As for Spurs ..really I dont care..I dont care how many shirts or gel tubes Ronaldo sold…or how much Spurs or Pool are blowing. As long as we play good football and compete - like we did last season..we did..(like it or not) before injuries cut us down(not experience) - Red tinted glasses….you say? Its actually just the facts - though it sounds like excuses now. Anyway thats not the point - I think we’ve improved..very much and will be up there challenging.
I said yesterday ..”We WILL win” almost half in jest…coz I started saying that last year after the season started. The amount of flak I got was strange though. Thnx though to the guys who still believe and backed me last thread - If for example I said Hull City will win the league it’ll sound stupid to me but prolly not to a Hull City supporter - not till he starts losing atleast. Till then you got to believe that we have a chance - till the facts prove you otherwise. Obviously the 3 years without a trophy quote will come up yet again…and thats probably valid..more in the eyes of the players than the fans. In some cases..the fans too…
Its not about blind faith or red tinted glasses or Kool Aid - its just backing your team to the hilt and letting them know you’re not going to cuss them and tell them they suck..till the season is done again. Now is not the time to start cursing and moaning. I kinda agree with Fred here - I dont agree with moaning ever about I want htis player etc. But if you have to do it…do it off season. After the games start — its silly. Obviously all this is IMO…waiting for the brickbats.
August 4th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Ok Stag, let’s address our weaknesses.
1) We are thin in “ESTABLISHED” quality and experience at DM unless we get an experienced player like Veloso, Barry or Corluka who could be available at this stage.
We do have a number of players who could slide into that role like Kolo, Song, Djourou, Diaby, Eboue (perish the thought), Denilson and Ramsey. None of these options would be bad, but are relatively untested and may not bring the dimension we are seeking to partner Cesc. In reality, any one of these players could do a “Flamini” and emerge from the shadows of being a squad player and make that position their own.
I speak in particular of Song who seems to have all the attributes and has experience at the position internationally, although Arsene seems to think otherwise. At worst, we will have Diaby, Denilson and Ramsey and most teams in the EPL would give an arm and a leg for these players.
2) We are weak at GK in that we have no one with solid experience to back up Almunia in case of injury or loss of form. We also have no one to push him for a place in the first squad and this could breed complacency. I would hate to have to rely on Fabianski and this is my biggest area of concern, especially when we could have addressed this problem with a Friedel, Carson or the likes for under 5 mill.
3) Initially I thought we were weak at CB after last year’s meltdown in some games, but having a pairing of Gallas and Toure with backups in Senderos, Song and Djourou, is not the worst scenario. Yes, we could improve with a Vidic type player, but if Arsene tactically changes these pairings based on our opponents it could well be a non factor. If we were to alternate Djourou/Senderos/Song with Gallas/Toure against those long ball, kick the shit outa you teams it could more than make up for any inherent deficiencies.
4) Who to spell Cesc in case of injury or rotation to keep him fresh was a definite problem last year because we had no one. However, Denilson is a year older and experienced, and Nasri would possible be the first choice this year owing to his skill set, experience and passing abilities. Ramsey could suffice in a pinch but may need another year under his belt.
All in all, it’s not as bad as our doomsday sayers would have you think and many teams would love to have our supposed “problems”. Looking at the other major competitors like Chelsea, Manu, Liverpool and Tottenham, they all have weaknesses and potential problems in their line up.
Chelsea has a new manager with a new philosophy who must stamp his signature on a older team with a new midfield maestro in Deco and find ways to effectively keep Drogba and Anelka happy up front with playing time. Scolari also has to find a way to get Ballack, Essien, Mikele, Lampard, Deco and Malouda on the field and keeping all of them happy.
Manu has added nothing so far this year and need to supplement the old trio of Neville, Giggs and Scholes who are on their last legs, and also find a way to retain CR and find goals from other players in his injury absence at season’s start.
Liverpool is Liverpool, great strike pair of Torres and Keane, but who else to complement up front with the departures of Crouch. Having an imbalanced MF, coupled with an aging defense and Rafa’s outrageous rotation policy will also present them with problems.
Spurs seem to be on the upswing, but they must retain Berbatov to be competitive this year. If he is kept, will he buckle down and be a true professional or will he cause distractions in the locker room. With so many new signings coming in this year and approximately five new players during the January transfer window, Juande Ramos is going in the right direction but may need another season before the Spuds show their true worth.
As is often said, “SHOW ME A MAN WHO SAY’S HE HAS NO PROBLEMS AND I WILL SHOW YOU A BARE FACED LIAR”.
August 4th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
After looking at the squad list and numbers it is quite clear that:
1) We are not looking for any new keepers, because Almunia, Fabianski and Mannone are all within numbers 1 and 25.
I think this is risky, however I pray Almunia can at least get the basics right this season and not f-ck up. Funnily enough I think Mannone is the brightest prospect out of all three - and that is not saying much.
I really hope those 3 work out.
2) We are probably not going to buy a CB. If Wenger cant cut in front of the youth then he surely wont bench Toure. Maybe we might get one if Senderos is sold. I heard Newcastle might be interested. If they are lets ask for Shay Given in exchange! I expect no movement on this or no. 1.
With that in mind, I really really hope and pray that Song and Djorou move forward in leaps and bounds this season. That is the only way the defense will improve.
3) We NEEEEEED to buy a strong, PL capable CM, no question. A strong center is un-disputable if you have an ambitions whatsoever of winning the EPL.
Conclusion: We need a CM, CB and GK. But a good CM will suffice for now as long as we get in someone competent in the January window.
This season is going to be squeeky bum for sure.
August 4th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Agree 100% with # 1 and would have much preferred to have Mannone sent out on loan and another GK brought in to compete with Almunia. Hopefully nothing happens to Almunia or this could really come back to haunt us at any moment during the season.
Obviously, Arsene knows his players better than us and must have a huge amount of confidence in Fabianski, which I do not.
August 4th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Stag, will you please shut the f*ck up. I realize we have weaknesses, what team doesn’t? What the hell do you expect? We could go out and buy the best 11 football players on the planet (not most expensive, but actually the best) and that still wouldn’t guarantee any trophies. Man U just won the League and European titles, do you think they are invulnerable, without a single weakness? Were the Invincibles free of all flaws? NO!!! They were not! No team is, ever has been, or ever will be.
I don’t always agree with AW either, but he is a hell of a lot better at managing of football team than anyone else on the planet, and that includes YOU and me. At the end of the day I am proud to call myself a Gooner, and consider myself incredibly lucky that the team I support plays some of the best football in the world and historically are one of the world’s most successful teams. What more could you ask for?
If you want to continue whining about every little thing AW does (or doesn’t), then go post on some other site, where I’m sure people like Mazza will be more than happy to listen. (And for the record, I think we’ve discussed Arsenal’s strengths and weaknesses to the point of exhaustion this summer.)
August 4th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
AMEN, CG!!!
August 4th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
Agreed 100%. Stag please shut up or post your negativity elsewhere. Sure you’re entitled to your opinion, but you make this an unpleasant forum to post on with all the complaining. Thank you.
August 4th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
I hate to stifle freedom of speech and who will we have to vilify if Stag133 is no longer around
August 4th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
I am in the writing mood on a slow business day in hot and steamy Atlanta and figured I would throw out a few POSITIVE impressions which are ingrained on my few remaining brain cells, from the Real Madrid and Stuttgart encounters.
WALCOTT: Played very well in the first half, defended well, held the ball “Hleib” like and eased defensive pressure, always looked dangerous on the ball and attacked defenders at will. On the negative side, he disappeared in the 2nd stanza, which he has a habit of doing, and wonder if this is a stamina issue or whether he just needs more experience in imposing his will on the game.
NASRI: Finally seems to be coming around and we have to love his skill, pin point passing, control of the ball in tight confines, tenacity and surprisingly, his defensive attributes. He was hard working and thank God, not afraid to take a hack at goal.He can play on the wing or in the middle of the pitch and LO and BEHOLD, we may have found a replacement for Cesc, when needed.
ADE: First touch seemed much improved, still hard working and showed me a lot of balls by stepping up to take that penalty. Can you imagine the BOOS which would have accompanied a miss. He really showed a lot of guts by doing that and the fans negative reaction to his pre-season journey on the dark side may actually have been a blessing in disguise. This might spur him to work much harder and realize how easily you can turn from hero to goat with spurious behavior.
WILSHERE: WOW, WOW, WOW, says it all. Forget the notion he is 16 but consider him to be 21 with 2 years professional experience under his belt and you would still have to grade out his performances as an A.
DJOUROU: Looked excellent against Stuttgart, was excellent in the air, covered well, showed good awareness and positioning, and this may be his year to force a regular spot on the team.
VELA: The second coming of Eduardo + pace.
August 4th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
I didn’t notice anyone mentioning that Jack Wilshere was named to the First Team for the upcoming campaign. A big congrats to the young lad. Long may he wear the red and white.
He’s been given the #19 shirt.
August 4th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Best of all, the lad is from Islington! Born and bred. A North London native, trough and through.
August 4th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
The same way Paul Scholes is a dyed-in-the-wool United man (albeit I think he was an Oldham supporter as a boy) he understands the tradition of United having lived right there, born and bred in Salford… I look at Wilshere and Ramsey and think of the young Scholes and Giggs of many moons ago.
And another thing to keep in mind is that while the new 6+5 rule FIFA approved may or may not be ruled unconstitutional by the EU… Wenger has to be thinking ahead in terms of bringing up the local talent if things do go that way in 2012.
August 4th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
If it does go through, I assume Welsh, Scottish, and Northern Irish players would count as native, right? I even think it would make sense to count players from the Republic of Ireland as native since England has always been the destination of choice for the best Irish footballers. For this reason, media and fans don’t really consider them foreign, and for many record-keeping practices Irish players are not considered foreign. But I doubt that exception to the rule would be made. Surely all UK players would count as native though.
August 4th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
I imagine UK players would all be counted as one, but the 26 Irish Counties not in the UK would likely be ruled as foreign being that they are entirely separate political entities, whereas N.Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England are connected by the same Monarch and PM.
The EU will have a strong case against the rule, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them win the battle against FIFA.
But, we’ll have to wait and see. What may ultimately happen, would be something like players from outside of the EU would count as the 5 in the 6+5… which wouldn’t make an impact on the EPL anyway.
August 4th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
LDE, it’s very very true a post u wrote above.
Arsene has to endure lot of flak of his kids-buying policy, but if we look at Adebayor, Fabregas, Clichy the likes today, if AW hadn’t bought them when they were “kids”, and they are now available in open market, do we have any chance at all to bring them to Arsenal?
A recent article i read revealed that Wenger himself is frustrated of the Arsenal board’s decision to sell Hleb. therefore he came out to the public and made that statement “Arsenal is a selling club”.
And if we look back on the days when we decided to go for a new stadium, WHY? because Dein and AW were frustrated not being able to compete with Man U the likes in the transfer market for the TOP END players.
And the frstration of not having enough fund to compete with Man U, Chelsea wa also the reason David Dein wanted to bring in Stan K. and his money. The board refused. Dein left.
so i m quite amazed how some fans can be so blinded today by blaming everything at Wenger without taking time to think a little deeper of where the real problem Arsenal is at the moment - we simply don’t have the finanical muscle to compete with clubs in the open market for the TOP END players. Not at the moment.
Fabregas, van Persie, Ade, Clichy the likes had we not buying them when they were KIDS, Arsenal basically have NO RIGHT to have such quality players in our team.
so it’s very clear to me - buying youth is the ONLY option if we want to compete with Man U and Chelsea in the short term. When the debt of the stadium finally paid off in 17 years time, things of course would be different, we then would have a super finanical power to buy all the stars you want.
Note here - if we want to be the BEST, we gotta buy the BEST. that means a Kaka, a Messi. if we end up with a Barry while other teams bought themselves a Deco, a Berbartov, we would still end up as the second best.
yes the kids are young, but at least we can be sure they are among the BEST in their age group, in their generation. and they won’t be 21 forever. in few years time they will be the BEST in world football.
a brilliant transfer strategy only a fool couldn’t see its benefit.
There’s also another alternative though, for those who believe THE FUTURE IS NOW - that is to embrace the foreign takeover with open arms.
one way or other, make ur choice.
August 4th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
Apart from Stag, NOBODY else on this website is begging for “top end” players!
Having a good youth policy doesnt mean, you should not buy even 1 or 2 mid twenties players at the very least to tide the youth through. Imagine if we had not bought Sagna and were waiting for Hoyte and Eboue to blossom. LOL.
PS: A lot of you guys are still all overly optimistic in my view because you still believe that the youth are not greedy and wont believe that they will probably “hleb” or “flamini” us when they break out.
August 5th, 2008 at 3:45 am
That..indeed is a valid point and must be addressed by management. If it keeps happening then it gets very tough. The Flamini situation was a bit unique though IMO. The Hleb one was unexpected though.
August 4th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
Chicago Gooner, Village and Rye.
Yall are going to have to do a bit better than that.
If you want a love-fest where we just polish the ass of our team and say everything is wonderful… then you can go find another site.
I was here well before you… and I’ll be here after you leave too.
We’ve done nothing to better the squad in the off-season. Thats opinion.
You don’t want that pointed out? too bad. tough shite. and carry on with
the “Arsenal is wonderful” all you want. Thats your prerogative.
I’ll never tell you NOT to be optimistic. I’ll never tell you to leave the site. I’ll never tell you shut up.
Say what you want. I’m going to say what I want.
You can ignore it… you can disagree with it… but it isn’t going to change.
I say what I want. Get over it.
If you can deal with it. Too damned bad.
August 4th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
I can deal with it, IU just don’t want to hear it. As for your ‘love fest’, I honestly believe we are in good shape. I’m happy with what’s happening at the Emirates. I’m not a follower and never have been… and I’ve never been called an optimist, so your implying that I am is a first.
All I said was that you whine. You whined last year with your ‘woe is us, we won’t finish in the top 4′ attitude when TH transferred and you were wrong.
You said no one would score 15 last season for us and you were wrong.
I’m saying you just like to complain. And it’s annoying.
…and as long as we’re on the subject of stuff you do that is annoying, so is the putting an ‘e’ on the end of ’shit’ so that it rhymes with plight. You’re not British, so why pretend?
August 4th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
Carib.
You pointed out our weaknesses nicely.
I agree 100%. We have to really rely on some youngster to step up big time… our plural… youngsters… in order for us to be within a shout of the top at the end…
I just don’t think it has to be that way.
What if Almunia AND Cesc go down for any length of time.
Is that so far fetched?
So two injuries and our season is shot?
And Almunia is not even close to being a very good keeper. He’s just all we have at the moment.
Cesc. There isn’t close to a replacement to spell him.
Is he playing every match? He’ll be beat to death by December.
We’re HOPING on HOPE that kids step up… every single season.
Yes, other teams have weaknesses… and you know what? they don’t play football the way we do, as nice as we do, as pretty as we do either. We will play a few teams right off the pitch, as always…
But that doesn’t WIN matches in the dead of Winter up north… and it doesn’t win titles either.
August 4th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
Rye. I’ll spell whatever way I want.
Just like I’ll say whatever I want. I’ll be pessimistic if I want, or optimistic if I want. Its Arsenal AMERICA. Freedom to say whatever the feck we wish.
I said feck. Sorry it thats too British for you.
I choose not to say sh*t or f*ck… I can get the same meaning without it.
Its a free site… we’re free to discuss, lambaste, lampoon, disect, and get the pom poms out.
Someone certainly has to counteract… we’re gonna win the league, I just know it!
I’m heading down to the local chippy for some bangers and mash now. Pip Pip and Cheerio my good lad.
August 4th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
12 days and counting. My emotional investment in Arsenal is no guarantee that the investment will have a positive return. I am prepared for any eventuality.
I need Arsenal to score goals in open play this weekend and not give up any bad goals (set piece goals, route one goals, mis-communication goals). I need to see players shooting w/ conviction on goal. I need to see a mixture of direct, wide play, route one and counter attack to break teams down this season.
Which team does not belong?: A) Man U B) Chelsea C) Pool D) Sp**s. A team that finishes in 11th place does not enter into my equation of competition for the coming season. Buying Bentley, Modric and Dos Santos guarantees that you shouldn’t lose to Sunderland on opening day (after a great pre-season), oops, that was last season.
It is too bad we don’t get to take on Mourinho this weekend. Inter fans are already crying about his team’s “mechanistic” playing style.
Christmas wishes: Ronaldo goes to Madrid. Man U buys Berbatov. Sp**s buy Arshavin. Pool buys Barry. Alonso falls into our lap. If we get Alonso, we become the no.2 contender to take the title. That’s how important that acquisition would be for us. Pool has become strangely silent and Villa are doing all the talking now. 18mil no, 12-14, si and a 5yr deal.
August 5th, 2008 at 12:19 am
I think we are already seeing a team that will shoot when given the merest of chances. Our defense, although it’s only pre-season, is looking tighter and we are definitely getting wide play from the backs and wingers.
Disagree with you though on the Spuds. They brought in 6 good players last season in Bale, O’hara, Woodgate, Hutton, Gilberto and Bent, all of whom will have a had a season of adjustment behind them and will only get better this year.
This year they have signed Gomes, Dos Santos, Modric and Bentley who are also good players. Ramos is an excellent coach if you peruse his CV and if King, who was rested most of last season, can remain healthy, they will certainly be competing for a spot in the top 4.
Unfortunately,even with the loss of Keane, if they retain Berbatov, they will become contenders.
August 4th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
I am in love with the banter on this board, followed it through thick and thin, i love the passion. I’m from fucking central illinois, can’t even get a whisper of love in this community. But here’s my predictions, anyway:
1: We win hardware this year, probably the FA Cup, just a hunch, but a strong hunch. I don’T think Wenger will go without silverware this year, ego will demand something.
2. Bendtner will be a force this year, sneaky, a little more mature, Van Persie will be gone either to Juventus now or at the January window. Or injured. Oh and Eduardo will be a god at Arsenal in ten years time. When he comes back, he will raise the level of the club, fans, board, and the League.
3. Fabregas will start slow this year, turn it on late. Opposite of last year…. but that will be a bonus for us.
4. No league this year, no CL this year, but a race to the wire. just my opinion.
5. I love you all, my brethren!
August 5th, 2008 at 12:00 am
Central Illinois shouldn’t be that bad Scraps, can you ask for more than cheap real estate and beer, and good cheese
I truly believe we can win the CL this year depending on how the cards fall. Our team can readily beat the Italian and Spanish opposition because of our style and if we don’t end up drawing Manu or Chelsea down the line we can do it.
The PL is another thing however, because we may be a little thin with quality back ups, but it is not impossible.
The squad is motivated by their “choke” last year and if we can steer clear of injuries we are a year older, a year wiser and probably a lot more determined.
August 5th, 2008 at 8:47 am
Hey I’m from northern Illinois, but I go to school in Urbana. What town do you live in? (I have a strange inkling we’ve discussed this before, many moons ago.)
August 5th, 2008 at 12:27 am
I think we’ll finish in the top 3, last 4 of the CL; these are the priorities of the first team. If we are healthy in the winter and have some momentum, then maybe a go at the FA cup as well. Carling will be the priority of the reserves, and if we get to the last couple games we might call in some first teamers if the opponent is Chelsea or MU.
This is pretty much how last year went - we lost momentum and players in the winter so we tossed the cups. As a result we went quite far in both the CL and EPL, we just ran out of gas at 80 minutes.
As Andez said, what is realistically achievable each year is different for each team. We can reasonably expect to be top 4, and if things come together we could win the league. I don’t think MU, Chelsea or Liverpool could say more than that. You can argue percentages (we have! and we will!) but the whole reason we watch is because we don’t know.
Off topic: From the games this weekend, Diaby and Eboue didn’t seem to have their heads in the same game as the rest of the team, if either of them gets the ball our attack dies. But Denilson and Senderos looked better than I remembered. All the new players looked pretty good, but all we’ve gotten is a glimpse.
I think we’ll get either Barry or Alonso, probably Alonso. I have a slight preference for Alonso. Barry would be fine too but I just think Alonso would be a better deal and a better fit. The only thing I don’t understand is why Benitez wants Barry in so badly, since he already has Alonso.
August 5th, 2008 at 12:29 am
Does anyone know if the Arsenal games in Ansterdam will be broadcast in the US this weekend?
Lemme know. Would appreciate.
August 5th, 2008 at 1:48 am
Take away the emotion factor, I do, hand in chest, believe we will be doing better than last season.
The KEY - Adebayor. He stays. Though i had said before he could leave if he wants to, I cannot deny he, alongside Cesc, hold the key for this Arsenal side. His PRESENCE alone would strike fear into the oppositions, that would ensure they want to defend deep, and allowing us to play our short passing game trying to break their “bus parked inside the box” tactic. In other words - it takes away the pressure from our defence. As they can’t hurt us in their own penalty box.
Moreover, Adebayor offers us an outlet for our counter attacking play. To give us a further dimension attacking wise.
The departure of the Barca badge-kisser should allow us to play a more decisive attacking game. Nasri looks very much an Arsenal class of player with good technic and passing, provided it doesn’t take him 3 years to make an impact like Barca badge-kisser.
The addition of Vela and Ramsey can only offer us more options.
anyway, i m excited. really looking forward to the new season.
August 5th, 2008 at 2:04 am
I am quite excited myself and think that Theo, with his amazing speed, also provides that fear of defending high up against Arsenal due to the threat of quick counter attacks. When Theo, combined with Ade and RVP are on the field, opposing teams will certainly keep a defensive mindset which should play into our hands.
Vela and Nasri are not slouches either and this team will have a lot more controlled pace at their disposal than last year.
I still think this team as currently constituted, lends itself more to the CL than the EPL.
August 5th, 2008 at 2:12 am
Off Topic, but it just occurred to me that Arsene trotting out Simpson, Gibbs and the Hoyte brothers so heavily in the pre-season, and not Barazite and Merida, may be to showcase their talents for possible trade deals.
August 5th, 2008 at 2:35 am
Yep..I agree. Sad though that all our kids dont stay with us. AW even made statements like - All of the kids have futures, hopefully with us. I think that says a lot.
August 5th, 2008 at 5:48 am
I would be very disappointed if Gibbs left…. He has an amazing first touch. Might be a little slow tho….
August 5th, 2008 at 3:52 am
i think Simpson was because he impressed when on loan last season, yet he’s probably not in AW’s original plan, because of his impressive performance on loan, AW wanted to have one more chance taking a look of him see if he should be kept.
as for Gibbs and Hoyte, i suspect it’s because they are English. AW is a strong man, but i think years’ constant media pressure did affect him a bit, that he wants to try his best to give more English young players a chance. afterall, had him play Merida, Barazite ahead of Hoyte and Gibbs, we know the English media would have made a meal out of it - not even giving the English kids a run in preseason.
August 5th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Here’s an interesting slant on Arsenal’s relatively frugal buying policy from the Mail - apparently Wenger DOES want to spend more, but doesn’t have the money!
Arsenal thinking long-term and offer Wenger a new role to keep him on board
Arsene Wenger is to be offered a role on the Arsenal board as part of a long-term strategy to keep hold of the most successful manager in the club’s history.
In a move which has echoes of the ‘job for life’ promise made by former vice-chairman David Dein, the role has already been discussed tentatively by senior board members at Arsenal.
Although the possibility of Wenger taking a directorship will not prevent him continuing as manager, the club’s director and powerbroker Danny Fiszman is exploring ways of appeasing Wenger after another quiet summer in the transfer market.
The manager is aware of the board’s intentions, which would give him a greater say in day-to-day decision-making at the club, but he has yet to intimate whether he is prepared to accept greater responsibility.
Wenger remains determined to break the Manchester United-Chelsea stranglehold in the Barclays Premier League. and although he remains fully committed to ‘The Arsenal Project’, there were strong signs last month that his relationship with the board is being stretched.
He sent a coded message upstairs when he revealed, in the wake of Alexander Hleb’s departure for Barcelona, that ‘the strategy of the club is to sell every year and buy less expensive players’.
That was a reminder to Fiszman, chairman Peter Hill-Wood and the rest of the Arsenal board that he has been left unimpressed by their failure to back him sufficiently in the transfer market. Although the Arsenal manager accepts they will not be able to match the spending power of United, Chelsea and Liverpool while they service the astronomical loan for the Emirates Stadium over the next 17 years, Wenger knows they are vulnerable.
Failure to qualify for the Champions League would leave an enormous black hole in the club’s finances and would hasten the departure of some of the club’s top players.
Wenger has also been left frustrated by the farcical situation engineered by Emmanuel Adebayor over the summer. The Arsenal chief was prepared to sell the forward when he threatened to quit the club unless he was paid £130,000 a week, but he wanted guarantees that he could use the money for acquisitions.
Although Wenger’s reluctance to buy big is partly a legacy from the disastrous signing of Jose Antonio Reyes, he feels his restricted spending power is having a detrimental effect on the club.
Wenger has identified a lack of strength in depth as one of the reasons his squad fell away in last season’s Premier League title race and their failure to finish off Liverpool in the Champions League quarter-final. Robin van Persie, though, says it is time Arsenal ended their wait for another trophy and has fixed his sights on his first Premier League title.
— - - - - -
Hmmm. I wouldn’t call the signing of Reyes “disastrous” at all. He left for the same money he arrived for. And he was no flop - for the first two years anyway.
August 5th, 2008 at 10:23 am
That article tbf talks absolute rubbish IMO and regurgitates quotes from 3000 years ago. Now that Ade is staying..the media need to talk more rubbish. Hence this article.
August 5th, 2008 at 9:56 am
The easy answer is that we won’t win either, a quick look at the chelsea/man u squads can tell us that.
For us to win, one of our midfielders has to step up and compliment Cesc at least as well as Flamini did - as for paying £18m for Gareth Barry or even Veloso on the back of one and a half good seasons, we may as well take the chance that Denilson (who has been playing the anchor role) can be better than them. Alonso I think is a different proposition, certainly better and more experienced than Barry (Reo-Coker plays as the DM for Villa, not Barry) and anyone who can can play with midfield wildman Gerrard deserting his post all the time is likely a bit better than we think. For us to win, we have to be extremely fortunate with injuries and form. I think Stag made a very valid point above that our defence has not been improved and unless Wenger has some masterplan to put Toure on a rack, stretch him and then teach him how to head the ball properly, we’ll have the same problems as last year - you either have a centre half good in the air, or you park a centre mid good in the air in front of the defence (from preseason Diaby is not the answer there unless we are playing a 3 man centre midfield of Denilson, Diaby, Fabregas).
It’s certainly not impossible as 4 points and 2 dodgy pens difference highlights, but the stars need to be aligned in our favour.
August 5th, 2008 at 10:46 am
Agree with most.
FYI: Mascherano plays DM for Liverpool, not Alonso or Gerrard.
August 5th, 2008 at 11:09 am
Hard to say. I feel Liverpool is gonna be real good this season. Still don’t see anybody overtaking United though. How about: 1)United 2)Liverpool 3)Chelsea 4)Arsenal. Gunners lost some talent this offseason; RVP fitness?; lots of young players. Don’t see them overtaking the top 3 this season. But thats why they play the game (match, actually)…
August 5th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Of course people are excited about the team and the start of the season.
We have a LOT of good young players. That IS exciting.
I am excited to see how/if Theo blossoms into a star…
I am excited to see Nasri and if he can leap into the EPL…
and the youngsters that have played well in pre-season.
But I am not delusional enough to predict a CL win or League win.
Top 4 would be a good season.
To discount Spurz … just because they fecked it up previously is crazy.
They have improved…. they have brought in good players… it just depends on how they mesh as a team. They are still on the market for some quality players, so they might not even be done yet.
They are an interesting team to watch. I hope they crash and burn again!
But I wouldn’t bet on them coming 10th.
United and Chelsea, Chelsea and United.
1 and 2.
They were the two best teams in Europe and the EPL last year.
I don’t think that has changed.
Would people prefer Alonso to Barry??
(For the Arsenal that is)
I don’t think we’re getting either player… but what would the consensus be if we had a choice?
I would definitely prefer Barry.
August 6th, 2008 at 5:42 am
I’d prefer Alonso (but we won’t get him if he keeps up his good form in pre-season). On an technical level he’s better than Barry. Defensively, neither is an out an out DM like Makalele (neither was Flamini), at Villa Reo-Coker fills that role and Liverpool brought in Mascherano (primarily because Gerrard is so indisciplined in centre mid). Of the two, however, Alonso plays deeper and is a bit more like Gilberto in terms of shielding the defence through positioning rather than the dynamo Flamini style. Barry plays a bit further forward and somewhat more attacking. Experience wise, Alonso has been playing in the CL for the past 4 years, making the final twice - over the same period Barry has amassed 1 european appearance (in this seasons Intertoto Cup). Barry has just completed his breakthrough year into the England set up with all the newspapers hot for him, Alonso has been a Spain regular since 2003.
Add in the 30% ‘english premium’ and, in my opinion, the case for Barry is difficult.
After all that, I’d be pleasantly surprised if we sign either…I have a sneaking feeling that the boss will decide to stick with Denilson.
One quick aside, I’ll be surprised if we see much more than flashes from Walcott again this season. there have been times this pre-season (and I know it’s only pre-season) when he’s in situations with the ball that you just know that Henry would put the foot down, get his body in front of the defenders and suddenly everything is more dangerous, Walcott seems to slow down, the defenders come back at him. Evra and Cahsley will eat him for breakfast.
August 5th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Ruben de la Red has been linked to us again for 9 million.
I really hope it is true.
If we cant get Alonso we should get him. Ruben has a few seasons under his belt and is a very strong, robust guy which bodes well. He has the sheer hardwork of Flamini plus the passing of Denilson, only that he is 4 inches taller than both of them and he is much stronger.
Like Alonso, he is Spanish, which will mesh well with Fabregas too.
August 5th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
2nd place if Ronaldo leaves; 3rd if he stays
We’ll advance in the CL until we play an English Club
August 5th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
de le Red sounds like much more of an Arsenal buy at 9 Million.
But again… he’s never played in the EPL… so you would have to figure he’d take some adjustment to the play in England.
August 5th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
I am ready to be slagged off by my fellow AA pundits, but here are my choices for DM:
My first choice would be Verdan Corluka of Manchester City if he would be made available.
Corluka because at age 22, he is young enough but has both PL and International experience, good technical skills, has pace, is versatile enough to play RB, CB, LM and DM, provides height at 6′ 4″ with excellent aerial ability, and definitely provides the missing “STEEL”.
My others in order of preference would be, Inler, De La Red, Barry, Alonso.
Inler is a poor mans Corluka because he has not had the same quality experience but has all the other assets.
De La Red is excellent but lacks the versatility of the aforementioned, Barry is older and would only be a stop gap for a few years at a ridiculously high price, and Alonso does not bring the required steel and defensive acumen,
August 5th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Well the RUMOR is that Totteringham are preparing a TRIPLE SWOOP for
60 MILLION GPB.
If they sell Berbatov to United… who will have Rooney out with a virus to start the season…
and bring in:
DAVID VILLA, who virtually every one on here drooled over
ANDREI ARSHAVIN, who many on the site wanted us to get but thought too expensive
VERDAN CORLUKA, who CaribKid and others mentioned as someone they’d like to see us peg.
This would be an amazing bunch of signings… lots of cash out… and would clearly make the Totts CONTENDERS… and definitely a TOP 4 choice…
I’d be very interested in seeing the ARCGB (Arsenal Red Colored Glass Brigade)
and what the response would be to that?
Would you downplay the Spurz chances then? Its NOT the fan’s money, so why wouldn’t they be ALL FOR IT.
They would be big favorites to crash the Top 4 in England. I’d have to say we’d be most likely to fall out if that happened… because the Pool would RUN for Barry and stop fecking about… it would put real pressure on the other teams.
Usually, its PURE FOLLY, when The Totts get linked to a star player or big signing… but it would be a real kick in the teeth if this ever occured.
August 5th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Re Totts: Lot of new signings to mesh in in one season. They will do well though, especially without the distraction of CL. But I think Liverpool should be more worried than us. I believe Keane is an idiot for leaving Tottenham for Liverpool, esp. when it seems Liverpool are even more skint than we are, and Tottenham spending like crazy.
It will make the derbys even tougher though than they already are.
And Stag, the more I think about it, the less I like the idea of either Barry or Alonso. Alonso is not defensive enough, and I think Barry is overpriced, and as we are skint, I would rather trust in Wenger to find a (slighty) younger, cheaper and more dynamic version.
August 5th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Hopefully that rumor is BS as they would have a team which could take the CC and FA this year and certainly threaten for the PL and Cl next season..
Hopefully it falls into the 99% of S**T emanating from the bored press corp trying to drum up readership and internet hits.
If they were to spend that money (based on loans no doubt) an ownership change would have to be imminent otherwise they would be bankrupt in a few years.
August 5th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
that would mean that 5 out of their 6 strikers and mids are new to the team……hence still no way they will challenge this year. if they then keep the players together then they will become a force.
u dont just buy 8 first team players and suddenly break into top 4.
August 5th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
In debating all this stuff I forgot to make my predictions for this season:
EPL 4th
CL WIN
CC Semis
FA Finals
How bout DAT
August 5th, 2008 at 11:37 pm
Nice Nice…EPL atleast 2nd though..maybe even win as I wear those red tinted glasses
August 5th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Personally I hope Spurs are really going to spend another 60 mil!
when Jose first took charge of Chelsea, Arsenal freshed off from an unbeaten season, with Chelsea getting their 1-0 win game after game started the 2005 season. I said, watch out for Chelsea. A few others disagreed. Why worry? We are the invincible!
I worried about Chelsea back then it’s because i knew they finally got it right. At the past, they always full of stars, full of promise, yet lack of character, and weak at the back. Growing up from the GG era, I understand it perfectly well how a strong defence could carry you to. Mourinho got the BASIC right.
Spurs, on the other hand, ATTACK is never their problem. Their problem is their defence. They are trying to do a Chelsea II - try buying their way to glory. Good for them.
One thing that seperate them from Chelsea though, when Jose too charge, Chelsea already got a strong spine, Terry, Lampard were already there. In fact, if i remember it rightly, Chelsea finished 2nd the season before Jose took charge.
Spurs though, they are not foundatmentally as strong as Chelsea. And they want to change the whole look of the team altogether in one season.
will those all signings all find their feet in the Premiership from day one? is it only Alexander Hleb needs to take time settling in in the Premiership? and every Spurs’ new signing are perfectly fit for the Premiership?
God bless them to qualify for CL. for if they fail, they will be in BIG trouble.
August 5th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Andez… if they managed to somehow bring in that triple swoop, I do think they would be challenging mightily for the top 4.
That’s GREAT talent.
It would take time to mesh, no doubt… and it would be a huge financial gamble, to make the CL next year. If they failed, they’d have to sell sell sell. But its sport. Its fun, cause its not my money or my team… so it would be VERY interesting… thats for sure.
It would be NO different from Chelsea, buying their way into the big 4… except there isn’t a Russian Tycoon doing the buying.
I think if it happened, it would send shock-waves thru the top 4… that you are not impenetrable… it would make it interesting compared to the top 4 and everyone else.
TRUE. I will give you this… DEFENSE still wins titles. And the incoming players are not exactly defensive stalwarts… but Corluka might help.
Its Totteringham though. We always hear about who they ALMOST signed… before the big name says… ummm no thanks.
We’d be fighting for our top 4 life… and Liverpool might be as well.
August 5th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
The only think I am not happy about with things developing at White Hart Lane is they haven’t spending enough. They should go on and throw another 40 mil to make it 100 mil. That would surely strike a fear factor into other teams’ mind. This game is about mental afterall. Personally I would advice them to sell the White Hart Lane, and use the money to make it 200 mil spending spree, that would give their fans and players a HUGH morale boost, and confidence boost.
August 5th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
My prediction for the new season:
1. Man Utd (well, Ronaldo is staying)
2. Arsenal
3. Chelsea
4. Liverpool
5. Everton
6. Manchester City
7. Aston Villa
August 5th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Andez, you don’t have to like Spurz, probably HATE them because you are old school! But they are going to be challenging for Europe … no doubt about it.
Just because we don’t spend ANY money… why does it bother you that other teams have money to spend, and actually TRY to improve?
Doesn’t make sense.
Everton - 5th?
That team is an absolute SHAMBLES. They were horrific in the entire pre-season… played here in the States and were embarrased by MLS teams.
They aren’t going to be close to top 5.
Thats my prediction!
When the teams are done spending and the season is about to start, and we see who starts on what teams… and who is injured, etc… I’ll predict!
But we aren’t winning the league… that much I know.
August 6th, 2008 at 3:24 am
Everton were a shambles in the pre-season? Why does theirs matter but ours doesn’t?
We don’t spend ANY money? Did I miss something, or did Samir Nasri and Aaron Ramsey just sprout up out of the pitch wearing Arsenal colors?
Improvement comes from spending loads of money? Is that why LFC and Spurs both spent more than Arsenal last year and still finished behind them?
That much you know? You know nothing. That’s why it’s so easy to rip on your utterly mindless comments.
August 6th, 2008 at 6:50 am
The complete and typical airhead comment from Stag that we have come to expect … lol.
Everton have been “horrible” in PRE-F-KING SEASON ….therefore they are a “shambles”.
Very intelligent logic from you there staggy.
August 5th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Stag has gone from predicting Arsenal falling out of the Top 10 last season..to the more circumspect..not winning the league this season
Well if anyone wanted proof that overall the Arsenal team has actually improved for the coming season ..then this is it.
One a more serious note…i believe Spurs will make the Top 4 this year…but Arsenal definitely won’t be the one’s falling out….my bets are on Liverpool going out.
It’s not necessarily a bad thing…Man U, Chelsea and Liverpool will all be required to be worried not only us.In the past..if we lost to a weak team…then we only had to hope and pray for a miracle that some other underdog also surprises another top 4 team to stay in the race OR else wait for the Super Sunday games involving the top 4 to reduce the deficit.
With teams like Spurs, Villa and City this year …everyone will have to be on their toes….and even if a team slips up..it’s not necessarily the end of the road.
August 5th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
Re: Barry vs Alonso
I lean towards Alonso. It seems most think we need a defensive midfielder, so Cesc can go forward without worrying about defending, and that can work. But I think Alonso and Cesc would more equally share offense and defense. Alonso can pick out and execute a long pass, has decent shot, is a big guy (not a giant, but not small) and not afraid to tackle. The only thing that kept him out of Spain Euro games was Senna’s form; when Alonso did play he looked good.
I also think Alonso is a better player than he is showing at Liverpool, he doesn’t look happy there. No matter what he does Gerrard will always be ahead of him, and now Mascherano has locked down the DM spot. How is he going to get on the field if Benny spends 18 mil on Barry? I think Alonso is leaving, but I don’t know where.
So I’d be delighted if we got Alonso, and I wouldn’t complain about Barry (except how much we might pay for him.) But I have to agree with Stag and CK that we are more likely to get Inler or de la Red, on the basis of price. What I like about Corluka is that he’s got a cool head, he doesn’t get bent out of shape about anything. But I’m not sure MC would let him go, even for a lot of money.
August 5th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Predictions:
1. Man U
2. Chelsea
3. Arsenal
4. Liverpool
5. Aston Villa
6. Spurs
7. Pompey
8. Man City
9. Everton
Champs League: Quaterfinals
Carling Cup: Semi final
FA Cup: Quater finals
Also expecting one or two of our first team starters to move to a “bigger” club next year. : P
August 5th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
I m actually a bit suprised and disappointed when browising other forums, with debates subjected “Will Spurs be the top North London club this season”?… i thought i would be seeing Spurs fans gloating about their top 4 chances crap like that as usual, to my suprise, many of them actually took a quite sensible view.
perhaps they had learned their lesson and become wiser realising that afterall, this is not Football Manager.
i m disappointed. missed a chance to throw them some sticks!
August 5th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Re: Spurs
If they do make that triple swoop, EXPECTATIONS of a top 4 finish will be unavoidable. But there are a lot of reasons they might not make it. Don’t forget they lost Keane and Berbatov (well, they have to finance the triple swoop somehow!) and last spring Defoe. So how many good players are they bringing in, net? Their defense is still suspect, have they addressed that?
So, it’s a lot like last year in that they have high expectations and a lot of attention. I think they won’t make the top 4, but should make 5-8; and if they do they’ll have a shot at top 4 the year after that.
I have to think that Spurs would have finished higher last year if Jol wasn’t undermined. The transition turmoil cost them the first 3-4 months of the season. We’ll never know how competitive they would have been. Probably 5th
August 5th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
No stag, it doesn’t bother me other team spending money. otherwise i wouldn’t have suggested Spurs to sell their ground in order to spend more!
in fact, i love it. the more they spend the more i m happy. cos it just show u what their board is really made up of. A board like that, we really don’t have to worry about. cos it’s always in the manager’s interest to spend spend spend, as they would help to improve their CV. frankly it’s not their own money, and even if Spurs go broke i doubt ramos would shed a tear.
the board though is the key. it shows you their strategy to run their club. that’s why i think it’s silly Leeds fans blamed O’Leary. of course O’Leary wanted to spend. it’s the board’s decision ALLOWING him to that cause Leeds’ eventual meltdown.
Chelsea is the only excpetion. but they weren’t real anyway. the money they spent was unreal. other clubs weren’t capable of doing that.
note here: WHERE Spurs’ money coming from? they never qualified for CL, so no CL money. yes they sold some players, but it’s far from enough to cover their spending. Their UEFA cup income last season was less than half an million. their home ground capacity is lesser than Arsenal. yet in recent few seasons, they probably had spent more than Wenger’s entire career with Arsenal.
worst of all, they must have the most players turnover in recent years than any other club in EPL. they said they had cleared all the DEAD WOODS. yet merely last summer, those DEAD WOODS were supposed to break into the top 4. So who can say the new players they buy in won’t end up as another bunch of DEAD WOODS?
my point is - do they even give their players TIME to settle in into the team? Had Alexander Hleb gone to Spurs 3 seasons ago, i m pretty sure he would have ended up as a piece of the DEAD WOODS of Spurs and be sold year ago because he would never had the TIME luxury like he did with Arsenal allowing him to settle in.
so WHAT DIRECTION Spurs are heading? to me it’s crystal clear.
August 5th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
I am pretty sure Spurs will not make into top 4 in another 3 years. The top 4 is too good and far away in terms of class.
The triple swoop doesn’t scare me. They wont have the consistency even with those 3 players. By next year, they will start buying high price players all over again. Tough luck spuds.
August 5th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Hell why am i even argue with u on Spurs anyway? I m intended to give the Spurs fans sticks, ended up arguing with an Arsenal fan. Funny.
August 5th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
Throw in a classic example on why PLAYER NAMES and SPENDING does not necessary decide the actual STRENGTH of a team - EVERTON FOOTBALL CLUB.
do they even have stars? Man City spent 70 mil last summer. Spurs 50 mil. i don’t know how much Everton spent.
August 6th, 2008 at 1:02 am
We face Man U and Chelsea in Nov. We see Sp**s the last week in Oct in our 10th game of the season. The start of this season is absolutely tailor made for us to get max points out of 30 possible points.
Our rivals with exception of Pool are already in trouble. Rooney has a virus and can’t train and will miss some games at the start. Ronaldo is recovering from his knee surgery and who knows when he’ll return. Even more of a reason to bring in Berbatov to salvage the start of the season. What impact will the departure of Queiroz have is also something that could have a negative effect on Man U’s players.
Drogba is recovering from knee surgery. Kalou is in Beijing. Will Scolari give Schevchenko a chance to revive his Chelsea career or will he remain a 30mil paper weight. Chelsea will still have enough talent to support Anelka as he works to impress Scolari. Still waiting for SWP to have a breakout season. Did Joe Cole do anything of note last year beside some slo-mo step-overs?
Pool IMO will be the early team to keep at bay with or without Barry. I too thought Ramos could be a successor to Wenger. He’s at Sp**s now and so far he’s doing a good job. I told Sp**s supporters than he would clean house and lo and behold he has. Consider this though: when the inevitable injury hits their back line (King or Woodgate) they’ll have to go w/ Dawson. Even Senderos’ (L) nut can defend better than him. We only need to worry about Sp**s if Ramos succeeds in changing their mindset.
August 6th, 2008 at 1:15 am
Agreed ctpa, our rivals all have problems to deal with at season’s start, which you effectively outlined.
The key for Arsenal will be to get out of the box early and try to hang on to the lead in the latter part of the season.
August 6th, 2008 at 4:05 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITVSdAzBjXY&feature=related
forget about the 17 mil “I’ve made it big” Rat Face, check out the above clip, this kid of us is for REAL. yup it’s only a reserve match, but the awareness (of his assist), and the ability to curve the ball with such an ease (his shot), it’s a sign for a very good player in the making.
and this kid is for FREE! no wonder Arsene was smiling!
August 6th, 2008 at 7:00 am
If we get in a proper CM and we handle the business in our first 10 matches like we are supposed to, I predict:
1) Man U
Pompey
2) Arsenal
3) Chelsea
4) Liverpool
5) Everton
6) Spurs
7) Man City
August 6th, 2008 at 8:36 am
Although Manu is on paper the best side and should win, what are the odds of them winning three in a row?
Does anyone know how many times that has been achieved in the PL, if any?
August 6th, 2008 at 8:52 am
caribkid, i think Man U had actually done a 3 peat a couple times under Fergie. i saw their odds from a bookie to win it is 6/5, Chelsea 2/1, with Arsenal on 11/2. from betting’s point of view, i think we are at good value.
frankly apart from the top 4 should be business as usual, the rest of the pack would have a dogfight among themselves - Spurs and City are both big spenders. Everton and Villa are managed by good coaches, playing solid, difficult to beat football. Harry Redknapp gotta be the most cunning fox in the transfer market behind Wenger. Portsmouth at home are particular difficult to beat. with West Ham being another dark horse.
the promotion sides must be among the weakest the Premiership ever seen. Stoke City won promotion through their direct football, it’s impossible for them to change their style now, yet if they play this way they are going to get punished hard. while all the talks surrounded Hull City is merely to “prevent doing a Derby”. And Derby, as a club, is far bigger than Hull….
i fully expect Hull will be doing a Watford years ago, by keeping that 60 mil they got from promoting to the top flight, and wouldn’t want to wash it away with silly spending, just in case they will be back to the Championship comes the end of the season.
August 6th, 2008 at 8:58 am
Thanks for the info
August 6th, 2008 at 11:08 am
Death, taxes and Hull going down. Their best forward Campbell has gone back to the mother ship (Man U) where he’ll probably be starting w/ Rooney and Ronaldo out. I watched Hull in the game that got them promoted and they are dreadful. Dean Windass at 50yo is not going to scare even the Hoyte Bros in defense.
Stoke, WBA, and Hull are the teams we must and should clinically carve open without mercy. I mean let them be bled dry. Torn asunder so that their own mothers won’t recognize them.
August 6th, 2008 at 10:08 am
EVERTON?
Yes. When you are SUCK that badly against the likes of MLS teams, you are in TROUBLE.
I don’t care if its pre-season or what.
If you read the reports of how they played and the problems that Everton have on the pitch… maybe?
I’ll bet against them finishing any where NEAR the top 5.
August 6th, 2008 at 10:55 am
You got that right. They either have no money (considering their debt which has flown under the radar) or they can’t find anyone who wants to come to them. They can’t hold Fulham up for ransom on the Johnson transfer because he has knee damage. The Moutinho deal is an outrageous amount of money for someone who did very little in Euro 2008. Everton could be in for some deep doo-doo this season.
August 6th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
If I recall some MLS teams have defeated Chelsea and Man U in recent pre-seasons.
From your absolutely “GENIUS” logic ……………………………….
And that is why you should absolutely stay away from punditry…because most of the time you comment its obvious you dont know much about footie.
August 6th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
MLS teams are in mid season form when they play the friendlies in the summer and have beaten the European giants on quite a few occasions, including top teams from Serie A and La Liga.
Not saying Everton is not s**t, just saying you can’t go based on those performances.
August 6th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Fred. You being the millionaire you are… from all your winnings… you should probably get your own TV show…. so we can all learn from you.
What exactly makes you think you know a damned thing more than anyone else on this site… or anywhere for that matter…
you are a pompous arrogant ass.
We’ll see how Everton do. You obviously haven’t heard about their exploits in the US. But you know everything, so maybe you have.
August 6th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
One doesnt have to be a genius to know you know nothing. On this site you know the LEAST about football. Even when I argue with people like Mazza, I does have some logic to his arguments - completely UNLIKE you!
Ofcourse if you knew anything at all you would know that the MLS are midseason and are hence much fitter than most European teams at this stage. Oh, by the way AC Milan, Chelsea, Man U, Barca have all lost in the US in the last few pre-seasons.
But sure, even though Everton finished 5th after 38 games last season, they “MUST” be a whack team because of pre-season games in the US.
Pathetic logic.
August 6th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
This isn’t last season.
Though you are still a pompous ass, from last season.
That much I know.
August 6th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
“this isnt last season”
by your logic then the top 4 of last season all start completely afresh then - since there is no point carrying over the precedence.
your idiocy is outstanding - even by your standards!
August 6th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
apparently, it’s that time of the year again: Stag makes some ridiculous and patently negative statements/predictions and the rest of us literally chase him off the site with our words (no one really ever loved merchants of doom). He then goes AWOL for a few months only to return when the season is well and truly under way.
i like this site
August 6th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Hang on a sec. Calling Fred a pompous arrogant ass?
Isn’t that like the pot calling the kettle black?!
Having said that Stag, it is obvious you know loads about football, the thing that annoys me is the way you get your point across. A little condescending for my liking. But please keep posting, it is always interesting.
Now, where has Mazza gone?