Arsenal Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2013/14 mod warning post #5144

Marty McFly

efb wrote: »

Scholars says Wilshere hasn't improved since 17. Correct.

Who the hells is scholars? Correct but also bollocks at the same time, the same could have been said about Ramsey up until this season. People are far to impatient with young players these days. Wilshere has suffered a lot of injuries and struggled to get a decent run together but he still has time on his side.

Although part of that is the clubs own doing since we have a tendency to end up relying far to heavily on young players for form and to drive the team forward and when they don't perform well shiit hits the fan.

Example A right now were all looking directly at Ox to give us something extra a player who at 20 and has missed half the season through injury.

Quazzie

Looper007 wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlhMHQ8h5LA

I know it's been said before by a few on here but Scholes sums up Arsenal's problems perfectly.

Poor result really and it looks like the Game with Everton is now more important then the game with City now. We just lack fight really plus they look totally knackered, pretty amazing for professional footballers. It's looking pretty bleak now and getting 4th is now the main aim.

Any chance ya could break that video down into 30 second segments. I find that trying to watch him stutter and stammer trying to complete basic sentences for any longer than that makes me just drift off into a sleep.

wandatowell

bad2dabone wrote: »

yep.

Must understeer like a b*tch

wandatowell

Y2KBOS86 wrote: »

In the Chelsea game, he said he wanted ous to attack from the 1st minute because he wanted the 3 points but chelsea counter attacked ous and punished ous.

Arsenal have been caught out like this against the big teams for years now.


Fergie was great at it.

ronjo

Marty McFly wrote: »

In fairness I think they all only really gloss over the fact that Giroud isn't good enough as a CF.



Exactly 4th over the F.A Cup everyday of the week.

Sad to say but were now in trouble only a few weeks a go we were title contenders now were on the verge of collapse shocking stuff really.

Is it Wenger, is it our injuries, our lack of activity in the January I'd say it down to a combination of fcuk ups but it sure is frustrating as a fan to watch this happen.

One thing that is not good enough is the constant lies to the fans on injuries how often are we told the a player will be back in such and such a time only for that timeframe to be amendend on a constant basis. Every now and then ok it can happen but it happens everytime is the club that inept or are they just lying all the time to serve a purpose of keeping fans calm.

Next two games are of huge importance see how it pans out.


I do love how we always tend to get new or returning posters everytime **** hits the fan but who then slink off into the wilderness in the good times. It's as if some of these people thrive of being miserable.

To be honest I can genuinely say I would prefer the Cup.

Remember Brooking, Remember Rix, Remember Nayim, Remember Henchoz, Remember Birmingham....... Not winning the cup this year for me would be worse than all of them!

I still think we will get 4th but the Cup is top priority for me.

gosplan

wandatowell wrote: »

Arsenal have been caught out like this against the big teams for years now.


Fergie was great at it.

The more I think of it, the more it's about quality.

I'm terrified about City at the weekend: Navas, Ageuro, Silva, Toure, even scared of Zabaleta's attacking threat.

How do you think they feel about Rosicky, Arteta, Ox, Giroud.

Very telling that no big clubs have flirted with our players since RVP, Nasri, Cesc etc.

djPSB

Quazzie wrote: »

Without 4th we won't attract anywhere near the calibre of player that is required at the club. Securing 4th has to be top priority. The FA cup is nice, but no one is going to come play for us because of it.

But a trophy is needed to end the barren spell.

No use finishing in the top 4 every season if it doesn't lead to some form of silverware.

TimeToShine

I think getting to the cup final will push us on to secure 4th. If we're knocked out in the semi then god help us all. We will probably lose to City but we need to keep it reasonable and then play the game of our lives against Everton. We need to show them what a real CL team is made of. A loss would be devastating and it'd give them a huge confidence boost we could do without.

IMO priority has to be getting past the semi because if we don't I can imagine a 'who cares' attitude creeping back into the team who are frail enough psychologically as it is.

EuropeanSon

Y2KBOS86 wrote: »

Have people forgotten that we got hammered by 6, with Ramsey, Özil and Walcott on the pitch against City?

3. City beat us by 3. And that game was nothing like the Chelsea and Pool games, we were much more in the game and had a number of goals wrongly disallowed.

Hyzepher

Maybe AW needs to have less confidence in his players.

Maybe the issue is that he believes that they are better than they actually are. It's as if the excuses about being heavily beaten was always about other factors other than just not being good enough.

We definitely have an issue against quality and it's all about not having enough quality ourselves.

The problem about bringing on young talent is not that they dont have great potential, it's that due to the root issues not being addressed they just fall into the bad mental attitude that seems to be part of the club now. It's as if there is a glass ceiling over the clubs potential.

We need to get players who are proven winners and know how to win. create a winning culture instead of a panic culture

Colonialboy

Im optimistic about the Man C game.
Wigan gave them a fright.
City will allow you scoring chances.
Maybe Wenger has learned some tactical nuances about how to play against a top team. Lets setup for a draw and maybe sneak the win. As oppossed to Wengers usual nonsense of not making any tactical or style changes and expecting to roll over a top team.

wawaman

Colonialboy wrote: »

Maybe Wenger has learned some tactical nuances about how to play against a top team.

I love your optimism !

emergingstar

We led the league for most of it. Our best players got injured and it collapsed. It is that simple.

Mickeroo

emergingstar wrote: »

We led the league for most of it. Our best players got injured and it collapsed. It is that simple.

Unfortunately I think it runs deeper than that. We were more or less at full strength for the United and City matches we lost, you could lump the draws against Chelsea and Everton from that period in there too. This team can't handle the pressure of the league.

wawaman

emergingstar wrote: »

We led the league for most of it. Our best players got injured and it collapsed. It is that simple.

Name a season where we havent been crippled by injuries? This has been caused by a manager with no tactical nous and who didnt address glaring needs in the squad when he could have done so

emergingstar

Would posters been happier is were stayed around 3rd and 4th all season and finished there

We were going well until injuries caught up with us and we started falling

We're only a couple short of a title winning team I think

Alfred Borden

emergingstar wrote: »

Would posters been happier is were stayed around 3rd and 4th all season and finished there

We were going well until injuries caught up with us and we started falling

We're only a couple short of a title winning team I think

Agreed, a DM, winger and world class centre forward. Then two more squad players.

jonneymendoza

emergingstar wrote: »

Would posters been happier is were stayed around 3rd and 4th all season and finished there

We were going well until injuries caught up with us and we started falling

We're only a couple short of a title winning team I think

Iin regards to our injury list i do think it is an excuse to be fair.

The team we put out against chelsea and co is more then enough to match chelsea and beat the likes of stoke and swansea.

Cazola, Arteta, Maybe the Ox, Podolski and rosisky are all good enough to steady the ship and get points on the board/not get beaten 6:0.

they are still international senior players. Cazola plays and sometimes comes on for Spain in such a competitive squad, Podolski also a regular in that german side, rosisky good for his respective country , Ox doing a decent job in england and one our best pacey players and only arteta not an international per say but surely he is premier league material .

And this is with 4 midfielders out injured. If you was to take the best 4 midfielders from chelsea, city and liverpool, there replacements would be far worse and less skillful/technically gifted then what we have now!

The point is, our team has strength in depth in the midfield and it is not excuse to blame injuries imo. We have a squad at the beginning of the season capable of putting in consistant performances especially in midfield. Yes if Girud was to get injured that will be our only achilles heels but his not and our main injury hit squad is in midfield.

Thoughts? Quote me for all those in ignore list so they can see im not all doom and gloom/wenger is average type of guy

MD1990

first thing Arsenal need to do even before new signings is an overhaul in there backroom team
the amount of Injuries Arsenal get is not normal

emergingstar

Two tweets by tim stillman that I think is true

@DaviesH_ @Gooner_1983 we always finish about where we should. The issue is that we do it in a way that plays with people's emotions! We

@DaviesH_ @Gooner_1983 either look like finishing 7th only to pull 4th out of the bag, or we look like challenging before capitulating.

emergingstar

jonneymendoza wrote: »

Iin regards to our injury list i do think it is an excuse to be fair.

The team we put out against chelsea and co is more then enough to match chelsea and beat the likes of stoke and swansea.

Cazola, Arteta, Maybe the Ox, Podolski and rosisky are all good enough to steady the ship and get points on the board/not get beaten 6:0.

they are still international senior players. Cazola plays and sometimes comes on for Spain in such a competitive squad, Podolski also a regular in that german side, rosisky good for his respective country , Ox doing a decent job in england and one our best pacey players and only arteta not an international per say but surely he is premier league material .

And this is with 4 midfielders out injured. If you was to take the best 4 midfielders from chelsea, city and liverpool, there replacements would be far worse and less skillful/technically gifted then what we have now!

The point is, our team has strength in depth in the midfield and it is not excuse to blame injuries imo. We have a squad at the beginning of the season capable of putting in consistant performances especially in midfield. Yes if Girud was to get injured that will be our only achilles heels but his not and our main injury hit squad is in midfield.

Thoughts? Quote me for all those in ignore list so they can see im not all doom and gloom/wenger is average type of guy

The problem with injuries too is that ya can't rest players they look knackerd

emergingstar

I'd personally give wenger a 1yr rolling contract

djPSB

emergingstar wrote: »

We led the league for most of it. Our best players got injured and it collapsed. It is that simple.

Don't think it is.

When the going got tough, the team required leaders to stand up and be counted and nobody did.

Every team has injuries to deal with.

emergingstar

djPSB wrote: »

Don't think it is.

When the going got tough, the team required leaders to stand up and be counted and nobody did.

Every team has injuries to deal with.

Not having all your best players out though

djPSB

emergingstar wrote: »

Not having all your best players out though

Unlike other teams, I don't think Arsenal are over reliant on certain players.

Goals and assists etc.are spread out pretty well throughout the team.

I think the team is mentally weak. When teams like Chelsea, City, Liverpool are going through a rough patch, the likes of Terry, Lampard, Hazard, Kompany, Toure, Aguero, Gerrard, Suarez, Sturridge carry them teams through.

Arsenal don't seem to have leaders like that. Successful Arsenal teams of the past would have been overflowing with leaders.

keano_afc

emergingstar wrote: »

Would posters been happier is were stayed around 3rd and 4th all season and finished there

We were going well until injuries caught up with us and we started falling

We're only a couple short of a title winning team I think

In fairness how long have we been saying that mate. Always just a couple of players shy. We've a squad stretched to the absolute limit and the buck stops with the manager on that one. He's bought 2 players in 3 transfer windows. Thats gross mismanagement.

shano_88

emergingstar wrote: »

I'd personally give wenger a 1yr rolling contract

Lol, I can see that going down very well with Arsene.

Your over 64 now Arsene, we can't offer you more than a 1 year contract!

mike65

If the worst happens (the odds are currently against it) and the club wins an FA Cup but ends up in the Europa League does anyone think Wenger will make his excuses and leave on a small high?

ronjo

mike65 wrote: »

If the worst happens (the odds are currently against it) and the club wins an FA Cup but ends up in the Europa League does anyone think Wenger will make his excuses and leave on a small high?

I think he might but he is a stubborn old guy so who knows?

Mr.Micro

mike65 wrote: »

If the worst happens (the odds are currently against it) and the club wins an FA Cup but ends up in the Europa League does anyone think Wenger will make his excuses and leave on a small high?

Well the worst to me, is missing out on the FA cup and the CL, both distinct possibilities, with such a fragile team decimated with injuries. Not sure who is back soon, but the team last night does not inspire confidence to win win.

Kerry Gooner

Mourinho sold Mata despite being footballer of the year supposedly because of not what he could bring to the team but of the little he offered when the team were without the ball.
It seems Wenger only looks at what a player can do offensively and we end up with Carzola,Ozil,Podolski etc... and when we come up against a decent side suffer the same problems.

speedboatchase

John Cross of the Daily Mirror has written his yearly spring column about why Wenger shouldn't be sacked and that Cross thinks Wenger needs more time.

Here's the spring 2014 version:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/arsenal-fans-calling-arsene-wengers-3286868

Here's 2013:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/time-arsene-wenger-go-1719561

Here's 2012:
http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/columnists/john-cross/John-Cross-column-Why-it-s-the-Arsenal-fans-who-don-t-know-what-they-re-doing-not-Arsene-Wenger-article857421.html


Here's what I find funny: last year Cross called for a change in Wenger and failing that, his resignation:

"If you want to be called ambitious as a football club, then it's time for change. That will either come with a change in the manager. Or a change of manager. The truth is Wenger has stubbornly resisted change. Now he must change - or go."

So what does 2014 Cross think of Wenger and his ability to change?
"Stick with Wenger. Yes, there needs to be a change in the manager - but not a change of the manager."


Basically, Wenger gets a job for life in his eyes.

emergingstar

keano_afc wrote: »

In fairness how long have we been saying that mate. Always just a couple of players shy. We've a squad stretched to the absolute limit and the buck stops with the manager on that one. He's bought 2 players in 3 transfer windows. Thats gross mismanagement.

I agree that's why I think a one year rolling contract is ideal we have the bobs now but if he won't spend then we need change

emergingstar

Also if we win the fa cup and come 5th I think that's pure failure

gnfnrhead

emergingstar wrote: »

Also if we win the fa cup and come 5th I think that's pure failure

I agree. 3rd (or higher) and FA Cup would have been very good. 4th and FA Cup is really the worst that is acceptable.

Sagna staying in PL according to an article posted by arseblog.

No point going to city as Zab is nailed on and it wouldn't be the chelsea way to buy such a (relatively) old player which leaves Utd (don't him and rvp hate each other?) or Liverpool.

I can see him signing for Pool.

Bad news for us if that happens and Utd sort their sh*t out.

wandatowell

Is Bak not going to stay with us?

wandatowell

wandatowell wrote: »

Is Bak not going to stay with us?

You'd think he'd have signed by now. negotiations have been going on for two years.

Nemeses2050

wandatowell wrote: »

Is Bak not going to stay with us?

I don't like our full-backs, they feckin don't know when to go forward and when to stay back. They get caught so many times and they can't cross for life...

Marty McFly

emergingstar wrote: »

We led the league for most of it. Our best players got injured and it collapsed. It is that simple.

Whilst I do agree with that we lost to many key players for long periods and it had a huge impact on our season.

But my main gripe with that is we knew Walcott was out for the season, they must have known Ramsey's injury was more serious than they let on and everyone knew Giroud wasn't to the standard we need.

Yet we failed to bring in anyone at all in January to help cover the holes at a time when we were really pushing for the league and it has cost us dearly someone should be held accountable for that.

emergingstar

Marty McFly wrote: »

Whilst I do agree with that we lost to many key players for long periods and it had a huge impact on our season.

But my main gripe with that is we knew Walcott was out for the season, they must have known Ramsey's injury was more serious than they let on and everyone knew Giroud wasn't to the standard we need.

Yet we failed to bring in anyone at all in January to help cover the holes at a time when we were really pushing for the league and it has cost us dearly someone should be held accountable for that.

While I fully agree it was criminal not to strengthen
I would argue that we wouldn't have matained a challenge anyway
Expecting players to settle in and try replace them two would prob be asking too much in such a short space of time

MaxPower89

If he goes to Liverpool then the best of luck to him, if he leaves we need to sign someone of real quality, not another Jenks.

Not looking forward to the City game at all now, it could be first game in a very long time where I just won't watch it at all. It could be another hockeying...I'd take a 2-0 right now.

The only small possible silver lining is that if we get 4th and the FA Cup, then the boss is under huge pressure from everyone to sign the players we need to compete for a title, because it's clear that we don't have the leaders with grit to stand up. Only signing Ozil last year was total folly.

What do we make of Paul Scholes assessment last night? Apologies if this was already discussed.

Jack Wilshere has a bit to learn also, posting pics on twitter earlier of some chef that cooked grub for him in Dubai, talk about bad timing.

Marty McFly

emergingstar wrote: »

While I fully agree it was criminal not to strengthen
I would argue that we wouldn't have matained a challenge anyway
Expecting players to settle in and try replace them two would prob be asking too much in such a short space of time

True but for every player that doesn't settle and needs time there is a player who does for example look at Matic at Chelsea has been brilliant and really helped them kick on to another level at times.

It's criminal that we didn't at least try.

farna_boy

As a slight aside, can someone explain to me whose offensive strengths we are playing to at the moment?
It is apparently not Ozil because Giroud (and everyone one else, bar Walcott) is too slow.

It is certainly not to Giroud's either because he needs first time crosses (like Podli's last night) or for someone to play off him.

I don't think it's to Poldi's strengths either, because he is never played, and even when he does get a game, his service is severely limited.

I'm starting to wonder are we only playing to the strengths of the defense i.e. if the ball isn't in our half, they can't score. It seems like the only logical explanation as to why we like camping on the other teams 18 yard box and only occasionally creating chances.

gnfnrhead

MaxPower89 wrote: »

Jack Wilshere has a bit to learn also, posting pics on twitter earlier of some chef that cooked grub for him in Dubai, talk about bad timing.

I dont see an issue with that. He wasnt going to be involved in the game so it's not like he was going to be distracted from anything. Would be different if he was playing.

emergingstar

farna_boy wrote: »

As a slight aside, can someone explain to me whose offensive strengths we are playing to at the moment?
It is apparently not Ozil because Giroud (and everyone one else, bar Walcott) is too slow.

It is certainly not to Giroud's either because he needs first time crosses (like Podli's last night) or for someone to play off him.

I don't think it's to Poldi's strengths either, because he is never played, and even when he does get a game, his service is severely limited.

I'm starting to wonder are we only playing to the strengths of the defense i.e. if the ball isn't in our half, they can't score. It seems like the only logical explanation as to why we like camping on the other teams 18 yard box and only occasionally creating chances.

We're still set up to play to rvps strengths

Hyzepher

farna_boy wrote: »

As a slight aside, can someone explain to me whose offensive strengths we are playing to at the moment?
It is apparently not Ozil because Giroud (and everyone one else, bar Walcott) is too slow.

It is certainly not to Giroud's either because he needs first time crosses (like Podli's last night) or for someone to play off him.

I don't think it's to Poldi's strengths either, because he is never played, and even when he does get a game, his service is severely limited.

I'm starting to wonder are we only playing to the strengths of the defense i.e. if the ball isn't in our half, they can't score. It seems like the only logical explanation as to why we like camping on the other teams 18 yard box and only occasionally creating chances.

I think a better question is "What is the role of the striker in our formation"

The way we are set up we could play any of the CM players there and not alter the way we play. AW like to play through the middle using passes to break down the opposition and score with trickery rather than run of the mill shots/crosses&headers etc

Giroud is good as laying off the ball to on-coming midfielders but we dont play him as a striker/forward

If we had got Suarez last summer AW would have had to alter the style of the team to get the best out of him. We could of had a situation where we got Suarez and he was only good for 10-12 goals simply because of the way we play

wonga77

Sagna has given us some good years and been a great player but he had plenty of bad days too. At 31, I wouldnt be too upset if he decided to go which looks likely. It a position where we could do with an upgrade anyway, Im not convinced by jenkinson

kronsington

I don't think the team has progressed at all. We'll just about make it to 4th again and we're extremely fortunate that Chelsea and City and maybe even United are out of the Cup. It's not a foregone conclusion that we'll actually win it. What hasn't progressed in any way, is Arsenal's ability to shoot themselves in the foot and capitulate, especially against this rivals. I don't really get this line of people saying "well at the start of the season would you take 4th and the cup" almost trying to justify ad defend the team's self inflicted failings. So much at what goes on is mystifying and I know we're not privy to what is actually happening. There had to be something behind the frequency and severity of injuries we incur and we all know about the repeated tactical naïveté as well as the farcical recruitment policy. Pretty dejected about it all now after leading the league for long periods a small part of me thought they had turned the corner and developed the mental strength to see it through. But of course not. The mentality of the players and Wenger is the biggest problem in my opinion.

kronsington

Jack Wilshere has a bit to learn also, posting pics on twitter earlier of some chef that cooked grub for him in Dubai, talk about bad timing.[/QUOTE]

Agree with this. Every arsenal fan on twitter will follow him and he is prone to posting moronic tweets like this. As a key player, I do think he should at least touch on the performance, regardless of whether he was playing or not. I think Scholes' comments were pretty much bang on abou Wilshere, as much as it pains me. I know he's been injured a LOT, but I've always thought he's incredibly over-rated. His comments about Arsenal as a whole were pretty accurate too.