I have end of season blues. The past few weeks have been tough but are nothing compared to the cold turkey that starts on Sunday evening. Every close season is tough, but with the prospect of having the “scum from the Lane” gloating for 6 weeks, and the media circus that surrounds the World Cup, this summer is going to be grueling.
However, we have the little matter of tying up 3rd place and automatic qualification to the CL. For goodness sake Arsenal please do not blow this…. the consequences are unthinkable. Fortunately today’s opposition have bigger fish to fry in just 4 days time.
If we could have picked who to play today, there can be little doubt Fulham would be at the very top of the list. Fulham have never beaten us at home, and have won only one away game all season – to Pompey on the first day of the season!
In my early childhood Fulham were famous for paying the then England captain, Johnny Haynes the amazing sum of 100 pounds a week. The furore was all over the back pages of the papers. How could a humble footballer be paid such an outrageous amount of money?? If only they knew what was to come!! The 60’s saw Tommy Trinder and Jimmy Hill. Then there was a fine season when Rodney Marsh, George Best and an ageing Bobby Moore played at The Cottage, three of the greatest entertainers ever to grace a pitch. Unfortunately putting two huge party animals together was never going to be a recipe for success and Best’s alcoholism ended the fun, but I was lucky enough to see them play.
It says much about Fuham that no-one I have ever met has Fulham on their hate list. No-one dislikes them. Even with a Chairman of such dubious background that he still awaits a British Passport!
It is difficult to find enough praise for Fulham’s achievements this season, and it would be a fitting testimony to the work of their manager and team should they win the Europa Cup. None of the Fulham team would get in our first choice team (OK – the GK ) and yet with hard work, excellent tactics and what AW calls “spirit”, Fulham have had the most exciting season in their history. It would be understandable if Hodgson rested some players today, Zamora is out as is Duff. Hangeland is expected to play and is a supposed Arsenal transfer target. It is interesting to note that Wenger says he has never put in a bid for Hangeland despite the media telling us that Fulham had turned down a substantial bid last summer …. who do yo believe?
For Arsenal, Clichy could make a return which would help the team after Traore was so anonymous at Ewood. Bendtner, Rosicky, Cesc, Vermaelen, Gallas, Song, Ramsey, Almunia and Denilson are all injured. Will Vela or Eduardo get another start? Could Arshavin be playing his final game at THOF? (I do not believe all the transfer talk). It will certainly be Silvestre’s last appearance. Some may say that he has been a poor signing, but nonetheless he has been wearing an Arsenal shirt and as such deserves support and thanks for his input.
The Craven Cottage game earlier in the season saw us gain a 1-0 victory thanks to a RVP first half goal (in the days when we could hold a lead!), but the stand out player that day was our goalkeeper, the 21 y.o. Vitto Mannone. Could he get a chance to repeat his heroics this afternoon? The goalkeeping issue has been covered at enormous length in the blogs, suffice it to say that Fabianski doesn’t inspire confidence with the fans, but Mr. Wenger will surely continue with The Pole in Goal.
As this is my final preview of the season, it would be churlish not to supply some facts about the London Borough of Fulham. Called Fulham because the tiny hamlet was owned by a man named Fulla- it was home to the Bishop of London in the 12th century. By the 18th century Fulham was known as a haunt for gambling and prostitution, which is appropriate considering the other football club within Fulham’s boundary!
I expect us to end the season on a high, winning with style and brio. RvP will definitely score today. One last time this season…… Come on you Rip Roaring Gunners.
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
A fine England win in the cricket yesterday must surely herald a good afternoon for those lucky enough to attend today.
It is freezing here and I am deeply envious of anyone going to THOF. The end of season tour of the pitch by the players was always a season highlight for me – the idea of an 80 minute protest walkout is simply stupid.
The discussion of how our season panned out and whether there was progress will carry us through the long summer.
Hi Raddy, Well done nice reminiscence, but also remember the kind of football we had to endure back then at Highbury.
We will win today, none but the moronic, financially clueless, spend, spend brigade will even contemplate walking out at 80 Min’s. The whole squad will do the lap of honour. So are they going to Boo Cesc, RVP, Ramsey, TV, Sol I think not. Then Arsene will tie up his new signings before going off to work for french TV, a great new season beckons and if that has not cheered you up. Here is something from your youth that will,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vubJL1BbBn8
Morning all,
Top post Raddy, I shall be saying a ‘glad goodbye’ to Silverstre 😛
dandan, much as I love you 😆 I assume your tongue if firmly planted in your cheek when you say “Arsène will tie up his new signings before going off to work for French tv” . I’d bet your house that Chamakh will be the ‘big signing’ announced before the world cup and would be pleasantly surprised if we get any other players before the last month of the transfer window.
I will bet DanDAn’s house that you are right Rasp…..
You two buggers keep your thieving mitts of my Nissan hut LOL
Oh yea of little faith Arsene is on a mission, we are gonna shove all the anti Arsenal verbal Diarrhea straight back up the Journo’s chuff next season, believe me.
I will bet all your houses that chamakh will NOT be the only signing before june 11th.
go back and do the history check on AW signings before the emms.
average of 3 signings per summer 😉
A very classy post BR, the best to date if you don’t mind me saying.
I fear DanDan is going to be homeless 😉
1998/99
Ljungberg Halmstads £3,000,000
Pennant Notts Co £2,000,000
Kanu Inter £4,500,000
Diawara Bordeaux £2,500,000
Luzhny Dynamo Kiev £1,800,000
1999/00
Malz 1860 Munich £650,000
Sylvinho Corinthians £4,000,000
Suker Real Madrid £500,000
Henry Juventus £10,500,000
Lauren Mallorca £7,200,000
2000/01
Pires Marseille £6,000,000
Wiltord Bordeaux £13,000,000
Stepanovs Skonto Riga £1,000,000
Danilevicius Lausanne Spo £1,000,000
Edu Corinthians £6,000,000
Jeffers Everton £8,000,000
2001/02
Van Bronckh. Rangers £8,500,000
Wright Ipswitch £6,000,000
Tavlaridis Iraklis Sal £600,000
Touré ASEC Abid. £150,000
2002/03
Cygan Lille £2,100,000
Gilberto Alt Mineiro £4,500,000
2003/04
Senderos Servette £2,500,000
Reyes Seville £10,500,000
Van Persie Feyenoord £2,750,000
2004/05
Eboue Bevern £1,000,000
2005/06
Mannone Atalanta £350,000
Diaby Auxerre £2,000,000
Adebayor Monaco £7,000,000
Walcott Southampton £5,000,000*
Rosicky Dortmund £6,800,000
—
that git wenger… never signs any players 😆
something happened around 2006 time… that stunted this spending.. hmmmmm
avg summer spend of 25M before the emms.
now the emms project is under control, the club are solvent again after paying off the 133m connected to the higbury square.
you can expect that avg spend to certainly be a minimum abg spend from this summer onwards.
i could not be more excited about the best years of wenger’s reign that we are about to witness.
we now have a world class stadium, a world class academy producing the odd wonderkid of our own, we have world class spending ablility, we will have a world class team terrorising europe.
its inevitable.
No-one’s saying we’re not going to sign players SfH (as far as I can see) just doubting that it will all be sewn up before the WC.
rasp – i think the noises come out from AW suggest he would prefer to get business wrapped up before the WC, the press conferences for the players might be in august…as they always have been in the past, but he has indicated openly that he is doing business and is in touch with agents/players.
he likes to unveil all the signings together at one press conference.
Excellent retro post again BR.
As much as it will pain me, I hope Fulhams brilliant goalie lets in @ least one goal today.
“What I can say is that the World Cup will not affect our recruitment, unless there is an exception that nobody could foretell.
“In my view it is dangerous to buy on the back of a World Cup – for one thing the prices afterwards are always artificial, and for another you have to bear in mind that anyone can have three weeks of glory on a football field.
“All told, I believe that the earlier you settle your teams for the next season, the better it is and the less anxiety you have.”
And I thought it was only me who rememered the chap on the North Bank roaring “come on you rip roaring reds!” back in the 80’s! I shouted this at the Emirates (Stoke) this season and only got the ocassional snigger of recognition.
SfH, what Arsène wants, what he says in his press releases and what eventually transpires are often quite different. I’ve said before that we have not had a surprise signing since Reyes.
All of our signings over recent years have been lengthy open negotiations as we are experiencing with Chamakh at the moment. If we do make a s surprise early signing (before the WC) I would expect it to be n ‘unkown’. If we are interested in any player of world renown, I would expect it to be a drawn out affair and not completed before the WC.
yes rasp they have been
about the time of this emms move, correct?
money tight, haggling, etc etc?
there is a pattern for sure.
of the list above… of all his transfers during our peak seasons… how many of those signing were “world renound” at the time, rasp?
i see one, gilberto.
he had a massive WC in japan, and we got him after that.
the rest were unknown quantities with talent but yet to show it.
About 1/3 were of the calibre to interest other top clubs in europe I’d say.
name them rasp, lets check out the ones that were “world renound”
i could give you a list of 100 “potential” world renounds right now… but they are potential… as were most of the above.
OK SfH, time will tell. You are suggesting that Arsène will be true to his press release and sign 2 to 3 players before the WC. If Chamakh is included, that makes 1-2 agreed? Most supporters believe we need a GK and CB so, I think that if he chooses to reinforce the squad in areas of weakness, he should be signing 3 players before the WC – never gonna happen 😛
also, rasp, do you see the pattern of the haggling and long drawn out transfers since moving to the emms?
i like to look beyond media manipulation of events and form my own opinion of what goes on.
arsenal and arsenes’ words are always ripped apart and twisted to kingdom come, the media like that.
our fans used to be able to spot it in the past.
i think a lot will be “back on” the Aw bandwagon soon enough… is what i think, rasp 😎
SfH, yes to your 2:49 – I never said or implied anything different.
The implication in a lot of your responses when you don’t agree with another blogger is that they are incapable of forming their own opinion – not every opinion that is different to yours has to be ‘impure’.
Do you not conceive that it is possible for people to hold an opinion that differs from yours that has been formed by their own judgement and interpretation of events.
SFH
Just to clarify, are you saying that the transfers have been long and drawn out since moving or the other way round?
Stringfellow Hawke Says:
May 9, 2010 at 2:49 pm edit
also, rasp, do you see the pattern of the haggling and long drawn out transfers since moving to the emms?
London since moving, because money had been tight… and the long drawn out transfers have started since we moved home.
All makes perfect sense.
rasp your post at 241 indicates a frustration with AW
but if your 256 post is anything to go by
you are suggesting you understand why we have had issues and you perfectly underatand the constraints…
yet you still want to moan about it?
how does that one work?
you cannot have it both ways, surely?
one hand you understand.. on the other you dont and will moan and feel pessimistic.
makes no sense.
just trying to get to the bottom of how you really feel rasp
i know you like the fence but you give out mixed signals.
This is a blogsite – people come on to have a moan – it’s the natrure of the beast.
I do plenty of praising and defending our team/manager.
Life and blogging would be very boring if everyone was in positive harmonious agreement. I am not scared of stating my opinions here or anywhere else.
I believe that (for whatever reason you care to prescribe) our transfer dealings and the PR that surrounds them have been exasperating for several years.
its not about praising… understanding a situation and the underlying reasons for the actual cause of this exasperation .. is TOTALLY different from feint praise.
there is a growing problem
most like to come on a blog, have a moan… and add some salt and pepper to this moan in order the moan is spiced up with some very debatable suggestions.
i usually come on with actual facts and figures to counter such moans.. and add the positive side to the story with very undebatable facts and figures.
this acts as a catalyst to disturb the equilibrium of the moans.
OK, just to clarify, whether your comment was aimed at me or not – I call it as I see it and I encourage everyone else who favours us with their opinion on this site to do the same irrespective of whether I agree with them or not.
SfH – can you extend your season-by-season transfer list up to the current season – then we can compare average spend before and since the move to Emms.
Hey whoaa… just a moment SfH. You may have a fair spattering of facts, but a lot of what you and every other blogger come out with is supposition and conjecture. Only Arsène knows what Arsène knows – isn’t that right?
ok RL… hold on.
well today, i have said these “long draw out transfers” that have caused the exasperation have started since the move… you have not yet agreed to this, i have asked a few times to no avail
but once you do agree, you will understant there is no conjecture there, its a fact.
before the half billion buck move to a new home, we nailed the trasnfers.. then we had to penny pinch
come on, it really is not rocket science
the club told us it would be a ride until the finances settled, even they did not envisage the global meltdown to make things worse
why the exasperation? it was mapped out years ago.. as was the joy that will come from this summer onwards.
It seems to me that despite AW stating he would like to complete signings prior to the WC….
If the player is on show in SA then they would be crazy to agree a fee prior to the tournament. Why would they? Either the players value will remain the same or rise, it being highly unlikely to fall with huge public exposure.
We will not sign anyone bar Chamakh pre WC. Want to bet a bottle of cyber Krug SfH?
SFH, For Christ sake why are you so dogmatic and aggressive, this blog is about discussion not confrontation, no one is all right or wrong we reflect many views here, please respect the posters and there opinion, whether it matches yours or not.
The trouble with Blogsite discussions is that it’s always easy to write something with a bit of snark in it and it’s equally easy for others to take offence. Refusing to take offence at someone else’s harsh words is probably the best way of keeping the debate going in a healthy way.
Mind you, if anyone calls me a tw*t for saying this, then I’m off to the pub.
summer 07
Lukasz Fabianski ( £2m, Legia Warsaw)
Carlos Eduardo da Silva (£7.5m, Dinamo Zagreb )
Bacary Sagna (£7m, Auxerre)
Lassana Diarra (undisclosed, Chelsea
(recouped 20m from henry and freddie sales)
summer 08
Carlos Alberto Véla Garrido (returning from loan, work permit approved)
Aaron Ramsey (£5m, Cardiff)
Samir Nasri (£11m, Marseille)
Amaury Bischoff (undisclosed, Werder Bremen)
Mikaël Silvestre (£750k, Manchester United)
jan 08
arshavin 15M
summer 09
Vermalen 9m
dandan – i wish others would respect my views at times, and when others dont, i wish you would hollow up then aswell
keep it nice and fair, or i might think its a pack mentatliy 😎
Br – is the bet you think we will sign nobosy before the WC bar chamakh?
im understand that some have to stick together on here, as they are introduced as authors etc
but that kind of takes away the impartiality of the whole blog then… no?
it has gone tits up in the past such a set up.
Further to your 3.25 SfH.
You say that we signed relative unknowns prior to 2006. The fact is that thanks to the WWW there are no unkowns. Even 16y.o. kids from Ulan Bator get a million hits on Youtube!
Therefore the ability to make a quick raid has disappeared. The kids have a multitude of agents all of whom play the clubs against each other. It takes time and the agents have learned to go to press as soon as any interest is shown.
Why else do we read every week from a “source” (read agent) that AW is “interested”.
I pointed to this in my post. Hangerland was supposed to be on his way to THOF, yet AW didn’t make any attempt to sign him. Strangely enough, Hangerland got a new contract at the end of summer……
very good point, BR
RL 3.28. Well said.
SfH. 3.30 Yes it is.
SfH, I agreed with you @ 2:56 – read back.
I also said I hadn’t implied otherwise.
Stop looking for a fight where there isn’t one. Only time will tell if your view is accurate in every detail or as is usually the case, that the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle ground.
ok, i think chamakh and 2 other deals may well already have been done.
its obvious the chamkah deal was done in feb, as chamakh was quoted as saying this week, but we will not get offical word of it until next week.
so there could be the chance that we are strongly linked but the offical arsenal conference may not be till after the WC.
although the deals were tied up prior to it.
in light of that, i shall however take up the bet.
Thanks SfH.
Very disappointed about Lewis Hamilton’s/Theo’s last lap blow out. Deserved better after a great drive.
Anyone have an opinion about MU or the Chavs today? I think the Chavs have been by far the best team this year and deserve to be Champions. Sticks in the craw though
rasp – not looking for a fight at all, bit you make mixed noises, you agree on one hand, but then your words describe a different view aswell… was just getting to the root of where you actually stand.
deep breaths all round.
An easy out SfH 🙂 We could make a signing in Jan and say the deal was agreed pre WC !!
Thinking of which. The conclusion of the Chamakh deal will hopefully shutup the criticsm of why AW didn’t sign a striker in Jan. I said at t he time this was the case but got a mess of abuse on another site (surprisingly!)
I have always been consistent in my view as far as I am aware. I hate the idea of a ‘whip’ in party politics – it is anti-democratic. In the same way I don’t like the idea that I have to support everything the club does whether I am in agreement or not ….. simples 😉
haha br
no defo not, i will take up the bet as it stands.
i back us making official arsenal statements announcing a signing other than MC before june 11th
bet on 😉
rasp, you are indeed correct, nobody should support everything the club does
but one should definately UINDERSTAND the basis to why the club HAS done certain things in light of the move to the emms.
that’s all.
AA and Clichy start. Fulham make 8 changes from the Stoke game.
Some indication of their expectations today 😉
Right. I am off to crack open the first Tuborg, get on the settee and enjoy a comfortable victory.
Seeya at half time….
i never liked my parents not buying me a ferrari on my 18th birthday.. but i understood why they did not… and dealt with it.
incredible end to the italian season, real drama!!
And that’s another thing SfH – you always have to have the last word 😆 prove me wrong and drop it eh? ….
yes i think its a good time to drop it and brush it under the carpet.. far easier 😉
Agreed 😎
SfH – our spending patterns pre-and-post the Emms move (based on your figures) don’t completely support your argument. Year by year the total spend on new players has been as follows:
1998/99: £13.8m
1990/00: £22.85m
2000/01: £35m
2001/02: £15.25m
2002/03: ££6.6m
2003/04: £15.75m
2004/05: £1.0m
MOVE TO EMMS
2006/07: ?? No figures – is this because we signed no-one?
2007/08: £16.5m
2008/09: £31.75m
2009/10: £9.0m
2005/06: £21.15m
The pattern, such as it is, is irregular – but spending post Emms hasn’t exactly fallen off a cliff (particularly in the windows before and during the 08/09 season).
In fact, the average for the last four seasons is £19.6m.
I find these figures odd myself, because in principle I agree with you that it has felt like we’ve been cash-poor these last few years and I also feel that Wenger is sending strong signals that he’ll spend big this summer. I think you’ll be claiming BR’s Krug for sure!
Perhaps one explanation is that spending £20m in 2000 bought you a lot more quality than spending £20m in this current era of hyper-inflated transfer fees, so although we have been spending at almost the same rate in actual pounds, our spend relative to value has fallen.
Sorry – one year ended up in the wrong place – it should be:
1998/99: £13.8m
1990/00: £22.85m
2000/01: £35m
2001/02: £15.25m
2002/03: ££6.6m
2003/04: £15.75m
2004/05: £1.0m
2005/06: £21.15m
MOVE TO EMMS
2006/07: ?? No figures – is this because we signed no-one?
2007/08: £16.5m
2008/09: £31.75m
2009/10: £9.0m
And rather than an average of £19.6m for the last four years, we in fact can say there’s an average of just over £19m for the last three years.
My point still holds though.
RL – i think we need to incorporate net figures.
let me get them.
summer 07 we got 19m back on henry and fred
summer 08 we got 12m back on hleb
summer 09 44m on toure ade
98/99
PLAYER TO FEE
Wright West Ham £500,000
Rankin Bradford £1,300,000
Day Bournemouth £20,000
Huck Bournemouth £50,000
Diawarra Marseille £3,000,000
99/00
Bould Sunderland £500,000
Crowe Portsmouth £1,000,000
Livermore Millwall £30,000
Anelka Real Madrid £23,000,000
Boa Morte Southampton £500,000
00/01
Bothroyd Coventry £1,000,000
Overmans Barcelona £25,000,000
Petit Barcelona £5,000,000
McGovern Norwich £50,000
01/02
Malz Kaiserslau. £580,000
Demel Dortmund £194,000
Sylvinho Celta Vigo £3,500,000
02/03
Manninger Espanyol £960,000
Wright Everton £3,500,000
Upson Birmingham £1,000,000
1 nil, Arshavin
03/04
Thomas Charlton £100,000
04/05
Jeffers Charlton £2,600,000
05/06
Veiria Juventus £13,700,000
Cygan Villareal £2,000,000
Stokes Sunderland £2,000,000
Lauren Portsmouth £500,000
Larsson Birmingham £1,000,000
Muamba Birmingham £4,000,000
Aliadiere Middlesbr. £1,500,000
Henry Barcelona £16,100,000
Llungberg West Ham £3,100,00
32m profit since 05 in transfer.
nice rvp
http://www.vipcanal.com/ch3.html
gonna be a few 5 or 6 nils around today.
anyone watching through livefooty.com?
fat frank and drogab have fallen out with one another on the pitch, fatty promisef to let dd take the pen before the match, but reneged during the game
drogba in a right sulk apparently
fistiucffs at trophy presentation would be just like that motley crew 😆
anyone watching through livefooty.com….. god i hate paying and receiving shit!
yes terrible reception tommy stream keeps breaking
Arshavin is a greedy sod, I really don’t think he will stay, he is not at all interested in any one but himself
thanks dan dan thought it was me!
Sfh – watching game on stream. Thanks for all the figures – will look through them afterwards.
pray drogba does not score today… he will finish level on 26 prem goals with rooney and forever hate fat frank 😆
and he scores..lol
from a fatty cross
I am suffering a co-commentary from someone called Gary – I assume he is a Spud/Chav. A more one eyed bastard I have yet to hear.
He has just slagged off Djurou saying he hasn’t established himself in the first team, much like Senderos.
And the whole game Gary has been dissing Arsenal. Why can’t we have a Gooner as fellow commentator for home games
Once again a very disappointing set of officials
BR – that co-commentator – he’s the worst I’ve ever heard for pure bias (and that’s saying something). He was determined to see every single moment from an anti-Arsenal perspective.
But… Happy St. Totteringham’s Day everyone!!!! (At last).
Happy St Totts Day to you RL.
Any idea who this moron is? Gary Birtles? Gary Mabbut? He is an example of the classic misconception that ex-players make decent pundits.
How many of the great commentators have played football at a high level? None….
As to the game. Well, apart from being a bit of a non-event, I thought we played well.
MoM. Either Nasri or Eboue. It would have been Eboue but his histrionics annoy me so much. So…. it’s Nasri, who can beat a player as easily as Hleb and never stops running (at home!!)
Happy St Totteringhams day all, 2-nil and you fecked it up ! How joyous it was to see them squander a two goal lead in the north-west, it makes a change from us doing that.
I think the close shave we had with a cancelled St Totts day will serve as a sobering reminder as to what can happen when we let our standards slip.
Chary. Couldn’t get a ticket?
It cannot be helped that the Spuds had a better season. We got 3 more points than last year, yet St Totts Day was a couple of months late….. won’t happen next season.
Once Crooknap is in prison, they will fall apart.
And now we have the potential joy of seeing them fail at the pre-qualifying stage.
Vela’s goal was a peach. I know he hasn’t really impressed, but I maintain we shouldn’t judge him until he gets a run of games.
apparently stevie g assaulted a hull city fan following the game today.
must of got some mouthful about his mrs.
BR – did you notice how Arsh being impeded in the area was “never a penalty – should have been a foul to fulham” while Campbell not touching Dempsey was “definitely a penalty”.
Judging by the amount of football knowledge displayed it was probably Gary Numann.
SfH – well, Stevie G’s assault will only have been picked up by six cameras operated by professional camera crew, so he’s bound to be acquitted…
😆 rl
No ticket for me Radders – they pulled the plugs on ticket exchange on the arse.com website so that people could renew their gold-platinum memberships instead.
Let’s hope the long arm of the tax man catches Twitchy boy soon.
The crook is due in Court in summer. If he escapes it will be because he can afford high price mendacious lawyers.
Just like OJ and MJ 🙂
What a triumvirate he will be amongst if he get’s off, eh Radders?
Be nice if the Spuds get a tonking from Meeelan in the pre qualifiers.
Evening all on this wonderful St. Totts day phew 😉
Any one fancy wtiting a match report?
Some tasty teams in the qualifiers. Juve, Meelan, Sevilla (or Valencia) etc.
But the Spuds are likely to be seeded and get some an under 11 team from the Faroes
chary – there were so many empty seats its criminal really. Had a drink with Franchise before the game who was on form but also didn’t have a ticket and was staying around The Tavern.
Franchise has to be one of the best people to go to footy with – other than me of course – he’s so loud 😆
Why would they be seeded Raddy?
Hi SFH
It is rare nowadays that I find myself disagreeing with you but in this case I do – although not by much and probably not for the reason that you expect.
Like you, I share your dislike of people using the accusation that Arsenal penny pinch as a stick to beat Wenger with but unlike you I don’t think we have even been penny pinching at all.
“before the half billion buck move to a new home, we nailed the transfers.. then we had to penny pinch”
“the club told us it would be a ride until the finances settled, even they did not envisage the global meltdown to make things worse”
It was in fact some time before the move to the new stadium when we used to “Nail Transfers” the last time this happened was pre Abramovic. At that time if a player wanted to come to England he had two choices – the mancs or to us.
In those days we were able to finalise deals quicker because there was no alternative in London. Enter the Russian’s billions and we could no longer do that but it was not Arsenal who were slowing the deals down to save money it was the seller for the obvious reason of trying to get Chelsea involved in the hope that they would make a higher offer – look no further than Wright-Philips.
I do not believe as you do that it was the stadium that forced us to cut back I think the stadium loan had been reorganised in such a way that it was easily manageable – and still is — it was the nigh on collapse of the banking system and the recession that put the brakes on things.
Since Abramovic things have got even more difficult for us with arrival of the City billions.
The idea that there is asking price is a thing of the past, Arsenal can make an offer for a player and the seller will then notify Chelsea or City to find out if they wish to increase the bid……….which for anyone still reading this you will see that logic dictates that it is not Arsène Wenger who is dragging the deals out it is every seller we try and deal with.
Because of their results in the Europa League/ Uefa Cup. Peaches. At least that is what my Spud loving nephew tells me
Did you stay for the L o A?
Agree London. That and every 12 y.o. has a team of agents now, who tout the player. As they receive a percentage of the selling fee, it is logical they want to bump up the price as well.
I thought the spuds had no(or a negligble) seeding Radders.
Peachy, I would have liked to have been around to soak up the atmosphere but also its a trip of 2 hours each way for me to get to N5.
I noticed how many empty seats there were behind Chris Kammara who was doing the reports/updates for Sky Sports.
It looked like about 20-25% were empty.
Hi BR
Thanks, I was beginning to think I was the only one who saw things this way.
Hi Chary
A couple of thousand missing but not large numbers like 20 or 25 per cent.
Unless that was the 80 minute walk out. Lol
Ah right London, the background was a bit blurred when they cut to Kamara so it wasn’t easy to be sure about the empty seats.
How did the players look on the Lap of Appreciaion? A bit sheepish or nonchalant?
The sarcastic cheering of Fabianski was a disgrace.
The stewards should have arrested the miscreants, beaten them up and permanently banned them from the ground.
These A-holes are meant to be Arsenal supporters!! How do they think they are helping an extremely nervous , young GK who is playing for the team they are meant to support ?
Castration is too good for them……
BR
It was quite tongue in cheek, nothing nasty, in fact he was getting cheered on at the end.
Didn’t appear that way on TV London. Even the commentators talked about it.
And who knows whether a Pole understands irony ?
Evening all, my feed kept breaking down, just how many chances did RVP miss today, seemed like a hatfull
BR
I understand your concern and I am certainly not disagreeing with your sentiment. My disagreement is with the commentators. Last weekend against Blackburn they were talking about him in way that you would have thought he had raped someone. They exaggerate so badly as they have nothing else to say.
Evening DanDan
Quite a few, is the answer to your question. But I am such a fan of the Boy Wonder, he can do no wrong in my mind.
If you watch the game tonight, look for the first pass that Lansbury makes to put Van Persie through on goal — outstanding. I have an interest here, I used to be friends with his Dad (lived 200 meters from me) I would like to report that his Dad is a good guy but I am afraid he is a chav through and through.
Sp*rs will probably be seeded because they have a higher UEFA co-efficient than Sampdoria, who look likely to finish fourth in Serie A.
Their opponents will probably be from:
Sampdoria
Lille
Dynamo Kiev
Sporting Braga
Olympiakos
…assuming that these teams come through their 3rd Round qualifiers against:
Celtic
Club Bruges
Unirea Urziceni (Romania)
Young Boys (Switzerland)
Bursapor (Turkey)
The seeds will likely be:
Sevilla
Werder Bremen
Ajax
Zenit
Sp*rs
Olympiakos, Lille and Kiev are all well capable of dumping out the Spuds at the first hurdle.
Interesting RL. Thanks.
Lansbury looked assured in his cameo. No pressure though.
evening london
i think a lot of what you say re: the post abramovich age having a lot to do with our trasnfers.
but again, i would cite the mammoth expenditure as certainly having an effect at the same time.
the proof, as they say, will be in this summers pudding.
if we suddnely splash out… in the face of not only chav millions but the city arab millions aswell now… there will be a certain credence given to the new stadium effect/highbury sq having held our transfers back over the past 5 seasons.
*i concur with a lot of what you say re:post abram….
Evening evry1
Who we gona buy then ?
All depends on Gallas and he will drag his deal out all summer. If Gallas goes we have to buy a new CB if he stays he will share the right side with Djourou until the younger man takes over for good. This still leaves us needing one more experienced defender as back up, Sol is the obvious choice but if Gallas stays we will have right footed back up we need so I say this quietly but it might be Silvestre rather than Sol who gets a contract extension.
Good job you whispered that London, I almost missed it 😉
Hi guys,
Sorry meant to get on for the last game of the season but had some catching up to do and only caught the highlights.
Least we don’t have to worry about the CL qualifiers next season – one less tie to play.
All in all 3rd is okay, just wish we had been a little closer to the Chavs and Mancs.
Classy finish by Vela today huh?
Thats a scary thought. Reading stories about a young lad called Kjaer..any truth in it dya think ?
It was great to see Campbell out there again today. Love it. See y’all tomorrow.
Andy – Kjaer is a class act. Catch him for Denmark at the World Cup. Really sought after young man.
…….and I agree with you that the deals became harder to clinch once Abramovitch came on the scene. Now the mancs have the same problem don’t they with the chavmancs having the money.
The LoA
The players looked happy and relaxed – many were carrying their offspring which is a nice touch. Arsene looked happy and relaxed too. My footy friend and I thought we saw Ramsey but we couldn’t be sure.
Hello Irish are you back in the right time zone yet?
Who said something about the Lansbury ball for vp? Stunningly good ball. And the Vela goal – if it had been Theo the place would have gone mad 🙄
Hiya Peaches 🙂
Yep back in the right timezone but jet lagged. Hope to be right in a day or two. Nearly got stuck in Heathrow on Thursday – my flight was delayed by 8 hours thanks to the volcano we’ve all grown to love ha ha….
WHAT A CHIP by Vela, why can’t he show that calm all the time?
Thx irish. Silly season again where i fall for all the stories and they never seem to happen.
No problem Andy 😉 I’m on transfer watch at the World Cup – I’ve been making notes Peaches – see I’ve being working off the blog and it’ll come in useful soon 😀
We all get caught up in silly season …. except Arsene!!
I know I’m a few days late but how in the hell did the twitch win the manager’s award over Hodgson or Ancelotti? Complete joke.
Irish – look at Vela’s goals for Mexico then ask about composure. He needs a run in the team or, failing that, a year on loan at a Premiership club.
So true RL. I cant understand why he hasn’t been out on loan already. Strikers need games and he just doesn’t look like getting them with us…not yet anyway.
He got slated for the Blackburn performance, yet he got virtually zero service.
My teenage son thinks we should send him to Bolton for a year…
Hi RockyL – yep I’ve seen some of his goals for Mexico too. He just seems a bit – a lot – inconsistent for us and at times I felt when he gets a shot in our team he doesn’t take it. Having said that he has been injured a lot but again is that his fault for playing for Mexico while not fully recovered?
Speaking of silly season has David James signed for anyone yet ? All the talk of world class keepers and i wouldn’t be surprised to see us ending up with him as a stop-gap til chesney ready
Andy – I rather believe the Buffon rumours ha ha well except the part where its part exchange for Cesc….
Calamity James? He seems like a lovely bloke, and he can be a great keeper – but you just know he’s going to make a certain amount of howlers in a season. I really hope it’s not him… but you may have called it right. It would be a typical Wenger move.
We are a rotten lot of supporters sometimes – we slate Nikki for his misses on a plate and Vela and Arshavin for not creating when they get no service ……….
Robin looks a class above though doesn’t he…….I hope he has a good World Cup and comes back uninjured.
Maire – do we really want a fascist in goal though ?
As for who else we’re going to buy – the Melo rumours seem pretty persistent and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him arrive. I’ll watch out for Kjaer in the WC, but I suspect if we buy a new CB it will be a mature player in mid to late 20s.
Mainly I hope we buy players who have won titles. Acc to MoTD, Chelsea’s starting 11 today included just two who had not previously won a league title (in England or elsewhere).
RL. I’ve never liked the guy either too erratic but should be cheap so ?? Peaches, RVP coming back from intnl duty un-injured.. what a lovely thought
I refer to his t-shirt with the slogan of theirs a while back, and his “88” squad sirt, apparently the SS’s number.
He denies it so I may be off the mark there.
Chary – Do we care at this stage?
I missed all the fascist stuff. He seems quite nice when interviewed, and a bit less thick than the average player (not saying much).
Well, I thought it might bother some. In any case, you get very few Eyeties who ever leave Italy – they’re all mamma’s boys who are still tied to her apron strings.
Right, long journey tomorrow so off to bed.
I wish each and every one of you a happy St Totteringham’s Night.
I like the sound of Melo. Think the defence is going to lose 3. Djourou coming in plus 2. maybe upson and kjaer. Green in goal and i’d be relatively happy.
Bloody Hell these anti-virus software takes AN AGE to download… An hour already and its only 54% in!!!
Should I stop watching Lady Gaga videos on youtube, is that slowing it down?
Lady Gaga and Tomas Rosicky 😆
Have to cover all bases Peaches 😉
Ha ha seriously though not gay but if I had to.. it’d be Gaga – she has the swag!!
Oooh but Super Tom 😀 He’ll be on fire next season, you’ll all see (and if not he’ll just look hot 8) )
I’ve killed the blog??
Fantastic I get the last word 8)
Since I’m talking to myself I’m so happy the World Cup is on (even if we’re not at it 👿 – expect a post regarding Henry) because I don’t know how I survive not tourney summers without football!!
*non tourney summers
100% complete!!! NOW @ 00:57
It took 3 bloody hours (I even stopped Youtube) 👿
I hope ye share my pain 😉
Catch ye soon guys!
The commentator for our coverage of the game stated that Arsene Wenger has said that the current Arsenal squad is the best he’s ever had since he joined The Club.
Wenger must be deluded, & that IMO means that he won’t spend big 😦
GG. Nice gloomy start to the day 🙂
Welcome back Irish
Yes it is a worry GG, I think Wenger should have said in public that what he has got is shit and with out spending like Benitez we are fucked…….come on GG you are better than that.
Have a look at this ….. never heard of him, but what a player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RasHFGOAsUs
Fantastic – who is he? And is this the 1970s?
Apparently he’s only 55 – sign him up Arsene!
But seriously – what a player. I had never heard of him, but I know I’m not the only codger on this site – does anyone else remember him?
Morning all, did anyone see that lunatic hack on Sky Sports this morning? He said “Chelsea had a quiet dignity..” this season. Is he for real? There was the whole John Terry saga and Cashley up to his usual shenanigans to name a few – and that’s dignified?
He topped that off by saying Shrek carried on playing with his injuries for the good of the team. Bollocks, he played ‘cos Sir Drinksalot made him – he doesn’t give a stuff what happens to England’s world cup chances if shrek aggravates his injuries when he repeatedly brought Shrek back from injury prematurely. Ole Bacon face doesn’t care as he’s a sweaty, so why should he?
Morning all…..Peaches, you in the UK right now ?
Livers – you got the spam message too? Note the e mail address was “arsenalNOTS@aol.com”
Peachy IS in the UK – she was at the game yesterday -dam these internet scammers.
Yeah I noticed the message was not and not nut. That was hard to say. Looks like this webbo has been hacked then
Hi guys,
Yes the spam message was from ‘arsenalnots’ and nothing to do with us. Peaches is in the middle of moving house today. Hopefully we haven’t been ‘infiltrated’ and this is a one-off.
New post…
Happens to a lot of sites Livers unfortunately.
So, we just sit back and wait for the signings to flood in now, yes ?
Signings….hmmmm, Chamakh on a free and probably someone like Wes Brown for 750k 😉
Livers, if you are looking for crocked Man U defenders to replace Silvestre it will probably be Rio Ferdinand 😆
Morning all
Now we have beaten the Europa League finalists 4-0 are we as good as we were bad after losing to Wigan?
Or has the blog world calmed down and realised that we are in fact, as usual, pretty good but this season at least not the best.
I watched an episode of The Good Wife last night where the judge made a lawyer qualify everything he said with ‘in my opinion’. Maybe we need the same rule here but I hope not.