Bayern comes to town

A tough week

It has, it goes without saying, been a tough week for us Arsenal fans.

Whether a pessimist, optimist or realist ye be (or a pirate), Saturday’s FA Cup loss to Blackburn — a team I had completely forgotten has been relegated to the Championship (!) — was a shocker.

Aside from being knocked out of the last competition that we could realistically win — the Champions League seems so unlikely — the thing that really hurt was that we failed to learn from the Bradford lesson. It makes claims by Monsieur Wenger of improvement and learning, things we cling to as a team that seems trapped in perpetual transition, seem rather silly.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

I do think statements that the manager treated the competition with disrespect by resting Santi, Theo and Jack others were wide of the mark though. This was a team that should have won and with Bayern Munich just around the corner it was a fair decision to rest certain players. Yet the defeat means Wenger and his team move into tonight’s clash with the German juggernaut beaten down, low on confidence and with a media shit-storm invading their personal space.

Cautiously optimistic

Despite this, I’m cautiously optimistic about our chances. Perhaps not over two legs but certainly this evening. I’m feeling an overwhelming sense of déjà vu from two years ago, when we produced a magnificent performance to defeat Barcelona in our finest night at the Emirates, before falling short in the return leg. If you’re a betting man then that would be my tip to you.

With Laurent Koscielny reportedly injured and none of our left-backs available our defence is likely to be rather patched-up. Not Aaron-Ramsey-at-right-back patched-up but still a little bit creative. Vermaelen, Mertesacker, Sagna and Jenkinson will all play but our final combination remains a mystery. Will Giroud start? What about Podolski?

Two players who will be vital to our overall performance are Jack Wilshere and Mikel Arteta. Both are experts at maintaining control under intense pressure and their influence will likely be the difference between us getting a firm grip on the game or being outplayed.

Devastating in spurts

Bayern are a top team but perhaps not in the way that most people perceive. They don’t dominate games in the same manner as a Barcelona or Real Madrid. They attack in devastating spurts, like a soldier firing off machine gun rounds before retreating to safe ground to rest and reload.

Their reaction to last season’s Champions League final defeat to Chelsea — a barely-believable result made possible by incredible German inefficiency in front of goal — was to become über-efficient, an attitude brought in by key figures at the head of the club and particularly manager Jupp Heynckes. This season they have destroyed all before them in the Bundesliga, conceding just seven goals in 22 matches. Oh, and they’ve scored 57.

These are of course unbelievable figures, yet there’s no reason for us to be scared of Bayern. If Saturday’s loss to Blackburn was symptomatic of our biggest flaw as a club these days — failing to respect and turn up against smaller opposition — it simply doesn’t apply against a ‘bigger’ team like Bayern. For better or worse, our team will turn up tonight and put in the sort of application and effort we wish they would every week.

Too chaotic

In the end there are too many variables to consider and Arsenal are too chaotic a team to feel comfortable making predictions. It should be a game that fascinates and any sort of result that keeps us in the tie for the return leg in Munich should be considered a good one.сондажи

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Comments

  1. Wuuuu Huu!!
    Fresh blog and first in! Thanks Drew.

    Well to say we have no chance in this two-sided tie would be too harsh if true.
    To say we have little chance however, is about right. With that in mind the pressure should be off of us except we got bounced from the FA Cup by the mighty,mighty Rovers and so now we have only one cup to compete for.
    No worries for we will not win this or anything else this year. I will endeavor never-the- less to enjoy this Champion League experience for we may not be back I fear for some time.
    Would it be too much to ask for a low scoring draw?
    Let’s Go you Gunners, show heart!

  2. I think it will be a thrilling encounter like we had with Newcastle. Not sure on the results though, but expect our team to put out all negatives and with self belief, also believing in arsene’s style wholeheartedly should put up a display of their life to take advantage.

  3. Arsenal – Schalke 0 : 2 Bayern – Schalke 4 : 0
    I’m sorry, but i think you don’t have a whiff of a Chance ….

  4. When we were playing Schalke we never played as a team. A lot has changed now. Even last season we were not that great comparing milan but a spirited performance with discipline makes a lot of difference.

  5. Bili you seem to be right. I just can’t see any magic in these guys but on the whole i have rescinded my earlier decision of not watching the game. It’s too big a game to miss and fail to critic where necessary as am sure there are going to be many talking points. I hope Podolski plays like he is possessed against his former employers. I expect Walcott to stretch Bayern. Good luck boys.

  6. Invincible Formula
    1) Mentally strong players,it reflected in physical too , never die attitude
    2) Players with lot of self belief
    3) Unselfish play , but that doesn’t surpassed their hungry for goals and they always want to give a whack within their radar.
    4) Ready to take on one or more players, anytime to drive or defend or free space for his companion.
    5) Strong belief in arsene wengers’ style of play.
    6) Ability to score comfortably from 25 yards, they always don’t wait to pass the ball to net.
    7) Rectify the mistakes ,forget the moment it happened on pitch and make sure it never happen again – strong determination.

    The same formula is used by Chelsea following Di Mateo style instead of arsene’s.

  7. @Volley-gun
    My understanding is that using the “Di Mateo methode” Di Mateo was fired.
    As a template for long term success this must be looked on as somewhat dubious at best.

  8. If theres one thing Iv learned since weve moved to the Emirates about big Euro nights its to enjoy the build-up.
    Its two hours before kick off and one of the big boys are coming to town. Im enjoying the ‘what ifs?’, the anticipation of what my team can do if it all comes together, the feeling that ‘yeah, maybe they are better’ but this could be our night to upset the applecart.
    Iv learned to enjoy this prematch ritual of hope and daydream and have such a great appreciation of it because I know, if Im honest with myself, whats coming in reality bears no resemblence, the feeling of hope far outways what this Arsenal team and manager have the capacity to deliver.
    But like I say, still another hour and fifty mins of daydreaming left to enjoy.

  9. @Andy – Sweet and refreshing.

    Lets hope we bash those german scum. Yeahhhhhhhhhh

    LET NO-ONE SAY RACIST THIS oR RACIST THAT…….

    Thank you

  10. Vermaelen looks lost and Wilshere is invisible.
    I can barely blame the players though they have been charged with an impossible task.
    Is there a transfer window for managers?

  11. Impotent in every department.
    Bayern look like the home team.
    Like I said the enjoyment of following this team is in the build up, but thats even a joke now because you know your in for a let down.
    Where are the idiots who labelled us doom and gloomers???
    We simply told you what was coming, its 7 years coming and now we are here at last after a couple of near misses.
    We are now a middle of the road football team with little scope for improvement and a senile manager who once again stated in his pre match comments that we would approach the game like we always do.
    Well guess what Wenger, your gonna get thhe same result, AGAIN!

  12. Song SOLDDDDDDDD
    RVP SOLDDDDDDDDD

    Wenger Signs New Contract……He Alone Stayssssssssss

    Who is foolish? Us fansssssssssssssssss

    We are idiots for taking all this

    Shame on all of us

    2-1 now, but?

    But? We need atleast two more goals to make any meaning to this

  13. Rosicky the saviour…………

    With Cazorla and Wilshere in midfield, we have left the wings empty,but can we utilize the middle properly?

  14. Like I always say, Wilshere is not in the class of Rosicky and Cazorla. The latter two should be the ones in front with Wilshere helping Arteta at the back. Anything else is pure chaos.

    Now, we conceed a third. Pure stupidity and a BLATANT lack of organization, we are that vulnerable. This is the REAL Arsenal we have been complaining about, the one with no shots on goal etc

  15. Ice,
    Theres nowhere to go now.
    Now he has to reap what he has sewn.
    He is selling our best for the last ten years and waffling about City and Chelsea and other ckubs wanting extornionate amounts of money for their players, yet he earns 175,000 a week and the tickets prices are being snubbed by away fans let alone season ticket holders and regulars.
    He has been defended by those blaming the board but he has told some whopping lies and is a monumental hypocrite and slave to his own stubborn ideals.
    Why were Chelsea able to get Mata from under our noses?
    We cannot attract now the players we need to propel us upward with this manager who has lumbered us with Denilson, Santos, Bentdner, Squillachi, Arshavin, Gervinho…whilst Vermaelen, Koscielny, Mertesacker and Sagna lose their value with every game.
    There is nowhere left to go.
    Wenger can run down the tunnel, he can collect that proposterously inflated salary, he may even get PSG to carry him into retirement, but I beg him to please go in the summer.
    And take Hillwood and Gazidis with you.
    Stan Kroenke. Maybe an even bigger liar that Wenger.
    How much money has been taken by the board/ Kroenke and Wenger that could have went into the team.
    Someone find an answer to that and you really see anger at the Emirates.
    *Emirates– the place Arsenal fans were told we were moving to so that we could offer our big players contracts to rival big clubs whilst also enticing the big names to us.
    What a whopper.

  16. Can u believe it when I tell u that on Monday night I saw Asnl loose 2/4 to.Everton in the FA Youth cup @ the Barnet football ground. They out passed Everton but could not defend the counter attack. Brady was also old news & needed to go. There was boooos there as the Emirates. Packed support too.

  17. Like I mentioned on twitter, there are giant killers and I was hoping we would be one of them however, giant killers have heart and give that extra 20%. Then there are quality teams like the Bayern team we just saw, they have quality and are synchronised in the play. At this point, we have little of none.

    Wilshere is a wonder-kid but then the rumours of Barca wanting him are beginning to filter in and as we have seen, Arsenal WILL sell for the right price. Wenger buys ‘near quality’ players and MD’s rather than mature DF’s with high concentration and clinical strikers with cunning and discipline.

    I think we would have lost the came even if Judas-is-RvP was on the pitch with us. We need to go back to the drawing table. Wenger is a great manager but his one flaw is not knowing when he has to agree that some of the choices he’s made are wrong.

  18. We looked good for seven minutes.
    The rest of the season is going to be hard going.
    Massive clear out required.
    It was much better when I was optimistic (deluded). Now it’s just no fun at all. Too many mediocre players and a refusal to address the defensive side of the game for four years. Depressingly familiar and no end in sight.

  19. This game was men against boys, Bayern had a very easy game at the Emirates. As I have been saying for a long time we lack quality .
    What infuriates me is Wenger and the board treated the fans like we are stupid. Before every transfer deadline when the team is struggling , they leak to the press that they will buy … We win 1 or 2 games and Wenger tells us we don’t to buy anymore.
    David Villa has let it known that he wants to come to Arsenal , he would add some quality to our team.
    We are the 6th biggest revenue generating football club in the world , but we have a team full of average players.

  20. Disappointment again . It was like a race between hare and tortoise, and obviously hare won as it refused to sleep anytime.The fact is we looked way beyond them .

    @leftcoastgooner
    The formula fits to our invincible team too. But the same formula has been used by Di mateo with negative tactics .

    And Roman Abramovich is an owner who will sack even if you win all cups in same season ,because of his habit.

  21. Rosicky seems to be the only player who can get past with the ball. Still Cazorla and Wilshere seems to be understudy to him.

  22. Guys am again short of words. To be honest Bayern were far superior than i even saw against Barcelona. First 55 minutes without a shot on target and at home explains it all. How do you expect to get a week’s salary with such a display. I had vowed not to watch but for evaluation’s sake i again saw a baptism of fire.
    What was the essence of Wenger resting players against Blackburn only to be humiliated in Europe at home. All our good images in Europe have vanished in one single season.
    What hurts most is he is never willing to employ the tried and tested classical 4-4-2 system. It was just common sense that we couldn’t match Bayern pound for pound. The 4-3-3 system has brought us misery since 2006 and it shall not stop unless Wenger is out of Arsenal.
    He has not got his tactics right ever since 2006 and that shows you that he is a lazy coach not willing to go an extra mile to ensure the team grinds a result. How could a young inexperienced Di’mateo master a win at all cost and a man who has stayed in the job for close to 18 years can’t think beyond his nose for the team. I don’t blame the players at all ,But Wenger is senile ,weak worth retirement but his arrogance is making him believe he can go further. Everything is just hopeless and i realistically don’t think we shall beat Spurs for the top four finish which am now wishing for as i think it will be the catalyst for Wengers sacking or promotion to the Board.

  23. Agree Delano , it is one thing to be poor against Norwich, Blackburn, Swansea, Manure, Chelsea…but another to be humiliated at home when the whole world is watching !

    Agree the worst that could happen to us, would be to finish in the top 4 , then very little will change next year .

    Wenger is incapable of rebuilding this team. We need a younger , ambitious manager who is hungry for success.
    If someone at Arsenal knew what they were doing, we could have had Guardiola for next year…we should cast a wide net across Europe to find our next manager.

    The fans from now until the end of te season need to demand change. It won’t happen if we keep quiet .

  24. Getting eliminated from the CL will only benefit Arsenal interms of finishing 4.
    And i think they will, because i don’t think Everton has the depth, and Spurs may go very far in the Europa league which will hamper their push for the coveted 4th place.
    So all in all wenger is more than likely to finish 4th again.

  25. Cant understsnd why Wenger cant see that having 4 or 5 smallish creative players across the mid field is offensively good but defensively suicidal. Take a look @ a player like Newcastles Sissoco (not sure of spelling) . He is the exact type of physical stature the team needs & the fuc_er can play too. Wenger has no idea of defensive systems, a 1 trick pony but…….when that trick comes off it hooks u into a false sense of security even when u know u have experienced it so many times before. Arsene its time to go.
    Can there b a turn around in Germany? Shut the fu_k up Ice!

  26. In the last 8 yrs Arsenal have had the opportunity of winning 51 cup competition (still 2nd leg of CL) they have not taken 1 of those opportunities. Does the Emirates cup count?

  27. Well i agree with the disappointment and lack of results this season and a rollercoaster was expected. But i believe wenger deserves one more season to prove his worth with money at his disposal. He has been so loyal towards the club and carried it with guaranteed Champions league spot with restricted finances, why we fans owe him one more season for his loyalty. Why not give him one more season with money and see if he can atleast get us one cup(be it anything) and secure a place in champions league.

    After departure of Fab and co , we have a new team which needs time to gel ,grow and not the best to judge this season.Of course he promised seasons of dominance and silverware , which has been lost in players loyalty , Why for once we give him the chance for his loyalty he showed.

    I see wenger making lot of mistakes, but on the other side i believe current circumstances will bring the best out of him , given a chance.

    Just consider our matches with swansea , we were totally outclassed ,then we matched their performance and finally we outclassed them. I believe this team needed the learning time .Even if he doesn’t finishes fourth , i believe wenger deserves one more season.

  28. boom, boom, boom,
    Another cup bites the dust

    boom, boom, boom,
    Another cup bites the dust

    And another year gone, and another year gone
    Another cup bites the dust

    Hey, I’m gonna get you too
    Another cup bites the dust!

  29. @ Volley gun. I just hope you are joking. There is a saying”litigation must come to an end ” at any one time.The era for Wenger must come to an end.I have been an arsenal fan for close to 16 years now and after close scrutiny of WENGER i concluded even if he had the money to buy ,he would still not win any trophy simply because he is one dimensional tactician who never does his home work to study the opponent.
    Am watching AC Millan totally dominated by Barcelona but they have the lead and are defending superbly.I look at such performances and wonder how and why Wenger still has a job at Arsenal.Millan have just packed the bus but are so good on counters. Vermaleen risks becomming the worst Captain to have worn our armband. In all faireness he has been a joke whether in central defense or right back and he shamelessly comes out to defend this French Moroon.

  30. AC Millan 2 ,Barcelona 0. This Millan side only has young inexperienced players but they are far talented compared to arsenal crap players. They are making Barca chase shadows and in the 85th minute.

  31. Voley_gun, who av got to be kidding mate. Do u truely believe Wenger would do anything different? He will continue doing what he knows which is pass & move on a limited “spending” budget. He will not want to recognise that there are two sides to football, offence & defence. He wont purchase proper defensive players across the middle of the park, he beleives in 10 creative outfield players on the pitch @ once. 1 cup after 8 years is no answer to getting 8 more. He must gooooooooo.

  32. @Delano, I ve been watching AC all season, there league is stronger than ours now. They r a very good team with pase, strength, teckers, & drive. I know for sure they like young Jack and will bid next year.

  33. Arsenal are too slow. This is why they have trouble breaking down defences. As good as Wilshere and Arteta are, they spend far too much time on the turn or controlling it before releasing, by which time, players have gotten back into their positions and runs are being tracked. The old Arsenal played one touch stuff and broke quickly, thus players couldn’t get back in time and the likes of Pires and Henry ran riot.

    * The problem of the goalkeeper is what has hindered Arsenal over the last seven seasons. Almunia was not the best, whilst Fabianski, Mannone and Scziezncy are not yet of required physique or mentality to keep goal for a club challenging for serious honours. In other areas of the pitch, they are not too bad, but Wenger should have spent c.£20M on a quality left winger aged around 28 or so to deliver consistently whilst the likes of Walcott and the Ox are/were learning their trade. Before you say ‘Arshavin’ and ‘Reyes’ – both were never genuine wingers, but maybe Wenger should have persisted. Take Bayern last night as a good example. Lahm, Kroos and Muller – all youth products at one stage – are balanced out with high-peak performers such as Robben, Ribery and Gomez. Why was this approach not taken at Arsenal? Great youth prospects but not matched by peak career professionals at the high end of the quality scale. They should have the cash from Champions League participation, league revenue, TV rights and matchday income to offset this despite the cost of a colossally brilliant stadium.

    * Faith in below-par players, probably as a result of their salaries, has stagnated the playing squad. Wenger’s faith has been one of his best qualities, but Ferguson also possesses this trait. The key difference is that if Fergie deems you not good enough, or not putting in the required effort or performance level, you are quickly shown the door. This ensures a high level of commitment from United players which manifests itself in better sequences of results. This does not seem to be the case at Arsenal whereby players either leave due to the perceived notion of not winning anything, or they quietly have a few seasons of loan moves as they unwilling to part from lucrative contracts so easily.

    * Not offering Ashley Cole an extra £5K per week could have been the biggest mistake in Wenger’s career. As much as I hate the idea, and how morally repugnant it was at the time, he should have kept him. That way, Arsenal would have retained the services of the best left-back in world football over the past decade, would have had a long-standing club captain, and most importantly, would have signalled their intent to keep their best players on their terms. Vieira, Pires and Henry were allowed to leave for high transfer fees in the wane of their careers to other leagues. Cole’s case was different as he was only around 24 (I think) at the time and was sold to a divisional rival. As much as I agree with Wenger about the unsustainability of the likes of City and Chelsea whose entire squads are full of players earning c.£100K plus per week, realistically, Arsenal may only need to attract around four of these players, which should be achievable if you cut the dead wood from the squad and therefore the weekly wage bill. The status of this club both on and off the pitch should guarantee to attract the top talent, so why has this not been implemented?

  34. yep!!! Ac Milan are a young team BUT that’s no excuse to not turn up, look at what they have done.
    It just goes to show what a little tactics and organization can do, simply remarkable.

    A manager should never, never, never let the players or the club think that second best(in this case 4ht best) is good enough because when that gets engraved in the players and the club its going to take decades to get it out

    @voley_gun
    You should stop smoking!!!!!

    All over the net people are saying its wenger’s last season and that he will get fired in the summer, i just laugh, because they don’t know Arsenal.

    Wenger will see out his contract am very sure, as a matter of fact i think the board may have offered to renew it already BUT he declined Because he knows the fans and press will have a field day and also deep down he knows he doesn’t deserve it.
    I honestly don’t know what’s going to happen when his contact ends because i don’t know wenger anymore, BUT for some reason i think he will renew his contact. The BOD will never let him go he has to make that choice.

    @

  35. Regarding AC Milan: fair play to them but would you honestly want to pay money to watch that kind of tactic? Call me old fashioned but I still see football as entertainment and I would rather watch paint dry than see my team play like that. Give Wenger his dues, he has brought the most exciting brand of football (I know I know, not lately) and for that deserves credit. We were horse shit before he came along! Now we are just shit. And he has to take his share of responsibility for that.

  36. Kel, thanks for posting that link, really interesting view from someone with a sense of balance and perspective. Pretty rare in the media! I guess you can read it from two ways – Wenger is a single minded control freak who does not like to be questioned, or he has been left isolated by a weak, spineless board and left to do their dirty work and take all the flak. The truth no doubt is somewhere in the middle. But I certainly don’t buy the view held by some that he is simply a dictator and a mercenary just in it for the money and has not got a care for the club and its long term interests. Whether or not he deserves that pay packet in this day and age and based on the recent track record is another matter and no doubt many will think not.

    I guess I am of the view we need a change and a fresh start. I think we need a complete overhaul of our playing squad, a change in management and a more transparent board with a vision. But I also hope that Wenger can stay on in an ambassadorial role like Bobby Charlton at Manure (who I seem to recall had a brief but disastrous go at managing but is still held in high regard in the club). Oh yeah and bring back Dein!

  37. @ terry, please mate watch Italian league footy on ESPN, its betta than prem& AC only played like that for this game cause the young manager had the tactical intelligence to recognise what was necessary to win. They usually play with pace and skill.

  38. Actually AC Milan has everything we lack: pace, strength , work rate , very individual technical skills.
    Giroud,Gervinho, Ramsey, Arteta they almost ways lose the 50-50 balls. We do not have a winger who consistently deliver accurate passes.
    Boateng was languishing with Portsmith right under our noses. He is the type of player , we needed to balance out all the soft, weak , delicate , gutless payers we have in our squad.

  39. @Gunfeast, there not gutless, they just lack the tools for the job or jobs they are given. There is not enough balance. Its not a case of money but a lack of balance in the team of which Wenger does not beleive in. Take a look @ Wengers physical frame, thats what he demands of & for his players. Makes no difference what height they are.

  40. Just found out that Bayern Munchen wage bill is 17000£ less than ours a season. The price for the ticket for the Arsenal vs Bayern game was 97£ at the Emirates while Bayern Munchen season tickets are about 97£

    Bayern Munchen moved to their new stadium in 2005 and Arsenal 2006, Yet we moan about not being able t0o compete!!!!!!!!!

  41. @theicehammer, fair enough , but when I watched the game against united , I saw players who looked intimidated , they looked scared!
    Agree Wenger does not believe in balance, but when we were winning trophies, we had Henry, Lanu, Berkamp, but also Viera, Petit, Campbell…

  42. Well wage bill concerns, that’s why i want to scrap of that socialistic wage structure, it is no longer needed.

    The link from kel clearly indicates wenger is not able to hold down to his key players , which again makes wenger situation worse and might be the reason for his duality in comments when holding players.

    Wenger is probably overloaded and stressed out after departure of Dein, which makes him make the worst mistakes and clubbed with his stubbornness makes him more worse .

    I believe he might leave at the end of his present contract , with an accomplishment that he is giving out the club in good financial position .

  43. @gunfest, as I & others have said, was that down to dein. Wenger has been doing it he’s own way for some time without sucess. The cupboard is empty. Do vou think Wenger will spend 70mil on a different type of player.

  44. Did you guys read wenger’s interview Yesterday??? this part is the biggest JOKE of all
    “Financially we can live with it (not qualifying for Champions League), but on the sporting front, no, and the sporting front is the priority,” Wenger said.

    Really wenger!?!? Really???!!!!

    Well your action really does not show that @ all, when you sell your best players every year, how could you come and say this now?? your a liar.

    Wenger if you tell me to stop i would rather through myself off a cliff, because i can’t trust anything you say.
    That whole interview yesterday by wenger was put together to get fans to renew. He mad a raucous in the press about people trying to crate trouble by saying he’s going to renew his contract YET since then there have been
    news about wenger having a 70mil windfall to spend in the summer which I am sure is a total lie, so why doesn’t he come out and say that people are trying to cause trouble??? Its only when it suits his agenda that he gets agitated.

  45. Kel – how many times and for how many years , we have heard that he has 70mil to spend? I do not trust him anymore like you , I am tired of his mind games.
    He manipulates the fans, like a man who promises a girl a ring …just wait , very soon I will buy you that ring , but it never happens…

    Let me put it this way for Wenger to spend 70 mil in 1 transfer season, we would have to send him to Guantanamo bay and be waterboarded and tortured for 30 days before that happens!

  46. @GunFest – “Wenger to spend 70 mil in 1 transfer season, we would have to send him to Guantanamo bay and be waterboarded and tortured for 30 days before that happens!”

    I really like that.LOL

    If wenger is truly honest , he should not sign any contract or agreement. Should prove it on the stage for fans and take it up with pride next season.Otherwise Guantanmao bay is the right choice.

  47. Totally into the Guantanamo thing. Its all becoming more mental.
    When Song was sold, how many of us fans shouted and screamed against it?
    Why did we sell RVP and not REPLACE him appropriately? Falcao anyone?

    We shot ourselves on the foot and majority of our SILLY fans backed the idea to sell. Why are those same fans calling for the managers head now? He wants Dein back, cos he knows he CANT make signings. He now seems to want to SPEND 70mill of our MONEY now.

  48. Why should he desire to spend after all this Humiliation for the past 8 years. What am sure of even if this moron decides to spend he will buy average players and as long as Frimpong & Diaby and now Ramsey are being retained to replace Patrick Viera and Gilberto Silver we shall not buy players in the Summer. This is plain logic that Wenger and the club are trying to mitigate the rot and shame the press and fans have so far piled on the club.Otherwise the best they can do will be to look for about two average cheap players in the summer and that will be it.

  49. I have some faint hope that we could nick in for the top four if we vacate Europe early .I just hope wenger is not stubborn enough to keep on hoping.
    But like i said again much as am happy we qualify for Europe it will be our undoing again as this sturbon moron will be awarded another contract and all will be dejavu again. 4th spot is indeed a blessing in disguise. Other wise nice win though i didn’t watch the game but followed commentary on sky sports.

  50. Well it’s a win , but i don’t think a performance like that will deserve a fourth spot for sure.The team looks totally out of sorts , though managed to win this.

    I felt there is a discontent among the players and wenger’s problems are piling up.

    In terms of attendance , arsenal site displays it as 0, probably they don’t want to give the numbers, but surely would be 1/3rd less than bayern somewhere around 40,000 or even less for sure, as i felt there were too many empty seats.

    The only positive is that we managed a secure a win . I will try to be optimistic with it and not get carried away by negatives till next game unless wenger opens his mouth again about buying a top, top, top quality player.

  51. All you guys are calling for Wenger’s head but I will tell you one thing for sure, the players are responsible 100% for this !
    There is no drive among this group at all, no desire to improve or work harder (this is a lack of leadership on the field).. Player can do what they want on the field and no one is held accountable (ex.. run out of postion, successive careless passes, I will shoot when I want, pass when I feel like it – this is mayhem – Complete non- care of the Arsenal Crest!!
    Here’s my argument why the players are simply just showing up to get their paychecks..(Correct me if the following statements are wrong)
    Lets compare position by position against an elite team like Mant utd per say:
    Is Carrick better than Wilshere?
    is Nani better than Carzola?
    is Giggs better than Podolski?
    is Valencia better than Walcott?
    is Rafael better than Sagna?
    is Evra better than Gibbs?
    is Welbeck better than Giroud?
    No, no, no, no, and no!!!!
    So we can see that quality wise we may not be top notch but pound for pound, we are there to win vs the smaller teams at least!! loosing to Bayern – I’ll take that.. but Bradford, BlackBurn, this lucky win vs Villa AT HOME I MAY ADD!!.. With the players metionned above.??? do u even need to someone to manage a team to win vs these sub par relegated teams????!!

    How can this be on Wenger? (sure he didnt buy the big signings we all want but on the other hand, the current players need to man up and take the blame for these lousy performances? Someone among that group need to step up , and it s not Wenger’s fault ..I can tell you that much.. Players on this squad are spending time tweeting, facebooking.. what about fighting for your job, no drive at all!!
    Enough said!

  52. How you play at this time of the season is irrelevant, whats important is to win your games, 3 points.

    @ Lil_Weezy
    So let me get this straight according to you we have 7 players in our starting 11 that’s better that MAU players YET we’re 20+ points behind them.
    That to me makes no sense, you can talk all you want about being a good players But at the end of the day you have to show it on the pitch and am afraid the boys at MAU have done that, we haven’t.
    wenger Buys the players and coaches them too so ultimately he’s MOSTLY to blame, you can put a spin on that all you want that’s a fact

  53. I don’t think wenger wants to leave especially with the fifa fairplay system coming in that will hurt da big spenders,that’s exactly what gazikis and wenger are waiting to do,that arrogant bastard should rather go and been that pundit on french tv sports
    @Lilweezy- players play as a team and they need a manager who finds faults and correct them,wenger managerial behaviour have been just awful for da past seven seasons,there is just no getting pass that whateva way u look at it

  54. Nice try lil_wheezy…
    Carrick is a better defensive midfielder than Wilshere of course who is better going forward.
    Evra is a better crosser, passer, scorer than Sagna
    Valencia is a much better winger than Walcott,Walcott is a better finisher .
    Welbeck is not as technically gifted as Giroud , but his speed and strength give more to the team .
    Add to that RVP and Rooney who are 2 of best forward/strikers in the EPL that’ s why we are 21 points behind united.

    I have said for a long time these players are not good enough, but the manager is responsible for the squad.
    Playing with a striker who needs crosses and not having 2 quality wingers or wingbacks, not having a defensive midfield player. Aside from Walcott there is a lack of speed , we are very predictable. Against poor team like Villa , how many shots we got on target ? Very few .
    Finishing fourth has become a curse for Arsenal.

  55. I would never pick Carrick over Wilshere, and Evra is a left back (which is compared to Gibbs).
    Anywho, the point I am trying to make is – yes we do not have Rooney or RVP but come on.. Surely some blame must go out to the players ! It’s ridiculous how no one is going after the players ( We all know the wrongs Wenger has done – fine i wont disagree..but at the end of the day.. We can’t even beat a championship team at home??!! That is driving me crazy.. Plain and simple – The players are failing the fans and we need to hold them accountable!

  56. If it means that players are not doing their best. Then change the captain and drop people without attitude .This has to be from wenger i guess.Well vermaelen is not able to cope up with the task , so give it to Arteta and make wilshere or Walcott as the vice.

    If we fans go to slate the players, wenger comes out to protect them . So if they want the stick let it come from wenger and obviously we have to give it to wenger.

  57. Ice,
    Watched the game.
    Allerdyce hasnt a clue…Matty Taylor is shocking and unfit and was first sub..cole was exhausted and he took Diame off?? That Pogatetz looks unfit and was roasted when he came on.
    Gary o Niell??? Whats his purpose, hes your Arteta..backways passing for the sake of it with no creativity or penetration..
    Plus side is Jarvis, Cole and Reid at cb……I know why you want Sam out.theres a certain fiery Italian whos recently put himself on the breadline …surely that wont happen……

  58. Ice – Benitez to West Ham. You know it makes sense! That assumes that Allardyce takes up the Real Madrid post when Jose leaves in the summer…

  59. icehammer-its very upsetting to see west ham gave that goal away so cheaply,but who am i to judge coming in another 4days arsenal could well do da same

    your goalie was very impressive should of won da man of the match,had it neva been for bale.

    i came on this website to urgent fans not to get all excited about wenger and what all he going to do with the recent profits becoz we all now where thats going and pretty much dont give a rat ass about how much pressure wenger is under becoz of all da profits to be spent, as far as i am concern if wenger stays he would think christian benteke equals falcoa/cavani or even messi becoz benteke is da new arsenal talk thats if of new rivals spurs dont get a hold of him. i say new rival becoz we are no competiton to da man’s

    Just in case all your wenger lovers think we get hold of 4th place, becoz of mr wenger u are still wrong why
    rafeal benitez – chelsea team dont want to play for him da results had be seen
    spurs – as good as they are history is not on there side
    everton- everton just dont have da quality except for david moyes

  60. Well Bale needs some advice from Wenger. “You should not shoot when you are that far. You have to play the game and shoot only inside the box”.

  61. @ voley_gun

    Very funny(-: !!!!!!!!!

    I can’t believe that Some Arsenal fans are calling Spurs a one man team, shocking!!!!!!!!!!

  62. Would Bale have been as dangerous if Wenger managed to purchase im! Remember he was originally a left back.Wuold Theo have excelled earlier if he had gone to Spurs?

  63. In a fit of pique and as a result of too many late nights/early mornings watching our games and the associated negative impact on my state of mental health, I got rid of our cable tv swearing i would not watch another game until next season! Now of course I am regretting the decision and need to find a reliable livestream for the game against Gareth Bale and ten other pricks. Anyone got any good tips?

    Predictions for Sunday (or Monday morning 3am if you are in the Antipodes)…?

    The heart says 3-1 to the Arse. The head says 2-0 to Gareth Bale and my liver says another bottle of shiraz please.

  64. This French moron is at it again. So arrogant and stupid. He says the team must focus on its passing game and not the strength of the opponent.This is the exact reason we have not won anything in 8 years and still going. Past players would decide on what style to play in face of opposition. These young players due to low talent can’t question his tactics.I hope the team gets its tactics right on Sunday.

  65. @Terry
    Good to have you back on board Mr. T.
    If you cough up two bucks you can get a 24 hour pass for the Arsenal Player at the official website. Watch the pregame show, get a live commentary and try lshunter.tv for a video feed.Then later the game will be on the player along with every other game they’ve played in the last 2 years.
    Cheers mate.
    COYG!!!

  66. well!!!!!! derby day and i honestly hope that MR wenger has a plan and some tactics for this match because if we don’t, were screwed!!!!!!!
    go Arsenal!!!!!!!!

  67. Until Wilshere learns to pass accurately, he should not be the one in the centre of our midfield. Until we play Cazorla there more consistently, we will not improve as a team……

    I dont want what happened to Arshavin to be the case with Cazorla. He is our ONLY maestro.

  68. All this talk about our defensive record being the third best in the league is total fuckery
    Arsenal can’t defend on fuck….

  69. You have to earn the right to impose and play YOUR style on any football game. This increases ten fold in a derby. You cant kerp going put saying your gonna just play your way Wenger. We used to win the battle first, then the game. Now we play for 20 mins then drop our level, concede and huff and puff until the fourth official puts up the board and we realise weve only three mins left.
    Name one Arsenal player, other than the consistant pedestrian Ramsey, that broke asweat today, actually find one that had a spec of dirt on his jersey!
    Cazorla played out of position on the wing. 100,000 man Walcott nowhere to be found. Giroud? What is his purpose other than displaying forty different types of contipation faces per game.
    Wenger incompetent and powerless to influence the game again once tje damage had been done.

  70. Wenger aim! 4th place to justify da trophy cabinet and da fools will say wenger deserves his job if he gets it,if wenger did his job in da first place we wouldn’t be sitting here in 5th place, giroud and just about every1 had a shit game,so there’s no individuals thats left out.

    Wenger leave with dignity while u still can!

  71. For how long will Wenger consistently make these silly childish mistakes. You remove one of the best out lets in Jenkins and bring on Rosicky. You let Ramsey play 90 minutes yet already booked. You leave Podolski on the bench for crying out loud. You sell Song the best anchor man second to Yaya Toure only to replace him with 30+ Arteta. That’s the reason we are conceeding silly goals for fan. It was a catastrophe in the making to give Vermaleen the arm band. He is the worst Arsenal Captain i have seen in a while.He can’t command his compatriots to pull back and play from the back. How could we conceed similar goals in the same fashion and manner. About Giroud.Stupid players cost you games . Giroud has been good at that. I saw him do the at Chelsea missing sitters in the first twenty minutes of a game only arsenal to go ahead and loose. It is this shit of a coach that buys such bull shit.We are just doomed with this French moron. He is so lazy to do any home work for the team and the best that could happen to Arsenal fc and himself is resigning. I don’t think we are even good for Europa unless we thump Bayern Munich which equates to the unthinkable.

  72. Every time i see Vertonghen he looks better and better, notice i didn’t say world class as some arsenal fans like to brand people after a few good games BUT am almost sure that he is better than all the defenders we have, so how come we didn’t secure his signature???
    Things like these just confirm to me that wenger has lost it, and i say that not because i hate wenger BUT simply based on evidences these last 5 years, he’s done, dusted, finished as a top class manager, and anyone who says otherwise
    deserves to be shot.

  73. Kel,
    Quite right, and you can throw holtby and dembele in aswel. And Ba. And Mata. Oh yeah and Scott Parker who went for peanuts when we had nobody in midfield. And berbatov who we cud have got for a penny as part of van persie deal.
    Shezny is fast becoming the new bendtner doing more talking than walking. Hes a loose cannon.
    The good news this summer is we only havd one asset left that anyone else wants, and he wont go.
    The bad news is the rest would struggle in the championship.

  74. Sorry to be so quiet. I’m still in a state of denial. I mean intellectually I know we lost because I watched it and it looked so much like us.
    But other than that what it really means is just starting to steep.
    It’s hard to remain balanced and upbeat.
    Oh well,nothing a trip to Germany won’t fix.

  75. Our defense is totally blinded on diagonal passes. Yesterday major threat from spurs were all created from diagonal passes. Swansea did it earlier to us and now spurs.

    Problem with arsenal is when they fail to press for the ball , they concede. That’s why we are always looking better at second half this season.

  76. Voley_gun, whats Bold up to then? I mean he is the defence coach…is ent he. Why arnt the 2 CH covering each other, why r they so flat.

  77. G’day Leftie. Wish things were different and we were toasting another win over the SPuds. Sadly things are not all well in Goonerland are they? Hard to fathom how we have lost our way so badly but I guess we have been on a downward trajectory for three or four years now and there are few signs that it is going to end anytime soon. But hey, things could be worse. We could be like the Aussie cricket team! They can’t even make the top four of an eight team comp!

  78. More than Bould it is other teams tactics to exploit our weakness is giving them the edge over us to win games .Though we command possession and dominate the game we are hit hard ,sharp and clinical in goals by other teams.

  79. Terry,

    Sorry mate i actually thought of posting this link to you.Hope this helps in future. I once watched the game in this stream and hope will help you too.

    http://www.samistream.com/

    Watch ESPN,Star Sports or ESPN HD for premier league and for champions league TenSports, Ten Action if available.

    Mostly arsenal games will be telecast live in ESPN.

  80. You know the more i read about some of the goings-on at Arsenal the more i feel less sorry for wenger,

    Tony Adams said last nite before the game:
    “Wenger makes no special arrangements for opposition tactics or how to deal with certain players.”

    And I remember distinctly cesc saying somethings around the same line, now these two players had a big impact on Arsenal, both were very good players, “WORLD CLASS” if you Please, and both were club captains. So i would take what they say in high regard. That being the case really does let one see that the reason we have been so unsuccessful on the pitch these last 8 years is not coincidence, BUT all our own doing or should i say wenger’s doing.
    How could a manager is this day and age not plan or have tactics in place to neutralize the opposition’s strength, its a disgrace to management.
    This to me explains why very average teams with young and inexperience managers can consistently beat us AND it surly explains why we have not won the coveted CL not once in the last 16 years we have featured.
    Wenger i know your not BUT you should be ashamed, what world are you living in??? are you senile???
    This behavior alone is a sackable offense.
    But all is not lost people are writing us off BUT there is still 30 points to play for, its when the games get to single digit that the task will look daunting.
    The game against swansea is the most important for the club, if we loose that and the people around us win then i think its really curtains for us.

  81. @Gunnerboss. u’r so lost nowadays.Any ways i always said it .It’s not about the quality of the players but the laziness of the coach to deserve his salary. He is paid to act in the best interest of the club but this idiot will and shall not do so. He is so lazy that it’s a mountain for him to drill his players in a counter attacking formation. How could the defense be caught flat footed yet even a championship side can,t concede such goals and you shamelessly consider your self a top flight manager. The board must surely be joking.All his decisions are highly questionable and i suspect he must be investigated for match fixing. Its just difficult to accept that he is rewarded weekly for inexcusable decisions.Giroud wouldn’t start in any of the top four teams i guess. Which sensible manager would play Ramsey ahead of Podolski!!

  82. Bayern is one of the best organized teams in the world. Everything is on its place. Structure of ownership is the best you can imagine in modern football, board is compuond by former club legends who are not dump, they earn and spend very carefully, staff is brilliant and true fans can come to the game cause price is set to be fair. In golden years Arsenal was very similar to Bayern because of everything above. The most significant difference between us and them that I saw in that crushing defeat was tactical superiority of Bayern players. You have Mandžukić who is a regular striker, nothing special, he moves with and without ball better than every our player except Jack. Well that is so sad.

  83. Well this season turning point is the match to play against bayern. It is not in terms of winning or losing but in terms of gaining confidence or losing it for our most crucial run in the last 10 matches.

    A thrashing from Bayern with a scoreline around 8-1 will put us down to 7th or 8th in the league, while a respectable draw or a decent lose of 3-1 will keep us in 5th or 6th , and a victory will boost us to secure a place in last 3rd or 4th with a confidence of retaining the 5th spot

    I honestly would like the team to retain the 5th spot and not go down.

  84. @Anaohi- Ur a big idiot. “Except Jack”? Ur an embarrassment to football, u talk as if ur sensible and then u end up exposing the fact that ur an idiot. Ramsey actually runs more than Jack(in terms of effort).
    Problem I have with these two guys is the fact that they are nowhere near the required 70percent pass accuracy required to be functional or effective/efficient in this level. Giroud does not take his chances seriously at all. He does not deserve to be anywhere near our top striker, why Wenger refuses to try Podolski as CF is still down to his usual FAVOURITISM. Why? Podolski will score and will score authoritatively too. If he wants to stick with Walcott as CF, let him do so cos its very hard to play two positions while progressing/learning. I like Walcott cos of his pace, he is always gonna be a threat.

    The MAIN reason we have not won anything for the past three/four years? 80 percent of the players are mediocre.

    @Delano – I think Ramsey did excellently in his first game at right back for us, should be the league game we had the red card, but still won.
    Since then, Wenger tactically plays Ramsey so he ends up as a RB. This is our tactical achievement. This is what he drills the players to do against Bayern….everything boils down to when he decides to swap Ramsey for Jenkinson…then, BOOM! We nail them, our tactics come to light and they crumble just because of the awesomeness of our superior tactical switch.

    How does this guy ever justify playing a younger, faster and left footed Wilshere in the middle(where speed IS NOT a priority), but shifts a more gifted, older, but slower Cazorla to waste on the flank chasing lost balls and using up all his (dribbling/passing/shooting) energy? Wilshere was the unofficial direct (behind the CF) support striker……………Its such a shame.

    When it is crunch time, you need all the experienced and in-form players.

    Anyone knows what has happened to the Ox? Giroud!

    He plays a wastefull Giroud in Cf, shifts Walcott to probably waste on the right(no Podolski on the left) but keeps the Ox on the bench(classic Wenger).

  85. Quiz time: which is the only EPL team left in the Champions League?! LoL

    Enjoy it while it lasts lads…

  86. @Terry – Don’t let wenger read this , otherwise he will give out a statement that arsenal are too good and staying in champions league longer than other english clubs is a kind of achievement.

  87. Good news guys. We have rested for almost 2 weeks and with no injuries at all. What does this mean.We have a fighting chance for our pride like we did against ACMillan.We are likely to win the game but loose the tie. I wouldn’t mind if that would translate into thumping Swansea which is equally a massive task.

  88. liverpool have had a piss poor season YET they’re 2 points off us (but played more) if both them and Everton win and we loose they will both overtake us.

    Arsenal have the easiest run in compared to the other 5 teams competing for the the champions league places, BUT the thing is when i look back at our record over the last 8 years when it comes to the last 10 games of the season we have not done well as we could/should 2007/08 comes to mind when we should have won the title.

    Here are a detailed rundown of the points Arsenal have collected from the last 10 games of the season for the last 8 seasons.

    Starting from 2004/05

    25
    23
    13
    18
    23
    17
    11
    18

    That’s an average of 18.5 points per last 10 games per season over a 8 year period.

    O honestly don’t think that will be enough this season, it’s not one team its now five teams so it’s look very nasty, through jack into that and you have a mess.
    Jack am sure has been in the red zone for weeks yet we continued to play him??? why?? because the rest are very very average, the manager is to blame he should have bought someone in BUT as usual no one was available.
    HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! WHAT A Laugh!!!!!!

    I hope if the worst happens he doesn’t say he did not have his best player available because that would be an excuse BUT it would be one he crated himself by being naive.

    Wenger your the worst gambler i’v ever seem, you never learn, and it seemjs that your luck is about to run out, you can blame noone else BUT yourself for this situation

  89. Anybody out there think we have a chance to overturn the deficit on Bayern Tomorrow?
    Dutch,Terry, Retsub?
    Come on Retsub pipe up! Tell us the stickman has the plan.
    I’ll tell you this, the people who gave us the Hamburger and the Frankfurter may be about to reveal a new fast food sensation, Stickman on a stick.
    But not so fast. Remeber the AC Milan fightback last year?
    Maybe we’ll come close before losing. There’s no advancement in it but it’s better that the boys show a little fight.
    COYG!

  90. Well wenger’s idea to let Szczensy rest , doesn’t look like to give him rest ,but instead protect him from the humiliation if we concede many.He will involve arshavin too on the pitch to favour one more of his player i guess.

    Every season there used to be a match post which the team feels drained and drop points.This season this will be the one.

    Honestly this is one to forget. But a resurgence is theoretically possible if Rosicky,Walcott,Giroud,Cazorla,Arshavin/Gervinho and Arteta can put out best performance of their life.

  91. @Voley_gun is it true Arsene’s fielding a second string, if so he’s chucked in the towel, waved the white flag. How r we ment to back the lads out there.

  92. If i were the coach. I wouldn’t dare Bayern cause it is a foregone conclusions.It will be foolhardy to think about illusions of an up set. I would rest some of my good players against Bayern if that gave me a chance of beating Swansea at the weekend. We need those points and three points against Bayern will be useless if we shall not go through. I would therefore play second eleven players and a few fringe players in preparation for Swan- Barca. Top four is a real dog fight now and it is the most important for us. But i would equally be happy missing it if it mean’t Wenger leaving the club. I was watching my previous games including the Invincibles yesterday for consolation and in surely got shocked how wenger used to celebrate goals .The size and speed of the players on the pitch was just a nightmare to many average teams and i realized anything could be done on the pitch by the players we had. Walcott had devastating clips during his time with remnants of the invincibles.V.persie was just a star in the making.
    I asked my self a question what really could have happened. We have rubbish all over the pitch and the same but now old coach is embracing what he has at his disposal. He had a taste for size in his hay days nowadays we have small body useless irritating players to watch. The system was a strict 4-4-3 but in the attack it looked a 4-3-3 as goals came from all over the pitch. Nowadays it is Giroud charged with the duty of scoring. At this rate i would rather have Carlos Vela and Bendtner back than this pile of rubbish we have at our disposal.
    It’s just shocking that you can loan a premiership tested player with a some unknown from the French league just in his first season. Arteta was a good player but not to a team of Arsenal’s stature. He has fluffed around in Defensive midfield for so long this season and we have really paid heavily.
    It is a joke that a one game player per season like Diaby can still be entertained at Arsenal and the fans are paying heavily for this punk.What is his contract situation like because he should surely be among those leaving next summer. It is this position which has particulary been our affected this season. Its now time for a fundamental change and the fans have a big role to do in this .
    The decisions of the coach have not helped the team at all and his responsible for incompetent decisions he has made through out. You cannot simply blame the board for all this rubbish. He is an accomplice to everything. It is not the board that picks the players on the pitch,it is not the board that provides the tactics on the pitch,it is not the board spots talent for Wenger it is him who first admires and inquires. Even the size of the players is left to the coach. It is all Wengers fault and us the fans for supporting his mediocrity with our hard earned cash. The quicker we get rid of this sinking ship the better we avoid a relegation dog fight next season.

  93. @Delano
    You’re on the right track but Bentdner and Vela are a bit extreme.
    Maybe Reyes and Kanu.

  94. @icehammer – We already lost Sagna,Podolski,Wilshere and in addition to it Szczesny rested. I am not sure of other changes , but i think wenger will not risk playing Gervinho or Ox ahead of arshavin ,as thrashing from ManU had massive effect on Ox and obviously wenger likes to protect Gervinho.

    Well i honestly don’t know what’s running on wenger’s mind.

    If he chooses Arshavin ,Coquelin,Rosicky and Diaby ahead of Ox, Cazorla,Arteta ,Ramsey and walcott. Then i am pretty sure wenger is fielding a second string.

    Sorry that Rosicky is included in the second string list because wenger considers Ramsey always ahead of him.

  95. So let me get this straight, wenger wants arsenal to go for it, because he feels we can win, now i know we have some injury problems and that’s understood BUT how do you leave you best goal keeper at home in favor of a person who has not played in god’s knows how long???????

    When i tell you guys wenger has lost the plot you all must think i don’t like him BUT its decisions like this that really make me F*cking mad.

  96. Shock start on a nice Walcott-Giroud hook-up.
    Already we are looking shaky at the back though.
    Still one more goal would put them under real pressure.
    Oh God I forgot we have Fumblehandski in goal.
    Nerevrmind.

  97. A goal by 3rd minute is something great. Our defense has improved a mile.Well we always put up a very good second half performance. Let me hope a resurgence is on his way ,boys are holding the ball better and their passing with physical ability is very good. Two sharp goals and a solid defense is all it is required to put the tide our way.

  98. arsenal need one more goal , to truly put doubts in the minds of bayern. Their defense looks too good and also they have raised their tempo of the play.arsenal need to pep up. Final passes should be sharp and need to be more physical.

  99. only 2 minutes left for 90 minutes , an injury time goal from arsenal will seal it up.

  100. Yep, a second very scruffy goal by Kos.
    No matter what happens now a clean sheet here would auger very well for the run-in.
    COYG!!

  101. Brave effort against a lazy arrogant bayern. Why Arteta was over that free il never know but those are the fractions. Actually his lack of composure and brain in the last 3mins was criminal.
    Again a first leg of tactical laziness from the manager kills the team.

  102. Kudos to the boys . They for once played with heart and made us proud.Am confused is this the Bayern that out played us at Emirates or it is Arsenal that was so good today.Either it is the tactical incompetence of the manager that has always seen us entertain while we go out.Imagine if we had’nt lost our first ties in two consecutive seasons. Either way no one expected this and surely we went out with a fight. I hope the players are in good mood to obliterate Swansea as we start the dog fight for top four.

  103. Bayern need a rest like Arsenal had. As i’ve said in the past, I expect a good run for two to three games but the slip ups will return. Short & sharp cant be maintained by so many light weight players.
    @shambo is the team betta wid or widout Jack. I think it looked tighter in the middle.

  104. Great to see the team fight back . Nothing has changed the team is too unbalanced to win a major trophy.
    Giroud scored a tap- in today, but did he win a one on one or 50/50 ball today? Can he hold the ball?
    We need a world class striker , Giroud can only be a complimentary striker not good enough .

  105. COULD SOMEBODY PLEASE GET THIS EMAIL TO THE BOARD OR ARSENAL SUPPORTERS ASSOCIATON ASAP!

    The true solution is that Arsenal do NOT have to spend a lot of money!
    The fans frustration does not stem from the lack of silverware over the last 8 years, but from the failure to compete ON THE PITCH with the likes of Man.U, Chelsea, Man.C and of late – Spurs!
    It would be better for the long run if Wenger disposed of the (majority) players he has, and using the cash from the sales in addition to the funds available to him, he should inject new enthusiasm into his team… How?

    I have recently looked around the net for very talented and reasonably priced players who Arsenal could and should purchase, to enhance their current plight and compete at the highest level again – not only in the premier league but Europe also.
    Note – KEEP Wilshere and make him captain and Oxlade-Chamberlain needs to stay. The squad would be ideal for Mr.Wenger because most of them are an unknown quantity!

    These are the players Arsenal should look to bring in over the summer…

    GK – TER STEGEN (B MOENCHENGLADBACH) or GIEFER (F DUSSELDORF) – 1ST CHOICE.
    BIALKOWSKI (NOTTS CO) or FORSTER (CELTIC) – 2ND CHOICE.
    DEF/C-BACKS – D.FEREIRA (PARMA) , OGBONNA (TORINO) , OKORE (NORDSJAELLAND) , SUMAILA (EBUSUA DWARFS)
    W-BACKS – CAPOUE (TOULOUSE) , FER (FC TWENTE) , INAN (GALATASARAY) , GUARDADO (VALENCIA)
    MID – LAMELA (ROMA) , COUTINHO (LIVERPOOL) , MUNAIN (A BILBAO)
    FOR – BENTEKE (A VILLA) , GUIDETTI (MAN.CITY) , BONY (V ARNHEM) , JENNINGS (B MUNICH)

  106. Ghanchi, I agree with yr first statement about cash spending, but dont give money to Wenger cause he will waste it again on same type of players. Its also a joke that Wenger links Prem leagues failures with his own. Other top 4/5 prem & below have wan silverware over last 8 years. Deflecting failure as usual. Wenger would not talk about Euro catching up prem if he was still in qtr. Final. Tvpical Arsese!

  107. @icehammer – agree with you on wenger’s tactics to deflect prem league failure with his own.

    I don’t understand why performances like Bayern,Milan and Barca happens once in a year .

    Does this sign wenger is concentrating on the team only when they are about to fall in crisis.

  108. As usual when there is no pressure we produce, i hope the fans that went to germany had a good nite out they deserve it.

  109. I get the feeling that Arsenal are always satisfied to win the battle but loose the war. The germans were terrible last nite and yet we couldn’t take them out, Just as last season when we should have eliminated milan.
    We got an early goal and that should have given us the impetus to go on BUT as usual as soon as the we get a sign of pressure we crack/fold

    Last season again milan we had them 3 down after the first half and could not find a single goal in the second to tie the match, after the match our great coach said that we gave everything in the first so had nomore to give in the second. Its a sad thing BUT the mentality of this club to settle for second best is like a blood disease its spreads all over the body.
    Any team worth there salt last nite would have gone through bayern were terrible and we let them slip away, IO guess all that matters to some is we won this game.

  110. Arsenal has the ability to replicate what it did last night even if Wenger is not in charge. A more astute coach would have won this tie right from the start at the Emirates. It has been obvious all season that Vermaleen was the weak link in the first leg and we paid heavily.It was possible to mitigate this damage right away but he agonizingly failed to do that.The earlier he leaves the club the better. Did any of you realise how much a hero Gervinho would have been had that tap in gone in. It is shocking that we have condoned these near failures and content with respect. We pay the highest ticket and we must be paid in equal measure not Wenger’s mediocrity. I guess if we had better players on the pitch in Munich the tie would have been history. I don,t see how a Henry type of player couldn’t have produced magic on such an inviting tie. We fallen short because season in season out we lack special players when the going gets tough. We self destruct in the beginning and we can’t remedy when we need to. Sacking the coach is the best solution. No excuses.

  111. I think we tried, but……………………….

    We shouldve scored two in the first half. What was the Ox doing on the bench? What was the cow Giroud doing on that pitch? This is the game Walcott shouldve started at CF or on the left and the Ox on the right. It amazes me we still left their RB with so much room to run into after all what he did last game.

    Our coach has proved yet again he CANNOT field a decent eleven from this pack unless injuries force him to. He needs decent players like every other good coach does. We are where we are because we feel Wenger is a magician. Until we realise this, we will continue to go downhill…………………….

    Sad, sad truth

  112. Haven’t you heard best one yet, WEnger says that because no English team is in the CL 1/4 finals , it should be a wake up call. Really le professeur? As a manager of team which has not won zero trophy in 8 years , did you get a wake up call? Were you sleep walking when you sold our best players year after year?
    Tell me Wenger ,did you learn from your failed experiment with Denilson ? So why then are you trying to turn Arteta and Ramsey into defensive midfielders?
    Except for 1 or 2 players none of our players could start for the 3 team in the EPL…can you spell Mediocrity in French?!

  113. Am watching the game but Diaby is becoming so wasteful .Its a shock that he hasn’t improved at all. Swansea have missed sitters so far. Giroud has no short on goal and Ox is our best player on the pitch so far. I hope we snatch the 3 points as this is all we have to play for. otherwise Everton has won and we are 6th .

  114. I just hope Diaby scores the winning goal. Otherwise he must be slaughtered.It is just embarrassing that this boy is paid a salary to play for arsenal.Absolute rubbish and an insult to the fans.

  115. Boy arsenal really want 4th didn’t see the match But its a big win none the less how you play at this point is of no significance, all that matters is 3 points….

  116. Yes a big win and they played well overall.
    @ Delano, yes Diaby has not improved, how much are we paying him per week? A waste of money! I always thought his first couple years , he should have been sent on loan where they would break his bad habits.

  117. The Bayern performance MUST be our least level from now on…….that has got to be the benchmark…..
    Ramsey did well, but for me the Ox would’ve complemented Arteta, Rosicky and Cazorla more…..both in going forwards and backtracking. We needed goals, still, the whole effort would’ve been wasted if we did not allow it rub off on our league form. So far it has and it is clearly keeping us in the hunt for a top four finish.

    When will Diaby stop being sloppy? Again, good to know we did not forget how we beat Bayern, but our resources, our personnel must improve next season. Our coach is clearly Tinkerbell…..

  118. I thinks the tactics i talked about earlier here are now being implemented by wenger. If you are observant you notice that ever since the Spurs game, the gap between defense and midfield has been deliberately closed and now the defense looks abit protected and doing well.You notice we are no longer enjoying alot of possession but we are solid behind. It is no coincidence that Bayern and Swansea which are by all standards good attacking teams have failed to get a clear cut chance in open play at our goal. That is what was missing ever since we last won at Anfield earlier this season. Change of tactics is all we needed but its too late and i hope we keep on the heat and we are of the sudden looking favourites for top four now.Lets wait for a Spurs thumping again.

  119. That is what was missing ever since 2005!!!!!!! Oh thats alright then. C u guys next season when it all starts again. IN WENGER U TRUST, oh me oh mt.

  120. Though an interesting win by Arsenal and even arsene did his homework on the defense to keep intact. I don’t think the jargon in arsene we trust holds anymore and arsene may be in due for his last season if he fails to win a trophy next year , especially with a list of interesting coaches at their 40’s .On the long run i do think wenger has to face competition from two generations behind and the new one’s are too sharp in details and tactics, which possibly is a reason now, top teams are not able to dominate and guarantee a win .

    On the long run forward wenger and the board should think about having a new manger in place , wenger had great eye for players and making them stars ,can he make one in

  121. Arsenal win two games when there is no pressure and we have been transformed, Stupes!!!!!! Give me a break

    Did you guys read what Szczęsny snr said????? But you know what most of it is true. God bless us.

  122. Szczsny snr is right by all standards. Its the coach who made the keeper look a joke for almost half of the season. Attacking was the order of the day leaving the keeper so exposed.Its the improved 4-4-2 that has made Flapianski now look the new kid on the block.Its all about the coach’s stupidity in the past that the defense has been a laughing stock.

  123. Nothing happens cos we keep winning……………

    Not praying for us to lose so we can have the chorus discussions, but Ramsey is certainly finding some form. Gervinho looks like he has the right BRAIN on his skull too. Good for us.

  124. Another victory and edging close to spurs .Let’s bite their tails and ram them everytime till they break and look out of sorts in the chase.

  125. We are winning again. We played very well against Reading , our best passing game of the year. Is it too late ?we shall see .
    Diaby is out for 8 to 9 months again! But don’t worry when he comes back , he will be like a brand new signing!

  126. At last we are in the coveted top Four and a top three finish is highly feasible once again. Gareth bale is injured and Chelsea has the FA Cup and Europa to mind about

  127. we are playing well and we are getting results in Jack Wilshere’s absence just like we did at the beginning of the season where we also didn’t have Jack, is this just a coincidence or is the team better off without Jack. i don’t know which one’s which but I do know that Rosicky never deserved to sit on the bench this season, he played an important role in us finishing in the top 4 last season and right now he’s playing a crucial role once again to help us finish in the top 4. Ramsey is getting better and better.

  128. Yes, game time is definitely helping the Ram improve. He seems to have caught something from Wilshers game. But, goodness me……………ROSICKYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

  129. I will take every win, the game against Everton will be massive. I still think that we have a very soft underbelly, in our latest unbeaten we have beaten any of the top4 teams.

    We have to finish in the top 4 and we are well positioned to do so…I can’t help but think is this our new lot in life at Arsenal, Scrapping to finish in the top 4 every season?!

  130. Wenger was right when he said top 4 is like a Trophy. United is miles ahead and the realistic trophy would be to overhaul Manchester City which is next to impossible.Either way Everton are the hardest team to beat in my opinion. It took an exceptional Player in Persie to beat them. We seem to be so nervy at home than playing away. I strike with fear whenever i see Vermaleen in the defense and i think the recent goals we are conceeding some are due to the absence of Metasacker. He calms the defense and i think the goal we conceeded wouldn’t have gone in cheaply had he been on the pitch. It will be very difficult for Vermaleen to mark the gangly Fellaini who is back in full swing and Jovetic are all physical top forwards. If we win the game in hand then there is no question it will be a comfortable run in for us.How long is Metasacker out cause the Everton game would suit him than Vermaleen.

  131. Boy this blog is dead, What the hell is going on here, a new post please andy.

    As i said earlier how you play now does not matter its the points that do having said that people are saying that Arsenal look so great and I don’t agree, we’ve rode our luck in these last five games, so to say that were bang on form is total craziness.

    Regardless of where we finish i still want wenger gone he’s not a good manager anymore.

  132. Agree Kel, look at who we have have beaten lately .. Some fairly weak teams. If we were to play against Manure or city this week , we would be humiliated once again.
    Like at the beginning of the season , we were winning games until we had to face the big boys and got found out . It is all smoke and mirrors as they say. Next season , we will end up in the same rot, struggling to finish fourth (our new trophy)!

  133. Gunfest i am very sure your tone will have changed if we are smart winners of 6 points by the end of this week. I feel the squad is strong enough to do that with Metasacker in the bark. We must focus on the defensive part of our game first.

  134. Am sure Wenger now understands the essence of buying a quality striker like Lewondwoski or Suarez. Giroud could have won us this game only for mediocrity to be resounded again. Am wondering what we have in offer for Manchester United. We dont seem to win games with Wilshere on the pitch.

  135. Wilshere is poop…………..
    Duno whats wrong with Wenger playing him,its really annoying. His game is going down. This will be the classic case of more game time killing him.

    How come Rosicky develops a mysterious illness once Jack is a bit ready?

  136. The problem is as I have been saying from the beginning of the season : our best 11 is not good enough .We may win a few games against weak teams , but as soon as we face a well organized opposition , we can see our limitations.

    Do you think that Manure would tolerate Fergie not winning trophies for 8 years and say finishing 4th is like winning a trophy? The difference is that they demand excellence not our fans and board!
    We are living in the past , many are so afraid if Wenger leaves … Look at the job that M. Laudraup is doing with Swansea ,they are a smaller club with a smaller budget , they bought well, they have a great manager and they play a more brand football than Arsenal this season.

  137. 1-nil Man$ity at the half.
    If Tottenham fail to qualify for the CL thanks to the goal from the chinless twat it will be the best turn of fucked-up fate since the hand of God goal.
    But of course, i will gladly take it.
    Nasri, who’d-a-thunk-it?

  138. SORRY SPURS TURNED ON THE HIT. WE SHALL HAVE TO DO IT OURSELVES BY THUMPING THE CHAMPIONS UNITED WITH NO EXCUSES. WE MUST WIN THE GAME AT ALL COSTS EVEN IF IT MEAN’T US GOING TO OLD TRAFFORD.
    I HOPE V.PERSIE IS IN ITS RIGHT SENSES NOT TO PUNISH US FOR HIS SELFISH EGO OF THE GOLDEN BOAT.

  139. Lol Delano you are funny! I am not sure if I should laugh or cry… Should we beg Van Persie for mercy? It has the making of a Greek tragedy. I hope that as already champions Manure take-off their feet of our throat…

    Isn’t Wenger so brilliant?! selling our best player to one of our biggest rivals…imagine Mancini selling Aguerro or Yayah to MAnunited…never would happen

  140. Van Persie wins the Prem da 1st season he leaves the Emirates stadium. Im sure his preference would have been 4th spot silverware. C u all nex season. Up Big Sam’s Ammers.

  141. When we play MAU this weekend i think the guard of honor should be give by the board Members including IVAN, STAN, and most of all Mr wenger, because they handed them the title.
    Now we have to scrap for 4th and 3rd, really shocking, and you know hats worst, wenger ent going to change and he ent going no where.

  142. Yes Kel , indeed we will be having the same conversation next year, nothing change.

  143. wenger says that Arsenal are not as far as people think from us, BUT yet last season it was 15 now this season 20 how are we close??????

    Wenger your a real piece of work and i really hope you have some pride and leave at the end of your contract our time has come

  144. Failure to beat United today means top 4 is not in our hands.
    Mediocre players could only afford a draw at a hapless United who had nothing to fight for.

  145. We let the standards we beat Bayern with slip immediately we introduced Wilshere in…………..

    From the last game we drew before the Fulham win, we showed how quickly we can forget to remember how to play well…….

    We should be sorry for ourselves, wasted chance after chance after chance first half………..how does Gervinho become the CF when he comes on? I think Wenger is sick again

  146. I actually put down my top four worries apart and enjoyed the game . I liked the way Rosicky ,Cazorla and Ramsey combined to produce stunning displays and always threatened to shoot, making life of united tough.

    Wilshere and Ox played too direct and never had the menacing long shots or much deceived penetration . Even after certain brilliant moves the team mostly lost the final pass or couldn’t find the player in the box who can shoot a pass.

    For me it’s an overall good display and let me hope a place exist for us in top four.

  147. http://www.foxsportsasia.com/football/premier-league/news/detail/item966534/BPL-points-gap-can-be-deceiving,-says-Wenger/

    when i look at dormund i get more angry at wenger because the fact is they have been able to so much with very little, really begs the question, what is arsenal and wenger doing?????

    wenger can talk all he wants as long as he stays we will never challenge for the title again.
    there is talk about psg wanting wenger well good luck to them a man who has not won a trophy in almost a decade, haaaaaaaa!!!!
    No other club with ambition will put up with wenger and his shit.

    And just to mention this if dormund win the champions league and i firmly think they will win it, that will make 2 times in 9 seasons of participating while we boast 16 straight years and not one ucl crown to show, utterly shameful.

  148. I felt the same way when I watched Dortmund . Their technical ability, power, speed, passing they have a balance team. I envy Dortmund , their manager would better than Wenger at least fire in his belly.

    I do not see Wenger managing Psg although I am hoping he goes there. PSG has a lot superstars, Wenger hates managing them. He is likes young unproven players.

    Wenger’s first 5 years with Arsenal were an anomaly if you look closely at his managing career prior to coming to arsenal in France , he was happy being in the top 5 every year. Challenging for a title every year is not a great drive for Wenger.
    He would be perfect for teams like Everton or Fulham were expectation is not to win titles, but to be in the top 10.

  149. Kel & Gunfest you are spot on Dortmund are the real model of a team managed on fewer resources.When it comes to buying young talent in the real sence it must be talent. The culture must be inculcated in the team other than the stupid ideology of how Football should be played by Wenger. He has bought so many promsing young players yet so inferior in quality and not modeled to be the sleek but ambitious game. Players like Ramsey,Arteta,giroud are in no fashion modeled to the attacking style Wenger professes to have. God help us that the rumour of PSG comes out to be true. He has forcefully made us believe top four is good enough and am sure he will not impress any of those big clubs.
    Just look at the balance in that Borusia dortmund team and only Carzola can fit in that squad. I say this mindful of the fact that thesame team beat either of the two finalists convincingly.

  150. Wenger came to arsenal in the 1996/97 season and if we make it to the CL this season we will be celebrating 17 straight years in the CL under wenger, an astonishing record.
    The shocking thing is we have not one it yet and only played in 1 final, how could that be??????
    I made comparisons on this very blog comparing Arsenal to Dortmund and i was taken to task by one [shard} who has vanished since then, BUT he made excuse of all kind and type and saying we were not the same. I compared how a club on very limited budget can still compete and even topple the money rich boys, if and only if the people incharge of the club know what there doing. Dortmund competed against money rich clubs like bayern, schalke, hamburge, these clubs are well run and very rich BUT yet Dortmund was able to win the league back to back with a squad costing less than 40£ mil, quit remarkable, and look now, the CL final where i think that they will win it.
    Dortmund have been in the CL 9 time since 1995/96 season, they have won it once and are on the crusp of winning it again, we boast 16 years and have not won it once. That tells me that the management at Arsenal don’t know what they are doing and that’s also the reason we have not won a trophy since god knows how long and if any of you feel that this is going to change next season you need to have your head examine.
    Until wenger leaves then we’re not going to compete wenger has set this club up not to finish higher than 3rd we’re setup to fail and not win the CL or the league only to make money.
    There is talk about him leaving, why would he??? you get paid a lot of money, nobody challenges you, you buy who you want(mostly RUBBISH or 4th and 5th rate players) its paradise, why would he leave???? No other top club would allow there manager to go almost a decade without a trophy, never.
    Wenger may renew his contract when it ends and what that will do is only show everyone that he was the one behind the goings on at Arsenal, people blame the board BUT wenger is the one most at fault, he refuse money to build his master plan a plan which has failed miserably and will continue to fail unless we get rid of Arsene wenger, his time as a top manager is done.

  151. Heymen Kel! The frustrating part of all of this… I have never managed a club , I played the game and continue to do so… But Some of us could see for many years that a lot of players were not up to the standard we need. How come a manager who is paid millions fail to recognize that!

  152. well well well this CL qualification is really interesting, Chelsea has the capability to win all their remaining games for sure because they have a fantastic blend of youth and experience, BUT sours have done really well against the big teams this season and i think they will beat Chelsea and if they do i think wenger’s dogs are dead.
    Its going to go to wire the last game of the season for sure,BUT that new castle game has banana skin written up all over it and to boot were away from home

  153. The moment of truth is on now.Chelsea won the un likely game. Am under no illusion Spurs may equally win at Stamford bridge and that will be the end of the 17 year stupid reign by Wenger of CL football.Both Spurs and Chelsea have superior teams and they need the chance to prove it .We shall have a change once we don’t have CL. football.

  154. Spurs are still in contention because of that Bale , who rockets atleast one past 70 minutes when the game is almost in our favour.Wenger please train him before he plays the next game otherwise he keeps shooting outside the box.

  155. Don’t worry Spurs will draw with Chelsea and also with either Stoke or Sunderland, while we win one among the next two games to pip them on goal difference, a lovely way to smile against Spurs like last year.

  156. please god please god!!!!! let wenger do like sir alex and leave, But don’t go upstairs either, go back to france

  157. Bloody pity about this site. I feel like I’m losing a friend or maybe two.
    Well any result except an outright S***s win will do.
    Keeping my fingers crossed. And oh yeah there a small matter of winning our two remaining fixtures. I’m cautiously optimistic but if it doesn’t come off our way and we end up in the Europa league it’s what we deserve and no less. Anyway here’s hoping to two points shared between our bitter London rivals one apiece please.
    COYG!!!!

  158. What site do you usually blog on to nowdays leftcoastgooner, arseblog have been refreshing their site everyday with quite interesting news and funny thoughts and beliefs! Indian premier league have got me glue on when coming home as da fixtures have dried up.

    With Fergie leaving this could be da shining light that arsenal having been looking for only if arsenal spend next season,I stil have high hopes that some team will take wenger away so he can talk the new club board to death with his budget tactics!

  159. @12 TH MAN(black scarfs)

    Hola dutch,

    I don’t really have a regular blog anymore. I check here every couple of weeks or so to see if something new is up which there has not been since February.
    I think I’m going to try and contact Andy about writing next year so as to save this spot if at all possible.
    I know my anti-Wenger stance is not very popular with all visitors here but we’ll all be better off if we have a place to argue at.
    Anyway Wenger isn’t going anywhere even if Sir Alex is so we just have to hunker down and hope for the best despite.
    What have you been up to?

  160. Just awesome leftcoast great to see you keeping your fingers on the board and stretching your arm with the mouse!

    leftcoastgooner -just da same, same old! went on a ship cruise early febs only to be spoilt by watching arsenal awful defeat to munich at le grove but i would guess that the allianz arena win was da highlight of arsenal campaign this season.

    I wanted to ask you of your assessment of oliver giroud and whether he would be replace by someone else with pace next season or should he play up front with walcott feeding off him .

    I believe wigan should fall not because they are in arsenal 50% way of reaching champion league, but due too continue seasonal failer of pulling away from the bottom strugglers, i am probably suggesting martinez too everton, and last reason of wigan only filling the stadium half full mostly every match.

    Leftcoast, I felt we allowed fergie to escape ,off getting da best of us over da last five years, can only remember one win with bendtner or chamakh as our striker 2-1 i think,it will be little bit hard to hate manu without fergie there then again my fellow dutch skunk rvp will fill his shoes.

    leftcoast i dont know if da members are still checking in this blog, so you can write but too who(the number) will be the issue! let hope new and old will join da blog again!

  161. Lefty

    I hadn’t intended to post here anymore, it seems the blog is dead and all that is left is just the odd negative posts. However I admire your fortitude and if you are willing to put some effort in, I would certainly try to help out. If this blog is to survive it needs input from both ends of the spectrum .

    I have been to a number of games at the Emirates recently and while it hasn’t always been pretty, I can see a team beginning to build and an very hopefully for next season.

    Not sure if you have seen it, but the,y have just signed a huge deal with Puma. For the first time for a long time, Wenger will have a decent transfer budget to play with.

    If you do look around the blogs you will come across many of the old crowd. In order to tempt anyone back, we’ll need regular posts and diversity.

    Dutch in answer to your question on Giroud. In my opinion he has done pretty well for a first season. We have certainly missed him the last few games. He’s not the quickest, but if he gets a good service he’s very good at holding up the ball and pretty sharp at the front post. Unfortunately, Sagna who is a quality defender, doesn’t possess great crossing ability, so the service from the right side is limited. I think Giroud and Theo might work, but no doubt further support is needed.

    Can’t understand what’s happening with Podolski. Undoubtably a talented player, but I don’t believe he has played a complete game yet and he has looked poor recently

    Great to see Ramsey doing so well… Player of the month. I knew the boy had it in him. When you consider his leg was nearly amputated.. The boys done good

    Another ‘deadwood’ who came good is Fabianski who did really well before he got injured

    Not much chance for Squillaci or Chamakh though

  162. @12th man &Retsub,
    First Giroud, I think he’s good not great but a hard worker and someone who competes whole heartedly. He’s a real asset and I believe had he not been suspended he would have bagged 20 goals in all competitions needing only 3 more but spilled milk now.
    Retsub the team is a great improvement since the near Munich miracle. And at the back 7 goals conceded in our last 12 is the kind of ratio that will allow the team to win even when we don’t have a a preponderance of either possession or chances.
    Don’t get me wrong I’m not advocating negative tactics but on those days where we are not the potent free-flowing side we can be (and this does happen) we can still get the points.
    I wanna ask you two guys something. Doesn’t it bother you at all that WE of all teams sold Manu(re) they title?
    I mean it just rankles the shit outta me. I guess the deal is done at some point I will have to make peace with it and move on but right now I’m still on the boil. Oh well my problem I guess. How many of the guys out there who demanded I burn my Adebayor jersey have put the torch to their Van Persie or Fabregas Kits?

  163. Sure it rankles, I haven’t got over Frank Stapleton yet!

    In my opinion not getting RVP on a longer contract earlier in the process caused the problem. When you consider he played 8 seasons for us and only one injury free, you could argue that United took a big gamble on him… Which worked. On the other hand didn’t we get a. Similar sum for Adebayor which in retrospect is great business.

    Feel really sorry for Wigan. Having to play the biggest game in their history in the middle of. -a relegation fight. City on the other hand are comfortably placed and can relax

  164. Lefty, I am not over selling RVP to Manure. Selling to our enemy is almost like telling united…it is ok you can have our best player , we are not your equal any more.
    It makes sick, thinking about …this was criminal !
    I like Giroud ,a good striker but for a club like us we need a great striker who is hungry for goals every second he is on the pitch. Simply he is a good complementary striker not a main top 4 striker.

  165. well well well!!!!! the pressure is squarely on the shoulders on Arsenal now.
    wenger must be wetting his pants eh!!!!!!!

    If wigan play anything like they did against Mancity and press us then am almost certain we will not get all three points.
    Warn your money wenger…..

  166. Especially if we reproduce the effort that we saw against QPR , we will be in deep s..t !

  167. @Kel
    I don’t think this Wigan thing will be easy but if you look closely you’ll noticed that we’ve conceded only 2 goals in our last 5 premiership outings.
    To my thinking this means we need to score twice for all three points.
    Having said that though it would be two more goals than Man$ity managed for all their wealth. BTW: the chinless one sucked out loud and should have come off at half. Oh and not to get too far ahead but we need all 3 @Newcastle too!

  168. I hope we sent Wigan a truck load of champagne after their cup win and they go on a 36 hour bender before the game!

    I have not looked at the site for ages – seems like Andrew has karked it or gone to the South Pole or something. Good to see you die hards still around. Lefty if you can do something to resurrect the site I am right behind you!

    Squeaky Bum time! I remain optimistic that we can snatch 3rd place! Chelski face Everton in David Moyes’s last game and they can get a draw at least. We just need to get past Wigan and hope Newcastle have switched off now they are safe. I know, we’ll probably f#ck it up on Wednesday but a man can dream can’t he?

    And btw did anyone see Almunia’s penalty save and the follow up for Watford? He was a nightmare for us but I really hope he makes it back to the topflight. I have always had a soft spot for Watford and Zola must be the only Chelski player past or present that I genuinely like!

  169. TERRY- I had no idea that was alumnia that pull that save off,last time he had an awesume match was da barc 2-2 draw if u remember, he pull off sum brillant saves
    Leftcoastgooner- it does kind can of annoy me rvp left but you must remember manu was still winning when rvp went on da goal drought
    BUT ON A FUNNY NOTE WE DIDN’T HAND THEM ANY OTHER TROPHIES with rvp struggling to score against madrid and so on,rvp shot so many blanks that u really felt so sorry 4 once important rooney on da bench
    Leftcoast once fergie leaves I have no doubt da manu empire will start to fall maybe with wins that they usually scrap pass to win last minutes.

  170. Can’t find the link now, but if you go on the bbc sport we page, there is a headline watforD 3 Leicester 1 commentators go crazy. Very funny and worth a listen

  171. Hey retsub.

    I missed your shout out to me the other day (been busy), and just happened to come across it now. Thought I might find you here. Actually, a few days ago, I visited this site. Don’t know why, but wanted to look around the old place. Saw everyone was still at it despite our Spanish Fry disappearing. How’s everyone doing?

    Oh and WENGER OUT!!!

    Nahhhh..I’m just messing with you all 🙂

  172. Hey Shard

    Good to hear from you. Always felt you were the most interesting poster. Lefty is trying to reinvigorate the site, it would be great if you could drop by now and again.

    Lefty did you approach Andrew. I wonder if we could have a crack at writing posts. I would be happy to have a go

    I was looking through my Arsenal memorabilia the other day and thought I could put a piece together on famous Arsenal quotes.

    My all time favourite was the Partick Thistle manager, when hearing his centre forward was concussed and didn’t know who he was ” tell him he is Pele and send him back on”

    And two interesting questions from a quiz night the other week. Which British team has the most letters in it (clue

    Which English team has the least letters

  173. and wenger is @ it again, signing another young player from league 2 in France.
    Change my Ass……

  174. As long as Arsenal fans are content with finishing in the top 4 , there won’t be any significant changes . Even the score against Wigan was flattering , after we score the 1st goal, we were pathetic. Next year another battle to finish in the top 4!

  175. @ Gunfest

    Here’s my problem, even if we shop in FRANCE why shop at the lowers ebb, league 2 if you please!!!! why not buy the best in the league. wenger’s always looking to buy raw players, a policy which clearly, clearly has failed, noone in their right mind can say otherwise, wenger has failed, not totally BUT in the main. MAU has rebuilt about 5 teams in the last 10 years an won a boat load of silverware, and wenger has not, so he’s failed.

  176. WHO DA HELL IS YAYA SANOGO?
    Are u happy Wenger lovers? There no change with wenger same old same old! Only the media and fans knows what arsenal needs as they thought Gonzalo Higuain was the perfect fit! This Yaya is another injury prone player playing for france u21 team, just what we didn’t need!if anyone to blame its Mr Wenger

  177. Dutch
    Am very happy. next season is going to be great for the followiing reasons

    1 The stadium debt is largely behind us, for the first time for a long time, Weenger will be able to spend sensibly

    2 the Puma shirt deal will add to the coffers

    3 Players who have been written off as deadwood are now flourishing. Anyone who gave Ramsey such a hard time… take another look. the keeper is looking good as well.

    4 other than possibly Sagna, we will not have any high profile departures this time around

    5 Alll of the top 3 will have new managers

    6 and before all the Doomers pitch in, take a look at this time last year. I seem to remember Newcastle getting lots of praise in comparison to arsenal.. we should learn from them etc…. hmmmm maybe not

    7 most of the deadwood.. arshavin. Bendtner. Squillaci, Chamakh will all be released

    Dutch, love him or hate him Wenger has spotted and cultivated talent at this levell before, Anelka, Petit and Pires , Ljunberg and Henry took huge upward steps when Arsene signed them. I’m sure Yaya is one for the future

  178. Restub- you are living in a fantasy world but dont you think wenger in living in the late 90’s salary wise? Your 7 reasons as too why arsenal could make an impact next season two of them seems to be highlighting arsene wenger errors number 3 and 7,at what cost has ramsey been from past seasons, lets face it with only wenger 4th spot trophy up for grabs from two months ago ramsey has lifted his game performance but struggled when we where in cup competitions with league in between. Dont let me get start on denilson and co, but if the gooners want wenger to stay then i cant do anything to stop that but look at the five reasons and somehow they will work out,yaya will workout if his in the same calibre as yaya from man city.

    Restub it doesnt mean things are changing that there nothing wrong with wenger, steve bould got a more stronger influence on the team now then he did at the start of the season with the defence, while wenger was continuing to attack the referee and the opposition instead of getting to scream at his players average performances on the pitch, restub how many times have we seen arsenal play better in the second half,because that the only time wenger wants to chat during half time.

    pires, ljunberg, petit and anelka hmmmmm!! where are they loyalty and wenger trust in them,restub i am not seeing a lampard, giggs or a scholes

  179. Still fighting the good, but alas useless, fight, Retsub? 🙂 I, usually, am not able to stay as patient anymore, but then I don’t get as involved either. It’s like some folk will keep focusing on an itch and keep scratching at it and scratching at it until it bleeds and then festers, and then they’ll say,”see, it was a serious wound all along. I knew it!”

    Kudos for your patience in dealing with people who are only out to prove a point rather than examine the evidence and weight it up. The conclusion that they draw, I have less of a problem with. The process of arriving at that conclusion is what gets me.

    Anyway. This was just to say hi to you and rattle the cages a bit. I’ve got work to do.

    Is this blog ever starting up again??

  180. Thanks Shard always good to get a voice of reason. That said if we didn’t have two camps there wouldn’t be a debate

    Lefty did you approach Andy?

    ANDY are you reading these posts? Is there anything we can do to resurrect the blog?

    If we are wasting.. our time it would be good to know

  181. 26 points out of the last 30 pretty good stuff. Well done lads am proud of you..

    Bit like golf really the more you practise the luckier you get

  182. Gary .neville just said

    Wenger has spent a net £9 million over the past 10 years. They have built a new stadium and all but paid off the debt. If they can kick on next year this will be seen as the greatest managerial performance of all time.

    Now who did Neville play for?

  183. The questions is will Wenger spend money to add to this team? The reality is players like Arteta, Ramsey have been crucial to finishing in the top4 . They are not good enough to win a title to challenge in the CL.

    Giroud also did well this season , but we need an upgrade in the centre forward position if we want to challenge for anything beside the FA cup or Carling cup.

    We need a winger with pace, we do not create enough scoring chances against very good teams. Carzola has to play in the middle not on the wings.

    Walcott has matured and he has technically improved. He has probably become among the top 5 pure scorer in the league.

    Fergie went and bought the best young British prospect when he bought Rooney. He went and bought the best player in the EPL from Arsenal. Fergie did buy mediocre or unproven young talent and hoped they will come through.

    Talk is cheap we’ve heard too often, we need to see action. Wishing that we become a title contender or hoping that our rivals implode is not a strategy for success!

  184. Great result securing a top four finish, it was crucial that we secured it so that we can attract quality and more importantly, ambitious players.
    The PL season can be viewed as a positive since weve galvanised and gone on a great run since February.
    Less impressive is the results and performances vs the big sides, it just wasnt good enough and needs to be rectified next season.
    Also the manner of the cup exits left a bad taste and all three were reminiscent of previous years failings.
    Bradford shudnt be beating us.
    A clapped out Blackburn in managerial dissarray shouldnt be beatjng us in the most prestigious cup at home.
    Munich are a class act, but we bottled it in the first leg just like we did vs AC Milan the previius year and the tie was over at halfway.
    Like I said, weve done amazing to get fourth ahead of the scum, but theres still a massive job on to get this group to the level required to win any trophy.
    And certainly the injury prone prodigy Sanogo isnt the answer…Im quite sure Joel Campbell, Ryo, Eisfield and Gnabry are all better players and they arent featuring so what will a league two french kid bring to the table.
    Get some quality in please Wenger.

  185. @Shambo, will Wenger spend money on recognised quality players nex season.
    Retsub, will Wenger spend money on recognised quality players nex season in order to stand. a REALISTIC chance of bringing home silverware. Do u agree wid Wenger that “this grup of players r special”.

  186. shambo welcome back, hopefully we can resurrect some activity on this blog. we havent always agreed but I resoect youe opinions

    Ice also welcome back (although you have tried to stir interest before.

    In answer to your questions

    1 do I think they are special yes I do
    2 are they special enough, probably not, but inching closer

    My view on the team is as follows
    Keeper
    I think Szs and Fabianski have matured and unless an exceptional keeper was available i think they will do a good job

    full backs
    pretty good. hope Bac stays and learns to cross a ball

    the centre backs have finall gelled. if TV cant find his form we need another

    I still think we need a strong defensive midfielder in the Vieira mould. Arteta has done well but hes aging

    With Santi settled after a great 1st season, Ramsey getting his pre injury form back and hopefully Jack staying fit we should be in good shape. Tomas has been great but not getting any younger. I would add one creaative player

    Up front I just dont know about Podolski, not sure he has played a full game

    I think Giroud is going to get better, but we need a top notch striker

    With arshavin, Gervinho? Bendtner, Squiallaci, Chamakh etc off the wage bill and other financial activity, we are in a position where we can afford to invest. Problem is United, Citu, and Chelsea will be doing the same

    Hope we dont get Rooney

  187. Well well !!!!! Arsenal confirm 4th place, AGAIN!!!!! I must take my hat off to the manager for achieving this when it look impossible at some points in the season, having said that, this summer will for once and all confirm what wenger had in mind these last 8 or 9 seasons. The stage is set for Arsenal to make a statement or do a (JUST AS YOU ARE) All the top teams will have new managers, BUT to be frank the only one am afraid of is Mourinho, cause if he gets hold of that squad that chelsea has and you add falco to it then winning this league will really be tough, BUT not impossible, we have the money lets do our business early and see where we are.
    This season wenger has not a single excuse to fall back on and will only have himself to blame if we end up in this very position fighting for 4th next season.

  188. Finally wenger secured the top 4, but still this team won’t go too far next season without improvements from the players and without good additions .

    Hope we don’t have another nail-biting season fighting for fourth and wenger does his homework and follows the same principle of picking his players on form , more than favoritism.

    Any blind faith again from him on this squad will make him sit outside the dressing room for another 25 minutes.

    With Ageing Arteta and Rosicky we surely need one creative head there.

    While Giroud or Podolski has to step up or need a goal scoring and defender mesmerizing striker to fill the void.

  189. Guys reduce the burden of expectation now or else come August you still be grinning again.Nothing new is gona happen soon.Prepare for the same old story. But on the positive Kudos to Wenger.It really takes real Heart to relegate your Captain to the BENCH but he did. Until he did that we never realised Vermaleen was always out of position and we conceeded goals for fan.
    Now that the defense is relatively sorted,i would expect him to buttress that area with a real proven DM.On the striking options Benteke is available for the taking. The guy loves and breeds Arsenal .He is technically better and faster than Giroud with an eye for goal. He would fit in our wage bill and is premierleague tested than a Certain Jovetic or Higuain who would need to adapt to the league. The guy has made it public and if we add Isco in the manttle of our midfield then we are good to go. Just about four sensible signings would see us challenge on all fronts instead of engaging in Top Four Dog Fights with Spurs.

  190. Delano, I really like the Benteke option. There is a consensus with many fans of what we need going forward.
    The question is Wenger and his highly paid staff will go out and aggressively get what we need?!Is Wenger willing to say goodbye to some of his “special” players?! If Manure and Chelsea make significant signings ahead of us….I will scream!

  191. Retsub,
    The blog is dying unfortunately but the fact that we all still come here knowing Andy hasnt had the time to update it provesit is a blog worth saving and we need to keep it this way for when his workload decreases.
    Hey Ice, On the squad.
    Well really I would only keep Schezney, who needs to talk to the press less, Monreal, Kos, BFG, Gibbs, Jenks, Verm, Walcott, Arteta for his exp but will be his last season, Ox, Jack and Ramsey who should be a squad player really if you are contesting a league.
    Rosicky is winding down so i would say hell go to germany.
    The rest I would happily see go.
    Podolski, great finisher but the Newcastle game showed me he lacks the fitness and energy for the PL, which surprised me as when he arrived he bombed up and down the left, maybe he lacks motivation and hasnt applied himself as much since but he certainly isnt fit.
    Gervinho, headless chicken.
    Giroud will stay but I honestly I dont know what to make of the man. Great for defending set pieces though.
    Bentdner, overdue exit.
    Denilson, see above.
    Aeshavin, see above.
    Squillachi, see above.
    Djourou, see above.
    Sagna should be sold.. his first two seasons were excellent and his reputation has been living off the ghost of those early years for a long time. Be honest I know he was liked and wholehearted to the team, but he was error prone long before this season defensively and going forward is the worst crossing rb in world football and never overlaps to the byline, ever…even Eboue could do that, instead he always slowed down and then dwelt in possesion and we either lose the ball or pass back again and again…..compare that with Jenkinsons runs down the right!!
    Diaby is like a girlfriend youv broken up with that wont leave, yeah shes pretty but the relationship has no future, move on.
    Am I forgetting anyone?
    Eisfield, Gnabry and our ex Barce RB will all be promoted into the first team squad, Im unsure about Joel Campbells permit situation and je and Ryo shouldnt be far away.
    Incomings?
    A new keeper who I imagine will be Patricio.
    A Cb who could be Williams as whoever it will be will only be cover anyway for cups so we wont be spending a fortune there.
    DCM- Cabella or Wanyama. Either would be fine.
    A goalscorer. God knows who but I doubt it will be Jovetic or Higuain, or anyone of their ability.
    You see the problem now isnt the lack of funds. Its the clubs ability to draw big names and also win a battle for a signature vs the Juves, Utds, Chelseas, etc etc who will no doubt contest signings like the Mata deal.
    No big name is going to choose a far away fourth PL team ahead of a championship winning side or side with several superstars and big ambition.
    Wenger is now reaping what he has sewn and I honestly dont know what top class talent there is available that would choose us over a rival club….Benteke is not an option simply because hes only had one season and that doesnt mean hes worth 20m+.

  192. @ shambo
    Listen mate as usaully nice post BUT you said what you would like to happen
    The question is, What do you think will really happen this summer, will Arsenal (wenger) really make a statement or will he do as he did before??? I can not for one instance see wenger doing anything too different from before, the man totally wants to win his way even if it has failed for so long.
    Am sure now that he is convince that this team is good enough to win the league next season on the back of the last 10 games of the season, so why would he want to add players to block the ones he has??? thats the way he thinks.
    We all thought that this summer would be it, Yet low and behold he signs a young kid from france who is injury prone apparently to booth, the total total opposite of what we thought he would do, most of these cheap signing has not worked out YET he continues to do them. I just don’t know what to make of it anymore, i’v totally lost faith in wenger to make this team a top class side, and his actions justify my thinking. You mentioned Campbel, I remember we spent almost the whole summer trying to sign him when we knew it would be hard for him to get a work permit and we needed other players BUT look at where our priorities were, i’v seen him play in spain, and the kid has got some touches nothing too special though BUT to be honest i don’t think he’ll make it in England BUT that’s just me. As delano am not going to hold my breath for any significant change

  193. Shambo

    Have been on other blogs (have seen you around as well ). But most of them are pretty cliquey and this in general is a pretty friendly blog. Some of the others are also either very positive or the reverse. If you go against the grain the whole blog attacks,…small blog that this is, it does have diversity.

    Nice post I pretty much agree with you. I really like Sagna, but so many attacks break down because he can’t cross a ball.. I think Giroud will do well this year. Podolski I have no idea

    I would keep Rosicky as an impact player

    If I am honest I don’t know enough about the European strikers to make a judgement, but the big three above us will also be flexing financial muscle. I don’t see Spurs as a threat next season because they are ground building and will struggle to keep Bale.

    I see us as a comfortable 4th and better dependent on transfer activity.

    I am sure some of us could write articles for the blog. It may not be up to Andys standard but at least it would introduce new subjects?..

    Shard I am sure you could put together something interesting and Shambo as well

    Andy….. Would that work?

    ,

  194. Kel,
    I enjoy your posts, probably one of the most passionate fans around, and your posts are informed and fact based which is as it should be, but weve done the whole Wenger&Board leading us a merry dance thing bro. We called it years ago.
    We were on the brink of missing out on CL this year which would have put the club back years.
    But I really believe Wenger has learned his lesson this time. His contract is running down, if he doesnt want to actively pursue some silverware and go out on a high, well lets just say it would really damage the reputation he has built.
    I know where your coming from about the lies and hearing it all before but he has amassed so much deadwood now that he has no choice but to recruit, the fact is i really dont know what top player would come to Arsenal now.
    Kel heres a good one for ya….Chamakhs wages were 95,000 a week. Remember I asked here if he hadnt been a freebie would Wenger be trying to sign him as Adebayours replacement and everyone said he was steal…he cost us 1m per goal!!
    Retsub,
    Yeah I browsed around other blogs dude but theres no comparison, good writers but Andys a different class and your bang on about the different opinions and personalities here, like weve said its a blog worth keeping around.
    Id be happy for you, Shard or Leftcoast to write…and Kel and Delano for balance!..bit Im toofond of my own opinion to write an unbiased piece!

  195. @ shambo
    How come we don’t go down to south America and look for players, there must be someone who is big and strong, pacy, and skillful that we can sign for around 20m, Instead of buying in france, or saying that the pool of strikers is small, because if we can buy this player from France who is young and inexperience, why can we buy from south America, there must be someone there..

  196. Kel, I just dont know.
    France, or Ferench based players, have always been the one stop shop.
    Grimandi. Remi Garde. Vieira. Petit.
    Wiltord, Diawara, SYLVESTRE, SQUILLACHI,
    Gallas, Cygan, Diarra, Diaby, Clichy, Traore, Anelka, Alieadiere, Nasri, Coquelin, Giroud, Pires, Henry, Koscielny, Sagna,…..im sure theres more.
    Its quite an imbalance even though 2 or 3 became legends.
    In recent years we bought Galindo, Bolivean, and Wellington Silva, Brazilian. Ricky Alverez snubbed us.
    Either we dont cast our nets wide enough or Wenger doesnt value what the scout comes back with.
    You wont be happy to hear papertalk of CB Ramis from Valencia either.
    Gilberto was a super signing from Mineiro but Denilson flopped so who knows with tje uber cautious Wenger.
    They do say the French do think that everything French is better!

  197. Argentina produces strong, skillfull players: Aguerro, Tevez, Zaballeta. Benfica is able to uncover every year some Brazilian gems.

  198. Nice nice comments y’all…..

    Amazing I’m forgotten…….

    But, good to see you Shard…….I still respect and admire how you write……Would like to learn from you someday. Cheers

    Andyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy…….. Please wake up

  199. Oh! I would definitely vote Leftcoast and Shambo to be amongst the blog writers if Andy permits….

    @Shambo – U’ve most definitely earned it.

  200. I’v been on all the blogs even heard wenger on french tv and boy are we doomed.
    I told shambo some days ago that nothing significant will happen this summer
    what i expect to happen is that wenger will say he can’t sign anyone big until we secure our pace in CL pot by then all the good players would be gone an he will say none was available.
    oh and i expect them to offer him a new contract

  201. Hello everyone. Shambo, kel, GunnerBoss, and of course Retsub. I’ve been very busy of late, so more discussion to follow later (maybe writing a post if that ever comes about)

    A few points though. Shambo, you can’t believe everything you read in the papers. When Fiorentina last season tried to sign Chamakh, their chairman claimed his salary was too high at 3m (euros) a year. Which amounts to around 50k pounds per week. Now of course, it’s not necessary he was accurate either, but there is a wide discrepancy in reported figures. You should take it with a pinch of salt at all times.

    You all know where I stand on Wenger, and our path as a club. But this summer will be different if I’m right. At least, we have the money and future income assured. So lack of money is no longer a viable reason (of course, money is not no object.) All I’d say is, wait till the window closes before deciding either way about our transfer strategy. We’re still a big club. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. In fact, trophies notwithstanding, we’ve actually grown as a club over the past few years. Now is the time to build on that.

  202. I am with Kel on this one, we can’t wait until the transfer window closes , it will be too late. The fans have to put the pressure NOW! 3 years ago , Wenger waited too long and only the humiliation 8-2 at the hand of Manure force him into buying players.

  203. @ Shard

    Boy i missed our (against and for) discussions, still in wenger’s corner eh???
    BUT that’s ok, keep it up, cheers!!!!!!!

  204. Welcome back Shard!
    I suppose it was a combination of rumours coming out of West Ham and drawing my own conclusions on what Chamakh is earning.
    I never ever take papertalk seriously, Im an Arsenal fan afterall and out of every club we know BS when we see it.
    Thr rumour was we loaned him to West Ham because they were willing to pay 45,000 a week of his 90,000+ wage, not entirely unbelievable if we are to believe they have 15m to spend on Carroll this summer! They took a risk, it bombed, as we all knew it would.
    My own conclusion was that as he was a free agent and making the move of his career his agent would be trying to secure the best possible package for his client.
    Do I think Wenger and Gazidis wouldnt take a risk to pay a salary of 90,000+ to a player they were getting for free? I think Yes they would, and did, and it also bombed.
    I asked at the time whether Chamakh would have been an option had he had three years left on a contract at Bordeaux and had a 12/15m quote on his transfer. If the answer was ‘no’ then we shouldnt be buying this guy to replace the 20 goal Adebayour. I said we need PROVEN PL quality.
    We could have used the money from he and Squillachis, Bentdner and Arshavins wages on signing a top class strike partner for Van Persie OR offering Van Persie a bumper contract renewal when he had 2 and a half years left on his contract rather than a desperate act of trying to keep him once he had committed to leaving.
    There have been longlasting knock on effects of our pay policy. You cannot pay average players and squad players like Djourou 45,000 a week and then try to cap your better players, who are performing, at a max of 80,000. We give out aboyt City overpaying on wages, well we are worse because at least their players are appealing in terms of resale, the amount of average players we have on big wages that nobody wants is ridiculous.
    Hopefully now though, like this post, they are a thing of the past as we look to lift the burden of average players bleeding the club dry with little or no return.
    Djourou
    Bentdner
    Squillachi
    Denilson
    Santos
    Arshavin
    Chamakh
    They will all go hopefully.
    Even if they were all only on 10,000 a week, thats 4m a year were saving, but we all know their not on 10,000 so lets quadruple those estimated wages and say their all on 40,000 which is still generous and thats 16m we will save on those 7 players wages alone, minimum. That a quality footballer.
    Of course the flipside is theyv hamstrung us and cost us at least 16m per year for at least three years. Now thats 48M those 7 players have cost us at a minimum estimate on wages with little or no return on the pitch. Now your into Falcao territory or two Matas.
    Of course this is all soon to be history. But its still very relevent as to why we are where we are. Wenger and Gazudis made error after error, whether it was in signing deadwood or renewing contracts if deadwood they have a dismal record in the last 6 years. Theyv even continued to revert to type with Gervinho.
    Of course the flipside is, on the field, the manager has done an amazing job in 2013 with the resources he himself bought and secured the vital CL spot.
    Thats why he celebrated as he did, he knows weve dodged a bullet and we are now ready to turn the corner and compete.
    Even if we only have the money we save from the magnificent 7s sales then that will enable us to sign quality to compete next year.
    But this is all assuming Wenger and Gazidis have learned their lesson.
    You dangle peanuts, you attract monkeys.

  205. Shambo

    It’s wrong to say that the wage distribution is a mistake. It is easy to lay the blame there, but it definitely had a role to play. Even if the need for it has now passed.

    We knew we were entering a phase where we wouldn’t be able to spare money for both transfers and wages. And we needed to ensure we kept a team together to at the very least get a CL spot. How do you do that? Firstly, no manager will ever get all his signings right. So let;s not have unrealistic expectations. Wastage on wages is a feature in all clubs. Most clubs also waste transfer fees.

    We made a conscious decision to pay on potential. If we didn’t do that, we might have had more money to pay our star players. But a) the oiler clubs could top whatever we pay them, and b) the better squad players, being on lower wages, would also be liable to be lured away. So the flipside of not having the wage structure could also be that we would lose not just the best players, but also the squad players. But since we didn’t take that risk, we don’t know for certain what the outcome would have been. Therefore it’s easy to just criticise the path we took. Both had their risks, and considering the worse we’ve had with the wage distribution we undertook is 4th, I reckon it was the lower risk option, and perhaps even the option with the higher benefits.

    Try and make a distribution. Arsenal’s total wage bill is 143.4m. (That’s inclusive of all employees) Let’s say we spend 130m on players wages annually. We have a squad of let’s say 25, plus about 10 reserves, plus some youth. So let;s say you’d like Arsenal to have about 50-60 players total (including youth) Can you tell me :-
    1. How many Star players you’d want and how much they should be paid?
    2. How many squad players and how much gap between them and the stars, and also how much wage gap between themselves? (e.g. Song a better squad player than Djourou, so should earn more)
    3. How much the youth should be paid?

    Do that distribution calculation and tell me that you can make it work in a wage bill of our size. Squad players need to be paid too. Star players cannot perform without a capable supporting cast.

    As for RVP. The year before, there were demands to sell him. If we’d offered a contract then, and he’d been injured again, you’d have added him to the list of deadwood. Which just shows how fine a margin that is, and how decisions can’t just be evaluated on the result using hindsight.

  206. Jack wilshire is not a bad player BUT the market is really bad these days BUT sh*t, 28Mill noway

  207. kel

    I think I am probably be in the minority, but I think Jack is potentially the best player at the club. hopefully he will not be injury ridden, but I think injuries aside he is worth it.

    lots of speculation about Cesc coming back, hope its true and really hope he doesn’t end up keeping rvp company

  208. Guys did you see how much falcao cost????? Jesus!!!!
    I think that the FFP Rules have gone down the toilet as i suspected it would…..

  209. Hi guys, , Shambo, cant c much change in the level of player wenger will cast his net over. If he lands a good player it seems to b based on luck than design. Also i cant understand why a good % start well & then dive. Up de ammers.

  210. By the way, i asked the question a while back but received no answer. Is Asnl starting line Up betta wid or wid out young Jack. Look @ the teams Best run during season. Its all about balance!

  211. Falcao went for 50m, but how much of it is Atletico getting? Might even be nothing. Falcao is owned through the Third Party Ownership system. Meaning Atletico didn;t actually hold his rights. The guys laughing to the bank are the ones who ‘invested’ in Falcao. These agencies, in fact , make a lot of money through investing in players, and then managing their careers. Which includes planting newspaper reports of how so and so club is willing to pay such and such amount of money for a ‘world class’ talent. All the more reason to not chase after the so called stars that you only know about because newspapers big them up. A lot more happens around a transfer than the public ever hears about. (the idea of an agency deciding which club gets which players, their potential links with gambling, and considering the players are actually their employees, the potential for hanky panky is also great. Which is just another way to make money)

    As for FFP. Firstly, Monaco have only just come up, and the rules allow them some leeway in terms of time to get their accounts right. They could also simply forego European competition for a few years if it came to that.

    No one really knows how it’ll turn out. It won’t be perfect, but it does seem to have the backing of the European Council, so it won’t be a total bust either. Loopholes can also be closed in the future. There’ll be room to maneuver for the clubs right now, but eventually the scope of that will run out. Even creative accounting has it’s limits. Besides, the intention of FFP is actually not to reduce the gap between the oilers and the rest, just that no club goes bankrupt in case the owner stops funding. Which I think it will achieve.

  212. I agree that Financial fair play is not going to change much for the rich owned or rich clubs. And wenger belief of fair play going to change his fortune is never going to happen either. Also fair play is not going to allow any small club to better their position by buying top players and always favours the winning rich top club .

    Even if they ban top teams it eventually turns out to be in less attendance to Champions league with top players playing in league.Only after implementation they will realise this and they have to give up on the strong hold later to avoid losses.

  213. Listening to Wenger, we will be battling for 4th position again next season. Why has he signed Benteke already? A player who openly declared his intention to play for Arsenal? Are waiting for Mancity and Liverpool to be interested ?

  214. Gunfest,
    So is Benteke a ‘big’ signing? Will signing him lift us into the top 2? He came from obscurity into the Premier League and had a very good season (although he has his faults too) in a struggling team. It’s not the same thing as being in a team not built to play to your strengths and where teams sit deeper against you. Of course he could be great for us, but equally, he could also not. In any case, he’s similar to Giroud, and although he’s quicker than Giroud, and can dribble, I don’t think he’s as good with his first touch nor his passing and reading of the game. Is he worth paying the 20m+ for, or would that money be better spent on someone less similar to Giroud? I vote for the latter.

    Plus of course, if a player can come from obscurity to become a signing you demand after one year, who’s to say Sanogo won’t be something similar, who has a lot of similar attributes to Benteke.

  215. It’s pointless going over old ground with the resident Doomers, but, for the record go back a year and you will find comments about how well Newcastle are doing, how successful they have been in the transfer market. Well guess what….Zilch

    Then the same story about Spurs, what a great squad etc, great buys…. Europa cup on a Thursday evening whoop whoop

    Now I know Wenger hasn’t won anything in eight years and that annoys me as much as anyone…but in that time Arsenal have built a fantastic stadium, all but paid off the debt. They have also contended with Chelsea and City being bankrolled by billionaires..

    That said the coming season is different, with the stadium nearly paid for and big sponsorship deals, Wenger has serious money to spend for the first time for years. Hopefully he won’t blow it on the first player who says he wants to play for Arsenal.

    Arsenal are a well financed well run club, we are not and will never be like a QPR, Leeds, crystal Palace, Rangers, Portsmouth etc etc who have gone bust chasing success on poor foundations.

    If in a years time we are still in the same position, I will stand corrected

  216. Retsub,

    Sorry to do this, but you must stand corrected about one fact (though not the general sense of your comment)

    The stadium is not nearly paid for, and the debt is still quite high. (Something like 250m pounds) We’ll be paying something in the region of 19m pounds every year till around 2031. That’s when the stadium will be paid off.

    What has changed is that our income has increased now with the new commercial deals. This means our debt is now more manageable, and we’re much better equipped to spend money on the team.

    A note to the spend the effing money brigade, we’ve spent money on upgrading our infrastructure. We’ve spent money on tying up the players that wanted to stay to longer term contracts, which means that now we don’t have to worry about losing our players and can look to build on the squad we have with our increased resources. If we weren’t looking to spend money now, why would we get Emirates and reportedly Puma, to pay a proportion of the money up front? And no, Kroenke doesn’t take any money out of the club.

    Now that we have financial security over the next few years because we know we’ll be getting a certain amount of money, we can start spending our savings. It’s common sense to not deplete your account when you don’t know where your next pay check is going to come from.

    Moreover, if we’d spent all our money, our new sponsorships might not be as high, because we’d be desperate for cash. Companies don’t just line up to throw money at clubs. They will do their due diligence and look to get the maximum for themselves. If Arsenal were short of cash, as we were while building the stadium, our deals would leave us similarly short changed as before.

    Once you take away the notion that Arsenal are stupid, unambitious, or out to rob the fans, you can actually see that the club has been working towards a plan to put itself among the true elite of European football, even if the plan has had to face many setbacks.

  217. @ Retsub

    “It’s pointless going over old ground with the resident Doomers” And Shard!!!!!

    Last season and the season before that and the season before that…….
    I’v heard the same thing from some people on this blog and when the window closes and arsene gives his lame explanation for why he did not improve the squad you same optimist come out and say ” we can’t change it now so get behind your team” every season that happens, ent?????

    BUT let me ask you guys this simple question, you see amidst all that has been going on at the club with moving to a new stadium and the ( so called financial constraints) the average fan wants the team to improve every season, i know that we has lost/sold some key players at crucial time these last 9 years and maybe if we had keep them we may have been more successful by now BUT the club must take the blame for that because how can you expect a player whose career in football is very short to wait around 6 and 7 years while you experiment with young kid and chop and change as they fail and flop one by one only to move to next one the next season is beyond me. So the club must take the blame, the root we’ve gone down these last 9 years even though we have maintained CL football ( i praise that) has been a total FAILURE. That’s why it hurts like hell when i hear people like Te Te henry saying we should keep wenger when he himself left because he realized that the club was at no time in the past and still now putting ourselves in a position to challenge for the top honors as a matter of fact we finish 4th or 3rd because that’s where we belong based on our investments and because the teams around us namely Spurs don’t have the sense to know how to finish fourth, we only lost out to spurs this season because of their EUROPA cup run, had they been out of everything like we were am convinced that they would have finish 4th, the liverpool game is what cost them in the end, and speaking of liverpool, they won the CL and we have not.

    I don’t think any real arsenal fan wants the club to spend above it means (40 and 50 mill) BUT if you want better products you have to improve the range.

    BUT back to my original question have Arsenal improved in these last 9 seasons???? have we really??? when you look at the points gap compared to us and the winners the answer is obvious, NO!!!!! we have not, and that is what really grates, because if there is constant improvement then eventually you’ll make it to the top BUT we appear to improve one year and regress the next, this season we finished 19 point behind one of the worst MU teams i’v ever seen the season before the same 19 points Yes we finished 3rd BUT the points are still the same, the statistics are there to prove my point. Fluctuating between 3rd and 4th every season does not constitute improvement it represents stagnation.
    And that may sound negative to some but its the facts, how could we be in the CL 16 straight years and not win it or play in more finals, its no coincidence the squad has not been good enough, plain and simple. All this money that we now have available will not make a difference Because wenger will continue as it was, look for a cheap deal somewhere in france or hope and pray some club go broke (malaga) and we get their stars on a cheap
    As for the Benteke and Giroud they both need a next season to draw a conclusion BUT Arsenal have missed a pacy striker since henry, getting one upfront who is Big and strong and quick will only make us better, why wenegr has gone for these slow technical players is beyond me , pace is something your born with while technique is something you can work on and and improve. I think wenger has lost the eye for a talent BUT that’s just me

    As i said before of what i expect to happen this summer
    1. wenger will say we can’t bring anybody of note in until we qualify for the CL
    2. if/when we do qualify he will say none is available, time ran out
    3. Let see where we are at xmas and if need we might by in Jan

    How do i know all this, the past is the best judge of the future…

  218. shard
    No prOblem at all I bow to your superior knowledge.

    Kel
    I don’t think we are ever going to agree, but your note is well written and I can understand where you are coming from.

    I genuinely believe Wenger will buy big this time. As Shard has eluded to its pointless buying another Giroud, although I think he will improve again this year.

    I think most of us agree we have a strong squad, but not strong enough. If he doesn’t strengthen I see us 3rd at best

  219. kel

    You don’t need to tell me about the past being a key to the future. History was my subject in school 🙂

    I get where you are coming from, and I agree that we improve only to regress. But what do you think is behind this? There was no ‘so called’ to the financial constraints. We definitely had it. In fact, I think the only ‘mistake’ the club made was not actually dropping out of the top 4 like Liverpool, and perhaps not going into administration for a bit.

    I’m only half joking as I say that. Obviously that would have been bad. But the fans that seem to jump on the club’s back so much do it because they never ever had to face that happening. If we hadn’t handled the transition so smoothly, we’d have less people complaining in my opinion. It’s the ‘sameness’, the monotony of consistency that annoys people more than anything else.

    As for the past, it also had the Invincibles, and the two double winning teams. You might say Wenger believes in his youth philosophy (which by the way, has mostly ended 2 years ago) but there was a time when Liam Brady was complaining about youngsters never getting a chance at Arsenal. What changed? You might say Wenger did, but is the stadium really of that little consequence? Really? I find that too much of a coincidence. You can look to the past, but can’t discount the bits that don’t fit your theory.

    We broke the British transfer record to buy Bergkamp (pre Wenger) We broke the British wages record with Sol Campbell. We were among the highest wage payers in England. Do you think we could have built and kept that fantastic side without the financial strength? That is all we’ve lacked these past few years, and it is to Wenger’s credit that despite that, we’re still complaining about not winning trophies, rather than worrying about something worse.

    These last few years have not been a failure. It is too early to say that. One of the lessons of history is that, often, the significance of certain events cannot be understood well in the moment. We need to let more time pass before we can decide whether the barren years were the necessary stepping stone to greatness, or the beginning of a decline. (most likely it’ll be somewhere in between, but no less important for that)

    Oh and as for how we can expect the players to stick around. What else was the club supposed to do? Where was the money going to come from to do anything else? You must also remember, that the stadium was planned in 2001, and by 2003 it was final. Our preparations began before Abramovich even got on the scene. I guarantee you that wages skyrocketing to the level they did (and property market crashing) was not part of the initial calculations that we would have made. The transition would have been over sooner if these seismic changes hadn’t taken place (and nobody could have predicted them) Which is even more to Arsenal’s credit, for adjusting to changes in the financial reality while still maintaining status as a top club.

    We are where we are. We all want a trophy. That desire has to be tempered with a truer understanding of what the club has achieved, what they planned, and what challenges they’ve faced. We’ve grown as a club over the last decade. We will move further, including on the field too. We’re too big a club, too well run, for it to not be so.

  220. One more thing guys i’v heard today that we are only willing to pay 1.7mil for cesar and no more,
    emmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!
    where have i heard that before???

    And yet some of you come here talking about we have more money to spend, know it does not mean if you have it to spend it crazy BUT jesus, wenger is at it as usual, no change what so ever

  221. kel,
    sometimes you really make me despair. The transfer window isn’t even open yet!! Are Arsenal not supposed to negotiate? Maybe we should be like Leeds with Seth Johnson. His agent and he went in deciding to ask for 20k and settle for 15k. They were instantly offered 25k to which Johnson reacted with surprise, and then Ridsdale, thinking he was unhappy, upped his offer to 35k. Now if only Arsenal and Wenger actually CHANGED and did something like that will they be showing ambition. Right? Offer to pay more than someone wants, and then increase further when they are surprised. Just to make sure you get your man.

    Besides, where did you hear this from? A friend of the tea lady? You come up with rumours without attributing any sort of a source, and expect everyone else to take it as fact. Not cool.

  222. @Shard …Sanogo that must be a joke, you must not watch the French league! Let me put it this way , Giroud is much better than Sanogo , LMOA.
    Is Wenger going to sign Falcao , Cavani or Neymar? Of course not.
    Benteke is quicker, stronger and has a better first touch than Giroud. He would have scored 10 more goals than Giroud in our squad.
    Yes New castle self destructed this season, but Spurs has caught up to us and we were very lucky these last 2 years finish above them.
    I remember when Prince Boateng played with Port smith , I suggested we should buy him when they were going down . some derided saying he played for a poor team and so on , but now he plays for AC Milan he would have been a better buy than Gervinho. Boateng plays with hunger all the time , he does not have a weak spine like many in our squad.

  223. By the way, I think that we should Giroud too. Picture this , Benteke up front and Ox and Theo on each wing ! That is dynamite ! Or if need be Giroud and Benteke can play together up front.

  224. Why were we lucky o finish above Spurs?.. I think I am right in saying that Wenger has achieved that every year. Seems to me you think Spurs did great and we struggled..

    It’s a bit like golf the more you practise the luckier you get

  225. Gunfest

    I’m not going to debate individual players with you. That is strictly a matter of opinion. There is no right or wrong to it, and no way of knowing how any player would have done if he were in are team.

    And yes, I’ve definitely never seen Sanogo play. I’d never seen Benteke play before he came to Villa either, and most people would be in the same boat as me as regards those two players. Were you demanding Benteke’s signing this time last season? If so, kudos to you. But if we had bought him and he didn’t end up playing as well, for whatever reason, you’d criticise the manager for buying an unknown.

  226. @ Shard

    I got that ceasar info from Goal.com and the fact that the issue is haggling over 1 mill (something which wenger has done in the past then more than likely its true)
    When the transfer window is about to close you will say ” the window isn’t even closed yet and the fans are on wenger’s back and when its closed support you team” AS last year and the year before…..
    And also tell me something, you said ” These last few years have not been a failure” i already said that the fact that we are always in the cl is a wonderful achievement in its self, so long and short, the club has/will continue to make money But what else have we done???? how can these last years not been considered a failure??? tell me i want to know, when last have we finished 2nd to show an improvement in our football as a matter of fact the football has regressed these last 4 seasons, so what do you considered to be success???
    Every thing you just mention you have been saying for 3 or 4 seasons now and look at the out come the same thing keeps happening to us over and over again. Now your saying that we have to wait and judge what the club has done in the future when wenger and co have left us with their pockets full of money, then we might see some changes, are you for real???
    As i said some years ago their will always me money in the game, if its not the Russians its the middleeast ppl, so banking on ppl going broke is naive, what you have to do is shop sensible we alwasy seem to do business particularly transfers on the low end, how can we expect to challenge when we do that, its crazy, every season the samething.
    Now when someone from out side says something then you have to most times (i must admit) take it with a pinch of salt BUT when ppl from inside say it then you know that there is a hold lot of truth in it, nasri, robin, kos, henry, helb and i can go on and on, YES!!!!! money was part of the motivation BUT AMBITION is a big part as of why these players left, they said it themselves.
    The club lacks ambition!!!!! not in making money, noway, But in assembling a team capable of challenging for top honors. I hope this season will be different BUT i can’t see it wenger, is too selfish.
    Stability is good only if there is progress, and the club has not and i repeat has not progress on a football front these last 4 or 5 years, and ultimately thats what its about and thats what history remember not fluctuation between 3rd and 4th every season and telling me we have not failed, poppy cock!!!!!!

  227. Heymen again Kel!
    Fair enough we do not want to spend 40 or 50 mil in a single player, but we are among 6 biggest revenue generating club on the planet!
    Teams have already started signing players.

    When was the last time we signed a quality Argentine player? Who watched Santos play and thought that he was good enough for the premier league?
    Our player scouting must be one of the worst among all of the EPL clubs. I blame our manager for that after he is the boss.
    As a club we will not challenge for a major title with this manager because we need to be ruthless. all these players who should not be at Arsenal collecting large pays checks weeks after weeks.

  228. Anelka
    Ljunberg,
    Overmars
    Henry
    Fabregas
    Koscielny
    Pires
    Hleb
    Van Persie
    Nasri
    Clichy
    Song
    Wilshire
    Ramsey
    Sagna
    Gibbs
    Adebayor
    Those bloody scouts should be shot

  229. Guys there is no need to wait and see. Fans must pile up the pressure immediately .This moron of a coach is again at his Usual Best of FOOLING around dubiously floated names and he is not willing to buy any. I heard Julio Ceaser was a done deal.It was all rumour. Serious clubs with a statement of intent are already buying and this BITCH of a coach is again player watching as the market goes on.The problems in the team were glaring obvious but he seems disinterested and is counting on Diabolical to recover. Arteta will be a joke if he Ramsey and Rosicky are our defensive midfield players next season.We shall obviously been engaged in another dog fight for the fourth spot instead of the championship. The striking role needs reinforcement and players are there available far superior to Giroud who i dont rate that much.Unless the fans rise up during this transfer season it is all Dejavu again.

  230. Does the stadium really not figure in anyone’s calculations about where the club is at?? Goddammit what do you want the club to do? Nobody’s counting on others to go broke. The club is simply ensuring it has solid foundations to grow. Ironically that growth, which has been happening, is used to abuse the club and the manager. Why? Because the media has put it in people’s heads that trophies are the ONLY judge of a team. Why do most football clubs even bother existing if that’s the case?

    Oh, but Arsenal is different. Yes. We are. We’re the only team to not get relegated after building our own stadium. We’re the only team competing at the top of the league which is doing it on our own strength (apart from ManU, but they went down this road way way back) and honestly, we’d have a few trophies if the refereeing in the league was of a decent standard. But that’s besides the point. The point is, if you can’t appreciate what the club has done, you deserve all the aggravation you feel. Just try not to bring everyone else down with you. God, I’m sick of this roundabout so called discussion. Everyone’s just involved in one upmanship. I know better than you..I know better than wenger. Reality doesn’t matter anymore. It’s just an echo chamber of opinions stated as fact.

    When Goal.com becomes a reliable source for anything other than generating clicks and hits, it’ll be the apocalypse. And when certain people like delano learn to have some respect, I’ll probably have faith in the larger Arsenal blogosphere.

    Until people learn that a debate isn’t the same thing as a competition, I think I’m probably better off not joining in any shouting match. Getting to the truth doesn’t matter to anyone now. What problems we have, how we can fix them. Nobody cares. It’s just, we’re shit because we haven’t won a trophy. Ultimately, the opposition to the club is all about that. And I don’t agree with that worldview. Trophies are not the be all and end all. I support Arsenal. I’m proud of the path we took. I recognise our limitations as well as our mistakes. I don’t think I know better than the professionals as regards which players to buy. I will be supporting the club throughout. My idea of support does not include reinforcing a personally held inferiority complex.

    I’m outta here.

  231. So ….we built a stadium so we can become mediocre by our old standard. We are one of the biggest revenue generating club more than Bayern. The fact that we brought in Frank Sylvestre and kept Djourou, Diaby, Arshavin and many other deadwoods on high wages is malpractice!

    Resub thank you for making my point! 80% of the players , you listed we’re bought more than 8 years ago , coincidence?
    In my opinion a team can not win a premier league trophy with its starting 11 comprised of players like Ramsey, Adebayor , Giroud , Arteta, Gervinho.
    The list above by Resub is so revealing by the quality we use to have 8 to 10 years ago compare to now .
    Wilshire and Kos are 2 genuine talents who need to be consistent over a longer period of time.
    Yes, whoever suggested Chamakh,Sylvestre, Squilacci ,Santos should be shot!

  232. If by any chance ,it is the same people who suggested we buy Pires, Overmars , Henry ….that suggested we get Santos and Sylvestre … I would say that they have gone senile or suffering from dementia and that they should be locked up in an institution for fear of harming themselves or others!

  233. According to the press the odds on Arsenal signing Fellaini have been cyput from 16 to 1 to evens. They have found a £24 million release cause.

    I really like this guy, he’s a beast of a player and will give the midfield the grit it needs.

  234. Guys i hope we all know the renewal of tickets is around this time hence all the big name palyer’s are all of a sudden being linked with us, now when have i heard these claim by ivan before emmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!

    I know!!!!!! i know,!!!!! last season and the the one before and the one before
    I want action not talk because we all know that talk is cheap and we also know that wenger and cheap goes hand in hand….

  235. Kel
    I really despair for you. Do you spend t he whole day trawling the Internet for negative articles? What happens if you see anything (anything even a tiny bit positive) I guess you just ignore it

    Following lefties post I was hoping we could drum up a little activity on the v
    Blog, which given the lack of responses from the blogosphere and Andy leads me to believe it is dead.

    Getting Shard back on board was a major coup,.. You may not agree with him, but a least he added some interesting material. It appears you and the Doomers have succeeded in driving him off. As Shard pointed out everything posted here is about one upmanship

    I think it’s time I departed again… I tried

  236. This is a forum for debate , discussions about our club , Arsenal. We have not won a trophy in 8 years and have been struggling to even finish 4th now . We can not all have the same opinion on who the manager should be or the quality of our players.
    We are all passionate fans and should feel to express our opinions.except for a couple of people , by in large , most posters here are respectful .
    Frankly, it would be quite boring if we all had the same opinion on this blog!

  237. @retsub

    Tell me what the positives are and i’ll gladly look at it my brother

    And both you and shard think this blog is negative???? you should go to those other sites where they curse and call the manager some real bad names, so by and large this blog(even if dead) is one of the most rational you will find.
    I really try to look at things from other peoples views but when the club pull shit like this it total irates me.
    Do you really believe that we will activate any clause in Fellaini contract and pay him big money or roony for that matter, and all this comes out when the season tickets are to be renewed, i want the club to stop lying to us tell us the truth and stop taking us for fools, then they will gain some more respect

    I may be wrong and they might sign them BUT until i see that on arsenal.com wenger and the board can go to hell……..

  238. Kel
    I can understand people bring frustrated by the lack of success, but as been said 100″s of times this coincided with Chelsea and City being given limitless fundsu to splash on whoever they want. Arsenal just couldn’t compete with that, given the enormous expense of the new stadium. Not sure if you ever get to the Emirates, but it truly is a classy stadium. I don’t believe any other team that isn’t being bankrolled as a toy could ipossibly have achieved what Wenger has done. Looking at it realistically until now if Chelsea or City wanted a player they just coughed up cash, Mata is a good example where he seemed a arsenal bound and they just flashed the cash at him. Don’t forget however that Wenger picked up Cazorla at a steal of a price. You would call that taking advantage of Malaga”s financial problems ( and who owns them Qatar another rich boy whim) now Qatar is one of the richest countries in the world per capita,, but guess what they got bored with their toy. I would call it astute management by Wenger.

    Arsenals financial situation is now much improved.. Some of the ‘dead wood is being released with more to follow. They have a fantastic shirt deal with Puma. In addition Arsenal apparently had a great contract when they sold Fabregas whereby we get first option if they decide to sell him. In addition we get 50per cent of any sell on fee. Plus they still owe us only for both Fab and Song

    I am totally convinced you will see some big moves soon. I think fab, Fellaini and Higauin would be great signings. I would happily perm any 2 from 3.

    Gunfest

    Of course the blog needs diversity, but frankly you have mentioned the Silvestre transfer about 20 times. Yes we have made some poor purchases, but find me a manager who hasn’t.

    The blog should be a place of healthy debate, at the moment it’s all about one upmanship. If we sre going to attract new blood we need to add some diversity to the blog, at the moment its all about Wenger, thats why it was great to dee Shard appear. If the blog is going to survive, we all need to play nicely and contribute. I am again willing to give it a shot. More than anything we need new subjects. We are supposedly still discussing
    Bayern

    Andy… I know you said you were going to be very busy and that is obviously the case. A few of us have hung around and even offered to contribute. I think it only fair to everyone if you could let us know the state of play.

  239. I have an idea for a topic of discussion, which hopefully will be less contentious and circuitous. How about everyone takes a turn to write about how they came to follow Arsenal and why they’ve remained loyal fans since?

  240. shard

    Just outside. Kent, London border

    Great idea and I have already done it.. Will post shortly

  241. Shard
    Interesting you ask where I am. Twice last season I had a spare ticket which I couldn’t use. Norwich and Everton. It’s worth knowing where people are situated in case it happens again

  242. Oh. Where in Kent Retsub? I’ve spent some time on vacation in Canterbury and went around all of the little towns like Whitstable and Ramsgate. Went to Dover as well. But that was a few years ago.

    The reason I asked now is because you hinted at having visited the Emirates quite often so thought you might be around there. I’ll be in the UK from Tuesday for about two weeks. I’ll mostly be in London, but intend to go around the country a bit. My itinerary isn’t set. But it would be a pleasure to meet any Gooners while there if at all possible.

  243. He y Shard sounds great. I am based in Orpington 15 miles south east of
    London. Would be happy to meet up.

    For some reason I always assumed you were in the States? Correct?

  244. Wow that was a bad shot. If you interested Arsenal do a stadium tour

    I spent a lot of time working in the Middle East, but only ever made India once and that was only transmitting Bombay on the way to Oz

  245. Did the stadium tour last year Retsub. Also went to a few matches as a red member (and with help from some friends from other blogs) Saw Blackburn 7-1 (The only time I’ve seen Henry in the flesh), saw Spurs 5-2, Newcastle 2-1, and AC Milan 3-0. I’ve been to a match way back in 2007 as well, where we beat ManCity 1-0 with a late Cesc goal after Van Persie missed a penalty. It’s a fantastic feeling watching the game live.

  246. Yep can’t beat it. purchased tickets for 4 games from a friend of mine.a bout 18 months ago The games were dire, Qpr, Fulham etc, but the highlight was Henry coming on as a sub against leeds and scoring it was fantastic

  247. That must have been truly amazing. What a moment that was. Just incredible.

    I’ll give you a shout on this blog when I’m in London Retsub, and let’s see if we can fix up a meeting.

  248. @Shard respectively agreeing to your view lets look at it in the perspective. Wenger will always be the focal point of attack because it is him who chooses the line up,makes tactical substitutions and instructs the game plan.Kudos for his Financial acumen But i still believe there is alot to be desired. He could have done better but he has failed.
    What do i mean here. Can you by any measure explain to the bloggers here Diaby deserves a salary from the fans.It took Wenger a moment of madness and brilliance from Lenon to realise Vermaleen was the chief culprit in the avelanche of goals the team was conceeding. I also whether am the only who feels we could have done alot better had Jenkins played in that Left back position more than Sagna. I see him in the mould of a young Van Buyten with good speed and height in set pieces.Defensive midfield role has been vacant for so long.Playing Arteta there was a mistake and personally think it affected us so much as i dont expect a 30+ player to handle the physicality there.
    There are so many instances where wenger deserves credit but now tha the Special One is back .
    You as Shard would you expect Arsenal to finish ahead of Chelsea.With the playing staff at Etihad and O/T do you expect to finish ahead of any of those teams with the likes of Arteta,Rosicky and Ramsey? There are so many cheap aggresive players even in the league that we can buy instead of feeding us on inferior French players.

  249. supporting the Gunners Man and Boy,,,,, as suggested by Shard

    I was a child of the mid fifties, born and raised in South East London and despite my grandfather introducing me to Millwall at an early age, Harry Cripps et al just didn’t float my boat. My Dad was a lifelong Gunner, but his talk was of Herbert Chapman, Cliff Bastin and Alex James. By the time I reached the crucial age of around 8 a decision had to be made. Arsenal hadn’t won anything for years and all the other kids at school had been swayed by Manchester United, Liverpool or Chelsea. I called it glory hunting but was hugely outnumbered. I decided I would be different and supported Greenock Morton for a day or so but nobody was interested. Then my Dad began to take me to Highbury and I was hooked. Initially we used to stand by the corner flag (left side) at the Clock End. The team weren’t great, but a few of the double team to be were arriving McLintock, Simpson, Storey and Geordie Armstrong were breaking into the side. Then in 1966 Arsenal fired Billy Wright. This was going to get interesting. United had Busby, Liverpool had Shankly, Spurs had Nicholson. Surely Arsenal would appoint a big hitter and we would finally win something. Then the announcement…..Bertie Mee the Physiotherapist. Boy did I get it in the neck at school. He was initially assisted by Dave Sexton who I suspect provided the footballing brain.

    For years all I had to boast about was an Arsenal victory on the TV show Quiz ball. Two quality signings were made, Bob McNab joined from Huddersfield and George Graham arrived from Chelsea in a straight swap for Tommy Baldwin. George Eastham was also allowed to leave. My Dad raved about him, but he always looked too old to me, talented player that he was. Things began to pick up after Mee’s arrival and we reached two League Cup finals, Leeds and Swindon. Unfortunately we lost both, but I had my first experience of Wembley for the Swindon game. Not sure how but we had Swindon tickets. It didn’t stop me going crazy when Bobby Gould equalised in the last minute, luckily the Swindon fans were an affable bunch and took pity on me. I even got sympathy when we were embarrassed by 3rd division Swindon and the exciting Don Rogers.
    By now I was a regular at Highbury. My friends and I used to arrive at around 12.30pm and stand above the exit tunnel in the centre of the Clock End. If you got there early enough you got an uninterrupted view. I longed for the North Bank, but was only allowed to go if I promised to keep away from it. In those days opposing yobs particularly West Ham tried to infiltrate and take the North Bank. They were greeted with “You’ll never take the North Bank” Eventually I became a North Banker, standing close enough to join in the singing, but far enough away to avoid the trouble. Always amazes me that throughout this period no one ever needed a season ticket, you just turned up and paid at the gate.
    It was that season that I introduced a friend of mine to Jon Sammels, or should I say Jon introduced himself to my friend. For those not familiar with Sammels he was a talented midfielder with a rocket of a shot. He never really established himself and became a target of the boo boys. At this particular match we were behind the goal during the pre kick off warm up. Sammels unleashed an off target rocket and everyone within 10 yards of the exoset took evasive action.. Everyone that is with the exception of my friend who was admiring the West stand at the time and was promptly felled by the ball. St Johns ambulance attended and we did see the game. I remember scraping some of the mud off his head and keeping it for weeks.

    By now Sexton had departed to be replaced by Don Howe and in 1970 something magical happened. Arsenal won the Inter Cities Fairs Cup. I hadn’t missed a home game for two years when Arsenal made the final, a two legged affair against The Belgian side Anderlect. Arsenal went to Belgium and were getting thumped 3 – 0 when a young Ray Kennedy headed a late consolation goal. A cup final at Highbury and I had a ticket. But fate dealt a cruel blow, I was on a School Geography field trip to Derbyshire. Despite my protestations I was packed off to Derbyshire. No internet or mobile phones then and no phone calls home allowed. We had a record player and one record ‘Galveston’ I think it was Glen Campbell. We were allowed to dance with the girls, but my heart was 200 miles away at Highbury. The lads had done brilliantly winning 3 – 0 that night, but I had no clue what the score was, just bloody Galveston ringing in my ears.

    The next morning we were approached by around 50 Sheffield Wednesday supporters who had taken a keen interest in our not unattractive Geography teacher. I plucked up the courage and asked them the score “Fuck off you little Wanker” was the reply, but the runt of the litter took pity on me and told me the score. I smiled all day, at last I could boast about something bigger than Quiz Ball. For the record Eddie Kelly. John Radford and you guessed it…Jon Sammels were the scorers

    And so to the 70/71 Season and a team was beginning to take place. A strike force of Radford and Kennedy were both excellent headers of the ball and full of goals, Frank McLintock had been converted to centre half where he was ably assisted by the underrated Peter Simpson. George Graham had been converted from an inside forward to a creative midfielder and became known as stroller because of his languid style of play. Charlie George fresh from the North Bank was a young and exciting talent. Peter Storey had been converted from Right Back to a defensive midfield destroyer, boy could he tackle. Bob Wilson had made the keepers position his own and is without doubt the bravest keeper I’ve ever seen. He was constantly diving at strikers feet despite the dangers involved. In those days only one sub was allowed. The double side was made up of a nucleous of 14 players, Wilson, McNab, Rice McLintock, Simpson, Storey Graham, George, Armstrong, Radford, Kennedy, Robert Kelly and Sammels.
    I’ve probably rambled on too long and to describe, the double season would take a number of I haven’t further paragraphs. If bored everyone, will save that for another day

  250. Retsub, i dont think i know of any other football supporter who gets more joy from talking about his teams or clubs financial profits & business affairs rather than silverware & glory for the fans. The club is financially successful. 100% it is making money hand over fist & it is making it now, but so r my local Tesco’s. What am I getting in return? Football and glorywise. What am I getting now. U dont seem to understand an average football fan who needs GLORY. Dont talk about balance sheets & stadium we already have this, talk about football & glory now.

  251. Ice
    Am probably a lot older than you and have had more glory than most supporters. I am probably running on memories, but have got a great deal of pleasure out of my team. Balance sheets don’t bother me, I just like the fact that my team is a well run, self financed team.

    I don’t like the fact we haven’t won anything and that is partly due to mistakes by Wenger, particularly not buying a decent keeper when Almunia was struggling.

    Sadly football is about money. If Chelsea and City flash the cash we can’t compete. They don’t care how much they spend, they are just rich boys play things.

    You must see that with the Hammers. A good family club, but they will never compete with the big boys until they get a big benefactor, sad but that’s life

    I stand to be corrected but I think this will be a great year for the boys

    COYG

  252. Westham, Asnl all in the same sentence, things must b moving in the right direct’n for us & wrong for you. (joke). I still say its not about finance but the type of players u buy. Not enough pace strength & balance in the team. Shard, shambo with the current best 11 is Axnl better or worse accommodating Jack in midfield. Yr best run last season seems to show without. By the way I was born in Hackney Mothers hospital in 65, parents could not cope with cold dark & icy winters & so moved back to St Lucia till 73/74. The name Westham was printed on the airing cupboard door & the rest is history. (66, 75,& 80)

  253. Wow Retsub. That’s some story, and you are more than a generation older than me. I have to say I’m envious of you having had the pleasure (even through the pain) of seeing the Arsenal play so many times.

    I speak to you now from London. No idea of my schedule yet, but I’ll tell you a few days in advance about when I might be in London as opposed to travelling around the UK. That is, if knowing that I was born in the mid 80s hasn’t changed anything..hahaha 🙂

    I think that’s one of the wonderful things about being fans of a club like Arsenal. It bridges all divides of nationalities, race, language, age, everything.

    Although one gap seems too much to bridge (at least without trophies) I can only sigh about that.

    Ice. You may wish for a time when discussions on football didn’t have to incorporate finances. I do too. But the reality is that the financial situation has changed so much (even in the last 10 years) that to ignore it is to ignore a very valid context to the game. Doesn’t make it good. Just necessary.

    As to the question about Jack. I think it’s the wrong way to look at it. We need depth, so if someone like Jack or Ramsey is on the bench, that isn’t a bad thing. I think our midfield could work with either. It’s just about working out an understanding among the players. Wilshere, on account of his injuries, has hardly played with our current midfielders. We’ll find that balance. No problem. I wouldn’t just give him his place back though. Let him win it back, just like Vermaelen should.

    Arsnal are moving in the right direction. The result on the field just doesn’t move at the same speed as the finances (because it is organic growth and not artificial)

  254. Hey all,
    Been gone a while, just wanna put a few figures out from my last discussion with Shard for us to digest.
    We all agree we have failed to mount a title challenge in our league or cup competitions since our move to the Emirates in 2006.
    We have also failed badly in keeping our best players and convincing them of our impending glory, the reason we were told we were moving from highbury in the first place was to attract and showcase the best players possible with new streams of revenue, not least on this list would be the potential 117m yearly matchday revenue from us, the fans, which would make up 40.5% of the clubs revenue.
    These figures are based on bums on seats aswel as food/ drink sales, etc.
    In 2012, had we not made 50m on player sales the way we did we would have made a substantial loss compared with the reported 17m profit I think we had.
    We are DEPENDANT or have been dependent on selling our best assets since our move, contrary to what we were told, again, whilst still in the process of a move.
    I found a site, Arsenal truth, that gave an excellent breakdown of the 143.4m annual wage bill. If you search youll find it under “Arsenal 143.4m wage bill exposed”.
    Heres an edited version I needed for my argument based on what some players have cost us the last 4 seasons.
    Arshavin 13m
    Gervinho 12.4
    Chamakh 12.4
    Diaby 12.4
    Denilson 12.4
    Santos 12.4
    Park 10.4
    Fabianski 10.4
    Djourou 10.4
    Squid 10.4
    Bendtner 10.4
    Manonne 6.2.
    Total 133.2m these in.
    dividuals have cost us for the last 4 years.
    Shard, for us to have bums on seats to sustain the vital 40.5% of revenue we the fans contribute to the club we must be getting a return for our investment, which is simply to be entertained, and if not entertained, then satisfied that our team gave their all.
    It is the responsibility of Wenger and Gazidis to ensure the players putting it in on the training pitch and matchday are rewarded with the wage that matches their value to the club/ brand reflective of a level of performance that resonates with us fans to the degree that we come each second Saturday regardless of the previous weeks results, i.e: even if we lose and still feel we are getting value for money from our team that we will keep coming.
    It used to be a minimum ask for an Arsenal fan, that you went to every game, not so anymore. Tickets are readily available outside the ground most matchdays now.
    Shard asked me how much I would pay the players above.
    Its difficult because with hindsight we would all say none of them deserve more than 30,000p/w…..but that being said, and remembering some of these are not 1st contracts but IMPROVED terms it is a shocking indictement of waste and poor judgement from Wenger & Gazidis and it is this that has hamstrung us from in thr transfer market and cost us the signings of the likes of Mata who Chelsea signed for £23.5m, 1.5 more than we were willing to offer. What is he worth now?
    What Im asking is has the Stadium move been worth it? If not then when will it be? Did Wenger and the board make a gross misjudgement on whether we could balance a move and remain competitive on the field to the point that filling the stadium juxtaposes with having to sell our best players???? At least at Highbury we got to see Vieiras and Bergkamps week after week.
    Did they lie to us or have they been under pressure to balance the books with sales from day 1, if so are we they the parents and us the children that are being shielded from the truth?
    Either way you owe to yourself as an Arsenal fan to do some number crunching and draw your own conclusion. Its all out there should you choose to bevlcome informed.
    Im sure missing alot or have left out alot of other relating factors, as does Shard whem sharing his opinion on the state of the club, but heres a few important details already mentioned to just take in, and these will probably once again be the reason we wont spend big this summer.
    The stadium repayments are roughly 20m a year til 2031.
    The wage bill is 143.4 per year.
    We, the fans contribute 117m in matchday Revenue, we established this as roughly 40% of revenue meaning revenue in total comes in around 270m annualy.
    The Emirates Airline deal is worth 150m til 2018.
    Our current Nike kit deal is worth 35M and the incoming Puma deal will be the biggest in PL history worth 170m, which I would imagine a large portion of will be put into debt clearance than quality purchases.
    We have a profit of £40 Sales to Purchases since we moved to the Emirates.
    Our ticket prices are the highest in Europe, which would probably also mean the world.
    We havnt won a cup in 8 years.
    Weve contested 1 Final, the CC and lost to a team that went on to be relegated.
    We are dependant on filling a Stadium every week to make the 40% revenue mark when we can no longer attract the type of player that in turn excites and attracts the punter.
    Probably most important!!!::::
    There isnt and HASNT been any pressure on the manager to achieve ON FIELD success for quite some time and if you listen to Gazidis he will be offered another contract.
    How do we get off the Carousel?

  255. Apologies, I meant to add lastly that teams like Everton have been finishing less than 7 pts off us at seasons end for years now with a serious difference in available resources, how can this be?
    Who is responsible for the waste and misuse of these resources even while we have not spent or paid big?

  256. Shambo

    Good intelligent post and difficult to argue with. The only thing I would. Say, is that if I understand the finances currently, we are in a far stronger position today than we would have been had remained at Highbury (although we would probably have a few trophies to show for it).

    All the big clubs are looking at expanding their stadiums or changing their sddresses

  257. Retsub,
    Bit disjointed and need more info but I think the jist of where Im coming from is there, there have been errors made abd Im not trying to go against Shard at all its just my problem stems from whats not being said from the Club.
    Theres alot that needs rectifying and to me theres a blanket of secrecy and insulate nature in the club when I really cant understand why they cant come out and say; this is where we are. This is why were where we are. This is what we need to do until we are ready to challenge on the field again.
    Had any of that been said 8 years ago I think 90% of Arsenal fans would agree that Wenger and the board are doing a great job under the circumstances and the club is on course.
    Instead we were told we wermt far away. ‘This season will be different’. The players have matured. We will add in January if we have to. Judge me in may. This summer we will invest. Its a constant lead- along for us fans and the level of trust is at an all time low and we the fans are the innocent party.
    Now we are being told theres a bundle of money being freed up by deadwood departures, a large portion of fan will look at this and fantacise bout potential ‘Ins’. I cant help it butmy mind turned to how much of our resources had been wasted on the deadwood in the first place because the people using this freed up money are the same people who recruited the deadwood, if you get me….nothing is really being addressed and nobody seems accountable once some fresh promise or motivation is being dangled in front of a starving fan.
    Ps. Really enjoyed both you and Shards comments above.
    Hey Ice, hope your well bro

  258. Thanks Shambo

    I think the next few weeks will be really interesting. If I am honest I don’t really follow football in other countries, so I don’t know some of the characters very well, so some of the below is based on what I have read. Here’s my thoughts for the season.

    Keeper. I would keep Szez and Fabianski

    Full backs. Left side ok. On the right Sagna great defender that he is, adds little to the attack (except against Spurs). I think I would stick with Sagna and Jenks, but give Jenks more airtime

    Kos and Per are obviously the preferred pairing. Unsure about TV, but think Sagna is a pretty decent cb

    In midfield I would love to see Fellaini, he really impresses me. Arteta has done really well, but I don’t see him as the future

    Would love to have Cesc back. Couldn’t bear it if he joined united

    Higuain sounds like a good prospect. I think Giroud will improve and whi lst I really like
    Podolski what’s going on with his fitness?

    Don’t want Rooney, I think he may upset the balance

  259. @ Shambo

    I agree mate, And based on what Ivan said last night, i think he was basically distancing himself from any blame, he said wenger is in-charge of signings and the cost of the signings, (very significant statement)that has always been the case, so he should/ must take 90% of the blame for how things are right now and based on what Ivan said last night wenger has nowhere to hide this summer because if the squad is not in better shape come august it will all be Arsene wengers fault.
    The ball is squarely in wengers court this season he ha know where to hide and the fan this season more than most are very informed of what is going on, so its up to the manager now

  260. Hi Shambo.

    I think you are correct with the figures. I think you are wrong with your conclusions. The stadium was supposed to move us to the next level as a club, and allow us to better compete for players. It is still going to do that. But it’s been delayed. Why? Because when the planning for the stadium began in 2001, there was no Abramovich. When we started going for it in earnest in 2003, Abramovich showed up. This led to the amount being paid for players and wages increasing, disrupting our calculations. Then there was the crash in property prices just when we were putting Highbury flats on sale, which again messed up our budgets. Meanwhile, we’d been tied up in long term commercial deals which were decent at the time, and absolutely necessary, but which with the global growth of PL football fell far short of other teams. The club couldn’t have predicted all that in the frst place. And though they could have told you a few years later that we’re, realistically, not going to be able to compete for the title, what woud that achieve? People would still complain, players might balk at joining us, sponsors might lose interest, as mght the players alredy here. It’s better to aim high and fall below that than aim low and hope to finish higher.

    What is different now, is that the advantage other teams held over us in terms of commercial deals is a thing of the past. They on the other hand, do not have increased stadium sponsorship and ticket money. The stadium is part of the reason we have such huge sponsorship deals now (and crucially they aren’t long term. We can keep up with the market in future)

    As for the salaries. I disagree with the figures on the inaptly named Arsenaltruth because, frankly, that site is full of nonsense. But, regardless, I’ve thought about the wage structure quite a bit. I’ve done those calculations. We got the wage structure absolutely right. The risk of doing it differently was too high, and the rewards unlikely.

    We don’t overpay our squad players. All clubs have wastage. Didn’t SPurs just get rid of 17m pound Bentley?

    Let’s look at this step by step. Because of our interest payments, we couldn’t afford to have both a decent wage bill, as well as transfer fees. Since wage spend has a higher correlation with league position, we prioritised this. Now that means we had less to spend on transfers, hence the project youth. Get players in for hundreds of thousands of pounds rather than tens of millions. Work with them and use them as squad players.

    What we did with the wage bill is less equitable than it seems. Now hear me out on this carefully. Clubs like Chelsea play their squad players the same as we do. They pay their best players way more than we do. Lets take examples. We pay Denilson 60k, same as what Mikel would earn at Chelsea. We offer RVP 130k, Chelsea pay their best players above 200k.

    Your complaint is that Denilson is overpayed. Lets say we paid him 30k, and a few others as well, to try and bridge the gap from RVP to Chelsea’s best players. Lets say we give him 200k. Chelsea could, for a player of that calibre, stretch their budget to 250k-300k. There is no way we could compete. Meaning we’d still lose our best players. Meanwhile, players like Denilson, who formed a squad good enough to finish top 4, would be massively underpaid compared to top 4 clubs. Clubs ike Chelsea would offer them 60k and take the better squad players away too. We’d still lose our star players, but also lose our squad players. The problem is not in the wage distribution. It was simply in size of revenue. Also, the problem was not so much the mistake in misjudging players’ abilities. It was in our inability to absorb the financial costs of those mistakes.

    Now our revenue has increased, the gap in salary between the squad players and the star players will be higher. It aready shows in the sense that there is no way that 4 years ago players like Walcott and Podolski would be given contracts of 100k at Arsenal. We’re changing our wage structure as we speak. It obviously can’t happen overnight.

    The fact remains that Arsenal have grown as a club. Our regression on the field of play is to do with the temporary (but longer than anticipated due to circumstances outside our control) period of tightening our belts due to the long term deals we were locked into. Now that restriction is reducing and we’re now on the next level and ready to enter the true elite. You are right that the fans paid for this stadium, and for our growth. You are absolutely right. We paid for it. We should be proud of it, not see it as a millstone. It took great foresight, planning, and a lot of hard work in ever changing and challenging circumstances, to get us where we are.

  261. Shambo,
    If you remember me mentioning how RVP could have ended up being branded ‘deadwood’ by you if we’d given him a contract a year before and he (yet again) ended up on the treatment table? Aligned to that thought, but not limited to it, I came across the follwng post by someone named Greg on another blog.

    “Apropros of nothing I’ve been reading Kahneman’s “Thinking, Fast and Slow”. I was just reading about Gadzidis’ AST meeting last night, and thinking about how sections of the Arsenal support have variously rushed to condemn the manager, board, CEO and tea lady for allowing the club to “stagnate”. This passage popped in to my head (from chapter 19):

    “Hindisght bias has pernicious effects on the evaluations of decision makers. It leads observers to assess the quality of a decision not by whether the process was sound but by whether its outcome was good or bad. Consider a low-risk surgical intervention in which an unpredictable accident occurred that caused the patient’s death. The jury will be prone to believe, after the fact, that the operation was actually risky and that the doctor who ordered it should have known better. This outcome bias makes it almost impossible to evaluate a decision properly – in terms of the beliefs that were reasonable when the decision was made.

    …We are prone to blame decision makers for good decisions that worked out badly and to give them too little credit for successful moves that appear obvious only after the fact… Actions that seemed prudent in foresight can look irresponsibly negilgent in hindsight.”

    More good stuff also about how this leads to bureaucratic solutions and extreme risk-aversion: such as doctors ordering dozens of unnecessary and expensive tests.

    In this light it looks like we have a set of particularly bold decision-makers at Arsenal, including Gadzidis and Wenger, who are willing to shoulder the responsibility for making prudent, shrewd and forward-looking decisions, and for some of them to be judged as mistakes in a hindsight- and outcome-biased world.”

    Like I try to explain all the time (but better put) Don’t look with a pre-decided outlook at what was done. Look at the decision making process and whether there was a valid reasoning behind it. Do that, and it is clear that although Arsenal haven’t been perfect (who is?) they clearly had a well thought out, brave, ambitious, plan that they have been working on and moving towards making succesful despite repeated setbacks most of which were due to factors out of their control.

  262. Shard,
    This is why I love you man. Was shocked to learn we are both late 20s…I had you a well seasoned mid fiftys the way you right….had Retsub at mid 20s!!!
    Thank you for taking the time to read my views and respond ( slash debunk ) my posts!!
    I tend to lose my train of thought and revert to writing from the heart when it comes to Arsenal.
    I suppose its human nature to look for cause and lay blame especially after the fact but a small part of me does still feel that we were not brave or ambitious enough at times with the resources we had, this includes coaching staff and decision makers.
    I get worried when I hear Mr Hillwood speak sometimes, and I worry when I dont hear Kroenke speak.
    Am enjoying this blog again, I think the sense of abandonment has made it unique to its mainstayers, oddly enough…….would love to hear what you, retsub, kel, ice, delano, Lefty and the rest think of realistic ‘ins’ that may come to pass this summer.
    Heres my two cents.
    Jovetic. No, unproven, overated and costly.
    Higuain, quite likely. I say this could happen unless city intervene..he wont join chelsea.
    Wanyama, could be on the cards but Id prefer Lars Bender or Capoue as I dont rate Wanyama as high as those two.
    I fancy us to sign the Portugese keeper whos name eludes me now.
    Nico Gaitan from Benfica is on the radar but I heard they want silly money so thats a pipedream.
    Fellaini will join Utd.
    Benteke isnt what we need, hed be a serious gamble.
    I think Myaichi and Bellerin should be given a chance next season aswel as Gnabry and my great white hope Eisfield….not sure of Joel Campbells permit.
    I predict Higuain to be our new record signing.
    A keeper.
    A CB.
    A CDM.
    That will be all, what we have coming through now is better than anything we previously had and now out of all years could be the worst time to block them.
    Not contradicting myself because what I want is proven International quality added, thats quality, not quantity.

  263. Retsub,
    This is to let you know that i’m in london today (too late i know) and tomorrow. I’m travelling to cambridge on sunday. I’m not entirely sure of my plans on monday,tuesday n wednesday but i can make time to meet on any of those days. Beyond that i dont know yet. Hopefully I haven’t scared you off 🙂

    P.S. My access to a computer is restricted and my phone is annoying. Besides, scrolling all the way down on this page with a phone is annoying. I plan to contribute my own story about Arsenal as soon as i can. Same applies to my discussion with you Shambo.

  264. Who has been watching the Confed Cup. Good quality competition so far I think. Fabregas looked & played very well for Spain last night.Snambo pls enlighten me by explaining why our great nation r not included. How did these teams qualify?

  265. Shard
    Really sorry about this, I am chairman of a local charity and they have arranged a lunch tomorrow, which had completely slipped my mind. How much longer are you here?

  266. Hi Retsub
    I’m in the UK till the 25th. We’ll figure something out. Let me know when you’re free and we’ll try and fix up a workable plan. No worries.

  267. Guys were have all you gone with all this mouth watering Transfer buzz doing rounds.I need some one to confirm to me the Higuain deal and the hope of landing Fellaini a beast of a player in any team.

  268. Delano,
    Im a bit hesitant from us getting burnt before with transfers and to be honest theres just too much going around about Arsenal to take it seriously….except for Higuain though who I believe we will sign and who will go on to score 20+ goals for us next season…..BOOM!
    Also watch out for a Micah Richards bid guys. You heard it hear first.

  269. @shambo ,Deleno,
    Sorry boys cant c Haguaim or Feliaini @ the Emirates. There are to many bigger investors with larger ambitions available for those pair to choose from. Richards is a good shout depending on who is coming to City & what wage Westham can offer cause i know first hand we r ready to match yr purchase price. Shambo, u impressed with any player @ Confed Cup, is Wenger watching.

  270. Hey ice,
    Havnt caught much of confed cup my babygirl has had a five day stint in hospital, all good now tho thank god.
    I would say Wenger wouldnt be watching because he doesnt go for guys solely on a unique tournament situation….not to be contradicting myself before anyone says that Im always banging on about ‘ proven international quality’ but I would say theres alot more to be considered as far as Wengers concerned, which is funny because for a man whose so particular in what he wants from an incoming player itsamazing to me thats hes signed and the EXTENDED contracts to so many deadwoods….
    Anyway, he could do alot worse that raid a few from the Japanese team, WOW those guys play the game the way it should be played, granted they need to improve defensively and probably be a bit nasty with a Gattuso type in there to kick guys to be really competitive on the big stage, but yeah, love their attitudes and approach and Iv always wanted Honda & Cazorla at Arsenal, I got one last summer but couldnt see us signing Honda now even though hes available and a ready made Arsenal player.
    Higuains coming my friend but I share your reservations about Felliani.
    Richards is a lifelong gooner so unless were not interested or he stays at City then hell come as Wenger being a big fan + us needing a new Rb= Boom, great signing!

  271. Well there is talk that Juve is entering the fray to get Higuain. Wenger should’ve closed this deal by now.

  272. Thought I’d drop in and see if there is any sign of life from Andrew. Seems not!

    Gunfest , have faith, when has the club ever let you down when it comes to transfers?!

    I caught the two Confed cup semis. The Spain Italy game was a cracker although the conditions got to them late on and the pace slowed. Italy were a bit unlucky but how I love Iniesta as a player. He just glides past players.

    Good to see some of you diehards still here. I hope you northern hemisphere lot are enjoying your summer.

  273. Any confirmed summer signings yet lads? Fantastic Italy v Spain semi final last night. Italy could have or should ave scored during early exchanges but Spain though looking tired found thair grace style & rythem later on. Sneeky feeling the Samba boys will fare the taxing sticky conditions better to win the final. Riots might stop during carnival. Andy Carol Euro player of the year 2013-14.

  274. Hey Terry
    Thought you were lost in the bush, welcome back

    Lefty, you started the reunion and have gone quiet on us. Hope all is ok?

    Wish they would sort these transfers out am fed up with googling Arsenal transfers

  275. Look on the bright side. At least we don’t have a summer of reading about our best player/s heading for the exit to our rivals. Except for Bendtner of course. And Arshavin. And hopefully Chamakh, the mysterious Korean dude and one or two others!

    Hi Retsub, things are good here. Theres a 30 million jackpot in the lotto this weekend. If I win I’ll personally fly over and pay the sodding money to Real for Higuain!

  276. Ice ,
    No signings?..Well at least no announcements yet anyway.
    Positive theory: Higuain & Sanogo deals are done and the uber cautious/stingy Arsenal reps dont want word to leak out because it has a knock on effect on other transfer, i.e…buying the Hig for £25 could create the immpression we are flush with $$$$$ and that encourages lower offers for the deadwoods…thats my positive theory.
    My negative theory is that we are, quite simply, doing our business like we usually do, slow and ponderous which puts you in danger of giving the player who wants to exit the selling club the impression you are not as keen as you should be for his signature and then he goes and joins, I dunno, lets say Chelsea.
    Weve been there before.
    Dicky Law and Ivan the terrible have to deliver, no escapin that fact now.
    Im hangin out for my prediction to materiakise though….Micah Richards. Hed be a beast for us ..rb or cb.
    Retsub,
    Heres your brother, every mornin same routine, check club rumours, caught offside & justArsenal….even though I know their all unreliable garbage I think if I syphon through the bullshit Ill find the link between the stories to some credible Arsenal movement somewhere…then i check again in anhour.
    Unhealthy really!

  277. Shambo ha ha was just checking
    Arsenal fc blog spot aggregator is quite good for rounding up news

    I don’t profess to be clever enough to understand the complexities of contract negotiations, but my theory is that’s what’s behind Higuain in particula ie red tape.

    Clever piece of business with Cesc getting first dibs at him and 50 pc of any sell on.

    Was really hoping we would announce some biggies today, hopefully Fellaini, Higuain and Fabregas are all on the radar. Can’t get excited about Rooney or Torres

  278. Ice, guess I must be, but I think at least one of them will sign

    Could be worse though I see Titus Bramble is training with the Hammers

  279. Ice you are to nicer guy to stab you in the back, he,s only traing with the hammers. Scary though.

    Wouldn’t dream of saying anything about your Mum. My Mum was born and bred East Ham and despite our best efforts she was a hammer

    Spent ten years working in Stratford, so am very used to claret and blue, plus the odd Orient fan

    My favourite Alladyce quote was when he said that the only way he would get the England job was if he changed his name to Alladichi. I know you are not a big fan, but he’s a likeable guy

    Like the Wham number, your idea?

  280. Talk sport radio 1089mw, The Daily Arsenal, between 4/7pm or 16:00/19:00 UK time. @Retsub do u know anything bout the new signing, what position, style of play, strengths & weakness, size, mobility, personality is he. No one seems to b excited. How much was the transfer.

  281. Ice
    I only know what I have read. And seen on u tube. He looks like a classic Wenger buy, he’s a big sod 6 feet 4 and was tipped for the t op until he got a double leg break (sound familiar)

    I suspect he will get limited chances this year.,,they got him on a free but have to pay compensation

  282. Ice retsub,
    He looks a half kanu half anelka type.
    Hard to know what he can bring to us right now but have to say Wengers statement really annoyed me.
    ‘ Sanogo is a very good young player who has shown promise at Auxerre and at u/21 level, we look forward to helping his development’.
    Sometimes the stuff the great man comes out with baffles me.
    Why not say we look forward fighting for or winning trophies with him, instead its more like- ‘ we look forward to grooming him for a big sale and profit just when we were about to bear the fruits of schooling him’.
    Makes me wonder if we really will try to buy quality this summer or keep putting in under value bids to make it look like we were trying and that the selling club played hardball…time will tell i suppose

  283. Sanogo as a signing does answer any of our immediate needs. He scored 5 goals in the French lower division last year. He is tall , strong , a good finisher in front of goal, but he is very raw, slow , technically average . In my opinion he should sent on loan to lower division to develop ,get playing time . In the best of all world , Sanogo could be ready ready to contribute in 2 or 3 years.

    Spurs has just signed a world class midfielder . IMO we have done nothing yet!

  284. Big gamble then i guess. Do u then ave no british player that age better than he? By the way look out 4 Chuba Akpom, 17 yrs old. Will b playing u21s this season. Scores goals. Ive known him well since he was 8

  285. To put it into perspective he’s played 7 games in 3 years and scored 9 goals.

    I see him just as a punt, he could be a Henry or a Diaby only time will tell.

    He certainly isn’t the answer for next season

  286. Sanogo is probably the third or fourth best player on this French under 20 team. If Wenger does not to buy top players, but instead buy 20 year olds , he has buy the best 20 year old German, French, Spanish, Italian players.
    A club of Arsenal standing has to buy the best all the time.
    Tired of fighting with Spurs and soon pool for 4th place!

  287. The best we can hope for him is that he turns out to be like Demba Ba or Lukaku. He has nothing like the speed or technical gift Henry had at that age. The only thing Sanogo and Henry have in common both have a French passport!

  288. Nice stuff guys……….
    Excellent write-up Retsub, I really do love a good story telling. Shambo and Shard(5yrs younger than me, I think ur an Incredible talent), what can I say? Excellent perspectives from you both and Terry, leftcoast, Kel, gunfest, delano, ICE as usual…..

    Tis real nice to come back and see stuff from a bit of a neutral point of view. I think I can safely say that we are all right about the way we go about defending our positions. While Shard keeps tempers cooled with his informative, but firm stances, Shambo comes up with his own set of valid counter points and we are back where we all started. Wonder how I was all part of this once. It really makes for sweet reading from a neutral point of view.

    I think the whole thing borders on the sort of people we brought in, the quality of the signings has been diminishing and this has played a major role with the disillusionment of the fans. That Wenger felt Giroud would score atleast 15goals can be pardoned because we secured 4th spot. I for one felt Podolski would be a CF when he was signed, afterall Walcott can deputise if need be. I think I remember Barcelona playing with Villa, Messi and Pedro and winning stuff with them upfront. Finally, on this particular subject, I think the scouting network whilst still very capable is limited by funds to really go out and see these second rate players first hand. Something is not just right somewhere. Someone said our money is diminishing and the club is trying to cover to not create panic, another says the club had to sell, but rely on training youth to survive the expenses that come with buying known quantities, hence keep up with the sugar daddies. I remember when we used to be linked with the best young talent, not anymore, thus, if we didnt build this new stadium, Eden Hazard would be an Arsenal player today. I think we have been hard hit by the decisions that have been made already and have to live with the consequences whether we like it or not. A lot of this whilst still haunting us (we might not regain our reputation anytime soon unless we win league or buy/spend crazily) negatively, needs us to be more proactive in transfers. Grab Cesar, Fellaini, Higuan first then think of getting Rooney as well(its all about the statement of intent). Show ruthlessness on the pitch, not dilly dally pass pass pass and finally pass back to the keeper to throw it to tbe stands for a corner….joking. People now rate City above us(I dont, but who cares), its about tbe statement they are making to the world…that they want the best, bla bla, that they want to win everything winnable. What we NEED right now is to get this sort of message out as soon as possible and especially do much more talking on tbe pitch. We played some outstanding football towards the end of last season, building on that style should be key. One of tbe positives this season has to be that Rosicky, Walcott or Cazorla is not heavily linked with a move away. So, if we dont move and wrap Higuan and Fellaini up, then next season it will be like we are not serious and Cazorla will be linked with City whether he likes it or not and we lose momentum again. For one, I dont see us talking too much about winning the league etc. We should be saying stuff like “We need this player to complete the puzzle etc”. I think its time for us to be bold and aggressive. Tevez went to Juve…they are linked with almost everyone good. This is because they show incredible intent, they will not pay over the odds, but u must be good to play there. I’m not saying we should’ve gotten Tevez, but if we had met Juve last season, I’m never afraid of giving them a spanking or two like we did Bayern. We must make ourselves wanted again….this is the sacrificial period more so now other clubs bave changed managers. Thus, the stability factor will definitely be in our favour. I say grab our boys, let us not allow 1mill, 2mill be in the way unless we have fantastic alternatives. Do business early and get ready to grab the league at least. I say we should go for it, this has to be our time.

    Cheers guys

  289. Great article Gunnerboss . Well the silly season is on again ..after being linked with Rooney, we are now linked with Suarez , what’s next Messi coming to Arsenal!?in the mean time no significant signings…

  290. Hello all.

    Back to blogging from a very humid Delhi.

    Will Higuain signing be conformed today? (UK time) It does seem like it’s going to happen, and while I’d like to be able to celebrate that signing, I’m prepared to wait.

    What about the rejected offer for Bender at Leverkusen? I think that shows that we’re looking for a defensive minded midfielder of that sort and that class. Fellaini is probably somewhere on that list too.

    As for Sanogo, I don’t get the criticism. He was never going to be the only striker brought in this summer. As it is, if Higuain joins, Sanogo is an inexpensive gamble that could pay off. Let’s face it, if the same player had joined ManU or Chelsea and then scored goals like the ones he’s scored for the youth teams, we’d be moaning about missing out on a top talent.

    Shambo, the reason for Wenger’s statement about Sanogo is that if he’d said what you suggest, people would go into a rage about how he’s only buying kids. I felt it was to give the image that Sanogo is only a young backup. But I suppose you can’t please everyone all the time.

    I see Sanogo as a backup to Giroud if we need a target man (type) up front. Higuain will be the deadly finisher, with backup provided by Podolski and Walcott. I think we need a DM, but also some more creativity. Which is what Grenier might have been about. Possibly taking up Gervinho’s place in the squad. Cesar will be good competition for Szczesny, especially in a Brazilian home World Cup year. Hope that gets done, though I quite like Fabianski too.

    We’ve been getting rid of players we don’t want (including at the youth level), and now we’ll start to bring in players. Either way, I think we have a good base to build from. The squad will be gelling from the start, and a few quality additions could see us feeling really excited.

    I can’t believe pre-season is already here. Well, almost.

  291. Shard, i realise now whv i took a break from this site, its because of u & the wav yr brain works. Iknow no one like u. Why cant u ever give a more balanced view on what ‘might be brewing behind those closed doors of Wengers office, Not all @ any

    club in the land is totally positive but thats all u seem to see. Football has good

    d & indifferent thats what makes the conversations interesting & sometimes compelling but u bore the hell out of me with yr typical spin on things. Have u always been this way, have u ever wanted someone sacked or replaced & made it known. Loosen up your collars man, you might find it liberating.

    known.Loosoccasion it can b refreshing.

  292. ice

    I rather like the way my brain works, thank you very much. I’d rather that than be ‘liberated’ by a world view in which something real cannot be positive. So really, stop reducing my argument to ‘everything is positive and great at Arsenal’. I don’t live in lala-land, and if you can’t wrap your brain around the nuances of the arguments I make, that’s on you. Not me.

  293. @shard, you did it, shows u can react directly instead of using spin, well done my man. Now do it when talking bout Asnl & Wenger.

  294. Ok ice. Tell everyone else to stop using media created cliches, and absurd sources as the wellsprings of their judgments on Arsenal, and I won’t need to balance it out with what you term ‘spin’.

    What does spin mean anyway? Doesn’t it just mean interpretation? Facts are all well and good. But there is a reason books have a story to tell, and people buy books (even non fiction ones) rather than a tome with a list of facts in it and nothing else. Facts by themselves are meaningless. They don’t mean anything without a context to place them in. If you don’t like the way I interpret facts that is probably because you interpret them differently. It is not because I ‘spin’ anything. Everyone ‘spins’ things, filters information according their own biases, because if they didn’t do that, it would all be just noise. So just because you feel yourself unable to counter my ‘spin’ with your own, doesn’t make me a spin merchant. Don’t take the moral high ground on that count, because none exists.

  295. Example

    Fact: Arsenal haven;t won a trophy in 8 years

    Interpretation/Spin: Arsenal are doing things wrong.

    You see. To you it is axiomatic perhaps. But the latter part is spin which draws on the fact that Arsenal haven’t won trophies, to present an argument.

    But the second statement doesn’t automatically follow from the first. You need to prove it. Which is what you are unable to do really. But because you speak against something, and largely have the weight of the generally useless football media in your corner, you feel you are justified in terming my view, a different view, as spin. It is you who’s been fooled by spin icehammer. The spin that only a certain section of opinion is a result of spinning things.

  296. Just went back for a look at this. Considering what they want onto do (Bayern) we can be proud of our lads for the way we played. Hopefully with Higuain and Fellaini we can push on this season and actually snag a trophy!

  297. We now need Fellaini. Bringing non premier league players in DM position will make us contenders for Top 4. But Fellaini will put us right in the mix for the Title.The mid field will now be packed the moment we see the arrival of Fellaini short of that even Higuain wont save us.Arteta is far older and physically not suitable.Wilshere can’t just do the job.Diaby must inform his agent to look for a new club while still at Hospital as he has no place.Frimpong can be good for back up.Just two players will create a hell of a difference at the Emirates but most importantly Fellaini must be at the Emirates to partner with Arteta in shileding our backand maintain the tenacity we had at the end of season marshalling out 1-0’s.

  298. @Gunfest and ICE – wow….thanks. I always thought ice was cold…..okay that said.. I think you have a wonderful personality Ice..real nice to see you have a real go at “you know who”…..

    Perez says we’ve made no bid for Higuain. I don’t think he wants haggling, he expects us to pay his fixed price or just forget it. Suarez wont come, same league, same stress he’ll be hopefully trying to escape from.
    Have we developed cold feet for Fellaini? I would take Rooney, Higuain and Fellini at once……the implications of such intent would be rivetting. Do we seriously have money? If so, do we want this league? Then? Having identified our targets, what is keeping us? Probably the same thing keeping Monaco from not bidding for Cavani. Somehow, there seems to be a lot of politics in these things, we never know. I think we need numbers and loads of confidence in the team to compete successfully for all these tournaments. Imagine what new marquee signings can do? I guess all of the above.

    Cheers guys and let’s hope we do our business soon

  299. @Gunnerboss, it would be fantastic if Wenger could get these 3 players but offering only 30mil for Suarez makes me believe that Wenger is only making a token gesture to dupe fans into thinking he is ready to splash the cash for top caliber players. He always knew his gesture would be sniggered at by Liverpool.

  300. Gunnerboss, I dont think felleini or Rooney want to be anywhere near the dressing room of Arsenal, no disrespect intended lads, it just does not fit. Ask yourself if these players wanted out wouldn’t other bigger clubs kow & make offers. I would love to be wrong but i doubt it.

  301. @ice – you could be correct on all counts.

    Falcao gone. Villa gone. Cavani almost…Remaining Suarez and Rooney. Somehow, Higuain is not in the above class by any means. But now the greatest twist of all…….Suarez wants to come to Arsenal. Higuain who? Wenger is actually making me smile. We are everywhere in the market……on everyone’s front door, peering in everyone’s nostrils, but asking some questions in a lot of nice places at the same time. This is hoping Chelsea get Benteke, but dont end up selling either Ba or Torres, thus leaving Suarez for us.

    Fellaini and another striker would seal it for me.

    Finally, nice to see Mata the snub being deemed surplus by Mourinho.

  302. The worst case scenario would be Benteke signing with Spurs and we do end up not signing Higuain and Fallini.

  303. Oh, dear ice. Maybe you should read something more than the Daily Mail. Here’s what the Guardian quotes Wenger as saying on the challenging for the title bit

    “We have better financial resources than the years before and resources that we have created ourselves, which is massively important to us. For years, we were out of the race for the top-level transfers but we are coming back now. It was a very sensitive period, a very difficult period and the challenge was to stay at the top in the Champions League.

    “But, of course, we want more and I hope in the next two to three years, the club will be competing every year for the Premier League.”
    …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

    As for the signing contract extension bit. That’s hardly news that Arsenal were going to offer it to him. Gazidis said so about a month ago. But Wenger, as quoted in the Daily Mail had this to say on the subject

    “‘I am committed to staying longer at this club. I’ve already had a chat with Ivan. It went very well, not a problem,’ the 63-year-old said.
    But Wenger, who has been at the helm since 1996, insists the decision will not rest solely with him.
    ‘What I will always do in the future is not to use my longevity (at this club) as an advantage to stay in this position if I don’t do well.
    ‘The contract will be decided in the future. That will depend on how well I do. I’ve always shown my commitment to this club and I don’t think I need to prove anything on that.
    ‘Would my decision depend on how well next season goes? I am like anybody else, of course, it is important to see how well we do.
    ‘I don’t automatically assume that I will be here. I think I knew when I committed to my last contract and the contract before that the club were going through a very sensitive period, because we had less financial resources and the challenge was to stay at the top and in the Champions League during that period.
    ‘We are coming out of that period and I hope in the next two or three years the club will be competing for the Premier League.’
    …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

    No doubt you will see me providing you and others with direct quotes as putting a ‘spin’ on things. In any case, you will always take the least charitable, and most inflammatory interpretation there can be, and call that ‘FACT’. The fact however is, that you have the reading of the quotes incorrect, as shown by using context provided from both sources. Context is everything, but to you, context = spin, and hence, it’s difficult to debate anything with you sensibly, especially since you are a determined a ‘spinner’ as any.

  304. @shard I actually got that story from ESPN TV-Press Pass and I dont read news papers. What I have discovered is that football is like politics where representatives of clubs or parties say things that seldomly hold water, or covers the issues or concerns of its voters or fans. So by researching as many media output as possible and speaking directly to pro players @ yr club, gives me a different “Spin” on things. But im not saying my methods r totaLly accurate just another angle. Sometimes even the Sun news paper have hit the nail on the head.

  305. theicehammer

    There I agree with you completely. Public utterances (and their interpretations) are not something which are necessarily what they appear.

  306. Guys am surely running out of patience and this recent contract extension surely sounds a real joke by Wenger.Genuinely what is causing the delay or any failure to sign any player by now.Sonogo is a prototype of a young Chamakh.You just can,t imagine that Fellaini and Suarez/Higuain could easily swing the title in our favour but nothing seems to happen and every one at the Emirates is contented. If two of those strikers are expensive i would then painfully settle for Jovetic.But to me if Suarez was available never mind his ban for ten games,i would take him any day due to his work ethic and skill.Besides that he is premier league tested.

  307. Im @ this moment watching Asnl v Indonesia live on ESPN. Chuba Akpom 17 is starting 4 u up top. Ive known im since e was 7 & my son played with im @ the academy for 5 years. Big quick & strong, a decent prospect but has so much to learn. Walcott just scored very good goal good skill & pace by Ox 4 the assist. Some more good wing play from Walcott.

  308. We have money, but won’t spend because we don’t want to buy the league. “Its like running a race and someone signs Bolt, the others have no chance”. Yes they do Wenger……that chance is in getting those that could finish closest. Barca have Messi, they won the league, but they bought Neymar? We proudly finished fourth, who have we got? There seems to be no urgency……but while patience is a very good virtue, history will always favour the brave and the bold.

    I say we get Suarez and grab Fabs and Fellaini. Yes, just like Bayern, I think rotation would do us more good especially as we are going to put in extra effort for the league.

  309. Manure is trying to strengthen. Bayern won the CL but brought in Goetze and others.Psg won their league but bought Cavani.

  310. Guys its now trickier than earlier thought. Napoli have the money and want Higuain. Madrid were just holding out so as to get more money and it appears Napoli will pay above 35 million just to land him as they have the money.Where is my arsenal? Chelsea want Ronnie and they will get him cause they have the money.Madrid is finally going to pay for Suarez somewhere above 40 million as Suarez prefers Madrid ahead of us and wants out of England. So who are we going to sign? Nothing is the answer.Jovetic is being lined up for City.I just can’t even see us mounting any sensible fight for Top.And if the statusquo remains as it is ,its better we are thumped in the Champions league qualifiers so that we concentrate domestically with less engagements.All the playing staff are crying out loud for signings but neither the board or Wenger is taking action.They are procrastinating time so as to buy bargains and cheap crap.How long is this stupidity of we have Cash going to go on with out walking the talk.

  311. @delano we new that , Wenger has been procrastinating and has sign no one of quality. Is anyone really given the track record of the last few years?
    There will not be any improvement unless there is a change at the top.

  312. Procrastinating is the verb meaning: delaying/”putting off until the last possible moment(s).

    In our case this procrastination will be costly, as the sale of Cavani and Falcao have overinflated the cost of strikers.
    I will shocked if we buy Suarez or Higuain , if not it will be a battle to finish fourth once again !

    Finishing outside the top 4 is probably our best chance to see changes at Arsenal. Right now there is no pressure or urgency to get better.

  313. As we celebrated beating Spurs on the final day for Top 4,no one envisaged what a blessing in disguise it was. I realistically knew it will all be dejavu again.Something fundamental had to happen last season so that we could see a bright future. The only positive this time around is that we may not loose any player dear to us.The worst hopeless act was to promise Wenger a new contract amidst all this mediocrity of scrapping for Top 4. Playing Europa footie was the best chance we had of getting a trophy and knowing we are weak but this blanket cover of top 4 has fooled both the board,coach and the fans that we are by any stretch of imagination strong enough. I hope Liverpool make it to the Top 4 other than Spurs so that we feel the pain they have gone through. Why boost of having the fuckin money if you can,t spend it.So many players are available but again this joke of a coach is playing the same antics and conjectures the fans and media have heard since eternity.

  314. Meanwhile..There were two football matches which took place. It’s a sad indictment of the modern ‘game’, that the game itself is deemed less worthy of discussion than transfer market speculation. And that’s all it is. Speculation. I’d love us to have already signed Higuain, and 3-4 other players. I am worried we’ll miss out on the talent that is available. But none of us know what is the reason behind any ‘delay’. Procrastination? The latest reports (not that I definitely believe them) say Madrid hiked their price at the last, after everything was basically agreed. Not by 1 or 2 ‘measly’ million. But by something like 10 or 15 million. Thatsuggests that basically, they don’t want to sell. The only reason they will is if they get enough money to buy Suarez. Hopefully, Higuain would want to join us over Napoli.

    But anyway, in the world of transfer speculations, perception is king. And the perception is set in most people’s minds already, and nothing I say will change that.

    And before anyone jumps on my back, let me say, I’d be very disappointed with the club if we didn’t sign most of the players the squad needs. In my view a striker, a CB, a DM, and another creative player are required. Maybe a GK too, but I wouldn’t mind if it was Szcz and Fabianski again. Also, not all of those necessarily need to be bought. Perhaps the creative addition could come from one of the players in the academy, such as Eisfeld or Aneke. Buying a DM will help our creative output anyway, as will having Rosicky and Wilshere fit. So come on Arsenal. Get moving, and improve the squad.

    About the matches. Giroud looked sharp, and even Podolski seemed to be a little fitter. If Giroud can add better finishing to his game, I think he could offer us 25 league goals. The opposition were obviously substandard, but I think it was also that this team look ready and raring to go for the season ahead. I think there is a genuine will and belief at the club that we can win a trophy or two this year.

  315. @shard
    Give theicehammer some credit, didn’t u read my report on the first friendly (0-7). No . No one elaborated so i assumed there was no further interest. I was only trying to change the topic of conversation. I have watched a few of the youngsters perform in NexGen last season & thought 1 or 2 show potential.

  316. Ice, if we were a football club, you would be in charge oF youth development, you obviously have inside knowledge. Do you know anything about this kid Zelalem, he looks like a good un

  317. Sorry Ice. An apology is due to you. I actually did read your comment as I was watching the game against Indonesia on Arsenal Player, and I think I quickly removed it from my mind since I didn’t want to know what was going to happen. After that, I just forgot about it.

    There is considerable interest, on my part at least, in discussing the actual football. Transfers are fun to discuss too, but not with the angst that is most often on display when that topic comes up.

  318. @Shard.You surely must be laughing at your joke yourself to suspect that we shall be able to challenge for a trophy next season. I can’t see any evidence of the desire to sign anyone at the Emirates this season. Guys is there any truth in the signing of a so called Brazillian wonder kid Benard? If we had a 70 million as said why would buying a Higuain at 40 million be a problem if the desire is surely there.We dont even need to exhaust the 70 million so as to compete.We are just 3 players away from competing effectively.Just buy Fellaini about 26 million,Suarez or Higuain about 45 depending and a Central defender that is if Miguel is not good enough and that is all we need. The fans are not asking for the impossible.This is all realistically achievable having offloaded players like Santos and the like.What the hell is really wrong with Wenger?? to keep the fans under such misery.It is foolhardy for any fan to think we can compete with this mediocre squad having thumped inferior Asian teams 7 goals.

  319. Delano
    You contradict yourself by saying we don’t need to exhaust £70 million, just buy Fellaini for £26 million and Suarez or Higuain for £45. That’s your £70 gone… Bang

    It’s really not fair to say there is no evidence of trying to buy players. We have bid for a number of players including Suarez and probably
    Higuain.

    I am feeling really good about this season. All three of our major rivals have new managers and as well as some new signings (which I am sure will happen). We have some exciting youngster chomping at the bit. We have also been very successfull in shipping out a number of unwanted players

    Shelling out huge over inflated prices for players just because we have some cash is not the way to go in my opinion. Higuain looks really good to me, but a week ago Madrid were talking around £25 million, now they want £40… Silly money

    Lastly why is it when teams like Spurs and Liverpool run us close for 4th everyone says great team, forward looking, got it right etc etc. but we are mediocre.

    With the exception of United no other team (that hasn’t been bankrolled) has achieved anything near what Arsenal have

    Mediocre? I think not

  320. delano

    Oh my God. A fan that actually believes in his team. What a joke!! We can’t be having that sort of thing around here or the term supporter might start to mean something.

    But the snarkiness aside, I do agree with you. It is not unreasonable to expect that the squad will be strengthened. I wish Arsenal hadn’t come out with how rich they are now, because that sort of announcement only puts them under pressure, and the selling clubs will look to exploit this. And well, they are within their rights to do so. But that doesn’t mean Arsenal should just cave on whatever price (and the scheduling of payments, bonuses etc. It isn’t as simple a matter as just a round number being agreed upon)

    Even without a signing, our squad will be better next season. Which is actually not a reason to not sign anyone, but more of a reason to, because we are very close to having all the ingredients. It would be a shame to not build on that. So, we’re not in disagreement about the facts. Merely in our reaction to them.

  321. Even though we are nearing Bernard, I’m thinking lose Suarez and that’ll be it. Goodness, Fellini is a giant, a footballing giant….we need him and Per tree to attack at corners.

    We need to shift or change our scoring strategy a bit cos we are a bit predictable now. We struggle to score goals and this is not how you reach the pinnacle. Barca reaches the semis year in year out because 80percent of their players are just basically enjoying their game. But, we stress, huff puff and when we should put in commanding performances to reach the quarters of the ECL, maybe we’re just coming back from Intl friendlies or played a very difficult and stressful cup replay or just lost to Blackburn or stoke……Its always one thing.

    If manure gets Bale, don’t care who we or City sign, it’ll be game over. While not underestimating our capabilities, I still think struggling is not the way to go……WAY TOO MUCH MISSED CHANCES. No team survives this way.

  322. Gunnerboss

    Totally agree on Fellaini, I think he would be a great asset
    ..
    I don’t know what all the delays are about, but with today’s inflated prices £70 million doesn’t go that far
    If Fellaini is £23 million and Higuain £35 that’s the budget blown. With Verm injured we only have Miguel and Sagna as back up centre backs.

    Goalkeeper?

    Difficult decisions

  323. Retsub

    Exactly! In my view, all this talk of how Arsenal are rich, distracts from the fact that it is still a limited budget. I think it is quite clear that we are looking to make a marquee signing, while also looking at other positions. I can only conclude that since the striker is to be the marquee, and the most expensive, signing, we are waiting to see how much he costs, and then accordingly make bids for players in other positions that we may have enquired about already.

    The fact that Higuain’s price was raised by 10-12 million probably requires Arsenal to redo the math about how they are going to distribute their budget in what positions, for what players. And possibly think if they want to try and increase their budget by increasing cash flow etc.

    Then you also have issues with bonuses, scheduling of payments (which affects cash flow) , agents fees etc. It’s all quite complicated. However, I think results are to be expected. I’m fairly relaxed at this stage, but I do want the squad to be strengthened before the window closes, although I’m actually treating the Emirates Cup as the psychological cutoff point. I think the club would like to announce a major signing before then.

  324. The announcement of what funds we had available by Ivan Gazidis back in May now looks idiotic but for a couple of reasons.
    Firstly, as Shard has stated we are wide open to exploitation from the selling club over any fee if they think we are flush.
    Also, there are probably double figure numbers of clubs who are swifter and more astute than us in the transfer market. Couple this with the fact that anyone in football worth his salt knows that Arsenal and the board are under pressure to deliver and it means we are in a terribly weak bargaining position, this is all stuff within our own control, unlike the craziness of the Cavani/ Falcao inflated lunatic spending.
    Investigating Gazidis and Wengers openess on the topic of funds has lead me to believe its all bolox simply because I dont believe either man to put us in such a poor bargaining position by revealing our 70m overflow.
    What I do believe is that in saying we have 70m at the time of season ticket renewels whips up excitement and confidence for an oncoming new season and gets fans hoping.
    A couple of undervalued bids for top players later with no results are their in a position to saythey tried hard but were not going to be held to ransom for obscene amounts of money.
    We have been here before only never with this standard of player being mooted.
    Suarez, Higuain, Fellaini, Bernard, Rooney, etc.
    Jovetic was the first and where did he end up?
    Bottom line is its actually, from their point of view, innovative genius by Wenger and Gazidis they way theyv changed up their propaganda this year and they might pull it off because even if we sign no player of note alot of fans will feel safe in the knowledge that theres 70m tobe spent if “top top top” players should become available.
    This is not negativity this to me is realism based on what Iv seen before and what I know myself from paying attention.
    Away from this hello Shard, Ice, del, gboss and lefty hope your all well…Giroud lookin fitter this season and is impressing me, granted its preseason but hes looking lean and sharp.
    Expect Cesar and Micah Richards bids but the rest is all posturing.
    Fabregas to Utd is the only thing that could ruin Ivan and Arsenes hope of not having to spend again this summer but if they allow this to happen expect riots outside the ground!!! At the mo Moyes says they were given encouragement after the first bid and have returned with a £30m offer and hope this plus add ons will see him line out with Dutch wanker next year.
    Squeaky bum time for Arsenal money men.

  325. Well written Shambo, what you say makes sense. I really hope we get Higuain, but anything can happen. Am a little concerned by the cracks appearing at the back and the last thing we need is a patched up defence to start the season.

    Don’t know much about Bernard, but hopefully he can cross a ball., the new kid (whose name escapes me). Looks like a real talent

    As usual I am hopefully for the new season, but if we are going to challenge we need reinforcements albeit at over inflated prices

    Fabregas to united would be awful, I saw a rumour Arsenal were trying to buy Carrick??…

    Not long to go now

  326. And of course retsub, how did i forget you, how you keepin bro?
    Bernard seems to be a hoax rumour but time will tell.
    Heard nothing about Carrick but hope its bull hes not what we need.
    I think Madrid have excepted a bid for Hig but hes draggin his heels because hed prefer a move to London with us or Chelsea, dont get your hopes up on him my friend.

  327. Shambo
    Fine thanks if a bit sweaty in the Delhi weather

    I learned a long time ago not to get excited about transfers that rarely happen. Hopefully someone will make a move and start a chain reaction

    Still like the ideaofFellaini we need a beast

  328. shambo

    Hey man. How are you doing? I agree with your perception of Giroud. He seems hungrier. In my view, the whole squad does. I’m also looking forward to having some of the young guns making a positive contribution to the season.

    While I think we are in agreement about the pressure we’ve put ourselves under with the announcements from Gazidis, it must be pointed out that at no point has Gazidis mentioned any figure, let alone 70m pounds. The only figures he’s ever mentioned, because he was specifically asked, was if Arsenal could spend 25m on transfer fees, and 200k on wages for a player. He said Arsenal can do that and even more than that. The 70m figure is the creation of the newspaper writers.

    I did do my own rough calculations (based on assumptions) a few months ago, and I think I reached the conclusion that 70m isn’t very far off what we can do. Something like 60-80 is a reasonable estimate of our spending power, without stretching ourselves too much.

    Other clubs have financial experts too and I am sure they can determine Arsenal’s ‘budget’ fairly well. That wasn’t the problem with the statements. The problem is that the club have now basically told fans that they will buy big. This puts them under pressure to deliver, and the selling club knows it. I can only conclude that the club felt this was worth it, because they wanted to combat the negativity about Arsenal in the press. Which seems fair enough too, because potential signings will now be thinking, Arsenal can go for it, rather than the talk being about Arsenal in decline. The tone has changed, and I think the club feels it’s worth having to pay the extra money for signings for this. I still believe we will buy at least one ‘name’ player. Whether that is Higuain, Suarez or somebody else. I don’t know.

  329. Shard
    Delhi was just a reference to the London weather. Only ever made it as far as Bombay airport (in transit). Spent my working career in the Middle East until I got put in prison for triple murder

    I still think we will get one big one, as long as its not Rooney

  330. Retsub

    Aah. Ok. I did hear London was exceptionally hot today. But still, after all the complaints I heard of no sunshine, it’s hard to find sympathy 🙂 Not that you are looking for it. And now, I don’t know what to make of your triple murder sentence. You wouldn’t happen to be a hitman would you?

  331. No a Banker (boo hiss)

    It was a case of mistaken identity but I had the pressure of spending the night in an Arab prison

  332. HAHHHH!!!
    Aint nobody gonna be triflin’ with the Retsub after todays revelation!!
    Shard,
    Yeah, I could maybe buy into that theory of counteracting the negative press if it wernt for the fact that the negative press is and has been generated from Arsenal fans unrest, they picked up on it years ago and have only fanned the flames since. If they dont deliver in a big way then the fan and his bedmate, the media will go into a frenzy worse than ever.
    No buddy, I still think their havin a go at leadin us a merry dance again. But time will tell.
    And just for the record….this year is actually the first one in the last eight where we have quality on board and quality coming through, eisfield, gnabry, etc etc are not far away and you can be sure now more than ever that Wenger is ready to stick to his principles.
    Shard, any idea where Joel Campbell was for the Asia tour, I thought permit was green lit.

  333. Retsub. A banker eh? A convenient cover for your more sinister work no doubt. But bankers aren’t very popular these days. You might be safer saying you are a hitman 😀

    I kid, I kid. It must have been quite a scary experience though. A murder suspect in an Arab prison. I mean..Wow. Have you ever seen any of those NatGeo programs called jailed abroad, or something like that? Scary stuff.

    Shambo,
    Yeah, but I operate under the assumption that Arsenal do not want to piss off their fans. Why would they intentionally do that? As for principles. I agree. But I think they are misunderstood. Does Wenger like giving youth a chance? Yes he does. But he’s never been against spending money. He’s just against spending what you don’t have, and he’s against spending it just for the sake of it. The Invincibles were founded on us paying high wages. We could afford it at the time. We’re getting back to a similar situation.

    Wenger will stick to his principles. He will continue to give a chance to the young players that deserve it. But the so called ‘project youth’ has been over for the past 2 years. There’s been an increase in the age and profile of the signings we’ve made. We have a good base now because Wenger managed to get us through what was a tough (but necessary) phase in our evolution as a club. I don’t think Wenger intends to not reap the fruits of what has been, in large part, his labour.

  334. Greetings All. Thought I would come back and see how our discussion is going. I must say it’s pretty much the same as it was a few weeks ago.And last year. And the year before that!
    Its nice to see we are keeping the tradition alive. I honestly don’t know what to make of our transfer strategy anymore. Actually its a bit of a stretch to cal it a strategy!
    I agree that Ivan G saying we were flush with moolah and ready to pay the big bucks and can afford the likes of Rooney’s wages (not that I want us to play Princess Fiona for him) looks like it has backfired.
    I am more concerned with our paper thin defence although I don’t think we need to go for a new keeper. I still think 2 Poles are better than one!
    I am also interested to see what plans there are for players like Eisfeld and Miyachi and Joel Campbell. The transfer stuff is just papers trying to outdo each other with the most ridiculous guff. Honestly, Fabregas to Manure my arse!
    I have been watching the cricket. You think we have problems, the Aussies are taking a hell of beating. Bring back Warnie and the Waughs!

    Enjoy your summer and I look forward to cheering on our new marquee signing plucked from the French non-league and Abou Diaby back to fitness which is better than new signing…

  335. Retsub hope the heat goes easy on you. Forgot that I had auto correct for the Fellini stuff(using my galaxy tab fulltime now). I don’t usually misspell names. Also, good to know u were in the middle east, I’m there now and the heat here is incredible. Without the air-conditioning everywhere here, it would be absolutely unbearable.

    Nice one there Terry. Very nice.

    GATS to agree with Shambo and the familiar merry go round, seems to suit everyone. Dilly dallying with Higuain is the worst sort of nothing done I’ve ever seen, why couldn’t we pay what Magreed wanted at first? If we go for him now at this current price, it would make me hate them forever. Is there no better player? Former price was okay because Higuain is no better than Walcott in finishing…..a waster he is. Now? 37mil? Makes no sense at all. I say we get Fellaini and go all out for Suarez(even if it is 50mill). He is worth more actually…..magreed want to sell Higuain quickly and use the money to buy Suarez. We have money, but dilly dallying yet again. What is the point of the money? Suarez is as big a talent as anyone can get. Wanna compare him with the waster Torres? His work rate is what I admire most, but he can do all sorts of things too. If we want the league, I say we get him.

    Now, I’ll leave all the transfer speculation cos Wenger is trying to drive me nuts already. We’re working our socks off and doing well pre-season. When the season starts, these guys get tired or disappear. We have to learn to conserve our energy, Podolski will be dead before March if Wenger keeps on STRESSING him this way. We need to be able to show up in the big matches……I’m no longer impressed with 10-0 preseason score lines.

  336. Gunner boss
    Salam Ailekum
    A few words of advice then

    Don’t mess with Arab girls
    Don’t pay attention to zebra crossings they mean nothing
    Avoid prison
    If you are driving,,,good luck
    Avoid Gulf Air
    Have fun

  337. We should have done our business before PSG and Monaco …now all the asking price are overinflated.

    On a lighter note , having lived for a few years in Middle East , great advice by Retsub!

  338. GunnerBoss

    You might prefer Suarez to Higuain (I don’t), but you are wrong about Higuain’s finishing. Higuain’s stats show him to be a great finisher. Much better than Suarez, who by the way, is in Giroud territory in terms of finishing. But Suarez is a hard working player no doubt. And skillful. Can he use his skill to Arsenal’s benefit, or will he end up monopolising the ball like he does at Liverpool? I don’t know. I suspect he could adapt, but Higuain is the better finisher. It depends on what you think we need more, but there is no way Suarez is worth 15-20m pounds more than Higuain, especially when you also consider his behavioral issues.

    Apparently we had the Higuain deal wrapped up before Madrid ramped up their price. Perhaps we should still have paid it, but I can understand why we wouldn’t. What I don’t understand is why we’re bidding 40m for Suarez (and this is likely to go higher if we want him) but wouldn’t pay 30m for Higuain. I’ve given up trying to make sense of it all. I’m going to just wait and see what happens. I know what I’d like to see happen this transfer window. I hope it does.

    About Fellaini. I know a lot of people are fans, and I think he’s a good player too. I just have a feeling that he’s just a little over hyped. I’m not sure he’s the sort of player who Arsenal should sign as first choice. I think players like Gonalons, Capoue, or Bender are better. Fellaini is not a bad choice, and I understand why people like him so much, and feel he can give us something we lack. Still, I think we can do better, especially at that price. By the way, does anyone have any thoughts on bringing back Flamini? He’ll come on a free, and it could allow us to spend more in other areas.

  339. Shard
    Flamini was brilliant the season he filled in at left back and then moved to midfield.

    To be honest I haven’t seen much of him since. I guess like a lot of others before him he went on to lesser things

  340. Flaminis an interesting one.
    Unlike many others he didnt force a move, his contract was up so theres no anymosity from the fans in that regard.
    Is he what we need right now, probably not.
    There are players of his position that are stronger, faster and can offer more and thats where we should be looking. Pogba, Capoue, Kongdobia, etc have what we lack in our midfield but they have the finesse to play once theyv retrieved possession. Bender would be ideal.
    I think weve signed Bernard from what Im hearing and reading from comments.
    Theres obviously word splattered all over rumours sites but when Wenger was asked if it were through he flat out denied it, unusual for him to close himself off from the idea of any player and to me it looks like somethings in the pipeline but Wenger is giving the 20 year old the space he needs to concentrate on the Libertadores Cup Final tonight, add this to the approach he took with Podi and Caz and it gives me some hope as this kid is a serious talent.
    Outside of him Iv no idea whos really out there that can make us serious challengers next season.
    Jovetic, Navas, Fernandinho & Negredo at City.
    Higuian goin Napoli.
    Soldado potentially to Spuds/Pool.
    I can see my worst nightmare unfurling and us signing Gomez or someone like him up front.
    When will we get a player that someone else wanted that we got to first??????? Now Napoli are trumping us?
    C’mon.

  341. Same here Retsub. Haven’t seen much of Flamini. I also agree with Shambo that there are better players than Flamini. I was just thinking that we need players in multiple positions What if we save money on a DM by getting Flamini, but get say, Williams, Bernard, Suarez/Higuain, instead of bidding 20m+ for Fellaini or another such DM, and having to cut costs on other positions. With our injuries, we need a defender (and short term cover for LB, which Flamini could provide I suppose), we need a DM, we need a striker, and we need one more creative player. Perhaps a GK as well. 70m doesn’t go too far. So we need to think about the best combination to use it for.

  342. oh and Shambo. Gomez has moved to Fiorentina. I read somewhere that Juventus might be looking to sell Mirko Vucinic, perhaps for as little as 12m. He’s also someone we should potentially look at if we’re looking for a creative striker, who can play in the hole as well as wide. But he does have a bit of Berbatov’s laziness about him. Rumoured Tottenham target Lisandro Lopez is also someone I’ve liked for a long time. A good finisher, and at 30 years of age, a better investment than Villa I feel. Although it depends on how much he’ll cost.

    I don’t want Gomez or Benteke. They are similar to Giroud, who will improve. even Lewandowski is similar to Giroud in his playing style, and while I wouldn’t say no to him, I would prefer we get someone who adds variety to our attack. I suspect, if we sign Bernard, Podolski might move into attack. So maybe that is why we’re prioritising Suarez over Higuain, since I think Podolski offers finishing like Higuain does, but not Suarez’s dribbling.

  343. I just finished watching Liverpool at the MCG. Suarez came on for last twenty minutes. He didn’t look like a player who was desperately keen to play but not that that means anything. It was only a friendly. A friendly watched by 95000 mind you!!! IN Australia! WTF? The world’s gone mad.

    Great player, Racist twat though. Not sure how I would feel if he joined us. I am hoping its all some elaborate plot to force Real’s hand to buy him and then allow us to get Higuain after all. Or maybe I have been reading too much Game of Thrones.

    I wondered myself about Flamini but he has spent the last few years being a bit part player in a struggling Milan team. I think we can do better. Still think the defense is the number one priority.

  344. Bringing back Flamini would be a complete Joke.He is frequently benched at Milan and has basically retarded.In essence he is no issue for us and he is not any where near Song or Viera.
    On the serious not some one commented of Vucinic. He is not what we want and is not any different from Maroune Chamakh.
    Am thinking Liverpool are trying to be arrogant and to sell and are still waiting for Madrid to make a bid so as to technically sway us off.They are not willing to sell to us and we shall only get him if Madrid show no interest at all which i don’t think will happen.
    I hear Higuain is as well as gone and that’s really bad News for us.In any case the money we have is much to be wasted on just a player who our rivals jealously don’t want to sell to us cause 40m pounds is to big to reject even talks unless Anfield officials are on drugs for a player who hasn’t showed any faith in them. If he didnt want a move he would have cleared the air long time but he has instead left Liverpool fight it all alone to convince fans that he is in their grasp.
    It is still possible that we can get a gem of a striker in either of the Portugese teams plus other talents on the money we have.If at all a Fellaini is included some where in our first team plus two good signings of a descent striker ,we shall be so good to compete with the Top 4. We just need Fellaini, Julio ceaser,and a certain descent striker all to a tune of about 55mpounds and we shall be a light years ahead of Liverpool even with their Suarez in the team. We risk seeing the real Higuain against us with Napoli in the Emirates cup soon.

  345. I’m sorry but in no way is Vucinic like Chamakh. I admit I haven’t seen him play much, but I have still seen him play. A completely different player. Very Berbatov like though in terms of his moodiness, but slightly more mobile. Not saying we should go for Vucinic. Just putting his name out there as possible options.

    Can anyone think of other strikers/forwards we could/should get if we miss out on Higuain (as is now almost certain) and on Suarez too?

  346. Shard in a word..no
    Interesting though though, when you compare Uniteds goals last season, our forwards and midfield matched theirs. The difference was their defenders were also scoring goals.

    If we can’t get a 20 goal striker maybe we should sign some free scoring defenders

    I will pretend I didn’t suggest that

  347. Vermaleen attempted free scoring and the rest is History. I can’t suggest any other striker if we miss out on Suarez.The last hope shall be Ronnie who i think Chelsea will prize us out. We may end up going back for Benteke which is a downgrade considering our prior ambitions.
    Guys on a serious note if i was Wenger i would immediately before close of business today take the 50 million.This is in anticipation that Magreed are going to immediately pay for his services slightly more than us.
    The quicker Wenger Acts the better otherwise we are resigned to loosing him with Ronnie as the only hope.

  348. Guys

    Andrews business website ‘Feint Creative’ refers to his recently retired web page #arsenal FC blog.

    I guess we have been shut down but no one bothered to let us know

    a new home is required but my experience of other blogs are they can b be somewhat clicky if you know what I mean

    Any suggestions

  349. Retsub,
    Like you I never bothered much with other blogs as they didnt have the feel of this one but I think the dozen or so individuals we have here should move together if there are any suggestions.
    Good luck to Andy of course he has alot more on his plate and he put serious work into this blog, but, having touted the potential idea of new writers, which was well received, he could have let us know the obvious himself.
    Anyway, someone name a site and lets pack our bags.

  350. Shambo

    Here are my thoughts

    Positively Arsenal. A bit too positive for some
    A cultured left foot.. Balanced but very busy
    Bergkampesque. Quite like this one

    Any other thoughts?

    Shard?

  351. Retsub,
    Bergkampesque gets my vote but il wait to see what the other fellas say.

  352. As he was the Iceman I am good with Bergkamp Esky.Sorry, terrible pun I know.

    What’s the plan? Do we all invade on mass and seek asylum there or do we infiltrate by stealth and before you know it we have Kel, Shard, Shambo and Retsub running the show?

    Sixteen days to go before the season and we still have Bendtner! But no Suarez.

  353. Before we leave, let someone say One, Two, ready? Go…..after others accept.

    This is like the extended family community, here’s hoping to keeping our names as well. Wish we could somehow refresh with just a single new page per month, after all we’ve had worse.
    Sad for Andy to abandon this the way he has done, but good to know he is alive and well. Good luck to you Andy wherever you are, I wish you all the best. I will miss the writing and composure the most….I really love a good read.

    Cheers guys

  354. Ha, terry, I would say we aclimatise, adapt, then conquer!!!!
    Ah no, honestly, it would be great to keep in touch with the core from here, if not then its no biggie but there will be no takeover or stirrin the pot from me!!

  355. Guys i have been at Cultured left foot and it all looks good.Am gona check out on Berg>>>>. Otherwise am resigned to giving up on the transfers cause prudence dictates that adding just 10 million to get a player of Suarez caliber can,t make you think twice cause we risk not buying any one on the evidence available.

  356. Forgot u gave me some tips Retsub. Thanks.

    Believe me, my watchword has always been “Beware of the Ninja”…….

    That said, why were you particular about the ladies? Too costly, invitating male counterpart trouble, too friendly? I’m in Dubai, here’s a bit lax, so just curious……

  357. Terry you made me laugh with your talk of invasion or insurrection.

    Well I don’t know guys. Bergkampesque seems to have the most votes here. I have only been on there a few times and I quite like it. I know some of the regulars there from another site called ArsenalArsenal. That’s a pretty unique site where all of the readers contribute posts as and when they can. You get quite a mixture of opinions, and people disagree, but there’s always a general level of respect, and they knoe how to agree to disagree. I am fine with Bergkampesque though. Any site named after my favourite player is fine with me. I’ll look forward to carrying out our discussions in a new environment with new people to interact with.

    Andy/Spanish Fry. Thanks for keeping the blog going for as long as you did. Hopefully you’ll be back sometime. Cheers.

  358. Gunnerboss
    Just joking about Arab women but they normally have big brothers keeping an eye on them. As you’ll know Dubai is a pretty liberal almost European city.

    I was stopped at border control in Kuwait once and the passport control guy said to me do I like Kuwaiti women? Loaded question if ever there was one. I gave some polite reply and he responded too much makeup!,,,,

  359. I am going to sign up now on Berkampesque!
    lol Retsub!
    Hey Gunnerboss, I have a lady who just moved to Dubai , just keep hands off her ..lol

  360. Hi all, been a while posting but been reading your views. Sad to see Andy drop off like that, but I do like bergkamp esque, just went an saw it is up and running see you guys there. Here’s to a a successful season. Cheers.

  361. Hi guys this blog is dead, really sad though i enjoyed it, BUT on a serious note am back from holiday and just how i left this squad is same way it has remained, how sad!!!!
    I can’t hear you Shard and Retsub, gone quite???
    This is going to be an interesting season.
    And to compound it all this is what our great manager says
    http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1511515/arsene-wenger-confident-arsenal-youth?cc=3888

    If wenger is working on signings then my name is BRUCE WAYNE

  362. Kel

    I don’t think we will ever agree on much, but its been fun jousting with you and a blog without the odd punch up is pretty boring.

    A few of us are going over to Bergkampesque if you are interested,

  363. Hi all, just back from a few days away in the West Indies & feeling fully charged & readv 4 the up coming season. Surry to announce my disagreement wid Shambo & co but in my opinion Flamini is the exact type of player Asnl desperately require. Some of the MD’ers mention are technically probably better but Asnl are over prescribed in that area. Flamini can attack distroy create & score. He drives Everton on is passionate, & @ times unplayable with his head & chest. Last season he was in my opinion the best spine player in the prem. More than worth the transfer & is proven in the prem.

  364. @Gun fest – lol. I will when you give me her number……
    @Retsub – amazing question. Didn’t even want ur opinion.

    Cheers everyone and here’s hoping bergkamp esque will do it for us. Sad as I’ve never been on any other blog….

  365. I thought you guys were going to a new blog I’v been there and no site of you.
    Anyways while we change sites Arsene wenger has continue to prove me right
    that he is no longer the manager that he was and that money was never an issue, it simply was the way he wanted to do things and that’s by buy raw players and develop them. There we some on this blog who called me negative when i was just being realistic, how have we found ourselves in this situation with 2 weeks to go and no new signings to boast about, the answer is Arsene wenger.
    Its appears and i use Appears intentionally that we have thrown all our eggs in one basket for Luis, if that fails, then what????? and i think it might because most sensible people won’t sell their best player to a rival, Ask Arsenal, they would/have never do/done that!!!! I think he will end up at Madrid
    shard where are you, you promised me wenger would fix the issues the team had this summer and if he does i would willingly eat humble pie BUT as the window drawers closer highly unlikely. What’s going on at Arsenal under wenger’s stewardship is total madness, why wait so late????
    I only have one question for mr wenger because i already know the answer to all the others he would give BUT the most prominent one is this: If we do not win anything this season would you resign????? That’s all and if he does not and he (which i may add as mentioned before on other blogs) may have signed a contract extension already and just waiting on the right time to announce it then what a shame. But then again who would blame him because at noother club would he be allowed to escape with so much negligence and remain at the club.

  366. Hey guys I always enjoyed reading your views. Sad to see you go. It’s been great.

  367. Deal breaker is Just the scrolling with the phone, left my laptop ages ago. Useless, except for editing documents…..else, I say we stay. Its 50-50 though. We will never have what we have here elsewhere.

    Cheers guys. Excited with my beach home, no time for venting. I’m so gratefull to God for this. Thank you Jesus

  368. @ Gunners boss
    Like were the only people here????
    Hey guys can’t someone get in contact with andy so we can continue this blog i don’t want to go anywhere else, all we need is a change of post ever so often, whats the name of his new site?? lets leave him a message

  369. Kel

    If you google feint creative you will get the link. I think you have been left high and dry though.

    Have to say the bergkampesque site seems very friendly and amising with regular posts

    Anyone using it under a different name?

  370. Nice thrashing of Man $ity today.
    The 3 goals were nice and so was the away supporters heckling of the chinless wonder, Noel Rosa’s living stand-in, and erstwhile twat supremo Samir the chicken-hearted Nasri.
    Anyone hear about Luiz Gustavo coming from Bayern for 14 million pounds?
    (sorry but my keyboard doesn’t have a pound sign)

  371. I’m with Retsub. I have dipped my toes in Bergkampesque and haven’t had them bitten off yet. I think its a bit like leaving primary school and moving up to high school. A bit daunting at first but if you go with some mates then it’s ok!
    It would be nice to keep this site going but unless one of you lot commits to a weekly post at least then it is as dead as an Arsenal transfer.

  372. Lefty
    Thought you had jumped ship?

    Terry
    I would be happy to contribute with some. Blogs now and again. I am sure a few of the others would as well. I think the problem is we would need a site administrator. I have no idea what is involved in doing that

  373. @ Retsub
    Where is shard???? both of you defended wenger to the bone, are you satisfied with the state of the squad this late??? BOY!!!!! wenger has pulled a master stroke by delaying and now looking to buy players that coast 15mil, what has changed???? this season is going to be very interesting.
    I don’t want to say i told you so BUT i knew this would happen, wenger if your reading this i say BRAVO, BRAVO, well done.

  374. Kel
    Of course I want a better squad we look painfully thin. On the other hand having built up a war chest I don’t want it to be thrown at just anyone. The transfer window isn’t closed yet we will see. I am convinced new players will come in and you don’t always have to spend a fortune to get a great player (ljunberg, Vieira etc)

  375. Kel, between you and me I don’t think Arsene reads this blog. Shattering I know! I think he is more of a The Economist type. Definitely not Horse and Hound. Probably not Arseblog or Bergkampesque either.

    Gustavo would fit the bill for a start. I am currently in my semi delusional pre-season optimism. I am hoping it lasts into September! I am predicting big seasons for Ramsey and Ox-C, plus for Giroud and Podolski to step another level.

    Bring on Villa I say. Can’t wait.

  376. Terry
    I am with you on the four you quoted, plus an expecting aTheo season. My one concern is Podolski

  377. Why the fuck can’t we bring a quality transfer into the side anymore????
    Is it Wenger,Gazidis or is the Arsenal transfer machinery completely kaput?

    No Saurez, No Luiz Gustavo who in truth would be our first real holding midfielder since Gilberto Silva as Alex Song was asked to do the job but was NEVER,EVER a holding midfielder.
    I know this goes down bad at this now near defunct site but I wish we would sack our prissy- pissy manager and get somebody who knows how and WHEN to get the business properly done. Having said that out loud I’ll now go to the Daily Mirror and they will report that we just signed Gustavo,Saurez,Wayne Rooney,Jesus Christ and are in final agreement talks with Superman to play in Goal.

  378. Well I did find this at the Independent (for what it’s worth as Buffalo Springfield might say)

    Transfer news: Arsenal receive transfer boost as Bayern Munich midfielder Luiz Gustavo admits – ‘I’d like to play for them’

    Arsene Wenger is closing in on his first major signing of the summer with the £14m signing of Brazilian defensive midfielder

  379. @ leftcoastgooner
    Sack wenger, they will never do that.

    @ Retsub
    I would really like to know, what do you propose we do now??? Tell me would really like to know, how do you explain this summer from a rational point of view after everything that we knew

  380. Haaaaah!!!!! Well what a joke, Gustavo has gone to wolfsburg I think wenger was never interested in him in the first place, why should he ???? when we have Ramsey
    HaaaaaaaaaH!!!!!! Talk about a circus, what a shamble.
    Am really mad BUT all I can do now is just laugh, What a mess!!!!!
    Retsub am waiting for a reply to my question, no word from Shard who defended wenger left right and center, i want to hear what you guys have made of the summer

  381. Lefty
    Was actually concerned about you. It was you who started the revolution to save the site..

    Kel unless I am mistaken the window isn’t closed yet. Lets wait and see what’s happens before passing judgement.

    I don’t know why I keep coming back here, I think we have discussed Bayern coming to London to death

  382. Wow….okay, Lefty just pops up. Terry, Retsub…..Nice to see we are not entirely abandoning this.

    My take is Wenger is confident.

    But the patience of the fans is clearly underestimated here. One thing we have to understand is that we can never win the league without adequate cover for strikers. Expecting huge seasons for some of our players and rightly so, BUT…..
    Spurs is buying and believe me, their squad is improving…..we never seem to be able to finish above Chelski these days and shitty have the best strike force on paper. So, its either manure takes fifth or another miracle this season…but then again, who says we cant hit the ground running?

    Not supporting the stingy-one by any means, but players become complacent when there’s no competition…only motivation here is the world cup. This argument again is thrash considering the WC motivates everyone.

    I do not see a coach who wants to win EPL, but, I see a coach maintaining status quo by selling Arshavin, Gervinho and Chamakh, replacing with Sanogo and youth team. Not that I dont trust this to work, but why not go for EPL now the other teams might struggle to adapt to new managers etc. Its insane not to go for it.
    My point is buying creates automatic self motivation and serious form for the talented and focused ones (Drogba, when Shevchenko was bought… Adebayor, when Eduardo was bought etc)

    Can someone please help me with the reliable online streams for our matches? It seems i’ll have to go streaming from now on.

    Cheers guys….still enjoying my new house by the beach, but will not afford satellite tv for the next few months. Still grateful to Jesus for the house and comfort. Thank you Jesus

  383. All right uze guys here is the straight dope (as much as I know it).
    I finally got of my ass and contacted Andy through the “Feint Creative” link.
    (thanks retsub) He has agreed to let me pen journals for this site which he will edit and post.
    Right now I’m watching the replay of our 2 matches against the Villans last year and scribbling out a preview.
    If any of you guys have ideas or internet resources relevant to any and all things Gooner that might be of help or interest please,please let me know here and please post a link.
    Clearly this is OUR site and if it’s to get up and running again we will have to put forth the effort ourselves.
    Okay, there it is I’m hoping to get a hand here fellas and as always….Come On You Gunners!

  384. Gunnerboss,
    Congrats on your dream abode.
    Leftcoast,
    Great stuff out of you my friend and thanks for saving our ( and of course Andys) blog. There isnt anywhere else like here and be sure to let me know if ever you need some help.
    The Villa game right now to me is bizarrely a distraction, a welcome one for Wenger and the board, but seriously for me even though I should be stiffling uncontrolable excitement about the start and possibilities of a new season Im just not feeling it.
    I need to know whats going on at my club.
    Whos telling the lies?
    Do we really have money to spend?
    If so why arent we investing?
    Why did we announce a figure of 70M publicly, who does this?
    Why did we have a mass clearout with no guarenteed replacements at the ready for preseason?
    How can clubs like WestHam, no offence Ice, wrap up deals for players like downing in two days yet Arsenal take weeks before a collapse or worse another club swiping ala Mata.
    There are thousands of footballers out there, of that maybe a couple of hundred that could make the grade at Arsenal that are being discovered and excelling at teams like Porto and Shaktar every season without a wage or transfer structures being stretched.
    We are being told now at this late hour that we are strong and contenders because for the first time in years we have not sold. This is gradeA horsemanure as the problem for the last few seasons at this time of year has been the poor pre season preparation and this season is no different.
    Even if a new signing arrives, it will be October before he settles into the squad and weve had Octobers where our season has been over only recently.
    Only 17/18 proven players ready for KO and of that some are injured already and others have a record of missing at LEAST a dozen games a year.
    What the fuck is going on here? We have surrendered any chance we had to steal a march on our rivals new managerial appointments by dawdling as usual and now it is us who will be the unknown quantity with unproven Myaichi, Gnabry, Eisfield and Sanogo or if new personel do arrive we face the same problems!
    What is going on??? For real now there has to be questions asked there is such a blatant lack of preparation to acheive even some form of high standard here its mind boggling.
    Heres a question that sprung to mind whilst I was pondering what the fuck is goin on at Arsenal that this manager and Chief Exec are being paid so highly for such ineptitude and merry-go-round calculated propaganda spreading.
    Sorry, yeah the question is this;
    Thierry Henry/ Dennis Bergkamp either or, although part of amazing teams that contributed to their success stories at Arsenal, are in my mind two talismanic figures that changed us forever, whether it was right place, right time or their own unbelievable ability and styles that captivated and excited us aswel as delivered record breaking acheivements and Silverware.
    These two guys, were they around today and in their prime, and were Wenger to have the foresight of knowing what they could do for this club, would he spend the 55M or more that this type of player would command in todays market so that they could deliver us a fighting chance at least.
    I severely doubt, even if the man knew what these calibre of player were to bring to the table, that he has it in him to pay the necessary fee.
    The Bergkamps and Henrys are out there, there are guys that can change a clubs fortunes almost single handedly, but you have to pay the 10, 20, 30, or 55m.
    All we want now is to be even in with a fighting chance and Im sorry for anyone blinded by their excitement of the 2013/14 season kickoff, but were are not prepared and even less equipped to challenge for a top three spot over 38 games.
    Not a rant, Im not angry, but honestly, what the fuck is going on at our club?

  385. @Shambo
    I’ve sent my first draft into Andy and it voices almost exactly your concerns.
    Who the heck starts the process by announcing they have big bucks to blow?
    If there are to be serious additions why do they not come a time and in a place where they will have the chance to integrate or “acclimatize” if you will?
    Have you heard all of this noise before only to see nothing fruitful become of it? What does Wenger’s boss really tell him to do? Or does he really as I suspect not have a boss?

  386. @ Shambo
    I think Ivan really wants to spend, hence the problem has and will continue to be wenger he is the root cause of this messy summer

  387. Good man Lefty. I look forward to your inaugural posting. Can you please have Bayern in the title though for old time’s sake!

    I can’t make out the transfer stuff. I suspect the delays have as much to do with Champions League qualification as much as as anything. Seems daft but there really is no other rational explanation. I think we will regret not going for Gustavo more than we will regret not getting Higuain. And now Arteta is crocked for six weeks I read today. That’s just typical.

    Still I refuse to be downhearted and I hope we canget off to a good start against the Villans. Some goals for Giroud and Pod to calm some nerves, build confidence and a clean sheet would be nice too!

    I have big decisions of my own to make her. The EPL on demand that was on offer last season has been cancelled so have to think about forking out for the sports package again which won’t impress the missus.

    Can anyone recommend a reliable live stream option? Needs to be playable on a mac too.

  388. In golden years Arsenal was very similar to Bayern because of everything above. The most significant difference between us and them that I saw in that crushing defeat was tactical superiority of Bayern players. You have Mandžukić who is a regular striker, nothing special, he moves with and without ball better than every our player except Jack. Well that is so sad.

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