Arsenal Banter Archive March 08 2013

08 Mar 2013 21:50:10
was watching the betis - ossasuna game tonight, to see how campbell was doing at betis. he got subbed off after 60 minutes. didn't make much impression on the game.

You clearly didn't watch it then.

He was instrumental through his time on the pitch and got the assist for Betis's opener.

He didn't touch the ball once in 8 minutes. "instrumental"

^^ What about the other 52 minutes?

There have been games where Messi does'nt touch the ball in 8 minutes, what is your point?

I don't say a player has a good game, if the only thing he does in the entire game is make an assist, or score a goal.

Maybe I should have listed my criteria in the original post, but I didn't expect someone without a name to come on and contradict me. Afterall, I did watch the game, maybe you watched a different one on youtube?

08 Mar 2013 16:59:33
Have heard that the decision on whether Wenger is in charge next season is being left with Wenger himself, he has given reassurances he will give his decision by beginning of May. He has been courted by PSG, Bould will certainly be leaving he his furious over his lack of training ground input and barely talks to Wenger. Takeover talk was merely put into public to draw out anyone willing to sell there shares, besides if we don't make CL football our value drops drastically. I don't he point of this unless it was Usmanov making the fishing expedition as he has stated he will certainly not sell and is actively trying to gain more shares.

Paul,

08 Mar 2013 22:43:09
The report from the UAE on Danny Kelly`s show, on a web site last night, (at 7. 20pm) stated that these Arab investors are serious, and are willing to spend what it takes to get control of AFC. There are five families in the consortium, all with amazing wealth. they want to buy an EPL top six club, Arsenal is their first choice, but if Kronke holds out they may go for Everton, or The Spuds. This is not a story put out. this is fact.

Steamin Willy Beaman

08 Mar 2013 15:15:33
hello gooners and eds great job on the site some quality info being spread here.

i just wanted to share my 2 cents on this whole "is it wenger's fault or the boards' fault" debate, and at this point I would have to say I think kroenke is the problem and I hope he sells his shares and let's someone else become the majority shareholder. either usmanov or the arabs.

my reasons for thinking this is that when u look at wenger he has worry lines all over his face, and that tells me that he cares immensely about the club, that our dismal displays really bother him, and that he is genuinely unhappy and wants more for the club.

on the flip side every time I see kroenke's face he carries this smug smirk as if he couldn't be bothered despite the fact that our club's quality of football is a small shadow of what it was in 2005 and we have been losing our best players every year.

one would think that in times of turmoil and unrest amongst the fans that the owner would come out and reassure us that we have a plan and to show us that he actually cares, but instead he has earned the nickname "silent stan" for being an absent owner.

these recent rumours that wenger has not, in fact, been given the funds that we thought he was given only adds to my frustration, and certainly explains the wrinkles of frustration on wenger's face.

this is not meant to be an "in arsene we trust" post as I believe we should go in a different direction and bring in a new manager with renewed vigour and hunger, but the main worry for me remains that kroenke is our owner.

opinions please and I would love to hear the eds thoughts on this matter as well. thanks.

I don't think we will ever find out if it is Wengers fault or the board/owners untill one of them leaves.

Detroit Gooner

Hello Trinidad, I once worshipped AW, thought he could walk across water, but he has been given money and spent it poorly over the last few seasons. Other clubs have spent similliar amounts of money and got better players for it. I can see your point about Kroenke, but the problems are on the pitch and they lay fairly and squarely at the feet of AW.
Take care Trinidad and who knows we might shock the footballing world and go thru on Wednesday
Heybridge Gooner

08 Mar 2013 13:07:57
No mention of it yet - who watched the spurs game yday?

What a performance.

Gilfe Sigurdsson, played a bit like Ramsey but at twice the speed, followed up in the box and got a goal. This is the same guy who turned Swansea's season around last year and who was available for £6m and is a silky player, can't believe how little he's played this season.

Dembele, who imo has been lazy this year, has showed in recent weeks why they paid £15m for him.

Vertonghen has been brilliant at the back for them over the last few months.

Ekotto, a player who most on here laugh about but who impresses me all the time, what a player.

Defoe, should have got a goal, 'not good enough for Arsenal' is the cry on here - brilliant player in the form of his life in the last season or two, we need a guy like him.

That performance was brilliant. Inter showed that when they can be bothered they can move the ball well and create chances but Spurs were just amazing. The movement between Dembele, Parker (what a game!), Sig, Bale, Defoe and Lennon was EXCEPTIONAL.

They schooled us in movement the other day. They did it again last night. They've been doing it all season and with players who, funnily enough, the majority on here think 'aren't good enough'. May I remind you Lennon is the most effective winger in the league with completed crosses.

I wish we'd signed Sigurdsson. He is actually such a good player. He's much bigger and stronger than you first think too, that has surprised me the most. I sear he's grown. I don't know, I watched that performance yesterday and actually have seen most of their games this season and it's really nothing new. Then you watch how uninspiring our front 3 is and our midfield and things need to change.

Wilshere, I love him, but he needs coaching. How many times is he not going to shoot? he could have 10 goals this season if he shot once in a while. And how many times is he going to dribble past 3 players only to lose the ball? Let's be honest, we all see it every game but we let it go because it's Jack. His talent needs direction. Look at AVB on the touchline, he's like a fan with a job to do. Pards too, you could hear him yelling directions at his players against Anzhi, he's like the 12th player. Jack needs better coaching. Theo needs to be taught that when Jack gets on his bike, Theo needs to do whatever he can to make a run worth making a pass to. Same with Podolski.

If Giroud's only impact in the team is to hold the ball up then he shouldn't be starting games. He has no agility, takes him forever to pull the trigger and as much as I love him, Jack and Santi have stopped picking him out like Santi was at the start of the season. If Podolski wants goals he needs to make better runs and get into the game more. He can't sulk and wait for Gibbs to get fit, he needs to get stuck in. I do love our players but when you watch Man U, City, Spurs, Liverpool especially, and then watch us, in terms of sheer effort and passion there is a gulf between us. Even Assou-Ekotto ho came out once and said he's not really fussed about football it's just a job plays with more drive, effort and skill than most of our team week in week out.

Beginning to sound like a spud here so I'll chill out but I watched that game and just thought wow, the difference between a team playing for each other and their manager and fighting for a cause, and one that isn't.

We used to be that team.

Metal I completely agree we don't seem to play with that energy, hunger, drive, and passion that u speak about the other teams having; we look so lackadaisical a lot of the time I don't know where that comes from.

u read my mind about wilshere shooting more but I think as a team we don't shoot nearly enough, and I don't get it since players like santi and arteta are good distance shooters. we look so flat and predictable going forward.

Yes metal, you did sound like a spud, but they played had a game plan against us, stuck to it and won, same as last night, that's the difference between them and us at the momoent, our game plan either does not work, or the players don't understand it, that is Wengers fault on both cases, he should by this time of the season, know the capabilitys of his squad, or is this some secret re-building process, that he forgot to tell anybody about, he has to go, its not rocket sience. Lo Red

Schooled us with movement? what are you talkin 'bout. no organisation in our own defense, not 'cos they schooled us with movement. you could say theo schooled em with movement, but a reluctance from jack to put him through on countless times, just to pass it sideways to ramsey who just killed off the counter. we won't win nethin with santi playin wide

I am sure I have hurt some people's feeling talking about the enemy like that - oh well.

They way they moved last night was a schooling to our entire season*

They have been brilliant, we were that team as some one just said. I hope they make it to top 4 (and so do we at the expense of Chelsea)

Spurs are really good to watch at the moment. I don't want to see them win anything, but as a football fan, I have no problem in complementing them. lloris. vertonghen. dembele. bale. their team is strong no doubt about it.

Agree with almost all you said. spurs (spit), but. they were good last night
COYG andi

08 Mar 2013 11:52:38
Exciting news wenger looking at signing a new striker.
Not really when he is a free agent who plays in ligue 2 typical wenger buy is this another marine chamack or worse? This is not what we need when we are already rapidly falling behind our greatest rivals COYG
Hally

08 Mar 2013 11:07:04
Hi ed, any transfer news? It's been as quiet as old trafford on here for a while now! Heard alex song may be returning, any truth in that? Also, is ashley williams of swans a target?

Absolutely no chance of Song returning! Why would Wenger have sanctioned his sale in the first place? Ashley Williams is an excellent player, but I can't fathom out why Swansea would sell him for as little as £8m, unless his contract isn't long.

Where would Song fit in now? who would be dropped to put him in? the guy is more hassle than he is worth (and he certainly ain't worth what Barca paid)
Not sure on all this Ashley Williams talk, he is a great player but will be 29 at the start of the new season, had we had over the last couple years then great but not sure that what we should be heading for now.

1404

From what was written on here and elsewhere, Alex Song was pushed out of the club, by the club (and his own actions).
Very unlikely that Arsenal would take him back - and although he would walk into the arsenal team at the moment, he still isn't the player we need infront of our defence.

Wenger does not go back to old players like old Arry' does all the time and Song is Not good enough as the Dm we need anyway to be honest, he went walkabouts too many times upfield. He is being exposed as just a average player for Barca now.
We need a more disiplined dm like Toulalon For example.

As regards Ashley Williams. He is a decent strong defender and would certainly help in the air, But is he really better at a individual level than Kos or TV5 or indeed Kyle Bartley that we sold to Swansea.

TV5 is a quality defender (remember is was one of best in the league when he first arrived) just suffering a lack of confidence at the moment compounded his uncertainity playing alongside the Slow Mertasaker. And the fact we play a suicidel High line when there is no pressure on the opposing ball Carrier from a DM.

It does not matter what defenders we have until we get better midfeild protection we will always be exposed in such a high line. We need to either play 10 yards deeper with Mert. or Play teh faster and more mobile Kos and TV5 together and get a DM that will just sit there to provide that sheild so that opposite players can't pick a pass.

Diaby would be dropped if not he would be injured

dave

Lehmann, Campbell & Henry! if Wenger thinks the player is right he will go back for them. let's hope in Songs case he doesn't.

1404

08 Mar 2013 09:07:50
Ed01 what do you think the change of owners will be more helpful for arsenal or the change of manager?thanx
wajid {Ed001's Note - personally I find owner changes worrying, sometimes it is better the devil you know. Though it is clear to see that Arsenal need some changes in the footballing side of the club. The club seems stale, the same mistakes are being repeated game after game, without any attempt to fix them being made. I know Wenger is a stubborn man, but surely he is intelligent enough to understand what is going wrong and make changes? It seems that he refuses to do so though, so it is time he moved on, for me, before Arsenal drop too far behind the top 4, like Liverpool have done.}

Wenger is a stubborn man, who looks unwell. His demeanour on the bench is terrible. He has made many mistakes in recent seasons & is living off past glories. Against Tottenham, we gave away two goals playing a ludicrous high line against the pace of Lennon & Bale. He has no tall strong defensive midfield players. He has too many small technical midfield players. He has fallen out with Sagna & Vermaelen, as they dared to criticise him. He has a surfeit of unsaleable players that were or are simply not good enough or he has ruined by playing them out of position & destroying their confidence. We only have one decent, but inexperienced keeper. I loved the pre 2005 Wenger, but the current model is that of a stubborn, desperate manager, whose time has come. {Ed039's Note - Not a Gunner myself but always admired Wenger from afar, but I must admit that in recent weeks he has let himself down, firstly the Bayern Munich press conference was just an example of how the pressure is getting to him, and then when asked what do you do to deal with Gareth Bale, he replies we make no plans for Bale, that was a dangerous comment because it came back to bite him in the backside. I think he is looking tired and maybe it is time for someone else to come in with fresh views)

Complately agree Ed001, The major footballing change that Wenger needed to realise and accept is/was the need to get a big, strong, athletic no-nonsense DM. He has had 8 years since he let Gilberto leave and hasn't seen the light. Replacements like Flamini, Song and now Arteta are DM pretenders.

Stubborn or stupid? I reckon a bit of both.

Either way, it is not the kind of behaviour you expect from an experienced manager and leader. He undeniably loves the club, but seems to have no ambition left for the playing side of things. I thought he was a shoe-in to go upstairs and on the BoD, but I don't think this is a possibility anymore because fans are so sick of him now we will never forgive and forget, and his power cravings mean he won't relinquish his grip on literally everything and let someone else take charge of on field affairs and off field finances.

If Madrid offer him the Job this summer, I think he will take it, he gets on well with Perez and has turned them down a couple of times, probably thinking he is at AFC for life. His buddies at PSG are no longer there so that is unlikey, but he would like to take his family back to France, and if Arsenal can waive the 7.5m contract they'll be happy. Madrid or stay put seems to be his only options, though Citeh has been mentioned.

I for one would love to read Wenger's biography in a few years time, so many mysteries that need clarifying.

gun44

08 Mar 2013 08:03:36
I recently saw an article which stated that Platini is looking to get rid of the Europa League competition in the next 2 years. He wants to restructure the champions league and just have one competition with more qualifiers. This would be very good for Arsenal if we do not finish in the top four. {Ed039's Note - Not many clubs were supporting the idea)

Not many of the top clubs would agree to it as it would not only mean more games in a season but will dilute the money they get from the Competition as it currently is. The money would have to be spread between more teams.

The Europa League needs to be condensed with fewer games (Scrap the league phase of it) with the winners be allowed into the champs league the following season also. This will make it more competitive.

I also personally think the champs league should be just for Champions of each country, the holders and Like I mentioned the winners of the previous Europa League.

I think eventually all Top clubs will split away from their home leagues merge into Euro Super league anyway, which will be to the detriment of the lesser teams unfortuatly.

Yes this is great news, now finishing 5th and 6th can also be like winning a trophy

1404

It' a bit strange to say scrapping the Europa and is a bad idea because it would dilute the funding and then say the CL should only be for the champs because technically in the last 3 years we'd be nearly £80m less well off!

That's like Wenger saying there shouldn't be a January TF window when that's the one he signed Arshavin in - or saying the summer window should shut when the season starts in August even though he made 4 or 5 signings that summer AFTER the season kicked off.

One or the other. The way the champs league is set up at the moment is brilliant, and there is so much money. Also the Europa league is hugely coveted, if anything there should just be more money in it. I mean we earned £27m last season in the CL and I think one of the Eds said the winners of the EL get about £11m - what a joke! And considering that Milan side and Bilbao side would have wiped the floor with pretty well all the prem teams (and did so with Chelsea haha) the imbalance is massive. The EL has some amazing teams and the final stages are just as good to watch as the CL last 16, easily.

Such a shame to do away with Europa I think. It's a great competition.

Half the clubs that get into the champions league every year, are not champions of anything.

We are all winners Daniel.

1404

08 Mar 2013 07:08:22
i'm starting to think now that this takeover talk is all bull, at the time I fell for it and got excited but funny how on our biggest game of the season it was in papers and heard nothing since. it really worries me because things are already bad enough and we will end up in the sxxt like liverpool was when hicks and gillete took over them, anyway we'll just have to wait and see come the summer but it'll probably be nothing to get excited about


gooner mark {Ed039's Note - A takeover isnt always a good thing, ask Rangers and Portsmouth. Arsenal are operating sensibly and the long term stability of the football club is not in doubt. I know you want trophies in the cabinet, but a takeover wouldnt guarantee that, it would just be another English team throwing away money trying to win the league. There is enough of that in my opinion)

Ed I see your point and it's a good thing that arsenal are operating sensilbly and the stability of the club is good but a top 4 finish is not enough every year a team like us should be challenging on all fronts for major honours like we used to. we never replace the quality that gets sold all the time, if kroenke and gazidis mean what they say that they want honours and there's that big war chest then for example they should say to wenger here is 70 million go and get who you want but as I said I can't see it happening with them running our club

gooner mark {Ed039's Note - Agreed, you cant keep selling your best players every year, and no disrespect to these guys, replacing Fabregas with Arteta is lowering the quality. But there are too many teams throwing silly money about and all chasing the same prize and inevitably there is going to be disappointment)

I understand that but i'd rather take the chance of spending the money on quality players and have more of a realistic chance of winning something but we never do and we are usually well out of the title race before the year ends and this season proves how bad our squad is because no disrespect to bradford but we sent a full strength team up there and couldn't get the job done and we couldn't even beat blackburn in fa cup but wenger is so stubborn and can't see that major changes need to be made

gooner mark

Precisely Ed I mean the thing is we had some of the best players in the WORLD playing for us - RVP the best out and out striker for the last 18 months and we sold him. Fabregas, you can't go selling a guy like that and then not replacing him (which we actually didn't do) and then on deadline day yanking Arteta from Everton in desperation and expecting that to work. You have to buy the next best thing you can! That's Mata, David Silva, Goetze. Expensive? Yes, but it's what you have to do. Arteta? No no no. And I love Arteta.

People say 'we haven't replaced Henry/RVP/Fabregas/Nasri but in reality it's impossible, the replacements are always going to be not as good when we're talking about the world's best. But to be as bad as we have bought is the bad bit. I didn't expect Cavani or Falcao but I expected Giroud as a second striker and I expected far better to come in (I actually thought Podolski was bought for this purpose). Soon as Pod was put LW I knew it would be downhill.