Turn and face the strange…
June 25, 2009
Continue discussion of proposed changes, and more….
Comments
209 Responses to “Turn and face the strange…”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Welcome
Arsenal on TV in the US
Big Soccer Message Boards
Membership
You need to login to join Arsenal America.
Use the link below to login or register.
June 25th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Thank you MikeK, for adding the new thread.
Great picture, and now we don’t have to scroll 200 posts.
Amen.
In regard to membership, which I now see is $25, not $20… I don’t even see how to join. No link. Just that is payable via PayPal.
June 25th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
I think that’s something that’s being ironed out as we type.
June 25th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
I am happy you enjoyed the satire, I am an able student of the king of satire Mazza
.
However I raised some valid points. The site is yours to do as you will but it would be unfair IMO to leave the regulars without a section in the “playground.” However your openess to the suggested compromises are commendable. I hope you will still allow nonpaying members to post.
I can understand a drive to increase funds via membership charges. But I am sure a learned man such as yourself already knows that people generally don’t part with their often hard earned gains without getting something perceived as value for money in return. I would assume that the vast majority of paid members benefit from the ticket scheme.
I think much of your effort will need to be geared towards effective marketing that will draw in new supporters that will benefit and/or provide a better package that members will feel is worth paying more money for. In fact with you official status you maybe able to negotiate a deal with the official Arsenal magazine or for the match programs, I don’t know. I am sure you are exploring all sorts of avenues anyway.
I am was surprised after reading backwards or should I say upwards that the paid members who benefit from the ticket scheme are not sufficient to keep the site running comfortably, but of course I do not know the economics of AA.
However if international members could get in on the ticket allocation via AA excursions then I suppose you would get some take up there. A reduced membership rate for those who will not have access to tickets but get some kind of token for supporting the site or an occasional appeal if there is truly a lack of funds to keep things flowing.
June 25th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Sorry that was a reply to Docter K in the last thread. the edit feature is sorely missed.
June 25th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Getting the new/renewal membership for the coming year set up and fixing the edit feature are two site features that are linked in that none of the board can do either; we’re waiting for our designer to be able to fix both.
No, while I don’t have hard data (yet) to support this claim, I don’t believe the majority of paid membership avail themselves of our ticket allotment, which is a mix of tickets the club allots per match and season tickets held by members for members. I think the vast majority just like belonging to the official US supporters club and like to contribute to the group’s activities.
No, we have no intention whatsoever of making paid membership a requirement of posting here.
June 25th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
Hopefully within the week…
June 25th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Has anyone seen the news about Cesc who is quoted as saying “my family would all back me if I joined Madrid”, “Cristiano said he is leaving Man U because he has nothing else to win. For me RIGHT NOW it is the exact opposite seeing the impotence”.
Of his relationship with Wenger he allegedly said “I admire Arsene Wenger but each of us has his own life and looks after his own interests,”
WOW! that’s encouraging from our captain, clear signs he is seriously thinking about abandoning ship!
Maybe Real will stump up the alleged £45 mill which is supposedly part of a clause in his contract, which one of you would take it? And who would be the replacement.
June 25th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
He also said… something to the effect of … “let me be crystal clear, I am not leaving”.
If I thought the club would actually use the funds to improve the team, by bringing in 3 players with the 45Million, I would seriously consider it.
But, they’d take the 45 Mill, and put it in the pockets of the board.
We’d buy a kid who is 17 from Greenland for $5Mill, and the folks that love
to fawn over Arsene would say… Arsene knows, and Cesc is a traitor.
Go South Africa!
June 25th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
David, why the heck would “members” join Arsenal America… pay the membership, get nothing in return, and not contribute to the site in terms of reading or adding to discussion?
TICKETS. The ability to get tickets.
Not for the love of the site!!
There aren’t activities at all the branches… and if you travel to the
events from across the country, you’d travel to London to see a match.
June 25th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
Yeah I have just read a quote supossedly from Arsenal.com cesc has since said ”
“I’m not sure how many times I need to talk directly about my commitment to Arsenal as I continue to say the same thing over and over again, but it appears that every time I have spoken to the Spanish media recently, my words have bounced back to England, leaving question marks about my future.
“So, for anyone who is unclear or may have misunderstood what my position is, let me make myself absolutely crystal clear. I am wholeheartedly committed to Arsenal and my future lies with this great Club.
“It is a fact that we have not won a trophy for four years and yes, I am angry about that, but that anger stems from the deep deep desire I have to win things with Arsenal. I care about this Club and believe in this team. I
am proud to captain this team and proud to wear the shirt. It really upsets me when people express my thoughts otherwise. The spirit in this squad is fantastic and we have the ability and mentality to compete on all fronts for silverware. Make no mistake, we are focussed and determined to show that we are capable of achieving great things together.”
Now that’s what I want to hear from our captain
June 25th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
LOL
June 25th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
Not necessarily. I didn’t go to the UK in 2008-09, but I still paid my dues.
June 25th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
stag133,
Not for love of the site but for LOVE OF THE CLUB!
You still don’t seem to get it and can’t comprehend why anyone would want to belong to the official supporters club. This isn’t about just tickets or the site. Even events. I didn’t get tickets last season yet I was glad to pay. I did get a ticket the year before. Didn’t our opening season at the new stadium but did our last at Highbury. But even if I didn’t have a chance to get over to London I would still want to belong to the official Arsenal supporters club in the USA. I’m also a red level member of the Arsenal and a member of the Supporters Trust. Honestly, I can’t understand why an American Gooner wouldn’t want to belong to the official US supporters club.
If something our membership dues provide is something you use on an almost daily basis, why on earth wouldn’t you help subsidise? If this site means so much to you, isn’t it worth a mere $0.50 a week? Otherwise you are expecting me and others to continue to pay for something you use much more than we do and that’s not fair, is it? I’m just a volunteer yet you keep giving me demands to do stuff for you that you won’t help pay for and that doesn’t seem right to me. “Fix this.” “Keep that.” “Do that better.” You want the edit feature fixed? Guess what: it costs us money to pay the site designer to fix that. If “Arsenal America” is, for you, the virtual community that you enjoy on the official US supporters club’s website, you ought to – if your financial situation isn’t overstrained – contribute to what we do as a member of the club. Otherwise, your stance is unethical.
June 25th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Read Arseblogger on this. Just selling papers in the summer.
June 25th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Stop Arthur, your making me blush
June 25th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
“why the heck would “members” join Arsenal America… pay the membership, get nothing in return, and not contribute to the site in terms of reading or adding to discussion?”
Stag have you not considered that they are in fact the elitist rich kids of my satirical Marxist melodrama who burn money for fun
No seriously David you are not going to charge anyone for posting but previously the site content was once made up of very well written articles by the likes of LDE, Sachin, CaribKid and others. Whether they are paying or non paying members they were able to keep this site interesting and helped to generate traffic and of course publicity with it. You and I think Mikek stressed earlier that you wanted to withdraw this liberty. I cannot see what purpose this would serve other than as a coercisive mechanism to raise more money, I do not see this as being in the spirit of an official Arsenal supporters club.
If the economics are as bad as you suggest why pay for the official status by being ad free especially as if the rumours are right Arsenal are going to being creating there their own Arsenal American site. Has Arsenal Americas members established themselves well enough as a supporters club to sustain and grow without the official tag. I know it is not my business I don’t know what goes on behind the scene, just some of my thoughts.
I can understand that that you may want to change the layout of the site in order to shift focus towards the the “meets”. However a section that allows free discussions and submissions does not seem too much to ask IMO.
June 25th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Michael Jackson is gone….
June 25th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
i remember listening to Thriller for almost a year non stop when i was a kid… cos all the radio channels kept on playing this song. A true superstar of my generation. shocking.
June 25th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
Yeah that was weird… only 50.
Kinda before my time, except for the stranger parts of his life… But I gotta say, the guy could dance (and sing).
June 25th, 2009 at 11:03 pm
David,
I have paid dues pretty regularly… not last year, as I had no intention of going over to London.
If Arsenal were a free spending team, that were using their profits to sign players, then I might actually feel I was helping the team!
But the way they pinch pennies… why would I contribute to the profit of the board?
I go over the see the club almost every season. I did for 10 years straight.
I believe I will this season as well. So, yes… I don’t have a problem paying the dues.
However, it hasn’t even been decided what will occur with the site.
If you are not going to have the discussion area for previews, post match, rumors, etc… why would I pay? To say I am a member?
As noted, there are people that are on the site regularly that are not even from the US. They are here because they believe the discussion is excellent. So they can’t even be members, right? They should at least be able to contribute columns or stories, if they are good ones.
I just asked how to sign up for this year’s membership. I have no problem paying for something… but if the site is changing, then the ONLY thing I’d be interested in, is tickets… which is what most folks from Big Soccer are AA members for. I doubt they care so much about saying…”I’m an official member”.
Seriously.
June 25th, 2009 at 11:07 pm
I would venture to say the Michael Jackson is the most popular celebrity of our generation… known world-wide. I loved the Jackson 5 stuff, Off the Wall, and Thriller… but he went off the deep end the older and odder he got.
and… he bumped the death of Farrah Fawcett to a footnote!
June 25th, 2009 at 11:43 pm
Yeah, I’d say he’s the biggest known celebrity if you’re not including athletes. Otherwise I think Zinedine Zidane, the “real” Ronaldo, or possibly Michael Jordan could run with him in that category.
June 26th, 2009 at 12:30 am
Michael Jordan maybe… Muhammad Ali, Yes… Zidane and Ronaldo?
I don’t think so. Everybody, everywhere… male or female… know who Michael Jackson is (was). Females that know Zidane or Ronaldo? Not many.
Arsenal content… ummm, I think they are in Austria in less than a month!
June 26th, 2009 at 3:59 am
No way!!
Even my mother knows MJ (the real one). She has no clue about Zidane, Ronaldo or any other footballer.
I doubt Michael Jordan is known much outside of the US. I think he became famous only through MJ’s Jam video.
June 26th, 2009 at 8:29 am
Once again, you’re wrong that people join ArseAm for tickets. Yes, many do so to say they are members of the official supporters club and to support its activities.
June 26th, 2009 at 8:49 am
“From Wikipedia,
Enos Stanley “Stan” Kroenke (born July 29, 1947 in Columbia, Missouri) is an American business entrepreneur who is listed in the Forbes 400 as one of the richest people in the world. His wealth is estimated to be about $3.5 billion and based primarily on real estate. His wife, Anne Walton, is a Wal-Mart heir. Kroenke is also the owner of professional basketball team Denver Nuggets and majority shareholder of English football team Arsenal.
Since his marriage to Walton, he has been in the special position to develop many of the plazas near Wal-Mart stores.”
It seems some refer to Mr. Kroenke as a sports mogul, but it should be pointed out that all of these sport team acquisitions came YEARS after the marriage.
I have more respect for many of our players, who probably had to work their butt off while overcoming social, cultural, & economic odds, to get where they are in life than someone who owes his fluffed image in society to his marriage OR was born into money where the family worships the god of Profit.
June 26th, 2009 at 9:38 am
Tiger Woods is one of the most well-known, easily recognized athletes in the world today.
June 26th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
we’ll agree to disagree… what I’ve read on Big Soccer suggests AA is about the tickets.
June 26th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
So he married into money, that makes him evil? a bad guy? not worthy to own the majority of Arsenal shares?
Not sure I get the problem.
I’d imagine most rich owners are born into money, or stole it!
LOL
June 26th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Zidane, Jordan, Ronaldo? Are you kidding?
Am pretty sure more than 50% of people on earth dont have a clue who those guys are.
But I am pretty sure an 80 year old woman in some random African or Asian country knows who Jackson is.
Even Elvis didnt have that universality.
June 26th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
England U21s go through on PKs over Sweden. Sweden overcame a 0-3 hole and still lose despite Frazier Campbell getting his 2nd yellow for doing a “Ryan Shawcross” in the first extra time period. I can’t comment about walcott since I only picked it up in the 1st extra time. Gibbs looked very good and even scored 1 of the PKs along w/ Walcott. James Milner first up for PKs does his best John Terry impression. At least John Terry could blame a wet pitch.
June 26th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
USA vs Brazil is not exactly a promoters dream match up but so it goes. The USA have a chance if they defend w/ abandon and limit the set play opportunities. The key will be to close down Kaka. Robinho has been inconsistent in this tournament and I think the CBs can handle the CF threat.
June 26th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Zidane and Ronaldo? I guarantee that 80% of Americans don’t know who those guys are but you’d be hard pressed to find someone anywhere in the world who didn’t who the two MJ’s are.
June 26th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
David, I know what you’d like to accomplish by talking more on topics other than match comments that dominate this site. The problem is your magazine-style topics have to come from a select few (paying members). Of these select few, you need to find authors with big talent and imagination in order for your vision to succeed. With that, how many authors do you believe you have with that super talent and how many articles can they possibly write in a calendar year and still prove intriguing?
As things stand, we have about sixty topics a year (commonly referred to as matches) that we can discuss that will never be boring to Arsenal fans. In fact, the topic author doesn’t even require big talent. He need type only two things; the name of team we’ve played and the word, “Discuss”. We can do the rest. It’s always pleasant when you have a good author but not always required.
Personally, I don’t re-write something I saw on another site here at Arsenal America. If I mention a rumor, it’s about how a player might or might not fit in at Arsenal. If it’s a preview, I like to discuss what I believe will be key match-ups during that game. In fact, I like to discuss things that aren’t being discussed elsewhere but that I believe are relevant to our team. I like to discuss these things with my Arsenal America brethren because the discussion here is more to my liking than anywhere else I’ve been. I’m sure we all feel this way.
The reality is Arsenal football topics are always going to dominate what a group of members in North Dakota did last weekend. It’s not because their topic lacks intrigue, but the fact that only a small few can even relate to their experience. However everyone will want to talk about when Henry leaves Arsenal or when Gallas scores a game-winning goal in injury time. As long as football is allowed to be discussed on this site, it will always dominate your magazine-style articles. The question is do you really want to stop Arsenal America members from talking about Arsenal?
June 26th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Earlier a suggestion was made for someone to submit an article about Kroenke, an American businessman being the majority stockholder for Arsenal.
(this being a more prominent subject than our usual banter about the team & manager).
My take on Kroenke is that he’s not worth space on this site.
Evil and bad guy are your words.
June 26th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
Let’s talk about Adebayor. I believe when Wenger switches to his 4-3-3, which is really still going to be a 4-5-1, if he puts Arshavin in the hole behind Ade, the goals will come.
The reality is last season started with an entirely different midfield from the previous year where Ade had mature and intelligent players. He had internationals throughout who could provide him with good service and link-up play. Adebayor is a striker that needs service (just like Edin Dzeko if you haven’t watched Wolfsburg but somehow know that he could be more dangerous). Ade didn’t have good service this season and when you don’t get good service, it’s hard to be so motivated to play as a lone striker. The same ignorant people called Henry moody when he reacted angrily to crap midfield service as a lone striker. Drogba had the same problem and griped until Mourinho pushed Lampard a little further forward. We all saw what the result of that was.
I believe Hleb made both Ade and Fabregas look good in his last season. Next season, Arshavin can be our maestro and give us a similar effect. Not only that, but he can score too. Suddenly, Ade will find that motivation that he had before.
That brings me to DM. The player I think would fit in best would be Scott Parker. That boy was nothing short of fantastic last year at West Ham. He has both the graft and the intelligence to play that holding role, probably better than Flamini. I would have much more confidence in him than that Melo kid. We already know Parker is smart enough and hard enough to play in the BPL. It would give us another Englishman and he might jump at the chance to play in the Champions league. His affiliation with Arsenal would force Capello to consider him for the World Cup next summer. I think West Ham would want more but 16 million quid might do the trick. We could throw in Diaby or a Ramsey loan to sweeten the deal. It’s a lot of money but he would be my preferred choice. Of course, he’d have to want to come.
June 26th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Today I read a title like that from a link elsewhere – “After Bad in 1987, Michael Jackson’s records were rubbish”
I wonder who’s the one so insensitive to write something like this just one day after the man past away? afterall, if the author of this post is dead, does he want someone come out and judge him as a person, or the career he had (whatever profession he’s into) ONE day after he’s dead?
so i clicked the link and go found out who the idoit is….
under the title of the post read – Myles Palmer.
Oh, that explains.
(ok, his article isn’t entirely being critical to MJ. still, for someone to use a headline like this to draw hits and clicks is pretty low IMO).
June 26th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Two paragraphs quoted from wikipedia followed by two sentences hardly make for an informed article.
June 26th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
Tad old. Prone to health issues. 6mil for the player and 10 mil ‘English player tax’ is ridiculous for a 28 yo.
June 26th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Crass would be the word.
June 26th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
joining in to talk about Ade.
Last summer I was half heart wanting him to stay. While i was pi*s with his flirting with Milan, I acknowledged his signficance to our attack.
With Ade, it’s 50% pace and power + 50% workrate. That makes him, to say the least, USEFUL to our side.
Nevertheless, as season progress, his injury aside, when he did play, he looked disinterested. In particular that Chelsea FA Cup semi and Vs Man U in CL semi. I thought he was playing in a friendly.
in short, Adebayor has become so LAZY.
you take away his workrate, you take away half of his game.
Cos it’s useless for a powerful, pacy central forward who doesn’t bother to make runs.
Josh pointed out he lack of service. I disagree. Cos things always work BOTH ways around. For a central forward, you gotta make RUNS to create space for yourself (let alone for your teammates) in order for our midfielders to send you a through pass.
If you are standing still, what’s the point passing u the ball when u r crowded by markers?
a great evidence is during that match he scored a beautiful overhead kick Vs Villareal. He drew lot of praises afterward for his goal. but in true, he had a very POOR game.
it was perhaps one of the most LAZY performance from one of our strikers i had seen in years.
minutes before his goal, one of our attackers was through, receving a pass from our midfielder, yet it was ruled offside. Why? cos Adebayor was taking his time walking slowly back from an offside position. As a result, he was judged offside by the referee.
so, not only he wasn’t involved in a build up play, he actually spoilt our move with his lazyness.
hell, i don’t care if he’s really as good as Henry, I would not shed a tear if he’s being sold.
And i am not the one who easily calling for a player to be sold. generally speaking i like to give our players a benefit of doubt. but I’ve had enough with Ade.
finger crossed, Wolfsburg stand firm on Dzeko, so that Milan would shift to Ade.
I wouldn’t want Ade to join Chelsea as that would make Chelsea’s front line the most powerful in the league – Drogba, Anelka, Adebayor.
June 26th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
You say you “like to discuss things that aren’t being discussed elsewhere” that are “relevant to our team.” I haven’t seen that. I’ve seen rants and gossip just like I see on any number of other sites, nothing special.
June 26th, 2009 at 11:04 pm
You still didn’t say who’s going to write all these fantastic stories for you.
June 26th, 2009 at 11:05 pm
28? Damn, I didn’t know he was that old already.
June 27th, 2009 at 1:03 am
80% of non Americans wouldn’t know Michael Jordan either.
June 27th, 2009 at 8:14 am
the 2 paragraphs were never intended to be an informed article – only to add some color background about this person.
I don’t see Mr. Kroenke as a self-made man, nor deserving any attention (here), just as the Russian billionaire shareholder is constantly criticized on this site for his shady business dealings, the Wal-Mart fortune has similar roots.
June 27th, 2009 at 10:09 am
Board Members & others:
Why is this site different and a cut above other Arsenal sites?
Everyone who posts here provides greater Arsenal perspective. Some have played and/or coached, their comments are comprehensive, have depth, and provocative thought. I haven’t found any other site with similar analysis. Yes, there is some ranting (but limited). Its all focused on our passion for Arsenal.
Besides discussing Arsenal player’s performance, manager’s decisions, etc. many times OTHER clubs’ loans, transfers, manager turnovers, match results, standings, etc. are discussed and how they might be relevant to Arsenal.
Additionally, there is regular banter about our finances, stockholder’s influence, board activity, and other in-depth threads: THAT YOU WON’T FIND AT OTHER SITES.
There is no reason why the site can’t include magazine type articles or anyone can submit an Arsenal experience. The fact that some branches post an upcoming activity is a perk.
The structure of this sight is simple. It is not complicated to jump into the current topic.
I believe the $25 membership fee is reasonable, but most of us are watching every dollar. We have families or are on tight budgets. The luxury to travel to London for a match or Austria for pre-season is not reality. Presently for me there is nothing in return. So the $25, I could see better served sending to a local food bank or shelter, and my conscience is better served.
some suggestions:
Is July really an optimum month for renewing memberships? Why not consider moving membership renewal to begin in mid-August, as the season begins?
For those that just want to post, why not ask for a donation? suggest $10 or $15 payable thru pay pal.
At the end of the calendar year, if there is a surplus of donations, money will be allocated for some Arsenal supported charity. Let visitors know this.
On the home page & above the most current posted article, wouldn’t it be smart to insert a reminder (during the window of membership renewal) about membership renewal or donations, click on the membership tab.
And, ask those that visit this site for input, how AA could offer additional services or features where the $25 membership would have more appeal and justification.
Last but not least, some of the comments do come across as churlish. Not to restrict freedom of speech, but maybe the board would like to issue a yellow card by that comment with the purpose of redirecting our passions.
June 27th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Andez, if close our eyes and use our will, we can make Ade go away.
Ade, please, please, go away. Your single-handedly sullying my Arsenal supporting experience and have done since the moment you arrived.
June 27th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Talking about Adebayor, I remember that Portsmouth game in the 2005/6 season when we drew 1-1 and Ade missed a few sitters. It was then that I knew Ade was going to divide alot of opinion and ultimately, not be good enough. I went back into the archives because I’m sure I did write something along those lines and…..VIOLA!
April 14th 2006.
“Quick point about Adebayor.
I do not think he is good enough for Arsenal. That doesn’t mean he is not a good player, but from what I have seen he is just short of what is required for us.
People talk about settling in and all that but from what I have seen he’s already taken to the premiership like a duck to water. Kanu settled in quickly but he didn’t really improve did he? The Nigerian stood still for four years. Those chances Adebayor had the other night had diddly to do with settling in- they were bread & butter finishes that should be put away at the level Arsenal aspire to reach. He’s already shown this wasteful tendency in the past and I don’t think we’ve heard too many Arsenal fans hailing him for his respectable performances so far. That’s because most have already have this nagging doubt and fair play to them for not going over the top after his recent goals. The jury was still out when he took the pitch on wednesday.
HOWEVER, he does seem to bring the best out of Thierry and maybe a fully-firing Henry can offset the possible damage Adebayor’s profligacy could cause to our results.
But, all those people- who point to his decent goal-record and plead to give him more time to settle in- should prepare themselves to have their patience tested. I think we are gonna see some more glit-edged chances fall by the Adebayor-wayside in the next season or so and I doubt people will be so lenient then. Especially if the misses affect our title or champions league pursuit in a big way.
I sincerely hope I am wrong.”
June 27th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Oh Mazza, this is why the won’t to sabotage the site, it’s the Mazza and Arthur back and forths
.
No time for any back and forths for me at the moment but I would just like to repeat I have always done. Ade is the Dade.
I think he has been OK this season not outstanding but OK. He has raked up more assists this season than ever before so he is still progressing. I refuse to concede that Ade is at all lazy, that is not what I have seen. When he has a poor game the whole team has a bad day, he has never been stand out poor IMO.
The tention between him and the fans will no doubt have had an effect on his confidence but despite the goal to minutes ratio I think he has been better than Bendtner this season.
However i doubt that he will be here next year if I what i have heard is true.
June 27th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
Yeah that is a shame because he has what it takes to add the needed steal in our MF and he has much more technical ability than most people realise.
You would have to have watched him play for Charlton in his younger days to appreciate that. Arsene has seen him throughout his career and not fancied him I doubt if he would go for him now.
June 27th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Milan makes the contact (ade) official…
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=657683&sec=europe&cc=5901
David, how much to do we have to donate to make this happen?
June 27th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
He is unnecessarily expensive he is also a bit short.
Yeah, a few inches isnt going to change much……but we are already the shortest team in the league.
I dont think he is too old though. It is ONLY at Arsenal a 26-29 year old player is blasted for being “too old”.
Bergkamp, Pires and Arshavin all came to Arsenal in that age group.
In fact we NEED 2 or 3 more players of competence in that age group.
June 27th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
I agree completely.
At this point I will be more than happy to accept 10 million for the guy.
June 27th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Michael Jordan wouldn’t be as well known outside the States as O.J. Simpson. In europe they wouldn’t have a clue.
There are very few worldwide celebrities – Michael Jackson, Elvis, Ali, O.J. and possibly Madonna. All american but George Bush would overshadow them all and inform opinions more.
June 27th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
The question is whether an informed article that was critical would be published? I have to doubt it.
June 27th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
Read his review of an early 1970s Jackson 5 concert and it wasn’t criticial. In fact, the opposite.
June 27th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
When this site went official, I was prepared to pay the subscription fee, small at the time, but I was not a US citizen living in the US so I couldn’t pay. As a frequent visitor to the US I have an interest in US views of my favourite team and have always followed this site mostly lurking rather than posting. It would seem sad and pathetic that this inability to pay a fee (because of my nationality) disqualifies me (in some eyes anyway) from having a say in where this site goes.
June 28th, 2009 at 10:06 am
Jackson was a series of contradictions. He was a musical icon/genius. He was also a deeply strange man, and the last 15/20 years of his life were more about freak show than artistry.
He lived a sensational life, by his own choosing. It’s not realistic to expect only one aspect of the man’s life to be discussed now that he’s died (especially under the circumstances of his death, and the mess that has been left behind).
Frankly, observing his creative output had suffered over the last 20 years is a fairly benign comment given the long list of other, far more disturbing things that are also being discussed.
June 28th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
All those words about Ade and you only used ‘offside’ three times. Nice restraint.
June 28th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
You guys are watching the US-Brazil game? Wow.
June 28th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
I’m watching….
2-1 in the 70th, linesman disallowed Brazil’s 2nd
If I we’re Dunga, I’d put in Denilson for Gilberto as AW did for our team…
June 28th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
More than anyone else, Michael Jackson walked the line between genius and insanity. At various times he crossed and recrossed that line.
June 28th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
With regard to the site and its future shape I’m a little lost in why this is a big issue.
There is clearly a demand for a discussion forum. If ‘admin time’ is the issue then why not simply set up a new page on an automatic bi-weekly basis for comments and discussion?
If the official AA site don’t want to provide that service then……whatever. Be honest and say we don’t want a forum on the official site.
In all honesty, I share the view of many, closing the forum would be a real shame. I haven’t come across another site with as interesting a level of discussion. Naturally you’ll have extremes, but I often find the level of articulated thought quite refreshing. Most other sites leave little space for ‘comments’ and as a result the comments are at a level befitting a caveman or one of very limited intellectual ability.
It is unfortunate that our beloved team has had a rank average season, and the manager seems a tad wedded to his ideals that haven’t as yet worked, and as a result the tone of comments are mainly downbeat. But that’s life….the ebbs and flows of following a team. And we should allow comments to reflect the reality we see.
My advice is keep the forum, it makes AA stand out.
June 28th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
+1
June 29th, 2009 at 8:57 am
I would certainly encourage donations to local food banks and shelters. Any regular posters to this website who utilize their services regularly ought not to spend money on anything but necessities, surely.
Is this how you weigh your economic decisions on a daily basis? “I could buy that shirt but I could just donate to a homeless shelter.” “I could order dessert but instead I’ll just contribute to a food bank.” Admirable thought process.
If you regularly post on the Arsenal America website then you ought to consider yourself someone who regularly participates in the club’s activities, since it is dues-paying members who keep the website active. It costs us money to pay the web designer and to keep the site hosted. Refusing to contribute while making demands is an unethical stance.
At $25/year we’re asking for less than fifty cents a week. That’s all. Unless you rely upon charity, I hope you contribute much more than that to charities annually.
Yes, many comments do indeed seem “churlish.” But the board isn’t and hasn’t ever been prepared to moderate discussions here. If so, we would have had it set up as a proper message board.
You say: “there is regular banter about our finances, stockholder’s influence, board activity, and other in-depth threads: THAT YOU WON’T FIND AT OTHER SITES.” I see that kind of regular banter on loads of other sites and haven’t seen anything special here.
It absolutely amazes me that there hasn’t been a single person who has said, “I’m a paying member and I’m happy my dues go in part to keeping those conversations going on the club’s site.” Nor has there been a single person who has said, “I value the conversations on the site so much that I will become an ArseAm member.”
Instead I keep reading people who are angry about changes to a website that belongs to an organization they won’t join. “Churlish,” indeed.
June 29th, 2009 at 9:03 am
It isn’t a forum. It’s just that the site is designed to allow comments to articles. We’re not talking about taking that feature away. We don’t want poorly written blog-ish posts or paraphrased/plagiarised press releases serving as articles.
June 29th, 2009 at 10:37 am
Gilberto the recruiter.
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_5405342,00.html
I hope a deal can be worked out. I would love to see Melo in an Arsenal uniform. This would allow Song to be moved to center back.
And I would love to see Gilberto return to Arsenal in a scouting or coaching role some day.
June 29th, 2009 at 11:09 am
Some Confederation Cup thoughts:
Except for the Euro 2008 win, Spain mostly flatters to deceive.
Luis Fabiano would be a better target for AC Milan than either Adebayor or Dzeko.
Jay DeMerit was shite at Watford and still is.
FIFA should not cow to world opinion and ban the vuvuzela or else they should ban drums and horns as well.
Brazil in ‘trouble’ brings on Elano and Alves and the USA crumbling brings on Conor Casey and Sasha Kljestan.
When South Africa figures out their striker situation they can avoid early elimination in the WC.
Luca Toni’s decline started at EURO 2008 and now it continues to drag on.
Chances of Italy repeating in 2010: slim and none.
I would love to give a bottle of “Eau du Lucio” or “Puyol Cologne” to the Arsenal team now as an early Christmas present.
Real Madrid want to avoid the past galactico team mistake of having no defense so they’ve purchased Albiol.
I hope Arsenal was scouting this tournament and saw Booth, the South African CB who looked like the real deal.
When nitty gets to gritty, quality more often than not comes through.
June 29th, 2009 at 11:10 am
+2
June 29th, 2009 at 11:51 am
Esthetically, I would prefer a striker other than Adebayor. Someone more along the lines a young Ronaldo (the original) w/ moves, pace and finishing ability. Right now Torres and Eto’o come close to my ‘ideal’ striker w/ Pato a raw prodigy in waiting. Adebayor must go bandwagons are a forlorn exercise because “Ronaldos” don’t grow on trees. He is what he is and no one can/has named a ‘viable’ replacement for us to pontificate over. As an example, 4 strikers w/ 12 goals (D. Bent, Kuyt, K. Davies, Agbonlahor) finished in the top 10 for 2008/09 and I would not any of them over Adebayor (10). Kuyt alone wound merit consideration because of his work ethic but if and when Adebayor rediscovers his, it not even a contest.
June 29th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
YAMA is looking VERY nice (and was created by a regular poster here to preserve a site for these discussions)!
http://youaremyarsenal.com/blog/
June 29th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
For those who care U21 England 0- 3 Germany.
Gibbs stellar as usual. Walcott as the ‘lone range’ effectively corraled when he did get the ball and feeble support when he did not. Other than Milner and Muamba, the rest are pretty much dreck.
Mehmet Ozil, the Germans have him and England don’t have anyone who can carry his jock strap. He’s the reason Werder Bremen let Diego go to Juventus and that’s all you need to know about his quality.
I’d like to take a moment and declare that the cream of Chelsea’s reserves, Michael Mancienne is undeniably crap. Following his entrance into today’s game he gives away 2 FK one of which Ozil just destroys the back up GK with for a goal. In the game that got him dropped, he got beat over the top and got a red card that led to a PK.
Usmanov has proposed something called a “rights issue” that could lop 100mil off of Arsenal’s 350mil debt. That device will go towards providing Arsenal more transfer funds beyond what they have from gate receipts and TV money;) I don’t know what a rights issue is and what it can and can’t do. I do know that my mother warned me not to take ‘candy’ from strangers.
June 29th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
Perhaps your aspirations for this area of the site and the reality of what it is are in conflict. For the folk who regularly comment and view it is a discussion forum on Arsenal FC the club we support.
Do you honestly think that people want to read a series of stories on how we came to be supporters? Or our experience on match day? You’re swimming against the tide – has anyone actually supported the concept?
To me AA presented as a rare professional discussion forum, an oasis in a sea of simple one liners, bad language and abuse. AA is unique in that sense. In business if you have a good product the idea is to build on it.
June 29th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
I’ve got to say that Gibbs impressed me last season. There was a verve and confidence in his play. It’s hard for a fullback to catch the eye, but he did. So it is lovely to see him playing well at international U21 level. He did have that awful slippy-thing moment, but there is no reason to think that it was anything other than an isolated one-off incident. Clichy may come under pressure.
With Theo, more of the same. He just strikes me as an awkward fit. If he was a foot taller he may fit the Anelka/Henry prototype, but he’s really short. His blend of pace/intuition has failed to be sufficient to date. Hope I’m wrong cause I think Wenger will persist given the fee he paid and his English heritage. At this stage he should be a substitute – and he could be a useful one with his pace against the ‘much referred to’ tiring defences.
June 29th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
We’re feeling the love David.
June 29th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
Yeah.
We’re not taking away the ability to reply to articles and we’re open to compromise, but please piss off to this blog and make this easier for everyone
June 29th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
It was 4-0 Deutschland, actually. Haven’t been able to figure out what Usmanov’s offer means but the Arsenal Supporters Trust issued an interesting statement on the Red & White proposal.
June 29th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
June 29th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
Theo Walcott has been somewhat an unlucky kid.
His first goal for Arsenal, Carling Cup final Vs Chelsea. He would have made the headline and capped off a dream final debut (his first cup final) had we not lost the match in the end.
His brilliant run which set up Adebayor for a potential “winner” in the CL match 2 years ago against Liverpool was as good as Maradona’s solo goal against England in the WC86, and could have been remember by fans for a long long time…. yet once again, the headline next day was how Arsenal blew the lead instead of Theo’s brilliant solo effort. Unlucky.
Then last season against Chelsea in FA Cup semi, when Theo grabbed the first goal for us, I was like “oh no, NOT Walcott!” (not tongue in cheek, i was really having that fear at that point. as when comes to football, i am a bit superstitious. in the end, the result of the match was a repeat of Carling Cup final years ago.
England u21. Theo once again ended up in the losing side of a final. Tough luck for the kid.
hopefully Theo won’t be feeling too downhearted. look for Titi for inspiration – before Henry started winning things for us, he too, was involved in two extremely unlucky Arsenal cup final losing side. Against Liverpool in FA Cup 2001, when it was probably the BEST performance in a final from an Arsenal side yet still ended up losing the match; also, in the UEFA Cup final when we lost to Galatasaray through PK-shootout.
keep ur chin up, your time will come.
June 29th, 2009 at 7:26 pm
I hear what you’re saying Andes, yet for me those instances of brilliance or significance from Theo are sooooo rare. He actually gets a lot of game-time, so he needs to up his contribution. No team with winning aspirations can carry a player in the hope he’ll come good. If he was a clever team player who helped gel everything together then his case would be stronger, yet the opposite is true. He lacks the awareness of what his team-mates are doing, essentially he wants to be ‘on the end’ of the play and not acting as a creator. This is why I say he currently looks an awkward fit in our side. I would hate to see the output stats on how his play down the flank.
What do you expect when Theo gets the ball in his normal wide position? Do you expect clever linking, or an insightful run ending with a weighted pass or cross? Or a goal? Probably not. I expect him to lose or waste possession. Occasionally he won’t but that’s tends to be the exception.
June 29th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
No Kiwi, i m not here to discuss how good Theo is (already talked about it with a few comments earlier on in this thread).
I am just trying to point out he’s kinda unlucky in a few big games we had so far which he had made a contribution yet the team came away with nothing.
Think of the Carling Cup final goal Vs Chelsea, that Liverpool solo run-assist, and last season’s FA Cup semi goal Vs Chelsea… those were all big games, all crucial contributions.
I am just feeling a little sorry for him that’s all.
June 29th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
oh sorry. not this thread. i already discussed about Theo’s strength and weakness in the previous thread.
June 29th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
We arent going anywhere!!!!
Trust me on this one.
June 29th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
You forgot his two goals against Birmingham…..his first in the league that season.
June 29th, 2009 at 8:39 pm
Unlucky? There are several billion young people around the world more worthy of your sympathy. 60,000 pounds pw will go some way to comforting Theo as he copes with the trauma of being a football starlet under the wing of an admiring and tolerant manager.
June 29th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
jesus. what made this little comment of me so getting on ur nerve? i wasn’t even replied to your original comment. just happend that a post of me posted under ur comment that’s all.
give it a rest. i m here to talk about Arsenal, not the world news.
June 29th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
yup. it could have two important goals for us as we were coming back from 1 goal down to take a 2-1 lead, a match we needed to win. then the omen struck once again.
June 29th, 2009 at 10:56 pm
I’d venture to say that if he can stay healthy all season, this could
be a very good season for Theo Walcott.
June 30th, 2009 at 12:22 am
Ok, peace, I give in, probably a bit of a language thing.
I just don’t see Theo as being hard done by in any way.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:04 am
let’s hope he does stag. if he plays well, it can only be good for Arsenal’s cause.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:09 am
Another player I almost forgotton we had is A.Traore.
with the rising of K.Gibbs, what does that lead Traore to? I recall a year back, someone (probably Josh) suggested that he could play in LM.
Personally, i think that may as well turn out to be the answer. This kid is fast, and with a very good dribbling skill. He can be our left wing’s answer to Walcott – a pacy, direct winger to offer us an extra option down the left.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:57 am
Indeed, I had hoped that after Tomas Rosicky went down that Wenger would give Traore a chance but he insisted on playing Diaby out wide. I’ll admit that my assessment of Traore was based on the strength of his reserve performances. Sure, it was the reserves but he was head and shoulders above the reserves; completely unstoppable.
Wenger didn’t give him a chance until after we’d conceded the title last season. He was dynamite by giving us an added energy during those final three games. The stand-out for me was the Everton game when he was only on the pitch for a few minutes but made more chances than we did the whole game and helped us win the game by putting the ball on Bendtner’s head.
We’ll have to wait and see what Arsene has in store for the young Frenchman.
June 30th, 2009 at 2:03 am
Theo has incredible pace but he needs to take time to develop as a playmaker to become a superstar. Henry and Bergkamp could score plenty but it was the added dimension of play-making that made them legends and put fear in the hearts of their opponents. Defenders simply never knew what Bergkamp or Henry were going to do next.
Any defender at any level will tell you that the easiest player to defend against is a guy who mostly looks to dribble; regardless of their pace. You only have to worry about him hurting you one way. Gallas even told young Theo the same. Why not be a dribbler who fakes a dribble and passes or a shooter who fakes a shot and dribbles or any combination of the three? Why not be unpredictable?
One last topic is I believe that Rosicky should play in front of Nasri. Tomas is simply more direct and more dynamic than Nasri. Rosicky has the ability to move the ball quickly while Nasri likes to hold the ball too long. Rosicky is simply a better player than Nasri. Tomas is fit now so we’ll have to see if he develops his pre-injury form and stays healthy. My fingers are crossed.
June 30th, 2009 at 4:56 am
When Rosicky has played he has added a lovely dynamic. But is there anything tangible to suggest that Rosicky is fit? This isn’t the first time it has been asserted he is fit when it can’t be tested. It’s academic to suggest Rosicky is a better player than Nasri when he hasn’t been on a pitch in 18 months and he has never withstood the rigours of the EPL for a sustained period.
June 30th, 2009 at 6:59 am
Bischoff is released !!
http://www.arsenal.com/news/reserves-news/four-youngsters-turn-pro-while-eight-depart
“Amaury will be leaving after failing to make an impact during his one season at the Club”
June 30th, 2009 at 7:19 am
With the demands of the EPL, FA Cup, CL, CC, – we need the luxury of both. Plus,both have ability to play multiple positions without lowering Arsenal standard of play.
My take on the two. Rosicky benefited from a stronger mid-field ( Hleb’s presence, movement, and strength to hold the ball under pressure).
Nasri holding the ball too long
IMO, it was a result of teammates being too defensive minded ( not exploiting space), a weak mid-field. I saw too many contrary situations (over the season) where Nasri made the timely decision and found the open teammate.
Now don’t beat me up for this, but I see Nasri as a young Bergkamp type.
June 30th, 2009 at 11:35 am
The Bisch gets released… he was another “gem” that Wenger uncovered!
and…
Arshavin would just LOVE the opportunity to play for Barcelona!!!
Don’t worry Andrei… you know we are the feeder club for Barca, so you
will get your chance, surely.
June 30th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
I wouldn’t let that Arshavin quote bother you too much. The original source was The Sun.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
Would also like to add the Felipe Melo has signed an extension till 2013 with Fiorentina. So unless a miracle happens – he is staying put.
June 30th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
100 posts here and the “general discussion” is starting to creep in….When will we get a statement about what the “changes” really are….
In the meantime, some interesting commentary above about Theo and Rosicky and Nasri….It’s a tantalizing time of the year…”linked” to a few players, one already in (Vermaelen) and nobody gone–yet. And then you’ve got Arsene talking about playing a Barca style 4-3-3 and, we hope, all the players are getting healthy and rested and as excited about the upcoming season as we all are….
Some thoughts: My thought about the 4-3-3 is that it’s really a 5-5-0 with the DM pretty locked back and the remaining players (and sometimes the full backs as well) attacking and fairly interchangeable. This is why Barca didn’t miss a beat in the CL final with both starting full backs suspended (Alves and Abidal) and Yaya was able to slide back pretty seamlessly. Is this what AW is trying to do with Song and maybe Vermaelen?
I still believe we need some muscle at DM and that makes Nasri the odd man out when it comes to the attacking five. As Spot On says Nasri may not be the “head down” player he sometimes appears to be (especially when compared with Cesc, the most “head up” player I see out there in all the football I watch) and he actually might have the field sense and passing range to anchor a midfield, but there’s certainly not a lot of pace or muscle there. But then again Busquets did the job for Barca in the final….
So as an attacking option, Nasri looks to be behind Arshavin, Cesc, and Rosicky not to mention the more forward options: Ade, RVP, Dudu, Bendtner and Vela. And you can’t forget the AW “projects” Diaby, Denilson and maybe Eboue and Ramsey. That leaves Theo. I gotta agree with Josh about his need to develop other options besides trying to take defenders on the dribble. He seems to like the one touch pass,turn and sprint, when lying deep, but in more dangerous parts of the field he does seem awfully predictable. Still a single player with fearsome pace seems pretty handy for keeping a back-line from pressing up too high. Still seems like a super-sub more than a super-star–in the making.
‘Nuf said (for now). Except maybe that I was very impressed by the Young Turk on the German U-21 squad (Ozil) and Spain (and Villareal vs us in the CL) looked a lot less solid without Marcos Senna and a lot less scary without Iniesta. And (finally) the US sure ran out of luck in a hurry….but at least they won’t have the FedCup-WC jinx hanging over them….(LOL)…
June 30th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
To be honest, I rate Traore as a more effective winger than Walcott.
Walcott is a bit faster but when it comes to brain usage, Traore is well ahead.
If Walcott didnt have speed he would be a conference player given his weak frame and lack of a footballing brain.
Lets hope he grows faster than he currently is doing.
June 30th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
I see absolutely no real difference between Nasri and Iniesta. The only difference is that Iniesta has 5 years more experience.
When it comes to temperament, personality, vision and playing style they are very similar.
Rosicky is more of a runner, while Nasri is more of a “creative static”.
His basic instinct (like that of Iniesta) is to hold on to the ball except a good run takes place. There is absolutely no point “quickly releasing” the ball just for the sake of it.
For most of last season he was stuck on the left wing with motherfreaking Eboue on the right and the “wonderful” Denilson in the center.
I am certain Iniesta would look like shit in such a team. Infact am sure Rosicky will look like shit in such a team.
June 30th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Well, if we do go to the Barca 4-3-3 (NOT the useless 4-5-1), then Nasri can partner Fabregas in front of the DM.
June 30th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Highbury.
If you read above… a few posts up… David tells us that there is this
really cool other site:
“YAMA is looking VERY nice (and was created by a regular poster here to preserve a site for these discussions)!
http://youaremyarsenal.com/blog/”
So he is saying… in his nicest way…go away… this isn’t a forum for discussions… I don’t want to waste my time keeping the site running as it has for many years… I want to post over on Big Soccer… and you should too. Arsenal America is for BigSoccer folks to get Arsenal tickets… and for the occasional meet-up post in Chilcotte, Ohio… Podunk, MO… and others.
So long and thanks for all the fish.
June 30th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Iniesta is quite a bit different from Nasri.
He actually runs into space, and he tries to take players on, something Nasri never once did on the left. He’s marginally better on the right and in the centre but he still has ways to go. Iniesta is a few years older but it remains to be seen whether Nasri actually has this inclination to take players on and be more aggressive.
June 30th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Yes, I guess you’re correct. In what I said above Arshavin should be grouped with the more forward players.
But check out this news: http://goal.com/en/news/11/transfer-zone/2009/06/29/1353255/le-mans-mathieu-coutadeur-has-agreed-terms-with-a-mystery
Supposedly a Flamini-type, just a little shorter
I’m sure Timmy the Tooth http://7amkickoff.wordpress.com/ is getting to the bottom of this as quickly as possible. His very good blog goes to it’s own domain tomorrow: http://7amkickoff.com/
June 30th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Tries to take players on???
Are you drunk Mazza? Iniesta has the same speed as Fabregas and is slower than Nasri, he couldnt “take on” anybody even if he wanted to.
That is definitely NOT Iniesta’s strength by any measure.
June 30th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
Fred, watch the Eto’ goal against United in the final and see how Iniesta left Anderson and Carrick for dead.
In recent years he’s added that to his game, which is why he’s seen as possibly the best player in the world.
Fabregas or Nasri couldn’t carry the guy’s jocks.
June 30th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsbVv_G0Kgc
Just pretend your watching Fabregas and then compare their speeds.
June 30th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
Highburyterracesteve,
We’ve given a statement about changes. We’re waiting for our web designer to finish the revamp.
stag133,
That site was started by someone who regularly posts here who understands this site belongs to a supporters club and is paid for by its members. He asked me to encourage traffic to his site.
We haven’t had anything in Chilcotte, Ohio or Podunk, MO. If you live in either locale, perhaps you’d like to start a local branch? Our latest meet-up was in a little backwater called New York, NY.
And no, this isn’t set up for discussions. If you really feel the need to express you inner most feelings about Adebayor, why not go somewhere you can post on a dedicated thread about that topic?
Not sure what you mean about the fish. You won’t give a bone.
June 30th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
Kiwi,
A few people who refuse to contribute to the maintenance of the site don’t exactly make a tide. The vast majority of the members of the supporters club don’t care for the discussion here and in fact feel it takes away from what the site should do and that’s promote the aims and activities of the supporters club. Much bigger tide.
How can you say this is a “rare professional discussion forum” when you can’t even thread topics here? As for the intellectual depth and profundity of the posts…I haven’t seen any insights out of the ordinary.
First of all I’m a volunteer so I’m not that keen on people are treating me like they are customers, so don’t tell me how to run this “business” when no one posting here is paying the dues that keep the site alive.
June 30th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
I saw the mention of Iniesta up there. I have been a big admirer of Iniesta for years. He got everything I love in a player – unassuming, down to earth, extremely intelligent (the most intelligent player I ever seen behind Robert Pires), and with a rock solid all around skills.
I agree with Mazza’s accessment – yes, Iniesta does get the skill to take on player. He can also pass, and his movement off the ball is excellent.
He’s never the biggest name in the Barca lineup. But he’s almost always the automatically first choice in the starting lineup, by his club coach and national team coach as well.
If talking about a “dream signing”, Iniesta is on the very top of my list. unfortunately, this guy is Barca through and through.
June 30th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
The fish line, is from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy… or one those books!
When the end was near… he said, Thanks for all the fish!
And we’ve done just fine discussing here for a good many years, however
it was set-up.
July 1st, 2009 at 8:06 am
http://www.sportspromedia.com/notes_and_insights/_a/arsenal_fc_the_worlds_21st_most_valuable_sports_property/
Only 21st
Meanwhile Man City have hired a company to take their brand global (or at the Arab world). Man U get another 5mil from branding phones in Asia. Liverpool are looking to generate funds from travel to Asia and Norway. You know Man U and Chelsea will also be on the “chittlin’ circuit” this pre-season raking in the cash. Arsenal? Well Arsenal will be in east bum f**k Austria playing a local Sunday pub team.
July 1st, 2009 at 9:45 am
So Benzema is on the verge of signing with Real Madrid which takes that option off the table as well. Which may mean more time with Ade.
Also got to love this from the Times:
Aston Villa join £5m race for Senderos
The Midlands club are tracking Philippe Senderos, the Arsenal defender.
George’s verdict: Villa need a centre-half badly. But do they need a bad centre-half goodly? Actually, that’s a bit harsh. – Love it.
Also it now looks with Melo gone that Arsenal may be looking towards Marseilles skipper Cana.
July 1st, 2009 at 9:50 am
Hey guys –
I established You Are My Arsenal right on the heels of the announcement that change was coming and also out of my frustration that new articles from the fans weren’t immediately forthcoming. (Not mine to argue the change)
David was doing me a favour by plugging the site. I had asked him to. I wouldn’t crucify him for that. Hell I am sure there are other things we can crucify him for
I merely created a site that in time I hope will fill whatever void is created by the change in direction that will come to AA.
I am working on the site every day trying to improve it. Right now its me. I’ve got some interest from some readers here but I think until others start going, registering and reading, it may take some time. I don’t think I will supplant Big Soccer or any of the established sites – just merely add to the options.
July 1st, 2009 at 10:25 am
The sheer ignorance of some people continue to amaze. Not to mention this outrage against change for something you don’t even pay for! What a bunch of panty waists. Contrary to belief, websites cost money to run. They cost money to house the data that gets added to them, they cost money to pay the people who maintain it. Just b/c you’re a “real” fan who is emotional & loves Arsenal so much you have the cojones to criticise said team believe it or not it won’t actually help pay for the cost & maintenance of the site. No matter how long you’ve been coming here, yet another way of saying “but I’m a real fan [who doesn't pay, btw] I’m more important!. Although if you charged a dime for every time Mazza over-exaggerated Hleb’s talent it’d probably run Arsenal America for a good 5 minutes, b/c frankly only Mazza would be the one paying the dime. Ba doomp pssh. Then again, from all the cheapskate complaints, maybe a dime will break your socialists-leaning banks.
“we’re in a recession I can’t pay $20 for a website, boo hoo boo hoo.” Well, yes, we’re in a recession & the website doesn’t pay for itself even in good or economic growth years, twit.
I don’t know why it’s such a hard concept for people to grasp- paying members should have more say, b/c frankly a paying member is another way of saying someone is an investor. You wouldn’t go hang out in a restaurant, not order anything & then expect the same service as someone who actually bought something would you? Oh wait, judging from the idiotic posts in these threads you probably WOULD expect the same service. After all, such is the way of the world now that Obama’s in charge. Forget the fact you pay your mortgage on time, nope we’re gonna help out the degenerates who default (& then proceed to tear up the house & steal the fixtures, etc. that they get booted out of)… Yeah, power to the people, brah.
Cue the numbnuts on this board who think that just b/c they come here & post it somehow pays the bills or makes them more relevant than a paying member. LOL Even in socialist settings someone eventually has to pay the bills, knuckleheads. Hope alone won’t. Not even on a website. So you come here everyday, big freaking woop! You might go to a bar every day, it doesn’t make you the owner nor give you the right or a say in running the bar, duhhhhh.
Paying members ar enothing more than shareholders of a club. Posters in threads are frankly nothing more than visitors, period. I know most of you want to attach some sort of importance to your frequent visits to this site but you’re nothing more than a non-paying visitor, period. At best you’re a “friend of the club.” Forgive me for putting this in perspective & showing you the reality of the situation.
Finally, I laugh at the notion that people look down on “how you became a Gooner” articles & the like b/c what’s the difference in that & coming back to this site after you’ve been gone for 4 months & you can bet with certainty with what you’ll find in posts- Wenger’s past it, Adebayor has to go (maybe he’d've gone already but he can’t sign a contract b/c his 1st touch is poor! Ba doomp doomp!) Denilson sucks, Song now needs to play (LOL what a change 2 yrs. makes!). What’s the difference between these 2 differing site paths when in reality both are reading the same thing repetitively? It’s only the latter gives some people the illusion they’re talking about different stuff.
I like tacos.
July 1st, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Curt, why don’t you go hang out with GW Bush… you right-wing lunatic.
I forgive you for giving your spin, good luck with Dick Cheney in 2012.
LOOOL!
Fortunately for you, your view is OK here… because like the Obama administration, we’re an inclusive bunch!
Ciao.
July 1st, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Well, Benzema is officially off to Real Madrid. I didn’t think Arsenal had a chance in hell at signing him anyway, but damn that team is spending a chunk of change this summer. Gallas says he isn’t going anywhere and Ramsey signed a new long term deal. I wonder if Wenger will see them as new additions to the team.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Ramsey signs new contract – http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/ramsey-signs-a-new-long-term-contract.
First Walcott, then Fabianski and now Ramsey. Last season, it was Diaby, Denilson and Eboue (?). Loyalty pays more than performance?
July 1st, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Got that off your chest. Feel better. Good. Breath in. Breath out. Continue.
July 1st, 2009 at 3:10 pm
Maybe one day, someday we will be able to flog a player to Real Madrid for all the king’s horses and all the king’s men.
July 1st, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Smug will be written all over my face when Real Madrid limp and wimp their way through La Liga.
Real Madrid need a world class defender. News flash: they bought Albiol. The same Albiol who got beaten like he was the ‘red-headed stepchild’ by South Africa at the Confederation Cup. They have Pepe, wait, when does he come back from his suspension for ‘assault and battery’ on a CF? Otherwise known as going ‘Joey Barton’. Let’s not forget the the midfield defensive firm of M. Diarra, L. Diarra and Gago, LLC.
July, 2009. Real Madrid will start out like terrors against ‘cupcake’ preseason opponents.
August, 2009. 1 or 2 losses and galacticos will start looking at one another and saying WTF?
September, 2009. Raul will be trying to quell dissension in the ranks as the results continue to limp.
December, 2009. Pelligrini will be gone.
“I hear you knocking but you can’t come in”, Arsene Wenger.
July 1st, 2009 at 3:56 pm
“Fabregas and Nasri couldn’t carry the guy’s jocks”
This coming from the same guy who claimed Iniesta was a poor man’s Hleb. You even compared him disfavorably to Deco if I recall right.
Look, I really like Barca, mostly because they play the old school Ajax style – so I watch the vast majority of their matches. Iniesta does NOT take people on.
Even that video does not show consistent “taking on”. That is completely NOT his strength. Any sane person that watches Iniesta would know Nasri is a bit faster.
Oh yeah, give us the example of him leaving Anderson and Carrick for dead in one play……..well Fabregas the snail left some Milan DMs for dead for his goal too. Take that.
Nasri will prove himself eventually. At his age, Iniesta was sitting and watching Deco, while watching videos of Rijkaard.
As for Fabregas, for a snail in a fast league, he is pretty good compared to Iniesta who is a snail in a slow league.
When he was paired with either Gilberto or Flamini he notched over 60 assists and was Europe’s top provider three years in a row. And before you mention Hleb, note that his rate without Hleb starting is HIGHER than with. Check!
Partner him up with a better DM…..he is golden.
PS: Where’s your failed idol headed? His zero goals, zero shots on target and one assist while playing more games Bendtner and Adebayor in a creative team that broke goal scoring records is freaking HILARIOUS!
July 1st, 2009 at 4:00 pm
To be very honest I dont think Iniesta would survive long in the EPL.
He is FAR more slender than the more experienced Deco. Ofcourse he can cut it in the CL in those one off games and with the refs frequent whistle blowing.
Fabregas is bigger and more muscular than him and is deceptively strong YET Fab is still a bit too lightweight for us…….so Iniesta is certainly not EPL material.
July 1st, 2009 at 4:03 pm
TBH, if I were Melo or any player I would probably be thinking…..why join them?
Fiorentina is the fourth place team in Italy, we are the fourth in England. Plus both teams have almost the same likelihood of winning anything.
So why bother moving one year before the World Cup?
July 1st, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Wow ……… you decided to take a few minutes off from your Holocaust-memorial-shooting solidarity websites to “lecture” us for a few minutes!
Consider us lectured!
PS: Am sure Facebook, MySpace and Craiglist are freaking socialists destroying America as well
And I am certain you diligently pay dues for storm front or whatever website you frequent more often!
Now run along.
July 1st, 2009 at 4:26 pm
Actually, M. Diarra, L. Diarra, Gago and De la Red when all fit is a VERY strong defensive midfield!!!
The two Diarras partnering up in the center is a water-tight combo. And they will balance out Kaka and Ronaldo perfectly.
With Benzema coming in their strike force is good enough.
In defense they have Ramos and Salgado at RB …. which suffices.
Heinze, Marcelo and Drenthe at LB is OK.
CBs are Metzelder, Pepe, Albiol and Garay (who I rate highly).
To be very honest I will take any of those four defenders. If they go through a proper pre-season and are settled they are all top class.
Cassillas has been out of form for a while, but when normal he is a top class keeper.
And all this has not taken into account Sneider or Van der Vaart or Robben or Guti.
I think they are set up very nicely. They just need to keep their DMs and CBs fit and settled.
July 1st, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Opps, Metzelder already sold.
July 1st, 2009 at 4:41 pm
I’m sure RM will finish in the top two in La Liga. The real question is: how far can these new signings take them in the CL?
Also, call me cynical, but I’d be willing to bet our hefty ArseAm annual membership fee that ManU and RM will meet in the CL next season. Somehow they’ll find a way to make it happen.
July 1st, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Fred,
Facebook, MYSpace & Craigslist are subsidized by ads. We’re not and won’t. I’m kinda baffled that you would equate this club’s site with those… Apples and oranges.
“My friend the communist/ Holds meetings in his RV/ I can’t afford his gas/ So I’m stuck here watching TV.”
Pay and you get a say. But don’t expect me to act like I’m an employee in a service industry. I’m just a volunteer trying to help manage this club. If you’re not in the club don’t tell me how it should be managed.
If you meet in a café but don’t order food or drinks you don’t complain about the lighting or the temperature and you’ve gotta expect that the bathrooms are for paying customers only.
July 1st, 2009 at 5:56 pm
David,
I have paid, and find the board’s position non-inclusive.
Not once in 12 months did you ever solicit an opinion about revenue or expanding membership. Not that I expected any contact or to participate in feedback, but in your earlier remarks you give those at this sight the impression that your ideas were discussed and agreed by those paying members.
In fact, when suggestions were presented (options for creating additional revenue), they were ignored in your replies.
If your intent is to build on the premier membership at this sight, then you need to be bigger than some of the posters and take the higher ground.
July 1st, 2009 at 6:25 pm
Finishing top 2 in La Liga will be seen as a failure for RM and nothing else. You don’t break the world transfer record for Ronaldo, spend almost as much on Kaka, and also a massive amount on Benzema to finish second in the league. If you have the last 2 world players of the year, and have just splashed out enough cash on them to buy your own island, you better damn well win your own domestic league, or all that cash will be unjustified. Second will be unaccceptable for the players, fans, management, and you better believe the media too, who will be all over RM for the entire season.
The problem for them is that Barca is extremely good sill, and in sports in general, and football in particular, a team’s true quality is often greater than the sum of its parts. Maybe Barca can’t match up w/ RM man-for-man, but I think w/ all these new players in, and the pressure to succeed, that Barca will have better chemistry, and I will not be at all surprised if they still win La Liga next season, and RM’s manager will be out on his ass, even if he was their 2nd manager of the season.
July 1st, 2009 at 8:36 pm
I was just responding to the comment above that RM’s defense will cause them to “limp” through the regular season. I agree that the expectation is set for nothing less than a Championship, and I believe that their talent will push them to the top. However, I qualified it by stating that they may only acheive a second place finish because, as you say, Barca is so good. They are quality that you cannot put a price on, and they may decide to throw a wrench in Madrid’s plans. Of course, you never know what will happen. Barca could lose Eto, etc., etc.
I mentioned that I am curious as to how RM will do in the CL because I believe that the latter stages of that competition is the real barometer nowadays.
July 1st, 2009 at 8:39 pm
cpta, you might not like them buying 3 of the biggest fish available for a boatload of money…
but they have just improved themselves TREMENDOUSLY, and the players they signed were YOUNG, not old, over the hill players, on the downslide.
I expect Barcelona to do something big… because right now, I’d say Real Madrid will be favorites to win their league!
July 1st, 2009 at 8:41 pm
Its going to be quite a battle between these two titans for the league.
Real Madrid are much better equiped to compete and have a great chance to win the league, than they were last season. And they didn’t finish too far off the top.
July 1st, 2009 at 8:41 pm
L. Diarra is a decent player who I would still like to have at Arsenal. M. Diarra will have to prove that he can come back from a serious season ending injury. Still I’d rate L. Diarra (though smaller) a better player. L.D. certainly adjusted quicker to La Liga than M.D. did.
I don’t know Garay although I imagine he is why Cannavaro departed.
You cannot play football and let one CF’s play mentally unhinged you as what happened to Pepe.
Albiol was ‘dog’s breakfast’ during his games at the Confederation Cup.
None of those LBs will be able to cope w/ Messi ( or at least give him pause). Except for Heinze, all Madrid FBs are great going forward (especially Ramos) but defensively they come up short. Spanish National team coaches clearly have Ramos on a ‘leash’ early in games until Spain can take a lead. Ramos did not cover himself w/ glory either against South Africa.
I’m glad you used the word suffice in proximity to Salgado because he is woeful. He is ‘Silvestre’ slow and gives away FKs against speedy players like Countrywide gave away subprime mortgages.
July 1st, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Spot On 47,
I wish I could just click reply to your post – hoping this shows beneath.
The current board’s only been in place for two and a half months so you can’t blame us for not having done something over twelve. Our (plural) ideas have been extensively discussed among current and former board members as well as other rather active premier level members.
Am I guilty of the sin of omission? I haven’t seen any viable options for creating additional revenue. The only suggestion I’ve seen is to place ads on the site but from what I understand that’s not something AFC wants us to do and I would agree that it would be inappropriate for an official supporters club site. We continue to discuss alternate means of generating revenue and welcome suggestions.
Whether you “have paid” in the past tense (as in years past) or you have just paid, on behalf of the board, thanks.
I’ve been monitoring discussion to see if there’s any profundity and to respond to comments addressed to me. Perhaps I shouldn’t have. What actions or approach would, in your opinion, be taking the higher ground?
The intent is to serve current members and, yes, to encourage new ones. Clearly, based upon the discussions we’ve had here, the site as it has been hasn’t done that at all. Indeed, the overwhelming majority of posters here have expressed disinterest in the supporters club. Why anyone would want to post on a website that belongs to a club they don’t and won’t belong to is something I can’t comprehend.
I should also add that MANY paid members have expressed not just frustration but outright disgust for the discussions that have occurred on this site. It’s easy for you to demonise me as some kind of autocrat swimming against the tide but, as I’ve said above, we’re simply responding to the criticism of our constituents.
The Arsenal America website shouldn’t be just another in a long list of sites where Gooners can rant. I have nothing against a good rant. But there’s plenty of places designed to foster those kinds of discussions (and this isn’t one of them). When people are ranting on this site and they know nothing about the supporters club, there’s a problem. At least over the past two weeks people coming to this site are finally realizing that Arsenal America is a supporters club.
July 1st, 2009 at 9:44 pm
I have a question wanna ask David and the AAm board:
as I keep hearing “running a website cost money”. I am no computer or internet expert, so I don’t know. Therefore I would like to find out – say, if the format remains the way it IS, nothing changes, with a new thread being posted every few days, or once a week… HOW MUCH does it cost to run a website like that?
July 1st, 2009 at 11:07 pm
It ain’t FREE, I’ll tell you that – even just keeping things “as is” requires technical know-how.
July 1st, 2009 at 11:25 pm
but how much?
July 2nd, 2009 at 7:25 am
Arsenal.com has corporate sponsors: Emirates, Fly Emirates, Nike, O2, Citreen, EA Sports, Paddy Power, and Ebel.
1. So I don’t see how they can dictate no advertising / sponsorships at this website.
2. Review any of the major media papers originating in the U.K. The economy is worse there than here (U.S.A.). Joe plumber Arsenal fans (everywhere) scrimp to save their discretionary income to access Arsenal matches (cable/satellite/local pub).
Ordering tickets and traveling to North London is not practical for this majority. If I lived in Memphis, TN, what is the reality of my being able to attend any branch functions. So besides the premier membership, why not offer an optional membership at $10, with fewer services.
3. Would it be constructive for the board post an article “What features should be added to this site that would be important to you ” and see what ideas evolve.
4. The board is given as one of its tasks to keep this site financially solvent. In addition to the above suggestions, renegotiating webmaster services should not be off the table. Shopping around is the only way to leverage your negotiations. This is the internet and just as you can post from anywhere in the world, a webmaster can be based anywhere!
July 2nd, 2009 at 9:52 am
David, you keep bleating on about MANY paid members … they do NOT even use the site as we do.
If that is going to be your mantra and refrain… then just do it and be done! Seriously… if it is your forgone conclusion, then what is the point of even discussing it?
You obviously haven’t discussed anything with the regulars here, so your “rather active premier level members” are all on Big Soccer.
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:00 am
Spot.
Good points.
But I don’t think there is any real interest in keeping the site in a similar fashion to the way it is now. This current board… are not interested in “us”. David has repeatedly said that there are “other” websites and blogs that are better for us (in his opine) to do what we do here. He’s even posted a few.
They want this site to be a shell. No discussion, so little upkeep and cost will be associated. Just an occasional post about a meet up somewhere. That way, they keep the designation as “Official”… and the Big Soccer folks can still get tickets to the matches… while they can post where they prefer, Big Soccer.
Hell, I’ll sign up for the “membership” too… if I can get tickets to a match. Makes sense to me.
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:14 am
We’re focused on running a supporters club. Sounds like you want us to run a website, Spot. We just want the website to serve the supporters club.
I grew up in Memphis. A branch there would be cool. My best friend’s a Gooner living in Nashville and he knows a couple others there. Perhaps a TN branch could have some fun meet-ups.
What is this some kind of negotiation? You suggest a $10 option with less services??? $25 is a rather small membership fee, imho. We’re not making a profit and the fee was set to meet the organisation’s annual expenses.
Right, stag133, I personally don’t care to read people bashing Wenger or debating whether or not we should get rid of Adebayor here on the club’s site. There’s other sites devoted to that that are set up to do so better. One of the regular posters here has even set up his own site (You Are My Arsenal) to keep the group together and keep its conversations going. And yes, there’s a reason why there’s a link to bigsoccer.com as a widget on the right of your screen here, as that’s the discussion forum that’s been associated with the supporters club for years.
Yes, you’ll be able to get tickets to a match, though there’s high demand for certain matches and a limited supply (at the risk of stating the obvious).
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:33 am
Stag, I see you’ve joined, thanks and welcome!
July 2nd, 2009 at 1:21 pm
Yes. I usually do.
I want the chance to get tickets, just like all the Big Soccer members.
That’s what the site is for now!
July 2nd, 2009 at 1:48 pm
DK,
Hilarious you’re taking points off the nutjob Curtismo
Its nice to know that after almost a decade of being on the site, the new board have “suddenly” realized random Americans shouldnt be posting on the site … mostly to avoid the wrath of the big boys at the Emirates! LOL.
As someone in engineering and computer science I have strong opinions of the web. Its original intent and spirit is for it to be open-source. Except ofcourse you are selling a product.
And the product is hmmmmmm!
$20 is BS money …. I spend over a grand on a Catholic charity a year.
The thing is I grew up in Europe (England, Netherlands, Germany). I have family in England and I can attend games through them.
Hence, I do not need to use your site for tickets. Am here for three things, am an Arsenal fan, am American …. and mostly I enjoy the commentary and discussion on the site.
I can happily give the 20 or 25 bucks. But if there is a rule that says you have to pay to comment, that means a lot of folks will simply stop. I have no desire to pay solely to comment alone.
Infact this whole “pay-to-comment” tax is pretty …… socialist
I guess you and the newbie board are “tax-and-spend” liberals huh?!
July 2nd, 2009 at 1:59 pm
M. Diarra when fit is awesome. Infact in my view, he is the best DM in the world on his day. Like a younger Makelele … but bigger and stronger.
Combine him with a motivated L. Diarra and they are set.
As for Albiol, performance at the Confed cup is a bit irrelevant. A whole season of work is a much better barometer.
As for Salgado, sure he is now getting old and out of form…..but to compare him to Silvestre? Come on!
The guy was a starter in THREE European cup winning teams. He still has it somewhere in him.
Silvestre has never actually really been that good or a starter.
July 2nd, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Fred,
Yes, I am indeed a tax-and-spend liberal, lol.
We won’t be asking anyone to “pay solely to comment.”
Aside from a new design that will hopefully be up before the season starts the biggest change in terms of content is that we don’t intend to have articles devoted to match previews and reviews, transfer speculation and gossip, etc. We aren’t doing away with the “reply” feature and, you might notice, the free site membership remains.
I do agree with others who think that authors of articles that we post should be paid premium members. But we have no intention of restricting anyone’s ability to comment on those articles, much less make anyone pay to do so.
We are hoping that the articles we post will reflect uniquely American Gooner perspectives.
July 2nd, 2009 at 3:23 pm
As far as additional revenue for the group, has the board explored the idea of producing/selling ArsenalAmerica merchandise (shirts, hats, keychains, etc.) to generate income? (As a part-time graphic designer I’d even offer to design some items.)
One of the “benefits” of an official supporters group is to produce its own personalized merchandise (with the group logo/crest). Another benefit listed in Arsenal’s actual “Guidelines for Establishing and Operating Supporters Groups” is major discounts on bulk purchases from the Arsenal FC shops.
Here is how that benefit is listed in those guidelines:
“20% discount on all official Arsenal merchandise purchased in bulk through Arsenal’s Home Shopping Facility. It will be for Supporters Clubs to decide whether to pass this discount on in its entirety to its members or to offer a percentage discount with the difference being retained to help finance the Supporters Club. Any monies accrued in this way will need to be recorded
in the Annual Accounts.”
Therefore, both members and the group itself could benefit, for example, from the purchase of replica kits through this type of setup. Members could pay reduced rates for Arsenal merchandise while the club could benefit from a percentage/share of the revenue.
I received the actual “Guidelines for Establishing and Operating Supporters Groups” through e-mail from the Supporters Liaison Officer at Arsenal, after making an online request after wondering just what makes up the operational requirements for such a group.
One of the more interesting things I noticed when reading through the guidelines came near the beginning of the booklet. In this document, on the page after an introductory message from the Arsenal chairman, is a section called “Reasons For Setting Up a Supporters Club.” Check out the last sentence of the opening paragraph, which is copied here:
Reasons For Setting Up a Supporters Club
“To bring together like-minded Arsenal Supporters in the region to be covered by the Supporters Club. Due to the very high demand for tickets at Emirates Stadium, regrettably the number of tickets available to Supporters Clubs is extremely limited. The main purpose for setting up a Supporters Club should not be for obtaining match tickets.”
July 2nd, 2009 at 4:45 pm
LOL!
That’s funny.
It shouldn’t be, but it is!
or you too can pay $25 to find out where the next meet-up is, and you can also say… I’m a member!
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:35 pm
Yes, Michael, that’s been discussed at some length and there are plans for some Arsenal America merchandise this year. We’ve made t-shirts in the past but not last year. A terrific graphic designer based in Atlanta helps us out with that but thanks very much for the offer.
My understanding of the bulk orders is that with the cost of shipping there’s no savings but I do plan to explore once we’ve taken care of some other more pressing issues.
Arsenal America has been rather successful at bringing together Gooners regionally through branch meetings (many meet weekly during the season to watch matches) and from across the country at both our larger get-togethers (like the charity event a couple of weeks ago in Manhattan) and overseas at matches.
Two years ago the FA Cup we won in 2005 went to branches all across the country. At each stop there was a sizable gathering of Gooners.
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:38 pm
I’m enjoying the spectacle and will watch Real Madrid in the upcoming season as I have in the past because of who they are. If they achieve something this season then I will applaud them for finally proving that you can win w/ a fantasy line up. On the other hand even madridistas are looking for defensive reinforcements to hopefully be added to the star purchases.
Barcelona don’t have to do anything drastic to the line up that won La Liga’s first treble. They did drastic when they got rid of Ronaldinho, Deco and Rijkaard and see where that got them.
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:16 pm
Thanks, David,
I had a feeling that the shipping costs may really affect any major savings/revenue with that bulk order idea.
I’ll probably be registering as a member … and did notice a New England branch among the listings. What would it take to start a Connecticut chapter/branch? Are there certain requirements to get a branch started? Is it a certain minimum number of members for a region/branch? Would we need certain activities/officers in place?
July 3rd, 2009 at 8:39 am
Look, I really like Barca, mostly because they play the old school Ajax style – so I watch the vast majority of their matches. Iniesta does NOT take people on.”
Bullshit, he does it just as much the so called specialist ‘takers on’. Of course he doesn’t do it everytime he gets the ball but then no player does. Whenever Cristiano Ronaldo plays a decent team he just relies on his off the ball movement. He does zero dribbling and just passes off.
Iniesta has vastly superior acceleration to Nasri, which is more important than top speed when it comes to dribbling and making surging darts in midfield. Hleb is also slower than Nasri over a distance but again, has better acceleration.
“As for Fabregas, for a snail in a fast league, he is pretty good compared to Iniesta who is a snail in a slow league.”
Your probably the only person in the world who thinks Fabregas and Iniesta are of similar speed. I’ll say it again, Fabregas is no where near as good as Iniesta and a big part of that is due to Iniesta being quicker, more mobile, and having alot more tools his disposal.
“When he was paired with either Gilberto or Flamini he notched over 60 assists and was Europe’s top provider three years in a row. And before you mention Hleb, note that his rate without Hleb starting is HIGHER than with. Check!”
Bullshit lie. His rate is not higher. You like making things up Fred eh
Regardless, comparing rates are stupid because Hleb played in nearly every game of the last two years. What teams didn’t he play against? Oh Derby! LOL!
Hleb has got a league and champions league medal. Good move for him I’d say
July 3rd, 2009 at 9:22 am
Michael,
Someone just emailed me the same question but I don’t know yet where in CT he lives
One of the (many!) projects we have this summer is working on the charter and by-laws. So there’s no clear-cut demands for a branch. My suggestion would be that even if you have just three Gooners you can start and then see if you can find an Arsenal-friendly pub to most meet-ups for matches or, alternatively, you can organise other types of get-togethers like kickarounds, etc.
Please send me an email: president@arsenalamerica.com. I’m just over the border from you in southern Westchester so I’ll be close enough to help in-person, too.
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:20 am
Owen to United?!
What have they got to lose with that?
Me thinks the transfers will heat up a bit soon, as training begins in about 2 weeks.
But we’ll watch. I bet we are done with players coming in.
Though Barcelona apparently made an official approach to Arsenal regarding
Cesc…
July 4th, 2009 at 7:45 am
I hope you are right Stag at lease from our view point. I am not ready to hear that resigning, Wilshere, Ramsay, Gibbs, RvP and promoting four youngsters are as active as we get.
July 4th, 2009 at 8:18 am
That depends on two factors:
(1) Arsene had targets, like the Brazilain Melo. But he doesn’t want to come. So if we were the manager, what would we do if the player you wanna sign refused to come?
There are many managers probably would just randomly go out and sign another player who he probably doesnt even rate. We all know though, AW is not that type of manager. He may not have signed a lot of players the past few years. But those he signed have proven to be quality. A result of careful planning and scouting.
(2) The board claimed there are 40 mil available for AW. I don’t believe a word of it.
My own estimate is around 20 mil. The so-called 40 mil transfer kitty probably have “assumed” the sales of Adebayor.
Since we have already spent 10mil. So AW probably still have around 10 mil left, to the most 15.
Unless we are able to offload Adebayor, it’s unlikely we are able to raid the transfer market like other big teams do. Expect probably one more signing, that’s it (if Adebayor stays).
But well, this is Arsenal.
July 4th, 2009 at 9:38 am
The following is an amusing tidbit to break up the drama that has become prevalent here:
http://www.cio.co.uk/opinion/veitch/2009/06/19/if-software-companies-were-football-teams/
July 4th, 2009 at 10:05 am
Andez, if you are a manager and target ONE player, and can’t get him… so you close up shop, you are not doing your job.
If we sign nobody else, and Wenger goes with what he’s got… we’re rightly F**KED… again… just like last season.
And you’ll hear more bitching and moaning and complaining. The crowd will begin to turn on Mr.Wenger even more… if he didn’t like the questions from the supporters before, he ain’t seen nuthin’ yet.
He better smarten up… SOON.
July 4th, 2009 at 10:09 am
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.rmc.fr/edito/sport/82724/wenger-cette-annee-sera-decisive/&ei=a11PSqedGYWJtgf86amzBA&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=10&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dwenger%2Binterview%2Bon%2Brmc%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26hs%3DWdQ
A most revealing interview w/ “The Man”.
This is the decisive season. Can’t be more emphatic than that can he?
If the team doesn’t win something then it will be redesigned(???). One can speculate as to who will be going and who will be staying in the ‘new project’. Fabregas will undoubtedly head the list of departures. Not much new in that since we know his departure is inevitable.
He will bring in another striker (Chamouch as rumored) if a ‘certain’ striker leave. Adebayor being told that his replacement is already on the griddle if he goes, wow.
After this season we’ ll only have Wenger to kick around for 9 more years.
July 4th, 2009 at 10:33 am
Mourane Chamakh, 25yo
6′ 2″
Strike rate: 3.86 (Bordeaux)
Adebayor, 25yo
6′ 3″
Strike rate: 2.26 (Monaco: 4.38)
Apparently similar styles but Chamakh is described as “elegant” but not clinical. “Trading Places”
July 4th, 2009 at 11:56 am
This could kill two birds with one stone for some fans. Although, I for one, don’t want to see Eboue go.
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12876_5414959,00.html
July 4th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
A lot of smoke on the transfer front of late. Nice to know we’ve made a bid for Melo. Nice to see that Fiorentina are willing to negoiate the release amount w/ an Eboue ‘kicker’. This tells Denilson and Song they will have to ‘bring it’ this season.
Lauren Blanc, the Bordeaux coach is now nervous about Chamakh. Claims if he gets on the plane to Montreal for their preseason tour that he will be staying. BS. Getting on a plane don’t mean a thing. Our problem w/ the Chamakh deal is that Milan’s interest in Adebayor has waned w/ an apparent bid for Fabiano. Sevilla unlike Wolfburg will probably crumble like a cheap suit.
As they say, stay tuned.
July 4th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Arsenal’s problem w/ an Eboue departure is that Walcott is suspect in terms of being ready for 90′ of prime time football.
July 4th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
Apparently Vidic is wanted by Barca, Real and Milan and so Fergie gives him a pay rise to 70,000 pounds pw. Ok you say, until you remember Theo has got a payrise to 60,000 pound pw. lol
July 4th, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Well Walcott needs to step up now. I think he has been given plenty of time to develop. I mean plenty. You don’t pay someone 60K weekly for him to be a 2nd fiddle.
On Eboue case, take him. If he has his head straight, he can be a success there. Unless he goes on diving rampage.
Melo looks good. He looks tough and the guy is willing to shoot a long distance. That’s a plus.
Hopefully the deal goes through.
July 5th, 2009 at 7:49 am
Not everything is what it seems to be.
http://arsenalanalysis.blogspot.com/2009/07/is-melo-really-coming-to-arsenal.html
July 5th, 2009 at 8:33 am
From Arseblogger:
http://www.oleole.com/media/main/podcasts/arsecast/ADE_BROCHURE.pdf
This is pee in your pants funny reading.
July 5th, 2009 at 10:56 pm
Right on time, Melo speaks.
The last time we pursued a less than enthused Brazilian, we got Julio “The Beast” Baptista :0 You just never know.
Vela apparently twisted his knee at the Gold Cup and had to be subbed. Details are lacking.
July 5th, 2009 at 10:59 pm
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hi-93vKyPbhM_Xf62sCIjVZ_pwSQD998L4O00
July 6th, 2009 at 12:33 am
I can’t recall seeing another player crucified by Arsenal supporters in quite as rabid a manner as Adebayor.
What is interesting is to observe the way in which everything Adebayor does is filtered through the lense of hate by so many fans.
With the benefit of hindsight, Adebayor should have left at the end of last season. Instead he stayed on at the sharp end of an ineffective midfield with little meaningful attacking assistance to speak of. His worst fears were realised, the team was reinventing itself, the fans grew evermore frustrated, Wenger argued black was white, and Adebayor looked a disillusioned player who knew he’d called it wrong. In the context of such a crap season the fans were never going to afford the guy any grace. He was a ready-made scapegoat for the woes of the underperforming team.
That said, he says dumb things. No doubt. But he’s hardly alone on that score.
July 6th, 2009 at 6:43 am
http://carlosvelanews.wordpress.com/2009/07/06/vela-hasnt-suffered-the-firstly-predicted-fracture-in-his-right-fibula/
July 6th, 2009 at 6:58 am
Nicely observed. I would say that most of the supporters displeasure are based on the following facts:
A) His income increased
B) His visible effort and work rate decreased
C) The timing of his runs remained poor
D) Freddy Kanoute has better touch and hold up ability
E) His less than staunch support for his club
July 6th, 2009 at 10:44 am
Good analysis re: Ade. Personally I hope we keep him for at least one more season, and I think AW is handling the situation well, putting all the onus on the player.
Fans need to face facts: The player’s greatest loyalty is to himself. Some crave the big salary, some the big transfer fee to the big team, some the stats, etc. Some are much better at saying and doing the right thing. Ade is the very worst, with goal celebrations that oscillate between goofy dances, and badge kissing/military salutes to the fans–completely transparent and self-serving. If he does stay I expect big production (to the point of blowing off the Togo team/ANC so he can bag more Arsenal goals).
Glad to see that Vela is OK. Almost all my face to face talk about football here is with Mexicans, and they all love Carlos Vela. For them the Spanish League is the pinnacle and they know more of Marquez and Dos Santos (formerly) at Barcelona than they do of Vela at Arsenal. Obviously, this is a huge year for Vela and I really hope he can get some games and some goals. When does he get his contract extension?
Finally, the “countdown” of the player of the year on the official site is getting some talk on other blogs. And here (and elsewhere) we’re not seeing much coherent discussion about the past year. In the end it shows just what an awful season it was. Who really had a good season? Our “best” players had average (and worse) seasons marred by injury (Cesc, Ade, RVP at the end–although he’s prolly the #1 vote getter as player of the year). Our younger, up and coming players were either exposed as lightweights or didn’t really get their chance. All told it was quite bad and we only have Aston Villa’s stunning collapse and good draws in the CL and FA cup for any sense that it was even remotely OK. On the plus side, however, there were several instances of improvement (Song and Gibbs in particular, I think) and glimpses of hope for the upcoming season (Nasri, Almunia, Arshavin?). Everybody got that extra season of “experience” and with a young team that (might) stay together that’s a big thing. As always, being a good hippy, I’m looking forward to the new season….
July 6th, 2009 at 10:48 am
Adebayor had one great goal total. Last year, he was mediocre at best. I said it last Summer, we should have sold him when his value was at its peak, because he will never approach that goal total again.
If we can sell him to Milan, do it… we have other strikers…
But ONLY if we plan to use the money we get to bring in players.
If we are just selling to make money for the board, why sell him. Just losing
Ade doesn’t improve the team, but if we improve in other areas, we can off-load him.
Seems United are now looking at Yaya Toure.
Gee… alot of what I heard on this site was that he wasn’t good enough for Arsenal, and we don’t need him!
What a laugh.
We could of had him 1 or 2 years ago for 1/2 as much as he’ll command now.
and… lastly…
in reading Fiorentina want Eboue as part of the deal for Melo…
PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Why would we hesitate for a second on that?
What the feck are we waiting for…?
July 6th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Ade just isn’t good enough. He had one good season goal scoring wise but even in that season he infuriated the hell ouf of me. He just doesn’t have the mentality of a top flight player. he rests on his laurels too easily, gets complacent, and disappears when the going gets tough.
In conclusion, he has to be sold as soon as possible. I could just about tolerate him as a plan B option player but with his wages he can only be considered a first choice. And Ade being first choice is a killing me. Service wasn’t great last year granted, but he wasn’t even bringing his ‘battering ram’ qualities. Without that he’s useless and a liability.
July 6th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Unfortunately, Ade will need a landing spot to sell him!
If AC Milan don’t come calling, we can’t create interest in him.
I read some crazy rumor that Ade goes to Milan for cash and Matthew Flamini!
July 6th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Hmm, our whole setup is fragile at present and has been for several seasons. We still have concerns around attitude, fitness and quality. Adebayor is only one issue, and one that is hyped up.
But then again look at ManU, Ronaldo and Tevez out and Fergie has a task to refashion his attack.
That said, he has a solid foundation with a guy like Rooney providing continuity and a passionate attitude. He also has that mentality in guys like Vidic and Ferdinand. More of that winning attitude that sets a tone in the club is provided by the older stagers like Giggs, Scholes and Neville.
With Ronaldo and Tevez moving on it may allow Berbetov to play a more prominent role. We shouldn’t forget he has now had a season to bed in.
Our experienced players are fewer and few have experienced winning. Several are also physically fragile. Keown summed it up well when he said that in the semi’s the players would have benefited from a few more older wiser heads in the dressing room to provide balance and confidence to the younger players. So Wenger is trying to win the hard way – at long odds. We’re a team of ‘if’s’.
July 6th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
Correction, we could have had him for under 1/2 M.
July 6th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
Berlusconi needs to tighten his marbles as well as his ‘zipper’. Seems he’s now saying that Milan don’t ‘need’ to buy players. Milanistas are now out for blood and who knows what the ultras will do w/ that revelation. Leonardo has kept his head down about what Milan does and does not need. The point is that the only suitor for ‘Beyonce’ is either not buying or looking at Fabiano w/ Dzeko off the market. Milan has debt and business man Berlusconi probably wants to ‘bank’ the Kaka money. Kaka implied as much when Milan approach him w/ the Real Madrid offer.
You’ve got to love Ambrosini who came out and said that Ronaldinho will not be able to carry Milan.
Wenger as much as told Adebayor: you want to go then f**k it, don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Adebayor on cue pledges his loyalty but you know he’s reading the blogs and knows his sh*t s weak as far as the supporters are concerned. His agent was non commital when asked about his client’s future when he said things were the same as last week (I’m paraphrasing here).
There’s a youtube video of all 30 of Adebayor’s goals. All were scored in the box. All his headers came from pinpoint crosses and none were of the ‘attack the cross’ variety we see w/ Bendtner. 1 or 2 were spectacular. Several came as a result of his not giving up on a play. Some were PKs (always scored to his right). On some he displayed deft touches to improve his scoring position. Overall I would have been happy to give him 80k/wk based on that production. He just had ‘too much ego in his cosmos” (Lt. Luis Mendoza) and that will always lead to downfall.
July 6th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
When you look at the system we played that season and the injuries as well, it suited Ade perfectly, as well as him being a good outlet for the midfielders and suiting them.
In 2007/08 we had a alot of deep-lying playmaker types that liked to swirl around midfield and interchange position, but we didn’t have many that liked to get in behind. This is where Ade came in useful. He had the motivation and legs to add real penetration and power to the possessional dominance in midfield.
With the way our team is shaping up next season, we have more midfielders who like to get in behind and dispense with the ‘pleasantries’. This means Ade’s penetration in behind is not as necesssary, and indeed he would most likely impede the likes of Arshavin with his offsides and generally tomfoolery when he’s asked to be ‘discreet’.
We all know he’s the sharpest tool in the box when it comes to dropping deep and playing in runners so next season I see Bendtner, RVP, Eduardo, Vela all being a better fit for us. All are adept at seeing runs quickly and knowing when to keep a low profile and provide, whereas Ade always thinks the focus is on him. He could still be a useful option against tired defences but with his wage packet it would be hard to use him in that role. Same could be said for Walcott, who is also prone to not following the script set by the more cerebral members of the team.
Still, the summer window is its relative infancy so we’ll know for sure in a few weeks.
July 6th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
You picked up what I did not described in Adebayor’s goal array and that was goals that resulted from Adebayor making runs into space and receiving the ball and going on to score. That is much harder to defend against, no.
Back to Milan’s interest or lack there of. Channel 4 reports that there were protests at Milan’s training grounds over the lack of ‘positive’ transfer activity so far. There was a deal for a FB named Cissohko but he ‘failed’ his medical. Bum knee? Bad ankle? Chronic groin? No. Bad teeth. Ha, ha, ha, ha. Player says its all BS. Even if you’ve got an abcess and are on IV antibiotics its a lame reason for Milan to back away.
July 6th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
Ade scored an array of different goals. If you just look at his goals then you can’t really criticise the guy. Alot his best runs in behind though were towards the corner flag and running the channels, which helped us keep possession high up the pitch and then our midfielders could funnel through the centre. It was when we used the full backs for width that Ade scored most of his goals. And then there were some that were just random and spontaneous without any real discernable trait.
With our wide midfielders more inclined to go in behind themselves Ade’s has less space to work with and needs to stay more central and try and play them in from time to time. This is what he finds hard. Playing the stealth role and less of a starring one.
July 6th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Predict Berbatov to have a big season.
July 6th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
Yes, this is true. In the year that Ade scored 30 goals he had 5 assists, which is appallingly low for someone “leading the line.” (Last year he upped the assists to 8…)
It is still early in the close season and all the talk so far is, of course, just posturing. Still, the marketplace seems to be speaking volumes with its silence.
In my better moments I like to think that Ade just has that cocky, striker thing going on and that we should cut him some slack, but at other times the work-rate is clearly sub-par. I remember when he pulled up lame with the hamstring that kept him out (we were down to 10 men vs Spurs, I think) and almost thinking that he was faking it. Certainly I didn’t grieve as I should have for our most valuable forward….
Nonetheless, Ade does bring both size and reasonable pace and he should be a handful for the thuggish center halves that populate the Premiership (freeing up our other attackers, we hope). I recall thinking a year ago that 25 million sounded very good, if we can get that or even quite a bit less we should sell, otherwise we give him another year to show us (and the “big” teams) what he’s got. Either way, I like the way AW is handling it.
July 6th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
Ade admitted he was overweight last season as well. Lack of professionalism which probably contributed to his injuries. Everything about him reeks of someone who think he’s made it.
He’s not driven by trophies.
July 6th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
Well, United know they are rock solid … and experienced in the middle.
With Vidic and Ferdinand at the back… they will be a solid defensive team.
And that wins titles.
You know they will be bringing in players to off-set the losses of Tevez and Ronaldo, and they have lots of money to do so.
July 6th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
Re the comments on Adebayor, all good if we were applying the same measure to other players. But we don’t.
Mazza, as for Bendtner, RVP, Eduardo, Vela. None of them has performed for a season so I’m wondering which one will ‘lead the line’ for us? And in reality a serious discussion would only include RvP or Bendtner. Eduardo is still to prove his fitness and Vela didn’t feature at all last season so why he is in the list I’m not entirely sure.
So with RvP….is he a line leader? According to Wenger he can’t even play him twice a week.
Bendtner……seems to manifest the same traits we accuse Adebayor of (big mouth, arrogance, laziness) without even having scored the 30 goals. Just imagine what he will be like if he actually proves useful.
One of the difficulties in following Arsenal at present is the misinformation. To meaningfully assess our squads chances we need to know the outlook of Eduardo and Rosicky who are so fundamental to our chances of immediate success and yet both have such serious long-term injury concerns. No one has any idea whatsoever on what we can get from them this season. Yet they will be referred to in dispatches as a sign of our depth and promise. Ditto to a lesser degree with RvP, yes he played more last season, yet Wenger had to be careful not to overplay him and in the clutch he was out again.
July 7th, 2009 at 4:10 am
Arsenal are contemplating paying 25 million pounds for Felipe Melo? NUTS!!!
We may be in desperate need of a holding midfield player but Melo simply isn’t THAT good. Twenty-five million is “Essien” money and Melo is far from Essien. We’ll be lucky if he’s even as good as Anderson. I can’t believe there is real talk about Arsene totally smashing the Arsenal transfer fee for that player. I’d love to have him but not for 25 million pounds. Don’t be a sucker, Arsene.
July 7th, 2009 at 4:47 am
It’s amazing how much soccer has become a popularity contest. People rate Fabregas because he seems to have a better personality where as they don’t rate Adebayor because he doesn’t seem to be blessed with the best personality. Who gives a damn about personality? It’s about what they can do on the pitch.
Adebayor is a fucking monster. He’s a big and powerful striker with tenacity and workrate. There is nobody in the team that can do what he does. But the fact remains that he’s still human. People have been hyper-critical of his production last year but what of the fact that he’s playing in front of a completely different (and inferior) midfield? It’s hard to find the motivation to run for a pass from Nasri that you know is never going to come. Nasri is no Rosicky. Diaby and Walcott can’t create or link play as well as Hleb or even as well as Eboue. It’s hard as hell to play as a lone striker. What do we expect from Adebayor, to make runs alone, then beat two central defenders and score all by himself with no help from midfield?
Adebayor is an easy target because of his agent talking up the player in the media. That’s his agent’s fucking job. I know if I scored thirty goals but only made 25k a week and my agent isn’t trying to get me more money, that bitch is fired. I know if I’m a squad player on 25k a week then two of the biggest clubs in the world are talking about paying 40 million euros for my services and quadrupling my pay, that’s mindblowing; like telling me that Beyonce is looking for me. Why, because I’m a country bumpkin from Togo that’s just lucky to be playing professional football in Europe and Milan’s interest is only stuff that happens in a child’s wildest dream; like Beyonce looking for me would only happen in my wildest dream. The only difference is suddenly, this dream is reality, I’m thrust into the limelight, and am coping with exactly how to take it all in.
Boys, let’s not forget what human factors are and respect the fact that Ade, while being the dade, is still only human.
July 7th, 2009 at 5:56 am
you know it’s just a piece of rumor. First, AW will never pay this soft of money for ONE single player. Secondly, even if he wants to, where’s the money coming from? I don’t think the board is backing AW with this soft of money. Not after we already spent 10 mil for a player. Only chance is the sales of Adebayor. but if we do sell Adebayor, part of the fund may spend in a new striker.
so no way this 25 mil for Melo story is ever going to happen.
July 7th, 2009 at 6:13 am
Mazza, did you see that challenge on Adebayor last year? He was kicked right on the ankle when the ball was away and he was out of bounds. It was very similar to Diouf’s kick on Almunia and how Diaby had his leg broken; should have been a red card. A perceived lack of professionalism has nothing to do with that injury.
What’s more real is that a lack of activity due to an injury could lead to an athlete being overwweight. However, if you’re that determined to make a villian out of Adebayor, proceed.
July 7th, 2009 at 11:55 am
Josh. I just don’t think Adebayor is a “monster”. One very good season of goals, doesn’t make a career!
He was piss poor for much of last season.
July 7th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Approaching 200 Posts.
Can we have a NEW THREAD please?
2 weeks since this post started.
A new one would be just fabulous.
July 7th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
Actually the deal being reported is about £18- £19 mil with Eboue being thrown in as a sweetner.
However, both the Sun and Goal.com are reporting that Melo was had by Juve for around €17 mil. Take that for what it is worth.
Sky Sports and better sources aren’t saying anything except that it looks like Wenger is meeting with Fiorentina officials and that Fiorentina are saying they have no formal bid from Juve.
July 8th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
I believe that Adebayor will be at Arsenal next season and will play a prominent role:
1) No club is going to pay over the odds for him as the value of his stock is down.
2) I’m sure Arsene thinks/hopes that Ade can reproduce his form of two seasons ago and is willing to wait out the fan’s current protestations. He is very patient and not prone to give in to outside pressure. He may also be proven correct. Ade has plenty of ability and could, with a little focus and discipline, come good.
July 9th, 2009 at 4:59 am
van Persie has finally signed a new contract. That’s good news. Melo’s supposed to sign for Juventus today for 17 million. I guess Juve are giving up on Sissoko. That guy is so bad.
I believe that Wenger will have to make some serious decisions as the competition for places is hotter now more than ever. It will come down to which team/formation gives Arsenal the most success. Back in the ‘05-’06 season, it was Flamini along side Senderos that saw our backline at it’s best. There’s no question as to whether Cole or Clichy were better LB’s than Flamini but it was the chemistry and support that the two players provided for each other that said those two would be our best combination on the left side of our defense. Sometimes it has nothing to do with who the better player is. We’ll see what happens.
July 9th, 2009 at 6:05 am
Nothing yet on Melo is confirmed. The reports off the italian press are that complications arose in terms of who Fiorentina were hoping to sign as a replacement.
They had a target from Udinese who turned down their offer and one italian news station is saying that because of this – the deal could be off.
Other rumours say that Arsenal are looking at Bassong from NUFC (confirmed by the player) and St. Etienne’s Matuidi.
July 9th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Marchionni, the winger Fiorentina would get (from Juventus) + cash for Melo apparently wants better personal terms than Fiorentina want to pay. Thus the Juventus deal has stalled. If I’m Marchionni and I’m leaving a ‘big’ club to go to a mid-level club, I’d ask for more dough too. How negotiable the personal terms are for either party remains to be seen imo.
July 9th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
Denilson 21yo: 55 games (3 goals), 9 assists, 63 shots, 116 fouls, 6 YC, 0 RC.
Melo 25yo: 108 games (15 goals), 8 assists, 189 shots, 174 fouls, 42 YC, 5 RC.
Matuidi 22yo: 92 games (5 goals), 4 assists, 84 shots, 206 fouls, 15 YC, 1 RC.
Unless you are actually scouting these players, the numbers have to be viewed in the context of team play and standards by which fouls are called in a particular league.
What can be said is that Denilson has a superior assist total, is not afraid to shoot and can challenge players without going into the book when compared to the other players that are rumored to be on Arsenal’s radar. My question to Grimandi would be would he rate Matuidi’s potential (in the BPL) higher than Denilson’s current level? My assumption (and hope and dream) is that Denilson will get better. This would be the question in Wenger’s mind. Melo is a wild card that may not offer value at the asking price of cash plus Eboue. We certainly are not considering Melo because he has an eye for goal.
July 9th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
The Newcastle blog asked the ? have Arsenal even heard of Bassong. I would think not.
July 9th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Marchionni has accepted personal terms w/ Fiorentina. Juventus will pay 4m (Marchionni) plus 18m cash for Melo who will get a 3.5m/3yr contract.
This is why Matuidi became relevant again but only in the context of my previous ? about what does he bring to the table that is superior to Denilson or even Song.
July 9th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Correction: Melo gets 3.5m per/4yr.
July 9th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Over 200 posts.
How about a new thread?
July 13th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
I never avail myself of the ticket allotment since I find it easier to renew my red membership yearly and buy tickets that way. [Plus they send swag in the Post.] The admins of the site made it abundantly clear it is easier for all involved to simply use the red membership and I heeded their warning. I would love to be able to ask for tickets from this site to a Premier League match 6 months ahead to make holiday planning easier but it didn’t seem like an option.
With the announced changes, I begin to wonder what the benefit is to my $25. Maybe if that were somewhat equivalent to Red Membership as far as ticketing I could understand. I can show up at the local pub and meet more Gunners fans than I have online here. I’m struggling to find a rationale for the site.
Sorry…