We all want success for Arsenal
Jul 30th, 2013 by 'holic
With another day of nothing much on the news front I am unable to avoid any mention of the changing mood among some of the fanbase. It seems impossible to avoid the general level of frustration that is provoking reactions of varying degrees. Last night’s Google Hangout with Arseblogger, Gunnerblog, Arse2Mouse, and the man in the hat from East Lower pretty much captured the contrasting emotions and the belief, or otherwise, that better lies ahead in the coming days.
I thought the Arseblogger himself made the most succinct observation that the issue of incoming transfers should not be a divisive issue amongst Gooners who are pretty much unanimous in the desire to see our club strengthen. Of course, Arsenal being Arsenal, we are finding ways of falling out about the potential arrival of Suarez, the willingness or reluctance of the manager to spend what is available, and the role of the executives charged with transacting our business.
Nothing can be gained by me adding to that. Human nature and 24/7 means of social intercourse dictate that disagreements will play out between those with extreme but passionately held views. We are in possession of limited and incomplete facts about what is going on. Ever was it thus and so shall it remain. There are obviously good reasons why the club cannot do all of it’s business in the public domain, and the leaks that do appear need to be interpreted carefully.
In other words I will keep calm and carry on for now, unable to do anything else. I want us to do some serious business before the season proper gets underway, as I’m sure most of us do. I’m of a mind not to get too upset about the lack of activity now because it will both dilute the message should that still be the case at the end of August, and it will leave me, and many more, looking very silly should we announce major signings within days of me hitting the publish button.
We all want Arsenal to reach the same destination, even if we cannot agree on the route.
Gooner Terry
Again I would like to thank all of you for your tremendous response following the passing of Gooner Terry. Those who indulge in the drinks will have seen the contributions from Terry’s daughter, Ria, and sister-in-law Susan. Clive has been in contact with Terry’s wife Taina and she has responded…
As soon as I have the details I will share them with you.
The question of a stone in the North Bank steps at Arsenal has also been suggested by Clive and Cynic. May I suggest that that UK based ‘holics can donate towards the stone. I have set up a Goonerholic PayPal account and I will email the details to those who have offered to contribute, and who have left a valid email address in the appropriate box when commenting. Do not feel pressured into donating a set sum. What you can afford will be just fine. Any of the matchgoers from outside these borders can slip me a brown envelope stuffed with cash at a future home game if you really want to!
Can I suggest it would be easier for overseas ‘holics to contribute to Bluefields once we have the details. I will advance any money in excess of the value of the stone as well.
Thanks again to you all for the way you have all pulled together for a friend, virtual or otherwise.
The Light-Hearted Ending
You have probably seen the ‘Poldi noise’ video by now, but if not do take 99 seconds to watch it now. It is another sign of the spirit inside the camp right now.
455 Responses to “We all want success for Arsenal”
Boots one in Poldi style
Evening all,
The mail will hopefully go out tomorrow night once I have put together a mailing list.
Cheers all. Hope all is well. Silly season is killing me slowly.
A round on me.
‘holic
I would be happy to contribute towards a stone in the North Bank steps. Please include me in the mailing list. Thanks.
I think the main thing that gives us fans the raging hump is the constant bollocks that comes from those at the club who quite frankly should know better. The PR department at Arsenal is quite simply laughable. I think the fans are bored with being told about how we can now compete, how we are 48 hours away from a major deal only to be told 6 weeks later that we are not close to signing anyone. We all have had to put up with the jewels in the crown being gradually sold. At varying degrees we have all tolerated it. Fans are not stupid and I would suggest to the board that they do not treat them as such.
Like you and everyone else, I am still expecting major signings to strengthen the squad and to make us competitive. I would suggest that failure by the board to deliver this time just will not be tolerated.
Wise words ‘Holic. I think it is unhelpful to think of the purchasing team sitting on their hands and the welcome drain of the unwanted which appears to be continuing is creating a vacuum which surely must be filled. Let’s hope that there are wheels within wheels which we are not privy to. Anything else is too painful to contemplate!
As I mentioned before please email me details of the account for Terry
Steve, whilst I would agree that Ivan Gazidis has not helped with some of his public statements and briefings about the sum of money available and our desire to spend it, I don’t think he is saying anything we didn’t already know. Money has been available and growing for the last two years, as evidenced in the accounts.
Information about the Higuain deal might have been better handled, for sure. In fact the entire negotiations could have been better handled. Gazumping may not be pretty, but it is real life.
After all that talk regarding our 2 bids for Suarez, he still hasn’t requested a transfer from Liverpool. If he doesn’t this week, surely it’d be better not to wait and move on to another striker like Michu of Swansea City and also all the other areas of our squad that need strengthening like a goalie, new defenders, defensive midfielder and midfielder like Fellaini. Is Wenger really prepared to waste the whole summer to wage a bidding war for a volatile player who doesn’t really want to join us.
Fine words of moderation and wisdom ‘holic. Send that email for the Paypal, would love to help out with Gooner Terry’s stone.
One thing though, I hope for solidarity in the fan base but I will always believe in my heart, fuck the racist bitey cunt, no matter his talent or skill.
The problem is Holic is that it’s hardly a one off is it???? I mean for the club as a whole. Expectation levels are raised to new levels. I just think the vast majority have had enough of it. I’m not sure that too many actually trust the board to close these big deals.
Higuain is a prime example. I guess you pay what you think the player is worth. But we all know what a signing like that would have done. It would have lifted the whole club, it would have put down a marker and sent out a message to all. It would also have given us a top quality player. If you want more evidence of the club’s PR escapades and the fan’s views then check out the latest tweet from the club. Fans were asked who they were most looking forward to seeing in the Emirates Cup? The overwhelming winner??? One Gonzalo Higuain. I wonder if Ivan and the boys have got it at last?????
Cheers ‘holic.
thiz iz too bad
De problem iz Holic iz dat it’s hardly a one
off iz it???? I mean 4 de club as a whole.
Expectation levels ar raised 2 new levels. I
just dink de vast majority have had enough
of it. I’m not sure dat too many actually
trust de board 2 close dese big deals.
Higuain nd bender iz a prime exmple. I guess u pay
wat u dink de player iz worth. But we
all know wat a signing like dat would have
done. It would have lifted de whole club, it
would have put down a marker nd sent
out a message 2 all. It would also have
given us a top quality player. If u want
more evidence of de club’s PR escapades
nd de fan’s views den check out de latest
tweet 4m de club. Fans were asked who
dey were most looking forward 2 seeing
in de Emirates Cup? De overwhelming
winner??? One Gonzalo Higuain. I wonder if
Ivan nd de boys have got it at last?????……………………………………………………………!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!by ryca
Nice one ‘holic. Of course the issue of transfers in (and out) should not be a divisive one when there is so much (general) consensus. But as Steve points out, many of the natives are restless as we feel we’ve been here before – much promised, cash in the bank, and nothing delivered. Yet again some rather inept communications are doing nothing but fuel the fire of impatience.
Still, an absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. I find it inconceivable that those within the club are not trying to convert cash into players. And I’m gonna hold onto that hope until the evidence tells me otherwise.
Oh and count me in for a contribution to the fund for a stone for Terry. When’s your first home game Guv?
So what do we do now that the Suarez clause has been confirmed to be watertight?
Hamaza@13. Spot on, innit doh…..
Clearly I must have missed something here – where is the evidence that we thought any clause was NOT watertight? I thought that it was simply a clause obliging Liverfool to inform their player of an interest, i.e a trigger to start a negotiation?
Someone explain please. It’s been a long day…
Holic, that was an all star ensemble on the google hangout last night. You fellows did real well.
I need to ask if we really have the experience of closing out big deals with big clubs? Could it just be a matter of incompetence rather than skulduggery? On the other hand, outside the obnoxious one, are there any genuinely world class players who can make the team better available on the market? As you rightly pointed out last night, we are a very patient lot but I’m afraid said patience is wearing thin real fast.
Snowy. I think there was some suggestion that it was a release clause but with conditions. Along the lines of a 40 million offer from a side in the champs lge would activate it. The dispute was whether the qualifiers counted as a champs lge side. However it would now appear to be total pants.
I guess we need to go back to Madrid and put a bid in for Higuain????
Oh yeah………Bugger.
The Suarez clause was clearly meant to be triggered by Arsenal’s well- publicised bid of one pound over£40 million. Either Suarez’s agent misread the clause or we misread Suarez’s contract. Either way this is the latest example of a perceived incompetence in handling transfers holding the club up to ridicule . We must pay a lot more than surely Wenger will sanction to sign him and most of us feel we should turn our attention elsewhere.
One has to believe that we have alternative options in the key positions but things are becoming a concern as Steve articulates. I still believe Holic is right to counsel caution but having moved on 8-10 players and signed an 18 year old a failure to land big signings would provoke enormous concern among the fans. It would be testing AKBs to their very limit. All we can hope is that very interesting things are happening behind the scenes . The trouble is all the people who were very chilled about our activity like Tabs a few weeks ago are understandably starting to wonder if their information was duff.
Thanks Steve. From that I read that it’s the Scally spin machine trying to make out we somehow misunderstood something.
Given that the club’s lawyers are (or used to be) a magic circle firm unlikely to be known for employing people who cannot read, I find it all rather hard to believe. However Tabs’ ITK insights would be very welcome for verification 😉
And as for Madrid, the less we ever have to do with that bunch of unutterable wank stains the better…. 😀
As I said a few posts back Snowy, I have a massive fear that we have put one exceptionally large egg into one very flimsy basket. I’m not sure there is a plan after Suarez and I am far from convinced that we will increase that offer. I sincerely hope not at least.
In other news, looks like Yahoo sports have picked up on a theme of the previous drinks…
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/three-players-big-season-arsenal-230800600.html?
Remember you read it here first folks. Goonerholic – all the news that fits the pint* 😉
Truth boy, get your money out and contribute to the memorial stone. Cut all the bollocks for once in your life. Time to put up or fuck right off.
Steve I’ve just plain given up trying to understand our transfer or negotiation strategy…makes quantum theory seem straightforward
It would be nice to think there was someone as yet unsigned by our opposition who would be worth us signing anyway. Suarez and Rooney aside the field seems to come down to Fellaini among those who could actually strengthen the team as opposed to be nice to have as cover.
Given what we know now (and shouldn’t our negotiators have known in advance?) we could have bid more strongly for Cavani, Falcao, Jovetic, Higuain and probably several others. Now our eggs are seemingly in one very small basket we could end up with just the egg on our face.
What if the neighbours use the gazillions for Bale to significantly raise the bid for Suarez?
Oskar
I mean, Suarez might never join perennial CL losers like the spuds, but that wouldn’t stop them offering 50+m for him while laughing all over their fat, money-flushed faces.
Oskar
The idea that we were unwise to let people know we had bags of money to spend, doesn`t hold water. We`ve been reading about the £70m transfer kitty (where did that figure come from), for the past few windows, and Arsene has insisted every time that he would spend it. so it wasn`t any secret. Perhaps Gazidis felt he had to go public to give Arsene a little push to actually spend some of that money.
The big mistake was not to tie up the Higuain deal with a £30-35m bid. It would appear that Arsene woke up one morning and said to himself, `no, I`m bloody well not going to pay the extra that Real want`, and so decided to concentrate on Suarez. Here too, we`ve missed a trick. A bid of £50 or even £55m would surely have seen us in serious negotiations with both player and club by now. Apparently we are confident we can, in the words of one football hack, `get this over the line`, and so will not be increasing our bid, but playing a waiting game. I would far rather have had Higuain than Suarez for football and other reasons, but if he should rock up, like most of us, I would put the interests of the club before my own reservations.
Surely we must be in serious talks with some of our targets, and yet we hear that Capoue could be going to Cardiff of all places, for not much money. Presumably Arsene has cooled his interest in that particular player. I remain confident, but we mustn`t leave it to the final week, or the last day.
Snowy. I’m not sure we actually have a transfer strategy. Think back to that afternoon in the pub. I don’t question the authenticity of any of that info which would suggest that there have been some almighty cock up or a massive touch of the seconds. I just hope that there are still some deals out there waiting to be concluded.
Oiii. Truth boy. Get some cash ready. Lets see if you have grown a pair and have some humility at last.
I think we don’t want to lose sight of the fact that we want to sign players who want to make a difference…not players who want to be on large wages to pad their retirement packages…
Lewandowski anyone ??????
The last day of the transfer window is 2 September, Biscuit, and I see the Suarez deal going all the way to midnight of it.
Oskar
Ria, if you’re still here – I was going over my fb chat messages with your dad, and couldn’t help but notice how much he talked about you!
We even talked about how you hate group presentations in school! I hope you’re ok with it now 😉
God bless you.
Re: the clause, everyone chill out a bit.
For one thing, you’re reacting to what Liverpool are saying. We know they don’t think it’s a release clause or Suarez would already be a Gunner.
For another, snowy is spot on. The club’s lawyers are no mugs. I trained at a law firm not much smaller than magic circle and I draft and negotiate commercial agreements all day. The notion that these guys misread a clause as simple as “good faith discussions” is farcical. That said, I would be surprised if they’ve had actual sight of the contract, as that would be a clear breach of confidentiality, and unquestionably actionable.
The question isn’t what the clause says, it’s what other assurances was Suarez given and what’s he willing to do to force his way out. None of us have any idea where this particular negotiation is right now, or what it will ultimately take to land the player. I would be surprised if we really do need to go all the way to £50m if we remain the only bidder.
It’s as you were for me.
Oh and well said Steve T re: Redtruth the bollockless wonder.
Where to start ! 🙂 Holic, enjoyed the Google Hangout very much so 😉 Would have liked to heard more from you on our young players, but appreciate your take on Miquel. Personally, I have vascillated between Steve T, Trev and Cent’s take on our transfer business. But I believe snowy’s 2nd paragraph @ 14 is very logical. I follow a young lad ( on Twitter) who is a Dirty Leeds fan. He is so optimistic about their up coming season. He mentions their new signings (players I’ve never heard of) and he’s hoping this is their year to get promoted. Bit humbled by that. And then there is the chap who is a Sunderland supporter, he’s counting on Vito to move them up the ladder. Baby steps. We are so blessed to be Gooners !!!
I’m up for GT’s stone!
By the way Steve, am I the multinamed user in your post?
Not sure yet but hoping to make it to England if not later this year, sometime next year 😀
I found this tonight, looking for info on the BPCA, and thought I would share: http://www.bepajamaica.org/2013/07/25/the-establishment-of-the-terry-williams-fund/
what a lovely family.
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/training-30/07/13-gallery
I have to admit I chuckled at pictures 15 and 16, featuring 1/2 and 3/4 Gervinho. Nearly gone?
Hooray, I managed to book a Eurostar ticket, on line for the first time still February I think (OK I didn’t try between mid-May and now).
I shall be in the Tollington on Saturday, and a bit on Sunday (leaving before our game though).
If that’s your response truth boy then clearly I’m not.
Pathetic.
I’m with Steve T et al on our transfer “business”. The will to defend the club and look for positives has worn thinner than Gandhi’s flip flop, so the only way they can escape utter ridicule is by coming out with 1-2 major signings + 1-2 lesser lights. That said, they gain themselves no sympathy with their ludicrous public statements and Wenger would do well when pressed on transfers to say no comment rather than trotting out his infuriating line about not being close to signing anyone.
Whatever happens, noone can deny the club’s ineptitude in the market; talk about the difficulty and complexity of signing people all you like, but other clubs have already managed that more than once this summer. In these matters, Arsenal makes me cringe.
I think Steve T is absolutely right. I and I would guess many other fans, are sick and tired of all the posturing, empty talk and misinformation. If the club want to be secretive about it and do their business quietly, fine then do it that way, (as they often have in the past), but don’t tell us about all the wonderful things that are going to happen before they have or are likely to. There is many a slip twixt cup and lip!
Does anyone seriously believe the current squad is strong enough to challenge for anything at all next season? Given that every player remained fit and firing on all cylinders for the whole season I think we would have an outside chance of winning or achieving something (another top 4 finish?). However we all know that isn’t going to happen.
There is still time to sign new players so we shouldn’t give up hope but with the passing of every day my sense of disappointment and my level of frustration just increases. Also I don’t remember a time when so many players spoke publicly of the need to strengthen the squad, just think how let down they will feel if nothing is done. Not exactly good for team spirit and morale.
Surely the manager and the board aren’t going into next season without signing any new players?
I live in hope, but increasing doubt.
Do we need to strengthen? Well, obviously we do.
Is now the time to panic? Absolutely not if you ask me.
Make no mistake about it, if we haven’t signed at least two good players by September 2 then the club has failed and failed miserably. The only problem for me at that stage would be that I would not know who to blame. Arsene? Ivan? Dick Law and Order? All of them? But the club as such would probably deserve all the criticism it would get in that case and perhaps the simple answer is that all involved have fucked up.
But I always expected a deal like Suarez to take a long time whatever the outcome and it may well be very close to the end of the window before it is finally resolved either way. The same also goes for Rooney, Fellaini and Cesc. I find it not at all inconceivable that all of them want to await at least the draw for the CL qualifiers before deciding what they want to do next.
We are all impatient and want the new players in quickly. But let us not forget that a year ago, most of us knew little more about Cazorla than what we’d seen of him on telly and had no idea at all that he’d be an Arsenal player about a week later. That deal happened (at least seemingly) very quickly so until it’s all over I refuse to give up hope.
Lars – great post, totally sums up where my thinking is right now.
Re: Suarez, I’m going to forecast that if no other club joins the race he’ll be an Arsenal player by September.
He’s publicly said he wants to leave Liverpool. He’s been quoted talking about Arsenal. His agent is clearly feeding us info.
And let’s look at Liverpool’s behaviour; they’re talking about this a lot. They’ve named speculative prices at which they might be prepared to sell. They’re not staying quiet and battoning down the hatches, they’re focusing on getting a good price for him and making it clear to the support that they’ve not been pushed around.
We’ve all shouted for years for big deals, for Arsene to go a step further and buy “super super quality”. We’ve all asked “why buy x, when for a few extra million you can buy y”. Well, this is what buying “y” sometimes looks like – clubs aren’t generally all that keen to sell their super quality players, it takes time and there are no guarantees.
If we get to September without making a splash in the market, if we put all our eggs in one basket and it goes horribly wrong, I think we will all be entitled to go batshit. I know I will. But until then I think we need to recognise that we’re dealing with only a fraction of the necessary info to form a proper judgement re: what’s going on.
You only need to take a look on Twitter to find “high profile” members of the support engaged in furious, po faced speculation dressed up as fact as to “what’s gone wrong”. Is it the dithering? Dick Law? The manager fighting the board? Are we inept at negotiating? Have we misread the Suarez contract? Are we being played? If we pay £50m for Suarez we’ll have been ripped off! If we don’t just pony up what Liverpool are asking then we were never serious with the bid!
If anyone wants to play that game then fine, knock yourself out. But it makes about as much sense as coming on here and declaring that we’re about to sign Suarez, Rooney and Cesc (the other popular extreme this summer). It’s never wise to base strong opinions on partial information.
Not trying to tell anyone how or what to think, just encouraging everyone to perhaps treat the unbridled negativity they might encounter on blogs and social media with the same scepticism as the unbridled positivity, because ultimately both are symptoms of the same sense of helplessness and frustration that we’re all experiencing.
There’s a month to go. If that month passes without signings I’ll happily join the raging mob. Until that time, I’m not going to pass judgement until all the facts are in, because assumption has a way of making a mug of you.
COYG
I think the Higuain issue is the reason fans have started throwing their toys out of the pram. But who can blame them? We’ve been here far too often, and the consequences have been there to be seen. How many more chances will we get?
N7 wern`t we the only bidder for Higuain for quite a few weeks after Juve lost interest?
Biscuitbum @ 48
We were indeed, although quite possible that Napoli had let Madrid know they’d be in with a higher offer once the Cavani money materialised.
As I say; if another club joins the race then I think the picture changes re: Suarez. That’s a variable we can’t possibly hope to forecast at this stage.
But I do think the player will leave Liverpool this window.
Lots of very good posts above – won’t mention names for fear of omitting someone.
However, Lars and an exceptional post by N7 @46 are close to cheering me up.
One issue is nagging at me though, with regard to the Higuain negotiations.
Assuming our interest was ever real and not just press invention, Higuain’s agent – who is also his father – was quoted as saying that Real Madrid had given them permission to negotiate personal terms directly with Arsenal.
To have reached that position, they must surely have agreed a fee with Arsenal. So what sort of agreement would we have had ?
Did anyone think to sign something, conditional on personal terms being agreed, or were there just hand shakes and pats on the back, “until we meet up again” ?
I do realise that these are very condescending assumptions, but unless we were all reading fairy stories, I struggle to see how this particular one got away.
Given that he has now well and truly gotten away, and that particular issue is dead, maybe the club could explain, to an extremely frustrated fan base, where it all went wrong, and why it wasn’t really their fault.
A bit of “positive” PR, if you like.
That would even fit neatly within the bounds of Dick’s Law, which states that –
I) If a 48 hour deal can take 6 1/2 weeks, it damn well will.
II) Even positive PR must be negative.
Have a nice day ! 😉
Bloggs,
If you happen to drop in here, today’s Arseblog is brilliant.
I was thrown out of the ‘arses’ again ‘cos I don’t know what my password is ?!?
Heh,
What a fine fine web we weave…….
Could this be the source of “the injunction”….?
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/former-arsenal-star-cesc-fabregas-girls-exhusband-loses-court-fight-over-home-8739301.html
Cheers ‘H for that. The stone for Terry is a fantastic idea, and I can only reiterate that I’m in as and when the logistics can be sorted.
Looks like we’ve got a SteveT impressionist @13 and not a very good one at that.
Ttg – I’m distinctly unchilled now I’m afraid. 🙁
As for the clause, I can’t really add to what N7 has already said. The idea that Arsenal’s lawyers have somehow misinterpreted it is ludicrous. Where I would slightly differ from N7 is that I would be amazed if Arsenal haven’t had sight of the relevant clauses.
I obviously have no idea what the clause says but the theory that it is a release clause for a “Champions League Club”, and hence the delay and argument as to whether Arsenal are, pre-qualifier, a “Champions League Club” does at least stack up. Much may hinge on coming safely through that Qualifier.
I don’t think Arsenal are going to go back with a significantly improved bid. They might offer an extra couple of million to try and smooth the waters and get their man earlier than they would otherwise do, but why would they pay £50m+ if they think they can get their man for what they have already offered on the basis that they win the qualifier?
If the clause is as Liverpool state, merely a duty to inform the player and enter into “good faith” negotiations, then I have absolutely no idea what that actually means. Turn up? Make the oppo a cup of tea whilst you talk? It is so vague as to be virtually meaningless, which begs the question as to why it was drafted in the first place, and ultimately whether Liverpool are telling the whole truth.
What will ultimately be telling is what Suarez’ attitude is in all this. I’d be willing to bet a lot that come the end of the Transfer Window he won’t be a Liverpool Player. Whether he joins Arsenal is rather more open to debate. Clearly if Real Madrid come in it’s game over. Suarez gets his dream move, and Liverpool would probably accept a lesser fee to get him out of the Premiership and avoid being seen as weak with a Premiership rival. But if Madrid get Bale and declare their shopping done, then the options for both Liverpool and Suarez narrow considerably.
Clearly the time for “early business” has come and gone and that has lead to understandable doubt, bemusement, and barely contained anger. Full on meltdown is however premature. To emphasise N7’s point about transfers for the top drawer players taking longer (especially where the selling Club does not want to sell), RVP joined ManUre on 15th August, Fabregas joined Barca on 14th August. There is still plenty of time.
I would also caution a little restraint in slating the Club over Higuain. It seems to have taken no time at all for it to have become “accepted fact” that Arsenal were in for him, agreed the deal, Madrid upped the price and Arsenal walked away. That may well have been the case, but does anybody actually know it for a “fact”, beyond the often wildly inaccurate certainties of media reports and ITK speculation. Is it really beyond the realms of possibility that Higuain himself, a French-Argentinian who has spent 7 years in Spain, might prefer Italy to London? I seem to remember right at the start of the saga, when Juve were supposedly in for him, that it was reported that Higuain preferred a move to Italy. Perhaps Higuain saw a possibility for Napoli and hung on until Cavani was sold? Just a thought.
Lars @45 N7@46 – Great posts. Feel better for reading them.
Still confident … just!
It apparently was the case that either the higuains or we, were given permission to negotiate. We probably thought we had an informal agreement to buy at £22m (30m euros), but Real supposedly moved the goalposts my upping the price to at least £30m. If all this sounds like pure conjecture, it probably is.
Trev. The point re the Higuain deal was one I made a week or so ago. It is one of the reasons I struggle to believe that this board is capable in the transfer market. It’s almost as if we get bullied.
Lars and others, I don’t think anyone is actually panicking. I just think they are getting pissed off.
Trev @ 50
Commercial negotiations often happen in stages.
You might, for example, sign a deal sheet with the broad outline of the agreed position, subject to the parties subsequently negotiating and signing a more detailed long-form contract.
You might simply “shake hands” on key terms, which would involve no real legal commitment, but enable the parties to press ahead and commit resources to closing the negotiation.
You might sign a formal, long form contract with a condition precedent that the parties will agree a final fee for the player within a specific time frame. If the fee is never agreed, the contract is never formally activated.
There’s a million different variations of the above. I’ve no experience of negotiating player purchase agreements, but it doesn’t surprise me at all to hear that “an agreement” was reached and the deal subsequently collapsed. “Agreement” can mean many things. Think of a house purchase: you agree a purchase price and conduct your due diligence, but the deal isn’t done until completion – even once you’ve exchanged contracts it can still collapse. So, where does the “agreement” actually happen?
While I’m talking about contracts, if Liverpool are being honest about what the clause in the Suarez agreement says (that the player and the club will enter into “good faith discussions” re: his future), then it will only really have symbolic significance – “good faith discussions” is a very low bar to clear and requires very little of Liverpool in this context.
But that’s not to say it’s not a significant factor in any deal we might do. Admittedly, it won’t let us forcibly prise Suarez from Liverpool, but it does require the club to sit down with the player (potentially more than just once, depending on the precise wording) and address what’s actually going on, rather than simply pretending it isn’t happening. It provides a hook for the Suarez camp to escalate proceedings and it could be quite a potent negotiating tool if it’s combined with (as has been suggested) verbal promises that were made to the player that he could leave if circumstances such as these arose.
Ultimately, this negotiation is all about player power. If he’s willing to push then he’ll leave. If not, then he’ll stay. Liverpool’s revelations about how they view the clause doesn’t even remotely change the game – we already knew that it wasn’t a release clause, or they’d have released him by now.
I should add that even the most primitive of lawyers would grasp all of the above, and I do not believe for one moment that the club’s legal advisers are remotely primative, nor are the people they use to negotiate transfers (not even Dick Law). These are smart people who have been around the block, with far more expertise and inside info than the gobshite from Le Grove or his Twitter brethren.
That’s not to say that the negotiation will succeed, just that I’ve seen people this week suggesting that the club’s negotiators must be inept, while simultaneously stating that they “must have had direct access to Suarez’ contract with Liverpool” (which is not an assumption I think we can safely make, given that said contract will be chock full of confidentiality provisions).
It’s very easy to stand on the outside, cherry pick the info which suggests a negative interpretation of events and then beat your chest and moan. However, the success or failure of a negotiation is ultimately determined by outcomes, not by how they look halfway through, and certainly not how they look to the outside world on partial information. I’m quite certain that the people negotiating the Suarez deal could not give a toss how it looks to Twitter right now, and rightly so – that should absolutely not be a factor in their strategy.
Sorry for the ramble, just my thoughts on how all this stuff actually works and may yet play out.
Just to add, I find the “Arsenal not yet in the champs league” theory plausible, although it looks to me like an educated guess at best.
It’s exactly the sort of drafting ambiguity I’ve seen a million times, and I have no problem imagining a lawyer, even a reasonably good one, simply forgetting to nail down what “club in the champions league” actually means.
I would also suggest that Liverpool’s interpretation of the clause (if the theory is correct) is entirely justifiable, and that I would have reached the same conclusion in their shoes.
Hopefully it will prove to be true, because if so then it puts us in a very strong position. I certainly wouldn’t expect Liverpool to wait until we’ve qualified for the CL and then simply allow Suarez to leave for £40m with no time to replace him. I’d imagine they’ll wait for the draw, see who we get and then make a counter offer somewhere between £40m and their desired price in order to let the player go before the qualifier is played.
Fingers crossed the theory proves to be true.
Tabs @ 53
“Good faith discussions” is a fairly commonly used concept in commercial agreements, but it’s also recognised as carrying a very low level of legal obligation.
It basically means “you have to turn up and talk to us – you can’t simply avoid us”.
It’s theoretically possible to bring a claim against someone for breaching this obligation, but I’ve never seen it happen in practice. At worst, the other side simply sends the tea boy along to sit bored listening to you for a couple of hours and then considers the obligation fulfilled.
The lawyers on both sides would undoubtedly be familiar with this sort of obligation, which does lead me to question the veracity of Liverpool’s claim if there’s been any sort of dispute as to the clause’s meaning.
Tabs & N7 spot on re Suarez. Most of the media reports are pure guesswork – the only ITKs are Arsene, Ivan & Dick Law & No Order or so we hope! Whilst we await developments on that front, now is a good time to start filling the gaping gaps in the current squad.
Fair enough N7 – cheers.
A very low bar then as you say.
I agree with Tabs. To have a clause in a contract saying you must be informed of an offer if it is over a certain amount is quite simply bizarre. It means nothing.
Re Higuain, my take would be that we may well have agreed a fee verbally but did not have the brains to commit it to paper. Napoli suddenly came into a rather large sum of cash and offered more. I can’t imagine that if we were in Madrid’s position that we would have acted any differently.
Tabs. There is only one…….
😀
Cheers tabs – I think you have the Suarez thing absolutely spot on, by the way. And you’re totally right about Higuain – we don’t really know squat about what went on there, or why.
Hard being on the outside of something we all care about so much, but that’s exactly where we are.
I miss the days when summer used to mean a break from all this stuff.
Steve T @ 61
A quick thought on agreeing a fee verbally.
One of the difficulties of negotiating a contract is that you need to agree all the detail – it’s not really plausible to leave too much up in the air.
If all you had was an agreed fee, then that would not be enough to contract (odd as that sounds). There are a hundred other details you’d need to nail down; payment scheduling, choice of law, liability caps, dates of release, etc, etc.
Under English law you can’t enter into what we call an “agreement to agree”. You can’t enforce a contract that says “Arsenal will pay Madrid £22m for the player, other details to be agreed between the parties”.
I’d assume that fee is the jumping off point for the rest of the negotiation. You’d agree it in writing via email or similar (which does not represent a binding legal commitment, and does not carry much more weight than a verbal agreement) and then you’d negotiate the contract, which would take time.
The deal’s not closed until the contract is executed and all the detail is tied down.
Hope that makes sense.
Has anybody from AFC confirmed that we ever actually made a bid for Higuain?
Has anybody from AFC confirmed that we have actually made a bid for “Suarez”?
So many people say that they won’t believe anything until it’s announced on .con. Yet so many people, often the same people, still want to offer criticism on how the manager, board, administrative staff etc. are so clueless, strategy-less, lacking in business and negotiation skills etc without any official confirmation that any of the things they criticise were ever, in fact, a reality. And if they were, who here really knows the ins and outs?
I sometimes wonder how some of the senior AFC staff actually hold onto their jobs when there are apparently so many obviously better qualified candidates right here among us?
I realise that this is a blog and that it has been a long close season but what happened to the perspective traditionally shown here? Bring on Villa ( and not David).
UTA.
Tabs @ 53,
Your observation re Higuain was made while I was typing 64. Sorry for the repetition.
UTA
‘Holic,
Add me to both the lists (stone & trust). I have put my personal email-id instead of the usual (although both are active and set up on my phone)..
It’s lawyerholic today!
Clever chaps.
Just to note; I’ll be billing you all for the above legal advice.
Heh.
68 N7. just put it on Lars tab…no problem 😉
SteveT @61 – “There is only one …” And thank the Lord for that! 😉
Noosa @65 – No worries, great minds … fools etc take your pick 🙂
Ollie/N7 – Hehs 🙂
Tried to get tickets to the 1st game of the Season earlier around 10am, the transaction wouldn’t go through on a friend’s laptop or his sister’s MacBook. Get home to find out my Ideal seat in the West Upper is gone *sighs* 😐
Up – Haha. Lars tab to the rescue! 🙂
Secured a ticket at the very least 🙂
Afternoon to you all.
I return to my favourite online hangout after a short but inforced (due to work) sabitical to read the saddest of news.
A wonderfully penned post by Mr Waterman informined me of the passing of one of us, the unforgettable Gooner Terry, I’m not ashamed to say I shed a few tears while reading the fitting eulogy, the words jumped effortlessly off the screen, but it was the photo of Terry that really hit home.
Save the greyish colour of his hair, he’d hardly changed a bit from the man I knew in my youth who worked in the Michael Sobell Centre on the Holloway Road, I could picture him as clear as day in his green, semi flared, track bottoms and yellow T-Shirt as that was the uniform of those in employment at that Sports Arena. Our pathes had crossed many a time, he knew my mates and I always used to bunk in via any one of a number of fire exits situated around the building, sometimes he’d turf us out, othertimes he’d let it slide, there was never any animosity, we all knew it was part of the game.
To his family and loved ones I offer my heartfelt condolonces and hope that in this time of grief and sorrow that you can find solace in the fact that Terry was a great man loved by many and will be sorely missed in this particular corner of the internet.
R.I.P. Tel.
Well played, Wind.
Another long post coming? 🙂
Welcome back H2H. Snifter on the Bar for you mate.
Lovely piece about Terry.
Hi all,
As I said before at the end of one of the other posts, we should have permission to talk to Surez when he returns from their tour ( which ends on Sat).
Once we’ve spoken to dude, if he shows an interest other than just wanting to get away from Rogers, that will be a B-line for us to lodge the 55mill, which if you ask me, we should put up or shut up.
That CL clause to me sounds like bollocks. A bluff. At the end of the day we are in the play offs entered into the contest by the FA. Thus we will be playing in the champions league, play off round. It is still a round within the Champions League competition. To me, that yet again seems like posturing from Liverpool related media.
So we pay the 55 next week and roll. If not, it will be back to another unearthed ‘player of the year’, good goal ratio type player spotted on Wengers giant multi screen (see: Wengers autobiography).
COYRRR
Thanks N7 for taking, I imagine, quite a lot of time to reply.
Tabs, N7,
One plea – please don’t fall out / disagree over any of this stuff – the bill will be astronomical. 😉
NoosaG,
I thought most of the posts in here were pretty considered.
If my “Dick’s Law” thing is the cause of your ire, that ” 😉 ” means it is supposed to be taken in jest. 😉
Nice one H2H. Good to see you.
goonertown@77: Just to give a little context to your “put up £55M or shut up” remark, don’t forget that the increase from £40M (plus a pound) to £55M is greater than the current AFC record transfer fee paid.
Pangloss,
It would actually be the EPL record transfer.
Everyone is different, but for me, if you bid 40, well, you should be willing to bid 50/55.
Thats just how I would do it. But I am not in the position to tell you if that is the right approach for the transfer team to take, without knowing much more detail.
🙂
Everyone is, indeed different. If I were willing to pay three times the amount I had ever paid before, I wouldn’t necessarily be willing to pay four times that amount.
Conversely, if I were unwilling to pay four times the amount I’d ever paid before, I’d be less than delighted to read that my bid of three times my record was, in some way, “clearly not serious”.
I know no more detail than anyone else here.
🙂
good afternoon all!
So many nice posts above, H2H’s comeback and tribute to GT, stands out alongside those of TaBS and N7 re the clause and transfer business generally.
Personally I think we will end up with Rooney, Cesc, CB/RB, DM and a ‘keeper if Fabianski leaves. It might seem far fetched but if you step away from the speculation in the press and think of the number of players we’ve moved out and what we are capable of doing with the money we have, you will see it’s very much possible.
Pangloss,
The increase is £1 under our current transfer fee record of £15M paid for AA(assuming the £16.8 for Santi isn’t true in which case it’s £1,799,999 less).. 😛 😉
IndianGooner, I think we paid only £12.8m for Santi.
Pangloss,
Another way of putting it is this (to me):
If you are not going to Bid 30 for Higuain, but are willing to bid 40 for Luis (not forgetting the initial 30 mill bid on said player), you should generally be ready to bid 55+£1 if thats what it takes. But as I say, more information is required for me to make a more informed decision.
Either we were in for Higuain or we were not: in which case it was entirely paper talk. Assuming we were, why would Real make things difficult for us and not Napoli? The inescapable conclusion is that we refused to pay the extra wonga demanded, and Napoli did. I remember when we signed Bergkamp, PHW said he couldn`t believe we`d just spent £7.5m on one player, but then added, `either you compete, or you don`t`.
Just read an interesting piece on Arsenal Times re transfers. Make of it what you will but the vast majority did make sense.
Link bel
http://www.thefootballnetwork.net/main/s378/st182961.htm
make things difficult for us and not Napoli
I’d say the twice reported press conference suggests they may also have made things difficult for Napoli 😉
Cheers Steve, that’s a great link. All sounds very plausible to me, although not sure whether I’m reassured by it or not.
arsene introducing our newest signings:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/q71/1004801_10151633655117713_1572648976_n.jpg
h2h, cheers. your choice, my tab.
interesting article, steve. not sure i agree with all of it, but there’s a lot of sense in it.
N7 and Scruz. I am with you. A lot of it makes sense although it does not fill me full of confidence. The Cesc thing baffles me for many reasons. Surely if he wanted to return to us that Arsene would be the one person that did know?????
Scruz. I am guessing that the three standing behind AW will all be used on the wing?????
They should be good at ‘assisting’. 😉
Maybe they come with too much baggage though. 🙁
Scruz,
That picture would make a fantastic caption competition. 😉
Steve T @ 90
If I may hazard a total guess as to what’s going on with Fabregas, I think he’s feeling undervalued at Barca and his agent is looking to shore up his status by encouraging Utd’s interest. It’s leverage so that he can seek assurances as to game time and similar next season.
I’d speculate that Arsene spoke to him early summer and was told he was happy to stay at least another year (this is pretty much what Wenger has publicly said).
However, Arsene might not have spoken to him lately and will have noted that Utd do appear to believe they have a chance of getting him, which must raise the prospect that the player might at some point this summer come into play.
I’m fairly certain Wenger knows that if the player were to move to an English club other than Arsenal he would never hear the end of it. It may actually finish him with the support. This probably makes it difficult for him to simply take his eye off the situation and hope it all works out – he presumably has to keep some funds back until he’s satisfied that Cesc will stay where he is.
Alternatively, maybe Arsene tried to tap him up earlier in the summer, got a “no”, but not a “no” that he felt was particularly solid, and is continuing his efforts to talk the player round.
God knows what’s going on. I can see, however, why we would not want to exhaust our transfer pot (ha! fat chance!) until we are comfortable that Fabregas is not going to become available, that makes total sense.
steve, excactly, they’ll give us requisite width. 🙂
and trev, heh. they flight their crosses exquisitely.
n7, sounds like you’re talking religion 🙂 lots of faith.
trev, i’ll give it a go:
“well, deese tree players weel bring super qualitee to zee pitch”
as you can see, i’m not very good at it!
Right, I think I’m packed.
Damn, nearly managed the perfect random assist.
Cheers gents.
@89,
It’s a show from the ol’ skool gansta rapper, M.C. Arsene and his fly arz bi-atches.
Or perhaps the Cesc situation also shows that even though we seem to have got rid of all his clients, Darren Dein still manages to continue Arsenal damage.
schwing!
lol, h2h. yo yo arsene…
and ollie, dd is one reason i can’t see cesc returning. it seems clear we wanted out of his orbit, regardless of cost, due to the damage he was fomenting in the squad by (not least) helping create wantaways.
N7 Gooner
You are a fabulous contributor on this site.
Keep up the good work!
Or perhaps, considering the amount of toys that were thrown, giving Barca only 2 seasons despite the obvious DNA link, a return would be considered a miserable failure?????
Bring back David Dein Ollie. You know you want to…
😀
Ok Scruz, i’ll go for,
“I’m planning to rotate these three in the holding position” 😉
That’s the cleanest version I can think of. 😉
A very interesting back-drink, thanks to all for making the end of a long day’s travel more bearable.
As to where it will all end up, I have decided there is no point fretting, since even if I have my biggest, most impressive, hissiest of hissy fits, the like of which the internet has never seen, it won’t change a thing.
So instead, I’m having a Guinness at Manchester Airport, toasting a well-known publican who sourced me a ticket today for Villa on the 17th. 🙂
The return of the real thing – first game of the season. Love it.
Hope to see a full complement of Tollington Warriors on the day!
Hey zico,
Look forward to seeing you there.
Tomorrow I shall be having my first bit of alcohol, on the plane.
Providing I make it to the airport on time, what with all these bloody roadworks.
Goodnight, folks!
Aaaaahhhhhhhh. That explains the mood swings Ollie.
Safe journey.
Trev / Scruz….caption contest…how about ” Oh my bad, signings, I thought it was singing gig”.
Cheers The Wasp.
Just a thought, but doesn’t Fellaini’s release clause reportedly expire tomorrow? I’m sure I recall reading it only runs to 1 August.
Interesting to see whether tomorrow brings any news on that front. If not, I think we can either assume that none of the top clubs are interested in him, or that he’s just no one’s first choice at this stage of the window.
Caption.
AW. “We’ll I am sorry to disappoint you but no, I am not Diana Ross and these aren’t the Supremes.”
Heh Steve. 🙂
heh, trev, i was thinking of equally family-unfriendly captions.
and heh, steve, it’s arsene and the pips!
n7, arsenalstation claims the expiration date of fellaini’s release clause is the 13th, not the 1st.
Evening all,
Oxon, I have an email delivery failure message from the address you left. Could you send me a mail to gooner@goonerholic.com and I will reply to that.
Thanks.
Cheers scruz. A little more time then – I thought for a moment we were in danger of seeing some sort of resolution re: one of our alleged transfer targets!
And Ollie,
You take it steady on the fire water, you bad influence you. 😉
N7, great work expanding on the legal issues and possibilites.
One thing I would add re: Higuain is that a deal does not have to be agreed with the club to allow the buying club to talk to the player. In fact, the only thing needed is for the potentially selling club to give their permission to the player to talk to one or more clubs which they can do as they see fit and if six months or less remain on a contract they have no say at all in the matter and the player can talk to any club he wishes to. It is, in other words, entirely possible (I would actually say quite likely if he’d made it clear to the club that he wanted to leave) that Real gave Higuain a general permission to speak to any club at his own discretion, much like Bendtner is free to speak to any club. Just a pity though that speak to them is all he ever does, actually signing for a club seems to be a step too far for him…
god forbid we get something done. the seething masses might cease to seethe…:)
Thanks for the email ‘Holic.
Please can you add a postal address so I can send a UK check for my contribution to the Gooner Terry North Bank stone.
I’m starting to think that a conversation with Bendtner may be the last thing we should be offering to prospective buyers.
Money sent. Holic and Clive, thank you for organising this.
what lars said @124.
n7, we should offer bendtner to prospective buyers with a ball gag in place, and a leather suit (a la the gimp in “pulp fiction”).
Hmm..apparently Lewandowski is still pretty pissed about Dortmund not letting him go to Bayern and frankly, I cannot see Borrussia selling another of their key players to Bavarians.
…sooo food for thought, should Suarez deal fall through and we suddenly wanted to buy another polish aquisition into our squad, would presumed 40 mil bid be enough to convince germans to sell? (And would Lewandowski want to go to us?)
Flying drink. No time to back drink but what Steve T said @5 sounds on the nail for me.
It’s fingers out time now, gentlemen. Fingers OUT.
Without going too gooey, I am privileged to know you lot.
You know why…
Eandy, I think Dortmund will bite our hands off problem, as you rightly noted, is if Lewandoski will want to come to us, personally, I think that will depend heavily on if the agreement he supposedly has with Bayern is legally binding.
@ 128, You’re such a softy, ‘Hols. 😉
BMBD
Good Evening everyone. First want to welcome back H2H. You have been missed. I wish my mere words could convey my feelings. Just have to say that Gooner Terry must be smiling right now. The outpouring of genuine affection for him here has really touched us all. This will be Terry’s lasting Legacy, here at the bar. People who normally don’ t post, have broken their silence to pay their respects. I really believe with all my heart, that Terry would want YOU to visit as often as you please and feel welcome here. xx
In defence of Arsenal’s lawyers, if Suarez wasn’t at liberty to talk to us until we bid >40m specified in his contract doesn’t that also mean he wasn’t at liberty to disclose the provisions of his contract, or even show us a copy?
Oskar
Trev @ 78
Not aimed at you at all – just a general observation. I understand both your frustration and your smiley things. Cheers.
I don’t claim to have great ITK contacts but do hear some whispers and I think the problems come down to Wenger. He is apparently continually changing his mind often causing great embarrassment to the negotiating team. This has apparently affected transfers for Fellaini, Cesar and Higuain this close season.
When Tabs mentioned recently there were a lot of done or partially done deals set up this was right . But Wenger keeps altering his position on the fee or in Fellain’s case the wages and cuts the floor from under poor old maligned Dick Law and co.
My intuitive feeling is that poor old Steve Bould must get very frustrated but I have no evidence for this. I think the Board have made Wenger into a tin god with such power that he is answerable to nobody- perhaps except the fans and he better believe that he will run the gauntlet in September if following the announcement of the strength of our finances we do not invest in the team. But I am not the first to say this. I think Amy Lawrence made some interesting points about tensions in the Boardroom and they must surely increase if there is no serious action soon.
Just a point to add to the boardroom beef thing. I think this could all be a little unsettling for the player of the selling club.
Cheers Noosa.
Since we have nothing else to talk about ….
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P7TkvRdiSLM
I have the answers!
Easy really… we ARE going to sign players!
A quick scan of .com shows our first team squad at 26 players. Including LANS, Ryo, Bendtner, Park, Frimpong, Chamakh and Park.
I think we can safely assume that the last 5 will not be featuring in the next season. So that leaves 21. If I am right, we are allowed to name a 25 man squad?
That leaves 4 places. Promotions from the yoof? Gnabry I would hope. Anyone else ready? I´m not sure.
That leaves (rather conveniently) 3 places to fill….
Q. E. D.
Carry on….
Morning guys,
The priming for our negotiations with ‘little naive Luis’ continue with the Liverpool Captain advising Luis to eff the Arsenal during our ‘talks’ with the player next week.
Elsewhere, I agree. If we are the only bidders for LS come the end of the TW ( which I doubt), we will no doubt end up with Luis. At what price I’m not sure. it’s a bit like saying: “if a bank door is open and there are no staff inside at all, we can help ourselves to the cash”. Again, how much and whether we may get caught with our hands in the till (so to speak), still remain outstanding issues.
I guess what trying to say is:
Bring on the ems cup, so we can continue to show why its worth joining Arsenal.
🙂
Oh, and
COYRRR!!!
Hi Catalan,
Nice work. Are your calculations at all affected by the fact that Park features twice in your five to discard ? 😉
Lollipop ladies make me cross ! 😉
There seem to be an awful lot of people online this morning ordering the club/manager to sign Suarez at any cost “or face the consequences”.
Silly season in full effect. No doubt there’ll be ructions if we get to September without signings, but direct threats on 1 August?
Also note that Myles Palmer is stirring the pot this morning, accusing the manager of “refusing to spend big”.
This is the same Myles Palmer who announced a month ago that he was 100% certain that the manager had agreed a deal for Fabregas to return.
The above is a classic example of what I’m talking about – Palmer is clearly guessing or acting on partial information, yet he bellows from the rooftops as if there is no doubt that his POV is correct. You’d think he was personally sat in the board meetings.
N7, thats exactly why I have that nagging feeling that the Hangout thing with Arsene today will not be pretty.
The scene: Chez Arsene, The Breakfast Room.
Mme Wenger: “What would you like for breakfast this morning, Cherie?”
AW: “Well, errr, there are a few things I would like. I know exactly what I want, and I would like to have it as early as possible”.
Mme W: “Yes Cherie, but what is it?”
AW: “Well, I would really like some caviar. I nearly bought some yesterday, but then I thought, ‘can we really afford this ?’, and so, I made the shop keeper an offer you know, exactly what I thought the caviar was worth but he wasn’t very interested. I tried to explain that his caviar was really my second choice as they had Beluga caviar in the next street, and it wasn’t very much more money than his own.
By the time I had said all this, the shop keeper was so annoyed that he put his own caviar up by 50%, which was far too much”.
Mme W: “So, Cherie, which caviar did you buy ?”
AW: “Sausages”.
Mme W: “Pardon ?!”
AW: “Oh, that’s ok, Cherie, I didn’t hear it anyway.”
Mme W: “So what do you want for breakfast, Arsene ?”
AW: “Well, err, I might have the sausages, but I bought several different kinds as they were on special offer. I got some fatty bacon too, because I’m sure I can trim off the fat and develop it into some nice prime rashers and then ….
Mme W: “AARRSSEENNEE !!! Will you just tell me what you want for your breakfast ! ”
AW: “Well, what do you think I should choose. Should it be the beef sausages or should I make a start on that bacon…. ?”
A bowl slams onto the table beside AW ….
Mme W: “There are your cornflakes Arsene. It’s too late to get you any kind of meat at all now”
AW: “Ahh, thank you, Cherie. I think that’s what I wanted all along. Now, which kind of milk should I have ……”
Have you ever seen AW with an upside down bowl of cornflakes on his head.
Mme Wenger has. 😉
Top notch, Trev. 🙂
Eandy @ 144
There are people out there, right now, trying to whip the support up into a frenzy.
They’re the same bellends who want to stick bin bags on stadium seats, who boo Aaron Ramsey and who think it’s OK to wish death and illness on the manager because he’s not doing what they want him to do.
It’s totally fine to criticise, and – god knows – it’s often justified, but there is no sense of perspective. No awareness that it’s possible that there could be another view, or that you might not have all the info necessary to form such a strong view.
The moaning has been going on for so long now that positions are entrenched and there are people who have invested too much time and effort in running down Wenger to backtrack. People whose NIGHTMARE is a big spending spree this summer, because for them it’s ceased being about Arsenal and instead become about being proved right.
I get all the tension and concern at the moment. Totally justifiable. I don’t get someone pretending to know with absolute certainty what’s going on in the board room (fat fcuking chance) and splashing their theory all over the internet to serve their little agenda.
And I’m certainly not fcuking listening to anyone who spells the name “Miles” with a “y”.
Heh Trev @141 – typical! We don´t spot him once for 2 years, and then he pops up twice in one sentence! 🙁
Heh @ Trev.
Trev again @ 145 🙂
Y’s that N7 ?
Another fine post, by the way.
… and finally top posts from N7 ans Eandy… drinks are on the bar 🙂
Oh, and… *waves to nursie*
‘h@117
I don’t have access to the ‘net except from work, and I can’t remember how to access my email other than what’s cached in various browsers, email programs etc.
I will send you my email address when I get home tomorrow evening.
Just found this report on Kenny Sansom. Makes awful reading. The man clearly needs help, and fast.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/former-england-star-kenny-sansom-admits-hes-homeless-a-drunk-and-sleeping-on-a-park-bench-8741512.html
A signing to envy?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23531981
Very sad to read that, Steve. Fingers crossed he can overcome his demons.
8ball, Soldado does unfortunately seem to be a good signing for them.
Still, it does look more and more like they are already spending the money they hope to get for Bale. They’ve spent upwards of £50m this summer on transfer fees alone.
I saw that DM article on KS this morning. I take it that his soccer Saturday job is done! Not a good look! 🙁
Saldado? He’s def the type of player they need. One less Surez hunter! 🙂
Although Terry Neil’s tenure was a little before my time, he makes a good point, which I feel is more relevant to clubs who are and remain, the only or leading club chasing a particular players signature during the window.
Apologies if this has already been posted.
london24.com/sport/arsenal/exclusive_former_arsenal_boss_predicts_gunners_will_sign_liverpool_star_eventually_1_2309621
The only reservation with Soldado is that he’ll be 29 at the end of next season.
£25M is a hell of a lot of money for a 29 year old. I can think of scarier places they could have spent that same money (Benteke).
I copied and pasted that link using the I-phone. It looks shit. Maybe the gaffer can assist???
N7: well, there is of course always the possibility that he’ll struggle to adapt but then again he has scored a fair number of goals in the past four or five seasons. He’ll be a lot better than Adebarndoor, that’s for sure (cue Adebarndoor banging in 25 in the league alone and Soldado getting three all season in a League Cup hat trick v Yeovil…).
goonertown@162 – Perhaps I can oblige with this?
Pangloss,
Thanks mate. Just thought my version could be deleted/tidied minus the Thought. No biggy if not.
🙂
Well what a shambles and PR own goal the Wenger Hangout turned out to be. Not a patch on Holic, Blogs et al for a frank discussion of the real issues. Joe Stalin must have taken over the PR department and God knows where they hired those muppets to ask questions like:
Where is your favourite holiday destination?
Where are fans most enthusiastic?
Who is your favourite player of all time?
Total and utter tosh.
Has anyone heard the latest??
Liverpool have been arranging to sell Luis abroad and are close to agreeing a deal. So far the linked clubs are Bayern and real…
…although these report sources are usually shit, I wouldn’t put it past them lot!!
Who knows?? Silly season rocks on!!
Soldado’s age similar to Van Der Vaart’s when Sp*rs signed him, give or take a few. VDV no longer there of course so the age issue could be important if Soldado doesn’t bring immediate dividends. Just wondering though, if Sp*rs are peddling a DVD with VDV highlights or if the whole thing is being whitewashed as a VUM (very undesirable memory)? 😉
8ball@168 To continue with the TLA’s, WTF? LOL
Goonertown @ 167
That sounds extremely dubious, unless they’re going to sell him for tuppence.
Both those teams have already spent a packet this summer, assuming the Bale deal goes through.
I’m sure the scousers would jump at an overseas bid, but I’m equally sure that if they’d actually received one it’d be all over the papers by now – Liverpool shouted from the rooftops about our bid, and that’s one that wasn’t even welcome.
Bernard apparently going to Shakhtar Donetsk, so that looks like one more off our list.
http://esportes.opovo.com.br/app/esportes/futebol/internacional/2013/07/31/noticiasinternacionais,2600701/shakhtar-nao-agrada-bernard-que-diz-nao-ter-pressa-para-ir-embora-do-galo.shtml
If Suarez has confirmed to Liverpool that he wants out and left them in no doubt as to his intentions then it is likely that they will be trying to get other offers for him to avoid having to sell to us at the price we have offered. I see that as a positive.
On Bernard, from what I have seen, he was never on our shopping list. The first stopping off point in Europe for Brazilians seems to be Benfica, Porto or Shaktar because of work permit issues and the history between Brazil and Portugal.
Seeing some overseas reports that Liverpool have made a €25 million bid to sign Atletico Madrid’s Brazilian striker Diego Costa.
He’s a mad bastard, so they’d be replacing like with like.
@ 145. 😀
N7 @ 147
Top post.
I think you will find the black scarfers are not so vocal or visible when the Reverend opens a pack of Juicy Fruit. 😉
N7- very well said ,Myles Palmer has been writing his brand of pseudo- intellectual tosh for years. I think he is still bitter because Wenger didn’t give him any access when he wrote his book about him. All his transfer revelations are tosh. Before he revealed RVP last year he had said several months earlier he was definitely staying. He is rather a sad man who likes to convey the impression that he is on the cutting- edge of developments when he is on the cutting- edge of f*** all.
Goonertown- please note that story about Suarez was spread by Sports Direct News. They are probably the most extreme example of a website who peddle complete shite. Just scroll back through their recent stories and you will see what I mean. I would pay no attention to this story. I don’t think a club with Mandzukic,Muller and with a deal in place to sign Lewandoski are likely to take on Suarez as well.
On a different note I still get really wound up by some of the characters at Untold Arsenal who think that any whiff of criticism of the great Wenger classifies you as a traitor.
N7G,
Yeah, there sounds like there could have been a whiff of smoke with that one. If I’m being honest though, i’m minded to park this one up as a potential slow burner, in confunction with open activity. I agree, the position remains as is, and until, you know when, i’m going to incorporate a toast to our catolouge of great gooners out there.
Past, present and of course, the future
Cheers!
An afternoon by the sea and then home to see what exciting news has developed ……. Oh, nothing.
Spuds have signed Soldado who, I believe, is the second most efficient striker in La Liga. Not good enough for us ? Fair enough, but they are strengthening. We are not even adding depth. … this is so boring.
TTG
Yeah thanks, ill stick to their football boots. 😉
Costa bid from Liverpool confirmed by the BBC.
£21m. Meets his reported release clause. He scored 10 league goals last season.
Can’t help but think that this news might prove to be significant for us.
Also starting to think that £50m for Suarez might actually be the genuine going rate.
WTF is going on with player prices this summer?
Trev, it’s long past boring.
Frustating is also in the rear view mirror.
We are now in the territory of F-ing Tedious.
TTG,
On Wenger, he knows he is always going to be open to criticism. He does make a valid point though that, it doesn’t just depend on him. I’m interested to see how the team approach this weekends tournament. It should be another opportunity to test the fitness levels of the squad against good opposition.
N7G @ 181
This is what happens.
So I read that ManUre are planing a 40mil bid for that Spanish bloke. I think the red mancs are doing this just to spit in our faces. What are the odds that Farca would agree the fee and the Spanish bloke would decide to go to Manchester rather than come back to us? Wouldn’t that just ice the cake?
Can we just play football already?
BMBD
Bonsoir.
It’s a bit confusing when you’re supposed to put the clock back one hour but the sun practically sets 4 hours later compared to your starting point :s
Guys, there is no way on earth, or even heaven that Arsene will spend £50 m on one player. That will never ever happen, sorry to disappoint my fellow gooners. I don’t even see him buying another striker with all those comments about how we can challenge without any more additions. Don’t trust him anymore, I really do appreciate all what he has done for the club but personally I feel this should be his last season with the club.
And I will take back my words if he proves me wrong, I sure do hope so.
Thank you Scruz for posting the website of the Terry Williams Fund in drink39 above. For all of us Western Hemisphere ‘holics GoonerTerry was the chief attraction on many an otherwise slow night when all the Old World ‘holics had gone to bed. And thank you ‘holic for posting (in the previous article, I believe) the very first drink GoonerTerry ever sent on this wonderful blog. He was on form that day, as ever. 🙂
Evening all,
Seems every time I am on here it is to thank you all.
Tonight is no different.
Astonishing reponse again today.
Cheers.
@187
Out of interest, why is £50m the magic cut off at which you know Wenger won’t buy a player?
Be honest; a month ago you wouldn’t have believed he’d ever offer £40m for a player. Hell, I’m not sure I’d have believed it either.
Sorry, I’ve bitten my tongue for the last few weeks, stayed away even, but now I’ve had enough.
In what universe would any of us want a total cuntbucket like Suarez in an Arsenal shirt???
Yes, he’s a decent player on his day but the guy is a total friggin’ toerag, he has been an arsehole at every club he has been and has learned nothing. He is not a team player, he’s a cheat and he’s a disgrace to professional footballers everywhere.
I love Arsenal, always have, always will, but just the very thought of us going for him makes me sick to my stomach and if we get him a piece of me will die.
He has more baggage then Heathrow on it’s busiest day and if we do get him I’m sure it will come back to bite us in the arse….literaly!!!!
We all like to stand on the moral high ground as a club with ethics and a certain morality, if, god forbid, he signs, then that all goes out of the window, we will be no better then the Chavs. We may all like to believe that if he was with us he would behave….. per-lease, you are deluding yourself, a leopard is not well known for changing it’s spots, and Suarez is a dalmation covered in acne git.
Whatever happens, happens, but I for one will not cheer his arrival.
If you feel otherwise then I respect your opinion and I have no desire to enter a pissing contest with anyone on this site, this is just how I feel about that individual.
Next round’s on me.
To be completely honest I am still in camp “I dont want Luis Suarez anywhere near Arsenal colors” and especially not for 50 freaking mil.
Funny enough it seems that right now it is Suarez or nothing though, and if we are not going to end up with him, the Arsenal fanbase will go batshit crazy.
For me, personally, it is still double edged sword, as much as I rate him as a footballer, he ends up on the very opposite side of spectrum from his on field behaviour point of view. I do not give rats ass about his biting incidents, for me that is not something which makes me outraged.
It is childish, in heat of a moment and much less degrading to fellow professional than spitting for example. His constant diving and general cuntdom though is getting on my nerves. I am not going to go back to his alleged racism incident, since it has been discussed here from every possible angle and it would be just beating the dead horse.
Do I think we are in for him? Yes. Do I think we are going to sign him? Probably. Do I want him in Arsenal? Given current circumstances rather yes than no. Do I want us to spend 50 mil on him? HELL NO.
Evening all.
D
I will start again…..
Evening all.
Firstly, don’t be surprised for one second that Liverpool are trying to offload Suarez abroad. We tried to do exactly the same with RVP last season. If they have accepted that he is off then why sell him to another premier league side???
So Trev, let me get this right. What you are saying is that despite the proclamation of having hundreds of millions to spend, we have still not bought anyone whilst our rivals are continuing to add to their squads? But there is nothing to be concerned about because the squad is already strong enough and we have some cracking youngsters just waiting to go out on loan??????
2 weeks to go before the season starts. Cue Corporal Jones…
Truth boy. Paid up yet????? If not then you know what to do.
If Bale is worth £80m then Suarez is worth £200m.
I hereby name this post 197, when Truth boy gets launched! 🙂
Ok then 198 😳
If you believe the Arsenal Times piece, which to me sounds entirely plausible. Gazidis would bid £50 for Suares tomorrow, but Wenger never. Gazidis deserves some criticism, but maybe more for not standing up to Arsene.
Catalan@138 It is very easy to watch some of our admittedly talented youngsters playing pre season and believe they can make a difference during the season; and perhaps the watching Arsene allows himself a satisfied smirk as he convinces himself he doesn`t need to spend after all. The problem is that none of these players is ready for the day to day cut and thrust of the PL, and some of them fail to kick on. I remember watching a very young Armand Traore at the Emirates Cup, or whetever it was then, and thinking wow what a prospect!
Come on truth boy. Don’t be a tight arse spud wanker. Pay up or fuck off.
Blimey. If your right Zico I might have just scored????
I’d like to thank my mum, my dad, my trainer…….
Steve T @ 198
Perish the thought.
whichever number
Biscuit. That is where we miss someone like Dein. I am not trying to start a debate about him again, everyone has and is entitled to their own opinion. But since his departure there has been no one who has effectively taken on the role.
Truth Boy – get your dosh out for the stone!
Or go.
I think Biscuit has the century, no?
bt8b, you’re welcome, i had a moment of wondering what the bpca was, and that’s the page that was found. lovely family. and i wasn’t around many of those nights, but it was fun on the times i got to play 🙂
to gooner terry.
Redtruth
Spend some fucking money
Spend some fucking money
You know what to do sunshine.
Liverpool just spent £21 million on Atletico Madrid’s striker Diego Costa. Hmmm…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23543131
Ollie knows.
Gents, please don’t encourage the troll, thanks.
Steve, you know as well as I do he hasn’t the nuts to leave a genuine contact address, let alone contribute for someone worth ten of him.
Leave it, please.
I been robbed Ollie. At least Dick Turpin had the decency to wear a mask.
😀
Boy do we need David Dein.For one thing Wenger listened to him,for another he is at heart just a fan and he has got some balls. Wenger has been much less effective without him. Wonder if Wenger would have signed Sol Campbell? (the first time!)
Where’s my manners….
Evening Steve sir.
Sorry Boss.
Takes rap on knuckles like a man and moves on.
Have we bought anyone yet?????
H2H. Good evening. How nice to see you back in this fine establishment. You have been missed.
and of course, Bisciut, zico, ttg, holic,Ollie, Eandy, scruz and Ned.
Cheers Steve mate.
oops… Top of the evening N7.
Oh my, what a lively crowd we have here tonite 😉 Waves back at H2H, acknowledges Ollie’s return, Zico (you’re on fire!) and @ 189, very nice. Now I must say, that today’s Google Hangout (how to be kind?) was a tad, umm what’s the word! Dear oh dear 🙁
And what H2H said @ 217 plus Steve T, whew 🙂
Evening nursie, great to see you again.
Evening ABB. I hope you are well.
Are you available for the Villa game???? We appear to be a tad short.
HEH 😆
Easy there H2H – grand to have you back and firing on all cylinders.
Hey Steve T, and H2h! Must say, bit suprised there were no ladies on today’s panel! 🙁 Delia would have been terrific, cut through the niceties, and gotten the truth outta AW 😉 Btw, thinking of going to the Big Apple in October, to watch the mighty Arsenal! 🙂
ABB. It all appears to be a bit of a shambles at the moment doesn’t it? From top to bottom.
The Big Apple sounds a fun idea.
Not much of a fruity guy myself (sounds more like RedTruth territory)
But if there’s ever a party in the Big Beer, then count me in.
Steve T, Maybe it was just a ploy (message to fans that everything is A OK). Sure hope so 😉 Yeah, NYC , what’s not to love !
Long post alert, sorry.
My take on a certain player saga. Make that my take on Arsene. I am probably wrong as usual, so don’t upset yourself telling me that.
Couple of days ago, Arsene said that we are not close to sign anyone, at least not before the Emirates Cup. He said that with or without signings we are gunning for the title. Gunners all over the world went mad. I went mad. Than I relaxed a bit, and said to myself, come on, there is something going on here, we have the money and the targets, he can’t be serious.
He was. We are not going to sign anyone before the Emirates Cup. That’s only because we are going to sign someone shortly after that. Why after and not before the Cup?
It is logical, he has a preliminary deal agreed with a club that will sell a certain player to Arsenal, but that a certain club needs to find a replacement.
Arsene will give them time, he is a gentleman, he will not rush them, certainly not before the Emirates Cup. Anyway, that certain player can’t play domestically six games, but we will need him for another competition the certain club are not participating in.
That is the way it works in civilized world. As soon as that certain club finds that player, Arsenal will get theirs.
It looks to me that today the certain’s club request for a player is finally over.
Steve T,
I think I did say we haven’t strengthened at all while our rivals have, but I definitely did not say there’s no cause for concern because the squad is already strong enough. No, sir !
Biscuitbum,
Dead right that those youth players can’t step straight into regular Premier League action. I have written stuff before about immature connective tissue and reccurring muscle, tendon and ligament injuries. I don’t believe it was coincidence that we relied much less on youth last season, with an older first team squad, and had our best season for injuries for seceral years.
I also thought some of those youngsters looked highly promising in Asia, and look forward to seeing them play for Arsenal, but they are not physically ready for regular First team football.
Part of the reason for that is simply down to age, but it was also interesting, after so many seasons of so many injuries, to see how more seasoned professionals protected themselves in challenges and other ‘full stretch’ situations.
Well it’s a plan way to cunning for me to comprehend I must say.
Hey Abb. 😉
Lurky,
I wish I shared your confidence.
I sincerely hope you’re right.
Trev. It was meant as a bit tongue in cheek and using some of the words spoken by AW. Personally I think the whole situation is a complete shambles. More than that, I really do not see any excuse for it at all. If Higuain turns it on at the weekend be prepared for one massive backlash.
Hi Trev 🙂 Lurky, You give me hope! Seriously though, AW is gotta be up to something BIG. We’re just going to find out later than sooner 😉
Me too, Steve.
We have one fit left back.
Two fit centre halves.
Our right back is also cover for the centre halves.
Our number one / two ? Keeper is still at the club because he was too injured to be transferred last summer.
We have one defensive midfielder who is really an attacking midfielder doing an outstanding job of standing in.
We have one of our creative midfielders coming back from two years of injury.
We have done a good job of greatly reducing the squad by getting rid of a lot of dead wood.
These are facts – not extremist bollocks.
And yet, apparently, after two months of the transfer window, there are NO players we could have brought in to strengthen said squad.
There it is. Gloves off. Frustration out.
Summer largely spoilt by hugely raised expectations countered by frustration and agonising over what the hell is going on.
I do hope so, abb. i really do
Steve T
Higuain is bound to turn it on this weekend. That’s not pessimism talking, that’s just several decades of watching football and knowing how these things work. Classy player with a point to prove in what’s basically a friendly. Totally inevitable.
Things will not change until he goes. Simple as.
Trev. You are forgetting the group of 16 year olds that are all like new signings, that in five years time and after 3 loan deals will finally have gained a work permit. By that stage they will have signed their 3rd contract and their wages will be so high that we can’t even give them away.
I feel so apathetic and lacklustre about the start to this season. I don’t ever remember feeling like that.
N7. The headlines will have already been written.
Now, have I mentioned my WHU fan on twitter. He’s very eager to see this season start 🙂 Let’s just breathe (deeply). Even Pedro is urging restraint 😉
Gooday “Holic, – my tuppence worth — I think I’m with Steve T on this, though perhaps not quite as vociferous.
While I accept that there is still a good deal of time left in the transfer window, it appears that with each passing day, we as a club back ourselves into a corner with our lack of transfer activity.
Surely it is mind numbingly obvious that despite our end of season heroics we are a long way from matching those teams that finished above us last season.
Manchester City have strenghtened what was already an impressive squad, while it is certain that Chelsea will do likewise. Although United have yet to spend, in all fairness it is not encumbant on them,as champions, to do so.
Even so, they are today linked with a huge bid to re sign Ronaldo. Should this turn out to be true, and come to pass, where does that leave Arsenal?
In my view, at best, scapping for the fabled fourth place Trophy.
Even if a couple of the reserves step up this season, we simply have to buy. If we werent good enough last season, by what logic will we, with almost identical personnel, be better this term?
Nice one Trev.
___
Not for the first time, I find myself firmly in Steve T’s camp.
I’m not going to pretend to be an ITK or whatever the kids are calling it these days, but imho we, and by that I mean Arsenal, have once again made a total bollox of the, admitedly, Silly Season.
Why, in the name of all things holy, would you promise the loyal support that there would be exciting news in a few days (months ago) and announce to the world that we have the recourses to compete with the best of them, and then do fuck all?
There has been a lot said over the Higuain transfer, maybe there was no official statement from the club, but there was a hell of a lot of smoke surounding that saga and no amount of rhetoric will convence me that there was not a little bit of fire, agents may speak shit, but family members surely must have a little bit of insight,, but for whatever reason, we are once again empty handed.
Yes. I know it’s just the begining of August, but didn’t we make the same excuse in the begining of July?
The longer this drags on, the sadder we look. I’m not going to get a black binbag out, but I fully understand those that are hurling abuse.
Our neighbours from the stinky end of the Sevensisters have already managed to sign a few players and they have only Thursday night Footy to look forward to, and we, who are, supposedly, dining from the top table only have departures and a free French geezer to celebrate.
What’s going on?
Yes, I realise signing top players is not easy and deals take a long time, but really? It looks to me, an uneducated oef, that someone is not only fucking, but fingering with a good deal of cunnilingusing the pooch here.
I hope I’m proved desperatly wrong, and I’m not talking about signing the racist chipmonk cannibal. but making genuine additions, the ones we’ve all been hoping for for a number of seasons to our squad. If not, then I think that AW’s position must be seriously brought into question, and believe me, that hurts because I never thought I would say that.
But the rod has been fashioned and it’s there ready to hand out a beating.
(Trying with all my might to) Keep the faith.
Spot on Trev (#236).
In view of which … hands up all those who claim not to want Suarez at any price who would be happy to see NO signings for ANY position? Cos that’s where we seem to be at currently … Suarez or no-one.
We will likely be negotiating with Pool right up to midnight 2 September, but why should that be holding up other signings? Who else are we seriously chasing anyway? Spuds aren’t offering CL, but they have little difficulty strengthening their squad significantly. Never mind the business ManC and Chelski have been doing, or can do whenever they feel like it.
Oskar
Two minds H2H… 🙂
Oskar
Indeed. Mr Dog, indeed. 😉
What is holding up other transfers? It is Fabregas.
Like I said, I think Suarez is going to happen and it’s going to cost us money. Lots of Money.
Barca want to sell Fabregas. I don’t buy their representatives claims that he is not for sale. I am sure that United’ spies do their job well, that is why they are bidding for him. Anyway, Barcelona are in a desperate need for a quality defensive player, but they are in a desperate need for money, too. In case someone doesn’t know yet, they don’t have lots of cash at the moment. Or, to be precise, they are in debt. Big debt. And FFP is knocking on the door.
So, if decent offer comes, they will sell Fabregas. The only problem is Arsenal. The are scared to death that we may activate that clause. Be sure about that. And we must be prepared to do that, or he may end up playing in United’s backyard. I am sure we would like to avoid that scenario.
When and if United change their targets, and go for different player, we will too. Until then, Fabregas is priority. It is a matter or honor.
In other news….
Simon Cowell has reportedly inpregnated a friend’s wife.
I’m shocked.
Simon Cowell has a friend?????
Night all.
I thought we’d agreed that Cesc was a luxury we don’t really need, Lurky, not as a priority anyway. Where are the nmegotiations for DMF, CD and GK, all of which should be ahead of Fab resurrected?
Oskar
Good news from Sky TV here in NZ. After losing the rights to broadcast EPL games to some jumped-up outfit who would be showing the games only on computer (while charging an arm and a leg to receive them, and Sky not reducing its Sports channel cost in lieu) … Sky yesterday announced a deal with the top 5 clubs in the EPL (Arse incl of course) to broadcast ALL their EPL, FA and League Cup and CL games … WOOOOOOHOOOOOO.
Not live, but since most games are overnight and I always record to watch no real difference. Except I would usually watch over breakfast, but now have to wait (while avoiding seeing the scores) until early afternoon. No big deal, given the alternative.
Such relief!
COYR!
Oskar
I said A priority, Redtruth, not THE priority, which always has been a striker … Duh.
Oskar
Oskar @253, Delighted for you mate! Meanwhile 8ball and I sweating it out, arrrrrrgh!
Oskar, delighted for you over here too. Who could have predicted New Zealand is now the prime spot for viewing Premier League games? Especially in early afternoon. Isn’t everything important down there supposed to happen after midnight? 😉
Oskar, I think the deal in the states is that every Arsenal game will be shown on Sunday night, regardless of if it is shown live on TV or computer. And bt8b and abb, don’t worry, the NBC family of networks will come through for you…
After midnight is the only time to watch matches! Get drunk, run through a gauntlet of emotions, then fall asleep in a taxi home and end up in another city 🙂
Regarding the topic being discussed by the bar earlier, I wonder why we really backed away from the Higuain deal in the first place? Do you think they wanted money plus an important player, Cazorla for example? I’m just guessing but its puzzling that we would baulk at Higuain’s new price but then run off to (maybe) pay more for Suarez.
Maybe it’s all an elaborate screen for a deal we REALLY want to get done that nobody knows about? Or is there really a power play between the boss and the board going on? Maybe Dick Law has an annoying voice or a huge mole on his face that distracts agents & players from signing the right spot on a contract?
Anyway, I’ll stop babbling and grasping at tiny straws now.
Anyone up for a digital cider can join me in the damp corner of the bar..
I’d fucking love a digital Cider Icor!
And Oskar – thank fuck we live in NZ!
I’m Blighty through and through in any and all Test Matches.
But Man, New Zealand is fucking beautiful, and relatively Knuckledragger free!
Oh,by the way Holic’s – I shall be in Blighty for the Norwich game,and plan a drink or three at the Tolly- I’ll be wearing something red – love to meet a few of ya!
Hey 8Ball – everything down here DOES happen after midnight – you ask my missus.
Lurky. What makes you so sure that we will end up getting Suarez and that Barca want to sell Fsbregas???
Your idea of my bibulation is as way off as your other opinions, Redtruth. Beer has never been my forte, and when I do indulge it’s usually Heineken or some German wheat beer such as Erdinger, or one of NZ’s beautiful boutique beers, McCashins Stoke Bomber for example. But generally I prefer wine or maybe just coffee with a decent cognac.
But since I am used to watching Arsenal over breakfast it’s more often that I do so with a simple cup of tea, Ceylon Broken Orange Pekoe is my current preference.
As for your personal description of me I assume you were looking in a mirror when you wrote it?
Oskar
English here too, IF … born and bred and pure yeoman stock back to the 14th century, which is as far as we’ve traced our tree. And not one famous person to be found anywhere in it!!
Oskar is actually my dog’s name (he’s a Schnauzer and I only use it so I can blame him for anything outlandish I might pen while in my cups… 😉
Oskar
Ian Wright publicly stating that Suarez shouldn’t join us because we need to buy an entire new team.
Cheers Ian.
Oskar -Fame is a fickle mistress – dont sweat it — I remember a post way back where you described how you used to book famous bands into your Pub in Kent or Surrey or whatever. Used to be a pro musician myself – weve probably been screwed by the same people!
East Auckland Arsenal afternoons to look forward to! Orange Pekoe eh?
Make a nice change from Earl Grey — God we are civilized Down Under!
Oh and N7 – Wrighty may be a legend – but lets face it, he aint the sharpest tool in the box – dont worry about Ian — no ones listening.
Oskar – Shauzer? – Have I seen you on Eastern Beach?
Ha ha,
I laughed myself to sleep when I read the word ‘cuntbucket’.
That is the state of play at present. Clubs who bid the sort of money we have over the last two weeks, usually waste it on cuntbuckets.
Admittedly, I thought Luis was a cuntbucket for literally giving ururguay a ‘hand’ in knocking out a good Ghanain side in the quarters of the world cup. However, I also admittedly saw this cuntbucket as an ideal replacement for the equally talented but maimed outgoing player at the time, by the name of Eduaro Da Silva (currently winning titles at Bernard bound Shaktar).
I guess what I’m trying to say is, once a cuntbucket, always a cuntbucket!
Now we are bidding ridiculous amounts on cuntbuckets, we are now in the cuntbucket league, bidding on a bunch of cuntbuckets!
Oh, and let’s try and bring Cesc home. He’s one of ours, thankfully uncuntbucketed!
🙂
Oh and everything else the furious fam said last night!!
Morning Holic,
Not that clued up on the paypal thingy – Would it be possible to just transfer you some cash for GTs Stone ? I think you have my email address so if that’s ok by you, that would be great.
As for the debate on Signings ive tried to avoid it for most of the summer but its now critical and i will let my feelings be known come kick off time ! Looks more and more like ill be spending the winter at the Ashes in Oz I had the option of re claiming my season ticket but decided id wait to see what happens – It was the Season ticket or a nice long holiday !
Just read in the independent that Loic Remy has a release clause of only £8m – one for the squad? he’s only 26 and was quite decent when i saw him play for QPR.
could think of worst players to add to the squad…
NB1
Remy is on a rape charge.
Having seen how the fan base have reacted to Suarez (a man who bites opponents, dives and allegedly says horrible things), there would presumably be pitchforks and burning torches at the Emirates if we signed a player with a rap accusation over his head.
Should read “rape accusation”, although I would also be opposed to signing any player who has released a rap record.
Oh shit rape. Maybe not then.
I’d sign Jay-z if it meant Beyonce being at the games…..I’d re-mortgage for a box next to theirs too
NB1,
You’ll never get anywhere near Beyonce’s box. 😉
I’d pay good money to try though
Holic,
Just on the subject of Terry’s stone – I’ll hand you a brown envelope at The Tollie if that is still an option.
I have. 😉
I’m quite warming, in the absence of any other options, to an Arsenal Felons XI.
Cannibals, racists, rapists, drunk in charge-ists – any other offers.
Joey Barton seems to be looking for a club. We could get a good price from QPR – or maybe a BOGOF deal with Julio Cesar. 😉
@197
You re right I would never have believed months that Arsene will be bidding £40 m for one player. I just believed they had no choice after messing up th whole higuian stuff up. I am hoping, just like you guys that they spend some money. Something definitely is not right up there, if Wenger thinks he can really challenge for anything with what we have now then I need to be smoking/ drinking whatever he is on. Simply put we will probably go a whole DECADE without winning shit.
Like I said earlier on, I might be the only one on this, but I really do feel this should be his last season, regardless of signings or not. Let them find him a position upstairs or something.
A very worried fan, that’s tired of 4th place every other season. This is Arsenal we re talking about.
Hey holics 🙂 Thanks for the encouragement, scruz! The Galatasaray game will be broadcasted live on ESPN Deportes on Sunday at 1020 EST for anyone looking for a stream. As for the Napolic shindig 🙂 , .com is inaccurate, says it will be on Deportes, but it ain’t listed there 🙁 So, I’ll listen on player. As you can see, I’m over all the speculation, it’s out of my hands (never was in mine, to begin with 😉 ) Just want to watch some real bloody footie and have some fun; cussing, screaming, tearing my hair out, etc. That sort of thing 🙂
Don’t mind me, just practising for the new season! “C’mon You Rip Roaring Reds!” “Oh, to be a Gooonah” “Give us a goal boys, a lovely goal” “One Nil to the Arsenal !” “Red Army, Red Army” 🙂 and the old standbye, “20 minutes left, when is going to put on a sub!” 😉
The arseblog today was one of the best ever.
‘holic – I am in for contributing to the Terry fund so please include me on the email.
BG @ 283,
Agree had me in stitches this morning, And summed things up !
Apparently Gerv to Roma is finally done, as is Chamakh to palace.
Could mean something. Could mean nothing.
“August is here but everything is so quiet that the £40,000,001 bid for Suarez has started daily to feel less like a cheeky, throwaway punt and more like a slightly needy bid for the last turkey in the shop.”
Dan Jones in tonight’s Standard.
Sums the current situation up very well for me.
N7, you forgot the “Suarez 70/30 in our favour”.
abb @ 282 : Both the Arsenal games would be directly broadcasted on ESPN 360 as well if you care for English commentary . 🙂
Lurky – indeed.
Got to be something up, surely? We’re selling left sided players all over the shop and Gerv was our back up striker for a good chunk of last season.
Chamakh on a year’s loan, but in the last 12 months of his contract, so its bon voyage to him.
Steve T – Dan Jones may or may not have a point in this instance, but he is the single worst football journalist in a field crammed full of terrible football journalists. No background in the game, no interest in the game, spends more time describing the appearance of players/coaches than offering any insight of value. I strongly suspect that he’s got the gig by being someone’s nephew.
You might be 100% right N7. But f
….. But for this one off, he gets it spot on for me.
Broken clocks, and all that! 🙂
N7, Chamack is actually just half a season loan to Palace.
Good spot Lurky.
Sounds a bit of a weird one. When does he come back then? Feb?
February I think so. And why weird? He will be best payed player there, but I am sure that Palace are not quite certain about his qualities and form. So, I guess they do not want to risk getting him for the whole season and pay his check.
On other hand, if he finds his goal scoring form, we may want to cash on him in January. Seems logical to me.
Re: Trev @279. I knew you would be faster on it than anybody. We will have to get a white collar criminal to replace AW. 🙂
Not finding the idea of the loan weird, more the execution. Not sure I’ve heard of a “half season” loan before. Don’t we usually loan full season or until January?
Not that any of it matters, of course.
Chamakh apparently “earns” £55k a week more than Palace’s top earner (Kevin Phillips) . So I wonder how much of that deal we are subsidising.
Has TGSTEL gone yet? Is Park still a gunner?
Lurky @ 295: As a part of the Gerv-to-Roma deal do you think we would have had any luck prizing away (with good money thrown in, of course) one of the world’s best holding midfielders in De Rossi away from Roma? Especially given that he had a few times in his career expressed interest playing in PL (unlike Totti who has always made it clear it would forever be Roma)? Just wondering …
TTG
TGSTEL is apparently in “talks” with Malaga. I just hope it’s his agent or another responsible adult doing all the actual talking.
Park is still with us, but I suspect he’ll be the lowest priority as his wage can’t be all that much in comparison to some of the others.
I have to say, if we shift all these players and don’t bring anyone in it’ll be just about the strangest thing I’ve ever seen in football. And I once saw Gael Clichy score.
He would be a good signing Doctor Faustus, no doubt that, but I don’t think he is on our agenda. Maybe it is because he is 30 years old now, settled in Rome, never played in any of the other big leagues.
There is another thing. I’ve read somewhere that his transfer to Chelsea early in the summer went down because of his wage demands.
I for one would like to see the last 3-4 years of his career in Arsenal, though.
Isn’t Park in South Korea’s Army force working on his shooting right now? Last thing I’ve heard is that we had a mutual agreement to terminate his deal. I might be wrong on that of course.
Which leaves us with only TGSTEL as the last remaining representative of the Arsenal Deadwood FC.
Goonerholic, Sir, if you are reading, please send the details of how to contribute to Terry’s commemorative fund to my email.
Lurky @ 301: I would love to see De Rossi in Arsenal shirt. Him and Inler from Napoli are two of my favorite holding midfielders that I would have loved to see playing for us. Before Inler moved to Napoli I think we were in for him as well.
If I remember correctly last season there was some fallout between De Rossi and the then Roma coach and he didn’t play that many games.
More than the Suarez saga or alternative options — I know someone would be bought to provide depth and quality in the attacking third — I am really interesting in who we end up with in the middle of the park. IMHO, we really need one more holding midfield player, either of the Arteta-Busquets variety or of the Fellaini-Inler type.
@304: “…I am really interested …” I meant.
Evening all,
I see I have some emails to respond to. Apologies but this probably won’t be until tomorrow as I am off to the North Wilts Gooners AGM now.
They insist on holding it in a pub, and you know how loathe I am to leave one of them 😉
Dr Faustus,
As you’re interested, I ended up with just me and the dog in the middle of our park.
Sorry, just can’t do any more serious transfer talk.
The time for talk is looong gone. Action only now. 😉
Trev @ 307: I am sure you find your austere solitude and canine companionship much enlivening, unlike the ‘serious’ transfer talk. 🙂
I am rather content with all the ‘action’ in my own humble life and in the lives around me, and I absolutely refuse to volunteer for the ushering services in and out of the Arsenal training facilities, hence it would ever be ‘talk’ for me.
Serious or not, I don’t know. The opposites have a way of merging onto one another: the most frivolous often is the most serious … 🙂
Roma has a new manager, so that’s not going to be a motivator.
Roma’s “backup” holding mid is Michael Bradley … of the USMNT Michael Bradley variety. Despite a tragic head shave and a total fool for a father (former manager of USMNT), he’s quite a good player. Roma will win Fook All with him as a regular part of their starting lineup, however, and that is news to no one.
De Rossi is a helluva player and still has it. He’s one of the highest, if not THE highest paid player in Serie A. Its in his newest contract, if am not mistaken.
I’ll eat my hat if De Rossi leaves Roma. (i follow them in Serie A, btw, to the chagrin of all my mates that are Milanese.)
Indeed Faustus,
The situation has now become extremely serious, funnily enough … 😉
Trev
I think we had a spat a few months ago. I still think you unneccessarily had a go at me, just spoiling for an argument i think. I was, frankly, pretty chuffed as that is not the sort of stuff I’d read and been used to in this bar. In retrospect, perhaps I was being a bit soft and wrongly took offense. I’ve no interest in engineering angst or negativity and if by my comments, I was acting the jerk, then I apologize. I want no conflict or enemies here. Apologies also for any disrespect to the ‘holic who runs this fine establishment.
Homer,
I remember an instance but not even what it was about after all this time.
Feelings often run high where football is concerned but I can assure you that, like yourself, I never enter this bar looking for a bust up with anyone.
We’re all entitled to different opinions, and we may sometimes strongly disagree. The Guvnor’s rule is simply “No abuse”, which we all know well enough.
No need for you to apologise to me, at all.
Whatever it was is long since forgotten as far as I’m concerned.
Drink on the bar for you, sir. Please inform Lars of the bill. 😉
Pardieu signs Gomis for 8m, to replace Ba presumably. 27 year old international with a good degree of success behind and perhaps in front of him too. Good piece of business from the look of it.
Well played Homer, drink on my tab for both yourself and Trev.
Ok Homer, I was cross posting. Please inform N7 of the bill.
NEVER pass up on the chance of getting money out of a lawyer. 😉
Heh @ Trev – ain’t that the truth.
David Ornstein has just reported that Suarez is going to talk to Liverpool and will hand in a transfer request if the matter can’t be settled amicably.
Inch by inch…
Story here: bbc.in/145KdlL
Don’t know if we’ll get him, but he’s not going to stay at Liverpool.
Let’s hope Suarez can pass the sanity clause.
Oh, but everybody knows there’s no such thing as a Sanity Clause 😉
Sorry, bad link, trying again: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23550760
Looking like a combination of a “good faith discussions” obligation and a verbal promise to let him go.
You know what? I was so tired last night that I mis-posted. Ah never mind.
I should start this by saying that I have always been a big fan of Arsene Wenger. Not afraid to voice a hopefully reasonable criticism, but also pleased and priveleged to have him at Arsenal.
I just hopped over to see what is happening on .com and was a bit dismayed to see the following –
On transfers: – ‘apart from Man City nobody has done anything yet’
Really? The mob up the road have added two players already, with a reportedly £26 million bid for a striker waiting to be finalised.
Swansea have managed to strengthen in their own Laudrupesque way, and Sunderland have signed no fewer than eight (maybe nine now).
Or don’t they count because they are not “big names” ? (*irony flagged here*)
Oh, and Napoli, they’re in Europe too, by the way, have signed some Argentina striker whose name escapes me.
On the new season: – ‘we start in tnree weeks’
Rather fortunate to have discovered that because a lot of us were planning to turn up in TWO weeks for a game against Aston Villa.
Maybe this miscalculation is the reason we are a little relaxed in our attitude to squad strengthening.
In the circumstances it is not tremendously reassuring.
The words ” ACT” and “TOGETHER” spring to mind.
Arsene was a bit more upbeat today although speaking in riddles they were almost comprehensible riddles . I agree with you N7. as Gervais leaves us and please God we can finally dump TGSTEL the squad has shed about 10 people (Aneke went to Crewe today). Given that TV is quite seriously injured and even if we signed Suarez he can’t play in the League until October our squad is wafer thin. He must sign some players even if Zelalem,Gnabry and Sanogo are used in the first team squad. Surely he must????!!!
Haven’t given up hope yet of major signings. Giving the boys the once over tomorrow, expecting an entertaining afternoon in the sun,will report back. Due hope Zelalem gets some play, there are shades of DB10 about that young man!
Last night was spent in various pubs drinking beer with mates. That was a lot of fun.
However, spending all of today laying drain pipes and shovelling sand around was, shall we say, a little less fun than the beer-drinking was.
Still, it took my mind off thinking about transfers that never seem to happen.
That said I still refuse to belive that we won’t buy anyone before the window slams shut. It just makes no sense not to get a couple of players in. I can’t believe that a man like Arsene Wenger whould not be able to see that we need a couple of players to give what is the foundation for a very good team a better chance to keep developing.
Could it be that 2 weeks and 1 day is as good as 3 weeks if a major signing is announced on that one extra day? Drawing at very minor straws here, I know …
We’re going to sign some players. I am quite certain of that.
I also think that Suarez is going to be one of them.
8ball,
That ‘extra’ day was today …… 🙁
Agree N7, Just scrolled @.com to read ‘Wenger bytes” , looks like he is very much inclined to do just that. So, no worries 😉 Homer and Delia, good to see you both back in action! Now, cba has been absent for awhile, hope all is well with our talented poet! Lars, saw a photo of the bridge/tunnel that leads from Sweden to Denmark, what a marvel of engineering. Just had to share that with you 🙂 Dr Faustus, you have earned your wings 😉 Holic, where ever you are, enjoy! And thanks from all of us, you know why.
Trev. Isn’t everything at Arsenal three weeks????
Is it naive of me to think that the whole saving money for Cesc and Suarez thing a bit of a red herring. I imagine we have a transfer budget that extends beyond this season alone. We must have an idea of the annual budget that we will have approximately for say the next three to five years.
If that’s so then why not overspend this summer and reduce next year’s budget accordingly. If it means we get players in to the squad and integrated before the season starts surely this would be better for team morale.
If we are getting a bit twitchy then I wonder how this is playing out with the squad. Especially when you consider how many have expressed a need for top talent. It’s not just the fans expectation level that needs to be fulfilled.
NB1
I wouldn’t worry too much about the players. By all accounts they’re as happy and settled a group as we’ve had for years.
I think they’re probably keen for us to sign players, but I would be surprised if they’re anywhere near as bothered about it was the fans are right now.
I actually think this team is capable of making a good start to the season. They’re more settled than the other sides around us and they certainly ended last season well enough. My concern isn’t August, it’s November/December, when the injuries start to bite, the games come thick and fast and squad depth becomes a real issue.
New signings are a two-edged sword for squad members. Bigger names can mean less playing time for some, and we don’t have lot of players whose position is guaranteed week in week out.
Oskar
In fact there is very little competition for places in our first XI, which could explain what a happy, tight-knit bunch they all seem right now. I’d prefer to see them more worried frankly.
Oskar
Off to check if Eurostar has changed.
Welcome back to normality, Ollie.
Can’t make the Ems Cup as still down in Devon. Have a good day.
Delia @323
I’ll be in the family enclosure as the the little on experiences his first match today.
Get at me gooners!
🙂
Enjoy Goonertown.
First match day with Goonertown Jr will be a great day.
Just finished back drinking and that 236 trev has brought home the reality of our squad 3 weeks before kick off..holy shit get the finger out arsene.
Morning all. As observed over on Arseblog this morning, Arsene is clearly up to some top, top, top secret transfer activity with nipple imprinted cards. Something is going to happen – we are clearly up to something.
First off a shout to Pangloss, the inspiration for moving away from geographic names.
Secondly Trev, agreeing wholeheartedly with you on various above but telling Arsene to pull his finger out, or indeed others at the club not to make us even more of a laughing stock with outlandish pronouncements (looking at you Gazidis), is a mug’s game I’m afraid.
Basically listening to them is pointless. They must act. Shut up and just act.
Something, bath ?
But what are they playing with those cards.
Seven weeks ago they had a game of ‘Brag’.
Time now to prove how flush we are and sign a pair of defenders.
Replace one of the jokers in goal. Trump the Spuds by signing a proper ace goal scorer, a winger with a trick or two.
Stop looking whistfully at those who have signed elsewhere and draw up some contracts for those who can bridge the gaps in our squad.
Time to expose some chests and lay those cards on the table. 😉
Yeah thanks Trev. We’re currently on route. 😉
Joel Campbell is playing on bt sports channel in gerrards testimonial at the mo.
Heh @ 341, Trev.
He’ll sign an ace with lots of tricks to bridge the gap from the top. He’ll be King of the North Bank. Queens like Wolfie will fall deeply for him. The Jokers with bin bags will show patience with him whist Jack and he will rip up the opposition. No trumps necessary.
Any links to the match? Thanks.
there you go Gedo 🙂
eeer ..um..forgot the link lol http://www.wiziwig.tv/broadcast.php?matchid=210156&part=sports
annnnnnd, here we go.
morning gedo, eandy.
espn360.com is also showing it, if you have an account with one of your providers.
fabianski in goal, merts captain. jenks, gnabry, koz…
poldi, giroud, jack, gibbs, aaron, rozza…
tip to espn, they’ll not line up in a 442…
no higuain for napoli. reina debuts. pandev up front. inler in mid.
ooooh, great buildup, cross in from gibbs, ball falls to garby and he curls it just wide of the far post.
jenks blows it, welcome to the new season, lad. ball plumped forward, jenks hashes the header and the napoli lad puts it past fabianski. ugh.
yeah ..thatt was bit of a cock up from Jenks..
great crowd chanting…get in gunners!
great delivery by gnabry trying for giroud, just goes through to reina.
just a bit, eandy 🙂
gnabry almost flies one in over reina after a reina mistake.
Thanks Eandy.
i’ve forgotten how nice it is to listen to announcers who aren’t complete prats. i don’t know who these two are, but they’re focusing on the game and on interesting discussion as well. no slagging arsenal. plus good silence now and again.
penno given to arsenal.
reina blocks it.
heh..gibbo “fallen over” ..commentary obviously missing knee on knee contact …
yeah, just after i said that, too. they only showed it close once, too.
I agree with you Scruz! These guys are alright. This match is really funny to watch though, like Benny Hill at the moment. I can’t believe Prince Poldi missed that!
Relaxed watching so far. I wonder , if the score remains the same after the interval will we get to see more if the academy youngsters?
hey, cor. it is a bit benny hill. if youngsters come out i want to see me some zelalem.
terrible by fabianski, after huge confusion in defense.
maybe keystone cops, not benny hill. don’t like seeing these mental errors by the arsenal defense. certainly too reminiscent of the first half of last year.
maybe it’s due to a midfield up front that’s inexperienced playing together.
Wenger out? 😉
at least to the touchline, cynic.
Napoli looking really sharp to be honest
nice break from arsenal, close by poldi, just past the far right post, touched by pepe.
gervinho announced as gone to roma…
overly intricate after GREAT work from ramsey.
Stream crashed, had to switch to a Spanish one.
Seems like we’re growing into the game but need to relax in front of the goal. I hope we score before I pass out as I’m drunk already 😀
not the best first half from arsenal’s perspective. though eandy, you’re right, very much napoli looking sharp. i really hope it’s not a sign of the defense’s future this year, that’ll be really disappointing.
Some nice attacking play from us with no real end product , two defensive blunders. Kos, Ramsey and TR are looking great so far.
I want to see more Zelalem second half!! Make it so
Rafa Benitez’ brand of football is a joke. Defend, defend, defend and hope for a mistake from the other team. A pity that we’ve given them two gifts and wasted our own opportunities. We haven’t played that well but we should have had at least two goals by now.
Tomas looks UP got it. How different this game would have been if Gnabry scored that chance in the 2nd minute eh ? Gotta keep working the flanks
Looking at that first half confirms we need a keeper,another first choice centre half.mertasaker does not convince me at all.jenks is at 6s and 7s.pre season or not can’t be this casual.
SSY:”They told me that you had gone totally insane, and that your methods were unsound.”
Wenger: “Are my methods unsound?”
SSY: “I don’t see any method at all, sir.”
It is all about midfield screening. Both the goals at the final touches were due to defensive mistakes, but the gigantic hole in the middle of the park is due to lack of defensive screening in absence of Arteta. Ramsey for all his hardwork and no little skill is not tactically disciplined enough to play that role regularly, and I think it would be really concerning to go into the season without a holding midfielder signing.
Napoli did not do much to be honest. They are relaxed as they can be.
Apart from Kos and Rosicky we are terrible. Just terrible.
BTW, just how imperious, formidable and brilliant a defender Koscielny has evolved into!! One of Arsene’s best in the last few years.
Dr. Faustus, you’ve noticed that space in the middle when we lose the ball?
I am sure that every Arsenal fan is aware of that hole at the moment, except our manager it seems.
.
Agreed there about Kos, he is just like velociraptor hunting down on his prey and snuffing out the danger, he even looks a bit like him when he makes those fast runs of his.
should have been a goal by Jack
theo for gnarby, bac for jenks.
Kos ..is ..just ..sooo good
ox for aaron, arteta for jack.
Heh commentary “I think Napoli invested wisely, not often going for biggest names, but rather players than actually improve the team. Not every time you need to buy most expensive player, you need to buy right player”
Is not the thing Arsene been saying for years and got grilled for it from every possible side?
Right back at you Porco Rosso@340. You know it makes sense.
Just back home and catching up on the latest Arsehappenings. (Nods nervously to Wolfie.) Hoping for a little more positivity from the bar in the second half. Hoping that the team on the pitch gives th bar good reason for it too.
COYG
Looks same old, same old to me. Loads of possession, sloppy finishing and even more sloppy defending.
Depressing.
But there’s still 4 weeks to buy 3 key players to change the balance, stiffen the spine and take the chances.
GIROUD! whoah!!!
Go there fuck them, Olivier… 🙂
yeah, he’s kicking it, wow.
Giroud with beeeauuuuty
Giroud. Wow. What a goal!
Handsome AND athletic.
lol, bath.
giroud just wide. and offside.
Lol is Rosicky really 32? almost end of the match and he just runs and runs like cybernetic mouse O.o
eandy, he had two plus years off. so he’s not quite 30, right?
oh right ..football age of 30.
KOZZER!
KOZZZZZZZZZZ
Great delivery
great header by merts, brilliant save by reina, but what an aware follow-in by koz. best centerback in the league.
Kos. He deserve it. MOTM.
sagna is a beast. just a beast.
koz is a crazy man. what effort.
and akpom, quick, strong, solid, kept the ball and got the freekick outside the box.
all we need now is a reina mistake to win it.
game over. two bad mistakes in defense, and a slow 65 minutes. once the subs came in, we picked up, and napoli dropped off.
koz is motm, with fabs and jenks getting the goat cups. rozza impressed, as did mertesacker, and aaron. giroud did fine, but didn’t really get involved much before his goal. jack was somewhat anonymous. not bad for a first somewhat competitive fixture.
oh, and higuain? he’s still spitting out the lint from koz’s pocket.
Why do they pack these programmes full of Scunts? They barely speak English and the whining noises are terrible.
Time-wasting in a pre-season friendly? Really, Napoli?
Well, a good exercise it was. We should have won it quite easily, too many wasted chances. Not the best of games, but I do suspect that they have been training quite hard lately so a bit of sluggishness is only to be expected in that case.
scruz, good point. Those who were hoping for Higuain to embarrass us must be gravely disappointed. He was absolute shite in this game.
Quite an entertaining game except an italian induced lull for a little while when they really dragged the tempo down at 2-0 up. But it was up to us to up it, and we did, and after that first goal you could really see how the players started to forget it was a training game. Quite a few crunchy tackles today, especially involving Sagna (on both ends!).
A bit too intricate today, but it’s a good thing to practise at high speed so I can’t see us being wrong trying to explore the limits of our passing game in a friendly. Will get better when 1) one of our young promising midfielders really start with the incisive passes on a regular basis and/or 2) when we get Cazorla back and/or 3) when Cesc is back in the fold (and no, not in the mood for another character discussion, already sick of the Suarez one! If Cesc does end up here again, we’ll have the discussion then!)
Again, good game. Enjoyed it. Well played, good character, didn’t lose.
who were your scunts? we had shaka hislop and some dude named thompson (?).
or are you not talking about the announcers?
It was important not to lose that game and to stop Higuain scoring. However we showed the pattern of last season and that isn’t going to win the Premiership and it ain’t going to change without at least two major signings. I think AW realises that. In the remote chance that he didn’t before today, he will now.
OH! And what Lars said. Starting to waste time 15 minutes into a friendly? No wonder you are getting booed Reina! I thought now that you’ve actually taken your entire team to England, booking flights, hotels and all, wouldn’t you like to actually practise kicking the ball for as much as possible?
Lars@418 “Those who were hoping for Higuain to embarrass us…“. Surely not.
Are you Cynic in disguise? 🙂
Scruz @ 420
The studio is MacManaman and David James (at least he doesn’t speak Scuntish). Earlier they had Michael Owen (utter Scunt) as cocommentator for the Gerrard Love In.
scruz @ 420: Maybe I would have been better off watching it on ESPN Deportes as with my very rudimentary grasp of Spanish I would have been saved the trouble of listening to two absolute idiots.
bath, ugh. that SUCKS. we had mcmanamanaman last year with ian “lost in the” darke. never could listen, always turned down the sound.
and faustus, i thoroughly enjoyed shaka and co., thought they were funny, brought up some interesting takes, and didn’t bash arsenal when they were down. maybe my bar is low after the last couple years, but i found myself laughing at some of the things they were saying…
Yeah, commentary was dreadful at best, I had to laugh when they shown replay of Girouds goal and both guys went, “oh it went off the back of Sagna..so really would go ten yards away..he should be rather credited the goal instead of Giroud”
Yes, it would probably go wide wasnt it for Sagnas touch but for fucks sake, it was amazing strike which ended in the back of the net, should Monkeyboy do that they would give themself a mutual wank and their jizz would ooze out of my screen. *rantoff*
Koscielny MOTM, one of the best center halves in Europe. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Poldi had left his shooting boots in the dressing room. Could have scored a couple easily on another day.
Didn’t learn anything new about the team: great spirit, some quality scattered around, impressive degree of consistency all over the pitch, but there are obvious holes and lack of a genuine cutting edge.
And what was that Rafa? A defensive time-delaying tactics in a pre-season friendly!!
Now McManaman is demonstrating the Napoli second goal dancing about on a mini pitch.
As stupid a concept as filling a panel with Scunts.
Hilariously poor television.
well, off to the shops, folks. after a grainy start it’s nice to see a crowd in here. enjoy your afternoons/evenings/mornings around the planet. let’s hope tomorrow’s game with gala doesn’t get ugly, with the memories that are being carried from years back.
scruz @ 426: Compared to the gang in Fox I would agree yes maybe an improvement. The jokes were of whatever quality, but the general observations about the football being played, or any insights about the game was non-existent …
I think our standards have really become low in US after listening to Fox soccer and the old ESPN couple you mention in the last few years. 🙂
Anyone still thinks Higuain is better that Suarez?
He was shit for Real last season too. Apart from scoring here and there, he does not do much for the team. And he scored in La Liga, the league where Messi and Ronaldo score 40+ goals for fun, the league where Carlos Vela had almost the same amount of goals like Higuain, only couple of assist more.
As for the match. I don’t like Kos being so awesome. That may provoke bid from the usual suspects Barcelona, and we all know the way that finishes.
Problem with Kos is that he is so SPECTACULAR. He always goes to ground, pulls of nice sliding tackles, marauds up the field etc. This is a problem for me, because it is so bloody obvious he is good at it. I prefer my defenders to be a bit more subtle about it.
And only because, as you put it, Lurky, people will come knocking if he doesn’t go into stealth mode soon.
Lurky @ 432: I would not write Higuain off so easily, he is going through a typical barren mid-years of early bloomers but he would pick it up again. Last year a lot went wrong with his handling in Madrid, and this was his first game in a Napoli shirt joining only a few days earlier. I agree in current form and experience Suarez is up ahead but when the respective careers end I think Higuain will emerge as a better player.
The thing that probably went most against Higuain from Arsene’s perspective is the similarity to Giroud, whereas Suarez is much more versatile.
Toby & Lurky — people have been knocking. If Kos was truly interested he could have had a move to Bayern this season already. But if he maintains this form — which I hope he will — and if we don’t make much progress in terms of winning things — I hope we will make progress — then the next summer it would be hard to keep him, maybe only by significant salary hikes.
Arsenal history on this day,
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/pictures-henry-signs-for-arsenal
🙂
Good points LO @432
Nice day.
Junior Goonertown screamed his lungs out.
Booing of Higuian and Reina (sounded dumb but to be expected)
Giroud persivered and got his goal.
One or two negative comments from the crowd, especially at 0-2 but overal, the patients were there as the team controlled the game but let in two weak goals.
Second part tomorrow (on tv for us though).
We’ll have to agree to disagree then Dr. Faustus. The early bloomers theory is fine, but Owen was one and he never regained his early form. If you believe in Higuain than may I ask you do you believe that Chamack might be back on form too.
I could not find any better strikers than Higuain three years ago. He was young, explosive, fast, prolific. If I could pick a striker perfect for Arsenal then, it would had been him.
I don’t know where it went wrong for him, but this last year or so, he is not even half of that striker I adored so much. For me there is not even a slightest chance to compare him with Suarez. Different level.
Lurky @ 439: Agreed that there is no ‘guarantee’ that Higuain would become a great. My prediction is based on exactly what you had mentioned, the forms of his earlier years and the immense potential. I hope he doesn’t drop off altogether like Pato .
But the comparisons to Chamakh — who at his best was a very tenacious, hard-working and effective poacher but with average technical skill level — or Owen whose game was based primarily on pace and movements — are somewhat off. Higuain has excellent dribbling skill, a good range of passing and very good tactical awareness.
For the record, I believe that Chamakh may still be able to find his level — his last years at Bordeaux or the first few months in Arsenal — in a new club.
But no argument with you that in current form Suarez is much ahead.
I too really hoped we would sign Higuain as I feel we have missed a top class finisher, to actually, erm, finish off all our flowing moves!
However, that’s all he is so nowhere near worth the exhorbitant fee Real demanded (after initially agreeing to sell him to us for £22m allegedly).
Thing is, we need a top class striker and if it is Suarez (AW does seem a bit confident on this one actually happening), then on a purely footballing level, we would have a seriously potent attack.
And then if we also signed Fellaini… 🙂
Arsene was being extremely careful not to be presumptious about the Suarez ‘deal’ in the interview on .com.
He wouldn’t even mention the player by name, said Arsenal would completely respect Liverpool’s wishes, and would try to do things in an amicable way if at all possible.
So, there are ‘things’ to be done then, albeit in an amicable way. That part of the interview suggested that things are very much happening, and he certainly didn’t want to upset any apple carts.
Interesting comments above re today’s game.
Jenks usually needs a couple of “settlers” before finding his form – not, of course, the indigestion tablets. You do wonder, though, how he would perform against Champions League players a mere two/three sasons after playing non-league football for Eastleigh.
Fabianski continues to worry me. He would have moved on last summer had he not been injured, and I just can’t imagine him finding anything like the consistency needed to challenge for honours.
I’ve only seen these drinks so far, and am wondering how Jack Wilshere looked. There were two consecutive and rather confusing sentences from AW in his interview before the tournament began:
I – “Jack Wilshere is not yet quite 100% still ……. ”
II – “Jack Wilshere is now completely available and part of the squad…. ”
Any thoughts on bis apparent fitness ?
Trev, he looked fit to me, taking into account it was a pre-season friendly and all. Glided past a few players, played his usual game, but did not impose himself that much upon the game. So, fit, yes, CL-final ready, no. Mostly a game to forget for him, not because he was bad, but because it was just one more game on the road to getting back into form.
Speaking of fit, Ramsey is really throwing himself into tackles just a few years after his leg break. Great to see him being so aggressive, if at times perhaps gifting a free kick or two to the opposition when it’s not really necessary. Huge desire.
Agree, by the way, with whoever said Rambo doesn’t have the positional discipline to play as a defensive midfielder.
I think he has done extremely well in recent months to recover his pre-Shawcross level, but I don’t think he has the defensive awareness for that position.
I don’t think anyone other than Arteta does, and he isn’t really a defender either – just a very adaptable, professional and genuine footballer.
Looks like the next band of storm clouds are just rolling in over mid-Devon. 🙁
Here’s hoping tomorrow’s game vs Galatasaray passes off without any unpleasantness. Stay safe, anyone who’s going.
Cheers Toby, we were cross-posting.
Glad he looks fit. When he learns to mesh with Santi they are going to tear a few defences to bits.
Trev
The indigestion tabs may have kicked in during the second half. I agree, that at his level, he is a grafter.
I noticed that jack appears completely unplayable against top class opposition, especially since partaking in the same whey programme as Kos.
🙂
What? Have we signed anyone yet? It’s a different game when the oppoonents aren’t the Indonesia XI. Perhaps we should book them in advance for next year’s Emirate’s Cup?
Fab (especially) and Jenks left much to be desired. Fabianski really has no more excuses…I mean what was he thinking for their second goal? Spend some money, please.
BMBD
Trev,
What I picked up in the Arsene interview was that the club would go down the amicable route “if its feasible” which to me, suggested that it could get very dirty yet. Of course, that never reported in the papers, which is why its imperative to actually watch the presser in full.
The original article on the CL Clause that I linked was by Jeremy Lebor and he has followed up that article with another which makes interesting reading and one which I think makes plausible sense:
http://www.gunnerstown.com/arsenal/2013/8/3/arsenal-fans-in-meltdown-time-to-chill
It seems that the club are prepared to fight and thats an element I welcome because for far too often in recent years, we’ve been on the receiving end.
The other thing I took from the presser was Wengers calmness, which like you, I took to mean that there are serious things happening in the backround. There was an understated confidence about it all which, for this viewer, was something I expected because we’ve been clearing the decks for a long time now and thats been done for a reason.
Trev,
That’s right Trev. A stable foundation is fundemental.
#by the way# Gunnerstown, sounds similar to-Goonertown. I don’t know if anybody picked that up. But Ise tink that’s a bloody liberty.
kmt. (seriously). 🙂
I would not be that harsh on Fabianski, after all this was his first mistake in a while. After all he made less mistakes than Reina today and is generally better goalkeeper than him.
If I remember correctly we bid 20+mill for that clown couple of years ago. We can only thank the stupidity of his former club for him not wearing our jersey.
“Spend some fucking money” and buy someone like Reina? Thanks, but I’ll stick with Fabianski.
Fabianski was excellent last season, as was Jenkinson. I dont understand the knee jerk reactions based on what are essentially glorified training exercises, albeit, hyped up televised ones.
I have not seen any of the game today. Cricket rated above a pre season friendly. It had been enlightening to say the least to read the comments. One thing that does however amaze me is those championing Fabianski. I am sure he is a really nice bloke and I will happily say that he has never given less than 100%. But if you are seriously suggesting that we go into the new season with Fabianski as a possible first choice then we really have lost it.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Lurky and Norris — agree about the unnecessarily knee-jerk reactions about Fabianski and Jenk. Both were more than decent last season whenever called upon and reliable candidates, it is not like we are going to get Buffon and Lahm in their place. And as someone mentioned, Jenk takes a few games to get going.
Poldi also looked a bit rusty, but I am putting that down to pre-season lack of fitness/sharpness. That sidefooted penalty was very unlike Poldi who generally lets out a screamer through the laces.
There are two positions we absolutely must need: another quality goalscorer who can also play on the wings, and a top quality genuine tackling-passing-tacticaly disciplined holding midfield player, the latter more than anyone else. Otherwise we have a very lopsided team in absence of Arteta. Once these two are filled, an experienced defensive reinforcement — preferably left-footed so that he can play left back if necessary.
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