Possession And Spirit Is Great, But …
Aug 15th, 2016 by 'holic
The opening weekend of the Premier League season. Every year the anticipation is the same. Surely we have learned from the past? This is our season? I’m looking forward to seeing the new boys. Yesterday add to that list I am watching the game with the future of the club, Junior Gunners both. Come on you rip-roaring Gunners!
We were missing some players, Liverpool were missing some players. We had enjoyed a positive pre-season but so too had the visitors. Our defeat of Manchester City paled into insignificance when compared to their demolition of Barca.
For 45 minutes two wide-eyed boys watched a not unusual Arsenal performance. Comfortably in control of the game, assured in possession of the ball if not particularly creative, chances came and went. Aaron Ramsey found himself in promising positions in the box on a number of occasions, Theo Walcott looked lively and confident after his performance against City. Alex Iwobi continued to look like a huge part of whatever our future holds.
Theo found himself upended and broke the one-time unwritten rule about the fouled player taking the spot-kick. He’ll know it wasn’t a good penalty and hit at a comfortable height for a goalkeeper to save going to his right. Last season he would probably have gone missing thereafter but his assured finish when put through by Iwobi was a sign that he may be returning to some semblance of form and confidence.
We thoroughly deserved the slender advantage, and in truth should have had a bigger lead to reflect our first-half performance. That we didn’t take even that down the tunnel was down to a very soft free-kick within Couthino range. I have seen criticism of Petr Cech for not getting to the join of crossbar and post on the wall side of the goal. Harsh seems inadequate a description of that.
It was the spark for the visitors to take full advantage of an Arsenal that folded uncomfortably in an eighteen minute spell that yielded four strikes of stunning quality. It was uncomfortable watching in the Cotswolds. Those whose opinions I value fall on both sides of the huge split in the fanbase. We all want the same thing. Sadly there are those who do not see and respect that inevitable facet of the human condition.
That we emerged from yesterday’s performance clearly unprepared for that spell of Liverpool domination either side of half-time wouldn’t be contested by a significant majority in either camp, I would suggest. “Why haven’t we paid whatever they want for Mustafi?” I have seen offered as a criticism. Not an unreasonable question, but he was a team-mate of Mesut Ozil at the Euros and would not have started yesterday.
The points lost with half an hour to play, and it could have been worse than 1-4, we showed a degree of spirit in hauling an unlikely comeback into view as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain injected a direct approach and enthusiasm into a shellshocked team. However it wasn’t to be, and the memories of opening day home defeats to Aston Villa and West Ham in the last three years found a new companion.
Oddly there has been much support for the young central defensive pairing, and quite rightly. Liverpool’s goals were all superbly crafted or finished moments of quality, rarely produced in such quick succession. Calum Chambers header to make it 3-4 was a testimony to the determination those on display to put right what had gone before. Mohamed Elneny looked to have justified his selection ahead of expensive new boy Granit Xhaka.
As has been said elsewhere I think the manager and those responsible will need to seriously review what has happened in terms of player trading and acquisition over the close season. We were evidently seriously light in two key areas. It is understood that those who went the distance in the Euros would not have been available for yesterday, but the season is 38 games long and yesterday was as clear a demonstration as you need that we lack the balance in the squad to cover significant absences.
Aaron Ramsey is out for a month and Alex Iwobi also limped off with a thigh strain. Before we have got to full strength already we have an injury list of absurd proportions. There are two weeks left of transfer window in which we acted early, and hinted at further, but how we need to lift everyone connected with the club who were promised more than this once the new stadium and finances were established and stabilised.
Oh, and Alexandre Lacazette, almost begging to join us it seems, would have been available to us yesterday as he opened his season with a hat-trick for Lyon against Nancy.
160 Responses to “Possession And Spirit Is Great, But …”
Get in.
Not ready for a new post but rose to the occasion despite the lack of preparation. :/
Candid Goonerholic!
Very balanced and very fair, Guvna. Drink on the bar from yesterday.
Thank you ‘H. Great review as usual.
Morning H. Nice and balanced as always.
Our transfer policy has been farcical for several years now. It’s not just a recent issue. Niall Quinn made several valid comments. Clubs know what we want and know we have bucket loads of cash. Any selling club will also want time to acquire a replacement. As each day passes then negotiations get that little bit tougher and no doubt the price will slowly start to rise.
The fact that Arsene said the side was under cooked yesterday however was totally unacceptable in my book.
Lovely and sensible write-up. Thanks for the badly needed perspective, ‘holic.
Top stuff from TTG@170 in the previous drinks, especially re. Wenger’s legacy. If this is to be the boss’s last year (or even if it isn’t) I am very afraid that the more entitled, ignorant, and vocal elements of the fanbase will tarnish what should be a very honorable departure. He is far from perfect but Arsenal and all gooners owe him a debt we’ll never be able to repay. As Andrew Allen tweeted a couple of weeks ago, “We could play Mikael Silvestre at centre-back and I’d still support the Arsenal, so cut your fucking whinging, you fucking brats. You got lucky being an Arsenal fan.”
In the meantime, I’m refusing to get too down about yesterday’s result and the transfer situation. Indications are that we’re still at least trying to get a couple deals done before the window shuts. Whether we do get them done is of course another thing entirely, but it does seem like we’re trying, so I’ll reserve final judgment for the time being.
The question is whether the window will slide shut pleasantly and summarily, after we’ve passed our money through, received goods in kind, and strolled away more or less contentedly, or will it snap shut onto our fingers while we’re desperately still trying to complete some last-minute transaction or other?
I have awaited your considered judgement, Gov’nor, and not been disappointed. Other matters meant I did not see the game, so I will abstain from comment beyond noting that there are still 111 points to play for.
#5
+1
Here’s something to cheer you up, cba. A Jimmy Page epic based on the Irish folk song She Moved Through the Fair. Recorded before most here were born probably.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQw_hdY9yPY
I have dipped in and out of this site for the past five years. Those splinters must be getting really painful for you by now Holic!
It never ceases to amaze me how much benefit of the doubt our past-it manager gets from people who refuse to see what is clearly in front of them. How this performance, following on from yet another woefully mismanaged summer, cannot draw more stern criticism from you baffles me.
Sadly, we are being held back by Wenger and will finally finish outside the top four because our rivals have all strengthened while we dithered as usual. (That an overrated chav like Vardy didn’t fancy joining us speaks volumes of how the club and Wenger are perceived nowadays by the way).
Only once Wenger leaves can we get in a manager who will use the club’s vast resources to compete for the top trophies instead of managing like it’s still 1998.
But while supporters like you continually refuse to mention that the emperor is naked, he will stay on his throne and the cycle of disappointing underachievement will continue.
Wake up Holic and call it like it is.
…and that new manager should be who, Jason? We value your informed opinion…
@9: That’s a good version. The tabla in the recorded version of Black Mountain Side sounds still so original and fresh.
Page was really into Sitar at that time and he had started using the dropped tunings to create a Sitar like sound. Even though he had exposure and some knowledge of Hindustani classical this song apparently led William Burroughs to recommend him to learn about Moroccan music … Which of course led to their lifelong love of Mororoccan and other Arabic classical music. The Page-Plant No Quarter is still a very listenable album.
I thought cba dislikes them though. Too “blousey” for his taste I believe… ?
It’s not exactly typical Led Z, Dr F, so I thought he might appreciate the underlying Irish tune.
Did you spot my Theo penalty correction in the last drinks?
@13: Yes, I did. ?
They have quite a few songs based on folk tunes from all the British isles, as they have songs based on Karnatic or Hindustani or Moroccan classical idioms. It’s something I like about them, was not just copying blues and amping them up.
Back to Arsenal: leaving aside transfer talk and all that the only thing I like to see us we do well this season is more tactical maturity and not letting games pass by. When there is a collective slide someone to just notice it and get the boys focused. If that is Chech or Bould from the sideline or whatever… It just hurts to see us running around without focus or discipline or any semblance of awareness like in a daze.
@16 above: when I said the only thing I obviously meant the most important among others. ?
Who is this person?
Cheers H!
Did we know that the team has only won once in the last 7 opening day/new season games?
Yes, Tapera, but every time I complain about players being allowed lengthy breaks after playing in between-season comps (WC, Euros etc) I’m told they need the extra time and have to be eased into the weekly grind otherwise they’ll break down mid season.
So we can’t have OG but Kante plays a full game for the chavs, and Özilla is relaxing on a beach somewhere while Emre Can joined the Pool party against us. And I dare say they weren’t the only ones.
And as for getting injured mid-season since when have our prize assets failed to do that regardless?
Whoever that person is, Harris, you can be sure it’s a case of now you see them, now you don’t, once ‘holic is back online.
Congrats to Lukas Podolski who announced his retirement from international duty today. 129 caps is not to be sniffed at.
Interesting to note that he still made the German squad at Euro 2016, despite rarely making the Arsenal bench in his later time with us.
Thanks for the report of the game holic.forgetting transfers and concentrating on what we have for the minute at half time on Sunday you just know lpool where going to come out all guns blazing in the 2nd half.while we always stick to the same game plan they exposed our left hand side of our defence to great affect Monreal/chambers,we need our wingers to cover a lot more.like the look of holding.our midfield was poor Sunday too,xhaca has to start against lecister and carzola much better with them two playing.
Thank you guvna,
Strange game,Nothing much you can do about the first goal.
Would like to have seen a few more scousers go skywards while they they were bossing it.
Such is life.
Possession And Spirit Is Great, But …
not if your name is Regan MacNeil
and that new manager should be who, Jason? We value your informed opinion…
Not THAT old chestnut. Don’t be challenging anyone to name a new manager unless you can truthfully say you thought of Arsene Wenger all those years ago.
Besides, when you look at the managers currently working in the top jobs in England, there have been plenty of top quality replacements available. Problem is, we are tied to Arsene Wenger no matter what he does. Or fails to do. So they’ve ended up making our rivals better while we stand still or go backwards.
And do you know what the scary thing is?
You challenged someone to name a replacement and we now have a board in place who have aboiut as much idea as your average fan of who to go for, which is why Wenger will either get a new deal or we’ll abdicate responsibility for picking the new manager to him.
I don’t have an inkling as to the workings of Wenger’s mind but can only imagine that this is his last season.
Leaving the choice of his successor to him on the other hand, is written in the stars.
The club is doing itself no favours presently. Why put it out there that the powder is being kept dry for the possibility of a monster striker signing to the detriment of a Mustafi deal? This will only be seen as propaganda by the natives and only exacerbates the situation.
The Board have no idea what to do post Wenger as evidenced by taking the easy option of renewing the contract. They don’t want to have to make a decision and such dithering has meant a few potential managers have gone to rivals.
We’ve missed nobody. In case you had forgotten there is no vacancy.
Having heard the board(via Gazidis) speak up earlier about our inability to mix it with the big boys in the transfer market, does anyone feel that AW is not being given enough support?
What’s really going on behind the scenes?
I really don’t get why anyone who says Wenger has to go is obliged to know who should replace him. When he goes, we’ll get who we get and then we’ll see whether this transfer market reticence is truly Wenger’s policy or an imposition from above (whatever they do say about him having free rein).
Either way he doesn’t do too much to suggest otherwise with his comments like “new is just new” when asked about transfers. It has looked for a long time like he genuinely hopes things will just somehow work themselves out and this or that player will magically come good when it’s clear they’re either not good enough or simply too raw.
It doesn’t have to be ungrateful to want a new manager, and it isn’t knee jerk because this failure to prep the team for the season is now the rule, not the the exception.
Just saw an article on arseblog linking us to Fonte and I got to thinking about how much of a good signing he would be. Big, strong, tough, knows the English game well having played in the lower leagues, won an international tournament and most importantly, is of the right age to give us good service without blocking Holding’s long term future at the club. Perfect, right?
The only issue with a deal for Fonte is Mendes, his agent. I personally wouldn’t invite the man into Arsenal if I were in a position authority but that’s just me.
It’s clear that our vacillation and dithering in the transfer market has a lot to do with our reluctance to deal with ‘super agents’.
Toprak? With a name like that, he’d better be the tits.
I don’t think Per should of been made captain. He is not going to be on the field for five months and might not even be here next season.
Cynic, Ive heard hes bursting at the seams to strut his stuff at the Emirates
Apathy; too many fans are starting to not give a shit and are awaiting the regime change. It’s really disappointing, and sad to see / read, that so many fans are openly admitting they do not look forward to the games anymore. The Arsenal regime are playing a very dangerous game – a real ugly season could very well be upon us unless actions are taken in the next 2 weeks.
1 win in 7 opening league games (a lucky one at that) tells us that the squad is undercooked at the start of (every) season. It’s inexcusable and simply not good enough with the resources that the club has.
Manchester United didn’t have a vacancy but they still appointed a new manager. Liverpool sacked Rogers but were lining up Klopp for a while. City the same with Pep.
Point is the Board appear to be doing nothing in the hope Wenger comes good thus giving them the opportunity to offer one last contract so they don’t have to make a decision.
It’s just getting tired now and a Board with balls would have firm plans to replace him. Should have done so back in March after last seasons shit run.
cheers chris
interesting – didn’t mind that
.
don’t remember saying blousey doc fau
it does have a drunken ring to it so – hands up ?
.
could ye do me a favour
hindustani classical ?
any chance ye could point me at a youtube clip or three
save me more than likely wading through tripe
missing out on the right stuff
cheers fella
love a good tune from when or wherever
.
.
sláinte ‘holic and ‘holics
bought a new sofa
it’s easy on the eye and arse
cheerio
UP THE ARSENAL !
cba, I’m delighted to learn that yer arse is going to be well cushioned during our bumpy old ride this season.
I hope it doesn’t go to your head though and blunt your acerbic wit.
Slàinte Mhath, chiel.
yer a good soul bath
.
enough about you
me couch ?
it has the look of the 50s
in my head Roy Orbison loves it
not that my arse ever touches furniture during a game
thanks to the mobile phone
have seen the nervous shouty sweary nonsense
i’d rather not have and shouldn’t inflict
but hey ho
i could be doin worse
yeah !
too right !
show me some respect ya shower o family
or i’m turning this Big O settee round
and nobody’s going to the beach !
ungrateful ingrates !
a good soul bath ?
i’m guessing that’s what paul weller has before he “writes” a new song
*coughs*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtjxIPr9wDE
.
*gets visit from steve T*
i’m still the apple of me mother’s eye
so
please , steve
please !
not the face , steve !
PLEASE !
NOT THE FACE !!!
We’ll make a deal with you Arsene. If we promise to let you off spending any more money this summer, will you promise to make this your last season in charge?
Slàinte Mhath, chiel.
Less of the Welsh please
😉
cynic
i trust your affairs are in order
Joe Hart up for sale by Citeh! Go in for him with a £1 starting bid Arsene/Ivan! He’s got “resale value”! 😎
You know what hurts, the boos, almost all did that and it hurts when it is done during or immediately after a game. Yes everyone is frustrated but those who played would have felt the pain too right. It is so sad to see that and then a video which shows Arsenal fans fighting amongst themselves. What a sight it was.
Arsene has no excuse not to buy a centre back. None whatsoever. Mustafi is sitting there, bags packed and we are haggling over the price. Get on with it now or else even he will be gone. He should be playing the leicester game for christ sake.
Holding does look a good prospect. Chambers had his moments but then monreal was poor. The midfield looked clueless in the second half and alexis invisible for most parts. We were bound to lose after they scored the second goal.
The Arsenal cannot live in its past glory and neither can its modern day great manager. He has to get this sorted and now. Please Arsene please, do this now, you can, you need to.
Count me out! I have never, and hopefully never will boo my team or its manager. Yes, the club seems in the grip of some kind of paralysis, with the manager seemingly unable to spend the (in some cases) few extra mill to get the deals over the line. Criticise in print, or to your mates, and let Wenger know your feelings, as if he didn’t know already, but I refuse to believe the players weren’t trying their best on Sunday.
i would never be a boo boy
can’t imagine using the boo word
save good lady cba dropping her opera glasses
as she adjourned to her fainting stool with the vapours
.
dirty fuckin useless earn yer fuckin wages bastard cunt
i’ve got covered
bing
bang
BONG
“first of all
i’d like to thank my parents ”
and god
even though he knows more than most he’s just a made up nonsense
.
god knows
cba: Regarding Hindustani (that is, North Indian in comparison to Karnatic or South Indian, there are many similarities but some differences as well) classical … The traditional mode of presentation can test your patience if you are not used to it , so I thought of looking for some snippets . Try them out and if you like something look for more videos on the same raga. Happy listening.
https://youtu.be/ZtOQ49_hO8s
https://youtu.be/OzifzIQNyus
https://youtu.be/ntszwmL76g4
https://youtu.be/oSEuCJSnu94
cba: have posted some links as you requested but that comment is awaiting moderation. Once the maestro has cleared it up you should be able to see them.
Reports are filtering through that we’ve missed out on Mustafi due to our inaction, and that Chelsea may step in. Hope this is a load of shite.
Doc, try posting two at a time. They should get through. 😉
Regarding Hindustani (that is, North Indian in comparison to Karnatic or South Indian, there are many similarities but some differences as well) classical … The traditional mode of presentation can test your patience if you are not used to it , so I thought of looking for some snippets . Try them out and if you like something look for more videos on the same raga. Happy listening.
https://youtu.be/ZtOQ49_hO8s
https://youtu.be/OzifzIQNyus
Contd…
@56 is for cba. Two more. Thanks ‘Holic
https://youtu.be/ntszwmL76g4
https://youtu.be/oSEuCJSnu94
If you want the player, buy the player.
Every other fucking club can do business but not us.
Get it done or get to fuck.
I enjoyed a very reasonable view of the game from the Guvna. I as t looking forward to the opening of the season and it occurs to me that Wenger is a much better manager in the winter than the summer! The poor opening games are a bit symptomatic of a lassitude that seems to hit the club in August. We don’t recruit well. I haven’t felt Wenger has done enough in terms of strengthening the squad for years now and then we play like a toilet in the first game. Fortunately we also respond well to defeats and I hope this is the case again.
What I would say in answer to the criticism of the Guvna @10 is that the beauty of this bar is that people don’t throw their toys out of the pram Almost everyone accepts that Wenger is far from perfect. Like someone we know extremely well we appreciate him and get frustrated by him in equal measure.
I’m almost certain that in the short- term and probably the long- term we couldn’t find anybody who would do better in terms of league performance. Certainly there is big room for improvement in the Champions League . Why do I say this? Look at the Mustafi deal. Which other top clubs have to haggle over a few million for a transfer because of limits put on expenditure? That limit is imposed by the board or by Kroenke. That is not something any of the managers who might be more successWenger may be indecisive but he never deflects the blame onto the board. Maybe he is too conservative and doesn’t fight for funds hard enough? But the man doesn’t deserve the abuse he gets from the more vitriolic elements. Arsenal have been far more consistently good under him than they have since Chapman’s days- and football was a bit simpler in Chapman’s days.
The big question is whether under Wenger we can get beyond consistently good and become winners again
I’m sorry but all this guff that Wenger is working to orders is claptrap. Wenger decides who comes and goes, and he also determines how much we pay for each individual signing. We could pay £100m for a world class striker and the board would endorse that signing. Remember, even when the money was at its tightest due to the stadium spend, Wenger was still able to sign Reyes.
It is Wenger’s determination to run Arsenal as prudently as you would run a footsie 100 company that’s killing us. Ask yourself how Manure, hundreds of millions in debt, can afford to splash the cash. It’s because the Glazers know that if they ever put the club up for sale there would be a queue around the block. They would probably make a tidy profit too.
Easy, Cynic, my *11 was definitely tongue in cheek. And while I recognise AW as our greatest ever manager I’m with you believing his time has been up for a while now and would have Pochettino replace him in a heart-beat.
If rumours of another major signing are to be believed it better be Reus or Griezmann. Anyone of lesser quality, including Mustafi, will be a disappointment at this late stage.
And what of the Feelgood Factor? Did the Feelgood Chicken precede the Feelgood Egg, or was it the other way around?
The banter when Vardy streaks away from Chambers to score a Hatrick 😉
Hi CBA
Love Eddie Floyd but this one is for you.
Drink on the bar for you sir. Enjoy.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bJTFUTVdAq8
I have said for some considerable time now that I have very little confidence in this board. I certainly have no idea what they will do when the time comes to choose Arsene’s successor. That therefore puts Arsene in a very strong position.
As each day passes our transfer policy looks even more desperate. Again, I have little faith in those that are set to try and get any deal done. It all just seems so antiquated and out of touch. I just hope that in the remaining days that we manage to do something beneficial. I can’t say that at this stage I’m hugely optimistic though. Let’s home I’m very wrong.
Steve, if anything happens (a big if when everyone can see where the Mustafi deal is heading) you can bet your ass it will be too little, too late. Wenger will produce some unkown defender at 23:59 on deadline day and remind us of who we already have up front in justification of not bothering to buy a striker.
But don’t worry, Koscielny will be refreshed around the end of October, Gabriel will be back at the latest the end of September and we have Mert to look forward to in Feb. So there’s 3 ‘like a new signings’ to get excited about.
Porco. All I would say is that if the deadline passes with no significant improvement in the squad then the atmosphere at games really will be poisonous. Time to wait and see I guess but I agree fully that it’s all far too late yet again.
Still down under, although sadly, not for much longer.
Holic,
An excellent and very generous summary of Sunday’s game.
The crowd actually stayed quite positive on the whole although there was one loud but short burst of booung at 1-4.
Not from me, I hasten to add. All in all, a very disappointing but hardly surprising day.
goonsterham lincoln @6,
Your quote “so cut your fucking whinging, you fucking brats.”, doesn’t actually impress me at all.
It is the kind of regrettable nastiness that has become the normal response of a lot of people who should know better.
I’m not saying I agree with the “brats” either, I’m just more than tired of seeing this kind of answer to any sort of disagreement.
If you want people to respond to testing situations in a measured, mature way, then you can’t admire this kind of bile either.
Re: Porco @66.
In light of the Kallstrom signing, perhaps that should be amended to “Wenger will produce some unknown but injured defender at 23:59 on deadline day”?
Iwobi out for “about a month” say today’s reports. Which, for those still paying attention, is longer than the dreaded three weeks. 🙁
Liverpool have entered talks to sign mustafi.it just gets better.this fannying around needs to stop.
Lol, bt8 – very droll I think Gazidis might say!
For all I know Mustafi could be as good as Cygan (or not) but in any case
https://twitter.com/JamesPearceEcho/status/765923134700720128
@75 true iv seen very little of him myself bar the matches Germany played in the euros where I was more concerned with watching ozil TBH,would just like to see us take care of our business a bit better so frustrating.
Mahrez signs new deal with Leicester. It seems we were never interested. Who would have thought that?
Other than the Germany games I saw him (Mustafi) in 1 game last season against Barca. His team beat Barca on that night/day. They really played a good game in defense.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAWeJKWL8-
Evening all. Please don’t take the drinks down the social media route. 🙁
I don’t see why not H.
“Pissed off ” is way less than 149 characters….. 🙄
Silly sod 🙂
I have never seen such an atmosphere being generated by so few. Totally understand the frustration, but the abuse? Not for me…
…and thank you Trev, for both your earlier posts. 🙂
Are the new signings being “xtreme vetted”?
From a top man elsewhere.
“You don’t buy to get a good player for mid August if you can get a great one”
If the great one doesn’t arrive however, it’s open season, I accept.
Well done GB ladies in the hockey. They make the English football team look like a waste of space . In fact most of our Olympians make our footballers look like overpaid, overrated prima donnas.
Well said TTG 🙂
TTG@86, the term professional is appropriately applied to the approach taken by our Olympians whereas it seems somewhat inappropriate for many if not most ‘professional’ footballers.
Topical, but my childhood idols are here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3JAG6yagek
Lovely to hear Kenneth Wolstenholme again, ‘holic. Great game, regardless we lost – probably cos Poo had that black cat (38th minute) bringing them all the luck!
Talking of “overpaid, overrated prima donnas”, TTG, Rooney has been told he must ‘prove himself’ if he wants to up his £300,000 a week salary… http://metro.co.uk/2016/08/17/wayne-rooney-wont-be-offered-new-contract-until-he-proves-himself-to-manchester-united-6072922/
And people say we should be signing such ‘super stars’.
Apropos which, does anyone understand FFP? Okay, Manure is a rich club and probably makes that sort of profit, but Man Shitty haven’t made a profit in more than a decade as far as I can work out, so how come they can still buy premium players?
Even more daft was the recent testimonial match for Rooney. Correct me if I am wrong but weren’t testimonial matches originally played to reward players for their efforts at a time when playing football meant forgoing a decent slary and retirement benefits in proper full-time employment? I’d love to know where else a twat like Rooney could earn a zillionth of his fat football wad.
now now chris
think of all the extra grannies pensions
he could top up with his wad
.
or
94 minus pensions for disgustinger mental image
.
*shudders*
sorry
and it not long past breakfast
?
tone sufficiently lowered
i’ll bid you all a good day
UP THE ARSENAL
Just read Arsene’s comments at morning press conference.
Doesn’t sound like a man in crisis.
If he has balls of steel,he won’t play Kos/Oz and Giroud at Leicester.
Give them another week,and have them ready for the Watford game.
He was at his most Confucian:
“To buy is not a quality, it is easy to buy; to buy well the player who makes you better is a quality.”
*curves a ball across the six yard box, for……*
I heard it too @ 97. To me it’s a man at his wit’s end that he can’t get the deals he wants done, at the price he wants (sure that conservatism suits Stan and Ivan too). Spoke about players who fail after transfer, spoke about not over spending, spoke about the low supply. Gripped with fear. This is a duck paddling frantically below the surface but simply swimming around in circles on the same spot.
This shit about players not being ready after the Euros…
Lloris and Sagna both started at the weekend, Payet played 25 minutes on Monday, Can played 20 minutes for Liverpool having played the semi final for Germany and I can guess without checking that the entire Welsh side would have played for their clubs at the weekend.
Because, you know … they are men not babies.
Oh and Martial played 85 minutes for United on Saturday.
That’s just checking the English leagues, I’ve not bothered to see which leagues in Europe have started, or which players playing outside England have had matches.
Given the fact that Arsenal has a disturbing history with strange injuries for whatever reason and that players physiologies are essentially different, Wenger giving most of his guys a rest after a major tournament shouldn’t be used against him. He should know how strong or brittle his players are and which of them would need rest the most.
Not getting adequate replacement for the injured players is another matter.
And maybe his entire approach to training, managing the physical shape of players and prepping them for games is 20 years out of date.
Just a thought.
I haven’t had a single training session under him so would be grossly unqualified to say if he’s behind the times or not. Stories like that have a way of finding themselves in the press a la Van Gaal and his United misadventures.
Still, there is something wrong somewhere, just don’t know what it is.
This is the reality of the market conditions Arsenal are faced with, and I don’t mind if I do quote Arsene Wenger:
“There are two markets, one for English clubs, one for the rest of Europe.”
“It is dangerous. English clubs suffocate themselves by buying players at a high price with high wages, if it goes wrong you are left with players with high wages,” he said.
“The identity of the buyer multiplies transfers by two or three or even 10 times more.”
I wish we had more young candidates to come into the central defensive and striker positions, but if Chuba can take his chances, and if Arsene offers him enough chances in early season games, it could be a solution to that problem. But Arsene needs to find the right experienced defender(s) to buy because Chambers, Bielik and Holding don’t tick that box, not yet anyway. Based on their performances and injuries in the last few months Mertesacker and Gabriel may be headed out the door sooner than we know.
It’s just an excuse if it is the case that there are two markets, because it is exactly the same for every English club as it is for us. And they all do their business every transfer window, while Wenger sits on his hands and does fuck all.
Incidentally, he’s massively overpaid for a player like Chambers in the domestic market so his excuse doesn’t wash, and £35m for Xhaka looks like far too much for a player we didn’t need anyway.
Chambers was a mistake in my opinion. Unless he proves me wrong in future but he should probably be out on loan now. Xhaka is brand new so no way to judge yet but he looks very able.
Wenger’s comment about the identity of the buyer has two levels of scale. First is being English and second is being one of the richer (but without limitless riches) clubs. Wenger knows the market better than anybody so if you discount his knowledge you detract from your own knowledge about it. Criticism is fair but blind criticism certainly not.
Xhaka far to much for a player we don’t need!no offence cynic but we have been crying for years for a holding midfielder put my house on it he will be a great buy, top notch player.his cameo last week was pony but I’d put that down to frustration of not starting.a lot to come from him.
the wherewithal for Old Jamaica
.
yet we go home wi a wee paper bag o White Mice
.
.
.
Refreshers
Fizz Bombs
PLEASE
Players Please
Did u watch mick Conlon?CBA terrible the poor lad.
–
other advertising references are available
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i did gar
fuckin fiasco
Shocking,loved the way he called out the judges,mad hooer.
Didn’t Lloris get injured? Martial hardly played at the Euros, so not a fair comparison, and let’s see how Pogba fares this week-end and how many minutes he gets. It’s hard to tell the difference between criticism and petulance at the moment in some parts.
Yes, we need another forward and a CB, though buying for the sake of novelty doesn’t seem like a good strategy. We lost 2 central mids in last few months (Arteta, Flamini) who were replaced by El Nenny and Xhaka. On that front I don’t see much that’s wrong with the club or Wenger’s position.
Look at teams around us – which of the 2015 incoming transfers at Manchester United (Darmian,Schweinsteiger, Schneiderlin, Romero, Martial – per soccerbase) can be said to have improved them?
what else would ye do gar
.
stunk to high heavens
If or when we fail to sign a striker I sure as hell hope Wenger actually attempts to use Akpom rather than just letting him sit on the sidelines and rotating Giroud with Sanchez (which looks unlikely to work well).
Cynic
Lloris is out for four weeks with a hamstring injury and Payet is doubtful with a calf injury.
Wenger’s pressers are a source of pain for both him and the expectant masses at the moment. He won’t compromise on his pricing of players and other clubs know he has a stack of money . Deadlock!
It could be fun to skewer a member or two of the press just to lighten things up.
Meedja bastards professional distortion artists. Wankers.
All said in good humour of course. 😉
easy 8ball
meedja bastards perform a function
not all bottom feed
some have it couriered to the top
*shines gold tooth*
Nane may courier my arse but for eight pieces of gold, cba.
My share of the transfer and advisory fees you see. 😀
ye’ve set a price
that’s good i s’pose
.
?
Evening all, unbelievably a fourth night of good weather so in the garden with the neighbours ?
Leicester preview will be posted tomorrow.
Play nicely 😉
Hey ‘holic. 😀
You intervened at just the right time.
Alright bt8 🙂
And the inimitable cba. 😉
Wenger knows the market better than anybody
Nope, he doesn’t.
Sorry but he doesn’t. Not any more. It’s another area that he has been left behind in.
am back in donegal
shortly unfortunately
cows, noises, smells
brain given a much needed rinse
.
anyhoo
thankyou doc fau
i zap things on youtube
listen later
loved it
had a ravi shankar double lp
donkeys ago – yellow cover
is he Hindustani ?
loved one of the sides
and
like someone calling me scottish
best intentions
given we both as nations
talk funny in the rain
i saw nusrat fateh ali khan
a good 30 years ago in London
great big lump of a brilliant singer
ah jesus ‘holic
how’s it goin big man
and
cheers upside down steve T
?
and
THERE’S ONLY ONE ZICO !!!!!
ONE ZICO O !!!!!!!
etc
i’m not made o fuckin money
.
.
i dunno how you can all still afford to post messages here
after ‘holic introduced the mandatory government directive
20p a word
You could be right Cynic but “knowing” the market is a little stacked in your favor if you have mountains of cash at the ready.
Feeling mentally refreshed myself due to a swim in a cold granite lake in the Trinity Alps of California after climbing to a beautiful 7,500 foot meadow for a great view of the massive snow-capped Mount Shasta looming above the horizon nearly 50 miles in the distance while in the other direction loomed an equally fantastic view of a sawtooth ridge and assorted peaks and lakes all around. What summer is all about and well worth missing our demise against Liverpool.
EXploIteD BarrrrMY ArMy!
Come oOOOon!
EdDie HaPgooD!!!
cba@122: ain’t that the truth.
Talks funny in the rain AND is as mad as a box of frogs.
See. Be. Aay.
well 8ball
i just swatted a daddy long legs of wright brothers proportions
it’s still attempting aviation on me ceiling
watched an old beast obviously near death
still flick it’s tail as a thirsty already weaned calf
not even her’s bullied and near pushed her on her side
to take advantage of her and
my fuckin useless self could do nothing
cos roaring woulda been a nightmare for the oul girl
just had to wait til the wee raider fucked off
the oul doll is sat at the edge now
she’ll probably not be tomorrow
Fizz Bombs with those cobwebs, you say. 😀
All good here, thanks cba.
Sorry about the old’un.
Evening z, Ned, SSY, Cynic. Hope all are well.
The permanently pissed off,have still not breached the walls of Castle Wenger.
The loyal troops are sticking fast.
The slings and arrows from beyond the moat,are crashing relentlessly against the Castle walls to no avail.
The siege of CW has been long and tedious,and shows no signs of abating.
But it is water off a ducks back to King Wenger,a man of foresight,and learned beyond his years,who many years ago,had a working farm installed on the land at the rear of the Castle.
Thus ensuring a constant supply of fresh food and water for his loyal followers.
H e has also installed central heating and hot water in the Castle,thus ensuring the warmth and comfort of its inhabitants.
Also on the land at the rear of the Castle,he has installed a football pitch for winter activities,and a cricket pitch to keep the troops active during summer,with a swimming pool and tennis courts being built as we speak,the Castle is virtually self sustaining.
The PPO have no idea what to do next,as their leaders are prevaricators at best,and pretty clueless at worst,and keep resorting to yelling fruitlessly at the Castle walls, ” Wenger out,Wenger out ”
The siege rolls on.
🙂
Smiling, Clive. Hope all is well, sir.
Good stuff Clive. Painted a fine picture there.
cba: Yes Ravi Shankar was trained in North Indian tradition. The late great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was a Quawwali singer. Quawwali is mostly devotional song in Sufi tradition.
If to your ears they sounded somewhat similar it is not surprising at all. Those two traditions have influenced each other, and both share a focus on modal improvisation.
Have we signed anyone yet?
😀
Musical Interlude : http://tinyurl.com/zxaxby3
doc fau
knew of him from john peel
was an absolutely amazing experience
knew two songs before
and he played one
mind you it lasted a half hour
and i phonetically joined in
not noisily
in retrospect perhaps i was disrespectful
if they are worshipful
but i loved the tune
Shankar’s daughter hums a mean air too, cba. I’m still surprised by that relationship.
You could be right Cynic but “knowing” the market is a little stacked in your favor if you have mountains of cash at the ready.
I don’t say that because of the money, I say it because he hasn’t found any relative unknowns who have turned out to be word class. He has gone from signing Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and company to the likes of Andre Santos, Park and Sanogo.
Now in the past there was plenty of dead wood to go along with the gems, but where are the gems thesedays?
Other, supposedly lesser, clubs are now spotting the unknowns like Payet and Mahrez and Kante and getting the rewards.
It’s ok for Wenger to claim we knew about them but didn’t sign them but if you believe that we did, and I don’t, the fact that we didn’t sign them suggests a lack of ability in knowing the players and their potential.
Just a thought.
My first line should have ended “for ages”
Cynic@149, I think you have forgotten Koscielny, Monreal, Jenkinson, Gabriel, Cazorla, Elneny, Xhaka from the current squad, and Sagna, Vermaelen, Hleb, Song, Toure, Clichy, Adebayor, Van Persie, Eduardo to name but a few from previous squads. Maybe not world class but real quality none the less, certainly enough so for Barcelona, United and City to get the cheque books out on a regular basis. I had never heard of any of them before they joined us. They all performed well with us but fared much worse once they had left and were beyond AW’s influence.
I just wanted to restore some balance and felt it was unfair to juxtapose the likes of Henry and Vieira with Santos and Sanogo. There have been many signings over the years of very good players, as illustrated above who have joined us for a quite reasonable price and have been envied by other clubs.
I laud Devon Stu for his desire to lift those of us inclined to doubt with some very constructive arguments. My attention was taken by an article today in the Guardian ( and I don’t often say that! ) written by the flowery but challenging Richard Williams. He said this,
” It is surely time to stop offering him the ritual thanks for his ( Wenger’s) modernising influence on English football’s daily habits and to hold him to account instead for what Arsenal have become since his patron, David Dein, stepped down from the board nine years ”
I agree with some parts of the article but like most critics he fails to take stock of the level of Arsenal’s decline. Chelsea slipped from champions last season to relegation candidates at Christmas, Man United have failed to reach the Champions League, two years out of the last three and Liverpool had dropped off the radar of anybody looking at the powerhouses in English football. Arsenal have been consistent at a high level for twenty years. It’s just not the highest!
The big question is
“Are Arsenal a second tier club in major European terms overachieving or are they a top tier club flatlining in playing terms?”
The knee- jerk answer is the latter for many but Gazidis in his comments about needing to proceed with caution in the transfer market because Arsenal were contending against more financially powerful clubs suggests the former. Certainly those of us paying top dollar for our season tickets find it hard to accept that a club like Arsenal can be financially outgunned but this close season rather suggests they are.
I watched Sanchez closely last Sunday and there was a man who seemed not to want to be on that pitch. Given his usual appetite for the game one wonders if there is a morale issue and Wenger is showing a real decline in his managerial powers.
We debate this endlessly on here in fact as soon as you are outed as a Gooner the first question asked is where you stand on Wenger. It is becoming so difficult to sustain enthusiasm against this backdrop and one can only hope that tomorrow’s result reignites the passions of Gooners everywhere.
I sense an ennui in this bar and I think we all want to focus on more exciting things on the playing field. The trouble is Wenger is making it hard for us to do that at present
This is the Williams article in full in the Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2016/aug/19/arsene-wenger-arsenal-story-final-unhappy
Excellent point devon stu@151.
Another thing that is sometimes forgotten in the clamour for new signings is Arsene’s ability to promote youngsters at the right time – or ‘finding internal solutions’ as he tends to put it. His promotion and subsequent perseverance with Bellerin is a fine example of that. Bellerin had a really tough beginning to his arsenal career – especially that away Champions league game at Dortmund. But in a very short time after that he established himself as our first choice right back and perhaps one of the best young full backs in the world at the moment. When has Mourinho ever played a raw youngster in a game of that magnitude or given chances to such promising youngsters consistently in his teams?
Another fine example of the same is Alex Iwobi. Wenger had him train with the first team squad from the beginning of last season and gave him a breakthrough post Christmas. If we had gone market hopping for a slightly more established player of similar ability – he would have easily cost us nearly 20m £ if not more.
Francis Coquelin’s emergence has also been written off by many as something Wenger just ‘struck upon ‘ by happenstance. He was called back from his loan in the last week of December and we could easily bought a new defensive midfielder in first two weeks of January itself(Coquelin performed at an average level in his first few games back and it only towards the end of January that his performances caught everyone’s eye – most notably against City).
In the wake of our current inactivity in the transfer market, it is easy to overlook the good qualities of the manager. The club would do well sometimes though to sense the mood of the fanbase and push through deals faster when it is clear that buying a player is inevitable. And also Arsene could be advised by PR people at the club to stop giving philosophical answers in press conferences regarding the transfer market scenario or about finding players who ‘improve’ the squad. Sometimes a short and ambigious ‘ We are working on it’ would be a better answer. It should be crystal clear to the club after so many years of Arsene’s management that his intellect and ability to act differently than norms is constantly painted badly by British and general football media, even ridiculing it to suit their narratives. They should be doing everything in their capacity to prevent alienation/anger of their own fanbase and to prevent the media narrative to take over completely. A couple of million pounds extra above their evaluation of a player would be a small price to pay for that.
Well said, ‘desi’gner gooner. On the other hand, ambiguity is one of Arsene’s unique attributes in dealing with the press and I’m not sure they would at this point not try to turn “We are working on it” into headlines meaning the exact opposite. Is that ambiguous enough for you? 😉
“Are Arsenal a second tier club in major European terms overachieving or are they a top tier club flatlining in playing terms?”
Both.
🙂
cba@147: Absolutely not disrespectful. If you are attending the performance of a gospel choir would you find joining in the chorus disrespectful? Same here.
Chris@148: And his other daughter is a very accomplished Sitar player too.
About Arsenal’s defense, mostly agree with this http://arseblog.com/2016/08/centreflack/ . We simply do not demonstrate a collective focus on defending from the front often enough. We do it in patches, we do it in some matches, but not consistently enough.
Clive@142: 🙂
The Scout’s Tale: How clubs sign players:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2657153-how-a-player-gets-signed-in-the-transfer-window-a-scouts-perspective
Leicester preview and win an Arsenal 2016/17 shirt. >>>>>>>>>>>>