Squad 08/09
September 8, 2008
So all the dust has settled and all the anger and frustration (from most of us anyway) has abated a bit, it’s time to have a good look at the team that will swim or sink us this season.
It is not a very dynamic team but if injuries are very minimal we might do something this season. We will need Rosicky to come back by October and stay fit all season (yeah I know), we will also need Van Persie to stay fit all season as well (yeah I know), we will need Eduardo to come back by December and be firing fully by April!
Plus, we will need Walcott to step up big, big, big time and hope Nasri, Adebayor, Fabregas have phenomenal seasons.
Our only chance of winning the league (lol) is for all these factors to go our way! So it’s safe to say that it’s unlikely for us to win the league this year. But there is no reason we can not go all out for the league cup and the Champions League. No reason whatsoever.
The current squad as it stands contains 30 players, and I will assume their positions below.
——————-Ade————–RvP———————–
—————–(Bendtner)——-(Vela)———————-
—————–(Eduardo)——-(Walcott)——————–
Nasri————-Fabregas———-Song—————Walcott
(Wilshere)——-(Denilson)——-(Diaby)————(Rosicky)
(Merida)———(Ramsey)———(Randall)———(Bischoff)
Clichy————-Gallas————Toure————–Sagna
(Silvestre)——–(Silvestre)——(Djorou)———–(Eboue)
(Gibbs)———–(G. Hoyte)——–(Song)———(Landsbury)
—————————Almunia—————————
————————–(Fabianski)————————
—————————(Mannone)————————-
It looks like a deep squad, but the depth is mostly illusionary and weak, especially with Denilson as a starter.
What I will never understand is why Wenger let go of Traore, Senderos and Hoyte and brought in ONLY an injured Silvestre. Especially when Eboue will have to do most of his work in midfield. What it means is that we can’t even REST our defense.
There is so much mixing and matching, its incredible.
Oh well, we must lie on our made bed and hope for the best!
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September 8th, 2008 at 11:25 am
Bischoff has been left off the team roster for CL matches
Yes this is THE squad, sink or swim, come hell or high water, through thick or thin, come what may. So we all should get on w/ it and save the anguished whining, hand wringing and getting a case of the vapors 
Another Wikipedia entry from some sadist concerning Appiah. The usual Appiah spotted at London Colney having a medical BS w/ signing to be announced. Writer gets an “F” for lack of creativity and plagiarism.
Off Topic: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/sep/08/manchestercity.premierleague.
This is very reminiscent of a posting I made about how Arsenal needed to bring in a marketing person who could drive their brand globally and further diminish the perception of the need for small fry billionaires like Usmanov.
September 8th, 2008 at 11:27 am
I would rather we continue to play the kids in the CC and aim to win the FA Cup. Winning the CC will mean a trophy, but it is not something we can really look back upon nor will it help us keep good players. The FA Cup just might.
September 8th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
I think you are wrong.
The FA cup is in May, we WILL be too tired by then, trying to juggle CL, the league finale plus injuries. By then Fabregas, Nasri, Adebayor will all be barely walking and Rosicky and RvP will 99% most likely be in the sick bays.
The CC does not collide with anything. We will be done with it by the time the business end of CL, FA or league start.
It would be a big booster for our other cup aspirations. Think of it this way, this whole not won anything in the last 3, 4 years is hanging over their heads (and Wengers head too). A CC win will calm them down seriously.
Besides, what kids can we play in CC, Denilson, Eboue and Walcott, Song, Diaby, Bendtner all were staples of the CC last year, now they are all vital for the first team. Plus remember we dont even have backup defenders anymore!
The CC will really relieve Wenger and will serve as some sort of vindication for his philosophy. If we add one or two savvy buys in January we can then go for both the CL and FA cup knowing with proper confidence.
September 8th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Whoever wrote this article is obviously out of touch. Last year we came within touching distance of the title with injuries and all, in fact we might have won it had Eduardo’s freak injury not happened. This year I think we can all agree Arsenal are a better team. Nasri was added to do what Hleb couldn’t do; finish from midfield, Theo is a year better and looks as though he has finally buffed up enough to hold off defenders and Vela looks great, he just needs to get used to the pace of the EPL which could only take half a season if he learns quickly. The only real concern any of us should have is with Adebayor. Can he provide the spark when the team is having an off day and/or playing with mediocrity? Aside from that I can’t see any problems with our team… in fact I think we should be talking about which trophy we’re not gonna win instead of which one we will win… personally I think we’re gonna win the FA cup for sure, and if we get the luck a champion needs we’ll also win the league, the Champions League and a treble is a huge stretch, but I wouldn’t count it out… I don’t care about the carling cup just so long as we don’t get spanked by the those c*nts again.
September 8th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
“This year I think we can all agree Arsenal are a better team.”
“in fact I think we should be talking about which trophy we’re not gonna win instead of which one we will win…”
“a treble is a huge stretch, but I wouldn’t count it out…”
And this clown is talking about out of touch? lol.
September 8th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Lots of people are saying that these physio’s have gotten to the bottom of Rosicky’s injury problems- however this is not the case. What they have gotten to the bottom of is this particular injury, the one they spent weeks twiddling their thumbs with after the Newcastle match in January. In an overall sense though, they are completely none the wiser, so it wouldn’t be a shock at all to see Rosicky pick up a completely unrelated injury in a few weeks into his comeback.
Fran Merida- I’m afraid- doesn’t look ready. He hasn’t progressed one jot since the move to Spain and still lacks any physical presence. Which is shame considering that he’s technically miles ahead of someone like Denilson. Wenger will move him on next year I’m sure. Merida might be one of those who flourishes at the very deep end so I’m not completely ruling him out. He might play alot better with better players.
Lol at “I think we can agree we are a better team”. Someone was snoozing during the Fulham match.
September 8th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
you are out of touch… “Our only chance of winning the league (lol)” winnning the league this year is very real posiblilty.
“Lol at “I think we can agree we are a better team”. Someone was snoozing during the Fulham match” I may have been snoozing for the fulham match, but i was wide awake for the fc twente and new castle matches…
September 8th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
http://www.thespoiler.co.uk/index.php/2008/09/08/french-star-says-leaving-arsenal-is-the-biggest-regret-of-his-life
What is Hleb’s best position?
September 8th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
The grass is truly greener on the interior side of The Grove. Too bad so many players are learning Petit’s lesson the hard way he did.
I think we can compete – this team is young, but they’ll be tried by fire. I’d rather have a team of players dedicated to the cause than a bunch of hired guns who’ll kiss the badge of the highest bidder.
September 8th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Bgurlitz made a name for himself in one post. Have to disagree though. Nasri was a great buy but he would have been an even better addition.Taking nothing away from him but had we kept Hleb AND added Nasri, I would have been a lot more ecstatic. I’m sorry but I can not see how anyone can say that our problems have been solved from last year. Still, the current squad is young and growing and I’m excited for this year if not overly optimistic.
September 8th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
FC Twente really means nothing but I agree, the Newcastle match was excellent.
A lot of this season depends on the development of Theo Walcott. His run against Liverpool in the 2nd leg of the CL quarter finals is something that gives me great confidence in him. Also, he has assumed a starting role for the English national team(at least for the easy games) so his confidence in himself will only grow.
I essentially feel that Walcott is a new arrival this season like Nasri. I expect great things from the two. Things much greater than something Hleb could create. If we sign Appiah to fill the DM position then I think we are a better team than last year and have a good shot at winning the EPL.
September 8th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Hleb could create just fine, it was his finishing that was skiwompous. I feel that even IF we do sign Appiah, our starting eleven could be better than last years but that does nothing about our lack of depth. If its any consolation, I’d say our roster of injured and walking dead last year was far and away the best, bar none.
September 8th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
42 players on the Champions league roster, doesn’t include Bischoff or the loanees. That is seven more than ManU, 14 more than Liverpool and 15 more than Chelsea.
As for Fred’s squad list, why is Lansbury at third-choice right-back. Sagna, Eboue, Toure, Djourou, Silvestre, probably in that order, and if you have to go to the kids at that stage, there is Paul Rodgers, Gavin Hoyte or Kyle Bartley who would play there ahead of Lansbury. Some of the other deeper options are a bit strange. I thought Bischoff was a central midfielder and Eboue should be wide right.
I would support the view that the squad is better than at the end of last season. Lehmann, Gilberto, Diarra, Flamini, Hleb, Senderos, Gilbert and Traore are gone.
Goalkeeping, both Almunia and Fabianski look better (anyone see Poland play?), don’t think Lehmann will be missed. Overall, slightly better looking.
Defence: Djourou was at Birmingham for the first half of last season and injured for the second half of the season so is effectively a new signing at the back along with Silvestre. Both of them are versatile and give plenty of cover. Sagna and Clichy look to have come on further and Song is a creditable fifth-choice centre-half. Definitely better now.
Midfield: Wilshere, Ramsey, Bischoff and Nasri are the additions in midfield, Denilson is better, Walcott grown up a lot. Vela can also play wide left. If Rosicky is fit again soon we may not be weaker but overall we could have done with another body in there so end of last season looks better for the moment.
Strikers: Van Persie fit, Adebayor on a new contract, Bendtner a year older, Eduardo on the way back, Vela signed and Walcott on the up. Definitely better than the end of last season.
So in three out of four areas, we look stronger and in the other, if Fabregas stays fit, Rosicky and Bischoff get fitness and form, we may not be as weak as we think.
No room for complacency, certainly not time to be singing about invincibles but no need for doom and gloom either.
September 8th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Once again we are left to play the mighty game of “IF”.
If Walcott matures and learn how to play 90 minutes, if Fab and Almunia doesn’t get hurt, if Denilson, Ramsey and Bendtner can improve, if Eboue can become a consistent starter, if Rosicky and Eduardo come back whole, if RVP and Silvestre can remain healthy, If Arsene would only give Song a chance to solidify the DM position, if Diaby regains his health and makes DM his own after playing all of 1 half in that position, if Bischoff can regain his health and contribute this season.
This is a whole heap of IF’s.
If I was a rich man I probably would be on the Jamaican Riviera, Negril, catching some sun rays, drinking some Appleton VX rum and watching bikini clad females from all over the world rather than being on AA
Fact is, every team has if’s but we have too many to feel comfortable. Not dogging Arsene here, just being realistic and saying what is.
The extent of success or failure of our season will mostly hinge on a few keys players whom I consider the most important unknown quantities.
Rosicky: If he comes back to his old form and stays healthy he will be immense for our side because we would now have 3 creative midfielders who can score, maintain possession and dictate the game’s pace. This would also allow us to rest one while playing the other two to avoid burnout and provide many more formation alternatives. This would also take the pressure of expectations off Walcott’s shoulders, allow him to be a super sub with the occasional spot start mixed in and a run out in the FA and CC.
Eboue and Denilson: Like it or not, Wenger will keep the faith in these two and they will be squad regulars for most part. If both are able to mature, grow in confidence, learn to do the little things well by playing within the confines of the team concept, become consistent and add a few goals then we are in good shape.
Song: If Song is allowed the chance to play at DM we will certainly have a solid midfield and the required defensive acumen and more height down the middle. His contributions would especially be valuable in the EPL when we face those long ball teams on a daily basis and also provide defensive stability in those away games on water logged pitches devoid of grass.
September 8th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Agree with you Goonerade, except for Walcott.
Walcott has yet to play a good game for 90 minutes. Last year he came on as a super sub and was excellent in that role. Every game he has started in this season he has disappeared after 30 minutes if he decided to show up at all. Even against Andorra he was brilliant for the first 20 minutes and then resorted to his ghostly ways.
I love the youngster and hope he will overcome these frailties but please understand he is not in the same class as Vela at this moment and certainly do not see him as a consistently effective starter this term. Over the past 2 seasons our team always seem to have 1 or 2 baggage handlers as starters while better players are left on the bench. Last year our baggage handlers were Eboue and Diaby and we have now added Denilson to the fold while often leaving Vela and Song on the bench.
September 8th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
I wouldn’t include Bischoff Irishgunner,
No one even knows how good he can be even when he returns from injury. Obviously Arsene must know something we don’t, but we have no data to suggest he will be another one of Arsene’s hidden gems or a complete dud.
September 8th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
If we sign Appiah then I’d be thrilled. He’s a better player than Flamini or Barry and he’s been the captain of Ghana for quite some time so he undoubtedly has leadership ability. With him in the team, I don’t think we’d miss Flamini, which was one of my biggest fears for this season.
He’s saying there are talks but that he can’t say more. That sounds like Wenger’s style but, lately, it’s not Wenger’s style to bring somone in that will be in front of one of the youngsters. He’ll need time to adapt and get fit again but that shouldn’t take long.
It’s plain to see (for me) that Diaby is not the right answer. I have a funny feeling that Wenger may not be convinced. I think we should have sold him to Portsmouth or Tottenham back in January. One of those teams is rumored to have offered 7mil for him. We’ll see how this works out.
September 8th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Lansbury is there because thats the only place I could fit him – and I wanted to list all 30 players… lol
Wenger has said he sees Bischoff more as a winger than a CM.
As for your points. Almunia is a mediocre keeper. He doesnt come out well, he gets beaten at the near post easily and has never made an incredible “he is not supposed to get that” save. Last season we had Almunia, Lehmann, Fabianski.
Now we have Almunia, Fabianski, Mannone. How exactly are we better???
Defense. Silvestre is injury prone. And we are 3 men short in number – meaning we cant rest Clichy or Sagna adequately enough, I dont see how we are stronger in anyway.
Midfield is definitely worse.
Attack is our only saving grace.
September 8th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
I’ll assume this response is tongue in cheek!
But who knows, there are people that actually believe this… on this site!
September 8th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
How can you say we are better than last season?
We certainly aren’t better depth-wise…. so we are not more prepared for a season in which we play in 4 competitions!!
It was our undoing, and thats with Wenger giving up on the FA Cup and CC.
Basically we are saying that we have to have everything go our way, not have injuries to key players… and pray to high heaven that Cesc doesn’t have a “Tom Brady” injury… if Cesc is out injured for any period of time, we are LOST. He is our Tom Brady.
We were PATHETIC without him in the line-up. It was an embarrasing performance against Fulham.
The problem is, there is no evidence we’ll be able to win tough matches in the dead of Winter… on the road…. or that we can rely on Rosicky and RVP to remain fit for long periods.
We need all that… and a bit of magic from Arsene’s hat…
Appiah would be nice. I just doubt it… based on recent history with the team. He would displace a young player. We can’t possibly do that.
Madness.
September 8th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
I was happy when Appiah’s name was linked to Arsenal in a possible free transfer. I am happy to see the turmoil affecting WHU that will surely give any transfer target pause and strengthen our bid (if we are in discussions). Appiah’s non-committal comments have the taint of Arsenal discretion unlike M’bia’s Gervinho imitation. The end of the week is decision day for Appiah. Portsmouth among other unknowns are in the mix for Appiah’s signature.
I do have a problem w/ the the possible Appiah deal and it is this: Arsenal will become the football world’ s leader in bringing in reclamation projects. Except for Nasri, Coquelin, and Ramsey, Arsenal’s transfers (Bischoff, Silvestre and ?Appiah) will be resurrecting their bodies and their careers w/ us. It is one thing to lament the quality and depth of our present squad but we are now adding players whose upsides fall in the realm of speculation. I’m game but do these players really meet the transfer criteria Wenger has outlined on numerous occasions and I would say emphatically no. I can no longer snicker at Stoke or Hull for bringing in loads of warm healthy bodies w/ EPL ‘experience’ because we haven’t even met those minimums.
September 9th, 2008 at 6:57 am
Your argument on why we have a better chance of winning the CC than the FA Cup is valid. But I am not convinced that winning the CC will help in keeping the likes of Cesc at the club. We need to do better than that.
September 9th, 2008 at 9:26 am
Looks like the injury curse has hit Chelsea this time..with Essien ruled out for the year. Always thought that he is their most dangerous player and a guy who could turn a game on his own…with Robinho and SWP at City, Shevchenko on loan and now Essien injured….will be interesting to see how this affects Chelsea’s season.
Somehow got the impression that Abramovich tightened his purse strings during this transfer window….wonder why..
September 9th, 2008 at 9:37 am
Essien is a big loss for Chelsea. But at least they have better depth in the middle than us.
Tightened his purse strings? Well, he was simply outbid… not sure that means he is tight?
TIGHT = Arsenal!!!
September 9th, 2008 at 10:44 am
Chelsea could suddenly make a move for Appiah rather than rely soley on Mikel! Essien’s injury means he’s out for a year. We know that they would/could offer a bigger pay packet Arsenal who are NOT tight, just frugal
http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=855960.
Should we be worried about this latest piece of claptrap? The mistake this rumor makes is it mentions “oodles of money” and Arsenal supporters know that does not motivate Wenger. I would be worried though if my names were either Senderos or Flamini.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Knowing Chelski, they will be in the hunt for Appiah and this does not bode well for Arsene’s chances to get him, if indeed he wants to.
Essien is a huge blow to Chelski and they will be hard put to perform up to par with an older team which has quite a few injuries and no Robhino. They will be very active in the next transfer window and will try to hold on until the reinforcements arrive in January.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Wenger would never go to Italy or Spain because he would not have total control of football operations.
If and when he leaves Arsenal, I see him as the French manager or with one of the Lique 1 teams where he can have control and raise the youngsters his way.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Is the statement below a new rule?
“UEFA rules state that four players in the 25-man CL party must be produced by the club’s own academy, while four others can be produced by an English academy.”
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=570540&sec=uefachampionsleague&cc=5901
I never heard of this rule before. Can anyone enlighten me and if so, how would this affect Arsenal since only Clichy, Walcott, Ramsey and Wilshire from the first team would qualify. Does it mean we throw in the likes of Merida, Simpson, Barazite and Lansbury just to make up numbers.
September 9th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
On the topic of injuries, it looks like David Silva is out for three months. Now I’m glad Arsenal didn’t try to get him.
September 9th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Wenger would never take a job at AC. Their team is always made up of older and experienced players. They’re just like the Yankees, loads of money and they pick up players after they have already made a name for themselves. These players tend to be on the tail end of their career and thats certainly not Wenger’s style. EPL football is the quickest football there is and Arsenal’s is the quickest in the EPL. Serie A football is slow, the opposite of Arsenal’s.
Could he change their style? No. Like CaribKid said, the managers don’t have total control of operations.
No reason he would ever take the AC job.
September 9th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
No mistake, Chelsea are in a world of hurt without Essien. He is the most imposing player they have. He’s the most dynamic player they have. He’s the hardest working player they have. He’s the reason they were able to stay competitive last year despite all the injuries. As soon as he came back into the team, they started winning games. Right back’s hurt, play Essien there. CB’s hurt, play Essien there. RM hurt, play Essien there.
They’ve lost Ben Haim, Wright-Phillips, Sidwell, Makelele, Sheva and Pizzaro. Ballack and Bosingwa are broke, Deco will flop, and Lampard is way too overrated. In fairness, they’ve still got Obi Mikel, who is very good, but if they lose him, or a CB, then they’re screwed; maybe even at RB. I know they’re happy they didn’t sell Ferreira to West Ham but they preferred Essien to both he and Belletti. Chelsea look almost as thin as us by losing that one player. We’ll see how they cope with his abscence.
September 9th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
We have 42 players in our Champions League squad. Unlike Liverpool who had to leave out Sami Hyppia because of the restrictions, our squad is always planned with one eye on the rules.
If an under-21 player has spent two years at the club, they qualify for the B-list and are therefore extra to the 25. Fabregas is in his last year on this list. Others like Denilson, Djourou and Bendtner will all qualify as local players once they turn 21. In the meantime they qualify for the B-list. Of the departed players, Hoyte and Senderos both qualified under the CL rule.
In future years, the stream of players from our academy will mean we will easily meet the quota. Of the other main players, Utd. are best placed but in the next few years Liverpool and Chelsea will have to produce a few players or sign the best of English talent. Benitez has already complained about the difficulty of signing the best kids.
September 9th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Thanks,
Appreciate the info.Now I now what the A and B lists are.
September 9th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Hurrah, Hurrah, maybe they will fire Scolari mid term, Terry due to get injured again, and drop out of the top 4
September 9th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
I hope Theo starts and does well enough to jump ahead of Bentley and Beckahm in Capello’s mind. I also hope England lose because I’m rooting for the team containing no players worthy of being in England’s starting XI
September 9th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
I think that it’s possible for Man City to pose a threat to the top 4 if Robinho gets his act together. I thought Pool w/ Torres injured for who knows how long and Gerrard s/p hernia surgery are the most vulnerable of the top 4. You have to wonder where Pool will get their goals from. Our friends the pundits would like to include us w/ Pool as under threat. I would suggest that we are in good shape (baring any new injuries) when compared to the other 3 teams. This assumes that Berbatov can adjust to being a ‘professional’ football player. Can someone tell me what the media (Man U loving) means when they describe Berbatov as enjoying a “casual fag”. You are a smoker or not, their is nothing “casual” about inhaling cancerous substances.
I think Chelsea now no longer have a lock on a top 4 place either. Joshuad you forgot to mention Drogba who is yet to return from knee surgery. Anelka has been dog meat since his big money move from Bolton. Malouda has been inconsistent. Kalou is coming off the bench and looked rusty against Sp**s.
September 9th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
ManU is under no threat at all.
Unfortunately, Chelsea suffering injuries just makes their path to the league title that much easier…
September 10th, 2008 at 2:34 am
Unfortunately ctpa, injuries are the name of the game and Arsenal will have their fair share. Just hoping they are not serious injuries and it does not happen to Fab.
I think we have enough quality cover in the back four as long as Arsene makes Eboue the backup to Sagna rather than Toure. We also have enough coverage at the forward positions as Vela, Bendtner, Walcott and Eduardo later on should do a good job if either RVP or Ade is injured.
Our midfield on the other hand is lacking quality backups and just pray that Rosicky gets back to form quickly and stays healthy. I honestly do not relish seeing a central MF duo of Denilson and Eboue, regardless of how they performed against Newcastle.
September 10th, 2008 at 8:31 am
No, it will help in boosting confidence for the other competitions. I think I have mentioned that.
September 10th, 2008 at 9:16 am
exactly.
the issue would be MF, with Denilson & Eboue.
just not cutting it over any length of time… not good enough.
September 10th, 2008 at 9:25 am
Nasri injured, knee injury.
As the giant guy in Twin Peaks would say, “It is happening again, it is happening again….”
September 10th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Now the real questions…can the Log Lady create? Will she shoot?
September 10th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
This guy has the potential to be another glass
September 10th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Fuck it. Stick Bob in midfield. The hardman we’ve all been looking for.
The Log Lady can replace Pat Rice
September 10th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Quoting Agent Cooper, then (or was it Rosicky?)
“Doc, when the will is invoked, the recuperative powers of the physical body are simply extraordinary. Just give me a couple of hours to get dressed.”
September 10th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Thats fantastic, we have a bright spot in Nasri, and down he goes…
Gladly, we have lots of depth at mid… oh right, we have feck all.
Back to you Mr.Wenger… magic… hat… go for it.
September 10th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Walllllllcottttttttt. Showing his potential. see CaribKid? haha
September 10th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Walcot Walcot Walcot
HAT
TRICK
HERO
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
September 10th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Yeah, Theo was on point today. In fact this is the first time I have enjoyed an England game in ages. great performance in fact dare I say, outstanding.
Hopefully Theo can bring that kinda game to the Arsenal side, he was so composed. Theo has an ice cold side to him, but in the the hustle and bustle of the premiership can he shine as brightly as this? If so the future looks bright for the Gunners.
September 10th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Stag you cynic you
. Magic hat, indeed, lol.
September 10th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Amazing. Theo gets a hat-trick. Wonder what the media will be saying tomorrow? Will they give him credit, or defer it to La Coach for sticking with him or talk about the people who set him up?
Still, great to see Theo netting goals.
September 10th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
I honestly think this is exactly what the lad needed.
Theo is (regardless of what anyone else may say) a very talented player — but he’s also very young and no, he isn’t the most physical guy out there.
He’s already looked better in the past couple matches for Arsenal than he had. The talent has always been there. He just needs confidence, and that is what he’ll come away with today.
September 10th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
OK Goonerade, send me a paper bag with ketchup, relish, mustard and hot sauce and I’ll have it for dinner.
His first good 90 minute display. Did I say good, I meant great.
Let’s hope he can build on this for Arsenal.
September 10th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
I didn’t see the game, did he play on the wing or as a striker? What formation was England using?
Lemme know.
September 10th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Andez, take a bow son!
September 10th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
@Sachin: It probably isn’t even worth predicting what the media will say. Taking a punt though .. they’ll probably be torn between praising England and slamming Arsenal. I’d prefer it if they just shut up though.
Theo will probably be fine. Maybe develop into a Freddie type player with much more speed over the next couple of years before he plays out and out as a striker – hopefully its at Arsenal. Probably will be at Arsenal.
He’ll probably be yet another AW player who can play upfront, or on the wings – his favorite type
September 10th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
I am so thrilled for Theo Walcott. That is absolutely fantastic for him and Arsenal. I know Wenger’s got to be lying in bed grinning like a little girl. He’s got to be so proud. Hell, I know I am. I wonder what bullshit David “Made-It-Big” Bentley has got to say now. Ha-ha; cocksucker! That was his spot to lose and he appears to have lost it. What did he do against Croatia in Euro qualification? Now, that bitch can’t even get into the England team.
September 10th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
I think Arsene is actually being paid by the French FA to develop players for their national team.
The French 2-1 win over Serbia today started 3 current Arsenal players Sagna, Gallas and Clichy, with ex players Diarra and Titi also starting. On the bench was Flamini and Anelka who came on as a sub and scored the 2nd French goal. Nasri who was a projected starter was rested due to a knee injury.
Maybe he will coach France when he retires from Arsenal and will trot out an “All Arsenal” starting eleven.
September 10th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Even Fabianski kept a clean sheet. Sure, it was against San Marino but according to the report, he saved a penalty. Big up to Lukaz.
Add to that, Fabregas played less than twenty minutes tonight and van Persie was fit to play for Holland. Adebayor did his best Mr. T impersonation by not “gittin’ on no damn plane” and hopefully Nasri will be fit. If so, we should be good for Saturday and Wednesday.
September 10th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
sorry I didn’t see the game. Just followed it via text and was delighted at Theo’s goals
September 10th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
hopefully he does
His amazing solo run against Liverpool last season was simply too good and I want to see more of that…
September 10th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
I do wonder how many times Arsene turned the French team down in the past? Surely they had tried to get him.
September 10th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Yes Adebayor went out of his way to ensure he would be completely fit for the weekend game
I wonder what the whole story was but he does come up with creative reasons for not playing for Togo.
September 10th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Very nice day for the Arsenal Internationals and ex-Arsenal as well!
Exactly what Theo needs… CONFIDENCE.
He has the skills… there is no doubt about it.
He is not afraid of a big stage either, see Liverpool… and now for Eng-er-land.
Yes, we just need him to carry some of the “mo” over to the Arsenal.
I like it.
September 10th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
Vela picked up a knock in the Mexico vs Canada game by way of a vicious tackle and had to come off in the 2nd half.
Hope he is OK.
As usual, he played well and I sometimes forget he is so young. Dos Santos was largely ineffective and was replaced early in the 2nd by Omar Bravo. That’s what you get for going to the Spuds
Sven was all decked out on the sidelines and must be enjoying his newly found Mexican popularity. Based on his Cassanova tendencies exhibited in the past, he should feel right at home with all those beautiful, hot, young Senorita’s in Mexico.
September 10th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
I must have missed that second half tackle on Vela. Although in the first half, around the 25th minute, he dove in the Canadian penalty box looking for a penalty. When he had gone down first, I thought he was injured but on the replays, it was a clear dive as Lars didn’t touch him. But the ref was not having any of the fake dives on wed night and even booked Blanco in his last international game. That Blanco booking was harsh as he lost his balance.
yeah Dos Santos was quite ineffective. Shocking really. And Sven takes off Dos Santos and brings on Omar, who scores the opening goal. Hmm…inspired sub?
September 11th, 2008 at 1:12 am
Serioux of Canada went right through him and got a yellow for his efforts. He got back into the game but then collapsed on his own before being taken off.
September 11th, 2008 at 3:26 am
when i said last season Theo would take over Bentley’s starting place in the national team, i got some sticks for it. It doesn’t seem that ridaculous a suggestion now does it?
You have MADE IT BIG Bentley? Next time around try score a hattrick in an important national team game before open ur stinky mouth.
it looks more and more funny now this David “Rat” Bentley actually had the nerve to offer young Theo “advice” last season! obviously Theo wasn’t listening.
September 11th, 2008 at 3:35 am
btw it’s all great now more ppl start joining the bandwagon hailing young theo. yet let’s don’t forget had Wenger not bought “NOT ANOTHER KID” Theo a few years ago, following an England hattrick, with the English media hype machine, guess how much Theo would be costing now had him not being an Arsenal player?
let’s face it, if we didn’t buy him a few years back, we wouldn’t be able to afford him NOW. And merely a month ago or so i still read ppl writing how much money Arsenal had WASTED on Theo… yeah, on this particular site.
September 11th, 2008 at 5:39 am
Totally agree. More importantly…apart from bringing Theo to the club…..it was about giving him chances to play in the first team. There was no way Capello would have selected Theo if he was playing a fringe role at Arsenal subbing in for an experienced player in unimportant games.
And no I’m not hailing Theo as the next superstar based on his performance in one game….Wenger has said it numerous times in the past and Capello reiterated it yesterday….that it is important to support young players when they have bad games…..you just can’t rip apart a young player after a bad game and then praise him to the skies for a good performance.
September 11th, 2008 at 6:40 am
I think the fact that Walcott had struggled previously to make the grade at Arsenal will be doing him all the good.
A lot was expected from him when he first joined as a 17 years old. He didn’t make an instant impact as Rooney did. He didn’t score a hattrick against a side like Roma like Rooney did. He didn’t score a screamer to end a side like Arsenal’s unbeaten run like Rooney did.
Theo’s path was a bit like Joe Cole, he himself was hailed as a wonderboy even when he’s back with West Ham youth team, before kicking a ball in his professional career. Cole struggled to live up to his expectation initially, until a few years’ later moving to Chelsea and shone under Mourinho eventually.
when i compare Cole to Rooney i can see the difference. One made an impact instantly as early as 16, yet his progression has very much stalled ever since. Another had to work his way back to stardom, having struggled early on, and that probably had put Joe Cole’s feet back to the ground.
i think it’s important for a youngster to bump into some early obstacles in their career, so they would treasure more of their career, and be humble enough to keep learning.
I said a year back Theo POTENTIALLY could be better than Rooney. as the kid sure hell has a lot of upside.
a hattrick for England means probably nothing, but at least it has shown what he’s capable of. Walcott, make no mistake, is still learning, and has A LOT to learn. But he’s fortune enough to play under a manager who’s very strong with his FAITH towards the younger players. Giving any other manager, i doubt Theo would still be able to keep his starting place after 2 unimpressive performance at the start of our season. Wenger, nevertheless, kept his trust. That’s something you gotta take the hat off for our manager. Especially after that Fulham defeat, had any other regular here be the manager, i bet they probably would have put the entire team up for sales.
September 11th, 2008 at 9:51 am
We’re gonna have to be firing on all cylinders when we return from the International break. We have 3 away games in 7 days, and none of them (Blackburn, Kiev, Bolton) are places where we’ve historically done well. This will be an early test for the team and should reflect how they deal with the season-long grind, especially later on when fixture congestion is a much bigger problem than it is now. Going on the road to places we don’t like to play, against grind-it-out teams like these is where we lost the title last year.
September 11th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Credit due to Wenger who has steadfastly resisted playing him as a central striker at the present time. See my earlier post here where I hoped Walcott push Bentley and Beckahm aside w/ his performance: WOW! Credit also goes to Rooney whose passing just carved the Croatian defense to shreds.
September 11th, 2008 at 10:22 am
I totally agree.
Finally we get the word from Wenger on Appiah: http://sport.setanta.com/en/Sport/News/Football/2008/09/11/Premier-League-Wenger-rules-out-Appiah/.
September 11th, 2008 at 10:41 am
Yeah, can’t forget Rooney. The utter class player that he is. He gives us far more trouble than Ronaldo ever has.
He IS a great player. Just something wrong with him mentally at the moment.
September 11th, 2008 at 10:48 am
I agree that Rooney is class. He had a better game than Walcott against Croatia. Theo was great, but I thought Rooney was even better.
September 11th, 2008 at 11:03 am
fucking wenger. he should av sign appiah
September 11th, 2008 at 11:16 am
Of course Rooney is class. He’s playing for THE GREAT Manchester United, so one international goal in a year? who cares. he’s still CLASS.
as for young Theo, he’s just that “not another kid” signing of Wenger. and playing for poor Arsenal. So what a hattrick? so what scoring more interational goals in a game than Rooney in a year? Rooney is ALWAYS the better player.
September 11th, 2008 at 11:17 am
yeah right dummy, do you even know who the fuck is appiah? and how many fucking games you have actually seen him played?
September 11th, 2008 at 11:25 am
how can we compete with the likes of manu, chelsea without aving no experience figure like appiah in that midfield. denilson, diaby and song can do the job cos they lack the experience and the physique to compete. we need some one like viera’s figure in that midfield with fabregas. appiah would av be the right guy. not until arsene replace viera, arsenal will not get any silverwrae i sue to God. fuck wenger for ruling out appiah. now westham or portmouth or even chelsea will be relieved cos the guy even was thinkin is going to be a gonner player soon. he loves arsenal and he really want to play for us but freakin wenger turn him down, wat a shame. i think if a player loves a club and really want to play for u, u should at least give him the chance. anyway, i love arsenal but arsene really pissed me off on this issue. but let us see what’s going to happen cos we are also now been linked with anderson mineiro of brazil. he is 33. i think he is not arsenal type or wat do u think guys?
September 11th, 2008 at 11:43 am
Andez, despite qualifying your own statements with the ‘he still has alot to learn’ platitudes, you still seem to have let Walcott’s three goals- two which were beautifully created by Rooney against a disjointed ten man Croatia- go completely to your head, resulting in some rather embarassing chest-beating.
It might be an idea to let Walcott actually string a few games together for Arsenal- and a few consistent performances might I add- before we start comparing him to Rooney. Because, as it stands, any comparison between the two is quite frankly ridiculous. Not only are they completely different players with equally differring attributes, Rooney has also achieved far, far more in his career than Walcott has thus far and was a far better player at 19 yrs old than Walcott is now.
Walcott may surpass him, he may not. Until he does, yes- Rooney is the far superior player. But then it’s you it seems that is hell bent in creating this ludicrous competition between the two in the first place whereas most people, apart from the media who like to simplify things in such a manner, see the futility and irrelevance of such an exercise.
September 11th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
I am an Arsenal fan, I am not a football analyst. what do u expect?
I haven’t mastered the art of how to be a SUPPORTER while still being NEUTRAL. And i have no intention to learn how anyway. there are already more than enough NEUTRALS on this ARSENALfan site.
September 11th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
We were never going to sign Appiah. If we were we’d have done it when Paddy left. We aren’t signing anyone. Its just that coz he was free he was linked to us. Crap media. Great interview by Theo though. Feet on the ground. Lets hope it stays that way.
September 11th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
“he loves arsenal and he really want to play for us but freakin wenger turn him down, wat a shame. i think if a player loves a club and really want to play for u, u should at least give him the chance”
what the hell? Trust Wenger’s decision. I wanted Appiah to be signed too but that was just because he is a DM. I have no idea how good he is or what style of football he plays. I’m sure Wenger and his scouts know a lot more.
I love Arsenal and really want to play for them. Give me a chance.
September 11th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
He is an exceptional player Goonerade, I saw him in 4 games at the last WC and wanted him for Arsenal even then. He is somewhere between a Makalele and Essien and is considered as good as Essien in Ghana.
He is also the Ghanaian captain, has good leadership qualities, is well respected by his peers and is a rock in the DM position.
I didn’t think Arsene would be after him, even though I was hoping he would, because he has made a conscious decision to go with what we have when he made no additions during the transfer window.
September 11th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Well said Mazza, I concur.
September 11th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Well, people supported Senderos to the hilt didn’t they? I’m afraid in reality it made little difference when Wenger sent him out on his ear.
You can delude yourself into putting Walcott and Rooney on the same platform, but again, it won’t magically happen because you ’support’ him.
You stated your opinion on Walcott and Rooney from a football analyst standpoint- and have for a year or so- so expect it to be judged as such.
Can’t keep using the support card everytime someone challenges an opinion of yours.
September 11th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Who let the dummy in?
September 11th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
“Can’t keep using the support card everytime someone challenges an opinion of yours.”
Why not? better than talking like a Man U fan right?
I am a Gooner, and I m PROUD of it, proud of the club, proud of our manager, proud of our players, and sure hell won’t feel ashamed to saying it out loud, even if we win nothing.
Arsenal till I die.
September 11th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Is there an argument going on here or are you just trying to spank andez? Three well taken goals period Walcott clinically finished the chances he was presented w/period Rooney played the role of support striker superbly period Rooney was a better player at -0-15, 16, 17, 18, 19 than Walcott and is today better than Walcott. Walcott had the game of dreams but should start on the bench for Blackburn and rightly so. Rotation you know: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=571270&sec=england&cc=5901.
September 11th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
I would like to have seen Appiah sign for Arsenal as I believe he’s class and an upgrade to Flamini. However, it just didn’t seem like a Wenger signing. When has the media ever dictated who Wenger would sign? How likely is it that Wenger would sign someone to play in front of his young guns?
The reality is since we lost Vieira, we’ve been a soft touch in the midfield; except for last year when Flamini made the position his own. His ability to cover lots of space and put himself about was far more complimentary to Fabregas in midfield than Gilberto’s invisible wall approach. Ironically, it’s the only time we’ve come close to the title since Vieira left.
Personally, I don’t believe the guys that we have (Diaby, Denilson, Song) can give us that active midfield presence to compliment Fabregas. It’s just not something that comes natrually to either of them or even Gilberto. It doesn’t mean that they’re crap, just different. We need the proper chemistry to balance the team. Flamini and Vieira’s ability to cover a lot of ground and put themselves about is a missing ingredient that I believe Appiah could have given us. He’s not a DM but a box-to-box guy. But they say Wenger knows. We’ll talk about it again in May.
September 11th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
But lets not forget Andez, that Wenger bought Theo a few years ago when the squad had depth and he wasn’t pushed into a starting role so quickly. He had time to grow into an experienced player as opposed to the youngsters that Arsene is bringing in now who are being forced into action probably a bit too early. There’s no way Aaron Ramsey or Jack Wishere should be anywhere near the first team. A few years ago Wenger bought youth to stock for the future. That isn’t really the case anymore.
September 11th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
This might be my Arsenal bias but I really haven’t seen Rooney improve from the time he was 20. I think a lot of people saw him as a teenager and thought he would be one of the greatest players in the world in 5 or 6 years but that really hasn’t turned out to be the case. I could look like a world class striker if you put Ronaldo, Van Nistelrooy, Giggs, and Tevez around me. Theo will definitely turn out to be a better player, he has the speed Henry had and has shown that he’s beginning to pick up the instinctive ability to score. His performance yesterday was amazing despite croatia being down to 10 men and looking disfigured at times. They were still at home and playing in front of some of the craziest fans in the world, and for Theo to keep his head and finish on three separate occasions in a game that actually counted for something is an accomplishment any player should be proud of let alone one of his age and experience internationally. However, I don’t think his performance yesterday will mean increased productivity from him this year, as you can tell by my previous post I’m a pretty optimistic supporter, but I still can’t see Theo passing 15 goals in all competitions this year.
September 11th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
And people supported Hleb until Wenger sent him for Spanish splinters.
Andez does make a good point: as a supporter and a fan, it is difficult to remain neutral and dispassionate. That applies both to those who see no wrong as well as those who see no right.
At least we can all agree that it was great to see Walcott score a hat-trick for England. Some may believe he is not good enough for the Arsenal first-team but he is better than Bentley, Pennant or Wright-Phillips for England!!!! Lol! That will shut a few people up for a while – Ian Wright anyone!
September 11th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Officially, “dammy” you have made the most painfully retarded comment on this website to date. Reading it makes people dumber. Congrats!
September 11th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Wenger didn’t send Hleb anywhere. Hleb got a better offer and left. Wenger had no choice.
Not every departure is some sage act of genius on Wenger’s part.
September 11th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Where has all this hullabaloo about Appiah come from.
I want a new player in but Appiah isnt the answer to anything.
He is in limbo 2 weeks after the deadline and lets face it … if he was that good he wont be contract less – even with an injury record.
He claims to be 27…..yet a quick look at his wikipedia shows he played in the U-17 tournament in 1995 with Ghana…..so he is trying to convince us he was 14 years old then??? Wow!
The guy is NOT that good, he is the equivalent of a Diop….he is also probably in his mid 30s … he is not tall and he has a long injury record.
And some people want us to get him?
I will stick with Song…and wait for the January window thanks.
September 11th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
C’mon lads. Free speech!
September 11th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
I would agree he has stagnated but then the only way was down after 2005. If he carried on improving he would been a freak. Rooney at 70-80% is still a very good player and kryptonite to Arsenal’s idiosyncratic back four.
He reminds me of Mike Tyson. Peaks early and levels off.
September 11th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
FRED!!!! FRED!!!!! FRED!!!!
At 5′ 10″ he’s the same height as Essien. Makalele is only 5′ 7″. So what?
He does not have a long injury record. He is coming off 1st long term injury.
As for his age, that is not an opinion, just pure, unadulterated speculation.
I have seen him play on the highest stage, WC, and he was world class.
Please get your facts together before making ridiculous statements.
September 11th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
dammy – come back! They’re just giving you cyber-wedgie. Don’t take it personally. Our site is a broad church – we accept all opinians, spillings, grummetical idiosinkcrasies. The only price of admission is constitutional pessimism or stratospheric optimism, and nothing in between. In other words, ony blog when you’re at the peak or trough of a bi-polar mood swing.
Right now, I’m as high as kite thanks to “Three-o”. I’d said he’d explode this year (commandment 10, I believe). Benching Beckham and Bentley in one night. Priceless. Here’s hoping he keeps up his new greedy approach in the Prem.
September 11th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Wow! Coming from you, that is quite harsh. In fact I predict you will say something really stupid about needing to be tall in a few minutes…..
September 11th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
Well said Carib, I need not add anymore.
September 11th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
The Blackburn story so far: Vela not starting, Nasri w/ a knee injury (old but persistent) and didn’t play Wednesday is a doubt, Walcott will probably (hopefully) be on the bench. Bendtner (who scored for Denmark) will be on the bench. RVP came off in the 2nd half and could start(?). Fabregas did not start ( came on at 73″) and should be fresh. Clichy, Gallas, and Sagna all played prominent roles in their win over Serbia. We have so many players returning form mid week exertions that I have no clue what kind of line up we can throw out to win this game. At least Emmanual (“Fear of Flying”) Adebayor will be fresh
September 11th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
….Voila!
Do you have this confused with a basketball fan site? You are always going on about people’s height.
Judge Smails: Ty, what did you shoot today?
Ty Webb: Oh, Judge, I don’t keep score.
Judge Smails: Then how do you measure yourself with other golfers?
Ty Webb: By height.
September 11th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
Yeah but how long does the boat take from Togo?
September 11th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Andez, get serious.
I think Theo is a great prospect. He has lots of talent. Probably my favorite player right now, and I want him to blossom into a star…
But he can’t be compared to Rooney right now, he’s not close to Rooney RIGHT NOW… Rooney is a big part of ManU…
I don’t give a shit about what he does internationally… its not relevant.
September 11th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Since when did facts prevent anyone on this site from making ridiculous statements.
September 11th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Yes, what would we do with a player with experience and leadership qualities?!
Appiah, nah.
He will block the talented young players from growing and learning on the job.
He cost nothing to bring in, so that fit our equation, but he is over 21, so he’s got no chance here. If only he were French!?!
September 11th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
How soberly true, Irishgunner.
September 11th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Or maybe a cross country bus
. Or maybe even walk!!!
September 11th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Brendan_K or Stag
… go jump in a lake!
September 11th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
BrendanK/Stag,
You do realize there are ways to get the IP address of the poster right?
Dumbass!
September 11th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Ok, lets get this straight…..he was a starting member of the U-17 team that won at age 14 !!!!!
He was a starting member of the Hearts of Oak FA cup winning team at age 15 !!!!!!
OH YEAH RIGHT !!!
Classic lie about age. A lot of African and South American players do it. Fact. For some its just incredibly obvious.
Diop also had an excellent world cup 02…..that doesnt make him any great.
Also he has had TWO long termers in the last 12 months!
Believe me, if Wenger felt Appiah was as young as Silvestre (baby age 31) he would have considered him for a freebie. Obviously Wenger LOVES working on his injured “projects”……but first he will need to be convinced he is actually 27 or thereabouts.
September 11th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Nah, brendan, If only he was below age 33 more like.
September 11th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
Oh by the way he was playing for the Ghana national team since age 15 … for real!!!!
Even Rooney, Messi and Walcott couldnt top that LOL.
Reminds me of that other bloke, Aghahowa, who was profiled on some German channel a couple of years ago. Apparently even though he was born (allegedly) in 1982, he was married by 1995 and had his first kid that same year. He had already started playing as a FIRST TEAMER in the top Nigerian league. The commentator rushed thru that part of the story with utter bemusement.
September 11th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Nice article about Walcott on the Times Online.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2008/09/tony-cascarinos.html
Discusses his strengths and weaknesses and possible impact for club and country.
September 11th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Frederick.
do not try and pull me into your latest pissing match…
you create your own non-sense.
September 11th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
jackass.
do not lump me in with your non-sense.
September 11th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
Carib, he could have major impact for both!
We all hope. That’s for sure.
But I think Wenger just doesn’t want the weight of pinning the future of English football on the kid, based on a hat-trick!
September 11th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
I know very little about Appiah but the concensus seems to point to him as being a good DM. No matter his age, if he is still playing at a decent level, sign him to a shorter contract. Hes a free agent, he is looking to make money and play at a top club. We are in DESPERATE need for a DM and Wenger must know that. I know Wenger doesn’t look to sign a player he doesn’t look to keep in the long run(although he signed silvestre) but if there is any time to do it, it is now.
The DM position is this season’s achilles heal. We must fix it. Song/Eboue/Any current Gunner is not capable of holding down this position.
Sign Appiah or some DM free agent Wenger! =X
September 11th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
LOL! deny it!
September 11th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
Agreed, but to put it in concise terms, “It ain’t gonna happen”.
Of the 3 you mentioned, Song appears to be the most capable and by next season could be as good as there is on the market.
September 12th, 2008 at 12:01 am
http://blog.emiratesstadium.info/2008/09/11/if-it-had-been-arsenal-v-croatia-this-is-what-they-would-have-said/
This is an article I agree with more or less.
The Kovac elbow on Joe Cole, if that had been Martin Taylor on Eduardo, you can imagine what the English media would have said. Something along the lines of – oh, it’s a good old fashioned tackle from a strong English defender, these foreigners needs to toughen up, they are such sissies.
I’ve seen Shearer do (all his life) what Kovac did in that one game, but rarely (if ever) was he penalized for it.
September 12th, 2008 at 12:23 am
Sad but true…
Neville kicking in those Old Trafford games…a man’s game really. If one can’t stand the kicks, then leave the game. Rooney, swearing all the time and not getting booked (ok maybe once last season he did). A tough man’s game, so one is allowed to say a few nasty things. And then Javier does not swear at the ref at Old Trafford (although he was playing with fire there), he’s off.
One standard for England, another for the rest.
One standard for Man Utd, a completely different one for Arsenal.
and will this hat-trick quieten the noise that Arsenal do not give chance to English players, etc. Well in a few months time, those headlines will start again.
September 12th, 2008 at 2:23 am
yes bgurlitz, that’s exactly what i been saying – that Rooney’s progess had stalled. at no point had i said he was crap.
should or if Wenger one day decides Theo is ready for a striker role, i believe Walcott and Rooney would make a good partnership for England upfront.
because they are totally opposite a pair of players, and their strengths and weakness complimented each other perfectly.
Rooney has the built of a target man, but is definitely more suited as a deep dropping attacker. with 4411, he could play as a Bergkamp role to feed Theo with Theo’s channel running.
with a traditional 442, Rooney could play the Ade role of Arsenal today – holding the ball linking up play with Theo as the runner.
Michael Owen IMO is still England’s best striker, but he has lost his pace. Rooney for England will never be able to make the most of his ability playing with either Heskey or Crouch. with Heskey and Crouch, they would be the one acts as the targetman, they will work best with a busy natural striker like Owen by their side. Rooney is not a natural goalscorer.
the rise of Theo, and in particular one day he moves to striker position can only benefit Rooney’s game with England.
the hype surrounded Rooney when he first emerged as an Everton player, you would have thought England had now got themselves a new Pele or Maradona. The truth is he’s more a team player rather than a brilliant individual player. Talent wise, he’s not even 50% close to Gazza – the most naturally gifted English footballer the past decade.
September 12th, 2008 at 2:32 am
the debate of Appiah, one thing worths mention – had Wenger interested in him, he would have pursuited him during the summer.
most of the players AW bought, he has had tracked them for years. AW would never go out and buy a player simply because he’s “available”.
if anyone has followed Wenger’s career with Arsenal, you should have realized that Wenger’s relationship with his players is all about one single word – TRUST.
When AW trusts a player, he would show a tremendous amount of faith in them.
Yet once a player has lost the manager’s trust, he is as good as finished at Arsenal. Look no further than Lehmann and Gilberto.
based on this logic, there is little chance the manager would go out there and buy a player he does not rate.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:01 am
Watched the Wenger Interview on ATVO yesterday….it was a pretty long one at 21 minutes….but as with every Wenger Interview…totally enjoyable
There were couple of stand out answers to 2 questions about Theo Walcott
Q1: What was his reaction to Walcott’s performance last night?
Wenger said he hadn’t seen the match but said he was extremely happy with Walcott’s subsequent interview (:P) which he felt was much more important than the hat trick
Q2: Hoow good do you expect Walcott to become?
Wenger had a counter question to this one ..”Why should we place any limitations on the boy? ”
Brilliant stuff. The journalists had no answer to that one
Cheers
September 12th, 2008 at 3:45 am
yes wayne, i also quite like Theo’s response following his hattrick. it did strike me this kid, despite being only 19, is quite mature and down to earth. this is more important than his hattrick.
as LDE said, let’s hope he stays this way. over the years, i have seen so many footballers who changed with time. from humble young talent to spoilt rat Me Me Me.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:49 am
to be exactly – one standard for Man Utd, a completely different one for everyone else.
the Man U fans HERE may want to deny, but it’s plain harsh FACT. especially @ the Theatre of Nightmare (Dream to them, Nightmare to everyone else playing there).
September 12th, 2008 at 7:42 am
Fred, your comment suggesting that if Appiah were good enough, he would have signed with someone else is a very poor assessment; one of your worst posts. Why didn’t someone else bid for Eduardo or Sagna? Why did Vieira and van Persie only cost two million pounds? It sounds like, if Fabregas were so good, why didn’t he play for Barcelona? Why didn’t Vieira play for Milan; Henry for Juventus; Bergkamp for Inter Milan? According to your logic, it was because they weren’t good enough.
It’s a less than descent assessment. It’s a shot in the dark backed up with some 2nd grade logic. If you’re not familiar with what the guy is capable of then say that you are unfamiliar or better yet, say nothing. It keeps people from throwing internet rocks at your window. He has received numerous offers from different Italian teams, including Juventus’ attempt to re-sign him.
I mentioned a few months back that Walcott reminds me very much of Henry when he was 19. I’ve expressed moments of frustration with his play but also a great belief in his potential. The major minus to Walcott is while he may seem to be in the mold of Henry or Cristiano, he’s not as big and strong as they were. At 19, both Ronaldo and Henry were easily over 6 foot and already very powerful. Theo is probably four to 6 inches shorter than them and lacks the same physical strength to hold off would be defenders. It’s why I still prefer Eboue when we have to play against the likes of Man Utd’s Evra. While I can’t see him growing much taller, he could yet develop that core power. We’ll see.
September 12th, 2008 at 8:54 am
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11670_4134622,00.html
Anyone surprised?
This part is just hilarious -
Rosicky’s agent, Pavel Paska, added: “Without the permission of Arsenal I am not allowed to be more specific on Tomas’ health.”
September 12th, 2008 at 9:06 am
As I said a few weeks ago, Rosicky is never playing pro football again. Or at least long enough to make any real contribution.
If Wenger even dares use his injury as an excuse when things go wrong, woe betide him!
September 12th, 2008 at 11:49 am
I am definitely not stag133. Although, I think he and I may live in the same city. But if that is the only way you can defend your clear lack of knowledge on this sport, then keep going for it, I guess.
September 12th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
You forgot the king of the “2 footed lunge” tackles, Paul Scholes who was taught by his mentor Nicky “Hit Man” Butts.
September 12th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
NEWS FLASH:
Real Madrid has invited Usain Bolt to train with their squad in order to improve speed.
Might we see the “BOLT” sprinting down the pitch one day as a player?
September 12th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
I really think most of Walcott’s current problems are mental rather than physical. He has the pace, good first touch, excellent control and clinical finishing for the most part.
Where he seems to lack is decision making. Should I shoot, should I dribble, should I cut in from the flanks, should I backtrack to pick up the ball, should I defend? He has to think about these things now but with time they will become reflexive.
Players who depend on speed have limited careers as they will lose that explosiveness in their late 20’s so he needs to redefine his game over time. What differentiates Theo from most other players is that initial burst of speed, kinda like 0 to 60 MPH in 4 seconds, which leaves most defenders in his wake and them having to play catch up. This ultimately leads to a lot of fouls against him with defenses making the “professional foul” from behind and thus he should be a fantastic “yellow card” donor.
Based on his built and natural abilities, I see him more in the future as a support striker rather than a target man like Ade. Playing behind the target man will still allow him to use his speed, stretch defenses and create spaces in the defense.
September 12th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Not hilarious at all, without Rosicky that leaves us even more thin in an already thin MF.
We should all contribute funds to send him to Haiti, where the Vodoo Doctor can remove his injury curse.
September 12th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Lighting Bolt! He would make a great out and out striker. And he’s tall, could be useful in the air! Alternatively we could make him a CB, guarantee great recovery speed!
seriously though, when I watched him during the Olympics, i thought he really got a great built for a modern day footballer. and his cocky character would surely endear him to the fans. the field and track version of the Special One.
btw, if Real Madrid wanna improve speed, perhaps they could just have their players eating more chicken nuggets!
oh one more thing CaribKid, i thought Paul Scholes’ two foot tackle was self-taught??!!
September 12th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Totally agree caribkid. from what i known, Theo didn’t start playing football until 11 (it’s rather late as most kids start as early as 8 or 9. Wilshere for instance joined Arsenal when he was 9 years old), that probably explain Walcott’s lack of awareness.
luckily this is something he can improve, particular with more playing experience. Unlike pace, you basically born with it.
September 12th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
You are not wrong about Aghahowa, I met a guy at college that comes from the same region as Kanu. He says when he was at school Aghahowa was a police man. Kanu was way ahead of him in school and he was 25 at the time when I met him, about 4 years ago.
Appiah may well be over the age he has stated, however speculative. However that does not take away from the fact he is a world class performer. He would have come on a free, age ain’t nothing but a number at the end of the day.
I doubt if Arsene would make a decision based on speculation i.e. his age being fraudulent rather he would have made the decision because he doid not want to bring in an older player in front of his young guns. I think he would more likely want to bring in a young player of the same age group i.e Mbia. That’s my theory anyway.
Remember Wenger wanted Kanu to stay when he left for Portsmouth yet the rumours about Kanu’s age had already surfaced.
September 12th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Yup, thought he had a great football physique, tall, muscular, fast and he has some rhythm too as per his post victory dances.
Alas, did some research and found he never really played much football but was discovered by the T&F coach playing cricket where he was a pace bowler with lot’s of potential.
Also found that Bolt and Clarke (Jaimaican girl who won the 200) are both from the Parish of Trelawney, known for their quality Yellow Yam, and attributed their success to eating this flavorful, high carbohydrate yam on a daily basis.
Word has it that yam prices have doubled since the Olympics due to greater demand from overseas. We should be looking at buying some yam futures.
September 12th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Surely you don’t really believe Stag and Brndan are the same person Fred, do you. If you look over their posts I think you will find that they don’t often agree.
I would have to take my hat of to Stag if he were such a good actor.
September 12th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Andez I think Rooney is a clinical finisher more so than Theo. However he has so much more to his game that he tends to do too much more than a typical striker would do, thus he is not always in the position to score the goals. Brgcamp was similar in theat respect that’s why he did not dcore as much goals as monsieur Henry for example.
He may be stagnant to some degree but do not coubt he is a very good player, and as much as I like Theo I would rather have Rooney in my side, well… if he could play on the wings most definately.
September 12th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
I was just thinking the same thing… Not hilarious at all! A fit Rosicky is a massive plus for Arsenal, I was looking forward to his come back. He may never come back at all by the look of things.
A bet that Eduardo will come back before him would not be money wasted.
September 12th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
You’re right Andez, Scholes is self taught. Nicky Butt may be overly aggressive but Scholes can be pure evil, NAAASTY! as you Americans would say.
Scholes was a Man U regular sticking the boot in before Nicky came on the scene as a squad player.
September 12th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
I enjoyed the Beijing Olympics very much, more so than Euro 2008, definitely one of the best Olympics i ever seen. Apart from that stunning opening ceremony, and the out of this world Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt played a big part making this Olympics such a success.
apart from his colourful personality, the way he won that 100m race was insane, by such a distance, and he even had time to showboating towards the end! u wonder what the new world record would be had him not show boating the final meters of the race.
I am looking forward to the London 2012, in particular that Great Britian Football team. something I always dreamed to see it happening – that all 4 nations of UK to play in a same team.
although it’s still 4 years away, i’d like to make a bold prediction that we will have 3 players playing in that 2012 side – Walcott, Ramsey and Wilshere. by then even the oldest of the trio Walcott will still be able to qualify for this Under 23 competition. I hope they will all make it, and make it as Arsenal players.
September 12th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
If that is the case I think Yellow Yam should be outlawed as a banned substance, it is clearly unfair.
It gives the Jamaicans an unfair advantage, however I blame those heavy dumplings
. How else can you explain little Jamaica overcoming the mighty America in almost all the sprints (Trelawney aside).
September 12th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
speaking of the GB team, i heard some suggested Ferguson to be the manager.
i recall Ferguson had actually managed a national team before – Scotland during WC 86, right before he took over the Man U job.
he did a pretty lousy job back then. and one of the biggest decisions of him was dropping Alan Hansen from the Scotland World Cup squad, that led to Hansen’s teammate Kenny Dalglish decided to withdraw himself from the squad as well shortly after.
i guess it explained where this famous “you can’t win anything with kids” line coming from!
September 12th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
I heard the same rumour.
I cannot remember Alex the red nose alcoholic being Scotland manager, but I think he is probably the best British manager out there at the moment.
Hey Andez I noticed you had to plug Michael Phelps. Do you really think Michael Phelps achievement as good as it was, was as great achievement as that of Usainn Bolt and little Jamaica in general?
September 12th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
We actually agree that Fred is a knucklehead.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Arthur, 8 gold medals.
Seriously. Its unheard of. All different distances.
I love track & field, and Bolt’s wins were amazing, but… no contest.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
I don’t know how good Fergie would be as manager for the GB team, he is more the big picture guy and leaves a lot of the technical decisions up to his assistants. Plus, he will probably be suffering from a mild case of cirrhosis or alcohol poisoning by them.
Rumors are that Scotland, Wales and Ireland are not too happy about fielding a GB team because they are afraid of losing their individual association rights, even though being assured by EUFA they will not.
It would be a shame if a united team is not fielded as there are a lot of good youngsters coming through the ranks, especially Wales, with Hennessy, Gunther, Bale and Ramsey seemingly sure to impact the football ranks in the near future. No, I am not Welsh, just been impressed with this new crop of Welsh phenoms.
Add Ashley Young, Frazier-Campbell, Walcott, Wilshire, Abonghalor, Richards and a host of up and coming youngsters with a Ferdinand, Joe Cole and Gerrard, it should be an exciting team.
Which brings me to another topic, can’t understand why Ashley Young is not in the English squad. Can you imagine him and Theo terrorizing defenders on both wings. At this point I think Young is a better player than Theo and adds better defense and set piece options.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
If you’ve ever been to the Penn Relays in Philly, you’d wonder how the island teams don’t all the medals every year!!
September 12th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
And Alex Ferguson would be very good for the “British” or English team… in my opinion… who’d be better? Mourinho?
I won’t say Wenger… because his heart is in France!
September 12th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
You are right Stagg, when I lived in New Jersey I attended the relays almost every year and those Jamaican High School kids would light up much older US college athletes.
Jamaica is still a relatively poor country and doesn’t have the infrastructure to support them as well as they should. Quite a few of the athletes end up getting scholarships to the US and Canada, and end up representing their adopted countries.
For instance, the GB high jumper who won silver at the Olympics is Jamaican and trains in Jamaica with Osafa. former world champs Sanya Richards, Donavon Bailey, Linford Christie and the drug king, Ben Johnson are just a few Jamaicans to plied their trade for other countries.
More power to “Yellow Yam”
September 12th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Not all different distances, different strokes. He only competed in 400 and 200 events.
Both are great feats which will most likely not be duplicated in our lifetimes but as a former T&F athlete who closely follows the sport, I have never, ever, seen someone dominate the sprints like Bolt did. Sprints are normally won by 10th’s of a sec and he was blowing away the field like a man among boys.
I would truly say it was one of the most dominating sport’s performances I have ever witnessed by an individual.
September 12th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Why not Capello, he will be working with quite a few of the players anyway.
September 12th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Carib.
Michael Johnson dominated like that… so did Edwin Moses!
September 12th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Any bets against Appiah turning up at Chelsea?
September 12th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Sanya Richards. Now that’s a bottler.
September 12th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
In the Olympics, Ireland fields as a 32-county team. If there was a GB team with Scotland, Wales and England, there would have to be an Ireland team with both Northern Ireland and Ireland. While that works in rugby and cricket, there is significant animosity at official level between the two F.A.s so even if the politics was overcome, it would still be difficult.
Either way, a GB Olympic team would not include Northern Ireland
September 12th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Yes, woe betide Wenger. If he uses Rosicky as an excuse, Mazza, Stag, Le Grove and Arsenal Truth will be savaging him. I am sure he will be quaking in his boots.
A bit like a hippopotamus worrying about “Attack of the Gnats II”.
If you had said that “if Wenger even dares use his injury as an excuse when things go wrong, he will be savaged by bloggers with some (varying depending on whom) degree of knowledge about football”, then your comment would be a fact. “Woe betide him” is a fantasy – he won’t care what some people think, he never does.
Wenger’s comments can only ever be understood when you anticipate who he might be talking to. Sometimes he is talking to his players, sometimes to the fans, sometimes to opposing managers or owners and sometimes just making mischief to the press.
September 12th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
There are doubts about Jamaican sprinters. They are encouraged to train at home because the drug testing regime is not very well developed but the facilities are sub-standard. There is also Donovan Bailey and Ben Johnson to consider.
But Bolt appears different. He has set records since a very young age, winning junior championships exceptionally young, setting junior records etc. For a tall man, he gets out of the blocks exceptionally quick. He takes less strides than anyone else because of his height. I was blown away by his perfomances and there is more to come. Somebody compared him to Bubka the Russian pole vaulter who increased the record a centimetre at a time, mainly because there was money on the circuit for every world record. The point was that Bolt can lower his records further if he wants.
I hope and believe in him. Like believing in Arsenal to win the Premiership and Champions League, there is an element of naivety and hope, but with Arsenal, at least a failure could be glorious, with Bolt an exposure of drug use would be devastating
September 12th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Nasri passes late fitness test
Is that like Gerrard and Torres suddenly being available for Man U? Wilshere makes the bench.
Now poor Steve Clark is being held hostage by Chelsea. The real power behind the throne at Chelsea?
Boozer Pavluchenko should fit right in at Sp**s.
Nice dig by Wenger to Robinho who thought he was playing for Chels, err ManCity.
Memo to Pearce: the U21 tournanment doesn’t need the wonder boy nor does he need that ‘experience’ when he should be w/ the mother ship (Arsenal) then so we have his scoring option at RMF.
September 12th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
27 or 30+yo veteran to replace Essien/Makelele, you betcha.
September 12th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
No, he will be savaged by all and sundry, and deservedly so.
Not all fans put him on some omniscient pedestal and not all fans follow him as blindly as yourself and few others would like to think. In other words, it won’t be just a select few extremists who question his wisdom with increased veracity.
As for the ‘mystery’ behind Wenger’s comments, the mystery and cryptic nature of them is wearing rather thin. The intentions behind them have become painfully transparent at times. And when they lose their subtle edge, they lose their effect. His comments before the United game- when he said he was convinced Arsenal would be champions- were greeted with widespread derision and heckles of laughter amongst media outlets and well-knowing fans. If Wenger doesn’t tone it down the pig-headed rhetoric he may well become a laughing stock by season’s end.
September 12th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
http://youngguns.wordpress.com/2008/09/12/exclusive-mineiro-plays-for-arsenal-reserves-in-friendly/
ALAS!
September 12th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
LOL……stag knows!
Caught you on two occasions already.
September 12th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
What on earth are you talking about Josh,
Were Eduardo, Sagna, Van Persie all contract-less in the middle of September????
So why are you using that argument?
You are trying to use a completely different point to counter mine which is a bit ridiculous.
Fact of the matter is: Only washed up (either due to talent/age/injuries) players are without clubs in SEPTEMBER!
Now we are looking at Mineiro! I mean, if we are going to be looking in the dustbin like this why did we sell Gilberto for????
September 13th, 2008 at 12:28 am
If we are trialing Mineiro, why not Appiah. At 33, Mineiro is 5 years older than Appiah and certainly does not have his credentials.
Only reason I can see is that Arsene is convinced we need a “midget” team in order to win.
September 13th, 2008 at 12:34 am
arthur, yes i think Michael Phelps’ achievement was sensational. Not simply because it was the most golds won by an indvidual in history, but the fact he was a hot favourite prior to Olympics, and all the talks, all the eyes were on him. and naturally the natural negative nature of human being got lot of ppl saying he couldn’t do it. Yet he did it.
the thing I admire him most is his ability to hold the nerve and coped with that massive pressure. we had seen many hot favourites of any event stumbled under pressure in other competitions from time to time, to hold the nerve to win all 8 golds is one hell of an achievement.
September 13th, 2008 at 1:00 am
The only reason I can see is that Mineiro can well and truly be a 1 year stop gap..as compared to someone like Appiah who is still in his prime so may want a longer contract..
September 13th, 2008 at 1:04 am
I will take you up on that one. Bet we see Appiah in a Chelsea shirt within a week.
September 13th, 2008 at 1:12 am
Love that analogy Irishgunner
September 13th, 2008 at 1:15 am
Osafa and Bolt were tested over 5 times each at the Olympics, so much so that Osafa was complaining about blood loss being a problem.
September 13th, 2008 at 3:32 am
Yep, Andez, Michael Phelps achievement was sensational. But I rate Bolts achievement much higher because I think what he did, incidentally in the highest profile events in the Olympics was a greater achievement. I doubt if anyone has ever broken 3 world records in the sprints in the same Olympics. I also think the competition in the track and field is greater than the swimming, cycling etc.
8 gold medals is greater, but the fact some other guy not too long ago got 7 tells me that the either the competition is not that great or the events are not that hard (I know a simplistic and probably quite ignorant view….but….). A sprinter could never run in 8 events if there were 8 sprints, it would be impossible to keep up the consistency of performance, obviously in swimming you can.
But I must admit I did not pay much attention to swimming this year and generally I see the Olympics as primarily about track and field.
September 13th, 2008 at 3:35 am
Ahhhh… Stag that’s just because you are a patriotic American!! We know most of you guys fail to things clearly when it comes to your beloved land.
Did Michael Johson or Edwin Moses run three races in one Olympics and get 3 world records, I don’t think so Chris. As I said to Andez a little further down, it appears to be far to easy for swimmers to get multiple gold medals. It was only 4-8 years ago that Australian fellow got 7.
Actually Michael Johnson is a part of the BBC commentary team for the Olympics and he also categorical in saying that Bolt’s achievement was greater than that of Phelps.
September 13th, 2008 at 3:45 am
You I haven’t thought about that but you are right Ashley Young should be in the England team. I rate him highly more than “Agbonlahor” and Downing.
Now I think about it, that is a serious omission
September 13th, 2008 at 3:49 am
I think you hit the nail on the head Wayne. However it still nmakes me sick. I hope this Mineiro is good.
September 13th, 2008 at 4:14 am
@Arthur ..I agree..on the face of it ..it looks pretty bad to see us interested in signing a guy like Mineiro. But at the risk of trying to second guess Wenger….here is what I think he will do
Mineiro (if he signs) will definetly not be a starter….Wenger starting midfield options will be Denilson/Song/Diaby/Ramsey to accompany Fabregas…and Mineiro will be utilised as a late/second half sub to close out games where we are leading. ..which with his experience … i think is a fair enough call
September 13th, 2008 at 4:21 am
As I have a lot of love for the Irish in general, IG I will try to be as civil as possible. But my first reaction is to swear at you.
I hate to hear such that biased stereotypical, ignorant…. for want of a better word, shit.
I do not know where you get you sources from about Jamaicans not been tested in Jamaica. But most Jamaican sprinters do a lot of training in America or Cananda. I have not heard of one Jamaican sprinter being banned for drugs. The two you mentioned both represented Canada, which means they were couched by Canadians and probably given drugs on advice of their coaches, as Ben J said.
I will also remind you that America has a long line of suspected drug takers, as do Britain. I heard the hypocrite Carl Lewis admitted to taking drugs after his career was over, yet he was on Ben Johnson’s back when he got caught. Daley Thompson, the great British Decathlete was said to using. Alan Wells also GB, didn’t win anything other than Silver anyway. And then you got Craig Pickering looked like such a star in GB not too long ago until the the recent drugs hype, look at him now, looks like someone who is no longer taking the drugs – quite ordinary. So why you should claim there are doubts about Jamaican sprinters in particular defies logic.
I can assure you the the Jamaicans would probably have been tested more than anyone else because of the sterotypical mentality people like you possess.
Freedom of speech on the site and all that, but certain opinions should be kept to yourself, not only do you offend others but you also make yourself look like an ignorant fool.
September 13th, 2008 at 4:24 am
That makes good sense Wayne… Highly plausible. Appiah probably would not settled for such a minimal role, so I can understand Wenger’s thinking. But I am still gutted about Appiah, I love the guy.
September 13th, 2008 at 9:51 am
Wenger would still have bought Appiah, even just to sell him off for a profit the next year if he felt “all was right”.
The fact he is going for the 31 year old freebie over the “27 year old” freebie. There is a part of the story Wenger is seeing here.
September 13th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Don’t hold back on account that you have a lot of love for the Irish in general. That would also be stereotyping.
I think it is very difficult not to be suspicious of any winner of the 100m. apart from the Tour de France (and Irish showjumpers), it is probably the most disgraced event in sport.
Nevertheless, if you read my post carefully, it shows I have little suspicion of Bolt, but more general suspicions of the rise of Jamaican sprinting. You only need to open your eyes and read around to share these concerns.
Over the years, Canadian sprinters, East German female athletes, Chinese long-distance runners (anyone remember Ma), Eastern European weightlifters, Finnish athletes, Irish showjumpers and others have come under general suspicion. You can call it stereotyping, even attempt to call it racist but organsied doping tends to appear in clusters. It is only natural for some suspicion of Jamaican sprinting to arise.
September 13th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/29072008/3/sprinter-dunkley-dropped-jamaican-olympic-squad.html