Arsenal Banter Archive April 09 2014

09 Apr 2014 23:30:39
Dags

small steps, bloody hell are you an ant lol, how small do you want them

As for an improvement, I have to disagree matey, every team is judged on the PL as you know, the FA Cup over the years has not been taken seriously even by AW, he rests players. This has to be one of the weakest Semi Finals for years we should win the thing, I don't see how that can be counted as an improvement.

If we do and then win the Charity Shield ( whatever its called) we will really be on a role :)

Banbury,

I hear what you are saying mate, but this is how I see it.

Highbury was our home for many many years. Whilst we were there, we could compete with anybody. Man Utd, Liverpool etc.

All the top team's played on the same level. Than something happened that changed the landscape of English football, indeed world football, forever.

His name was Roman Abramovic. He bought Chelsea, pumped millions of pounds, a small drop in the ocean to him, into his 'pet project' and turned them into an almost unstoppable force.

Not to be outdone, Sheikh 'money-bags' came along, stole Roman's thunder, and turned Man City from nobodies into an elite force.

Can we compete with the money men? No we can't, so what do we do?

Arsene than decided the only way to match them was to enlist the help of his supporters. Highbury held 40,000 and we had another 18,000 on the waiting list for season tickets.

So, we moved to the Emirates, an all-seater 60,000 stadia that guaranteed more supporters watch the games, thus generating an extra £3m per game in turnstile sales alone, not to mention stadium rights, stadium naming, re-branding and extra match day revenue.

Result? we were earning £millions more but we were mortgaged to the hilt.

Solution? we have to sell our top players to stay afloat and to balance the books. Short-term heartache but long-term longevity.

Wenger had his hands tied behind his back and had to sacrifice Arsenal Football Club for the sake of Arsenal Football Club.

The short term heartache is now a thing of the past. The dark day's are over and we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

The stadia is nearly paid for, we have stopped selling all our 'stars' to balance the book's and we can now start spending money.

We have money in the bank and huge sponsorship deals, both on-field and off-field and our marketing department has never been busier.

We can never match the 'Oligarth's and Sheiks' of this world, but at least we can step into the ring with them and throw a few punches, and hopefully some of them will land.

In this time, Arsene has managed to sustain the club's European activities by qualifying for CL every season, for the past 18 years and I believe this is a record, both domestically and overseas, even the mighty Real Madrid's of this world can't match.

All this on a shoe string budget whilst other team's have been using an open cheque-book.

So, If we finish 4th and win the FA Cup I would consider this a huge achievement but, I hope, just a stepping stone for much bigger and better thing's.

Ooppssyy that was me above.

Dag's

Dags. Now that's what you call a post!
Everyone should take lessons from that.

10 Apr 2014 05:59:35
Great post Dags :-)

DG that is an excellent post mate and does put the past few years into perspective.
The fact that we have been left so far behind Liverpool this season is the stand out thing for me, city and chavski both had excellent bases to build on and the dosh to buy who they wanted and needed so catching or keeping pace with them was a big ask.
But Liverpool with all due respect were well behind us coming into the season but are now head and shoulders above us and we are again fighting for the bigger boys wooden spoon.
Our collapse and the way its happened has both stunned and taken away my belief in this Arsenal team that just a little while ago I so believed in and would have defended against anyone but its hard to defend or believe in what we have seen the last few weeks.
I am still getting used to the idea that we will finish below Liverpool this season. How did that happened?

Totally agree with what you are saying about finishing below Liverpool this season especially as they have come from being so far behind us. I think this can be summed up really quickly. Sturridge & Suarez Vs Giroud &??. We have simply been blown away by this.

Dags I agree, if ozil is just the start I agree, but if he was just a one off, then all we are doing is taking 1 step forward and 2 steps back. We don't need to spend 500 mill, but spending 40-50 mill is a must on a big player to build the team.

I really want to see if Arsenal buy Draxler this summer, he can be the only hope we have of improving year on year.

Thank you people lol

Laker, Draxler would be immense mate

09 Apr 2014 19:17:21
Anybody else sick and tired of reading the posts on this site that state 'i hope we finish 6th' 'we need a wake up call' 'not finishing in a CL spot would do us good'?
Do me a favour! We are supposed to be supporters of our belived Arsenal, all too often have our own support been negative, moaned, groaned and boo'd! Our support is what the players thrive on. Get behind your team, anyone who 'wishes' us to finish outside the top 4, is not a welcome fan in my opinion. Spend your time and money elsewhere
Sing up for The Arsenal, Motivate the team and the club!

09 Apr 2014 19:40:00
Totally agree. I do not want to finish outside the top 4. I would like to think the powers that be at our club have had a wake up call without having to drop outside the top 4.
I must admit though. If we didn't get top 4 (What's the atheist version of God forbid?) I wouldn't have a problem if we didn't qualify for the Eurovision cup.
Flybo

LOUIS
top man
, I feel some people here are spurs suppoters, they want us to fail.
respect

09 Apr 2014 20:05:07
I still want us to get 3rd, someone else to have an end of season nightmare.

Can't we have had our blip and pass the baton to one of the other 3. Pretty please.

As the person who started the whole if we fail to make the CL it might have a silver lining thing I would like to clear a couple of things up.
I and neither anyone else I've read has said they hoped we wouldn't finish 4th or above just that if it did happenit would force the board into a drastic change of policy on spending and out look.
As the quite American has said 4 th is success more than once.
As for wanting the team to fail? Up until the last few weeks I have tried to put a positive on everything as I believed we were going forward as a team but recent events and lack of effort have sickened me as I can't forgive lack of effort for or pride in the club on the pitch
If that makes me a spurs fan!what can I say

{Ed025's Note - you can say...ooooooooohh whhhhheeeeennn thhhhhhhhe spuuuuuuuuuuuuurs gooooooooo maaaaaaaarch iiiiiiiiiiiiing iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin like all the other drones at the lane.. :)

That is one lame ass song

How's it go again Ed? :-)
If the Leatherhead reserve fans won't have me I might need to learn it.

{Ed025's Note - you need a lobotomy first G62 mate..

There's still hope for me Ed, Leatherhead reserves say they will take me if their bids for CTR and Valleyyid fail

{Ed025's Note - i will ask daveyboy to start a supporters club for you mate..

I'm with G62 on this one.

G62, you down in leatherhead? Man we should meet up if so. hahah

09 Apr 2014 11:57:26
It is interesting that Santi Cazorla is now echoing the concerns of other players that departed, by stating that we lack a winning mentality and are not making signings to enhance our chances of winning. This is down to one man, Arsene Wenger and not the board, who clearly support Wenger's vision. If he wanted top players the funds are there, this is simply against his philosophy and is why he has to go.
The current reports of us signing expensive quality players emerges the same time every year, just before the season ticket renewals are sent out. Last season, we made one top signing, a free transfer and an injured 31 year old on loan. Its pitiful.

Its not going to change. atleast last year we were linked with higuain and some big names, this year the names just get smaller. I've had to youtube soo many targets, and if they don't look good on youtube, you can imagine how bad they must really be.

I don't think wenger actually thinks like that, he believes that just becuase you sign expensive players does not make you a better team! which is correct Madrid sign expensive players all the time and they don't win the leauge or champs leauge every year! la liga only has 2 teams competing ( apart from this year) so spending big makes sence as your odds of winning are 50/50 but in the prem leauge there are 4 or 5 teams competing so there is more risk associated to spending big, I think that's how wenger see it, and I would have to agree to some extent, jasus I want him to sign 1 big player every year from now on reversing the former tactic of selling one big name a year but only time will tell if that's how thing will progress! I think we have a very interesting summer ahead that's for sure!

Strikers don't come around alot, especially the world class players.

Chelsea will go all out this summer and bag their 60mill man.

while we will save that 60 million and buy 2 strikers who are unproven, while the chance of one coming good is great in the long term, both of them turning out crap and leaving us with deadwood has been the theme lately.

Also Madrid are consistently challenging for titles and trophies, and chelsea and city have shown that it does work. perhaps the investment does outweigh the success, but if the money is there, it should be spent, and not thought of as a contingency, because all it does become is contingency.

Wenger won't buy 2 strikers, he already has Walcott, Podolski, Giroud and Sanogo

Lol
has higuan, done something this season at naoli that I mist, because he ain't been a world beater

09 Apr 2014 08:04:48
David, I did not say we needed a new team I said we needed 10 first Team standard players, players who are good enough to play for the first team.
When you look at our squad you can see how short we our. The players I would call first team standard are.

Shez, sagna, kos, merts, Gibbs, Ramsey, ozil, wilks, ox, Walcott, caszola

Other players good enough for squad

Flams, Rosikey, gabs, poldski, giroud

That's just 16 players IMO are good enough to play for arsenal and only 9 on a weekly basics, plus Sagna looks set to leave.

If not out of contact I would sell verm, monreal, bender and mikel to help raise funds.

But we need at least 10 quality players and 100 million would not be enough considering we need at least 1 world class cf which would cost in excess of 40mill.

I would personally go for

vorm or Bergvic, which ever was cheaper hopefully no more then 9mill
Richards can't be more then 6mill
Caulker again looking at around 10mill
Bendner at least 30mill
Ideally costa but don't think he would come to us and be more like 60mill so being a realist I would say Martinez at 35mill
And a shocker adem Johnson for 15mill (I think he is underrated and he knows the prem)
I would love draxler but cf most be priority.

So the above would cost over 100 and still leave us short of a few players, but would also give us a British core.

On seconds thought if we could get scherdialin for under 20mill I would swap him for bender because of prem experience and saving a bit of money,

Also think if wenger goes (hopefully) we get a manger with experience of the premiership this would be critical to the buying of the above players.

I like martinz but would he leave Everton? rosler been methioned, I personally would give laurdroup a go.

Who would you buy and sell guys?

Sorry for the spelling can't be asked with auto correct on my I pad

Great shout.
My choices:
Keeper: Begovic (reminds me of Seaman
RB: Richards
CB: Caulker & Kaboul (if Vermaelen goes)
M: Draxler
DM: Pogba (Break the bank) & M'Vila
S: Not sure, think we need 2 players. Suggestions welcome.
My shocker:
Nani

To be honest Robbie. All your choices apart from Pogba and Draxler are pretty shocking

I think rosicky is definitely first team standard.

Sell: Fabianski looks set to leave, Monreal, Arteta, Bendtner and loan out jenkinson unless Sagna leaves.

Buy: Begovic, aurier, Ginter, adriano from barca, Bender/Pogba/Schneiderlin, Lukaku/Remy and Draxler/Di Maria.

It will be a big lay out for these players. But we have the money and we need that premier league.

Giroud

Gk: Ochoa, begovic, casilias
Rb:Aurier, vrsajko, Richards
Cb:Hummel, musachio, garay, inigo Martinez, caulker,
Dm:bender, gustavo, pogba
Wing:reus, griezman, cudrado
St:Costa, Batshuayi, benzema, balotelli

RB- Richards? do we need another injury prone player, does anyone know the reason he barely plays for Man city, is mainly due to injury and secondly not being good enough to play for them?

and we want him to be our starting RB and do what exactly?

We are not going to buy any player who will cost more than ozil did. he was our highest ever signing period.

between 9-15 mill we will look at defenders, between 15-25 mill will be a defensive midfielder and between 25-35 mill will be our striker.

if we can add a player to each position and it costs us 5 mill each, that will be more economical.

they will try until one player turns into a world class player and repeat till they can field 11 world class players, but they forget they need to keep the other world class players from leaving while they go look searching for the next big name.

I think money is needed on more pressing matters that a new Keeper, so someone cheap like Marshall from Cardiff.
RB: prefer to have someone who can defend like Sanga but that can actually cross a ball. Debuchey maybe.
CB: Caulker is a great shout
CDM: Bender or Khadera maybe Schidelien to free up some extra cash.
LW: Shaquri from Bayern? Or Greissemann would offer us something different
ST: Mandzukic is my choice but likely he will go to chelsea

09 Apr 2014 01:44:01
Santi Carzola for me is a top player and we should get the most our of him playing behind the striker every week or the 'free role' I think he would do much better elsewhere because wenger isn't get it the best out of him last year he was a joy to watch not sure what's gone wrong this year also I thing he should take corner kicks and free kicks I remember watching a match last year when Walcott was taking all he corners and free kicks which never beat the wall surely you would want your best players taking the set pieces

If we have too many players having a free role, we might as well play sunday football.

watching dortmund yesterday proved to me how far behind we are to that club on the pitch and in the stadium, never in my best years have I seen the Arsenal faithful get behind their team like that lot.

prawn sandwich anyone.