Arsenal FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 10/11

L'prof

greendom wrote: »

Rumours that Gallas is in talks with Tottenham - seems fairly typical of his character if true.

Who are we to complain?

greendom

L'prof wrote: »

Who are we to complain?

Good point

tony1kenobi

L'prof wrote: »

Who are we to complain?

If it happened Spuds would say it was reparations for Sol Campbell.....to which we'll reply......"suuuure......we're gonna have to ask you to go ahead and move your desk down to the basement........"

gibson

If the Shwarzer story is true ill be happy we finally get a replacement but as i said earlier dissapointed we didnt take advantage of the city situation, think 1 will definitely leave. Given or Hart would'v been great signings

greendom

gibson wrote: »

If the Shwarzer story is true ill be happy we finally get a replacement but as i said earlier dissapointed we didnt take advantage of the city situation, think 1 will definitely leave. Given or Hart would'v been great signings

I really don't think City would have let either go to a major rival

irishh_bob

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

Wikipedia, the source of all false knowledge:

Personal information
Full name - Maik Franz
Date of birth - 5 August 1981 (age 29)
Place of birth - pandora
Height - 2.90 m (9 ft 6 in)
Playing position - Centre back

Gotta love wikipedia!

fixed that for ya

gibson

depends if they have a choice. player power is what its all about now! one doestn want to stay they hand in a transfer request theres very few clubs that would keep a player like that

_Bella_

Hopefully Schzeny will turn out to be the goalkeeper we need and Schwarzer is just a stop gap. I think this is more a signing or relief rather than excitement. I suspect Almunia will be sold though I'd have him over Flapianski any day. Hopefully we can sign a CB with some EPL experience. Because if Vermalen or Koscienly get injured this weekend we only have Nordveit who hasn't even played as a CB for 2 years.

The Volt

Apparently Schwarzer told Hughes that if he didn't accept Arsenal's bid he'd "play like Fabianski"

yahoo_moe

gibson wrote: »

theres very few clubs that would keep a player like that

But I think City are one, certainly if there was potentially a Champions League spot at stake. It's not like they'd need the £6m or £7m for Given, say - and if he's that desperate to play, he'll agree a deal somewhere else even if City only get £5m.

On our replacement keeper issue (assuming Schwarzer comes), I'd prefer Almunia too. But there may not have been any interest in Fabianski/Mannone on permanent deals and if the Schwarzer-Almunia-Friedel triangle stories are true, we have to let Manuel go to get Schwarzer.

Almunia going to Villa allegedly............

DB10

Papa Smut wrote: »

Almunia going to Villa allegedly............

We can only dream.

No sane club would touch Fabimunia with a bargepole. And I include Championship sides. Fabianski's career in England is all but over, he has been figured out, ever game he is targeted.

Villa have no manager, whether that makes it more likely or not is hard to know.

DB10

What sort of manager goes into the season with 3 CBs , one with only a season of football under his belt and another injury prone waste of space.

Boggles the mind. An injury to TV and it's good night Vienna. It's ridiculous we're relying on Djourou as third choice when he can't even be relied to stay fit during preseason. How Wenger put faith in him to stay fit I will never know.

DB10

There's a rumour doing the rounds on Twitter about Denilson's abdominal problem - apparently our physios have discovered that he's got no guts.

x PyRo

Yawn.

x PyRo

haha

gosplan

FUNKY LOVER wrote: »

yes.he is given a contract to manage the team and win trophies.

I think it's fair to say that's just in your eyes.

Everyone knows that Arsenal had different targets for the last few years.

If you think the sole focus is to win as many trophies as possible, then you should be calling for Wenger and the board to be sacked because they've shamelessly allowed themselves to be outspent by other teams while declining the advances of foreign owners who could have provided a decent cash injection just like they did at Liverpool.

What you're saying is that over the last five years Pompey have succeeded and Arsenal have failed.

speedboatchase

Schwarzer has told an Aussie paper he 'needs' to join us

http://football-talk.co.uk/7077/schwarzer-arsenal-transfer-happen/

FUNKY LOVER

gosplan wrote: »

I think it's fair to say that's just in your eyes.

Everyone knows that Arsenal had different targets for the last few years.

If you think the sole focus is to win as many trophies as possible, then you should be calling for Wenger and the board to be sacked because they've shamelessly allowed themselves to be outspent by other teams while declining the advances of foreign owners who could have provided a decent cash injection just like they did at Liverpool.

What you're saying is that over the last five years Pompey have succeeded and Arsenal have failed.

well im just baffled at what arsenal football club are about if your statement is true.

Quazzie

FUNKY LOVER wrote: »

well im just baffled at what arsenal football club are about if your statement is true.

Shhh. Some people prefer to just be there or there abouts.

I wonder will they tell their children of the great team at the end of the noughties who were financially secure and managed to win nothing but always be nearly there. Thats what we've to be really proud of.

I started following Arsenal because I liked their style of football, not because I like how they do business. I'd much rather be reading of success in the Sports pages rather than in the financial pages to be honest. So YES. In a way Portsmouth have been more successful than us.

keano_afc

Just something that caught my eye in the Schwarzer story:

And while the experienced shot-stopper admits he could miss out this weekend through injury, he scotched suggestions that he would refuse to play if selected.

"I have never sat out a game [to prove a point] and never would," Schwarzer said. "But it needs to be resolved sooner rather than later.

"I'm not sure whether I'll play [for Fulham] on the weekend. I've got a few little injury problems but we'll have to wait and see how I pull up when I return to London."

He's perfect!! Sign him up.

gosplan

FUNKY LOVER wrote: »

well im just baffled at what arsenal football club are about if your statement is true.

It's called planning for the future

gosplan

Quazzie wrote: »

Shhh. Some people prefer to just be there or there abouts.

Let me guess, 'if you're not first, you're last'

Quazzie wrote: »

So YES. In a way Portsmouth have been more successful than us.

Well done Portsmouth so, we should try to be a bit more like them

FUNKY LOVER

gosplan wrote: »

It's called planning for the future

well a future would be a lot brighter if we were more successful,and there is a thin line between arsenal being successful and not winning anythig.

2 million extra wenger would not spend on alonso a few seasons back,or buying another striker instead of playing arshavin upfront last season.
or letting gilberto,diarra and flamini leave in 1 summer and promote denilson to DM.

these are mistakes which he has no excuse for.its pure negligence on his part.

this team is so near to being number 1 but wenger just wont add that extra bit needed.

cson

FUNKY LOVER wrote: »

2 million extra wenger would not spend on alonso a few seasons back,or buying another striker instead of playing arshavin upfront last season.

I don't really agree with your overall opinion on the state of the club but this is a fair point; AW is not without sin either. Small things slipping like the above are probably the reason we're stuck in this loop of 4th-Champions League KOs-FA Cup 4th Round purgatory.

_Bella_

keano_afc wrote: »

He's perfect!! Sign him up.

Isn't the injury room where the team do most of their bonding?

FUNKY LOVER

cson wrote: »

I don't really agree with your overall opinion on the state of the club but this is a fair point; AW is not without sin either. Small things slipping like the above are probably the reason we're stuck in this loop of 4th-Champions League KOs-FA Cup 4th Round purgatory.

i dont think the club is in a state nor am i saying wenger out,i just want him to stop been so stubborn sometimes,but thats the man i suppose!

i just feel like he has lost something over the last few years.




Arsenal boss Arsène Wenger has called on the club's fans to continue to trust his judgement as he looks to strengthen the squad this summer.

Wenger - who lost key men like Robin Van Persie and captain Cesc Fabregas to injury this season - accepts one or two additions are needed to ensure the Gunners push for the title again next year but wants any deals done as soon as possible.

Arsenal are expected to confirm the arrival of Marouane Chamakh on a free transfer once the Morocco striker's contract with Bordeaux expires ahead of the World Cup and the club have also been linked with big money bids for Ajax's Luis Suarez and Palermo defender Simon Kjaer.

''They have to trust us. Historically we have done well on the transfer market,'' said Wenger. ''Last summer we bought Thomas Vermaelen, nobody knew about him and now he is in the team of the year, so they just have to keep faith in what we do. As always we will try to be intelligent, sensible and take care of this club in the right way.''

Wenger also reiterated his determination not to break up the squad, with Fabregas continually linked with a move to Spain.

''One or two will go out, which happens every year, but the first target is to keep the squad together,'' he told Arsenal TV Online. ''This team has a future. I believe the players want to have a future together and that is why it is my job to keep them together.''

Arsenal are set to finish third after seeing their title and European challenge fade following successive away defeats at Barcelona, Tottenham and Wigan.

Wenger added: ''You are never happy when you do not win the championship, but I believe it was a massive handicap to have so many players out going into the final sprint.

''We maintained our consistent position in the top three and I believe nobody expected that from us at the start of the season, so we have done certainly beyond expectation. But still for us it is not good enough because we want to win the championship.''


OR 5!

peabutler

So it looks like it will be after Sunday before we have any official signings. Maybe Arsene holding out for news on Given or Hart ?

I expect a CB and MS by say next wednesday.

Pea

Pepe LeFrits

Hughes has nixed a Schwarzer move. He says Arsenal haven't been in touch since May and Fulham won't sell anyway.

Quazzie

gosplan wrote: »

Let me guess, 'if you're not first, you're last'

No I can see a middle ground. I'd prefer to win though

gosplan wrote: »

Well done Portsmouth so, we should try to be a bit more like them

Are you suggesting that it'd be impossible for Arsenal to win some trophies without going down the bankrupt route that Portsmouth did?

greendom

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

Hughes has nixed a Schwarzer move. He says Arsenal haven't been in touch since May and Fulham won't sell anyway.

This is a slightly more positive slant on the development

http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/london-sport/fulham-fc/2010/08/13/fulham-losing-the-battle-for-mark-schwarzer-82029-27056543/?

Hopefully Hughes is just hardballing to extract an extra million or so

gibson

yahoo_moe wrote: »

But I think City are one, certainly if there was potentially a Champions League spot at stake. It's not like they'd need the £6m or £7m for Given, say - and if he's that desperate to play, he'll agree a deal somewhere else even if City only get £5m.

On our replacement keeper issue (assuming Schwarzer comes), I'd prefer Almunia too. But there may not have been any interest in Fabianski/Mannone on permanent deals and if the Schwarzer-Almunia-Friedel triangle stories are true, we have to let Manuel go to get Schwarzer.

ye totally true they dont need the money but if Given puts in a transfer request whats the point City keeping him at the club.Same with Hart if he decides the same. Hart may bide his time considering his age, although if Capello says you need first team football to be England number 1 you can bet he'll be gone if Given is City's keeper this season

DB10

Wenger dismissed going for either City GK, on SSN.

Also been offered a new contract and it will soon be signed...

L'prof

Quazzie wrote: »

I started following Arsenal because I liked their style of football

What's changed there?

Quazzie wrote: »

I'd much rather be reading of success

Wouldn't we all.

Quazzie wrote: »

In a way Portsmouth have been more successful than us.

Ludicrous!

Frisbee

L'prof wrote: »

How did he score???

Epic header that flew past Buffon.

DB10 wrote: »

There's a rumour doing the rounds on Twitter about Denilson's abdominal problem - apparently our physios have discovered that he's got no guts.

/facepalm

Quazzie

L'prof wrote: »

Ludicrous!

Success off the field is forgettable. In ten years time Pompey fans will still be going on about their FA cup win. Success cannot only be measured by one grade, and instead there are many different ways to measure success. While we have been successful in business and financial terms we haven't been successful in terms of trophies for over 5 years.

I'd rather a nice mix of both rather than excelling in one.

gibson

Quazzie wrote: »

Success off the field is forgettable. In ten years time Pompey fans will still be going on about their FA cup win. Success cannot only be measured by one grade, and instead there are many different ways to measure success. While we have been successful in business and financial terms we haven't been successful in terms of trophies for over 5 years.

I'd rather a nice mix of both rather than excelling in one.

You do know they got relegated!

On the Wenger situation good different points of view on this forum

http://arsenal-mania.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=102761

Quazzie

gibson wrote: »

You do know they got relegated!

Only because they overspent themselves to get the FA cup win. We have the money and structure in place, obviously to make sure that wouldn't happen. The relegation because of the downfall after the FA cup win.

gosplan

Quazzie wrote: »

Are you suggesting that it'd be impossible for Arsenal to win some trophies without going down the bankrupt route that Portsmouth did?

Not at all, I'm just saying that the 'not winning the premiership = failure' method of judging the club and managers success is very short sighted.

If you look at City now for example. One of the richest men in the world(2nd I think?) has decided that he'll spend any amount of money on buying the premiership. Sooner or later, he will succeed. By the rational displayed in the last few posts, that means that everyone else will be a failure. I simply don't agree.

Wenger's not perfect. I said way before the summer that it was unprofessional of him to go through January without getting a new keeper in so you can imagine what I will think if we go through this transfer window as well.

I'm perfectly willing to debate such matters but it's important to keep in mind that Wenger has succeeded in a number of ways over the last few years. With our income, we can now financially match any team bar City/Chelsea, but they don't live in the real world. We've done this without dropping out of the CL despite the emergence of Liverpool(how's their new stadium coming along?) and Chelsea as genuine forces in the premiership.

I simply can't agree with people calling this 'five years of failure'.

I'm with everyone else in saying that we'd now like to see him push on and strengthen the squad a bit but as I said, we've brought in 2 (and are really pushing for a third by all accounts) probable first team players this summer. For a top club, that's quite a lot.

Like I said, I'll debate the guys shortcomings all you want but 'I'm sick of promised things and lied to by failure Wenger' is a bit childish tbh.

gosplan

Quazzie wrote: »

Success off the field is forgettable. In ten years time Pompey fans will still be going on about their FA cup win.

You do know that there's a relationship between success off and on the field?

Pompey sacrificed one for the other.

Quazzie

gosplan wrote: »

You do know that there's a relationship between success off and on the field?

Pompey sacrificed one for the other.

Please see post #2039

Royale with Cheese

Wenger is still a top manager and the man for the job in almost all aspects. However he needs somebody to give him a kick up the arse with regards to transfers and improving certain aspects of his squad.

I'll give him til the transfer window is up before making any real judgements but if no goalkeeper and centre back are brought in then I'll have lost a lot of faith in his ability to do his job.

keano_afc

Royale with Cheese wrote: »

Wenger is still a top manager and the man for the job in almost all aspects. However he needs somebody to give him a kick up the arse with regards to transfers and improving certain aspects of his squad.

I'll give him til the transfer window is up before making any real judgements but if no goalkeeper and centre back are brought in then I'll have lost a lot of faith in his ability to do his job.

This. There's nobody here doubting Wenger is a genius manager and we owe all our success of the past 15 years to him. However, there's no hiding the fact that our squad has severe limitations and these havent been adressed thus far. I'm not confident with a central defence made up of a player who hasnt been capped by his country and has had one season of French top flight football, and another player who cant play more than 4-5 games without breaking down. The goalkeeping situation has been done to death but still nothing has been finalised.

People here have said we are taking a risk with the players we have at the back but I'm asking why do we have to be taking a risk? Every season is the same. Just once I'd like to be looking at a new season with confidence, not crossing my fingers that a risky transfer policy pays off, or that all our big players stay fit. It just doesnt happen.

Frisbee

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/aug/13/arsene-wenger-arsenal-contract

Arsène Wenger looks set to agree a new deal to stay at Arsenal.

The Arsenal manager, who turns 61 in October, will be out of contract next summer but confirmed at today's press conference ahead of the opening Premier League game of the season at Liverpool on Sunday that a new deal was on the table.

The French coach has revolutionised the north London club since his arrival as a relative unknown in September 1996, winning the domestic double in his first full season. However, since the club moved to the Emirates Stadium in 2006, Wenger's young side have been unable to supply any more silverware, the last trophy being the 2005 FA Cup.

However, the Arsenal manager continues to have faith in both his own ability and that the current crop of talent will finally come of age. "I have to show as well how much I believe in this team by showing my commitment," he said.

"My situation will be sorted out very soon. It is more a question about timing, and all the other ingredients which are in a contract will be easy to sort out. I believe my commitment to the club has nothing do with the speculation of how the season would go, because that would be unfair," he said.

"If I do not do well, and one day the club is not happy with me I can completely understand that I do not stay here any more. But I believe we will do well."

Wenger has set his sights firmly on delivering a first championship since his "Invincibles" side swept all before them in 2004.

"What will be success is to improve from last year, which is to win the league – that is the only benchmark," Wenger said. "You cannot finish third and then say for the season after, you want to finish behind that.

"We are a young side and the improvement is natural – the ambition is there, we are hungry for success."

iMuse

Royale with Cheese wrote: »

I'll give him til the transfer window is up before making any real judgements but if no goalkeeper and centre back are brought in then I'll have lost a lot of faith in his ability to do his job.

+100 I dont want to hear "building a team for the future" after the transfer window closes and we have signed no one else

http://www.givemefootball.com/premier-league/gunners-agree-terms-with-international-keeper

Mark Schwarzer has secretly agreed to join Arsenal - says the Evening Standard.

The Gunners reportedly had a bid of £2 million rejected by Fulham for the gloveman prior to the World Cup, but they are said to be on the verge of making an improved offer.

Schwarzer - Australia's number one stopper - has been identified by Arsene Wenger as the man to replace Manuel Alumina while the Arsenal boss looks for a long-term replacement for his current first choice.

The 37-year-old is understood to be keen to have a crack at the Champions League before he retires and, although he favours a move to the Emirates, the Cottagers denied reports earlier this week that he had handed in a transfer request.

However, according to the Evening Standard, the former Middlesbrough keeper has already agreed personal terms with the north Londoners and will complete a move across the capital should his suitors offer £3 million to his current employers.

Wenger has been linked with numerous goalkeepers throughout the summer, including Russia's Igor Akinfeev and England youngster Joe Hart.

speedboatchase

Papa Smut wrote: »

http://www.givemefootball.com/premier-league/gunners-agree-terms-with-international-keeper

Honestly, I can't even see Wenger bidding the £3m, it'll probably be a take it or leave it £2.5m

cson

From the other side of the fence; Fulham would be mad not to take £2-2.5m for a 37 yr old. Absolutely free money for them.

I'm a bit lazy too; anyone care to tell me the boards.ie and Arsenal fans fantasy league code?

keano_afc

cson wrote: »

From the other side of the fence; Fulham would be mad not to take £2-2.5m for a 37 yr old. Absolutely free money for them.

I'm a bit lazy too; anyone care to tell me the boards.ie and Arsenal fans fantasy league code?

Classic League - 252837-184328

Head 2 Head League - 252837-184334

Boards one is 1084-535 classic and 8936-91628 for the head to head.

Boards Head to head is full