The one player that has divided opinion more than any other over the last few seasons is Theo Walcott. Last season his attitude to certain games (especially during spring) and his desire to play up top had the pendulum swinging further to the nays and taking on the form of the axe.
One player more than any other that represented the chaff to be separated. Think back three seasons and we were all imploring Theo to “sign da ting” which he eventually did but it appeared with some kind of caveat that he didn’t want to play on the wing anymore.
Whether you think Theo has a football brain or not he has often given us moments of pure joy, remember the mazy run and finish against Chavs and Newcastle where both times he bounced up off the ground mid run.
For me he has never possessed the attributes to be a striker, there are plenty of players his size that have managed it, Suarez, Aguero, Bellamy, even Shane Long can be counted in that group. What they possess and Theo doesn’t is a bit of the b****** about them, they are tough competitors, maybe too tough at times in the case of some. But you have to be if you want to be a centre forward and are not over 6ft.
So why isTheo like a new signing? This quote on arsenal.com:
I’ve said to the manager that I want to be known for playing on the right again, I can play up front, given the opportunity, and the manager says I can play up front, so it depends on which game it is.
I know I can do a job up front as well as on the right, but I want to make my position the right-hand side.
All together now “thank f*** for that”, it has to be said it’s taken too long for Theo to come to this conclusion, being left out of the Arsenal side and watching centre midfielders and academy players fill his berth on the flank also not going to the Euros has probably helped him realise. But at least he has.
So will Theo be like a new signing and become the perfect running machine for the likes of Ozil, Santi and Rambo? Comments on a post card, or the blog – it’s more immediate.
Gooner in Exile
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
GiE – Controversial!!
The puzzling thing about Walcott was always how he managed to score so many goals for the Southampton Academy in the two seasons before we bought him. His pace got him into countless one on one situations and, then less effective keepers, definitely helped, but surely there was a goal scorers eye present in his DNA! ( At this time he was as prolific as Charlie George was for Islington Schools)!!!
Despite your wonderful examples, where has it gone? For a number of seasons, if he was faced with a one on one, who would put money on him scoring?
I hope for a new player, but would prefer to put my belief in the Ox. Sorry!
Cheers, GIE.
Cmon Feo, do summink, Feo. 🙂
Walcott has never justified the huge wages he takes home. He’s never been consistent enough, he often goes missing in the big games, and in his general play almost always seems on the periphery of matches no matter where he plays. When you look at Alexis, there is an example of a player that wants to be involved as much as possible. Walcott has always seemed to me to be virtually afraid of the ball, afraid of making mistakes. Often he makes a run when a midfielder is not free to make the pass, does he want to seem like he’s doing his job, when really he doesn’t have the confidence to deal with the pressure? Much speculation here, granted, and for sure, at times, the Emirates crowd get on his back, but he is so frustrating purely because he can look so electric when he gets it right. Unfortunately, that just doesn’t happen often enough.
I’d take the Ox over Theo any day, even if Ox also has consistency issues, he has more raw skill and I believe his belief in his ability can be rebuilt after poor form.
Theo needs to move on for his own sake, but who would take him on those wages?
Lets look at Theo Walcott in one statement right here: He has been an Arsenal player for 10 YEARS and he is STILL not a starter or established first team player. He is STILL a fringe player who everyone expects to suddenly spark and fulfil his potential. 10 YEARS and your still not a first 11 every week player!
Seriously put him on the transfer market and get rid. We have given him too many chances and opportunities now, it makes me feel sick that he held the club to ransom over a new contract. Since getting his contract his form has been terrible.
He hasn’t got the balls to play at the highest level and just doesnt seem up for the fight. Players like Sanchez really show him up in this context.
Waste of money and resources at a big club. Name one other top 5 team in the country who’s team he would get in?
Useless.
Very well said.
I think he’s now preventing other younger and much better players getting a chance in the team. He’s been here so long and not reached his potential so let’s give Gnabry, Campbell, Iwobi, Reine-Adelaide, Willock all a chance to get in the team. They look like they want to get involved.
Look how good Bellerin is! And he was in the team through injuries to Debuchy so all these young guys need is a chance. Theo Walcott is going to prevent these guys getting their chances.
Thanks GiE, I too am relieved that he has finally accepted where he could be most effective at Arsenal.
Pangoonerlin (great name) your assessment of Theo’s character on the pitch is exactly the same as mine, and the Alexis comparison says it all.
Subtlely, Theo tries to make it look like he’s working hard for the team but actually he is avoiding putting his body on the line. He is very poor when we are not in possession, with his pace he should be intercepting passes and nicking the ball off the opposition’s fullbacks.
Nice one GiE 🙂
I bet Theo would do well in an intelligence test among all the Arsenal players. It was a very shrewd move to say he no longer reckons he is a CF and wants to make the RW his preferred position. The secret to a long life is knowing when it is time to go.
He knew his time was up and yet he blew knew life into his Arsenal career in one go. Arsene will have it easier now to get a good CF as back up for Giroud and not worry too much about the right wing position anymore, I reckon. Well done Theo. 🙂
I 100% believe Walcott wants to go back onto the wing because he knows that he will never get picked for the England team under Sam Allardyce as a striker. It’s all too much a coincidence that he’s come out after Allardyce was made manager to do this. Afterall he played the Asia tour down the middle and didn’t say anything then.
We might despise his character and accuse him of a lack of passion, but if Arsene is looking for ten PL goals from the right by the one player, he knows Theo can deliver this. And in the more demanding games in terms of defensive duties, we can play either Rambo, Campbell or Iwobi there.
Would love to see Mahrez join but I reckon this is no longer on the cards now.
For the sake of unity among the Arsenal fans more than anything else, let’s hope we will get a fab new attacker soon.
Oh wow, Exile, you’ve hit my weak spot.
First up, thank you for the post.
Here’s my problem. We begin the season without Ollie. Last term we played our best games in the impressive wins over Man Utd and Leicester (3-0 and 2-5 respectively). Theo started striker in both games.
Points previous posters have made about the length of time at the club, wages and so on are very relevant and valid.
However, my problem remains, until we have a great, fast, striker, I’d start Theo central against Liverpool. No doubt whatsoever.
I’d rather we play Akpom.
he doesn’t deserve that number 14 shirt! walcotts problem is that he thinks he is better than he is, all he has ever had was speed but this is football not a 100 meter sprint – even though every year he cries that he is the best arsenal sprinter for some reason like who cares go practice your shooting you peanut.
Oh how I want to have humble pie stuffed down my throat.
Like it or lump it Theo is going to be starting up top against Liverpool. Because no matter which new player we buy between now and then there is not enough time for him adapt. So Theo it is and as such we are going to have get behind him.
A thought crossed my mind about that statement he made concerning being content to play on the right, do you think that he is saying that to make himself more attractive to other clubs; that’s to say, other clubs who might be considering buying him or is that just wishful thinking?
My honest view is that he is taking up important resources that could and should be deployed more effectively.
Did you see him play in the last two friendlies up front? Woeful…
Start mixing the ingredients and turn the oven on. Although, somehow. I don’t think that pie is going to get eaten.
Theo made his debut as a 17 year old on Aug 19, 2006 who showed enormous potential, he was fast and showed a good eye for goal. But in the decade he has been with us he has rarely showed star quality which has been a huge disappointment to the majority of Arsenal fans who desperately wanted him to succeed.
Here is his PL record for appearances and goals scored.
2006–07, A-16 G-0
2007–08, A-25 G-4
2008–09, A-22 G-2
2009–10, A-23 G-3
2010–11, A-28 G-9
2011–12, A-35 G-8
2012–13, A-32 G-14
2013–14, A-13 G-5
2014–15, A-14 G-5
2015–16, A-28 G-5
Total PL games 236 total goals 55 = a goal every 4.3 games.
I believe we should cash in and sell him while he still has a reasonable market value – we need far better than he has given us.
Henry
I’d love to be wrong about Chuba, but in 56 appearances since 2012 for various clubs he’s scored 3 goals. In total!
LB,
You are most likely correct in saying he will start against Liverpool, but how long is too long to have to wait for him to show us why he should stay at Arsenal. He was miserable in the two pre-season games I watched whereas Ox really strutted his stuff scoring two excellent goals so I would prefer him to start on the right side.
GN5
Have I go this right, are you saying that you would like the Ox up front with Walcott on the right for Liverpool, it is almost certain that both will start or have I slightly misunderstood?
Call me crazy but I would like to see Ramsey and Ox interchanging as our right sided attacking force, I would bench Walcott.
LB,
I would also take a chance and start Akpom as our striker – yep I’m crazy……….
Aah Theo. The hot topic at the moment. Or rather, more like a cold sore judging by people’s reactions.
I like Theo Walcott, and I like that he stayed when he could have left much earlier. I want him to do well for us, even as I have come to realise his shortcomings. (That wasn’t a height joke)
Personally, I think he’s played terrible football for over a season now. But he had the ability to score, which in football counts for a lot, and masks a lot of failings, both on and off the field, among supporters. For the past half a season, this the goals dried up, and he’s become a target for abuse.
I was hoping he’d start this season with renewed hunger, but the pre season games have suggested this is highly unlikely. I still think he could fit better into a different system than ours, and it would be best for all parties if he leaves. We might have to sell him cheap because of his high wages, but surely some club would want him. Question is, would he want some other, less glamorous club?
As for him being a right winger rather than a striker. I agree. However, he’s a bit of a one trick pony. It’s a hell of a trick when it works. Virtually unplayable. And his cross is probably the best we’ve got from the right. But too often, he restricts our style of play, doesn’t contribute enough, and he becomes unplayable in a negative sense.
I’d wish him well, and be happy to sell him. It’s not looking likely though. So, if he’s staying, I hope we see the rise of the Ox, Campbell, Gnabry, and Iwobi, so that we need not rely on Walcott except in situations which are specifically tailored to his strengths. Hopefully this’ll be enough for us, and for the fans to not get on his back.
GN5
I would prefer we start Akpom at cf ahead of Theo as well. I think he gets in the positions to score, and has more control and awareness than Theo does in that position.
Well played, GIE,
You hit the nail on the head when you said that other players who have become great CFs have one essential attribute that is lacking in Theo — (actually there are quite a number of things lacking in Theo – but that is too boring to detail, again and again) — and that is, as you so eruditely have described it “a bit of the b****** ”
Theo for whatever reason is like the fictional character from the Land of Oz – in the film ‘The Yellow Brick Road’ who was a cowardly Lion and did not have a heart. The number of times Theo jumps over tackles or who jumps out of the way when there might be a tackle highlights this.
A possible redeeming factor, if one pursues the theme of the Lion in the Yellow Brick road, is that the Lion eventually found that he was too scared to be brave, but did not understand that everyone can be fearful and that true courage was to stand up and be counted in the face of fear.
Hope yet for Theo if he takes that on board, and tackles hard, faces bigger defender down, shoots without fear of the consequences, and allows his talent to shine thru.
Trouble is – after 10 years how likely is that to happen?
For the record – I hope he does. 😀
Very interesting two people for Akpom to start over Theo against Liverpool. Hmmmm, it’s true, Akpom does get in better positions. Can’t see it though, the only way that will happen is if West Ham buy Theo! Come on you Irons…
Shard,
I feel that we need to shake things up a bit as we are far too predictable and need to catch our opponents off guard.
I would like to see Iwobi. Gnabry,Campbell and Akpom given greater opportunities to become a part of our future as they have all demonstrated that they have the raw talent to succeed.
Brilliant comparison RA
Hahahahaha the Lion in Yellow Brick Road, I can even hear his voice when he says: come back, I’ll fight you with one hand.
Chas will put it up. lol
RA,
I would have liked to have seen Theo succeed but what can he show us that is new? In his 10 years we’ve seen him run up blind alley after blind alley and fail to get in meaningful crosses. His speed is only useful if it helps to produce and end product – which it rarely does.
I’m not one to give up on players but I really believe that his time has passed and we need fresh blood.
Hiya, LB and GN5,
I think the tide has ebbed for Theo, and after all the promise of his youthful career that is sad.
For those, like Mickish, with ‘posh’ TVs, the Arsenal v Vikings game is on ITV4 tonight @ 7:15.
Ta ra for now. 😀
I’d genuinely like to know, if all that say that we should sell him now, would be happy if ManC, Manure or Chels put an offer in.
I’d want to hold onto him in case he does a Ramsey and comes good…
Nice GiE
Theo is very prim and proper isn’t he? Even when he walks its like hes somehow disguising a tripod? i could quite easily rest my Telescope on Theo.
Its this prim and properness thats done him. When I was a kid I was an excellent midfield general. No one could get near me. Why? Because my dear old mum, God bless her soul, insisted that to confuse men who wore long coats, everyday I should wear thigh high stockings. The legacy of that was i was hairless half way up the thighs and then tremendously hirsute above. I bossed the midfield alright, all my opponents ran away.
There isn’t even a blemish on Theo. The bloke looks like a manequin. If Theo was ever chased by the cops, he could hide in John Lewis for weeks.
The problem with the triangularly erected non blemished is they have something to lose. Physical contact could damage erectness. Thats why Theo jumps out of tackles and hes shit on the ball because he fears defenders approaching.
Theo will not change. When theres space he will play well and score goals. When the games physical and tight he will go into hiding. only to be discovered when some bloke likes the look of that £69.99 woolly jumper and kops a feel.
I’ve known gentlemen who enjoy musicals, and top of their list is always Judy Garland in Yellow Brick Road 🙂
Make no mistake, I’d flog Theo in a heartbeat, but it’s the striker replacement bit of him I’d want bought in first.
Wing Theo is dead. He’s already way down the pecking order.
I’d rather Campbell than Theo. He shows more desire and workrate when he plays and he links up better with those around him. It’s time for Theo to find a new club. I’ve no doubt he could get 10 goals for us this season, but I’ve also no doubt you could get a 21 year old on a quarter of the wages and with plenty of scope for improvement who could do exactly the same.
People talk about Theo like he’s an academy player but he’s actually one of the most senior players in the squad. As a senior player we should be able to count on him to deliver, but we can’t. Time to go.
bwwwaaa, that’s a tough one LB
in a nutshell – I haven’t got a foggiest. Few years ago I was like that kid above (only better) singing and dancing when Theo has finally put pen to paper. We needed him than more than we do now. I don’t think he has improved or got worse in the past 4 years, but the situation was different. Everybody else was leaving so we needed someone to show loyalty to the club, even if we had to pay ridiculous wages for the next 4 years. And we still had high hopes for Theo.
These days we know he is not going to get much better AND we know we have money to buy world class (which TW will never be), so I’d rather we sold him really. Let him shine somewhere else. But he could only do well in a classy club, he wouldn’t last a season up north, so unless Barca or Madrid come looking for him, I guess he is staying put.
So let’s support him and get the best out of him
As flattered as I am Eddie I suspect that is meant to be GIE and not LB
If we can sell Walcott for 35 Mln, let us do it. Below that, it is not Worth it.
Walcott just needs to stay fit – I think he would be good playing in a 4-4-2
LB, GiE. who cares as long as we have a good meaty post 🙂
GIE Thank you for the post
I think Walcott is still our best right winger. He has shown he has the ability to score 10 goals a season IF he stays fit and gets a run of games.
The problem IMO is that at home the Emirates crowd are so down on the man that his confidence plummets – same for Ox – and his performance suffers accordingly.
I expect us to go into the L’pool game without a central striker
I expect Sanchez or Ramsey, if not both, to play against Liverpool.
“I expect us to go into the L’pool game without a central striker”
Erik, you started on the hard stuff early this weekend 🙂
Or are you saying Ollie will start but doesn’t count as a proper striker 🙂
LB
Certainly Sanchez, but is Ramsey back training?
Ox playing well but AFC are making this more difficult than they should.
Arsenal passing it around well.
This kid Bielik is making some really good passes 10-15 yard range with nice pace on them and easy to receive.
Theo gets a ball in the 6 yard box by Ox and tries to touch it 2X. What the hell is this guy doing? Don’t think just react, no natural instincts on the ball whatsoever- 1X that ball in the net!
Arsenal need to practice penalties and don’t let Mesut take them..
Theo is showing us why we all have doubts about his ability, his 1st touch lets him down, his passes go astray and his shooting is erratic. I recognize that it’s early days and the team has not had much time together but to me he indecisive and overall his 1st half has been woeful. He had a great opportunity to play Ox through on a break away but his pass was over hit and the chance was wasted – typical of his game.
Do we have any better players coming on in the second half?
This team would get hammered by Pool
Sorry to sound gloomy but eeks
Looks like we need to sign a striker 🙄
For me, Theo’s typical moment was when he ended up fouling the defender on the edge of their box. Just no awareness that there was someone behind him, and not good enough technique to keep the ball.
I think Theo starting today is a sign that Akpom is going to get his chance. The ManCIty friendly will be his final audition. Do well there, and he starts against Liverpool.
if you are fed up speculating/waiting/hoping…whatever, here is something to take your mind of things! It doesn’t get weirder than this:
http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/third-severed-human-foot-found-in-somerset/ar-BBviClS?ocid=spartanntp
Shooting is good
Now we’re on fire 🙂
7 mins into the 2nd half and Theo sets up Cazorla and then scores himself…………maybe he can prove me wrong?? I sure hope so.
yes finally- well taken Theo!
I think Campbell suits our current formation and tactics better than Walcott does. He can see a pass, has the technique to link up with the likes of Özil, and works hard without the ball.
For me, Walcott is a striker, but only if playing as a 2 up front. Michael Owen was exceptional playing on the shoulder of the last man. Theo and Giroud are the new Owen and Heskey! Unfortunately for Theo we don’t play 2 up front!
Iwobi is going to be scary!
They did Grea8………………..
Who’s the tosser co-commentator on Arsenal.com? Moaning because we won 8-0! Yes, it was easy, but it was still a good run out. I predict we will beat City on Sunday aswell because they are still trying to learn the Pep way whereas we are very comfortable in how we play football.
Great 2nd half
Superb from Jeff and Iwobi
Akpom gets on the score sheet for the 3rd game in a row!
Give him a shot against $h*tty.
Attaboy Theo. Came out much more determined and decisive in the second half and earned himself a goal, and put together a neat turn and pass for Santi’s goal.
Must say the defending second half from Viking was terrible. But if this instills some confidence for Theo, and also Joel Campbell, then it can only be a good thing.
Still think Theo isn’t a CF, and Akpom shows much better positioning and awareness there.
Whisper it, but I think Arsenal are going to see an influx of young talent from the academy over the next few years. I know it ended up as little more than a training game, but Akpom, Iwobi and Jeff look like they’re already thereabouts. Zelalem has such great vision. Maybe he needs some more time but he’s going to play for Arsenal one day soon. Willock too though he didn’t get a chance to shine today. I recall Wenger saying something about wanting 65% of our squad to be homegrown. In a few years, this might well be possible.
I have 100% confidence that Xhaka is going to be a steal at £33m and I’m as excited to watch him as when Özil first played, but the signing of Elneny for £5m is ridiculous in the current market. He’s the new Edu. Love the guy.
Exile
Theo being like a new signing is just a smoke screen for Arsene Wenger’s lack of actual signings.
Anything less than The Arsenal winning The Title this season is failure IMO.
Morning All,
We have some fine youngsters, pacy, comfortable on the ball and well-versed in Wengerball.
The future is bright.
Who will start in midfield when the season gets going? It will be very interesting to see which combination AW chooses. Ramsey is too good to drop but if he plays where does Cazorla fit in?
Will he play Elneny and Xhaka together? Are they too similar?
Why should The Arsenal be winning the league GG9?
BR,
I’d go Elneny and Xhaka behind Wilshere for first game assuming it’s too early for Rambo and Cazorla. If either of those play then swap for Wilshere. Liverpool will press high so we need HM players who can play out under pressure and I think Elneny’s simple passing along with Xhaka’s range of passing will give us an ideal platform.
I honestly believe Xhaka could be the answer and I cannot wait to watch him this season. The guy oozes class.
City tomorrow. Must win game
Wenger reiterated that there is money to spend on new players. So he is saying, that ‘no, I am not a tight arse, there were no players that we liked’. So what he is saying is ‘I bought Xhaka and Bielik and that’s your lot lads’
I sincerely hope I am completely wrong.
Morning Raddy
If you had to pick the starting lineup for Liverpool right now, knowing that Ramsey and Alexis are unlikely to start since they aren’t match fit, while Ozil, Kos and Giroud won’t feature at all. What would your team be?
I think I’d pick
Cech
Bellerin Chambers Gabriel Gibbs
Elneny Xhaka
Ox Cazorla Iwobi
Akpom
Subs: Ospina, Holding, Monreal, Coquelin, Ramsey, Alexis, Walcott
This leaves out Campbell and Jeff as attacking players, Wilshere (if fit) as the mid, and Debuchy as a defensive player.
Shard. Without any real consideration of the line-up I would start with Theo upfront.
I remain totally unconvinced by Akpom and would prefer Campbell to start alongside TW.
It is very disappointing that we have such a paucity of quality central attackers
Absolute classic from Eddie
“Must win game”
Good Girl 🙂
Potential Prem. League 1st XI strikers for crucial opening fixtures:
Ibrahimovich
Costa
Vardy
Kane
Aguero
Sturridge
Lukaku
Akpom
Errr, cough, spot the odd man out 😦
I haven’t seen all yesterday’s game but does anyone know why Xhaka didn’t feature?
Well, We do have our two first choice strikers unavailable. And our third choice playing like crap (hopefully the goal helps confidence)
Our midfield is strong enough to create a few chances. It doesn’t need an Aguero to spearhead us. Just someone who can get himself in the right spots and just put the ball in the net.
Because he’ll play against City tomorrow LB
Yip, agree with Erik about Theo starting against Pool
One question: might, just maybe might, Arsene try Sanchez as striker against City?
I don’t mean to be nasty about Chuba, afterall he has a great name AND looks brilliant in WWII movie posters 🙂
Ha ha ha Shard
“It doesn’t need an Aguero to spearhead us. Just someone who can get himself in the right spots and just put the ball in the net”
Bloody waste of money those Aguero sorts 🙂
I don’t understand what is so difficult about scoring a goal. I did it thousands of times at school.
Professionals just complicate things
Yeah yeah..laugh it up..SMH
Erik
Were you an ace goal hanger as well
I scored five in a trial for the First XI and got put in the Third XI
Tosser of a coach mentioned something about being lazy
Shard
Nothing funny whatsoever. Wenger is on very thin ice in my book. What’s SMH?
Simple Minded Hound? 🙂
Maybe he’s on thin ice because he’s fishing for a striker. Of course it’s the wrong season for ice fishing and why we’ll have to do with Chuba outperforming Aguero.
Guess again. I want to see what else you come up with 🙂
shake my head, old boy 🙂
Raddy – what has always baffled me, is what makes some footballers brilliant strikers. What is it? Timing, vision or just excellent eyesight, physical attributes, strenght, character, all of it? How come Ibra is so good? What is so special about him?
Shard
AW may well be on a bleeding fishing trip, but he should have set off months ago
He knew ages ago Danny was out for the season, and equally he knew Olly would be at Euros and therefore a bit tired
It’s plain crap preparation. Olly gets a groin strain while in action, and we’re buggered.
Morning all, glad we had a sensible debate about Theo….thanks for finding the vids of those two goals Rasp.
I’d say Theo’s most productive spells came with Cesc, and BSR, and then with Santi and Giroud.
If he can hold his position on the right flank, and delay runs to the bye line for the likes of Ozil to pick him out he will often get into positions where he can play that last killer pass back across goal for someone like Giroud or Alexis to finish. On occasion because he is running towards goal from wide he will also find himself in positions to score too, and his finishing is normally pretty good.
The only slight issue is that his workrate back is not as good as someone like Campbell and his crossing from wide is not good, but that’s why in the modern game full backs overlap and midfielders drift wide to play crosses.
A line up something like this:
Rambo….Xhaka……Ozil
Theo……Akpom…….Alexis
Has a lot of pace and clever passers.
I realise that means Elneny, Santi, Jack etc are going to be riding the pine, which also is quite remarkable when we think our squad is weak.
Hi Exile
After last night, I remembered how vital Santi is, and therefore I’d shoehorn Aaron somewhere else
Your
Rambo….Xhaka……Ozil
Theo……Akpom…….Alexis
My
Santi….Xhaka……Ozil
Rambo……Theo…….Alexis
micky
Don’t disagree with that. But just as long as he can snare a good one before the transfer window closes, I will not be unhappy.
rumours of Isco being available.
i know, i know, we need a ST and a CB blah blah blah…, but he is a brilliant player and someone i imagine Wenger would like. Could he play on the LW with Sanchez right?
Cazorla Xhaka Ozil
Sanchez Giroud Isco
is that creative enough for you!!!???
Hi Exile
Thought the Walcott debate was very balanced, but worried about your recent assessment of his finishing being “normally pretty good”!! It is the percentage of genuine chances he has not finished for the last few seasons that, in my opinion, is the crux of his problem for us.Anyway enough negativity!
Manshitty tomorrow! COYG
LBG – you are talking the Expected Goal Ratio here
Interesting to see Atletico showing so much ambition, even after losing twice in the final.
Meanwhile….
Superb Chas 🙂
Anything on telly tonight? Bit knackered.
http://tvguideuk.telegraph.co.uk/
Brilliant chart, Eddie, thanks
Might see what’s on Olympics
you can tell me then, I am not in a mood for frivolities
It’s bicycling right now
Going down a steep hill if that makes any difference to your mood
Ouch
2 of leading 3 just crashed. Medal hopes gone.
EDDIE EDDIE EDDDIE
A Pole is leading 🙂
did he win??
I doubt it anyway. off to bed to sulk, good night
Why should The Arsenal be winning the league GG9?
At least I spose The Club did what England couldn’t do, beat a team of Vikings 🙂
Look, if its not important to win the Title then this site isn’t for me.
I cannot believe that on an Arsenal blog some one would actually ask such a lame question as “Why should The Arsenal be winning the league GG9?”
I’m sorry. I like to be around people with ambition.
Gnarley, you were questioned on your expectations, not on your ambition, which of course we all share.
Do you really believe we are beyond our competitors and that not winning the title is deemed to be ‘failure’ this season?
Eddie
Hope you’re feeling better this morning
What would cheer you up? I could lie and say we bought a handsome and very expensive striker, or I could ask Chas for some amusing cat vids
City game on ITV tonight.
Trying to identify some really weirdshit looking shells we found yesterday on the beach
There’s one guide you can download called “Alien Invaders Guide” 🙂
GG9,
Why are you so offended by the question!?
You said anything less than Arsenal winning the league is a failure. So I’m simply asking you why we should be winning the league this year? What have we got at Arsenal that makes us superior to all the other teams in the league?
a handsome striker would do the trick 🙂
wouldn’t cure the stomach pains, but would put a smile on my face.
Fat chance though, the old scrooge won’t spend
gnarley – why should Arsenal win the league?????!!!!!!!!!! are you insane
Micky I listed to “Museum of Curiosity” (Radio4 Friday Night Comedy podcast) this week there was a micro biologist who claims that new beings (micro ones) are arriving in our atmosphere from the wider universe. So your “Alien Invaders Guide” could be quite accurate 🙂
On the other debate this morning about league winning etc I think TA is right.
Ambition to win everything
Minimum requirements : Top 4 finish, quarter finals of FA Cup and at least second knockout phase of CL.
I would define the seasons as follows depending on outcome:
Great : Win the League
Good : Battle for title all way but miss out by width of a gnats unmentionable
Average : top 4
Below par : qualify for Europa
Crap : mid table finish.
I don’t think cups can be realistically added to the season as a whole but they can help alleviate other woes if we do well. That’s why I think last season felt so bad from the ManUre away game onwards.
GiE – I would only redefine ambition – to win everything. For me winning the CL would be even beyond my ambition. It is the ultimate Holy Grail
A Frenchie
Anyone seen the French gymnast breaking his leg? Pretty grim.
Morning All,
Shame you chaps are not cricket followers (apart from Rasp), the last hour of yesterday’s Test was superb. So was the Olympic cycling – the Danish commentators were hysterical that a Dane unexpectedly got the silver medal.
Today is set up nicely – last day of the Test, some Olympics and then AFC vs MC. I thought of writing a PM but decided to keep my powder dry until next Sunday.
Gothenburg is 5 hours by train from here. Perhaps I should check out the ticket situation.
FGG. Can’t watch it. Was it Diaby bad or Eduardo or Wilshire?
oh no, that is terrible. Boy or girl?
When you watch the Olympians and see the emotions after an event they participated in, it shows how much work, dedication, heart went into preparations. To me they are superior human beings, I could never be so serious about anything in life. Especially potentials like winnings, glory, fame. Wonderful people.
oh, Ramsey’s wasn’t bad enough for you Raddy? that was the worst brake I have seen
Eddie !!!
That is too much for a gentle Sunday morning 😦
man up Raddy!! go on twitter and wish the lad speedy recovery, poor bastard
Did you see the Demba Ba one? Pretty similar and equally grim!
leave it all fattie, I begin to feel ill now
Whose leg went when Riise kicked a ball at it? Smith something? one could hear the bone cracking
It was Alan Smith, Eddie.
You need to toughen up! I actually broke my leg in 3 places when I was 14 playing rugby. You could hear it snap then too. Wasn’t very pleasant!
Good morning one and all.
Back to the Theo discussion….this is from Football365.
………………………………………………………………………………………
The confusion over Theo Walcott’s playing position continues as Arsene Wenger insists he will use the Englishman as a striker.
Walcott began his career as a winger, but expressed his wish to make the transition to centre forward recently.
The 27-year-old has scored just 16 goals in 73 games over the past two seasons however, and said earlier this month that he wanted to be considered as a winger again.
But manager Wenger has contradicted the England international, insisting he will use Walcott as a striker this season.
“I believe he has all the ingredients to become a great striker,” said Wenger. “He has the quality of the runs, he is a very intelligent player and he’s a good finisher.
“He’s not a great defender, so I believe to use his runs in the final third could be very efficient.
“Scoring goals and playing there will give confidence and slowly convince him, maybe, he can be absolutely fantastic there.
“On the flank, today, you need to do so much defensive work that you lose a lot of his qualities. I don’t rule it out, but for me I will use him more up front.”
grrrrr.. I broke my wrist when I was 5. My mother didn’t believe me it was hurting and gave me spanking 😦 Only when it swell up like a balloon she begrudgingly took me to a hospital
come on didIt, your arm brake last year was the best 🙂 a helicopter rescue !! damn!! bloody good scene
That is an interesting move by Wenger, GN5. No escape for Theo then…. and maybe he is still looking to add Mahrez or another to the team…
Afternoon Raddy
Ball by ball watcher my self, old man!
Another over in before lunch, I think!
TA, it seems like AW is telling Theo that his days on the wing are over and that he will now be just our cameo striker. I really believe that if we solve our striker problem this year then Theo will be sold in January – he is nothing more than an expensive luxury.
It’s rare that I give up on a player but after scoring only 55 goals in 236 PL games he has proven to me that he is not up to the task. AW states that “he has all the ingredients to become a great striker” – but I can’t see it even against The Vikings he had many scoring opportunities but only found the right touch once.
It’s a shame but my main thought when I think of him is – blind alley’s.
Agreed GN5, he has looked pretty awful in all our pre-season friendlies. His comfort zone is on the right but football has changed and Wenger needs midwingers rather than pure wingers. And with Campbell, Iwobi, Ox and Sanchez he has better options…. on top of this, he needs to accommodate Rambo and Jack into the team and they are good midwing options too. Theo’s time is up unless he will do the business against Pool and/or the Foxes, I reckon.
Ambition? or hope? I think the latter is more accurate.
His latest comments are telling us that nothing will be done unless it falls into our lap out of the blue.
LBG. We need some inspiration to win this one (and a collapse from P’stan)
Jimmy starting………wicket……to make ball reverse. Yeesssss!
Jimmy to stay on, and a bit of Joe Root at the other end fo two or three overs to sneak an extra wicket!
Tired of hearing about how Arsenal almost signed a player in the past, as if we are the only club out there that fails to get every player they target. Every manager has a backlog of players they failed to sign but apparently only ours are media worthy. Yawn…
Raddy
A little of this” inspiration” for the Arse this aft, please!
I wish people would stop hysterically reading into things every time Arsene opens his mouth. This strikes me of the needy behaviour of a wimp who’s just been dumped. It’s also a trait shared with Morinio.
Arsene says “we’re on alert”. This does not mean she never loved me, she’s sleeping with Reg from next door, or if I beg her, she will fall into my arms.
You whingers should grow a pair. The reason she dumped your arse is because she’s sleeping with a real man, like me or Arsene. And got fed up with you acting like her bitch.
If you want transfers or wish to know how to keep a women’s interest level, then ask admin for my email. Five minutes with me and you will be convinced that were about to sign Messi, and if we don’t, then it don’t matter because during my session you will come to believe Joel Campbell is better anyway.
You will also learn how to get women to chase you. Look outside your house? What do you see? Just your pathetic delusional neediness. However, if you listen and follow my system, you will have desperate women parked outside your gaff longing for your attention.
Under no circumstances mention Arsenals need for a striker to her. If you do, she will cotton on your a wimp and lose interest right there. That’s were you will get what you deserve. Arsene will be making a signing, on her bed post.
Well said Terry.
Your not ambitious enough, Terry.
What do you think of Tottnum?…….
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1565400/tottenham-hotspur-relegate-catering-firm-after-health-inspectors-find-bugs-and-mice-poo/?CMP=spklr-_-Editorial-_-TWITTER-_-TheSunNewspaper-_-20160806-_-Football-_-538517711
Just looked outside my house. No-one there, no desperate women, not even a stoned alike on the doorstep.
Clearly need some instruction from TMHT.
Just 3 more wickets. Come on England
Awesome Terry!
Yeesssss
A great day of cricket. Now come on you Gunners!
Admin,
Can I have Transpant’s email, or better still, his home address. I could be there for therapy in about five hours
Any team news, apart from the bleedin’ obvious of Theo through the middle 🙂
Team to play Man City: Cech; Bellerin, Gabriel, Holding, Monreal; Coquelin, Xhaka; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ramsey, Iwobi; Sanchez
Sanchez through the middle?
Please, please let it be so
Erik or LBG
How much longer do England have to get the last three wickets?
City Team to play Arsenal: Caballero, Zabaleta, Fernando, Kolarov, Clichy, Fernandinho, Silva, Delph, Nolito, Sterling, Aguero
Keep up Micky. Won by 140 runs at 5.25.
According to the telly, Ramsey as No10, Sanchez striker, flanked by Iwobi and Ox
Interesting line up
Wow, ok LBG. Brilliant
Its on ITV normal
Come on you Gunnnnners
Ox misses an easy one, hard and low instead of dink and miss far post!
Ramsey header close.
Then Coq misses an open goal.
Sanchez fouled every time he touches ball- the Monreal has help and lets sterling go by without so much as a foot into him and Aguero finishes easily.
Grrrr……
Interesting 45
Should’ve been 3 up before they scored.
Ramsey looked rusty as you would expect.
I’m not feeling Sanchez as a ST because it gives us no presence in the box. It’s nothing to do with size, it’s just that he comes deep and wants to get involved in play. On the other hand you have Aguero who’s first thought is always being in a position to score. That’s the issue we have when Giroud doesn’t play. We really do need another ST but I reckon it will happen in the last week of the window.
Holding looks really promising but if we want to challenge we need an experienced CB.
No revelations in this game, just emphasising what we already know.
Xhaka looks good.
It’s much of the same; we create multiple chances and fail to put them in the net, with a little more composure we could have scored 4 goals – Ramsey (1) Ox (2) Coquelin (1).
We are crying out for a proven (clinical) striker.
It is one of the oldest football laws. If you waste chance after chance against a good team… you get punished out of the blue. Played very well except the finishing.. will win this game.
Good from Theo, great from Iwobi.
I love that guy Iwoooooobi
terrific atmosphere considering it’s played in Sweden 🙂
so we have chambers and Iwobi,= don’t need to buy
feck
This Theo is worth keeping. Like Jekyll and Hyde.
I feel a sweepstake coming on:- how many goals are City going to concede this season as a result of over playing at a he back and losing possession?
I’m going for 5!
Love that Pep wears the same clothes that English hooligans wear!
Theooooooooooo
That’s it Theo, make me look like a dick!
Quality goal.
Wow What a goal from Theo!
We don’t need a CF!!!!! 😂
Gee I should be critical of players more often, Speed, Guile and great finishing touch from Theo.
Great player that Theo, I always said so 🙂
don’t worry fattie, you are in good company 🙂 we all love to hate Theo from time to time
Chuuuuuuuuba
Might have to rethink my sweepstake selection! Maybe I go for 10! 😂
FGG
You were bang on about the fiddling about at the back 🙂
man of the match anyone? And altogether: Theeeeeoooooo
I’ve had a brilliant idea for the title of tomorrow’s post:
“Theo Walcott: Like a new signing?” 🙂
Lovely to see MC defending so well. Even Eddie could have scored that,
Oops, now we look pants at the back …
What a save!
Pep wears Stone Island. I did in the early 90’s
Wenger will be getting abuse now for saying Theo’s not a RW 😂
Oh shit, Gabriel out for a while. That looked serious and he’s in agony.
Oh dear. This is not good. Gabriel looks well and truly knacked.
Do Stoned Island make sandals and shit like that or what?
Poor Gabs. Does not look good 😦
That looks real bad. We need at least 1 CB now and maybe find a loan. Bad bad news.
Every CB’s just gone up by £5m so Wenger really going to have to bite the bullet and pay up. Would rather have lost than that happen.
Silver lining is the window is still open so at least we can do something about it.
Walcott did very well today!
Iwobi clean finish.
Theo actually ran at someone, Sanchez one touched it back, Theo perfect finish!
Akpom in the right place right time. 3 goals in 3 games.
But, here it is Gabriel looks to have done a knee or ankle.
Hope it is just a high ankle sprain.
3-2 Gunners!
One thing that stands out is those 20-30 yard runs Arsenal allow a person to make in the center of the pitch or wings without a cheap foul to give. Bould needs to train in some nasty!
Arsene need 3 more signings now.
Aaron. Just the 3?
I hate that Zlatan is playing for a dreadful man-ager and club.
I refer the honorable gentlemen and ladies to my 9:28am on 6 August, coming late from the right he will sometimes find himself running through on goal.
That being the first pre season game I have watched live I would like to say two things:
We need to sign a goalkeeper, or have kept TPIG at home this season to learn a bit of composure from Cech, Cech was at fault for both in my book by not commanding his 6 yard box.
Worryingly we are not going to sign there and as Hart is still getting a game at City it suggests there isn’t a lot out there right now, if I was Arsene I would be putting offers in for Butland or Forster and big ones.
Any concerns at centre forward are going to have to be filled by our existing squad as we need centre back cover urgently.
And finally regarding Arsenes comments earlier in the day translated by me:
“I intend for any parties we are negotiating with to believe that we can play Theo, Alexis or Ollie through the middle and have Danny to come back, and don’t expect you to add £10m to the price tags because you think we haven’t got a starter at centre forward.
And Theo now you have decided you want to play on the right wing you are going to have to show a bit more hunger for winning the ball back and defensive duties if you want to start in the team”
Lacazette is injured now aswell! Pretty sure we are cursed on that front. Apparently it might put any deal at risk. All speculation obviously.
I just had to re read this on BBC:
“The Portuguese warned this week it would take time to change his players’ mentality after two years of former boss Louis van Gaal’s regimented safety-first style, and he was right.”
Has Mourinho ever watched his own team play?
Big Raddy- yes 3.
One striker, and 2 D now that Gabriel is hurt.
Can’t throw in our 2 youngsters and expect them to play without injured Kos for a month!
Pogba signed for manure for 100 mill- yes 100 mill, so Arsene can buy 3 players for 30 a piece and still have 10 mill in the bank for Stan.
Very clever GIE and accurate to boot.
“I intend for any parties we are negotiating with to believe that we can play Theo, Alexis or Ollie through the middle and have Danny to come back, and don’t expect you to add £10m to the price tags because you think we haven’t got a starter at centre forward.
And Theo now you have decided you want to play on the right wing you are going to have to show a bit more hunger for winning the ball back and defensive duties if you want to start in the team”
Well terry in the unlikely event we’re ever looking for short, fat ugly, toothless and drunk we’ll keep your particular skill set in mind. 🙂
At the start of that game I focused on Holding and thought to myself, yes, this guy has got enough to hold things together until Koscielny returns and who knows by that time he could have done well enough to even keep his place as his partner.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Wenger thought the same. Then unfortunately the small youthful mistakes started, culminating with being absent without leave while Aguero scored. If Wenger had thought the same thing he changed his mind and brought on Chambers pronto who will obviously start against Liverpool.
But just when it looked like Holding’s first team debut had been put on ice Gabriel goes and lunges into a completely unnecessary tackle in completely unnecessary added on time. The result looks as if Holding is going to be starting quicker in the first team than he thought. I wish him well.
Surely we can get a CB in this week in time for the weekends game?
A lot of talk of Mustafi but I’d be very tempted to look for PL experience given the situation and therefore I’d be looking at Williams or maybe Van Dijk.
You can get away with 1 young CB next to other experienced defenders, but 2 young CB’s and a young RB is asking for trouble.
Morning all.
The sun shines. We thrashed City. Last week before the Didit holiday. Feels good.
Cancel the Koscielny holiday appears the obvious first step.
Anyway, if you can score three against City, you’ll probably score five against Pool, so not sure the defence matters too much. Concede four. So what. 🙂
I go find a vid to look at.
OK, Mahrez gets gifted a new BMW i8 on Friday, then plays in a Wembley cup final on Sunday. If he plans to transfer, this week seems as good as any…
Yip, still in love. Ahhhh sigh…
Now that’s a video, Micky!
Which one?
You weren’t a Siouxsie fan were you?
Morning All,
6.59. Excellent.
Saw this live on Friday night in Blackpool.
It was just amazing.
I really enjoyed this live as well, though I can easily see how some might regard the performance as murdering it. 🙂
Chas
The last track played in the Stadium just before KO last night was Joy Division
Steve Ignorant 🙂
“I can easily see how some might regard the performance as murdering it”
Yes, I can see why you might think that 🙂
Hey Arsene, just a thought. You occasionally crap on about all that total football bollocks, well if they’re all so bloody interchangeable, how’s this as a solution for our defensive woes.
Stick Ollie there. At least he’ll be as far away as possible from the important end 🙂
Steve Ignorant “singing” with Crass, his former band.
Catchy. Erik will be humming that all day 🙂
That he will. One of my fave Bowie tracks. Work beckons 😦
That Rebellion gig looked good.
Gnabry (3 in 2) and Asano (2 in 2) both banging in goals at the Olympics. That’s ST and RW sorted.
Still on holiday with limited wifi…..just as well that I wasn’t around for the Theo debate 🙂
The thing is that as LBG points out Theo looked a good striker in the making at Saints and then we seemed to play far better fluid attacking football when Theo got his chance up top at the start of last season….then the injury.
Theo was back again at Christmas when we sat top of the league and he then played at striker again last season………..zero times. All this while Ollie went some 10 games without scoring taking us from top of the league to scrapping for top 4 again.
Now Arsene says Theo is better as a striker…..que?….doesn’t that make his use of him as a striker, or more specifically lack of, from the turn of the year a bit bizarre?
Can’t see Xhaka starting next week, not meant to be a slur on his talent but his lack of prem experience was noticeable against City. There were a couple of good long range passes but he is still not used to the system and it will take a bit of time for him to find his range. No doubts about his future impact though, good signing.
Elneny, even in the short time that he has been with us his extra prem experience, affected the game from the moment he came on.
I can see him starting alongside Coquelin.
——————Czech
Bellerin, Holding, Chambers, Montreal.
——–Coquelin——–Elneny
—————-Cazorla
——–Ox, Walcott, Iwobi
Obviously if Gabriel isn’t out for the season then he will play instead of Holding.
I can see a 5-5 draw on Sunday.
Not looking good for Liverpool game with no experienced CB’s.
Hopefully our tight fisted manager will get us a CB this week but don’t hold your breath.
Personally I think we should play Beilik next to Holding as I have lost all faith in Chambers, he has gone backwards for me.
Think the best we can hope for this season is 4th place finish if we do not get a CB & Striker in.
Theo is useless as a striker imo, think he is much better as a winger but prefer Cambell myself as he tracks back & does the defensive side of game a lot better.
Theres still time to get players in but been incredibley disappointed with our transfer or should I say lack of transfer policy.
I can see it getting ugly after the Liverpool game if we don’t get the right result & that’s looking less likely with the injuries we already have.
Its so hard being an Arsenal supporter as I think we are the worse side in the country at doing transfers but heyho the club don’t care their making money.
Why are people SOOOO stressed out over the start of the season?
Are Chambers and Holding not part of the first team squad? Why even have them there if they are never to play? I get the doubts over their experience or lack thereof, but I feel if they are to play, then it’s better it happens at the start of a season when all teams are a little unsettled/rusty.
Name one team that wouldn’t be ‘in a crisis’ if the first 3 Cbs were unavailable for some reason. Besides, for all we know, Koscielny could play. Both Monreal and Debuchy can cover at CB too if it is felt experience is needed. So it’s not like we don’t have options at all.
We’ll get a CB in anyway. And no, it isn’t poor planning that we don’t already. We knew Kos wouldn’t be available, but Per and Gabriel is good. Even Gabriel and Chambers is fine. Now that Gabriel got injured yesterday, it causes some issues. But the fact that we still have options there despite at least 2 of our CBs going down injured within a week, suggests good planning and squad build.
It’s a new season. A time for hope. To hang that hope only on some messiah (not messi) from the transfer market seems a bit stodgy to me.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/aug/08/arsene-wenger-scared-arsenal-retirement
The thought of retiring:
“It’s been my life and, honestly, I’m quite scared of the day,” Wenger says. “The longer I wait, the more difficult it will be and the more difficult it will be to lose the addiction.”
Doubling role as the club’s vice-CEO (assisting Gazidis):
“I personally believe the only way to be a manager is to spend the club’s money as if it were your own because if you don’t do that you’re susceptible to too many mistakes. You make big decisions and I believe you have to act like it’s your own money, like you’re the owner of the club and you can identify completely with the club. Because if you don’t do that I think you cannot go far.”
Where the club’s scouts are sent to:
“I’ve said to our scouts to do the lower leagues because the good players are there now. Don’t forget we have many foreign players in the Premier League, but good English players have to go down to develop.”
Good upbeat comment Shard. Just one question: did you see all of the city game?
Yes LB. Why?
Shard
Quality spin 🙂
I have a feeling that, like me, you’re no fan of defending. However, I know people who are, and they’d probably think our defence was a bit of a shambles. WITH Gabriel 🙂
For the sake of being happy, I’m running with your theory. A Monreal Debs CB pairing against Pool is good planning. Hooray 🙂
I once met Shane Warne. Just saying… 🙂
ha ha ha 🙂
I can’t think where I learnt spin, as during my cricketing days, I wasn’t allowed anywhere near the stumps during the fielding bit, and my time there when batting was usually very short.
I was called a slogger. Only three things ever happened. 4,6 or out.
Really???
Why are people worried about no CB’s???
Debuchy is useless at RB let alone in the middle, Monreal is no CB but great LB & Rob Holding looks quality but he will be thrown in at the deep end if he plays & Chambers has just gone down hill after a good start at club.
Even with all fit, our CB’s are just not good enough, Kos is great but BFG is too slow & getting on a bit now & Gabriel is very hit & miss.
We are the only club in PL that would sit & do nothing about it.
So, even when we have all our CBs, we have no CBs? Now that’s a googly.
Didn’t say that at all, but only one of them is good enough,
Holding looks like he could become a top defender & I missed Belik ,who also looks promising but come on, if we want to be challenging to win things we need more experience & quality in that department but as title says “Walcott like a new signing”, even the fans are thinking like Wenger now.
And this Mertesacker is slow meme deserves to die. Yes he’s not the quickest, and a few times in a season this will be exposed. But how often is he where he’s supposed to be when someone else wouldn’t? Recovery pace is all well and good, but Per makes up for the lack of it by not having to recover very often.
And why it’s a meme is because even when you see Mertesacker comfortably keep pace with the striker, the commentator talks about how slow he is. It’s nonsense. He’s a class defender, and his ball playing skills are something Arsenal rely on. He’s getting older and he will need to be replaced, as it turns out, this year, because he got injured.
I get question marks over Gabriel. It could go either way with him. But he doesn’t deserve to be written off, for an unknown magic CB at that, who might or might not fit in and do well.
Chambers and Holding will need to play at some point. It’s not ideal that they MIGHT have to start in such a situation, but they are…..CENTRE BACKS… Something I’m assured we have none of, and we are the only team that would appear weak when 3 first choice players for the 2 positions are unavailable. We should have 8 first choice CBs, since the first 5 don’t count anyway.
I agree Mertesacker has been brilliant & his positional play is excellent but last year there was quite a few of those occasions that he cost us & when have you ever seen him keep pace with a striker lol it just doesn’t happen ???
I would like to see Arsene take the CB position more seriously & try & sign a world class defender, he does it with midfielders.
ManU defenders
Bailly, Jones, Rojo, Smalling,
Chelsea defenders
Terry, Cahill, Zouma, Hector, Aina
City
Otamendi, Mangala, Kompany, Denayer, and some young guys I’ve never heard of and don’t even know if they play at Cb or fullbacks.
Arsenal
Mertesacker (injured last week following which Wenger said we need an experienced CB for the season ahead) Koscielny, Gabriel(injured yesterday) , Chambers, Holding.
But no..clearly we have terrible squad planning and terrible defenders. Take out 3 Cbs from other teams and they’d be unlikely to cope any better than us. Probably much worse.
I think we should put a cheeky bid in for Morgan and Huth. 🙂
Here’s some Yin and Yang harmony balance bollocks
Signing a striker = signing a defender
Situation since Gabs injury = more likely to concede a goal
Solution: sign a striker and score an extra goal
Same thing. More fun.
Have we had a great defence in the last 10 years or so? I think the answers “no”
Personally I’d offload Gabriel & Chambers as I don’t rate them at all.
Wenger knew Mertersacker was injured 2 weeks a go but just sat & waited now we have lost Gabriel, for me that’s not what Man U, City or Chavs would do, I wish we would start acting like a big club.
I assume your happy about no striker as well
“I assume your happy about no striker as well”
No I bloody well am not. I want two more. Minimum.
CB, Striker & Right Winger but I’d settle for first 2
bryan
If we don’t get in a Cb and a striker before the window shuts, I’ll join you in cribbing about it.. for a while… before I get back to watching the football. I’d agree it was a failing though.
Wenger knew Per was out and Kos would come back late, probably missing a game, maybe two.
He trusted that Gabriel with one of Chambers, Holding or Bielik will be able to cope for that period without reinforcements. If you can’t trust our 3rd and 4th choice CBs to play in one game, why are they even there?
If you don’t believe in their quality at all, that’s a different thing. But they are still there to be used.
Shard
Because our 3rd & 4th choices are a young lad we just signed from Bolton (altho he looks real quality, its not fair to throw him in at deep end) another young lad who has hardly played 1st team football (Beilik) & another young guy who doesn’t look like he can cut it to me (Chambers)
& where are you getting the for one game only as this is not the case, it will be more & as we start with Liverpool & then Leicester, its not a good situation.
Gabriel was 3rd choice. Chambers 4th. Holding and Bielik are 5th and 6th.
Why will it be more? Koscielny is back in training today. He could even conceivably play against Liverpool unless he’s been letting himself go during his holidays. More reasonably, he can play against Leicester.
Love your positivity Shard
Peaty, Carlin and Linn. Three brilliant sports persons with the perfect reaction to competing and success. Oh how our spoilt footballers could learn from such wonderful competitors.
Chas 4.20
Morgan and Huth …big lumps!
Tony Adams was 17 when he made his debut and he coped (eventually) with the pressure of inexperience. Give the youngsters a go AND buy Ashley Williams
Ashley Williams is looking better by the second.
I was being facetious about the Leicester pair.
Imagine what our fans would say about them if they were ours. 😵
Tony Adams looks a good bet right now
On a less serious note, Williams would be a good filler. Great attitude and that in itself is a major asset
Chas
Your little yellow faced chap has x’s for eyes
Did you make him yourself?
Weird, your one at 4:20 has dots like mine
CB ? – no problem Bould can put his boots on 🙂 🙂
Arsenal are sometimes accused of having a poor defence but it’s not actually the case:-
12/13 – 37 conceded – 2nd best in PL
13/14 – 41 – 4th
14/15 – 36 – 3rd
15/16 – 36 – 3rd
We are also often accused of conceding sloppy goals against weaker teams which cost us points, but I remember doing some stats on that last season too and that wasn’t the case.
We are no longer a team of midgets that struggles to cope with the physical Chelsea and Stoke sides, but we do still seem to carry that image with some fans. Why? I don’t know.
I do think we need a new CB signing to add some experience but I also agree that if Chambers and co are in the squad then we can’t be afraid to use them. I would suggest though that if Gabriel’s injury is long term then a loan signing could be the answer on top of the new CB.
OK, I’m back on about the gifting Leicester players BMW i8’s.
It was a gift to thank the players for winning the title however he only gave out 19 as 4 players have left. So is it a gift for winning the title (then all 23 should have got one) or is it a gift for staying?
And the reports say how generous the owner is, however the wages being paid to this, an EPL title winning team, is probably saving the equivalent value of the 19 BMW i8’s each and every week. So not giving the 4 extra cars is a bit stingy.
Which brings me back to Mahrez (and i’m not assuming he will come to AFC), he has not signed a new contract and he to date is not leaving… and he is only earning a 3rd of what he could be if he was to re-sign or to leave. Something is cooking (red peppers anyone). And if he was to leave this month, would he have to give back the car?
VP
Does BMW have some sort of relationship with the owner? Usually these things when they make the news are part of a marketing initiative rather than just some nice guy boss taking care of employees.
But maybe that’s just me being cynical.
I think we can’t rule out Mahrez’s transfer from Leicester. We’ll see what happens in a few weeks.
I had to check beemer i8, wow, that’s a nice car!!
stupid owner is asking for trouble though – it is a fast car!
Wayne Rooney’s got one though. Making it instantly uncool. (The Top Gear test 🙂 )
ha ha shard 🙂 I happen to like fat Wayne, he’s a big animal lover, an important trait in my books
so still no new toys for us? just over 3 weeks left and pool game to give chance to our youngsters
ha! my grandma was a genius! I had those red marks all over my back when I was a child. I still have a set at home here if anyone was to have a go!
Dick Tightsweater?
Morning All,
chas 7.51 😀 😀
Who is the lady on the right?
Rachel Riley – she’s going to be presenting Friday night football on Sky.
with bossom like that she can say anything she wants 🙂
and she’ll never be ridiculed
beautiful possum
Shard I have no idea if there is a BMW Leicester marketing initiative. Maybe they will advertise “buy a BMW i8 today and by the time Leicester win another title, you will have paid it off”.
It’s all going to be alright, Jonny Evans is coming to save us…..
I heard it was Chris Evans
Rachel Riley sounds like a comic book character’s name.
one ‘s’ two tits, my mistake
Thanks for putting that clip up Chas, I’m now convinced, Jonny is the man we need……
hahaha Eddie is in great form again… a born comedienne 🙂
Keep the one liners coming Evonski.
Gabriel posted on Instagram saying ‘today I feel much better, is not a big problem, thanks to my fans’
Hi Total Arsenal, I was just thinking that this was a well written game review https://bergkampesque.com/2016/08/09/plan-b-worked-a-midfield-to-win-the-title-el-super-neni-iwobi-ahead-of-ox-8-friendly-observations/?
when I noticed – By TotalArsenal.
but i guess everyone already knows this.
News travels slow down under
After all his fame, Colin Hay would still go and play acoustic at the local band venue. The main gig would be downstairs and he would be upstairs at the back on a tiny stage next to the bar playing. He was great.
but the best Oz live band by far was TISM (this is serious mum) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiHdpAVIHgo
if you get a chance read their rise to fame – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TISM
very funny, great great live band
VP
I’d never heard of them before. Not quite my kind of music (even if it’s satire), but the live experience can make that different. Reading their wiki page now.
would we take FFB back? I think not. I hate him and his goofy teeth
So the theory goes like this: there is no doubt that we could have got Lacazette by now if we wanted, it can’t simply be about the amount Lyon want, for the reason that if we wanted him that much we would have upped our offer and done the deal.
So, why haven’t we signed him? There must be other reasons (and the club wont pay the money line doesn’t ring true); to repeat myself, if we wanted him badly enough we would have reached an agreement by now; so again, what else can be going on?
I believe the club when they say they are alert in the transfer window or as we would say they are looking to sign new players. That being the case is it possible that there is a bigger fish that the club are after but are waiting or have to wait until the domino effect of the transfers gets under way in the not too distant future. This leads to the question which big fish could there be out there who is likely to become available when the sales start?
Is it better to have Lacazzette in the bag or wait for an ‘Ozil’?
Lewandowski, Morata, Benzema, Icardi, Griezemann?
I would take any of them over Lacazette but not sure any will happen.
Gabriel out 6/8 weeks apparently. So that means he misses about 5 or 6 PL games, 1 CL game and 1 CC game. I would suggest that 1 new CB would be enough based on that and no need to get too worried about lack of defenders. Get Mustafi in and then concentrate on getting us a top class ST.
LB
This might surprise some, but I would say Lacazette in the bag.
My reasoning for this is that Arsenal are not in a position to sign ‘no one’ there. We simply don’t have options. Walcott can’t count as anything other than a bonus, and Akpom is still young. I don’t think we need a ‘world class’ striker. At least not at the risk of missing out on anyone entirely.
Shard. Bet you a smoked fish that Lacazette will not come to AFC for precisely the reasons LB gave.
I think we will see two signings – a journeyman CB and a winger.
Shard I agree with you today, I think we will end up with Lacazette, basically because he’s probably the cheapest & easiest option out of all the forwards we have been linked with.
By the way Henry said exactly what I was saying yesterday, that even before the injuries, we needed another quality CB, so must be true 😉
I think Morata is the most overated, overpriced player of all the strikers we have been connected to, he scored a massive 7 goals last season, so glad that ones gone away.
Just a quick visit
One problem is yes we’re desperate, but Lyon came second with Lacazette their top scorer. They’ll want a replacement, and where will they find that?
I think supply and demand may well snooker us in the hunt for a striker. You’d have to pay over the odds in this market and I can’t see Arsene prepared to do that.
Bryan, you agree with me that Arsenal are getting it wrong by not snapping up Lacazette right now (If indeed he is available right now at a ‘justifiable’ price)? But then you say we’ll get him because he’s the cheapest option. I’m confused.
Did Henry say this on the SKY platform or did he tell you this personally? Besides, Henry isn’t a better manager than Wenger. He’s not even as good an analyst as Neville and we know how his attempts at management went. You’re free to believe him if you want, but meh to that 🙂
I like Morata. I think he would fit in very well at Arsenal and while he may not have scored a lot of goals (and hence why I’m sceptical on the price) he has scored big goals and big moments. But yeah, I wouldn’t be desperate for him.
Ooh.. Raddy.. No striker? So will Alexis play up front?
Hi Eddie.
I never particularly liked Nasri and I don’t really want to see him back at Arsenal but, for me, his leaving wasn’t in the same bracket as Cesc or Rvp. If wanted to leave but he didn’t hold the club to ransom, make comments so that his staying would be untenable, or refuse to play. Unlike the other two he also wasn’t a player who kissed the badge or acted like Arsenal was the only club for him, only to turn around and stab us in the back. He didn’t do much different than Sagna in my opinion.
Cheers VP 🙂
Oh, and don’t forget PEA!
Strewth Shard this is hard work lol
firstly Henry said it on sky news last night, I’m sure you can find it if you really want to..
& you say I’m free to believe him, thanks for that but they are just his views which were the same as mine on here yesterday, simple as that.
& I was agreeing with you that we will end up getting Lacazette, that’s it, nothing more 😉 Also I do think he’s the easiest option for our incompetent transfer people, I like him though, so its a good option.
I’m glad you like Morata but for me he isn’t worth anywhere near the money that’s being quoted, I’d sooner have Giroud & if we do buy another striker I want one that’s a different kind of striker.
Hope that’s cleared that up 🙂
If Fatboy Nasri is worth 18m having played just 4 games last season what is the price of a decent young attacker?
The mind boggles.
Shard. No, OG will be upfront after the first two games and will remain so until exhausted. The we will have a mixture of Theo, Akpom, Alexis and Campbell.
17M for the pork & 1M for Na$ri
no thanks 😀
Jeremy dear, that is not how I remember the Fat Boy saga. I seem to remember he caused a lot of upset in the dressing room, played out of his skin to secure the move to Shitty and stopped once he had the deal. An onanist if you ask me.
Eddie. You are such a fine judge of character 🙂
I love a LB theory – sooner or later one will become reality 🙂
Neuer
Lahm Boateng Hummels Alaba
Vidal Thiago
Robben Muller Costa
Lewandowski
Just sat thinking about the Bayern team this year. Wish I hadn’t because it’s a bit scary!
Hi everyone. My conclusion from what I’ve heard from ‘experts’ is that we could have bought both La Cazette and Mustafi (Valencia need to sell to conform with their FFP rules) …. all we have to do is to meet their price … which we can afford.
Why haven’t we done this … I haven’t the foggiest
They’re players who would considerably strengthen the squad and may just be those mythical ‘2 players we need to challenge at the top’ we’ve apparently needed for years.
Rasp
It appears to me from transfers going on elsewhere, that inflation in this market is running at about 10%. A week 🙂
If, if, if and I haven’t a clue, Lacazette began the window at £35M, it must be nearer 45 by now 😦
Oh bugger, revise that. £50M. I just googled him and saw his age.
Just coming back from the beach, and a surfer chum of my son said Stones had just moved to City for 47M. Bloody Nora, it’s utterly bonkers.
I think we could still get him for about the 35m mark Micky. We may be using him as a ploy to get Mahrez I suppose, or possibly we are just not that committed to getting him.
Ploys are dangerous. Buggering about trying to be clever when it’s a sellers market is very risky
Mind you, whatever I say or think, reality is, I have absolutely no idea how we conduct our negotiations. However, its clear the market is nuts.
I remember making a comment on here a few years ago. We were discussing the crazy market back then plateauing out, and I said how a mate in the football business said it would continue to explode for many years as overseas markets boomed.
Seeing wages Pelle is on now in China this summer, underlines that theory.
Ha ha, fair enough Eddie. I could definitely be remembering it wrong. 🙂
I guess cesc and rvp hurt more because I actually liked them whereas with nasri I wasn’t bothered that he left.
Rumours in the last few hours of Bony and Insigne. Any attacking players we haven’t been linked with this summer!?
Seeing as these are the same reporters who are saying we are about to put bids in for Mustafi, Mahrez and Lacazette, I will discard all rumours as absolute shite and believe it when it’s on Arsenal.com
(Ref to my original comment on July 27, 2016 at 2:27 pm, under Rasp’s post, “Pay Da Money …”)
Lyon (and Jean-Michel Aulas) will never ever sell any of their players to Arsenal (and Arsene Wenger), until “maybe” only one or both leave their respective clubs.
There was no business transaction between both clubs for the last 20 years, even if Arsenal has dealings with other big French clubs like PSG, Marseille, Monaco, Bordeaux, Lille etc and Lyon would sell their players to lesser clubs in the continent, e.g. Spurs, Roma, Southampton, Malaga etc.
The “Lacazette rumours” in the media are falsehoods to taunt unknowing Arsenal fans.
1) Lyon has already sold one of the stars, Umtiti, to Barcelona for big money, thus under no financial pressure sell another.
2) Not even a £50M bid from Arsenal could turn their heads; they would rather sell the player for a bit lesser to other clubs.
3) Lyon are happily feeding the media frenzy; Arsenal keeps their transfers mostly under wraps.
Morning All,
JM agrees with LB, though his reasoning differs – we will not buy Lacazette. Anyway, I would prefer an Italian because it is a long time since we had one (Mannone & Lupoli).
Looking at the current Top 25 valuable clubs in Europe, the few below have significant deficits after their transfer dealings (as of date) in this window (approx. figures):
1) PSG (£-50.24M)
2) Barcelona (£-56.23M)
3) Atletico Madrid** (£-63.33M)
4) Manchester City (£-123.76M)
5) Manchester United (£-157.25M)
X) Real Madrid** (£3.83M)
They might look to sell, though not necessary.
**Both Real and Atletico Madrid are also having to serve suspended transfer bans (sanctions for the signing of under-18s from outside Spain), pending appeals, for 2 windows.
I’m guessing we will secure Griezmann to complement Giroud and are awaiting Costa to Atletico to play out.
VP. That would be an exciting and unexpected signing 🙂
Can Greizmann play at centre back?
BR, for the amount of money they get paid now-a-days, they should be able to play anywhere:-)
Now that is a beautiful dog. Not one of those small things that look as though they have run into a wall.
woof woof
VP
Love your “settling” for Griesmann 🙂
Mind you, the “Griesmann to complement Giroud” is confusing. Complement in this case means “make up for failings” which is what Mesut and Sanchez do. We need an instead of not some kind of helper
listen Big, my ex husband refused to walk the pug when I first bought him. By the time he served me with a divorce petition they were inseparable. Once when the pug was ill, the big bastard (6’4
” and 18st) was crying ‘I don’t know what i’d do if anything happened to him’.
They are by far the best dogs. And I know after 57 years of having dogs
Micky, by complement, I meant that they have been in the same squad at national level so know each other well, both in terms of playing together on the pitch or when coming off the bench to replace etc. It would provide options. I dont necessarily believe it should be an either or scenario in terms of a new striker. I would have though that if the option of Ozil or Sanchez was not working for Giroud/Griezmann than bring on Griezmann/Giroud or replace Giroud/Griezmann with Griezmann/Giroud.
does that make sense?
Wilfred Bony anyone? not me
VP
No 🙂
Griezmann would be brilliant and would start in any Didit XI
Ollie isn’t, and wouldn’t.
Mind you, I’m staggered he hasn’t moved to a Barca or similar
Bony? No
Pugs? Don’t believe you Eddie.
VP. On that basis it would make sense to buy back Sagna. In the French squad, knows how to play alongside Kos, back-up CB and RB etc etc
Wilfred Bony ROLF 🙂 🙂
That’s a no thanks in the nicest possible way, Eddie
BR, I’m not a fan of bringing someone back however it worked well with Flamini as a squad player.
Sorry, I’ve got go to my sons game tonight.
cheers
And Keown
SHARD LB HEEEEEELP
We need spin and a theory urgently. Eddie’s right, there are Bony stories everywhere.
So, come on then, we’ve leaked interest so that…………
Eddie is usually right darling
And certainly when it comes to dogs.
There are no better dogs than pugs, absolutely superb creatures. They were bread for the Emperor of China and only the aristocratic families were allowed to own a pug. The commoners found in possession of a puglet faced jail penalties. That’s how special they are.
Bony and Clyde
Clyde ‘The Glide’ Drexler
Julian Draxler
Also, Bony plays for Ivory Coast in Orange who are called the elephants.
Trump is orange and contesting on the elephant party ticket.
Hence Wenger will STUMP up the cash and TRUMP and GAZUMP everyone else for Mahrez.
Luminati Confirmed
Sorry Micky.. Not quite Warnesque, but maybe more Paul Adams
Shard
I could live on spin like that. Top quality 🙂
So half of press saying we are readying a £30m bid for Bony whilst others saying Everton are going for him for £15m!
I smell 🐂💩
No way we sign Bony or Griezemann, but we will sign someone.
Simples
Bony: black scarf and some A4 paper
Griezmann: might go to shop and buy AFC pants
Wenger just said that Welbeck has had ‘very good news on scan’ and will only be 4 or 5 months, same as Merts.
I wonder if this is a ploy to either cover the fact we aren’t buying a ST, or to let other clubs know we have a ST coming back and therefore are not as desperate?
Or maybe he’s just back in 4 or 5 months! 🙂
I’ve just read that Deportivo Riestra in Primera B in Argentina had appointed Diego Maradona as a Spiritual Coach back in 2013. Is this our missing title winning ingredient? Forget player transfers, do what we really need is a Dennis Bergkamp, Rachel Riley or a Nicklas Bendtner to come in and assist Arsene as our Spiritual Coach?
hahaha VP – Rachel Riley! 🙂
if Mehrez goes to Chelsea I will go bananas
Rachel Riley
She is a mathematician you know, not just a pretty face with tits
Eddie,
He has had one good season in the PL and we already overloaded with mid- fielders –
Santiago Cazorla Gonzalez
Francis Coquelin
Mohamad Elneny
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Mesut Ozil
Aaron Ramsey
Jack Wilshere
Granit Xhaka
– why do we need another one?
We need to spend our money on a striker and a CB.
To right Eddie, she every Arithmetician’s dream. I can see many of our bespectacled friends feeling the thrill of geometric progression as Rachel dips for two small and one large.
Strange programme Countdown. A gorgeous dolly bird, a demure but sexy Librarian type, and yet the contestants all bring to mind the need of an urgent restraining order. The host aint no better, he looks like he should be performing a ventriloquist act.
At best, these people are harmless dyslexics or have Tom Cruise as an uncaring younger brother.
At worse they long for a world without emotion and only fail to get a nine letter word due to fantasising about murdering a geezer who can’t spell.
On the football front, I would like us to sign Johnny Evans. Have seen him live many times and always been impressed, he is very underrated.
Look into my eyes, look into my eyes.. 😳
Yes Evonski, she is pretty perfect; just a shame she cannot dance. 🙂
“he looks like he should be performing a ventriloquist act.” Another TMHT classic 🙂
If its Bony or no one I’ll take Bony.
terry – I knew that you of all people would understand 🙂
where there is no fish, crab is a fish
TA – i’d imagine stupid girls ought to be good at dancing – they wouldn’t impress sitting at a table
He certainly ticks all wenger’s boxes.
Better than anyone we’ve got (name someone better), improve the team (something is better than nothing), age (hasn’t retired yet), and good resale value (City will testify to that!)
Sly bugger’s been hiding in plain sight all these years. Just what we need to put us over the top.
Eddie, love it.
Am watching the Polish Volleyball Ladies against USA. They are no Rachels but play some lovely stuff. 😀
Bony is good back up for Giroud so would make sense.
Is it really that clear that Giroud is better than Bony, really?
Giroud 110 minutes between goals/assist on average last season, Bony 137. Only Aguero does better than Ollie re this.
And Vardy with 105 minutes between goals/assist.
Evonne, sorry it was USA v Serbia not Poland…. 😜
TA – no wonder you thought they were mingers
Having said that, LB, Bony could of course fight to become first choice, but cannot see him start as FC..
Evonne 😀
Lots of noise about Mustafi being done in the next few days. Hopefully some truth in it.
Apparently Gnabry scored another 2 at the Olympics today. That’s 5 in 3! He’s been forgotten a little bit after last season but could be an outside bet to fix the RW conundrum in future.
I watched English boys win gold in synch diving, awesome! I’m surprised the Spanish or italians didn’t win the gold
watch our year 12 schoolboy win gold in the 100m mens swim final. Practically last by the time he turns into the final 50m, only for his size 15 feet to blitz the field
Morning All,
VP. Congrats. You must be proud
I am bored with all this scrolling – only answer is to write a short post and it will be short.
Peaches
I’m at Jon’s so can’t help with spreadsheet. I can do it for tomorrow when I get back to Notts. Can’t send a text from here.
JC’s ticket is available for Sunday. Do you know anyone who might be interested?
chas – me?
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