Arsenal Banter Archive April 21 2014

21 Apr 2014 23:31:20
All the top teams have pace and power both up front midfield and defence with the possible exception being barcelona, they just have messi. Wengers teams always had that ingredient, until the last few years. He tried to copy barca with inferior players and it hasn't worked. We don't have the power in midfield we used to have and all our players there have suffered, rosicky, wilshire, walcott, ramsey, reyes, kleb etc etc because they all get bullied against the big teams. When we play the likes of chelski and shiek city it is like men against boys and we are the boys. The more technical players need a minder or two and we are lacking. Small technical players need help otherwise they are overpowered and we most definitely have been.

Steve

Liverpool look likely to win the league, where is their midfield power?

They have loads of pace and I think a lot of people under estimate henderson who is very strong and gerard is no midget either. I don't rate their defence but a few hard knocks from sako won't go un noticed.

Also Banbury I think rodgers has looked at his team this year and decided his defence wad not exactly water tight and decided let's just go at teams with forward pace and power and it has shocked a few teams. They might just find it a whole new ball game on a long term basis.

Steve what about the fact we are unbeaten against all the big teams at home and deserved to win all those home games?
Yes those 3/4 away games were shocking and poor, but I think that was more of a case of mental fragility rather than physical

I agree with you to some extent steve with massively lack pace and to a degree power also.

However, I think our greater issue is more around the very foundations. I once read an interview with alex fergie speaking about wenger. He made a point of Wengers unwillingness to deviate from his 'total football or bust' philosophy, whereas most if not all other teams will sometimes try and nullify an opponent tactically or exploit a known weakness.

IMO, this is what we lack: adaptability. Our total football has been largely found out, as has barcas. don't let us in the box and kick us allover and we're left quite average. Whereas the scouse for example, seem to tweek their midfield/attack based on the opponent they're playing (playing suarez on the right against monreal) to be most effective.

Wengers total football has without doubt kept us in the CL for the past few transitional years. Now he/we needs to evolve/ leave or hire and listen to a more dynamic assistant.

Waq it was definately both, we were blitzed at liverpool, out battled at sheik city and over powered at chelski. For me its your away fixtures you have your abilities really tested.

21 Apr 2014 22:20:57
Hi eds, with Moyes almost definitely leaving Manchester United will this maybe change our managerial situation? Maybe step up a search with wenger not definitely signing. I heard klopp is a target for both clubs so maybe we will need to find out what wengers doing then sort out a deal? Really can't be doing with a panick choice of a manager. Thanks mate

{Ed002's Note - No.}

Hi
just had a nightmare thought, AW leaves us. and goes to MAN U. NOOOOoooooooooo.

eww, wow, that would put the cat among the pigeons. unlikely, (hopefully) but, not impossible.

ah, anyway. COYG:) andi

Haha wenger to man utd. is as likely as the sun exploding in the next few days.

Im quite surprised Klopp and now Guardiola are turning down man utd.

from a managers perspective they have money to play fantasy football and write their names into folklore by bringing the club back to the top, surely no one saw this coming, Manchester United unable to attract the big coaches.

I guess we should keep wenger afterall, if they are struggling to bring coaches I can only imagine how difficult it would be for us to attract david moyes. hahah ( no thanks they can hire him back)

21 Apr 2014 20:13:56
If we were to sign Cesc, I'd do so wanting him to play a Xabi Alonso'esque role

Cesc replacing Arteta and this team is something else

He's wasted up high

He needs to play deep and control the match

Bring him home

Agree mate but still think we need a more defence minded midfielder like Pogba or Gundagon or gunalons.

But Cesc back at Arsenal are the stuff of dreams.

Complete dreams

Have you been drinking with Goldboy matey lol

Will Charlie George be Cesc's agent.

Fab probably won't return as a player if AW goes

Ox Ramsey Bender Cesc Ozil
And
Theo with his pace up top
Yes please

Dream on

@62, u would have half the emirates puking rainbows if that was the lineup next season. with subs bench of poldi, rosicky and flamini, gnabry.

a man can dream.

21 Apr 2014 18:10:54
Imagine if we'd let Aaron go 12 months ago? Watching him in an opponents shirt this season producing this fantastic form would be heartbreaking.
Jacks a year younger than Aaron so even thinking of letting him go now would be absolutely ridiculous, if he keeps his mouth shut and feelings to himself jack could yet forfil every bit of that wonderful potential he has.
He has been overtaken this season by both Ox and Rambo and must up his game to keep up but the race is 15year marathon not a 1season sprint.

I feel next season is massive for JW. It's true, Rambo and Ox have overtaken him and in my opinion he is NOT in our strongest 11 starters.

He needs to kick on and improve otherwise he'l be labelled the new Gazza. Loads of potential but never really for filled it.

You make some good points and I agree. But the original question about him was would you let him go for 20 mil. I think jacks problem is he is small and because of injuries not the most athletic player, he is always playing flat out, which incidentally applies to a lot of our midfielders, that is why we get so many injuries, putting it bluntly a team of midgets against big athletic players like toure natastic ferandino ramires henderson etc. My opinion is he could end up like a lot of injury prone midfielders like jenas and the lad from spurs and Newcastle, england player for a few games name escapes me played with jenas, our own diaby and struggle. I would give him next year to break through and then cut and run.

Was thinking about this last night, 12 months ago most were saying Ramsey was never going to be good enough for Arsenal, I must admit I even wanted to see him go out on loan for the whole of this season, imagine if he had!.and everytime people say Wenger has lost the plot I think about the faith he showed in Ramsey and I think maybe he does know best.

Steve, are you talking about Scott Parker?

Steve r

All due respect mate but our injuries are nothing to do with how tall or small our players, Theo got hurt on a blade of grass that was approx. 2cm high, Jacko had his foot stood on.

Our length of injuries are to with method of treatment it is as simple as that .

How tall and strong is Podolski? he missed 10 weeks earlier in the season, Arteta isn't the biggest and he has played many games . Ramsey would have returned much sooner but broke down in training nothing to do with competing against big players .

Banbury pod and arteta look after them selves as far as tackling one doesn't and the other fouls. Our midfield against the better prem and europeans are dwarfed. Strength and power come with size and since we have lost ours we have stuggled.

Dags kieron dyer. Some players never shake of injuries.

Steve but their size has absolutely nothing to do with their injuries, which you are claiming.

Ok then you are trying to tell me small players can take on big athletic midfield, defenders who are twice their size and twice their weight game after game and cope. When I played football I know how hard it was to play against someone who was twice my size and compared to other players it was gruelling and I liked a few people around me to sort them out a bit. i'm sorry but the saying a good bigun will always beat a good llittle one is true in more than one way. Give me vierra to play next to, to any of todays players and it is a lot easier. More strain means more injuries.

Banbury you say there injuries are down to their treatment, that's your opinion.

21 Apr 2014 17:19:07
What about Thierry Henry being our next manager? Is it as mad as it sounds?

{Ed002's Note - Perhaps a dream team with Carlton Cole as co-manager with him?}

Dream on matey :)

Go and sleep the drink off lol

21 Apr 2014 16:40:35
Heard a discussion on Sky this morning about how M City have missed Toure and Aguero and caused them to be less of a threat.

How funny it is that they fail to mention Ox for 3 months, Podolski 8 weeks, Theo 5 months, Ramsey 3 months, Ozil 5 weeks, Kos 4 weeks Wilshire 10 weeks

You have to laugh, is it just ignorance?

Yh it always baffles me when we have key players missing and struggle its because we have a poor squad.
yet when others lose 1 or 2 key players nothing is mentioned about the squad at all.
the return of ramsey on his own has made a huge difference to our season already. that's why I believe our squad is strong, but something has to be done about the injuries.
because other clubs do have their injuries, but none of them to their key players at the level we do. when Ox, Walcott and pod injured all at the same time too, we still had ramsey and ozil making the difference. this is not to say that we don't need to strengthen though.

Exactly! Gary Neville said something similar last week about Toure and Aguero.

But we're just rubbish aren't we? Our injuries are not important. So we don't count and are just dismissed it seems.

Just take Theo who last season got 14 goals and 10 assists in the PL (22 and 16 in all comps), with similar stats for the season before.

Just with Theo out, leaves a big hole to fill.

We saw how well Ramsey was doing before he was injured and yesterday scored one and was involved in the other two.

I know all clubs have injuries, but we have been unlucky with them.

But nothing we can do about it now- let's hope we can keep our main players fit next season and with some good additions, we could do well.

^^^^^ Agree to all

We have been hugely unlucky, why couldn't TV or Sagna or Arteta or even Giroud ( as much as I like him ) have suffered long term injuries, we wouldn't have missed nearly half as much

Nobody mentions it because it ALWAYS happens. Arsenal have by far the worst injury record (plague) of any club. Whenever a key player gets injured its par for the course so not as shocking as an Aguero or other.

{Ed025's Note - all teams get injuries sad face, you dont have exclusivity to that mate..

@Ed025

Yes all teams get injured but none more so than Arsenal. That's why it's never a shock when key players get injured.

It'd be interesting to find a stat displaying how many weeks of a season first team players are injured for. I bet we'd win that league!

We actually win by a landslide. if I could post the link I will.

21 Apr 2014 15:42:04
So lots of hype around a new defensive mid coming in but I would personally stick with Flamini and bring Coquelin back to be his back up he was looking really promising and has had a decent season in Germany this year. Just think the money could be better spent elsewhere like up top on a world class striker and winger. Benzema and Griezman anyone?

Flamini is great, love him to bits, but he is our backup DM, left back and right back if necessary.

We really need a more complete DM - Man City has two, Chelsea two etc In our heyday we had Viera and Petit/Silva - let's do this!

21 Apr 2014 14:17:48
Please post this on banter Eds if you don't mind. Luv ya! Somebody posted on here would you take 20 Mill for Jack. I'd like to ask the question what do you think he is honestly worth.Old timers on here know my opinion I love Jack but I can't keep saying "Great player when he is fit" it's getting ridiculous . So I would say this. I'd take a chance and sell him as I think this is going to be how Jacks footballing career is going to be. In and out constantly. So what is the wages for a player that is like that. I don't know. I wouldn't sell him to another premiership club. That in my book is stupidity. I've never understood having to do that. On the other hand I would have got rid of Vermaellen ages ago. He spends more time in the treatment room than any Arsenal player I know. Unfortunately we are thin on the ground at the moment. If you look at things sensibly I don't know of any other profession where you can be sick virtually 50% of the time and not get asked to leave. Especially on the wages these people are on. Not always there fault I know. Well! let's not go down that road.

I'm convinced some of the injury concerns are down to the medical team. Obviously, the buck lands with the player, but how many players have we seen come back from injury, only to be out again a few games later.

For Jack though, given his position and aggression, he is bound to pick up injuries, and he seems a marked man, especially this last two seasons.

As for TV5, i'd start looking at Gibbs and his injury record first. I'm sure the lad is made of glass!

Is it a co-incidence, that once Gary Lewin left to take up the England physio role, our injury record has gone through the roof.

21 Apr 2014 16:36:36
You know my thoughts on Jack but just to explain a little further, the ankle injury cost him 17 months and then still required an op in the closed season. He has come back this season which is always a steady one for any player.

That's then compounded by his England injury, he is now coming back from that and I say we have lost nothing at his age to give him at least next season and see how he goes.

It's not like he is ancient and surely he warrants some time to come back. I know some think other but he has undoubted talent. Let's just wait awhile longer and see how it pans out.

He drives us forward when he plays and had just scored a couple of goals prior to this latest injury.

Arsene I'm sure won't sell him, the new manager may though sad_face. :-)

Im also thinking people are saying that Jack is injured and may not make the England squad. i'm thinking he's injured and can't make the Arsenal squad. But then again I must be a dumb ass.!

I think jack needs time, i'd love for him to miss the world cup for purely selfish reasons that he's fresh for arsenal next season.

remember ramsay and all the haters on here, lad came back from a career ending injury took near as damn it 2 years to get back though

so I think jack needs one injury free season next year (major injuries) and the following year I think we'll see him kick on the following year

think there would be no end of suitors for him and he'd go for 35+ million in my opinion

GOONER. My friend how much time are we actually talking about here? What are we actually waiting to happen in this time we should give him. I'm being serious when I believe this is Jack! he is injury prone he has been the same since he was 16. What would you like to see happen.?

21 Apr 2014 06:07:30
Ed. insomnia again mate?

{Ed001's Note - no mate, I am in Dubai for the next year, at least, so 3 hours ahead.}

Lucky you . Wish it was me.