Arsenal Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2016

Looper007

Dortmund really are a great side to watch, to think they rested 8 players in their big derby. Imagine us doing that agaisn't the Spuds, yet they have such a good squad they drew 2-2 away.

We are a long way from that sort of quality sadly. Just makes me really jealous lol

Looper007

emmetlego wrote: »

BR didn't IMO. Luis Suarez did, when he left, Liverpool floundered. They were shocking defensively under BR, worse than us now, but they outscored teams because of Luis.

not just that Sturrige was injury free, he knocked in a fair few goals that season. Sterling had a stormer. Gerrard and Henderson both playing well. With Suarez just scoring for fun too. They just out scored sides if it wasn't for that they would have struggled as you said they were leaking goals for fun.

Rodgers was lucky he had a team with world class talent who hit form at the right time and the rest of his top players weren't injured.

Roddy23

Pudders wrote: »

Clough was a far superior manager than Wenger ever was. What Clough did will never be replicated.

What Wenger did with the Invincibles has not been replicated and probably won't again.

Clough tarnished his legacy by staying on too long and getting Forest relegated.I agree though, a great Manager. I don't think we'll get relegated next year but Wenger needs to know the longer he stays on the more damage hes doing in the long run.

vetinari

Basil3 wrote: »

Wow. Is that graphic saying that Arsenal haven't won the Premier League in over 10 years? Who would've known.....

The point is more that we haven't been top for a single day in April in 10 years.
it's the most damning stat I've seen regards our "title challenges".

gosplan

runnerholic wrote: »

Maybe you should support them then. We have had a much better year than them this year and we will be better than them again next year, as usual.

I'm not disagreeing, I'm just asking what's the point in being better.

We're laughing at 6th/7th because we're 3rd/4th?

runnerholic

gosplan wrote: »

I'm not disagreeing, I'm just asking what's the point in being better.

We're laughing at 6th/7th because we're 3rd/4th?

I'm sorry, but if you can't see the value in finishing 3rd or 4th as opposed to 6th or 7th then I'm wasting my time debating with you. Cheers.

emmetlego

gosplan wrote: »

I'm not disagreeing, I'm just asking what's the point in being better.

We're laughing at 6th/7th because we're 3rd/4th?

Erm... Champions league qualification? Depsite our annual demise in the knock out stages early doors, it's worth a huge amount to the team, the fans and the finances. Surprised it's not that obvious!!!

Skylinehead

Looper007 wrote: »

Dortmund really are a great side to watch, to think they rested 8 players in their big derby. Imagine us doing that agaisn't the Spuds, yet they have such a good squad they drew 2-2 away.

We are a long way from that sort of quality sadly. Just makes me really jealous lol

They've only gone and Arsenaled it

tayto lover

emmetlego wrote: »

Erm... Champions league qualification? Depsite our annual demise in the knock out stages early doors, it's worth a huge amount to the team, the fans and the finances. Surprised it's not that obvious!!!

Not worth a damn to the fans if you go out at the same stage every feckin year. Just making up the numbers.

emmetlego

tayto lover wrote: »

Not worth a damn to the fans if you go out at the same stage every feckin year. Just making up the numbers.

Maybe to you, but for me, as a fan, I love watching them playing champions league.

To each their own I suppose!

tayto lover

emmetlego wrote: »

Maybe to you, but for me, as a fan, I love watching them playing champions league.

To each their own I suppose!

I'd rather win the league any day. But we won't do that under this manager either.

Mr Blobby

tayto lover wrote: »

Not worth a damn to the fans if you go out at the same stage every feckin year. Just making up the numbers.

tayto lover wrote: »

I'd rather win the league any day. But we won't do that under this manager either.

So you're saying we should go into the Championship? Cool gotcha!

emmetlego

tayto lover wrote: »

I'd rather win the league any day. But we won't do that under this manager either.

So would I, big time. Mean time, as I pointed out, finishing in the CL spots is far better than finishing 6/7 etc!

Again, surely you'd prefer that as an Arsenal fan, than what the Pool etc have done of late?

gosplan

tayto lover wrote: »

Not worth a damn to the fans if you go out at the same stage every feckin year. Just making up the numbers.

It is worth something. However it tends to be underachieve, get through group, maybe one great match, then have the gap between us ànd Europe's top tier shown as we go out with a whimper.

But yeah, occasionally you beat Dortmund or something and it's great.

My original point though is that surely you'd be happier being in it less if you really went for it. I'd trade every year since for that run to the final v Barca. Fab and Henry vrs Juve and Madrid. We looked like we could do something. I mean nowadays if it was cycling, we'd just be stuck in the pack somewhere.

Yeah we finish higher than Liverpool but which team do you think will win a major trophy first? That's kind of my point.

gosplan

emmetlego wrote: »

So would I, big time. Mean time, as I pointed out, finishing in the CL spots is far better than finishing 6/7 etc!

Again, surely you'd prefer that as an Arsenal fan, than what the Pool etc have done of late?

I can't see how we've been that much better.

I know they came second but I would have loved their league run of a couple of years back. Also when they came second to Utd with Torres.

We generally finish higher of course but it means very little.


Edit: kind of odd we were discussing all this before the pool match tonight.

I envy their hope more than anything.

tayto lover

emmetlego wrote: »

So would I, big time. Mean time, as I pointed out, finishing in the CL spots is far better than finishing 6/7 etc!

Again, surely you'd prefer that as an Arsenal fan, than what the Pool etc have done of late?

want to finish as well as we can BUT I want to win things even more especially the league.
And as someone already said " who gives a damn about Liverpool "?

vetinari

vetinari wrote: »

The point is more that we haven't been top for a single day in April in 10 years.
it's the most damning stat I've seen regards our "title challenges".

Yeah, that graphic has been shown here before. I think we're all well aware we haven't had a decent challenge for the title in over 10 years. Dig up the same graphic for any team that hasn't won in that timeframe, they'll all look much the same......except for Liverpool who threw it away

niallo27

Basil3 wrote: »

Yeah, that graphic has been shown here before. I think we're all well aware we haven't had a decent challenge for the title in over 10 years. Dig up the same graphic for any team that hasn't won in that timeframe, they'll all look much the same......except for Liverpool who threw it away

At least liverpool came close. It's the same **** every year with arsenal. Wenger has to go. I'm saying it for years but you lot still abuse me

niallo27

niallo27 wrote: »

At least liverpool came close. It's the same **** every year with arsenal. Wenger has to go. I'm saying it for years but you lot still abuse me

Abuse?

#Dramatic

niallo27

Basil3 wrote: »

Abuse?

#Dramatic

Friendly abuse but still abuse.

emmetlego

You see, this is the thing for me. The people who say "I wanted Wenger out for years" and "we haven't won anything since we moved stadium"... It's so shortsighted

If you can't see the personal sacrifice this man has made for our club, with the years of drought... He has transformed this club to be able to compete without the tycoons. Sadly, a rich Yank with no interest in the BPL has taken the reigns.

But before I go further, I do hope he steps down very soon, and an exciting prospect replaces him. Because we all know he won't replace the current squad with sufficient class to make us the yard and a half better... If he did???

Nah, forget it, he won't!

niallo27

emmetlego wrote: »

You see, this is the thing for me. The people who say "I wanted Wenger out for years" and "we haven't won anything since we moved stadium"... It's so shortsighted

If you can't see the personal sacrifice this man has made for our club, with the years of drought... He has transformed this club to be able to compete without the tycoons. Sadly, a rich Yank with no interest in the BPL has taken the reigns.

But before I go further, I do hope he steps down very soon, and an exciting prospect replaces him. Because we all know he won't replace the current squad with sufficient class to make us the yard and a half better... If he did???

Nah, forget it, he won't!

I don't think anyone is disrespecting the man. He is one of the managers the English league has ever seen. Incredible classy intelligent guy but things have gone stale and a change is needed. Sometimes managers just run their course. I have the upmost respect for Wenger if anyone thinks I don't.

Mr Blobby

niallo27 wrote: »

I don't think anyone is disrespecting the man. He is one of the managers the English league has ever seen. Incredible classy intelligent guy but things have gone stale and a change is needed. Sometimes managers just run their course. I have the upmost respect for Wenger if anyone thinks I don't.

Going by a few posts here i'd say otherwise.
Honestly i'd be in the time to go section, but with that being said he doesn't deserve the abuse he's been getting here which has been down right pathetic from some.

niallo27

Mr Blobby wrote: »

Going by a few posts here i'd say otherwise.
Honestly i'd be in the time to go section, but with that being said he doesn't deserve the abuse he's been getting here which has been down right pathetic from some.

No it's not right. Rafa got the same at the end of his time at liverpool and he didn't give half the time Wenger gave to arsenal. But on the other hand Arsenal fans have the right to be frustrated that another season has gone to waste.

wonga77

on 7 or so million a year nobody should be immune from criticism if he's doing a sub par job.
Players are quick to get it when they've had a bad day out, managers should be no different, while we all appreciate the past its not going to get any better and the abuse will only get louder the longer he stays on

Bobby Baccala

niallo27 wrote: »

At least liverpool came close. It's the same **** every year with arsenal. Wenger has to go. I'm saying it for years but you lot still abuse me

Abuse...would ye give over.

You'd be hard pressed to find anyone in this thread that doesn't want Wenger gone so stop waffling.

gosplan

I just want something to change.

New players would be good.

While Wenger hasn't been doing well enough it's also fairly easy to see the difference a quality striker makes to the team.

L'prof

gosplan wrote: »

I just want something to change.

New players would be good.

While Wenger hasn't been doing well enough it's also fairly easy to see the difference a quality striker makes to the team.

In a way it's almost a good thing that they've been so toothless in attack this year. He surely can't look at his attacking options now and think that we're in a good position going forward. I do like the look of Iwobi though!

emmetlego

Seriously though, imagine a world class striker playing in front of Ozil, Alexis and Iwobi??? I actually just drooled a little!

gosplan

emmetlego wrote: »

Seriously though, imagine a world class striker playing in front of Ozil, Alexis and Iwobi??? I actually just drooled a little!

Get someone who scores 30 goals a season and we'd be in the mix for the league with the rest of the team.

We have RVP do that but with a much poorer team behind him.

Before that it was Adebayor - 83 points we finished on.

Before that it was Henry and we know how that went.

Hyzepher

Aubameyang will be going somewhere this summer and we should at least ensure that we are in the running. I think he is the one player that would have the most impact on the team.

greendom

Hyzepher wrote: »

Aubameyang will be going somewhere this summer and we should at least ensure that we are in the running. I think he is the one player that would have the most impact on the team.

Probably would have been a better bet than Giroud when they were both paying their trade in the Ligue 1. Will be phenomenonly more expensive now than he was then. More of a gamble back then though.

You have to wonder whether the Wenger of 20 years ago would have gone for him? He doesn't seem as good these days at choosing the next big thing.

Pepe LeFrits

gosplan wrote: »

I just want something to change.

New players would be good.

While Wenger hasn't been doing well enough it's also fairly easy to see the difference a quality striker makes to the team.

It is, so why hasn't Wenger signed one in any of the transfer windows (8?) since he sold van Persie?

We'll always be short with Wenger at the helm.

greendom

And talking of the bejewelled booted striker, I loved this from Paddy Power last night...

Check out @paddypower's Tweet: https://twitter.com/paddypower/status/720695085298540546?s=09

JustTheOne

gosplan wrote: »

Get someone who scores 30 goals a season and we'd be in the mix for the league with the rest of the team.

We have RVP do that but with a much poorer team behind him.

Before that it was Adebayor - 83 points we finished on.

Before that it was Henry and we know how that went.

Thing is the fans have crying out for it for years but wenger knows it too.

But pathetic 40 million plus a pound bids and not paying the extra few quid for higuan is prime example of his stubbornness.

greendom

JustTheOne wrote: »

Thing is the fans have crying out for it for years but wenger knows it too.

But pathetic 40 million plus a pound bids and not paying the extra few quid for higuan is prime example of his stubbornness.

Can we please stop regurgitating this Suarez crap.

A If Suarez had a clause in his contract forcing a sale once a bid of 40 million was made the deal would have happened with the bid made by Arsenal.

B. Hicks said he wouldn't have sold him that Summer.

You have plenty of sticks to beat Wenger with so please stop using that completely invalid one.

Colonialboy

Based on that whole stadium and finances bollix we have had to listen to for years about Wenger, Im expecting Bilic to recieve a Knighthood, Nobel Prize, Sainthood and the obligatory 'GENIUS' status from the West Ham fans.
After all West Ham have a new stadium (99 year lease), cost them 15 million, they get to sell their own for real estate, they aint won nowt in years , and the UK tax payer is footing the bill for corner flags and policing. Some are calling it the deal of the century.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/taxpayers-owed-explanation-over-west-ham-deal-for-olympic-stadium-campaigners-34629528.html

So lets play the Wenger card he has been riding for the last 12 years..
Bilic doesnt have to win anything for the next 10 years or even genuinely compete, just play the oh we moved to a new stadium excuse and finances look pretty, and he will still be labelled a genius... Wenger pulled that one, dont see why Bilic cant.

8 Transfer seasons since RVP has left and we aint signed a proven goal scorer. Probably need to be a tactical genius to figure out how that makes sense.

The fight and passion in those European matches this week was incredible, when two top flight teams go at it, its really a joy to watch.
Arsenal showed glimpses of it against Barca, but they would want to be doing it more often and not as a one off.
Simeone was inspirtional on the touch line, that sort of living and kicking every ball with the players has to transfer to individuals, you see Griezmann when he scored the penalty he made a bee line for Simeone. Meanwhile our fellas hiding on the bench mucking about with his zipper.

cson

emmetlego wrote: »

Seriously though, imagine a world class striker playing in front of Ozil, Alexis and Iwobi??? I actually just drooled a little!

There's the paradox of Wenger right there; prodigious talent who's made it into the first XI because we'd no one else. Probably wouldn't have gotten anywhere near the team had we bought sufficiently in the summer. Now he's an integral part of the squad. Ditto Bellerin last year. There probably isn't another club in the upper echelons that this would happen in (United an outlier this year, LVG has just seemed to throw youngsters at the problems this year).

So chances are with a different manager Bellerin & Iwobi would be still playing U-21 football. Where this becomes a problem is that these emergences have been forced upon AW because there is simply no one else. So you can take credit away there. Part of the problem is that I imagine he's been scared somewhat by the actions of Diarra & Debuchy; players who weren't content to compete with a place. What I would say is that we're a big enough club to have two quality players competing for every position - a Monreal/Gibbs situation would be ideal. That's where we've fallen down majorly.

emmetlego

Colonialboy wrote: »

Based on that whole stadium and finances bollix we have had to listen to for years about Wenger, Im expecting Bilic to recieve a Knighthood, Nobel Prize, Sainthood and the obligatory 'GENIUS' status from the West Ham fans.
After all West Ham have a new stadium (99 year lease), cost them 15 million, they get to sell their own for real estate, they aint won nowt in years , and the UK tax payer is footing the bill for corner flags and policing. Some are calling it the deal of the century.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/taxpayers-owed-explanation-over-west-ham-deal-for-olympic-stadium-campaigners-34629528.html

So lets play the Wenger card he has been riding for the last 12 years..
Bilic doesnt have to win anything for the next 10 years or even genuinely compete, just play the oh we moved to a new stadium excuse and finances look pretty, and he will still be labelled a genius... Wenger pulled that one, dont see why Bilic cant.

8 Transfer seasons since RVP has left and we aint signed a proven goal scorer. Probably need to be a tactical genius to figure out how that makes sense.

The fight and passion in those European matches this week was incredible, when two top flight teams go at it, its really a joy to watch.
Arsenal showed glimpses of it against Barca, but they would want to be doing it more often and not as a one off.
Simeone was inspirtional on the touch line, that sort of living and kicking every ball with the players has to transfer to individuals, you see Griezmann when he scored the penalty he made a bee line for Simeone. Meanwhile our fellas hiding on the bench mucking about with his zipper.

Do you hate Wenger or something? Why don't you get off the fence and tell us.:rolleyes:

gosplan

First team next year shouldn't involve Iwobi.

---Coq - Cazorla
RW - Ozil - Alexis

---

CF

Back up of

---

Elneny - Ramsey
Campbell - Iwobi - Walcott

---

Welbeck

Giroud as third striker. Wilshire and Ox potentially add something.

Basically though 80/90 million on a CF and RW and we might win the league.

Ken Shamrock

gosplan wrote: »

First team next year shouldn't involve Iwobi.

---Coq - Cazorla
RW - Ozil - Alexis

---

CF

Back up of

---

Elneny - Ramsey
Campbell - Iwobi - Walcott

---

Welbeck

Giroud as third striker. Wilshire and Ox potentially add something.

Basically though 80/90 million on a CF and RW and we might win the league.

and another 80/90 mill on a CDM and at LEAST 1 CB...

cowboyBuilder

These 2 are priceless .

omega man

Someone posted back there that Wenger has made "personal sacrifice". I nearly spat my coffee out. The man is one of the highest paid managers in the world. Get a grip ffs.

With respect to him staying and going out and bringing some top (super super quality) players in over the summer I'm not so sure. For me the mentality of our current team and many players before them is the worrying point. The way Leicester keep digging out results under significant pressure or even pool last night coming back from the dead (I know it's only the Europa thingy) - I just couldn't see us doing that. So for me that's down to Wenger either not instilling believe or buying players who are incapable of believing.

Wenger will always be a club legend and I've no doubt he'll get a big statue but it's time for change and perhaps a manager who exudes passion which may well ignite the lifeless Emirates stadium. Here's hoping. Then again maybe Leicester and Spurs will lose all their games and........na never mind.

omega man

omega man wrote: »

Someone posted back there that Wenger has made "personal sacrifice". I nearly spat my coffee out. The man is one of the highest paid managers in the world. Get a grip ffs.

So if you get paid well, it's impossible to make personal sacrifice?

Quazzie

Basil3 wrote: »

So if you get paid well, it's impossible to make personal sacrifice?

No, but if you're paid over the odds then it's just called doing your job. He done what he done for the money, not because of some personal need.

Ol' Donie

Quazzie wrote: »

He done what he done for the money, not because of some personal need.

Nonsense. He's gets paid well for doing a job he loves at a club he loves. Very different thing.

Quazzie

Quazzie wrote: »

No, but if you're paid over the odds then it's just called doing your job. He done what he done for the money, not because of some personal need.

Couldn't disagree more.

Mr Blobby

Quazzie wrote: »

No, but if you're paid over the odds then it's just called doing your job. He done what he done for the money, not because of some personal need.

Nonsense!
If that were true he'd have taken the Real Madrid when it was offered.

tayto lover

The point is he's ruining the reputation he built up. A bit like Clough in his later years. There's no doubt he was brilliant in his earlier years but has gone downhill in the last few years. A couple of Cup wins just papered over the cracks.

FixitFelix

Quazzie wrote: »

No, but if you're paid over the odds then it's just called doing your job. He done what he done for the money, not because of some personal need.

Bull****