ARSENAL II. Discuss.
Comments made during Tuesday’s post made me think.
What was apparent is that many of our Senior Squad players get very little serious game time. Perhaps the odd twenty minutes here and there, or even the odd game, but certainly never a consistent run of games in competitive matches.
I looked up The German League, and discovered a team called Dortmund II fiddling about in their third division.
Not sure, but believe the Spanish do the same.
Anyway, how about an Arsenal II? Yes we’d have to enter at the bottom as did Wimbledon AFC, but in a few years there would be eleven finely turned out Gunners playing the Arsenal Way in perhaps the third division here. So long as we could ensure free movement of labour between Arsenal I and II, then players like Callum and The Ox would surely benefit.
Any thoughts? Not a totally original idea, I know, but hey.
Written by mickydidit89
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I am not sure I understand. ARe you saying that 11 Arsenal teenagers form a team that starts in 3 division? But they train and mature in Colney?
That wouldn’t be allowed, surely. If it was it is a brilliant idea.
Nice idea for a post, yes that certainly does happen in Spain but there is no way they would let it happen here. Can you imagine anything more boring than a play-off game of Man city reserves vs Chelsea reserves? The fans of the other teams in those leagues would be up in arms.
Unfortunately, not allowed by the current rules. Maybe we should hold a referendum 🙂
Or just bring back the Football Combination and have a competitive reserve league. No money in it though that’s why the money moguls let it die before.
Whatever you think of the idea and whether it is legal or not we I’ll be lucky to have enough good quality players for Arsenal I let alone Arsenal II, fit enough to start the season, except midfielders.
Peter12
Then you agree, but see only a 0-10-0 line up, then 🙂
Does anyone know whether Dortmund are allowed to use players from Dortmund II in times of crisis, hence my free movement of labour comment?
Theo through the middle
Any thoughts? 🙂 🙂
theo through the door
Eddie ” Theo through the door”😂
Debate recently on return of Combination and what used to be called Southern Counties for under 16s, I think, regarding improving England.
I certainly watched a few Combination games at Highbury when I was young when top first reamers were coming back from injury. The youngsters only skinned the crusty top boys once!!!!! Good experience.
Trouble is so much invested in academies and not just in football!
Should read teamers……..bloody, bloody predictive text
micky, your reaction I guess
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/video_and_audio/headlines/36793178
When I was a kid around Highbury I would watch the reserve team play every other week, I really enjoyed going to the games and got to meet many of the players.
What happened to the reserve league?
MD89,
The FA Rules and Regulations are very complex, while I could not find anything specific to the top 4 divisions it seems logical that the following National League rule might also apply to the top 4 divisions.
7.2
Reserve teams, including a team from a club or Club which is not considered by the LC to be sufficiently separate from another club or Club, will not be permitted to compete above Step 6 in the NLS. There must be a minimum of two Steps between a first and reserve team. This does not apply at Steps 6 & 7. No two teams from the same Club can play at the same Step. Reserve teams currently at Step 5 can remain unless relegated, once relegated they will not be permitted to be promoted back to Step 5.
GoonerB
From yesterday,
Nit picking a bit but I think there could be some discrepancy with some players as to whether they are classed as offence or midfield. AOC for instance I feel ought to be played at left wing forward so for me is part of the offence but maybe played out of position by Arsene currently in deeper midfield areas. Get him further up and back to running at defenders in their own box.
……………………………………………………………………………………………
GB I also wondered about the positional designations but that is how they are shown on Arsenal.com
You lot prefer football tactics bollocks don’t you 🙂
What a wonderful idea. 🙂
I wonder how high they would get.
chas
The idea is to get them to play up from the grassroots. Not smoke it.
I’ll post the cash tomorrow Chas 🙂
Shard 🙂
I prefer smokin it.
Are you Raddy in disguise?
@8:21 – I can only name Jack. Who are the remaining 21?
what have you got against Gove? Not an oil painting and a back stubbing bastard, but not a bad politician. Better than that fooking ejeet Johnson
Nothing.
I think he’s a lovely man.
and I think you is a liar.
Gn5
From yesterday: I like us to strengthen the squad too of course, but can see the following line up get us 4-6 points from the Pool and Foxes games:
Cech
Bel Per Gab Mon
Coq Elneny
Jack Santi Iwobi
Theo
If Jack is not fully fit play Akpom or Joel instead.
Really TotalArsenal? “What have you been smoking?” Liverpool owner would say. On the other hand, if you are right (or just lucky) then you must know something I don’t know. Cheers.
Peter is right, what is that TA?? A joke?? No Koscielny, Ramsey, Ozil or Sanchez? get away
words are failing me thinking of Nice, so awful. And to think that France was the filthy murders adopted country. Poor, poor Frenchies, they must be so scared
P12
We will get space against Pool and Leicester away and that formation will be compact in defence, have a number of good and creative passers and good runners. All are fully rested, fit and eager, and I can see Wenger starting them. Not a massive fan of Theo but I think no he will start the season strong. Also believe Iwobi is a great talent and he had an awesome start to his career.
Am no smoker but did relax in a mountain spa in the Swiss Alps, so maybe that has influenced my thinking 😜🍾💣⚽️
Eddie 😀
They need to be rested at start of season. I don’t expect them back till after the September interlul.
Chas
Thanks for the visual entertainment recently. Top stuff. ⚽️😀
Just read about the Nice attack. So sad 😢
Rested? Against Liverpool and Leicester away? I think not. They have a whole month to rest, more in case of Sanchez and Ramsey
BTW, what happened to the Emirates Cup?
Eddie
All games are important and these players are needed during the whole season, so expect them to be rested. Wenger will get balance right. Emirates cup good basis for trying out ‘my team’.
Wenger will get balance right. As he always does? ha ha ha ha 🙂 Has he signed a new contract?
TH14 lets himself down again, he is a rubbish TV pundit and will never be our manager. Good riddance
“Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has left the club’s coaching staff after refusing to give up his role as a TV pundit, prompting claims that Arsene Wenger did not want his former star player undermining him during the final year of his contract.”
No Emirates Cup this season but we do have games in France, America, Norway and Sweden I think.
Out of a score of 5.0 here are the Hottest Arsenal whispers
– Friday, July 15
Alexandre Lacazette Lyon 4.8
Julian Draxler Wolfsburg 4.7
Gonzalo Higuain Napoli 4.4
Daniele Rugani Juventus 4.1
Mauro Icardi Inter Milan 3.4
Kostas Manolas Roma 2.5
Arda Turan Barcelona 1.8
Omer Toprak Bayer Lever 1.7
Jorginho Napoli 1.6
Daley Blind Man U 1.4
Moussa Sissoko Newcastle 1.3
Riyad Mahrez Leicester City 1.2
Marek Hamsik Napoli 1.2
Rolando Mandragora Juventus 1.1
Romelu Lukaku Everton 1.1
Rob Holding Bolton 1.1
Wonder what Vardy will be thinking. Sounds like Kante is off and rumours of Mahrez wanting to leave too.
I should imagine Vardy would be thinking along the lines of “Ooo, Arrrh, Oi don’t care ‘cos Oi got a combine ‘arvestor”
Looks like a weasel. Probably is then 🙂
Just glancing back over comments and looking ahead to the new term, I’d of thought the loss of the rested Mesut would be massively compensated by the advantage of having Ollie rested
Just my take on things 🙂
what is that micky at 7:07?
Vardy did the right, honourable thing. He showed loyalty to the club. And you are laughing at him for that? Shame on you didit!!
he actually grew in my estimation, good luck to him. Good man, wish we had more like him
Stop being so bloody reasonable at this time in the morning, Eddie 🙂
Toral on loan to Granada for season.
Looks like Wenger once again putting faith in certain players to improve dramatically over the course of the season. Big seasons needed from Ox, Walcott, Iwobi, Wilshere, Elneny, Gabriel and Chambers if we are to get close to challenging for silverware. Hopefully a few of them will push on.
If Mahrez and Kante leave I’m putting a tenner on Leicester to go down next season.
the truth of the matter is that since my tenant/ex husband moved out I have no one to argue with. Sorry micky, you are in the firing line 🙂
Fire away Eddie. Love it.
And morning FGG
Oh dear lord, your ex has gone! Is that the reason you’re trying to reel Erik in?
no!!! any man entering my house needs a visa!
micky, you’ve seen photos of my burned down car. It took insurance 11 days to work out that it was a write off. I am waiting now for them to offer me peanuts.
A visa? That rules Erik out. The only paperwork he has comes in sizes regular and jumbo.
So Kante has already signed for chavs. There you are, mercenary. I hope he fails spectacularly.
regular and jumbo?
tobacco rolling papers
ha ha ha :):) last question before I go woods – how is not smoking going?
Haven’t had a fag for 18 months
Do use e-cigs though, but clear lungs
Ok, you go woods, I go garden
oh wow!!!!! I am impressed!! I have to do it, but have such weak character
ok, woods
not one newsworthy piece of goss about Arsenal transfers!!! Disgusting.
Lazy
Jumbo!
who’s lazy? Wenger? Nay, he is busy writing his CV
We are going to have a new manager in August!
I agree Eddie but it will be August 2020.
I would
i love the The Telegraph, they think Higuin and Mehrez are on their way to the Ems, yummy
Up The Telegraph then I say 🙂
Morning Eddie. Peaceful or eventful weekend so far? All out gardening at this end yesterday. Some work planned for today as surfing/weather looking good for next week, so some beachwork will be in order
i’d rather forget this summer altogether. Allotment completely neglected, one garden rented now, the other total mess, bees sitting in their hives eating honey and I am on the ice cream diet (no car to go food shopping). Horrible, difficult summer. Only Wenger can cheer me up – he goes, but before he waves his final good byes he welcomes Higuin and Mehrez or equivalent to the Club
no, no, no, I take it all back. Not all was bad, my new grandchild was born!!! silly me to forget it 🙂
Mmmm, Eddie. Certainly a Higuain would cheer us all up.
I’m still playing catch up in the garden from a winter of discontent as a result of six months’ inactivity due to smashed arm
did you get rid off all the Spaniards yet?
I trusted my garden to a pikey. He said he will level it all (it’s on a 30degrees slope), turf it and make good. All summer he has been bringing soil from other people’s garden with all the weeds, stones and even some kiddies’ toys 🙂 What a crook! He has no intention to level my garden, just needed somewhere to dump rubbish
No, the bastards have won. It’s very sad, you now see the little shits bordering native woodlands. I do my bit, but it’s a lost cause. Bloody garden centres.
30 degrees sounds ok, just bin the idea of croquet 🙂
no, peaches thinks I should level it off. She advised me on the driveway and it was spot on! She can be be annoying showering all the latin names but she knows her stuff, no doubt about it.
Betula pendula according to her would look nice in the front. Silver birch for you that it 🙂
ha ha, I’m ok on me trees, just crap on plants. I’ve planted a few different specimen Betula. Nice. No weeping ones, just the interesting bark types.
Nigel Farage is right about some foreigners. Your Spaniards and my Asians – varroa mite and asian hornet are killing our bees. However, Italian and Greek bees are so much nicer than the black native bee. And the German Buckfast is the hardest working creature on earth. So, selective emigration is good!
I love Betula pendulas too. A neighbour here in the sticks have a purple leaved one, amazing! in spring the leaves looked completely black, gorgeous
it is called betula purpurea 🙂 🙂
The Buckfast Bee comes from Devon. A monk at Buckfast Abbey. I thought it was an Italian cross bee. Not sure whether veroa resistant, or more like the Russian bee that has learnt to live with it
Nice. Right now I’m staring at a 100ft copper beech. Awesome watching the leaves change colour from spring to summer
or even, spring to autumn
Just googled. Your right, Italian X is what Buckfast Bee is:
The Buckfast contains heritage from mainly A. m. ligustica (North Italian), A. m. mellifera (English), A. m. mellifera (French), A. m. anatolica (Turkish) and A. m. cecropia (Greek). The Buckfast bee of today also contains heritage from two rare and docile African stocks A. m. sahariensis and the A. m. monticola, but not the “Africanized” A. m. scutellata. “[2]
Brother Adam was inspired about the survival of the Italian × black bee crosses. To be able to control the matings, he started to use the isolated valley of Dartmoor. With no other bees within range, Brother Adam could maintain their genetic integrity and develop desirable traits.[3] Brother Adam investigated various honey bee races and made many long journeys in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, searching for pure races and interesting local stocks
Hey Eddie
Do you think anyone is waiting in the wings to talk football, and thinking eh?!?!?!
🙂
what is there to talk about in football? Kante joining Conte with Chavs. Sounds rude, doesn’t it 🙂
I import my Buckfast from Germany, they are the best.
on top of all my problems my felis catus has gone lala, cannot settle in the new house.
Football would be a lovely distraction to my damn life. If Wenger resigned I’d have a ball I think
woods.
Beware bad language.
aaahhh. see micky, chas has a footballing brain 🙂
can we have another Arsenal related poll/vote or even just suggestions for one? I like seeing the stats/results, maybe its because we’ve just had an election here in Aust or that you’ve just had one on brexit. Anyway my suggestion in keeping with the brexit theme “remain” or “leave” is – Should Piers Morgan “remain” a supporter or should he “leave” and go support another team such as, oh I dont know, spuds!
He should go and support an Australian football team by first moving to Australia, at which time we should close the borders!!
Gentlemen, I’ve been thinking.
This week, we take a firm line. The troops are already assembling for a few looseners ahead of the new campaign, and our C in C hasn’t bothered to sign a new striker.
My thinking? Get on an ‘effing aeroplane to Naples, and dump an obscene amount of cash in the Napoli account and bring Higuain back
.
I cannot think of a single alternative.
What a glorious sunny day it was at this end today. That is why the mood is good 🙂
the alternative scares the pants off me and is called Ollie. Maybe Sanchez to help. Or Theo through the middle. All shite really
Wenger doesn’t even have to bother his arse, he can send the loot electronically and send a jet to pick up Gonzalo. Surely that can’t be that difficult
gonzalo to juve. Apparently. no need to set a plane to fetch him then, he can walk.
I wonder if Wenger knows what he’s doing to us virtual fans? Nothing to get excited about, nothing to talk about, nothing to look forward to. the man is a sadist.
Eddie
Forget us virtual fans, I know what he’s doing to the pay-to-go lot, equally I know what they’ll do to him if he doesn’t get a striker, resulting in him heading back to The Continent before Chrimbo 🙂
ps although strictly speaking it should be called The Incontinent now the UK has led to way to the light 🙂
Gone woods?
Gone salon or marking?
I go work
whaaaaaaaaaaaat?? do not start me on this micky, way to the light!!! my dear God!
you might be too young to remember this country in the 80s, but I do, it was so backwards! I am going to vote for that labour new candidate promising a second referendum. Or openly support the Sturgon woman with padded shoulders.
Eddie……You’re there 🙂 🙂
Our European chums will be back in the 1880’s when all citizens bail-in the Italian economy
Would Naploli really sell their start striker to a rival like Juve?
start=star but start works 🙂
If Juventus sell Paul Pogba to Mourinho’s ego project for 100m, then they’d have the money to get Higgy with it.
Gabigol in Brazil is also rumoured to be on his way to Juventus. Or at least ‘some club in Europe’. Arsenal were also mentioned some time ago.
But there’s no shortage of rumours for strikers and wide forwards.
Higuain, Icardi, Bacca, Lacazette. Draxler, Mahrez.
I’d be happy with Mahrez and Bacca. Probably the two easiest (and cheapest) to get.
Two oxen are better than one.
http://www.101greatgoals.com/news/transfers/arsenal-interested-hoffenheims-19-year-old-winger-philipp-ochs-bild/?
yes micky, but the Italians will have 25 countries to bail them out. And who is going to bail Britain out when it all goes tits up?
Shard – no more teenagers please, not even as cute as Ochs. You are right about Juve, I suspect there will be Pogba-Gonzalo deal done soon
Eddie
Agree about teenagers to an extent, but we still have to buy them too. Or in a few years when Ochs goes to Chelsea for 60m, you will complain about how we missed out and could have had him for 4m 😛
I will complain anyway 🙂
I think the youth project has failed miserably, proof is that photo of Arsenal youngsters someone posted here recently – how many of them made it to the starting XI?
I’d rather we buy an old player, at least we know what we are getting and if nothing else he will have experience. Any teenager is a cat in a bag, no thank you.
Eddie
The ‘project youth’ failed at winning the title, and it did fail in that Cesc, Nasri, Van Persie gave up on it and went away. But…at all times, it achieved the bare minimum goal of top 4. It wasn’t a total failure, especially because it was basically borne out of necessity.
Agree about buying a player with experience. But buying youth for the future must continue. With the market going crazy and the pool for available top talent shrinking, it just makes sense to get ahead and acquire talent at more manageable prices. Even if a lot of them are not going to make it.
Slim pickings in the transfer department.
My money is still on Icardi to be the one that joins us. I’d take him over most of the others except Higuain or Morata but can’t see those happening.
If Wenger can’t get a striker in then why not just buy a world class CB for £40m instead and make sure we can win games 1-0?
Morning all, and nice post Micky ( from 3 days ago 🙂 ).
The attention seems to have shifted back to Icardi again. Could turn out to be top notch that one so definitely worth considering. If we were to get someone like Draxler it would surely be to convert to a CF. We don’t need another right footed wide player.
Agree with Shard about still buying top young prospects but also agree we need a top CF and not a project CF. I am still in the camp that we should have gone all out for the striker last summer and may have left it 1 summer TW too long.
FGG, there is something I am not sure about with Morata. Doesn’t look significantly more mobile than Ollie, although he is of course more mobile to some degree. Icardi on the other hand looks to be quite a mobile chap but is also a good physical unit.
Pay attention Peaches!!! that’s Icardi
Eddie
Imagine Icardi and Ollie
The most delicious front pair in football.
More girls at The Ems. Good news for Transplant and other starers
Oh, and The Italians. Your European chums can’t afford the Greek problem, so zero chance the Italians.
Time will tell.
I like the look of Icardi, GB, but not in the same way Eddie does!
He’s only 23 aswell so a good age to improve. Like you said he looks quick enough and can finish.
I’ve got to say I do think Morata has something special but he’s still a bit raw. I think he will be the next big thing in Madrid though. If you’ve got Bale and Ronaldo next to you then it gives you plenty of opportunity to practice your finishing!
Here’s a thought
Always trying to see the opportunities in any given situation, what could be the positives of NOT managing to sign a striker?
Might we discover a winning formula and lovely fast, fluid, counter thrusting type of play with players we have fresh for the opening of business?
No positives Micky 🙂
he looks much better in an Arsenal shirt .Mind you, most men do
Here is how it works right now.
We have games coming up, friendly games all be it.
The part of the squad that are in training right now are trying to make themselves first choice contenders and as such are working hard to achieve that end.
Wenger knows that new signings would undermine the collective determination. It is much smarter to wait a while until announcements are made.
Desperate? A tad too much?
Actually there is a grain of truth in what I say. if you look back Wenger has allowed these first few games to go ahead before signings have been announced.
Right now Oxlaide-Chamberlain is probably chomping at the bit, ready to prove people like me wrong; that being the case, it would not be right to announce the signing of a Mahrez at the moment as it would seriously undermine his confidence and, who knows, heaven forbid, it might turn out that all the Mahrez’s are gone and we all have to get behind good ol’ Alex on the opening game of the season.
Get ya straws, tupence for straws, cling to ya straws.
LB
It could be Theo’s breakthrough season as well.
He’s what, 27?
Just coming into his prime as a striker. 🙂
Loving the delayed announcements theory.
Is LB saying the deal for Mahrez is already done?
Superb LB, could be your best theory yet 🙂
Name the player?
7:25
The Invisible Man?
Ollie 🙂
Mahrez 🙂 🙂
I wonder if LB is right, but slightly underestimated Arsene ie we’ve secretly signed Aubameyang and Griezmann
Just keeping it quiet. Shhh, secret squirrel
Ah ha, here’s a Didit theory.
Combining the best of Chas’ Invisible Man and LB’s secret non-announcements, maybe the Club actually fired Arsene in May, and underneath the prosthetic mask is actually Fat Sam 🙂
Wellington Silva left the club yesterday and looks like we are on the verge of signing Rob Holding from Bolton.
That’s the commanding CB sorted……for the U21’s!
two serious problems with LB’s theory
1. Wenger may actually belive that some players are better than they actually are
2. If they are trying too hard they will get injured and they will be not saleable, or go to the season injured
All in all I think Wenger should buy and announce now. Fed up with waiting
A bit gutted about Wellington Silva really. The lad had amazing footwork, a good turn of pace and that low centre of gravity that made him really well balanced and able to change direction very quickly.
I would have at least liked to see him given the chance in an Arsenal shirt with better players around him operating those silky skills in opposition boxes. Still Arsene knows best…..he says with less confidence than he would have done a few years ago…
GoonerB
Agree on Wellington. I watched him in Spain with Almeria, and though he didn’t score much, I thought he really could add something to our attack with his dribbling skills. It’s just a shame that we couldn’t get him a work permit earlier. I think by now, with Ox, Gnabry, Iwobi, Jeff and Willock all on the books, the competition for a young, talented, quick footed winger to come into the team, was unlikely to go in his favour.
Sad how that went, but wish him well in the future. He’s still young and can have a good career.
Hmmm. WordPress eating up my comments.
Morning all ….
… New post ….