If Arsenal Were A Car…

August 15, 2013

The Silly Season calls for some silly pieces and this is unquestionably one of them.

In among the unending tedium of transfer-related babble my mind began a-wandering.

I was thinking about Arsenal… and cars… and Arsenal… and cars… then… BOOM!

The two thought strands came together and made sweet honey in my mind.

“If Arsenal were a car,” I thought, “what kind of car would they be?” (I told you it was a boring day).

A few years ago (during the early Wenger period) the answer to that question would have been easy: something racy, sporty and French but with a sense of history, like a Citroen DS.

But today?

It’s tempting to lean towards a stately British icon like the Rolls Royce (under Herbert Chapman that probably would have worked) – but these days we don’t spend enough to be considered a ‘Rolls Royce’ type of club. A Land Rover maybe? But that makes you think of the wide open countryside, whereas Arsenal are very much an urban club.

We’re too grand to be a nippy little sports convertible; too stylish to be a ‘work horse’ like a Ford Escort van; too successful to be anything that comes cheap.

1994_Jaguar_XJ12

On balance I would settle for us being a Jaguar XJ12, a “full size luxury car” that embodies grace, speed, history and power. Yep, that’ll do.

But what about our rivals?

Manchester United: they probably have a claim to being the UK’s ‘Rolls Royce club’ but there’s not much nasty about a Roller, whereas there’s plenty nasty about our friends in Manchester – from their bullying arrogance to the paranoid purple-conked Gorbalian who was behind the wheel for so long only to stand down and be replaced by Gollum. So what works?

BMW 7 series

Well, it has to be a BMW 7 Series. A car that looks good, runs better and seldom breaks down – but is loathed by every other road user because of the self-satisfied front bottoms who drive it.

Tottenham Hotspur: this one’s easy. The Spuds are a Lada Sport. Lots of show, lots of brashness, always in your face, but

lada sport

however you dress it up, always still a sh*tty old Lada.

Manchester City: unsubtle, no taste, lacking in history or finesse,

hummer

driving straight through obstacles rather than round them and fuelled by never-ending amounts of petrol… yep, Man City are a Hummer.

Liverpool: a tricky one this, because it’s hard to tell what make the car actually is. All I can tell you is that it used to be red (I think) and that it’s sitting on piles of bricks where the wheels should be; the stereo’s been ripped out and the windows are broken. Oh, and someone’s done a poo in the back seat (police are looking for a Uruguayan man seen running away at speed).

Stoke City: one of those old fashion coaches that used to take work parties to the seaside on public holidays. Parked, of course.

Any Club Managed By Harry Redknapp: Del Boy and Rodney’s Reliant Robin. He could stand beside it shouting “I’m not a fackin wheeler dealer.”

Chelsea: an armoured limo, of the kind favoured by international diplomats and drug dealers. It’s dark on the outside, dark on the inside, heavy, ponderous and slow. It expects to get its way and you wouldn’t mess with it in a hurry. But there’s not a single hint of joy about it. It represents power, money and greed. And it was built in 2005.

West Ham United: a Bubble Car, of course.

Okay… over to you for some alternatives to the above or for suggestions for other teams I haven’t mentioned.

RockyLives

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What can Arsenal Realisticaly Hope to Win This Season?

August 14, 2013

We are about to enter the new footballing season. For a soccer supporter it is almost like a New Year of the Gregorian calendar, but better. All the hopes, dreams and the impossible will happen THIS season. Our team, whatever it might be except for Spurs, will reach the highest honours and we will scoop all the trophies. We can already picture ourselves attending celebrations, bus parades, the CL final in Lisbon. We must plan our holidays carefully so we don’t end up missing any of the important games! We have all heard about the idiot that handed over planning of his wedding to his fiancee and ended up missing the final in Paris!! What a div!!

So what are you hoping for this coming season? It would be nice to win a quadruple, obviously, but it is not going to happen, So let us be grown up about it and see what we can realistically hope for.

EPL – can we be the League winners again? I cannot see why not. We will be competing against Manchesters, Chavs, Pool and Spurs. All of these teams are good, with some excellent squad members, but none of them without problems. Both Mancunian teams have new managers, who are likely to introduce changes that will require time to take effect. Same with the Chavs – can Maurinho pull it off again, or has he finally calmed down after the scorching attack from Real Madrid’s representatives. Pool and Rogers are going to struggle without or with demoralized Suarez. Spurs I am not even going to entertain, they will never win the league.

CL – your guess is as good as mine. We have seen the greatest teams in Europe winning the trophy and the likes of Chelsea keeping it for at least 1 season too long. This competition is all about luck, which teams and at what stage of the season we are going to draw. Of course we can win it,but we could also be knocked out by Fenerbache this very month. Would this be a tragedy? I think not. It could be a good thing for the team – less competitions, more time to concentrate on the domestic league. We would suffer abuse for a few weeks from those supporting lesser teams, but hey,we are big enough to handle it. Please don’t get me wrong – it is the last thing I want to happen and I sincerely hope that we will go to Lisbon in May and come back triumphant.Yes, for me it would be the biggest achievement for the Club ever and the one I personally want most.

There are 2 more trophies to be won, ie the FA cup and the Capital One cup. Both of these competitions are the ‘easiest’ in my opinion because of the fewer fixtures, including playing lesser teams that we should beat. Yes, I do remember Bradford City and Birmingham, but that’s in the past and we are concentrating on the future here. Luck and referees play big parts in these competition, but a strong resilient Arsenal squad should/could win both. Frankly, if it was just the Capital One cup for takings, I’d rather we didn’t win it. It would give scope to those who love to belittle our club, so why encourage them. Let’s give the ‘Carling cup’ a miss.

I would like to invite you to vote in 2 polls

1. What is a minimum achievement this season that you are hoping for? – you can vote for up to 3 options

2. What do you realistically think we are going to win?  – you can vote for up to 3 options

And before you ask – yes, 4th spot is an achievement and if you are in doubt ask Tottenham how they feel about it.

This is not a secret ballot and you are encouraged to make your views known

And finally I would like to wish you all a Happy New Season!!

Written by evonne

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

A Big Name Signing – More Important to the Fans or Players?

August 13, 2013

After watching highlights of our recent performance in Finland and having seen the displays put in during our fundraising/goodwill tour of Asia I was left perplexed at the team that took the pitch during the Emirates Cup at home.

GunnerN5 has recently opined that the players are fearful of playing at home and that it translates into performances on the pitch. Ramsey’s display in Finland compared to his slightly misfiring performance at the Emirates, Walcott’s ease of finish, compared to lifting a very similar chance wide. Precise and purposeful forward play in Finland against turgid pass pass pass at the Emirates Cup.

Admittedly the squad is looking thin, so some signings are absolutely necessary before the season commences. And having seen the capability of our first choice players in Finland there is an argument to say that the team doesn’t need one big name, it just needs some padding to replace those recently departed, and maybe some different options in certain positions.

However it seems the signing of a “Superstar” is more important to the fans than the squad itself, the media and fans have made such an issue of the need for Arsenal to spend big that five squad players will not sate their appetite. They want a star, and if they don’t get one I think the mood in the Emirates will not change dramatically despite Saturday’s performance.

What do you think?

Gooner in Exile

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Arteta: player of the season? No.

August 12, 2013

As things stand we don’t have a “Defensive Midfielder” that’s to say someone who by nature actually likes defending.

To help my point I regarded Gilberto as a natural defender.

Neither, Arteta, Ramsey nor Wilshere and certainly not Diaby fall into this category.

In 80% of the games we play, this lack of a defensive midfielder doesn’t matter, because the majority of teams defend against us (park the bus) and so the challenge is always to find a way of breaking them down — we need Suarez so badly it is not true.

In the other 20%, or even less, we are attacked, or the teams seriously knew how to counter attack.

We got caught out time and time again last season by the 20% and this is one of the reasons we had such a poor record against the three teams who finished above us.

It is also why I could not have voted for Arteta as player of the season, a fine player when we are playing against a Bus but his lack of pace and lack of natural defensive know how lets us down against fast attacking teams. The first game against Bayern Munich demonstrates this best for me. This also makes a player like Gustavo a must; there is no reason why he can’t play along side Arteta or give him a rest which he will inevitably need as the season progresses.

I think since Saturday most people have acknowledged that we have a good core squad, capable of beating anyone at this point in the season but injuries being what they are, I am doubtful that we can hold together for longer than — what — Tuesday week!

Written  by LB

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Posted by LB

Blimey — We look really good.

August 11, 2013

When you think about it, playing City one week before the start of the season was a very smart move, some very clever scheduling must have gone on behind the scenes, clearly designed to give us a stern test before the real football starts next week against Villa.

If this was indeed the intention and indeed meant as a test then Arsene Wenger’s men passed it with flying colours.

But I must admit I didn’t expect it. City started as positively as you would expect. A collection of players brought for around five hundred million seemed to be effortlessly moving the ball around us. I feared the worst and started wondering how I would write a report, if required, and found myself thinking that if we lose I might have to trot out the chestnut that you can’t hide the difference in quality that five hundred million buys you.

But I was wrong, there was no need, this was one of those precious moments when the hearts of Wengerites, of which I am one, soar.

We stuffed City.

Arsene’s team, put together with a fraction of the opposition’s budget, showed a far greater level of skill and clinical finishing. In short, we were treated to some pre-season Wengerball of the highest calibre.

Ramsey was for me our Man of the Match a cross between S Gerrard’s ability to move powerfully throughout the midfield, R Keane’s determination and C Fabregas’s finesse.

Because — that pass — to set up Walcott for the first goal was class; with slide rule precision it carved the City defence open, finished off with some aplomb by the man who had a hand in every goal today. Well, done Theo, you really have been giving doubters like me a good kicking recently.

I was a bit surprised to see Podolski starting at number 9; the first thought that ran through my head was this is in response to John Henry’s blunder bus of a statement that Liverpool would not be selling Suarez; it seemed like Arsene Wenger’s more subtle way of saying, we have options and our negotiating position is better than you think.

Excluding Podolski, I got the impression that both teams started with their strongest possible line up, but, where City were struggling to find a new format, Arsenal simply picked up from where they effectively left off last season.

There weren’t too many other chances for the good guys in the first half that I can recall but I do want you to share the pleasure in remembering Bacary Sagna’s left foot pile driver that hit the post – damn, did that man play well.

Second half started, changes were made and I thought here we go; we are all well aware how Arsenal are capable of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory but once again – none of it.

We got stronger and stronger, scoring a second goal and then a third. The second was a deftly weighted pass from Theo who I think Cazorla stepped over allowing the ball to roll to Ramsey who, in turn, rounded the goal keeper before slotting home. The ease with which Ramsey rounded England’s number one was Messiesque and made all the better by the look of embarrassment on Joe Hart’s face.

When there is goal scoring going on Oliie does not seem to be the kind of striker who likes to be left out. A pass from Walcott some thirty yards made fools of the City defence allowing Giroud to control and lob over the oncoming and even more foolish looking Joe Hart.

The game as a competition was over, Arsene had the luxury of bringing on more young hopefuls and Carl Jenkinson’s family and army of friends had a chance to shout his name.

City, of course, did score; Koscielny got bundled off the ball a bit too easily but I am not convinced that would have happened in any circumstance other than being three up.

So, a great warm up, a great result, a great boost for the collective confidence and all is looking well for next week.

Have a great Sunday.

Written by LB

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Which Summer Departures Hurt Arsenal The Most?

August 10, 2013

We are half way through the silly season of the transfers and rumours of certain transfers that are never to materialize. It has started with a news that Wayne Rooney is going to the Arsenal, closely followed by a gossip from a reliable source that Rooney is in fact going to sign for Chavs. I became confused – are there 2 Wayne Rooneys or is Wayne’s brother John sought by Chelsea, or Arsenal? But oh no, it is all clear now – after all the hype Rooney is staying at ManU!

Similar scenarios apply to at least a dozen players in EPL alone. Be it Rooney, or Suarez, or Fellaini, or Torres. The bottom line is – nobody knows the final outcome of the speculation or the final make up of any premier league squad. Thankfully there were only a few half baked rumours about any of our top players leaving this summer. But that has not been the case in recent years.

Every summer would see Gunners chewing their nails on their way to places of worship (no, Emirates does not count) to pray for Dennis to intervene and stop imminent sale of yet another Judas. A scumbag, lowlife, front bottom so-and-so who chose to leave our beloved club. Why do we get so upset about some mercenary switching paymaster? Why? Because they destroy teams, unsettle other players, often take clubs back to the drawing board. We, the fans of the Arsenal have suffered our fair share of pain, disappointment, tears (in the author’s case) mixed with anger and dismay. The label ‘the feeder club’ was beginning to stick.

For me, the worst summer of recent years was when we saw Flamini and Hleb leaving, Thierry Henry’s ‘That’s it guys’ farewell, Cesc reunion with his blood brothers and finally van Judas’ pathetic confession about some ‘little boy inside’ him.

And this brings me to the question that I am about to ask you: who do you think hurt our chances of winning a trophy the most? Was it van Judas? I think not. We would most probably not win the league with him on our side. To have him scoring against us is a different ball game altogether (called biting the hand that fed you for 8 years you b*****d), but would we have done any better if he was our top striker in the past season? What about the financial side of the equation – would Wenger buy Cazorla, Giroud and Podolski if we didn’t sell BSR? I appreciate that AW secured the 3 transfers before the ManU move was formally announced, but I guess the Club knew long before that we would be selling the Dutchman.

Or do you think that Cesc’s move back home hit us hardest? He was pivotal to our team structure and the whole style of play was built around him. After Cesc went the squad had to be rebuilt yet again and it took us 2 whole seasons to have a midfield to be reckoned with.

For me it was the summer of 2008 that set us back by several years. The unexpected departures of both Hleb and Flamini and Gilberto left a huge hole in the midfield. We finished 3rd that season, only 4 points behind the league winners and almost 40 points ahead of Spurs! Had they stayed I am convinced that with just one significant purchase, perhaps a great goalie and we could have won any competition with that squad.

Who do you still miss? Which event hurt the Club most, Was it Thierry’s departure, or Songs Barca move, or Na$ri and Clichy’s greasy money deals?

Written by evonne

 

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Selling Arsenal …… Marketing Awareness

August 9, 2013

So another season approaches, the summer awareness tours are almost completed, during which a zillion shirts and myriad memorabilia have been sold. We have travelled too and explored those new markets identified and targeted  by the professional marketing team employed to reconcile our needs, with the desires of our sponsors old and new, while the drive to increase revenue takes precedence over the product the real fan is interested in.

Much is made of a foreign fan, who on his first viewing of the Arsenal bandwagon runs alongside the coach, long enough to be recognised as a marketing opportunity himself and is immediately whisked aboard among the players and filmed for immediate release to the media. He was then flown on a magic carpet of his dreams to appear and be presented to the faithful masses at the home of football. More dreams come true and a massive ahhh factor to the less cynical who follow our team.

But now the football, the thrill, the excitement our reason for being, is just over a week away. Yet still we anguish over the mega spend our leaders repeatedly promised which has not yet materialised. Meanwhile the battalions of the press have delighted in adding fuel to the fires lit by the already dissatisfied as the on off, will he wont he, Suarez affair unfolds.

Shameful they say, a disgrace, the dumbing down of a once great club, a lowering of standards and the surrender of our once proud heritage along with the reputation as the class club among clubs. Emphasised by the magnificent marble halls of Highbury and the beautiful ground we have vacated and which is now just a a memory, no matter that we have replaced it with the state of the art Emirates, the very fact that we chose to name it in the interests of money, emphasises they say all that has gone pear shaped with the club.

But yet true as the above might appear to be, when did you last hear the newscasts and if you like me listen to 5live late  at night – the world newscasts are all being led by the Arsenal. The Times puts us on its front page as well as the back, indeed all the papers consistently berate us supporters and our club with regurgitated rhetoric, on a daily basis. Five live and Talk what’s-it mention the club continually on their half hourly news cast, whilst running discussion programmes featuring highly recognisable celebrity pundits at a rate advertising space sellers can only fantasize  and  curse their luck about.

Remember how often at the end of last season many were rubbishing our marketing and PR on blogs, this one included? Well gentlemen if you have heard a better awareness campaign than the one conducted this summer by our marketing team,it must have been a thing of genius.

Of course we aint finished yet, Suarez will still probably join and score a net full and  I have no reason to suspect other players won’t follow. So a stronger team for the new season looks likely to be accompanied by the worldwide awareness that has increased our profile massively. Should the football team prosper as well as the Marketing team has done, get ready to celebrate as we are going to clean up this year.

Written by dandan

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Do You Really Want Suarez …. Do Ya? … Your Vote

August 8, 2013

If you believe the media, Arsenal has invested all its hopes in signing Luis Suarez. I’m not so sure and wouldn’t be at all surprised if there isn’t negotiation for another player going on quietly behind the scenes.

Luis_SuárezBut assuming Suarez is the man we want, wouldn’t it just be so ‘Arsenal’ to pick a player whose notoriety means he further divides an already polarised fanbase.

It’s ironic that when we decide to announce our arrival amongst the big spenders we target a player who certainly doesn’t embody the high principles for which our club is renowned.  Yes sure, Bobby may have gone down a little too easily once or twice, but Suarez has been the butt of criticism by many Arsenal supporters in his time at Liverpool.

This is what one respected Arsenal blogger, 26May1989, had to say about the Uruguayan only 2 days ago:

…….in the past I detested Suarez. That’s certainly true, his cheating and general behaviour really got to me, and the one and only time I’ve edited a page on Wikipedia came after Uruguay’s win over South Africa in the 2010 World Cup – he dived several times that night, once winning a penalty and getting the South African keeper sent off, prematurely ending the keeper’s home World Cup. And later in the tournament, there was the famous goal line save against Ghana, after which the crucial penalty was missed which was celebrated by the player after being sent off.

Yet he later concluded  …..

……. But I’ve changed my tune. My logic is that recruiting a top quality striker this summer is vital for Arsenal – with that one player a good side could become an excellent side, and the signing would also cause confidence to flow through the club, the players and the fans.

So it seems that even the most objective of us is torn. I certainly am in the same camp as 26May1989. I’d love his skill and the goals he is likely to bring, but would be extremely uncomfortable if he continued to dive at every opportunity or worse still indulge in the occasional amuse bouche of a cannibalistic nature.

Is it right that a club that is continually lambasted for not having won a trophy for 8 years, should compromise its principles and take a chance on a supremely gifted but ultimately flawed human being in pursuit of the highest honours? It’s time to have your say.

So I’m going to invite you to examine your conscience and vote in 2 ways; first a simple Yes or No, and secondly for those who voted ‘Yes’, in a more qualified way.

In this second poll you can tick as many boxes as represent your view.

If none of the above represent your view, please feel free to express that view in comments.

Written by Rasp

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The Future Is Now …… Are Arsenal Still In The Past?

August 7, 2013

Arsenal by definition, have always represented the very best of British. We are diverse and multi-cultural, welcoming players and supporters from every corner of the world, whilst retaining a class that no amount of money can buy. Essentially, Arsenal are aristocrats through their assorted share-holders, many of them titled, and extremely wealthy.

Supporters too, particularly Brits, are very generous in spirit, willingly sacrificing their undying loyalty, and asking for little in return. Watching the Women’s Euro’s, after Germany had beaten Norway to claim their sixth successive Euro title, Guy Mowbray came out with a line that immediately reminded me of Arsenal – “Norway wanted it, Germany demanded it…” A strong aggressive powerful message of intent mixed with an arrogant confidence, the Germans are drilled to succeed. Arsenal are like Norway, they want it, but they don’t demand it. The most successful clubs demand a regular supply of silver-ware, and are quick to act if that supply dries up. Arsenal behave as if they don’t expect any silver-ware, but should any accidently turn up they can award themselves even bigger bonuses (not to say they don’t already, isn’t that so, Mr Gazidis?).

It’s nine years since Arsenal won the title, and despite making much noise between 2004 and now, they haven’t really had the stomach to go for it. It’s our sixteenth successive year of CL football, but we’ve only been to one final and two semi-finals, and as with the Premier League, we really are a long way from the quality needed to challenge, and a lot further away than we were in 2004.

The financial debate is pointless. We are forever turning up in the top four/five of Forbes and Deloittes richest global sports clubs, which can’t be a coincidence. Chelsea and Manchester City haven’t suddenly become bigger and wealthier than Arsenal, they are just prepared to invest whatever it takes to make their brand a winning one, which will in turn reap huge financial benefits from commercial and sponsorship revenues.

Arsenal are over-cautious with their short-term no risk approach, the philosophy is mirrored by the product on the field, everything at Arsenal is done with the hand-brake on. As if any proof of this were needed, Arsenal had more possession of the ball than any other side in the PL. Possession for possession sake. That isn’t a money issue, that’s flawed football. That’s having far too much of the ball and half the time not having a clue what to do with it having passed themselves into blind alleys and cul-de-sacs that lead nowhere.

We are in a place now where we go into every game against the top three hoping for divine intervention, but deep down fearing defeat.

Is that really who we’ve become?

Maybe it’s part of the French DNA, that in the final analysis, they don’t have the blood and guts for the battle. They’re philosophers rather than fighters, which is why they virtually laid out the red carpet for the Germans in WWII.

I stand by my conviction that Arsene Wenger has refused to test himself at the elite level. People like to cite his loyalty and love for Arsenal, but my guess is that had he moved to a big club and failed, his career would have been quite short. And who else would renumerate a manager as generously as Arsenal do for achieving the bare minimum?

Arsenal supporters are very generous in spirit, they are fiercely loyal and very forgiving in nature. We never demand trophies, NOR do we demand ridiculously expensive big-money signings, but we do expect our tactical frailties to be addressed and fixed, and I personally expect the level of quality in our players to be of the standard required to take the title to the wire, and seriously challenge in the CL, just as was promised seven years ago by our club’s hierarchy.

Arsene Wenger arrived fresh-faced from Japan, full of life, full of ideas to revolutionise Arsenal and English football. Wenger cleverly utilised the French market at a time when the French football was in the ascendancy, and building around Dennis Bergkamp he discovered the perfect mix. But just as French football declined so too have Arsenal. The last transfer that excited me a little was in January 2004, when Arsenal signed Jose Antonio Reyes, and even then only because the British Press – as always when these things happen – were a little too lavish in their appraisal of the Spaniard.

Since that time, in my opinion, Arsene Wenger’s judgement and use of the club’s resources has been poor, without any clear indication of improvement. How many times do we give the benefit of the doubt, hoping to see a dynamic change, something exciting happen, only to be left feeling deflated again? Arsene Wenger gave Arsenal fans back their belief, and he made us fall in love with football again, but that was a long time ago. And it doesn’t matter what the excuse or reason is, Arsene Wenger has nothing new or revolutionary to bring to the table, and his best days probably left along with David Dein. This isn’t an anti-Wenger campaign, this is a pro-Arsenal thing, and an honest opinion of where I think we’re at.

In six years time, we’ll be celebrating 100 years of unbroken football in the top flight (save for WWII), wouldn’t it be great going into that season knowing that we’re back as a genuine force! There are a lot of changes needed at Arsenal if that is to be so,

I only hope those charged with making that happen are brave and intelligent enough to make the right decisions for the club and it’s supporters.

Written by We are The Arsenal

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Posted by Rasp

Do we have enough Quality or Depth in the Arsenal Squad?

August 6, 2013

We now have less than two weeks before the start of the Premier League season of 2013/14 and I find myself wondering about whether our squad has the necessary quality or depth.

This summer has been typical of other transfer transactions periods very quiet and with more rumoured than actual movements. Fortunately it looks like we are making more concerted efforts to move out the players, in both the 1st team and youth squad’s, that have not made the grade, hopefully this will free up funds for new acquisitions. Another thing to be pleased about is that all the players who have left this summer have been of our choice and we have not lost any of our key players.

So far the only addition to our squad has been Yaya Sonogo at 1.91m (or 6’4”) he will become a big physical presence in our attack, but will it be this season or later?.

It’s when I take a close look at the Arsenal.com 1st team squad who are currently the players we have to start the season with that I become concerned. Out of the listed squad of 29 players we only have18 recognised Premier League players who are fit and ready, we also have 2 untried players, 2 injured, 4 on the chopping block and 3 out on loan.

Therefore the 18 fit and ready players will, most likely, have to form our 1st team and our substitute’s bench, which is assuming we make no further acquisitions or suffer any more injuries. With time running out before the start of the season it will be a hammer blow to get any serious injuries and if we do make further acquisitions they will have little or no time to settle into the squad.

We have 5 games in the first 16 days of the new season starting with Aston Villa on August 17th and ending with Tottenham on September 1st and squeezed in there are our 2 vitally important Champions League qualifying games – not an easy start.

Without any more changes to our squad we are going to be heavily reliant on our Youth Academy to fill out our squad and allow the fit and able 1st team squad to be rotated and rested. From what little I’ve seen of the youth players we have quite a few with high potential but with little or no 1st team experience. Players like Miquel, Eisfield, Gnabry, Zelalem and Akpom are exceptional talents – but ready for the 1st team? I’m not at all sure.

Perhaps my biggest single concern is with our goalkeeping, we have 2 reacognized keepers in Szczesny and Fabinanski and if either of them gets an injury or suffers from a lack of form then who do we turn to? – in our youth team we have 3 keepers in Martinez, Vickers and Iliev but to my knowledge none of them have played in the 1st team.

I am seriously concerned about both the quality and depth of our squad and if we don’t make serious changes we may be looking at qualifying for the Chumps League and not the Champions League.

Ist Team Squad

1. Laurent Koscielny Center Back

2. Per Mertesacker Center Back

3. Kieran Gibb Defender

4. Carl Jenkinson Defender

5. Nacho Monreal Defender

6. Bacary Sagna Defender

7. Lukasz Fabianski Goal Keeper

8. Wojciech Szczesny Goal Keeper

9. Mikel Arteta Midfielder

10. Santi Cazorla Midfielder

11. Emanu Frimpong Midfielder

12. Aaron Ramsey Midfielder

13. Tomas Rosicky Midfielder

14. Jack Wilshere Midfielder

15. Olivier Giroud Striker

16. Oxlaide-Chamberlain Striker

17. Lukas Podolski Striker

18. Theo Walcott Striker

Untried in the EPL

Ryo Miyaichi Striker

Yaya Sango Striker

Injured

Thomas Vermaelen Center Back

Abou Diaby Midfielder

On the chopping block

Ju-Young Park Striker

Nicklas Bendtner Striker

Marouane Chamakh Striker

Gervinho Striker

Out on loan

Johan Djourou Center Back

Francis Coquelin Midfielder

Joel Campbell Striker

These are our youth and academy players as listed on Arsenal.com.

Who do you think is ready to step up into the 1st team?

Youth/Academy

Hector Bellerin Defender

Daniel Boateng Defender

Tom Dallison Defender

Zachari Fagan Defender

Isaac Hayden Defender

Ignasi Miquel Defender

Ormonde-Ottewill Defender

Leander Sieman Defender

Arinse Uade Defender

Damian Martinez Goal Keeper

Josh Vickers Goal Keeper

Deyan Illev Goal Keeper

Chuks Aneke Midfielder

Thomas Eisfeld Midfielder

Serge Gnabry Midfielder

Anthony Jeffrey Midfielder

Glen Kamara Midfielder

Alfred Mugabo Midfielder

Kristoffer Olsson Midfielder

Jon Toral Midfielder

Jack Webb Midfielder

Nicholas Yennaris Midfielder

Gedion Zelalem Midfielder

Benik Afobe Striker

Chuba Akpom Striker

Zac Ansah Striker

Tarum Dawkins Striker

Alex Iwobi Striker

Austin Lipman Striker

Wellington -Silva Striker

Out on loan

Samuel Galindo Midfielder

I hope that I’m just being paranoid – but I fear not.

GunnerN5

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