Arsenal Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2013

Drexel

greendom wrote: »

No game this weekend isn't helping. I hope they're using the time wisely to prepare for Munich. Not sure how much time you actually need for a miracle though.

Good one :pac:

keano_afc

greendom wrote: »

No game this weekend isn't helping. I hope they're using the time wisely to prepare for Munich. Not sure how much time you actually need for a miracle though.

Didnt Wenger say that we dont prepare for anyone?

TheGunns

Hopefully the free weekend does us well, although Bayern look like they've an easy game this weekend. Has to be at least one shock in the round, lets hope it's us :P

Alfred Borden

Vermaelen linked to Barca. Another captain we would lose, another player we lose to Barca if he were to go, but this time we would probably all be delighted. Barca always have an eye for not a great CB but it is the Sun reporting it so 1% chance its true.

brianregan09

I'd have no problem with Vermaelen going to be honest he has done F all to warrant the captaincy the last 2 seasons, He's just been off since he came back from injury , I think we're seeing how much he misses toure

extra gravy

brianregan09 wrote: »

I'd have no problem with Vermaelen going to be honest he has done F all to warrant the captaincy the last 2 seasons, He's just been off since he came back from injury , I think we're seeing how much he misses toure

Vermaelen must be the most unpopular captain we've had in a while? I wouldn't be sorry to see him go either. He seems like a good guy that genuinely cares about the club but it's just not enough. We need someone like Jack that will inspire others and also give them a kick up the hole when needed.

extra gravy

extra gravy wrote: »

Vermaelen must be the most unpopular captain we've had in a while? I wouldn't be sorry to see him go either. He seems like a good guy that genuinely cares about the club but it's just not enough. We need someone like Jack that will inspire others and also give them a kick up the hole when needed.

Let's be fair. He's no Gallas...

extra gravy

extra gravy wrote: »

Vermaelen must be the most unpopular captain we've had in a while? I wouldn't be sorry to see him go either. He seems like a good guy that genuinely cares about the club but it's just not enough. We need someone like Jack that will inspire others and also give them a kick up the hole when needed.

Jack had an off day himself on Sunday. Might be too much of a burden on him at such a young age tbh

extra gravy

Deleted User wrote: »

Jack had an off day himself on Sunday. Might be too much of a burden on him at such a young age tbh

Ya I agree with you, was thinking more so of someone with Jack's type of character rather than Jack himself. But I don't think there's anyone else in the squad like him that would fit the bill.

extra gravy

extra gravy wrote: »

Ya I agree with you, was thinking more so of someone with Jack's type of character rather than Jack himself. But I don't think there's anyone else in the squad like him that would fit the bill.

I see where everyone is coming from. Jack will be perfect when he is ready because he is the first 'Mr Arsenal' we've had in quite a while, but im not sure the captaincy is for him now. He needs to develop more as a player and get a long run of games going.

TBH im not totally against an Ashley Williams type of signing. If he could come in and provide a bit of back bone and leadership then it wouldn't be so bad. I dont believe that because he is only coming from a small club that it makes him a player who would fail to adapt to a bigger club. Doesnt always work that way. It can work the other way too. Sebastien Squillachi has won a few medals for example and was 'proven' in a sense but ended up being a disaster. At least Williams is used to the cut and thrust of the Premier league and as Swansea play a nice passing style of football it wouldnt take him long to get to grips with our own.

wandatowell

Barca can have him, he had one good season, missed the next, has been useless since he came back.

Marty McFly

wandatowell wrote: »

Barca can have him, he had one good season, missed the next, has been useless since he came back.

Agreed since his return from injury he ha sbeen terrible and just keeps making mistakes he was even worse at LB were I remember when we signed him he was described as a LB/CB lies.


I think what make it even more annoying is that because Wenger gave him captaincy we lost our best CB pairing and our best Cb is now a bench warmer who other fans and the media don't rate. Kos when given a run of games is a good defender, some man for the last ditch sliding tackles

Alfred Borden

I like him I just think him playing with liabilities like Per and Kos has taken over his game with him having to concentrate on them. Put him alongside a top CB and he is a great defender. Was brilliant with Gallas.

Marty McFly

Raf32 wrote: »

I like him I just think him playing with liabilities like Per and Kos has taken over his game with him having to concentrate on them. Put him alongside a top CB and he is a great defender. Was brilliant with Gallas.

That has to be a joke post? :eek::eek:. Kos is by far our best CB, even Merts is a better CB than Verm how often do you see Verm needlessy making mistakes or up in the oppositions box christ even before he got injured at least he contributed goals so he actually was a threat his forrays up the pitch these days he looks just as headless there as he does at defending.

Gringo180

I think were all totally deflated judging by the lack of action on the thread this week, even more so after watching Bale FC tonight

Alfred Borden

Marty McFly wrote: »

That has to be a joke post? :eek::eek:. Kos is by far our best CB, even Merts is a better CB than Verm how often do you see Verm needlessy making mistakes or up in the oppositions box christ even before he got injured at least he contributed goals so he actually was a threat his forrays up the pitch these days he looks just as headless there as he does at defending.

I take it back I like Kos but him and TV5 dont play well together. Per is at best a number 4 choice CB, slow and useless in the air for his height. Kos or TV5 could rotate with a top CB being our number 1 CB (Hummels preferably)

Marty McFly

Raf32 wrote: »

I take it back I like Kos but him and TV5 dont play well together. Per is at best a number 4 choice CB, slow and useless in the air for his height. Kos or TV5 could rotate with a top CB being our number 1 CB (Hummels preferably)

Yeh I will agree Kos and Verm just cant seem to play together there to similar in style with kos being the better one.

I think Per can be good squad player it all depends on the opposition kinda like Arteta decent to good player but when comes up against the better sides gets shown up mostly. Were as Kos can mix ith with the best such as the Barca game were he was immense.

But yeh give me Kos and a top drawer CB,, basically I think we need a whole new spine to the team. A quality CB, a quality DM and a quality CF.

Alfred Borden

Marty McFly wrote: »

Yeh I will agree Kos and Verm just cant seem to play together there to similar in style with kos being the better one.

I think Per can be good squad player it all depends on the opposition kinda like Arteta decent to good player but when comes up against the better sides gets shown up mostly. Were as Kos can mix ith with the best such as the Barca game were he was immense.

But yeh give me Kos and a top drawer CB,, basically I think we need a whole new spine to the team. A quality CB, a quality DM and a quality CF.

Fully agree with you and a GK too.

Am I the only Gooner who loves Merts read on a game? I completely blame the coaching for our defensive "mishaps" this year. Tim Stillman's blog on arseblog is a great read today

brianregan09

Gringo180 wrote: »

I think were all totally deflated judging by the lack of action on the thread this week, even more so after watching Bale FC tonight

they play football on a thursday now

Pierce_1991

Pappa Dolla wrote: »

Am I the only Gooner who loves Merts read on a game? I completely blame the coaching for our defensive "mishaps" this year. Tim Stillman's blog on arseblog is a great read today

People always criticise him for his pace. He's not there to win 50/50 sprints against fast strikers. His job is to cut out the passes that are played in and around the box and he does this very well. If a ball is played through the defence its verms job to get back quickly and clear up, not merts. He's a solid CB imo

shano_88

As much as I love Jack I dont think we should give him the captaincy. Hes too young. He needs to just concentrate on getting better and start to dominate games from the start which ive no doubt he will do.

As for who I think should be captain, I dont know really. There is no standout candidate which does say alot about the club at the moment. Vermaelen will get another season I would say.

keano_afc

Deleted User wrote: »

Am I the only Gooner who loves Merts read on a game? I completely blame the coaching for our defensive "mishaps" this year. Tim Stillman's blog on arseblog is a great read today

Dont agree 100%. 2 balls ups spring to mind, Vermaelen's rubbish clearances for United's first goal and the same player again with a woeful attempted clearance for Liverpool's first at the Emirates. Yes collectively we're not great, but we give away an insane amount of goals from silly individual errors. We cant really blame the coaching on that.

gnfnrhead

shano_88 wrote: »

As for who I think should be captain, I dont know really. There is no standout candidate which does say alot about the club at the moment. Vermaelen will get another season I would say.

Vieira, Henry, Gallas, Fabregas, van Persie, Vermaelen?

I'd vote for someone like Bendtner to get it next in the hope of that trend continuing :pac:

I like Vermaelen but he should not have been made captain as it makes him almost undroppable. Vermaelen is a good enough defender but Mertesacker and Koscielny are our best pairing. They won't get to play together unless Vermaelen is injured or rested. Should have went to someone like Sagna or Arteta.

wonga77

imo the captaincy should go to an elder player of the group, the likes of Arteta is perfect. Jack might be a great leader but is still a little young for captaincy, even though he seems to be the one leading the players most of the time

Diddy Kong

IMO age should not come into the equation when picking the captain, TA became captain at 21 and was captain for 14 years. Its probably about time a fully home grown player became captain again.

Edit: Another Mr Arsenal would be nice to see

jordainius

I see Alex Ferguson is saying that he had "'concerns" about the referee before the Madrid game after he yet again refused to talk to the media like some sulking spoilt brat after a game when things didn't go his way. This man continually talks about referees and can very often be a right asshole when dealing (or refusing to deal with) the media.

No journalist or news group is willing to properly pull him up on this because they are too afraid to be added to his list of journalists/media outlets he refuses to speak to.

By comparison, Arsene Wenger is a breeze to deal with in media terms, if he gets a bit pissed off like he did last month or he says something a journalist or the media interprets as even mildly controversial, or if he complains about anything (such as teams taking an overly physical approach to his players) he gets absolutely crucified. There was some awful crap said about Wenger last month after that "outburst". Ferguson gets away with **** that no other manager would get away with, he gets a very easy ride from the media/

TheGunns

Captaincy should be given to Jack or Per. Per is by far the most solid of the 3 CB and is the most experienced player in the team. Needs a pacey CB alongside him and the other 2 have been very poor this season. Reads the game well and looks like he would suit the role. Verm seems to be lost at them moment, completely off the pace.

Alfred Borden

I wouldn't give it to Sagna because he is going to leave. Arteta is fine as a vice captain as I see him only being a squad player next year if we strengthen in the middle. The only logical answer is Jack, reminds me of a young Tony Adams.

Alfred Borden

http://www.goal.com/en/news/596/exclusive/2013/03/08/3807510/sagna-at-loggerheads-with-arsenal-as-he-edges-close-to-exit?ICID=HP_HL_6&source=breakingnews#

Gringo180

Does anybody feel that Rosicky should be starting for us and especially against Bayern, he really drives at the opposition with the ball instead of holding onto the ball to long like Ramsey and Arteta can be guilty of. I also see Gervinho hasnt got a look in the past few games I think Wenger has realised that he just aint good enough.

Redzer7

Raf32 wrote: »

http://www.goal.com/en/news/596/exclusive/2013/03/08/3807510/sagna-at-loggerheads-with-arsenal-as-he-edges-close-to-exit?ICID=HP_HL_6&source=breakingnews#

Not one single quote, gutter journalism at its finest.

Marty McFly

gnfnrhead wrote: »

Should have went to someone like Sagna or Arteta.

Problem is Sagna's form like Verms does not warrant the captaincy plus there's a lot of talk he is gone in the summer, and Arteta a good player but not but not great either a player I'm hoping will only be a squad player next year. For me there is really only one option that is to give it to our best, most driven and passionate player and that is Wilshere he is also one of the few players at the club who can currently be described as undroppable.

DenMan

Give the Captaincy to Fabregas when he comes back! :cool:

enfant terrible

Good article here, blaming the midfield more than the defence for us conceding goals

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1558305-steve-bould-and-the-arsenal-defense-has-anything-changed-at-all

batistuta9

the bleacher report is bollocks though :pac:

gnfnrhead

Marty McFly wrote: »

Problem is Sagna's form like Verms does not warrant the captaincy plus there's a lot of talk he is gone in the summer, and Arteta a good player but not but not great either a player I'm hoping will only be a squad player next year. For me there is really only one option that is to give it to our best, most driven and passionate player and that is Wilshere he is also one of the few players at the club who can currently be described as undroppable.

I meant when van Persie left it should have went to one of those before Vermaelen.

Maire2009

batistuta9 wrote: »

the bleacher report is bollocks though :pac:

I used to write for them - lead the Arsenal community there as well

http://bleacherreport.com/users/46946-maire-ofeire

Ha ha just looked at my profile there for the first time in forever, my profile picture tells you I've not been on the site for some time.

Fuzzy_Dunlop

Geoffarsenal on twitter saying that this new middle eastern bid is real and they're going to join up with Usmanov.

gnfnrhead

Fuzzy_Dunlop wrote: »

Geoffarsenal on twitter saying that this new middle eastern bid is real and they're going to join up with Usmanov.

Dont get our hopes up! We're not allowed be positive in this thread :pac:

I really hope it is true. I thought I would be in the minority when I brought the Usmanov idea back up recently but I'm glad that the majority seem to feel the same about Silent Stan. Even if Usmanov isnt our saviour, he cant do any less than Stan has done. Usmanov has a ton of money and has been a success for everything he did. Stan has been a success at making money for himself. If it's true, hopefully it will be done quickly to give Wenger a chance to compete in the summer.

AdamD

Usmanov has always advocated spending what we have, I'm not necessarily for being a sugar daddy club, but im definitely for spending what we have.

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

Am I the only Gooner who loves Merts read on a game? I completely blame the coaching for our defensive "mishaps" this year. Tim Stillman's blog on arseblog is a great read today

I think what we are gaining on the swings with him, we are losing on the roundabouts

Marty McFly

gnfnrhead wrote: »

Dont get our hopes up! We're not allowed be positive in this thread :pac:

I really hope it is true. I thought I would be in the minority when I brought the Usmanov idea back up recently but I'm glad that the majority seem to feel the same about Silent Stan. Even if Usmanov isnt our saviour, he cant do any less than Stan has done. Usmanov has a ton of money and has been a success for everything he did. Stan has been a success at making money for himself. If it's true, hopefully it will be done quickly to give Wenger a chance to compete in the summer.

Couldn't agree more I want silent Stan out more than ever he is a cancer on the club, as of now we have problems on and off the field and something has to give. I have called for Wenger's head on more than one occasion but right now im torn on who to blame Wenger or the board they both have made a lot of mistakes, but if a new board were to come in and properly back Wenger I'd be more than happy to wait and see what he can do with a board pushing to give him everything he needs to make Arsenal successful again.

AdamD

AdamD wrote: »

Usmanov has always advocated spending what we have, I'm not necessarily for being a sugar daddy club, but im definitely for spending what we have.

True and to be fair to Usmanov he also tried to find the happy medium a couple of years back by proposing a rights issue. Of course he was shot down by the 'fans' on the board.

Marty McFly

Marty McFly wrote: »

Couldn't agree more I want silent Stan out more than ever he is a cancer on the club, as of now we have problems on and off the field and something has to give. I have called for Wenger's head on more than one occasion but right now im torn on who to blame Wenger or the board they both have made a lot of mistakes, but if a new board were to come in and properly back Wenger I'd be more than happy to wait and see what he can do with a board pushing to give him everything he needs to make Arsenal successful again.

When Hillwood done such a 360 on his opinion of him it was a fair sign of what he was.
First of all it was that 'we didnt want his sort' but then its all 'Stan, Stan, Stan' now

Maire2009

David Dein did so much for Arsenal to bring the club forward - and I know he sold out his shares but he still loves the club, and we could do with his agent son back on side again - and he wanted Usmanov in. Saw it coming - the need for a oligarch... Dein and Wenger back together?!

gnfnrhead

Got curious so made this:

http://poll.pollcode.com/ucr5ar

Should show the results instantly.

Fuzzy_Dunlop

I've got to admit that I've always been critical of Usmanov based on his shady past but at least he would DO something!

extra gravy

Fuzzy_Dunlop wrote: »

I've got to admit that I've always been critical of Usmanov based on his shady past but at least he would Do something!

I used to be critical of him too but now I'm starting to think fcuk it, if he genuinely wants to improve the club then I couldn't give a damn about a shady past. Morals won't win us trophies.

Colonialboy

Deleted User wrote: »

Am I the only Gooner who loves Merts read on a game? I completely blame the coaching for our defensive "mishaps" this year. Tim Stillman's blog on arseblog is a great read today

I dont see that...
I think the Spurs centre back (Dawson ? or whoever got man of the match) gave him a lesson in how to read the game, last week, the amount of time he cut off the through ball was unreal.

Watching Manu and Real, Ferdinand was boxed in 18 yards out right side of his goal, he gave a 40 yard diagonal pass to the winger and set up a great attack, turned the opposition right around.
Youd never see Merts give that pass, the opposition study videos and KNOW he has two passes in him...
1. Cross field to Vermalen... let him do it all day going nowhere
2. He will give a short slide rule pass to a midfielder coming towrds him, facing the Arsenal goal... the opposition midfielder just has to get tight on that midfielder and nick it or pressure him into ultimately passing hte ball back to Sczes.

Also just read Tim Stillman in Arseblog...
hes contradicting himself ...
The tactical plan laid out against Spurs, from what I could glean, was a sound one. The adoption of the high defensive line was criticised. But just days earlier, West Ham had elected to stand off of Gareth Bale and he spanked two shots into their net from outside the area.
I fancy that we need to revert to Bould’s game plan from early in the season, that the whole team backs off and keeps its shape when we don’t have the ball. At least for the first 60-70 minutes of matches.which is it Tim , high line or back off..
the reason West Ham lost was cos they stood off Bale with the ball on his left peg. The defensive line hanging back was right, but stupid to stand off him 20 yards out.
If Arsenal were to defend deeper, wouldnt that mean there was more space with less opposition for Walcott and our forwards to run into.

I dont like the fact Wenger takes so long to make substitutions, he always waits too long, the really succesful managers make a decisive decision after 50-65 mins, you see Ferguson and Mourinho do it all the time, give the sub a chance.

Still all in all for all my rants against the team, Im very PROUD of the club and he behaviour of our players earning so much at such a high profile club.
Yes there has been the odd incidents here and there but nothing endemic.
When I look at kids playing in the underage league and you see them diving ala Ashley Young or harrassing refs ala United, you just have to think how Man Utd as players, a team and the clubs manager reacted after the loss last Wednesday to see how thats infecting football down to hte impressionable kids who look up to these players as idols.