Arsenal Banter Archive January 29 2015

29 Jan 2015 22:03:51
We all seem to be a happier bunch on here, what with the emergence of a dedicated and athletic DM (Le Coq) and the acquisition of what seems to be a very decent CH (Paulista).

But, we all knew we needed these 2 types of players at the start of the season.

Would it have made a difference if we had the above mentioned, from day one?

Personally I think in the name of peace its Best we don't go there mate, what done is done and no one can turn the clock back ( handy really because I'd be about five years old I'd have done it so many times in my life :-).
Their here now onwards and upwards says
I

29 Jan 2015 23:02:22
You could be right there G62.

But, what if? Lol

30 Jan 2015 05:54:13
I think our run in will tell us what a difference it may have made, that and the results of the return fixtures against Chelsea and United.

I have been reading this page for the last 18 months day by day. Never been involved in any of the arguments but have read almost all of them.
I think if we had a back up defender and a fairly decent defensive mid from the beginning of the season the nature of the arguments and disagreements would have been different.
It would be more about the tactics and AW's tactical ability and flexibility.
and the camp would be divided on whether he should go or stay worst than ever before.

I think giroud being present is absolutely massive, bigger than sanchez I think, not for his goal scoring but for the way he brings other players into the game, he was the difference between the star of this season and last season. Having said that a dm would have stopped us drawing against anderlecht, city and liverpool and could've got us results against Chelsea and Swansea

Sanchez is much more important than giroud. biggest signing in years.

eds I can't post banter/??

{Ed001's Note - what do you mean by can't post?}

Saint I share that view on Giroud which is in no way takes anything away from Sanchez as he has not only been brilliant but has raised the bar in terms of effort that some are now beginning to match Carzola (OK 337 Cazorla if you prefer :-) is the obvious one.
But if Sanchez were to be injured we'd cope better than if Giroud were imo.
In answer to your question Dags, I think had we had Coq and Gab plus played more maturely as against city we'd most probably have 12 points from the utd Liverpool Stoke and hull games apposed to 2pts we got plus the city home game we may well have took 3 instead of 1so we wouldn't be far off top spot we've those additional two players and better tactics.
Hey ho that was then this is now and our prospects look good again so onwards and upwards rather than looking back says me

G62 you can call him Santa Claus if you like as long as he keeps playing like he has been

Cheer's 337 :-) but let's all agree on Carzola from now on its the simplest thing to do surely

I take your point g62, but hear me out.

How about we call him his bloody name "CAZORLA" if you can't manage that then Santi?

Like I've said, we've let you off because we like you but you can go off people :-)

I've warned that Stephen Hughes by email a few times and he still does it so he's off my Xmas list, you'll be next!

Cazorla it is then, now what are you buying me? Do I get to chose

If sanchez is injured for the season now. we would be in big big trouble. the guy is massive for us. kos is also more important than giroud I feel. the guy is a rock

Oh eds I no longer have the option to post arsenal banter only reply.

{Ed033's Note - The eds decide what is banter. All you need to do is use the create new post form.

If Sanchez was injured we have other less brilliant of course but still very good alternatives, we have no one else who can do what Giroud does for us.
Without Sanchez we can only be 90% of our best without Giroud it's more like 75%.
Pond for pound Sanchez is by far the better player no one would question that but Giroud is the most missed when injured.
Its been scientifically proven that a bubble bee can't fly because it's wingspan ratio is not wide enough to support its body weight not sure how it does it but it does none the less happily buzz around defying science

Oh got you. it used to say post banter now it is just rumors ye

{Ed001's Note - yes mate.}

G62, there is almost eleven months until Xmas, you know the rules you have to be good all the time! One miss spelt players name and you get a lump of coal.

I was telling my kids how when I was a kid we got an apple and an orange for Xmas, my four year old piped up "wow how lucky were you? A laptop and a mobile phone!"

Looks like you will have an expensive xmas next year 337 :)

I personally don't think giroud is that vital to the way we play, I think we play the way we play because giroud is our striker, I feel you should work the ball to your striker so he can score, not so he can hold it up for someone else to score

29 Jan 2015 19:26:25
Following on from earlier post (one that will divide opinion).

I know he has just signed a year's extension but,

Arteta.
Stay or go?

I want him to stay, but not as our 1st choice DM.

So, stay.

Too old Dags and injury prone, he will spend more time off the pitch than on it.

Waste of a squad place I'm afraid

Can we be loyal to a fault and challenge for a title?
Over time I've read Jack has to play he's Arsenal through and through as Gibbs.
Artetta took a pay cut, Mertesacker shouted at Ozil, Poldolski hates spurs and so on and so on.
There comes a time no matter how good you've been or loyal you've been when either age or form catches up with you, can we really still be playing Sanchez in 15 years time because of what he does so brilliantly and whole heartedly now?
I'm not having a pop at anyone the players mentioned above are for example purposes only .
If we want to compete we need to be honest with ourselves or accept we are a 4th place lovely loyal beyond compare team

{Ed025's Note - your glass seems half empty G62, with a couple of additions arsenal will challenge for top honours mark my words mate..

29 Jan 2015 20:20:04
Same as I said before, stay but not as first choice.

29 Jan 2015 21:20:22
That's why I love football.

Look at the above answers.

All from decent loyal Arsenal supporters, talking about the same player, but different, but valid, opinions.

Love it.

Actually Ed my glass has been very near overflowing since the city performance and with Gabriel signing and Le Coqs inclusion things are looking there brightest for some time.
I just don't want loyalty to the past getting in the way of genuine progress, Arteta joining the coaching staff and used in an emergency great but taking the place of Ox Coq Ramsey in a rotation system totry to keep all happy not so good in my book

{Ed025's Note - fair enough mate..

29 Jan 2015 15:49:33
Anyone else think Gabriel Paulista looks like Martin Keown's Latin American love child?

I think he must've fangled a tentafere!!

Good looking chaps both of them, although I don't know who you are suggesting the mother was? There is a bit of Eduardo about him, did keown and Eduardo spend much time together?

29 Jan 2015 17:12:57
If he wears 'The Red', he's George Clooney mate.

What on earth did the ed's or the interweb do to my reply.

{Ed025's Note - i believe it was censored by another ed ECE..

29 Jan 2015 11:49:16
So ed 002 in goal, right back g62, centre backs red dog and red rooster, left back (in the changing room) dags, me out right, in the middle bambam and 025, out left we've got Epping and up top ed001 and Derby, what would your arsenal rumours 11 be? based on pretty much nothing

{Ed025's Note - good choice ED02 in goal..nothing gets past him saint.. :)

Thanks, was always left out of the school team too, ed was right you don't behave like your name suggests :-)

Im more of a tevez alexis sanchez. aguero. drop deep spin. pace power trickery number wise always been told i'm a decent 69

Just the same as in the school playground, not picked- I suppose I'll just have to be the goalpost AGAIN.

DG, looking at your avatar i, m not sure about that!

Haha il be our hazard

Love that I am the left winger SA. I think that fits as every time I look in the mirror I do liken myself to a modern Robert Pires. that's assuming of course that Pires was about 15 stone heavier and had suffered a severe stroke, but Pires nevertheless.!

Yeah Derby, haphazard!

Hazard-ous DG

Im up for a game if its arranged

I would be too, but seeing as i'm not in the team not much point!

Hope you all have fun, i've got real friends you know, my old five aside team used to let me carry the water bottles and once I was allowed to cut the oranges, until they found out about my "sharp objects asbo"

29 Jan 2015 15:41:57
Lol,

You boys crack me up :-)

29 Jan 2015 07:38:27
Given Arsene's record on loyalty to senior players will Arteta getting a new contract stand in the way of younger players getting as many games as they should?
Arteta hasn't signed to not to be involved and keeping him and trying to keep all happy could be to our downfall next season.
Arteta is a 4th place trophy veteran in decline Le Coq could be more and I think we need to find out

That's a poor post on many levels G62. First of all already casting off next year is very negative that's not cool. Second, Arteta has been out most of the year and we are not even in 4th place, so maybe that is not the problem, it might be something else and with a better supporting cast like we have we are going to be much better. He will probably be rotated with Coq or Spyder and offers something different. Last, he has been a great ambassador for the team and this is just plain disrespectful.

We didn't need arteta to resign. not being harsh on him but if you want to challange he isn't needed as a squad player.

so flamini is leaving this summer on a free but arteta stays?

29 Jan 2015 09:52:53
Arteta is a difficult one, love the guy and think as a senior pro he is great to have around the club.

DM is not really his position but he adapted pretty well though but the defensive side of his game is where he lacks, it's hard to say he doesn't link play or have the ability to pick a pass.

The simple fact is the defence has been our Achilles heel, we look solid with Coquelin and I think will do even more with him and our first choice back four with Ospina in goal.

If that means that Arteta gets less game time then I'm ok with that and more importantly as a great pro I have a feeling he will, he would see it as an opportunity to stay with us and be amongst a group that has the potential to win stuff rather than leave for a lesser club and do nothing with the remainder of his career.

I really think he offers as much off field as he does on.

I also think say we sign pogba. someone like that. there's no way he looks at arteta and goes wow lucky to learn off him. it would be more arteta watching pogba. this is arteta not zidane

if we had a gilberto type instead of arteta for the last 3-4years we should of done much much more.

nice guy, great pro but I don't think he was ever what we needed.

Don't disagree that we need a beast at DM, but we always assume good health and that the starting 11 is intact. How often is our perfect 11 available? How many games has Spyder missed, injuries and suspension that would be perfect to have Arteta be the alternative. We would not miss a beat, plus all the other stuff he brings to the table. I just find it objectionable when he is unfairly targeted for all our troubles, he deserves way more respect. Let's not forget how shaky we were looking when we bought him.

{Ed025's Note - fair point rooster..

29 Jan 2015 11:17:48
Derby,

It's what Arteta has done integrating the likes of Cazorla and the respect he gets from the other guys. Zero to do with what he could or couldn't teach Pogba.

I think he is well liked amongst everyone, that doesn't mean he should be our go too DM and again that is not the only position he can play.

I'd lose no sleep losing Flamini but equally as much as I like Arteta we do look to have an upgrade in Coquelin as far as defensively solidity goes and that is the biggest single plus we need to take into account when giving Arteta game time.

Red dog I would let flamini and arteta go and not lose any sleep.

arteta resigning worrys me that we will not sign a dm now. coq agrees a new deal also.

theres no proof that he's helped people settle in, we have been signing players from other leagues long before him and will after. arteta was signed to replace fabregas, but we quickly saw he was no where near him and dropped him back to a dm.

if we let arteta go no top 6 who take him I don't think. nice guy I do not hate him but we should be moving forward now i'm sorry.

I believe Arsene realises what a huge mistake it was to let player's like Gilberto and others leave too early, young players need them off the field more than on it.
Let's keep a few of these and see the difference between the young players coming through now and then

Wel we all knew he was making mistakes there with players over 30. gilberto was what 30-31 when he left us. arteta will be 34 when he leaves us. all of us knew he should of kept gilberto for longer

Arteta, like mert, shez giroud and flamini are players that will never be good enough to take this club into the top tier of super clubs. They are always lacking, in pace guille and strength, when it comes to big games. Top top teams would not be entertaining these players and that's why gunner was saying earlier about the 4th place mentality of, some of our decision making around the club. By the way it isn't negative just, reasons why we are perennial 4th place winners.

{Ed025's Note - you are also perennial champions league qualifiers steve (19 times on the trot i believe)...think how we poor buggers feel mate..

I like your ambition Steve, but for it takes a team to go to the next level and not just a bunch of stars. Mertz was on a World Cup winner so he definitely can play for us, doesn't have to be a star. I think we are getting the stars about right clearly the alpha is Sanchez, plus Ozil, Walcott, Cazorla, Ramsey are stars, then we need workers and defenders - hope we get the mix right.

Steve has nailed it.

red rooster if that is true then just look at what happened to city and chelsea as money has came in.

Neither have had the character (important to me, and why I luv Arsenal) of the teams I respect, MU recent dynasty, Liverpool previous dynasty, Arsenal's Invicables and even Bayern Munich. You can have your propped up mercenary all stars, not for me!

29 Jan 2015 17:03:06
Didn't think it was negative Steve, you have named what in essence is the spine of a team and whether they are stars or not they have to be better quality.

GK, CB, DM and ST are really where you need close to the best you can get.

29 Jan 2015 17:57:34
When Arteta was originally signed he played alongside Song, who was the DM. He played as his preffere CM position where he had freedom. When Somg left Wenger forced him to try adapt to DM, its not his fault he's not that great at it.

If arteta had come in and played like fabregas he'd of stayed where he was. He just wasnt upto it so he was moved back.