tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4699617282912594439.comments2023-06-12T14:44:49.077+01:00Arsenal: The Wild and The Innocent.cosmic__kidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10462368321235667627noreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4699617282912594439.post-49476365509516220202017-05-03T13:26:02.066+01:002017-05-03T13:26:02.066+01:00The board have an awful lot to answer for in relat...The board have an awful lot to answer for in relation to the environment that exists and has persisted at Arsenal for sometime. A manager is only as good as the backing he receives from the boardroom and the players at his disposal. Wenger has been left down by some of his top players since January. Generally once the dressing room is lost by the manager its curtains. <br />Great point on "financial doping", though worryingly for Arsenal they've spent 80 million more on wages then Spurs! Sadly that has to be blamed on Wenger. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4699617282912594439.post-17513556699989999062017-05-02T21:15:48.924+01:002017-05-02T21:15:48.924+01:00He's already cast in iron inside the stadium*He's already cast in iron inside the stadium*Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4699617282912594439.post-10023810198985540352017-05-02T21:13:29.616+01:002017-05-02T21:13:29.616+01:00Well said lad.Well said lad.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4699617282912594439.post-67912855410337713202015-10-07T19:11:36.868+01:002015-10-07T19:11:36.868+01:00Good observations! He was heartbroken in the comme...Good observations! He was heartbroken in the commentary box...couldn't believe what he was saying....Nice to see you back Suresh!cosmic__kidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10462368321235667627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4699617282912594439.post-79877653736325354292015-10-07T19:09:14.838+01:002015-10-07T19:09:14.838+01:00Wasn't that the article I linked to above..?Wasn't that the article I linked to above..?cosmic__kidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10462368321235667627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4699617282912594439.post-46894274691061353002015-10-07T05:39:05.013+01:002015-10-07T05:39:05.013+01:00Great post, really enjoyed it! Keep up the good wo...Great post, really enjoyed it! Keep up the good workAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4699617282912594439.post-37962276760782982562015-10-05T13:32:35.438+01:002015-10-05T13:32:35.438+01:00it is absoluger toils with an Arsenal in 10th plac...it is absoluger toils with an Arsenal in 10th place? Are you really that stupid?<br /><br />As for Wenger’s accountability? I feel like an idiot that I even have to address this.<br /><br />Wenger is ultimately accountable for everything at Arsenal. If the fans stop attending matches he will lose his job. If he loses the dressing room, he will lose his job. If he is relegated from the Champions League, he will probably lose his job. And if he thinks he can no longer do the job, he has said time and again that he will fire himself.<br /><br /> <br /><br />And the pressure of the job at Arsenal is massive. He has to deliver results on the pitch, results that make the vast majority of the fans happy, that make the players happy, that win trophies, and all the while that keep Arsenal’s bank balance positive.<br /><br />You don’t think Arsene Wenger is under pressure? That he’s not accountable? How stupid are you?<br /><br />What he’s not accountable to, is a small, loud, and ridiculous minority of fans and THEIR expectations. Their expectations that Arsenal be Chelsea or that Arsene Wenger apes Jose Mourinho, or that Wenger gets every decision right, that he never makes a similar mistake to the last mistake, that he buys the players they want, that Arsenal play like the Invincibles, and that he turns the clock back 20 years and turns himself into George Graham’s magic bung.<br /><br />Wenger isn’t accountable to Johnny Rotten, some corporate clown who is about as counter-culture as Ward Cleaver and who knows fuck all about actual football. Or that guy on twitter who always gets the first reply to anything Arsenal tweet and it’s always “fuck off, buy players”.<br /><br />And Wenger most certainly isn’t accountable to some SkySports reporter who wants to play a game of “gotcha” with the manager on the anniversary of his 19th year as manager in England. The absolute shamelessness of that reporter, going after Arsene Wenger over his selection of a goalkeeper as if he was pressing George W. Bush over the missing Weapons of Mass Destruction. Do you think he sat there, smiling, and thinking of the Pulitzer he was going to win for this “hard-hitting journalism”?<br /><br />We get it. Three League titles, not enough. 18 years of European football, not enough. Keeping the club afloat during the 10 year rebuilding, not enough. Buying Ozil, not enough. Winning the FA Cup, not enough. Buying Sanchez, not enough. Winning the FA Cup, not enough. Buying Cech, not enough. Three points from the top of the table, not enough. Never enough.<br /><br />The venerable Nick Hornby once wrote about this ubiquitously moaning fan phenomena:<br /><br />“I’ll tell you where it all went wrong for Arsene Wenger,” said a friend after the first l<br />“What about 2004? When we won the League without losing a match? You don’t think he temporarily stopped the rot that year?”<br />“That was a disappointing season,” he said. (My italics.) “We should have won the Champions’ League, and he chucked the FA Cup away.”<br />That was written in 2008, about fans during the Invincibles season. Wenger is not accountable to those people. He is, exactly as he put it, accountable for the results on the field.<br /><br />And the result on the field was bad. Wenger acknowledged that fact as well the fact that his team didn’t play defense at the top level, gave away the goal right after scoring, and lost the game in a shambles. But instead of addressing the game, instead of asking what Wenger is doing to fix the defensive problems, instead of asking questions like “why has the pressing game changed this year over last”, instead of asking actual football questions, we get a reporter asking about team selection and accountability so that some fucktard can get a sly dig in at Arsene Wenger, elicit an angry reaction, and get his Pulitzer Prize winning headline story.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4699617282912594439.post-12250917618700012802015-10-03T12:36:14.113+01:002015-10-03T12:36:14.113+01:00Gary Neville has written a little piece in the Tel...Gary Neville has written a little piece in the Telegraph about how the only thing that Arsenal need to change in order to win the league is their preparation before a match.<br />.<br />As is the way with the modern Telegraph article it is a piece full of pictures (because we all know football supporters are not very good with words what with us all being thick dumbos) but towards the end the text does flow a little as he gets to his main point, which is that he is a pretty nifty mindreader.<br /> Now I must be quite fair here, because Mr Neville starts the final section of his piece with the phrase, “I may be wrong” and for that I give him the fullest commendation. How many newspaper articles do we read in which the journalist starts, “I may be wrong”? No more than two a year I suspect. Add in “and of course this is just my opinion” and you might get up to four a year.<br /><br />So good on Mr Neville – a good preamble before his telepathic powers are revealed.<br /><br />“I sense,” (he says), “that Arsenal players go into training on Friday morning thinking about how they’ll pass the ball, score with a bicycle kick, how much fun they are going to have. On the Saturday morning they still might not be switched on. Sunday morning is too late. It’s fatal to think like that before a big game.”<br /><br />Now again, saying “I sense” is to be commended. Most people who claim telepathic powers in football tend to tell us all for a fact what we are thinking: we are annoyed, frustrated, angry etc.<br /><br />What is so curious however is that with all the blogettas and their allies in the national press, on radio and on TV, are actually so utterly bad at telling me what I am thinking. “Arsenal fans were outraged by…” I am told, but no, I wasn’t, and as far as I know Blacksheep and Walter weren’t either. Nor were a lot of people who kindly give up some of their spare time to reading this blog, as far as I can tell.<br /><br />Mr Neville continues, “My idea was that by the time you went to bed the night before that game you had played The game and imagined it in your head. You had played every pass and made every movement.” (An interesting capitalisation in “played The game” – not sure what it means unless The game is now a deity. Maybe.)<br /><br />“Over these past three or four years I don’t believe Arsenal have prepared mentally for the biggest games.”<br /><br />Again, a spot of honesty with “I don’t believe”. But in the end it is a piece of pure and total supposition. He’s not at the training camp, he doesn’t seem to have talked to any Arsenal players, he certainly never played for Arsenal. It’s pure supposition and attempted telepathy. Honest supposition but nothing more.<br /><br />How different the world would be if we had a newspaper that engaged in evidence based football reporting. Not wild supposition, not mind reading, not interviews with players and managers who can’t be guaranteed to tell you the truth, but actual analysis of what happened.<br /><br />Of course I know that people don’t like it, because the sort of things it comes up with is that Coquelin is one of the top defensive midfielders in Europe, that last season Ospina was one of the top goalkeepers (no one denies he has slipped a bit this season, but I can’t find a goalkeeper who never slipped – hell I can remember Pat Jennings being highly criticised by Arsenal fans after a poor match with multiple references to his Tiny Tott past.) Oh yes and that Ozil puts through more passes leading to goal scoring opportunities than any other player in the Premier League.<br /><br />So by and large evidence is out, because it is awkward.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04216587478528658420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4699617282912594439.post-60527996622285536512015-08-17T09:35:54.107+01:002015-08-17T09:35:54.107+01:00There were a lot of signs of encouragement, with g...There were a lot of signs of encouragement, with good creative play from Cazorla, Ozil and Alexis. But at times, things look far from tight at the back. It feels like a lot of tight games may not go Arsenal’s way unless they shape up a bit in terms of discipline, focus and being clinical.<br /><br />However, three points were required yesterday, and that’s what the team got, at a place where it is traditionally hard to earn them. So credit to the side for that.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04216587478528658420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4699617282912594439.post-42778202171179627512015-08-13T09:52:51.992+01:002015-08-13T09:52:51.992+01:00Brilliant...It is also no surprise that the first ...Brilliant...It is also no surprise that the first person who tipped Arsenal to win the League was Mourinho (I think). He said that because it’s truly a win-win for him. If Arsenal win the League, he can say “see I was right, my team didn’t have the investment needed to compete against Arsene Wenger and his millions spent” and if Arsenal fail to win the league he can say “see, Arsene is a specialist in failure.”<br /><br />I suspect this is the exact same reason why the haters in the press (Stewrat Robson tipped Arsenal to win the title) are repeating Mourinho. Consciously or unconsciously they know that saying this is Arsenal’s title to lose is a position with no drawbacks.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04216587478528658420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4699617282912594439.post-34261432993105475182015-08-13T09:48:18.165+01:002015-08-13T09:48:18.165+01:00It is interesting that some of the people who are ...It is interesting that some of the people who are against Wenger tend to argue that George Graham was our best manager of all time, although he tended to be a lot more liable to stumble at the start.<br /><br />14 August 1993 – Arsenal 0 Coventry 3 was one particularly horrible moment I remember, although next up was Tottenham away and we won, as indeed we won the next four.<br /><br />But at least that year we only lost the opening game. The year before we lost the first two. 15 August 1992 was Arsenal 2 Norwich 4 (we were 2-0 up), and we then went on and lost the next match (away to Blackburn) and ended up 10th.<br /><br />Going back further on 19 August 1989 we had Man U 4 Arsenal 1 – a defeat and a half for the opening day, especially galling as we were Champions at the time. We won five, drew two of the next seven, suggesting even heavy defeats don’t necessarily dent us. But there is no regularity to the whole process, because just two years before that, we had (15 August 1987) Arsenal 1 Liverpool 2, followed by a draw away to Man U and a home defeat to QPR . We came 6th.<br /><br />In fact I suppose we notice the WHU defeat much more because these days opening day defeats are quite rare under Wenger, whereas in earlier years they were fairly common. In 1983/4 and 1982/3 we lost the opening games each time, both times to Stoke once at home and once away.<br /><br />On the other hand in the 1970/1 season we won the double despite drawing both our opening games.<br /><br />The point that the opening game tells us nothing much at all can be shown to be completely true when we reverse matters and look for great wins at the start. In 2009/10 we beat Everton 6-1 away on the opening day, and then walloped Portsmouth 4-1 at home, which was as good a start as you can find. We then lost the next two games and by the fourth match were 8th in the league.<br /><br />On the other hand in 2007/08 we were undefeated in first 15 games but still ended up third.<br /><br />The fact is that dips can come anywhere any time, and seasons without a dip are very very rare – much rarer than winning the league. Take the 1997/8 double season: on October 18 we started a run of six games in five of which we didn’t score. This was also the start of a run in which we won just four in 12. But as the title “double season” suggests, we won the league and the cup.<br /><br />So, using one match to show what will happen next doesn’t work. What winning seasons usually have is great runs, and the evidence shows that it doesn’t matter too much where the run is, although great runs in the second half of the season tend to be more important than great runs in the first part.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4699617282912594439.post-74743811001239208932015-08-12T19:04:42.859+01:002015-08-12T19:04:42.859+01:00Thanks! Yeah its quite strange isn't, consider...Thanks! Yeah its quite strange isn't, considering in general our home form has been strong the last few seasons!cosmic__kidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10462368321235667627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4699617282912594439.post-7690415406975060632015-08-12T10:07:26.464+01:002015-08-12T10:07:26.464+01:00Nice post. Agree totally we have been pretty tooth...Nice post. Agree totally we have been pretty toothless at home recently. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04216587478528658420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4699617282912594439.post-1645794671913206812015-08-03T10:56:56.262+01:002015-08-03T10:56:56.262+01:00Wenger was absolutely correct in refusing that man...Wenger was absolutely correct in refusing that man’s handshake. Wenger knew that Mourinho was trying to steal away a little of Arsenal’s glory with his gesture. Trying to make it about him.<br /><br />Personally it reminded me of John Terry donning the full kit to celebrate when Chelsea won the Champions League. That’s what Chelsea are all about.<br /><br />And if you had any lingering doubt how bitter Mourinho was and whether the whole “magnanimous loser” routine was real or not, let’s not forget that Jose turned his back on Wenger. Even if Wenger wanted to shake his hand, Jose showed him his back. Jose further dispelled any notions of respecting the cup, the competition, or the opponents when seconds after turning his back on Wenger, he threw his second place medal into the crowd.<br /><br />He showed up dressed in a track suit. He threw his medal into the crowd. He tried to make Arsenal’s celebrations about himself. Jose Mourinho is the Special One all right.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04216587478528658420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4699617282912594439.post-45520101816249551282015-07-31T20:47:54.835+01:002015-07-31T20:47:54.835+01:00I agree completely, especially in regards to the s...I agree completely, especially in regards to the striking situation- this is the first time in years where we do not actually need to sign a player. Thanks for reading!cosmic__kidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10462368321235667627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4699617282912594439.post-52306807690091031512015-07-31T20:44:47.662+01:002015-07-31T20:44:47.662+01:00I agree to a certain extent; I just cannot give Ch...I agree to a certain extent; I just cannot give Chelsea any credit, for all the trophies they have won, including the Champions League, we know and deep down Chelsea fans know too- It was all bought. <br /><br />Now seeing as we are through most of the stadium debt burden we will see the playing field leveling out, but that is only starting from last season. It will be interesting, I'm cautiously optimistic.cosmic__kidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10462368321235667627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4699617282912594439.post-86879406284610713822015-07-31T14:57:17.743+01:002015-07-31T14:57:17.743+01:00On the facebook group of my supporters club in Bel...On the facebook group of my supporters club in Belgium, we have had, over the last few weeks, time to run a poll over each position on the field and consider who we think should be played in that position.<br /><br />The result of this poll gave us the following team<br /><br />Goal: Cech.<br />Right back: Bellerin<br />Central defenders: Gabriel – Koscielny<br />Left back: Monreal<br />Defensive midfielders: Coquelin – Cazorla (deep lying playmaker one could say)<br />Playmaker: Özil<br />Right attack: The Ox<br />Left attack: Alexis<br />Up front: Giroud.<br /><br />I know some of the positions are not really filled up in the best way. One can argue about the right attack position from Ramsey and play him next to Arteta more central and play Rosicky there. Or you could even put Flamini in the mix who seems to be staying at Arsenal after all and who hasn’t been included in any of the line ups.<br /><br />And then you can still put all the players in a shaker, shake it all about a bit and mix them up at free will and you still would get a decent team no matter who you play picked as the first or second choice.<br /><br />And in many cases the difference was marginal. In fact many people argued about the right and left back places that it could and should depend on whom we are playing. If you want to go out on an all attack scenario you play Bellerin and Gibbs. If you want and need a bit more holding back at either flank you can play Debuchy or Monreal.<br /><br />The main message from this little time-passing exercise however was that it has opened a lot of eyes. We need a …(fill in ) type of player to fight for the title. That can be a ‘world class striker’ (Messi or Ronaldo come to mind – oh they aren’t real strikers….) or a beast of a defensive midfielder. But after seeing this it has struck a few people that we actually are rather well stocked with players for the moment.<br /><br />Do you need a big centre forward who can link up and bring others in play? We got Giroud. And we have Welbeck. Do you need a fast small centre forward who can run past defenders at speed? We’ve got Theo. We’ve got Alexis. So whatever the rumour mills are saying we’ve got different solutions and even more than one player for the solution. That makes me think that if we were to buy someone for that position it has to be a real world class player.<br /><br />He has to be a major upgrade to the players we have. And to be honest I don’t know any realistic target that would be a major upgrade. Probably a few who could be a minor upgrade but not a major upgrade. And what is the use to go for minor upgrades? Better save the money for the moment a real major upgrade becomes available.<br /><br />And the same can be said about a few positions.<br /><br />And another astonishing thought is the fact that we even seem to have players waiting in the wings to fill up the places of the aging players. Per is the oldest defender but we could put Chambers in his place in a few seasons depending on his fitness.<br /><br />Santi is also one of the older players now but again the same names crop up to replace him and then I would add Crowley in the mix as he reminds me a lot to the little Spanish magician.<br /><br />The good thing is that many of the players we have are still rather young and are now entering the best years of their career. Theo, Jack, Aaron still have a lot of good years in front of them.<br /><br />And then to think that we still have a bit of money to buy who we want if they come available at a decent price and not the over inflated prices we see mentioned in the media. Prices that I hope we will not pay anytime soon for any player.<br /><br />I’ve said it before and will say it again: the squad we have is capable of winning everything. The only thing we need to avoid is too many injuries at the same time with the same type of players. <br /><br />In the season of transfer speculation and rumours the media have missed out on something. Something we have been seeing developing for a few years. <br /><br />Almost 22 players equal to the task and able to play in multiple positions. And somehow the media missed out on it. But that somehow doesn't really surprise us, doesn't it?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4699617282912594439.post-8478673599659175972015-07-31T14:48:38.767+01:002015-07-31T14:48:38.767+01:00Much has been made of the mourinho wenger rivalry.... Much has been made of the mourinho wenger rivalry. Well, this is the first season that- unless Chelsea make a mega signing- the two managers have had squads of similar quality. I would give Chelsea the edge in depth and experience, but the current arsenal squad is easily the best we've had since the invincibles and has an abundance of pace and flair. For me, this season is the first real opportunity for wenger to prove he's the better manager. Mourinho knows it and it's already got him riled up. They don't get on personally and employ completely different footballing philosophies, which makes it even more intriguing. Can the idealist triumph over the pragmatist? We'll soon find out. Round one is the charity shield.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04216587478528658420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4699617282912594439.post-23164545132651015602015-07-27T12:08:57.716+01:002015-07-27T12:08:57.716+01:00We have played 4 pre-season matches and by now we ...We have played 4 pre-season matches and by now we should begin to see who are the players likely to be picked for our starting line-up at the beginning of next season.This presupposes that we do not bring any new players in<br />the foreseeable future.My view is as follows:GK Cech<br />RB Debuchy/Bellerin Rotate<br />CB Mertesacker<br />CB Koscielny<br />LB Monreal/Gibbs Rotate<br />DMF Coquelin<br />CMF Ramsey<br />RW Oxlade-Chamberlain<br />AMF Ozil<br />LW Sanchez<br />ST Giroud/Walcott Rotate Bench<br />GK Ospina<br />FB Gibbs/Monreal Rotate<br />CB Gabriel<br />CMF Cazorla<br />AMF Wilshire<br />W Walcott/Welbeck Rotate<br />ST Giroud/Walcott RotateInjury Replacements<br />GK Martinez<br />FB/CB Chambers<br />MF Arteta<br />MF Rosicky<br />W/ST IwobiThe one major hole in squad at moment is substitute DMF should Coquelin<br />get injured or need a rest. The team looked “fragile” defensively in first half<br />yesterday. That was a combination of a weakened defence and a midfield<br />combination of Arteta and Cazorla who were fairly ineffective. The other position in team where I do feel that we could look perhaps for an<br />upgrade is left back. Monreal and Gibbs are adequate rather than brilliant.The team will have plenty of goalscoring potential even without a world class<br />striker particularly when you factor in that Sanchez who was our top scorer<br />last season has not played. Obviously bringing in a more clinical and mobile<br />striker would enhance our opportunities.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04216587478528658420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4699617282912594439.post-44333033822907951542015-07-21T09:33:05.966+01:002015-07-21T09:33:05.966+01:00My feeling is that he probably does want to stay b...My feeling is that he probably does want to stay but has been told not to say anything publicly that might weaken the negotiating position, and in this day and age that’s understandable (if not particularly comforting for those fans who are invested in his future in a big way).<br /><br />It was a hugely difficult process last time around and it looks as if it’s going to be something similar again this time. You could ask the question why it’s so tough. There doesn’t seem to be the same difficulty in agreeing new deals with pretty much every other player in the squad right now, most of whom are tied down to long-term deals, and whose performances have merited them. What is it about Walcott that makes it so tough?<br /><br />I understand that at 26 he’s heading into his peak years and wants his new deal to reflect that, but at the same time there seems to be little or no consideration for what ‘this club’ has done to get him to this point in the first place. Maybe that’s naive anyway, to think a player should have some gratitude, but still Arsenal have stood by him through countless injuries.<br /><br />While someone like Jack Wilshere is criticised and almost written off every time he picks up a knock, Walcott seems to get something of a free pass for his injury record which, over the years, is probably worse. This statistical breakdown of how much football he’s missed makes for pretty grim reading. And bar the 2012/13 season when he scored a career high 21 goals, his average goal return per season since 2010 is a little over 9.<br /><br />So, if you have a consistent, always fit 20+ goal a season player playing hard to get over a new deal, you can understand it, but Theo Walcott is not that player. He could possibly become that if he stayed fit and if he played often enough, but the second part of last season saw him left on the bench for the most part. The manager spoke about him recovering from the knee injury he suffered and I’m sure that was a factor, but I think there was more to it than that.<br /><br />His end of season obviously caught the eye and I’ll take nothing away from him for the FA Cup final performance and goal. That victory was down to Arsenal being far too good for Villa on the day, and he played very well. His hat-trick against an already on holiday West Brom in the previous game won him his place along with Giroud’s loss of form, but I have to say I’d be far from confident if he was starting games for us up front on a regular basis. Maybe he’d prove me wrong, but I think he’d struggle against the best defences.<br /><br />I think if we really want to improve our striking options this summer, then it’s got to come from the transfer market. I’m not convinced we’re going to do that, by the way, but I just don’t think Walcott is the player to add what we need in that position. I think he’s most effective from the right where he faces a real battle for his place with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and that’s the kind of healthy situation I’d be happy to see.<br /><br />Two players whose skill-sets overlap in certain areas scrapping it out and, hopefully, driving each other to be better and more consistent. I do wonder if the reluctance or delay on Walcott’s part is because of the time he spent on the bench last season and the realisation that he’s gone from being an automatic starter and a crucial part of the team just a couple of years ago, to somebody who is really going to have to fight for his place.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4699617282912594439.post-19402028664036021882015-07-14T13:05:23.358+01:002015-07-14T13:05:23.358+01:00This summer there’s no need for signings to make u...This summer there’s no need for signings to make up the numbers, so to speak. We’re not short of bodies in any particular area. We have pretty much enough of everything. Whether you think those options are sufficient to win the title is another matter, but the bottom line is we have them. It’s not like last summer, or the beginning of last season, when we had to play full-backs at centre-half and so on.<br /><br />I know we went over this the other day, but I’m more and more convinced that if we sign any more players they’re likely to be ‘blue chip’ purchases that really improve the first XI. In the same way that Cech was brought in to improve a position that wasn’t really a problem, we might sign a striker if the right one becomes available despite the fact Giroud did pretty well last year, and that we also have Welbeck waiting in the wings.<br /><br />I know there’s some unrest about what other teams are doing, particularly Man Utd who have bought Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin. To my mind, while we could have used the latter, their midfield situation was one which really required them to spend a lot, while our only real issue in that area is if we have the right kind of back-up/competition for Coquelin.<br /><br />Like, we’re not getting bent out of shape over Chelsea signing Begovic from Stoke because we’ve got three keepers already. Schneiderlin might well have been a useful purchase but at £24m, and as player who I think is closer to a traditional CM than a DM, it’s becomes harder to make the case that he’d have been worth that investment when you’ve got Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere. Still, from the way the manager is talking, if the DM of all DMs was found or became available then I think we’d do it.<br /><br />I also firmly believe that focusing on what other teams do in the transfer market is the easiest way to drive yourself mad during a transfer window. Remember how crazy people went over United signing Falcao? We have a good squad – which can be improved, no doubt about it – but for me there just isn’t the urgency or demand for us to do quick business just because others are.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4699617282912594439.post-4686104947760680462015-07-13T05:31:24.754+01:002015-07-13T05:31:24.754+01:00Given that Arsenal went nine years without landing...Given that Arsenal went nine years without landing any silverware, how does winning successive FA Cups achieve par? Look at the general balance of the Premier League, plus the realistic difficulty to land a trophy and technically Arsenal have achieved exactly what they should have done in the last two campaigns.<br />At the beginning of every season, many Arsenal supporters fret about whether or not we can finish in the top four and above Tottenham. Some give up the ghost early and bitterly accept the perceived yet premature media wisdom that Arsenal will be the infamous side to slip out of Champions League places. It hasn’t been us so far and I never buy into that myth, because I never feel it. Every season I say the same thing because I feel it to be true: Arsenal will finish in the top four and above Tottenham. I never worry about Tottenham, they haven’t got it in them to last a whole season. They win two games in a row, buy their own hype and then can’t handle it. Once a campaign settles and quality teams separate from the others, in any given season Arsenal should finish in the top four. It is our natural equilibrium.<br />Last summer, when people asked the annual question, with the same usual half-defeatist trepidation, I predicted confidently that Arsenal should finish third. To me, only Chelsea and Man City were likely to be definitely better than us last season. Liverpool had obviously had a fantastic season previously with Suarez, but without him they were desolate. United with no Ferguson are no longer our superiors, so I felt that both were at a similar level to us. I expected Sanchez to be the difference in our favour and that we should be good enough to edge above both of them. So, in basic logic, that meant third. If Arsenal finishing fourth is normally par, then last season third was par. Arsenal finished where we should have.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4699617282912594439.post-24733504417960202312015-07-08T09:46:00.023+01:002015-07-08T09:46:00.023+01:00I don’t follow up all the rumours of the transfer ...I don’t follow up all the rumours of the transfer window. On second thoughts I do follow them by the funny way Sir Hardly Anyone presents them at Untold and I find them very amusing to be honest. But when I look around on facebook and on twitter there is no escaping some things. But I am not going to talk about new signings but talk about people who feel like a new signing.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04216587478528658420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4699617282912594439.post-89278918622798366522015-07-07T09:25:45.380+01:002015-07-07T09:25:45.380+01:00Schneiderlin is 2cm taller than Coquelin at 180cm,...Schneiderlin is 2cm taller than Coquelin at 180cm, shorter than Ozil even. Not sure where the misconception of him being "tall" comes from. May even say Coq has the better leap and so is handier aerially. He is physical but not the most physical. Creative, but not the most creative. But what swings it for him IMO is that he'd potentially offers us dominance both from a physical standpoint as well as through his ability on the ball and management of space. He's a great package to have as a pivot in our system and would allow the likes of Ramsey/Cazorla and Ozil do what they do best further up as he screens the defence, while able to get the ball out from the back and switch defence to attack for us in one fell swoop.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4699617282912594439.post-53662485203576725822015-07-06T13:21:01.255+01:002015-07-06T13:21:01.255+01:00In his first interview with Arsenal, Cech made it ...In his first interview with Arsenal, Cech made it clear that he’s come to Arsenal to be the number one choice and that he spoke with Arsene Wenger about that very thing. The club haven’t announced his squad number yet, but given that he’s the most expensive ‘keeper in Arsenal history he almost certainly has to take the #1 away from Szczesny.<br /><br />So, Chelsea, Arsenal’s hated rival, whose manager is the polar opposite of Arsenal’s manager, whose owner is ruthless, just sold one of the best ‘keepers in the world to Arsenal. And Wenger, who waited 13 years to get his man, just sent a warning shot across the bow of all his young players: Arsenal have the money now, Arsenal have the ambition, Arsenal want to challenge for the title, if you’re not up to snuff, you’ll be replaced.<br /><br />Never in doubt?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com