Gunners Head Stateside Without The Magnificent Seven
Jul 25th, 2016 by 'holic
The completion of the first pre-season warm-up fixture leads into the second phase of our preparation for a renewed onslaught on the Premier League. Today the squad, such as it is at present, jetted off to the United States for matches against MLS All-Stars on Friday and Chivas de Guadalajara on Monday.
It is starting to look as though there will be opportunities for some of the younger players to impress in the coming weeks. Not on the plane were those who lasted longest in the European Championship, namely Laurent Koscielny, Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey, and Olivier Giroud. Arsene revealed in Lens that Gabriel (tonsillitis) would miss the trip, and that Alexis Sanchez’ ankle injury was not too bad but he would not travel. Today we learned that Per Mertesacker has picked up a knee injury and was also left behind.
The extent of the BFG’s injury has not been disclosed leading to some wild speculation on Social Media sites. I’ll wait for Arsene’s confirmation of three weeks before he announces that the player has suffered a set-back in a month’s time.Β Arsene will have to ponder whether to trust two of the three young defenders (Calum Chambers, Rob Holding, or Krystian Bielik) or if he should switch either Nacho Monreal or Mathieu Debuchy into the centre.
Ahead of them it will be interesting to see who lines up alongside new boy Granit Xhaka. The obvious candidates are Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere, Mohamed Elneny and Francis Coquelin. The midfield is the one area where Arsenal have real strength in depth. The emergence of Alex Iwobi, and the looming return of Ramsey and Ozil will give the manager a real headache. Some real quality may not make even the bench a month from now. (Insert proviso here re all of them remaining fit.)
Assuming we don’t attract a top-notch striker by Friday (I know, don’t say it again!) then Chuba Akpom has another opportunity to show if he should be retained rather than sent out on loan. The two matches may be no more than an opportunity for the more experienced players to get a little bit of match-fitness, but the young striker will surely take any time on the pitch as seriously as any matches he has played in his career to date.
And then, to misquote Rodgers and Hammerstein, how do you solve a problem like our Theo? If, and that’s a big if, there is anything in the Mahrez to Arsenal stories I can’t help but think out loud that it might be of benefit for all involved for Theo to be a part of any deal. That isn’t intended to offend his many admirers on here and elsewhere, but he hasn’t shown any sign of developing into the alternative central striker to Giroud, and would likely be second-in-line at best for the wide right berth should Mahrez materialise.Β He would walk into a Leicester side sans the Frenchman and it would offerΒ a real opportunity to force himself back into contention for the England squad.Β For now he will probably share the striking duties with Akpom in the next two matches, and notch the hat-trick that will cause another rethink!
Doubtless we will be subjected to a social media charm offensive as the squad gets involved with public relations work across the pond. I look forward to seeing snaps of Gunnersaurus in the company of various oversized fluffy chums in the coming days.
Cheers for now.
221 Responses to “Gunners Head Stateside Without The Magnificent Seven”
Get in the hole!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXgcEea_2zo
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.
Good evening, ex-neighbour. Hope all is well.
Chucklin’ Cynic. π
If it’s Eamonn Holmes, get plenty of grub in.
Nice to hear from you Holic.
I await Trev’s opinion but how ironic three weeks before the season starts and we have two players out until the New Year!
We possibly need two experienced defenders now.
You’ve been very kind about our deadwood but we could let at least three of our squad go ( Gibbs, Debuchy, Walcott) to free up space and give those players the chance to further their careers
+1 m’lud on feo
please for the love o god flog speedy gonzales
andale andale !
i would be less caring about them than
exit stage left chased by a bear
no longer a gunner
i really care not a fuckin jot about their “career”
mind you
i went to upton park to see yer only man Liam
so i am fulla fuckin shite
Looks like we need a new defender! Hope this doesn’t effect our attacking targets!
havin said that
my thoughts are in south america
at the minute
sometimes football is just not that important
.
.
.
.
.
.
i have 60litres of stout ripe for bottling
and me crown capper broke
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=425GpjTSlS4
Ah, the man is here! 60 litres? That would last me over a week for sure…
Currently doing Thin Lizzy live as me, not ‘holic, on Twatter. Such great memories. ?
ahhhhhhhh Lizzy
fuckin champion
You reach an age where you always have chocolate stains on your pants! That bastard knew, all those years ago…?
????????
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rHzMOZrmNI
for the non-believers
Loved your orgasmic doors (#86, last drinks), Cynic. But very interested in the dialogue at that point, which includes the guy saying “I’m beginning to wish I was eating the same food as them. They seem to be having a good time“, which sounds more than a bit like the immortal line “I’l have what she’s having” from When Harry Met Sally eight years later.
chris
overly engineered aren’tiquitethefellow nonsenses
sheeesh
get back to slaggin Randolph Scott
.
.
of course we’ve all heard the stories
indeed the joviality of 7men from now
was not lost
but i think you missed the point
.
in my opinion the best westernsβ’
are about stories
even
the overly close up lee van cleef eye ones
.
without sounding like a smart arse
the budd boetticher films with Randolph Scott
are just brilliant
and are my favourites
easy as ye like genius
and only he coulda carried it off
so
eff off an shut yer hole cos you know naffing
?
naaaaafffffffing
NAAAAAAAFFFFFFFFIIINNNNGGGGGGGGGG
or
maybe a little bit the something
nope
NAAFFFFFFIIINGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!
although
I’d like yer opinion on my stout
‘holic too
drinking a brilliant treacle and muscovado sugar
been in the bottle for either 4 or 6 months
but bloody hell it’s fantastic
this is where the internet falls down
and still 50p a pint
in full disclosure
had a couple or three lowicz jars too
six and a half or 7 %
cheapest of the cheap but lovely
and leg and dignity stealingly also – y
but
.
YOU STILL KNOW NAFFFFING !
?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iteRKvRKFA
π
I’d be the first to say I don’t know nuffin’, cba. When I was a kid (back in the dark ages pre rock n roll) Tim Holt was my cowboy hero. Tim who?
Since adultery, however, it’s the stories that get me, and among my favourites are Robert Enrico’s 1962 trilogy of short films, based on the Civil War stories of Ambrose Bierce – in particular the middle one which one an Oscar in its year (not that that means much). It was first seen in America as an episode of the Twilight Zone, hence the top and tailing of the link which includes the entire 20-minute movie.
Chickamauga … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIKdPCGvqpA
La RiviΓ¨re Du Hibou (An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge) … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXBtQRZKPPE
The Mockingbird … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8_2s8scfA8
Always liked Thin Lizzy, even with this bloke in the lineup.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqAh7EGFev4
Raises head above parapet, soon realises this is turning into another summer of missed opportunities to improve and quietly retreats back to media blackout, The life and times of an Arsenal fan during the summer,
Hope all are well π
Lyon confirm they have turned down an offer of 35m euros from Arsenal for Lacazette. Negotiations have begun, it would appear.
Lyon said they were not interested in the offer from the Premier League club because the France international is “irreplaceable.”
———–
Irreplaceable = Going to cost you more!
π
Why lacazette? Who is yedder? I am sure we will be linked to all and sundry and even if we are, the club in question will know we are desperate and the prices will be inflated.
BFG out for months, Gabriel out with tonsils, Kos needs time to recover, so hello Rob holding???. This is preposterous. How can a knock on the knee means 5 months out? We need a cb and now. Arsene priorities are now and need to be addressed. Can we put in the bid for Mustafi/kalibouy/Ruggani and get them than wait for a chelsea to gazump the deal.
The farce of the manchester clubs yesterday makes me wonder why are we travelling so much as well. We need game time but the amount of travelling is too much.
Finally, Raiola is set to get 20 million if the pogba deal goes through, isnt it amazing that the world of football is controlled by agents than football clubs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
@BB You said it quite right. Going to cost you more than 29million.
Now that Lyon have confirmed Arsenal’s failed bid for Lacazette, wait for Wenger to complain that he “tried” to sign a striker but just couldn’t.
Why will they sell you their best player and captain for that price. I know its part of negotiation but that seems a really low ball offer. Hopefully we don’t lose him to another team.
Low ball offers is how we roll (no pun intended!).
I guess it says something about the crazy state of football transfers that we offer 35 million euros for a forward who didn’t make France’s Euro 2016 squad to replace one who did.
NBN@42: to replace or to complement? I think the latter, no? At least I hope so. π
We may end up going only for players like Mahrez and Draxler — wide forwards with goals in them — and think of converting Alexis as a number 9 alternative for Giroud. Better than getting desperate over second tier strikers.
In any case we are most likely to start our season with either Theo or Chuba down the middle. I think our man Akpom will do rather well against a Klopp team with his pace and dribbles. Maybe one more young Arsenal striker to lighten up the league this season? π
Higuain’s gone to Juventus for Β£75m
Arsenal preparing a Β£350 bid for some teenage no-mark from Korea. Or Vietnam. Or somewhere.
Dr F@43: It was a casual, throwaway line, but a more measured assessment would be as an option depending on the nature of the opponent. We would seem already to have several midfielders who could play in the Griezmann role feeding off Giroud’s knockdowns. Lacazette would provide the spear for a different style of attack.
Holic
That story predates Vardy’s flirtation with us. It would appear they are looking to flush out a higher bid and we retaliate by bidding for Ben Yedder . This is like moving from Vardy on to Connor Wickham or Peter Crouch ( now) in UK striker parlance. But he’s only Β£10 m( we bid 8) so he fits the bill for Ivan’s new austerity regime. If Steve T was dead he’d be turning in his grave! Thankfully I believe him to be alive and well.
Frankly I think it’s a negotiation stance by Aulas at Lyon.
I say bring TGSTEL back?
ah chris
of course i know tim holt
he’s not exactly an unknown
strange choice for a hero though
but one of the great things about you
you most definitely paddle yer own canoe
long may you paddle
top man
half
ton
please
no flowers
throw cash
Re: Cynic @45. He is from the Asteroid Belt. Lances in belters with astronomical speed from beyond the halfway line.
SOMETHING ABOUT ARSENAL !
.
(50p in the meter)
now
where was i ?
cows on booze
d’uh
or fuckin muppets on booze
capper not arrived
am chugging apfelwein out the carboy
bubbler still bubbling
so explosion from internal ferment
possibly highly likely
mind you
amount o homemade i’ve drunk
over the years i must be a walking yeast bomb
perhaps thats not how it works
mmmmm ?
i’m sure the many ‘holic docs tut at such
anyhoo
don’t be shy
the tumbleweeds don’t bite
when’s the fuckin season start
i’m gettin fed up flingin shite
all over ‘holic’s parlour
o for the early saturday kick off
draggin a hangover to the bar
scraping friday off yer coat
stifling bokes
and nursing a pint
with the sweats
Canestan should do the trick cba. Rub it all over and fire it into every orifice. Then you should be ok. ?
my tax dollars paid your wages bath
i think you are not being entirely serious
.
*glares yeastily*
woo hooo
the 6/10th of a ton
We’re a happy family, we’re a happy family
We’re a happy family, me, mom and daddy
We’re a happy family, we’re a happy family
We’re a happy family, me, mom and daddy
Sitting here in Queens
Eating refried beans
We’re in all the magazines
Gulpin’ down Thorazines
We ain’t got no friends
Our troubles never end
No Christmas cards to send
Daddy likes men
Daddy’s telling lies
Baby’s eating flies
Mommy’s on pills
Baby’s got the chills
I’m friends with the President
I’m friends with the Pope
We’re all making a fortune selling Daddy’s dope
Ramones?
don’t mind if i do , 8ball
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ponhgg5MnfM
or the real song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHc6x01QCKk
god rest him too
jeez 8ball
dunno iffin it’s just the moonlight
or maybe the stars
but
gee whizz
i gosh darn like you
Ramones indeed !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DndK5hZBgu0
apologies again fellas
one whiff of the Ramones
and i’m off
said before
a yardstick i use for people
iffin ye go – fuck they are brilliant – (we may or may not get on )
iffin ye go – all the songs sound the same – ( we may or may not get on)
iffin ye go – i see what they were trying to achieve by deconstructing bla bla bla – ( i know we won’t get on)
ye know the sorts
cycle silently to work
on a wheatgerm bicycle
unable or want to sing along on their ipods to the atonal jazz their thirsty egos crave
nitwits
?
please shut up you are boring us all now
I think The Ramones must be the single most over-rated band in the history of music*.
Sorry, cba.
I’ll go and dwell on the naughty step for the rest of the evening.
*Or The Doors. Can’t fucking stand them either.
ok
let this be the start please . I am fed up with the oh so funny not very funny bullshit
You’re in the wrong bar, gg.
Didn’t Lyon turn down a β¬40 million bid from the Appies????? Can’t see them accepting β¬35 from us if that’s the case?
Arsenal trying to do things on the cheap???? Who would have thought it???
Don’t want him anyway, we should be buying the very top level with our resources, not over-priced second raters like him.
He is the sort of player who someone like Stoke would buy for a daft fee and we’d all be going “The game’s gone mad. All that money for a player like that?”
So the cats finally out of the bag huh?
Lacazette huh? Not bad! Lets seal the deal Arsenal! π
Arsenal cannot “outgun” their big-spending rivals in the transfer market, says chief executive Ivan Gazidis.
The club have made one major signing this summer, buying Granit Xhaka from Borussia Monchengladbach for Β£35m.
“We can’t afford to outgun competitors that have far more money. We have to be very careful, very selective,” Gazidis told the New York Times.
Despite milking the fans with the highest ticket prices, having more money in the bank than your average third world economy, earning more tv cash than just about anyone else and with, at a minimum, exactly the same income stream from the new Sky deal as the same clubs on our level (like Stoke and Southampton) who are chucking money around like confetti.
Go and jump off a cliff, Gazidis.
Although on our budget, I guess we can only afford a hill as a platform.
Football fans are a fickle breed. There were many, on here and elsewhere, who slaughtered Ollie G last season. Tore him to bits. Now there are loads who want us to spend Β£40 million on a player who could not even get in the French squad, let alone grab a place above old OG???
I’m not sure I ever will quite understand it all.
I’ve got the whole of the Gazidis article here.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/27/sports/soccer/ivan-gazidis-arsenals-chief-executive-seeks-a-major-trophy.html?_r=2
Frankly even as a financial man myself I think he is talking extraordinarily conservatively and the patience of Arsenal fans TEN years after the move to a new stadium so we can compete is going to be sorely strained. Huge reserves swelled by a massive TV deal and automatic Champions League. No wonder Arsenal fans are restless!
@ Steve TDU So we should go into the new season without signing a new striker? what has Ollie G got to do with signing another striker to help with the burden of sharing the goals. Okay 40million and so what? have you seen what transfer fees are going for lately? Stop making a stupid silly ass argument. Do you know why he couldn’t get into the French team? maybe because they had a player named Griezmann. Some fans are just as dumb as the people running the club.
SAG, please tread carefully. People who do not share your viewpoint are not necessarily wrong. I know we all share a passion for the club and only ask that we respect that fact when debating in the drinks. Thank you.
NBN@46: Fully agreed.
Respect to the Guv’nor@80.
I hear you Guv’nor.
It’s a sensible argument to make in any case. Why, if Giroud is viewed as not being good enough for us, should we be expected to dance with joy at the prospect of signing someone else for Β£40m who cannot displace Giroud from the French squad, let alone the team.
You can argue that they’re different types of player but it’s still valid to question the wisdom of such a deal.
One thing the club should make sure of is not to loan out all the youngster alternatives before established new players are signed. If we don’t end up buying another CF alternative — which may include new wide players being converted to CF — then let us at least keep the option of bringing Chuba in from the bench and not driving Giroud like a mule to exhaustion. Our unwillingness to rotate proactively is something that is hard to rationalize, even accepting Arsene’s preference for least team disruption. In a football landscape where even the most minor drop in fitness has significant performance consequence that is an area I hope Arsene had encouraged in himself an evolution.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/arsenal-transfer-target-alexandre-lacazette-8498977
——–
We are(were) bidding against…west ham!
(… and he can’t be that bad if Bilic rates him..!)
π
It looks like transfer fees have become inflated of late, what with the sales of Bale, Suarez and now Higuain, to name a few setting the benchmark. Pogba’s pending transfer is set to be one of the highest.
You also have Sterling going for 50m and other signings who are maybe not so highly regarded going for prices in excess of 20-30m.
Players are definitely costing more than they did two-three seasons ago. That maybe could explain why clubs feel comfortable valuing their players based upon their career records, goal ratio’s, potential merchandise profits etc and comparing those to previous transfers. A bit like how the property market grows.
Olivier definitely needs help chipping in the goals, so a striker who can bring us in a few more goals on a 1 in 2 game basis is welcome. I don’t mind Lacazette. His style definitely fits us a lot more than a lot of other strikers, when comparing their compilation videos. Although admittedly, compilation videos do not show a player overall game performance.
Thanks SAG. π
An interesting thought just struck me. How much do you think Olivier himself would fetch in today’s market? Purely as an exercise in how much you value him in relation to his peers.
Keep him, and find that alternative option.
half a bag o wine gums and a set o beard clippers
on a good day
with a following wind
*chuckles*
i’m Doctor Faustus and bathgooner too
and I honestly don’t think i’m paid enough
and cynic – you are dead to me !
Maestro @88: I guess it’s Giroud’s age that will lower the price a bit, but if he were playing for some other team with similar records as with us, I think most of the fan base would be happy spending 50 millions for him now.
Re: Cynic @84. With a comparison like that one about Giroud and Lacazette you almost could have coined “The grass is greener on the other side of the fence” which it normally is, of course. π
the ton is too far away
does shamelessness transfer ?
does it need an agent
or
a window ?
or
is
it
there all along
le ton
pour homme
the police have left their post
bt8 – Not if you train your cat to go and piss on next door’s lawn.
cba – I’ll haunt you if I am. And that goon bloke as well.
awwwwwww
big eight cynical balls group hug
Holic
Good point re Giroud. Knowing Wenger’s ability to chisel money out of buyers I would think that Giroud himself might fetch Β£30-35 million if the buyer neede a striker. He has a good injury record and scores consistently over a season and on occasions can look superb.
That Gazidis article has caused me great concern. Both recent articles seem to be designed for the American marketplace where there might be a different emphasis but in the good old UK to punters paying almost Β£1500 a season it makes depressing reading. This suggests that Kroenke is clamping down on the spending potential of the club. That may be jumping to an inappropriate conclusion but two very clear statements of this sort really do make depressing reading and fit the theory that Arse nal is a cash cow funding an American entrepreneurs sports empire. If that is the case I cannot understand a man of Wenger’s integrity staying. He could walk into any job in world football and doesn’t need to spend the final years of his career taking the wrap for a reclusive Owner holed up way from the action and happy to build up a fortune at our expense on the back of a manager who regularly turns in a great financial performance ance if not a stellar football one
8ball
interesting thing happened recently
police here are now called psni
police here were called ruc
mate of mine in a full stand up roaring match
last weekend
with a few of them
(he has form for it)
i’m convinced
called them RNLI bastards
he’s a big old boy
thankfully it ended ok
or
a big old buoy
.
anyhoo
eejit
Evening Holics,
Or Night-time Horlics,
Do take your pick – as the ice sculpting instructor said.
Holidaying in the West Country at the moment, where the telegraph poles are almost catching fire as Arsenal transfer news crackles ceaselessly down the lines.
We haven’t ?
Somebody must be making it all up then. Surely not !
Still, at least we have shorn the squad of all the old perma-crocks in time for the start of another new season.
What ….. Have we ?
Two ? Until next Easter ?
You surprise me.
A bit like sunrise did this morning. ?
that’s not a happy read m’lud 104
nope
the mighty trev
there’s only one
Btw, does anyone know exactly what the BFG has done ?
A little pain in his knee that then required surgery is not a lot to go on.
Evening can’t be arsed (with neither abbreviation nor quote marks). ?
evening trev
the short and long of it
you have been missed
woo hoo
all the ones
i am on fuckin fire here !
TTG,
Actually, having read that whole Gazidis interview, I would have to agree with him.
I say that as a Β£2,000+ paying season ticket holder – and I have had my issues with Kroenke – some valid, some perhaps not.
In reality though, what can the Arsenal do in the face of competition from the Russians and the Arabs.
Let’s say we went mad and decided to splurge the whole Β£200 million on two four year deals for Pogba and, say, Mahrez (ridiculous as it is that that would gobble up Β£200 million).
PSG, Real Madrid, Man City or even mid-table Chelsea, if they wanted them, would escalate the deals up to Β£250 million and we would be dead in the water.
Sad, unbelievable, mad but true.
Thank you, Mr Arsed,
Visits may be sporadic while I’m in the Wild West but I’ll be back once the proper stuff starts again.
Maybe before if you misbehave ! ?
cheers big man
it’s like i can’t learn
the groancringeinducing drunken tripe i sow is getting ridiculous
.
look forward to your steady hand returning
(yer on yer holidays let that pun opportunity go)
π
in further non ridiculous news
my fuckin crown capper didn’t arrive
so 60L of delicious stout are still begging a bottle
imagine the logistics
cleaning 120 pint bottles
sanitizing them then
south america’s streams are lazy late fuckers
‘holic
one word outta line
slap me head with a good run up , please
bit toasted
apfelwein brutal
got cocky cos i have me dinner sorted since 2
getting another lodger
i’m a holey cardigan off being Rigsby
.
i miss Donegal
Welcome Trev,
I hope the West Country is kinder weather wise than it is when I go there. Your point is very sensible but it’s the tone of the piece that is so at odds with the Gazidis spin of two years ago when he suggested we could go beyond Rooney’s salary to sign a player. I have it on reasonably good authority that in the prelude to signing Sanchez we were offered the chance to sign Messi who was in dispute with Barca. Apparently Gazudis started trying to find ways to do this only to be knocked back by Wenger, the economist in him coming to the surface.
My depression from this article occurs for the following reasons
– FFP has had no serious effect whatsoever. The Premier League is not a level playing field. Not a great surprise but we banked on it making a difference . The 2nd we managed last season might be the best we attain in the foreseeable future. Pity it didn’t bring us more enjoyment .
– While the boring bit of me wants no part of oil- rich oligarchs, the exciting, sexy bit would love us to be a destination that players yearn to move to. I get the impression that the Arsenal new signing pitch is pretty underwhelming based on the Vardy experience
– I just dread the thought of another season of backbiting and negativism towards Wenger. Going to home games meant running the gauntlet of hate and derision. I’m told away games are worse.
– I’m getting the impression we are being less adventurous despite what you say than not only the mega- rich clubs but several with lesser resources, like Liverpool and the LWCs
– There’s still the major problem that we pay more than
any other fans in the EPL but the money goes into a low interest bank account with Stan Kroenke’s name on it.
Anyway that’s enough depression for now. Perhaps I’m nearing the time when my relationship with the club becomes more passive.
‘holic
balls to lies
quick query
are we still on what we agreed for a few fake accounts ?
bathgooner Β£10 an hour (as agreed)
Doctor Faustus Β£10 an hour (as agreed)
cynic Β£10.50 an hour (as agreed)
ooops
you’re barred sunshine !
m’lud
always humbled when the likes of yerself and steve T , trev and the boss discuss The Mighty Arsenal from a bums on seat , money outta wallet , there at the game , perspective
money is at the forefront of everything
necessary of course
but it’s heartbreakin
how many proper gooner geezers can’t afford to go
it’s a load a bollocks isn’t it
and not fair
yeah blaaa blaaaaaa
it’s 30 odd years since i was at Highbury
can’t remember what it cost
but i’m as tight as a drum
so
must’ve been manageable
π
odd indeed
i’m guessing less than a feed and a slurp
at the emirates
mind you
never went to the games
with the idea of making it a culinary/watery beerily day
no fuckin body did
was poor as fuck
lived on spuds and sausages for an age
got rotten
watched the game
got rottener
CBA
I have loved going to the Arsenal. Like so many here I’ve had countless wonderful moments and memories but every discussion now eventually gets around to cost. I still feel that we have an owner whose relationship with our club is nothing remotely like the many thousands of fans who worship the club.
I can’t lose that feeling ndvreding that today made me really depressed. The only Gooner I know who is looking forward to the season is the guy in the seat next to me who is a comparatively new supporter and who is delighted to have a season ticket but nobody else I know has the same enthusiasm
then I walked barefoot
the gauntlet of bad english people
.
“Get back where you came from ”
“Coming over here with your good looks”
honestly -sheesh-
It was a handsome frenzy
they’d clearly never seen a man
their birds fancied wiff att
im avin sov rings awwl ova tha gafff
as i said
m’lud
really value your opinion
and opinions of ‘holics other big hitters
i’m so out of touch with what’s going on
i dunno if i don’t mind that
or am glad i really never did
The Arsenal i grew up with i was out of touch with as well
rarely on the telly
save FA cup games and finals π
yet i became obsessed
i upped sticks and moved to london
i wonder where
first tube station I got off at was holloway road
the house I was getting put up in was
*sssssshhhhhh*
off tottenham high road
so bla yeah forget w h at I am on about
Trev: good to hear from you again. We live in unaccountabile times. Castle Ned cost a rather small number of spondulicks. It would sell today for many millions of the same. Yet it is still the same size.
house prices ?
fantastic if ye already have somewhere else to live if ye sell
otherwise ridiculous
and a massive factor in the fuck up of manys a land
i suggest tents for all
I love Arsenal more then Arsenal loves me and that’s a fact.
…and Lux is yelling from his grave – HOW FAR CAN TOO FAR GO!!!
BBC must really watch it with these headlines.
“Man City approach Everton for Stones”
reasonable interpretation: Man City have nearly as many players as Everton who suffer from gallstones (a small, hard crystalline mass formed abnormally in the gallbladder or bile ducts from bile pigments, cholesterol, and calcium salts. Gallstones can cause severe pain and blockage of the bile duct.)
Should these two clubs therefore be dismissed as legitimate title contenders this season??
Castle Ned, better known to some of us as South Fork, Ned ?
Bt8,
Do French presidents suffer from de Gaulle stones ? ?
Evening all. Wonderful to see Trev back for a new season. Hopefully one which will offer better on and off the pitch.
Yo cba. I see you are branching out π When are you coming back to break more hearts?
Morning SAG. Don’t do yourself down my old son. I’m sure you are not that dumb really. However, if you still have a problem identifying and observation and an argument please feel free to ask.
If you had been paying attention over the years you will have noticed that there probably haven’t been many who have championed the requirement for a top striker more than me. I have said it since we sold RVP and did not replace him. I have also said that I think that being a tight arse would in the long term have cost us, and I still believe that. Perhaps if we had gone the extra mile a few years back and bought Higuain then we would have had the benefits of his services for the last few seasons. Then we could have sold him to Juve and used the money to fund a bid for the likes of Griezmann? Just a thought SAG. Then we might not be in a situation where Lyon are demanding Β£40 million for his understudy.
Regardless of all of that, our need for a new striker along with several other acquisitions has never been more evident.
Never been to Costa Rica but the tourists who return from there port t-shirts emblazoned with the slogan “Pura Vida.” Which reminds me, Arsene ought to concentrate his search for a striker on young guys with that name.β½οΈβ½οΈβ½οΈβ½οΈβ½οΈβ½οΈβ½οΈβ½οΈ
Dr. T has returned and just in the nick of time. ???
I don’t believe there’s a lot of choice when it comes to strikers. The very best – Messi, Ronaldo, Suarez and not many more – have been out of our price bracket since the oligarabs came on the scene, and it’s not going to get any easier if the Chinese decide to join the fray as I’ve seen rumoured.
Then you come to the second tier – Kane, Vardy, Higuain, Lewandowski, Aubameyang and some others – all of whom look grossly over-priced to me. Buying any of them (at the kinda of outlandish price they currently command) would be a major financial risk for a club like Arsenal. Shades of Jeffers, Reyes etc.
In this environment I believe we’d be better off with several midfielders capable of scoring 8-10 goals a season than a dedicated striker who scores 25. In fact I believe we already have them in Rambo, Theo, Santi, Γzilla, Alexis, Danny, and perhaps we could invest in a couple more for the price of a second tier striker. Then it’s just a matter of rotation, rotation, rotation or covering inevitable linjuries.
Above also requires AW to encourage his midfielders forward and to strike more often of course.
Thanks for keeping the bar open cba and Holic. π
would love to ‘holic
but am sick of the ridiculous bureaucratic hurdles put in my path
since when is
“Jawline too chiselled to travel”
a legitimate reason for refusal
.
it’s just unbelievable !
it really reflects badly on you as a nation
that’s not the england i love !
that’s not the london i adore !
that’s not the archway tavern i threw up in !
Have we signed anyone decent yet? π
Never mind, because we won’t! And we will have to go through the same notions of I told you so again in the coming a great deal tougher season!
Back to hibernation ATG out!
To quote today’s Arseblog,
“Wenger has been wondering what to do with his Coq” and I have no doubt Coquelin has all the attributes to do an outstanding job at centre half. The next Mascherano in the works.
Mahrez…get it done!
I get the feeling we won’t be able to afford a Striker, Winger and now defender
π
I say sod the defender and let Coquelin ‘boss it up’!
The thing is Wenger and IG is right, it is impossible to outbid those money bags. An example is Henrikh Mkhitaryan, he is on weekly wages of 250k at united. Our best players are 100 lesser than that. Add in that he was bought for close to 30 million and then we have an idea as to why it is tough to outbid. Again Wenger tries to retain the players he gets and believes no one will leave which is wrong. There is no loyalty left in the game. The only way we can get a player worth his salt is by doing the business early as well as the player wanting to come here only.
We want lacazette, so does say chelsea, you know the winner. Whatever we evaluate him and pay it as well, if chelsea want him, they will double the bid and pay and bonus.
Overall we still need 3 players and are not even remotely close. A striker, right winger and centre back. Rumours maybe aplenty but what truly matter is getting it done and now.
Much appreciated ‘Welcome’, Holic.
Thanks for keeping the place open during the summer. I’ve been reading but just cannot find anything to say about international football.
The summer has been a welcome break and working on the progress of one particular little loved one has been the priority.
Good to be back though. ??
Mustafi from Valencia, Mustafi problem at Valencia for him to be open to moving to Arsenal! π
Looks okay to me. 25m huh? Surely we’ll have enough for our attacking duo too! π
I’ve just seen what time we are playing in the morning (our time!), yikes.
I won’t be able to watch as am off for a day on the fairways.
Don’t suppose I have a volunteer to write a review for us? π
Just come out of hibernation to remind you all that the MLS/ AFC game is live on Sky Sports 2 at 00.50hrs . A bit late for me but will catch it in the morning.
Not sure tonight’s game against a scratch 11 is going to shed much light on our early form, the CB pairings should be interesting against Drogba !
‘Holic @ 155: I will watch it on TV here in the US east coast. I will send you a review, then it’s your decision if it meets the standard. π
A Faustus Review !
My breath is baited and waiting !
Will it come with complete bibliography?
(Just kidding – in case there is any doubt). ?
No Sky Sports at the Devon apartment.
Is it on ArsenalPlayer ?
Will cba be doing live text updates – with cow-commentator and live moooosic ?
Apparently only a replay on Friday morning ??
Trev : I surely will add in the geopolitical chain of consequences of the Californian drought and how that impacts our inner serenity while watching our callow defensive pair against the menace called Drogba. π
On another note, Reine-Adelaide “The Jeff” has been promoted to the first team. Talent? Check. Physique? Check. Speed of feet and mind? Check. Consistency and experience and hopefully we have a great in the making.
Thanks Doc. Can you email it to gooner(at)goonerholic(dot)com please.
I hope to be in some sort of state to publish it when I get back late tomorrow night.
You are a gentleman. It will be good to get an American perspective on the game.
Delia, lovely to see you back too. I hope you have enjoyed your summer. π
Mourinho is getting rid of a few of United’s “promising youngsters”. Are they shit enough and cheap enough for us to bid? π
‘Holic @163: Will do. I think it will be a decent workout for the team.
It may be hard to believe for those who invented the Greenwich Meridian at dinnertime in California it is the middle of the night in London Town, which could account for the obesity crisis in Orange County.
Way to step up Doctor Faustus. As minimal assistance, I’ve heard end notes and bibliography are no longer standard style. π
Reminding me that Nasri is on Pep’s obesity watch list.
Doc Faustus @162,
“The Jeff” has been promoted to the first team …..”
So have most of us in the bar – there are so many vacancies in the squad ???
Nasri: “Hey, Senor Guardiola, you say I am fat. I think it is too much Pep’si ?” ?
According to Delloites, and our own accounts, we have almost Β£200m sitting in the bank. We all know the money’s there, but Gazidis must be on the same gear as Wenger, trotting out this ‘run like a proper business’ nonsense when the likes of Manure are run like a proper football club, and spend what it takes to be successful.
How long will it be until the top clubs we can’t compete financially with, will also include clubs like West Ham and Leicester?
Faustus,
I just want you to know that your “sesquipedalian loquaciousness” is fine with me.
π
Trev@136: If that was to be confirmed, we’d only have cba rustling the cows…
A TTG perspective on the three main rumours.
I believe the one about Mustafi, the CB. That may happen.
I still don’t think Mahrez is coming. I haven’t seen any convincing evidence yet. If he comes expect to see someone like Ramsey leave.
If we do sign anyone in this position it might be Draxler. Wenger might see him as capable of being the other striker. I don’t think Wenger will pay Lyon’s price for Lacazette
Probably completely wrong but the papers are useless nowadays
If scruzgooner is at the game tonight I hope you have a blast and bring us home an all important and preseason defining victory. ???
When did Arsenal last play in California, if ever?
Hello Trev. Hopefully Theo will not be with us much longer (perhaps the makeweight in a Mahrez deal?) and we can resume respectful discoursing…
Your earlier reference to ‘one particular little loved one’ is concerning. I hope all is progressing well and will pray to the great god of cricket (my religion) for a successful outcome.
0-1 thru a Joel PK, though his run up was reminiscent of the one from that Italy defender’s in the Euros. Not a great spectacle, with MLS all stars all taking their cue from Pirlo in terms of their pace.
Mustafi and Mahrez look ideal purchases. Draxler and Lacazette do not. In fact I can’t see any worthwhile striker we could (or would) buy. Better to change our style a bit and encourage more goals from our midfielders of which we have a raft capable of scoring more than they have been in recent seasons.
1-1 with MLS goal in stoppage time. Who else but Drogba. Bielick error to set it up.
1-2 thru a late goal from Chuba Akpom. Impressed with Xhaka, the Jeff, and Rob Holding.
@180: And Willock, smooth and quick feet, great pre-assist for Chuba’s goal.
Willock is the new Hleb?
just got back from the game, mildly sober and voice gone. the greatest thing I’ve ever seen, from warm ups through clapping them off at the end! I LOVE this team. cheers, bt8!
I was behind the open end spitting distance from the penalty (nailed-on) and the silly run-up and goal. saw theo in mid season form, he should have scored that first and his corner was crap, but he was fast and combined well with the ox. the latter looked great, though he faded as the half went on (it was 84 degF, about 29 degC). Campbell was the star of the first half, from either side. elneney can hit the hell out of the ball, the sound of that one shot was incredible. debuchy and Gibbs looked ok, as did the young lads in defense, until KB’s error (though debuchy has a long way to go to even think about displacing hector).
running low on phone battery, and my own! more in a few hours after a night sleep. the second half was better than the first. did I say I love this team? π
Morning, bloody ell!
I thought the game was tonight!
π
So the boss wants “1 more attacking option!”
Mahrez is definitely the fans favorite and for good reason.
Time to hand it over to Wenger’s capable! π
‘Holic: report sent.
Xhaka looks a player doesnt he? Assured, compact and willing to head into a fight, keep that please, we need men out there than boys. Ox impressive but who will tell him he needs to do more or he is off. Theo, enough said, he needs to go now. 10 years and not much has changed. Theo is all run no brain and he is on borrowed time.
Rob Holding was impressive but please boss he is not the answer. Debuchy needs to be sold and if we pricing him out, it is a mistake, those injuries have reduced him to a pale shadow of his former self.
Coquelin at cb?? no thank you, he is not mascherano, he won’t be either. We need a cb and it needs to be now. Mustafi fine, but why not Ashley Williams?
Overall with 2 weeks left, we have again left it far too late for anyone to come. I find this a failure on the part of Arsene and the negotiators for when there is a need, you do the needful immediately.
So to no one’s surprise there is no Mahrez deal. I indicated before the match that the story was crap, fabricated by one of the pathetic idiots who claim ITK knowledge. He won’t be coming and Wenger won’t go for Lacazette. He’s too,pricey.
Mustafi looks likely. I think my previous guess about Draxler may be accurate but if the price for Mandzukic is low that will appeal. We can’t sell Theo because no- one else will pick up his wages. That contract we gave him,last time is mind- blowing. Wenger will see Reine- Adelaide or Willock as potential first- teamers possibly even ahead of Theo.
Glad Scruzgooner enjoyed the match. It’s great for our colleagues in far-flung outposts to see the team live.
The Mail story on Kroenke suggesting he is the supreme sporting entrepreneur in the world looked like a PR puff to me. Frankly my heart sank when I saw it. Money could be potentially siphoned off from the world’s greatest sporting institution to finance a Mickey mouse franchise in LA. No offence Mickey ?
cheers, ttg. it was a true treat. whets the appetite for heading to the grove one day!
before the game i went to jack’s bar, and hung out with the other south bay gooners, lubricating the tonsils with 5 pints of the black stuff before heading over to the stadium. here’s exactly the kind of day it was: as we walked in from the tailgating area (beers and other comestibles, but as solids are for softies it was just a nitro can of guinness for me) i found a paper ticket on the ground, and was sad for the person who dropped it. i decided to take it to will-call, in hopes someone would check there. however, as we were nearing the stadium fan zone one of the other sbg’s was walking back towards the parking lot, head down, worried cast over his eyes…joking, i said “hey, jason, lost your ticket?” indeed he had, and his eyes got round and bright and the relief was palpable when i handed him the one i’d found, that was indeed his… one of those things that happens around good people and a great team! i’ve seen a pic of him in his seat and section holding up an sbg scarf, it turned out perfectly.
so the first half i sat at the open end of the stadium, it was all gooners there, and we had a blast chanting and cheering through the goal and some nifty play by theo, campbell, and the ox up front. see above #183 for more.
the second half i joined my buddy matt (a manu fan) and his friend jim (a gooner of long standing who was desperate to get a ticket, and i had two spares) at the *other* end standing area, so arsenal were coming my way again. the replacements, bringing in hector, nacho, granit, willock, iwobi, the jeff, and chuba changed the activity levels of the team. rather than just relying on running channels, they were all mixing it up. granit, with a rotating cast of iwobi/jeff/willock/zelalem owned the midfield in a way that elneney, jack, and le coq didn’t in the first half. the goal, when it finally came, was a treat, nacho’s overlap and willock’s half-reverse were beautiful, and nacho’s pass had to be spot on to evade the keeper for akpom to tap in. we went nuts.
something amusing, at least to us: before the game the 5 youngsters (akpom, iwobi, jeff, zelalem, and williock) were all playing keepy-uppy together, and then just before the game started they were all warming up down by our corner-flag. we could pick them all out by name, except for the slight little kid with the high-top dreads. we were calling everyone out, chanting their names, and they’d turn and give a little smile and a thumbs up. we’d done four, and then were just chanting in general (ooh to be a gooner, greatest team, whattaya think of shit, etc.). someone realized it was chris willock, and just as they were getting together to head back to the bench we all started chanting “chriiiis willock!”, and he turned with this big grin and waved. it was a wonderful moment.
final thoughts. we have a lot of young talent on this team. if they can prove to do it on a cold fucking february day in stoke (are there any other kind?), this could be an amazing couple of years. granted, it was just the mls allstars, but they really had them running circles at times. granit is the real deal. great addition to the team, must always be on the sheet. we didn’t see santi out there, sadly, though i saw some pics that implied he was at the stadium. i wish to have seen the little wizard. hector and nacho are our first choice fullbacks by a country mile. kg and debuchy looked ragged and somewhat tentative at times, while good at others. nacho and hector looked top class in everything they did, just about. holding was the only player, i believe, to play the whole game, and while i can’t say much about his play he did his job. calum and bielik were also pretty good, though they were both caught out at various times, especially on the break.
last thing: one arsene wenger, there’s only one arsene wenger!
20 second quiz:
Who are the two Premier League players who look most like bullfighters?
@189 scruzgooner
What a wonderful summation!
(..and Jason was glad too no doubt, you certainly made his day!)
π
Nacho and Hector.
Of course.
Por supuesto, should’ve said.
great drink 189
top man scruz
enjoyed that π
scruz, Excellent report and your plan of switching ends at half-time was a good one, especially since almost all the second half players were different anyway so you wouldn’t have been able to see the ones you missed in the first half up close if you had stayed where you starteds. Having watched the game now in two installments (fell asleep ten minutes into the second half last night) I enjoyed the second half far more. Xhaka looks definitely the real deal and slotting him into defensive midfield instead of Coquelin gives us an excellent transition from defence to attack that we lacked last season. Between Elneny and Xhaka we suddenly have much greater potential for scoring from outside the box, and it’s interesting what you say about the sound of Elneny’s boot hitting the ball. No wonder his shot against Barsa made it past the keeper. Xhaka’s corners looking very threatening also. Cheers!
bt8, cba, dankie, glad you enjoyed it. it was fun to be able to share the day’s reporting with this bar, as i’ve spent so many years reading others’ reports.
bt8, hector is the one member of the squad who, if he asked, would turn me from straight and married. not really, but wow, he’s really hot (delia, because i know you are a hector fan, he sat on a dais ten feet in front of me, i could see his shoes were essentially unworn (no dirt on the bottom)! he’s funny, competitive, and endearingly shy at times.).
xhaka is definitely real. he was a man among boys in the second half; he sat next to hector on the dais, and, in english way, looked *hard*. his corners were better than theo’s, that’s for sure.
on corners: the first gooner on the pitch was damien martinez, with the gk coach (cech came out shortly thereafter). they did their warmups, and once cech was there damien (aka emiliano) came over to our corner to whip in some balls for cech to collect. nearly everyone would have been a perfect corner in a game situation. i yelled he should take corner duties from theo or ox, and he turned and grinned. and while i’ve just lost my language beyond great, awesome, excellent, outstanding, etc., it was GREAT to see him grin.
funny you should say that about watching the game. i taped it, and watched the first half after i got home, falling asleep 3/4 through. i’ve got the second half queued up for tonight. π
” we have a lot of young talent on this team”
Yeah, ever since 2006.
Look at us now.
i’m looking, ssy, and love what i see. as always. even moreso, having seen the team live.
btw, your tired cynicism can’t derail what is a buoyantly happy, deeply satisfied scruzgooner today π
oh, what the hell. yellow card for me. π
Ever get the feeling someone shat in your cap, scruz?
Glad you enjoyed your game.
often, cynic, but not today π
thanks!
scruz
your triumphant path to two ton
is worthy only of whoops an yelps
not yellows
over the moon for ye fella
.
UP THE ARSENAL
Excellent reporting Scruz.
There is nothing like being at a live match with other AFC mad lads and lasses.
I am looking forward to Dr Faustus match report.I enjoy his analysis even though I don`t understand the half of it.Never mind.
and cynic @201, if i *do* get that feeling, i don’t bring it out in public π
cba, wif, cheers. some uncle dave’s rye ipa on the bar for you (and cynic!). cba, coming from you, that’s a blessing π
wif, it was outstanding, the atmosphere. we none of us had enough knowledge of the chants to get the whole stadium singing at once but our area would get going and, at least for the first half, we sung much of the half. at the closed end, well, trying to get a song going there wasn’t as easy. must have been the lack of proximity to the bar… still, looking around the entire 20K fans and seeing 4/5 in arsenal red or yellow, every man and woman among them happy enough to cleanse the air of the smoke from the big sur fire…well, it was just tits.
another thing. i wore my yellow 1971 fa cup shirt to the game, and it was the ONLY one i saw until after the game…one other person had it on. lots of jvc jerseys, o2, and emirates. not a lot of the older, more elaborate crest swag, but a few people were sporting.
Frankly it takes someone like Scruzgooner who has limited opportunities to see the team to appreciate the positives of being a Gooner,Give me his enthusiasm any day over the world- weary sarcasm so in evident among most Gooners, including me this close season.
I enjoyed your account Scruzgooner. Let’s hope an unheralded Arsenal team prove consistent enough to maintain a title challenge this season
in other news
got me crown capper
proper brilliant
sturdy fucker
but
fuck off
120 pint bottles
ye wanna lend a hand
.
no ?
.
typical lazy Arsenal
cheers, ttg. i feel like a puppy in a new home π sorry about what i left in your cap, cynic π
cba, if my arms were long enough… i’ve been that route, it’s only rewarding on the far end of the 120th bottle, when you do three or four pint curls.
see scruz
what The Mighty Arsenal is all about
top geezer
top gooner
geezer too, cba. feeling every day of it today π
blaaa aaaahhhhhh
fshneurffff e durf
.
respect to the main man
.
time for the bottling
That’s a great account, scruz, of what was clearly a magical day for you.
Enjoyed that – cheers ! ????
first bottle champion
.
nice bit o kit
.
tight as a fuckin drum
Glad you had a great day, SCG, and still enough energy left for the write-up.
Good to remind the bar that for some of us getting to see the team in the flesh is a rare treat, and all the more to be savoured for it when it happens.
eff off trev
time has told us
and eff off ned , an all
??
Evening all. Have you got a treat now! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Awesome report ScruzG, reminds of another legend, Wind. I’m personally looking forward to the new season, new striker or not….just give me some football and lots of Arsenal.