Arsène outwits ‘Arry – written by London

September 23, 2010

Seems as though quite a few were surprised by the strength of the team Wenger put out against spuds including many of our own and certainly many of theirs  most notably of which was Twitchy himself who, judging by his team selection, was no where near anticipating who he would face.

My only guess as to why he got it spectacularly wrong was that for a moment he must have thought he was in the big league, the one he read about in news papers for years in which managers of the big four put out weakened teams in the fizzy cup to preserve key members for imminent Champions League duty, well, talk about misunderstand.

“Arry” you got it laughably wrong to the point that you, your team and all your inbred fans were humiliated during the game before then being unceremoniously dumped out of the only cup final that you are ever going to get near this season.

It was totally predictable that Wenger would put out a strong team, the pattern over the years is there for every one to see: we do not go out in the first round. He also gave us a clue before the game in which he made quite clear that he always puts out a side that he feels can beat the opposition. This is true but only to a point.

It is commonly thought that he doesn’t care about the CC which is true in one sense but false in another: Wenger cares about it up until the quarter finals which happen to be just before Christmas and more significantly in football terms just before the transfer window opens.

By caring about it up until then, he achieves many things, most importantly it gives the youngsters an opportunity to play in a competitive game. Players like Jet, Eastmond, Nordtveit and such need to have some sense of belonging to the club and playing in the CC gives them exactly that before, more than likely, going out on loan in the New Year transfer window.

If they had played on Tuesday night we probably would have been beaten; they would have got a game but what real good would that have done? Far better to beat the scum then hope for a nice home draw against Brentford or someone like that in which the aforementioned players along with the Lansburys and the Gibbs can have a go.

Wenger continues this policy into the quarter finals at which point he throws the completion to the wolves. There is no way he would have picked that team in the quarter finals even if it was against spuds — for the simple reason that they might win, the result being that there will be a two legged semi final to deal with in very early January, that is, just after the exhaustive Christmas playing period and just before the all important Champions League restarts.

No, we definitely do not want that; the plan makes sense, we progress in this competition until the quarter finals and then it is time to say goodbye to the fizzy cup.

When this happens I will wave good bye and say good riddance because I am one of those who agrees with the priorities of the club, those being the EPL followed by the CL then the FA Cup but only if we have been knocked out of the CL, if we are still in that competition then damn the FA Cup as well.

I just don’t understand this call to win the CC, it makes no sense to me, it weakens us in other more important competitions, as to those who say we haven’t won a trophy in 5 years, ask yourself this: would you really want the name of the CC on display in our shiny new ground, you know where I mean, around the pitch there is the long list of trophies Arsenal have won over the years and then the gap……….do you really want the next one to be the CC……..how tacky.

We are the Arsenal, a cut above; I want the European Champions League to be the first trophy to be painted on our stadium……now that would be classy.

Written by London, pictures by Rasp

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Posted by LB

Van Persie on the bench for the Champions League Final – written by Rasp

September 17, 2010

It is not teams but squads that win the EPL or the CL. If the CL final was tomorrow and everyone was fit and available, what team should we pick based on what we know about the players at this stage?  For the first time in several seasons, we have well balanced squad comprising a solid defence, an embarrassment of riches in midfield and a true cutting edge up front, so competition for places will be hard fought.

Players will develop through the season. Some will come into contention and others will be surpassed. For the sake of the argument, let’s assume the impossible – that we have no injuries.

Guaranteed to start:

There are some players who we know would be in the starting line-up if available – but not as many as you might think. This is purely my opinion and I expect many to disagree, but at this stage of the season, for me, there would only be 5 guaranteed starters – Vermaelen, Sagna, Song, Cesc and Chamakh.

The formation:

4:5:1 is here to stay – but more in the form of a 4:2:3:1 or a 4:1:4:1 depending on the opposition. The midfield 5 continually interchange and cover for one another according to the pattern of play. All of our midfielders like to go forward and look to score goals and that is a great thing, but when we are under pressure, they need to be disciplined and defend as a unit. We are often criticised for being too narrow in our play and there is some truth to this. The width will have to be provided by the full backs overlapping as Nasri and AA will always look to cut in towards goal.

The keeper:

Almunia is on a mission to prove his many critics (myself included) wrong. He hasn’t been subjected to huge pressure yet, but you’d have to say he is the safest choice for keeper based on his performances so far and long may it continue.

The defence:

Vermaelen is a gimme. He has been outstanding and would make any team in the world. At the moment it’s hard to choose between Koscielny and Squillaci for the right sided centre back. Kozzer has been extremely impressive in the way he has adapted so quickly to the team and English football albeit with the occasional lapse of concentration that could cost a goal. Squillaci has shown us what experience brings. He is strong, solid, and aggressive. He keeps it simple and reads the game very well. I thought he was better than Koscielny against Braga and didn’t get beaten for pace. At the moment I would just plump for Squillaci for a big game, but if Kozzer continues to grow in the side he may well become favourite by May.

We are lucky as we have 2 excellent players vying for both left back and right back. Sagna is having his best start to a season since he joined and has to get the nod over Eboue. Clichy’s experience and attacking ability will keep him as favourite for left back unless the mistakes and over-elaboration when defending creep back into his play, in which case, Gibbs is a more than adequate replacement.

The midfield and attack:

Our midfield is so fluid in its movement and interaction that it is almost pointless to talk about position on the pitch; but here goes. Song has to be considered as one of the deep lying midfielders although he played very effectively in advance of Cesc in the second half against Bolton. So would we play another defensive midfielder? The candidates are Wilshire, Rosicky, Ramsey and Denilson and Diaby. Wilshire has played this role in the last couple of games. He is tough in the tackle although sometimes a bit too reckless. He is scarcely able to last the full 90 minutes at the pace Arsenal play so we must be careful not to heap too much pressure on him. That said, Cesc was good enough at his age, if he continues the form he has shown so far, he’d get my vote for the position – controversial I know, especially when you look at the quality of the other players available.

So who will play either side of Cesc? On Tuesday we saw Nasri on the right (but actually he played right across the pitch) and Arshavin on the left and those are the two I would currently pick. Arshavin can be brilliant one minute and frustrating the next, but he has a rare ability and is a big game player.

The spearhead:

Chamakh is my choice to lead the attack since he has all the attributes necessary – he’s strong, a handfull for defenders, he wins headers, he can hold the ball up, his close control is excellent and he brings his team-mates into play.

The bench:

Mannone (I wouldn’t risk Fabianski), Koscielny, Eboue, Diaby, Rosicky, Walcott and van Persie.

Most likely to come on as a sub:

Depending on the course of the game, RvP and Theo  if we are looking for a goal, Eboue and Diaby if we need to consolidate a lead.

Not even on the bench:

Bendtner, Denilson, Ramsey, Gibbs.

Controversial:

No RvP in the starting line-up? It seems madness that a player rated by many as the second best in the squad would not make the starting eleven. He is a brilliant player, but do his particular skills compliment those around him? I don’t think he is as good a target man as Chamakh or a better dribbler in tight situations than either Nasri or AA, so reluctantly RvP sits on my bench – but what a sub!

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Posted by Rasp

Six of the Best ….. the Cesc and Jack Show

September 16, 2010

When a team wins by a margin like 6-0, it’s very easy to dismiss the match as a sporting contest. And so it is in this case, Sporting Braga were ripped apart by an Arsenal team that was in the mood to show the best of their game. At no point, from the first minute to the last, did Braga look like they had a chance of taking any of the points. We were left with our second 6-0 home win of the season, to go alongside our 4-1 win over Bolton.

There can be virtually no criticism of the Arsenal players’ performances. Individually and collectively, they were fantastic. Arshavin, Nasri, Fabregas, Wilshere and Chamakh provided an energetic and almost relentless attack. Time and time again, incisive passes from the imperious Fabregas carved open a limited and bamboozled Braga defence, with a zesty Arshavin, a mobile Chamakh, a confident Wilshere or a vibrant Nasri on the receiving end, and constantly creating new problems.

On the defensive side, Braga presented little threat, and failed to press the ball sufficiently to earn the opportunity to do much more. That said, we saw enough from Squillaci and Koscielny to fortify the feeling that Wenger has made two excellent signings. William Gallas might have had the name and the medals, but these two, alongside Vermaelen, promise to give us defensive strength and intelligence that we have sorely missed in recent years. On the odd occasion they needed to defend, the two centre backs read the game well and dealt with the pressure. And going forward, each of them acted as launch-pads for attacks, frequently pressing Braga players into errors and winning back possession quickly. This knack of getting the ball back is going to be important this season, and it wasn’t just the centre backs tonight, Sagna, Clichy, Song, Wilshere and even Arshavin often pressed and won back possession.

Although the goals were evenly divided between the two halves, Arsenal’s first half performance was especially impressive, yielding goals for Fabregas (converting a penalty following the keeper’s early foul on Chamakh), Arshavin (a neat near post shot following a pass from Cesc) and Chamakh (an efficiently despatched shot following a moment of genius from LJ, who back-healed the ball through the legs of a defender to release the impressive Moroccan). Constant movement was the order of the day, with Arsenal players in possession always having multiple options available to them. As the players went off at half-time, the man who has almost become the team’s spiritual reference point, Emmanuel Eboué (a sub on the night), greeted each of the Arsenal players at the mouth of the tunnel, acknowledging the level of Arsenal’s first half dominance and the stylishness of the creative football on display.

They couldn’t quite keep the pace and intensity going in the second half, but by then Braga were a broken team. The only surprise was that Arsenal only managed to score three more goals. Braga’s defence collapsed for Cesc’s second goal, giving both him and Arshavin more time than they could wish for. Inevitably, Carlos Vela scored the fifth and sixth goals, finishing off two beautiful passing movements, with Arshavin getting another assist and Cesc laying on the last goal. I wonder what proportion of Vela’s goals have been scored against demoralised teams that have already effectively been defeated. It seems to be Vela’s curse. But his ability to finish a move really is excellent.

There were plenty of other chances along the way, but Braga’s first Champions’ League game was a harsh demonstration of how far off the pace they are. After all, we may be consistent in CL football but we aren’t exactly a dominant force. While not knowing much about this side, many of us were mindful of the danger that a team that had denied Sevilla a place in the CL would represent. We needn’t have worried. The one-sidedness of the contest affected the atmosphere, which was pretty muted for much of the time. The suggestion that there were 59,000 fans present (a statistic Kim Jong-Il might have been embarrassed to announce) was ludicrous but there will be far more intense evenings ahead of us in the competition.

All in all, plenty of fun and some beautiful football, and without expending too much energy, but Sunderland away on Saturday will be a far tougher proposition.

*****************

Player ratings:

Almunia: Did what little he was asked to do well, always looked comfortable. 7.

Squillaci: Superb, intelligent, strong, good positional play. 8.

Koscielny: Excellent as well, strong in the challenge, good concentration and jockeyed his attackers well. 8.

Sagna: Efficient, did well at the back and going forward, including a couple of excellent crosses. 7.

Clichy: A good performance, but was probably the only player one would criticise at all, since he got caught out once or twice. But used his pace going forward to good effect. 6.5.

Song: Quietly went about his business and did it well. 7.

Wilshere: Confident, creative performance. Was unlucky not to score and his back-heel to put Chamakh in was wonderful. 8.

Arshavin: As energetic a performance as I’ve seen from the little Russian – his tracking back is genuine and appreciated. But his performance in the top third suggests a player who’s rediscovering his mojo. 8.

Fabregas: Another fantastic performance from the man Barca think is only worth €40m. How wrong they are. 9.

Nasri: Excellent first half, drifted away slightly in the second half, but Nasri constantly created problems for Braga’s defenders. 7.5.

Chamakh: Really good performance from a player who has pace, awareness, a great touch, ability in the air and who can finish well. A quintessential Arsenal player. 8.

Vela: Another lovely sub’s performance, I just hope he gets the chance to do more this season and that he takes that chance this time. 7.

Denilson and Eboué: Tidy subs’ performances. 7.

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Posted by Rasp

You know we will win, but…. – written by BigRaddy

September 15, 2010

When was the last time we failed to qualify for the knockout rounds of the Champions League? Not being a historian I cannot tell you but it was a rare occurrence and some time ago. Which is why I am not over enthusiastic about tonight, it seems a diversion from the real target of the Premiership. I realise this is a purely subjective view but I would swap the winning of the CL for the PL (both would be best but unlikely).

There will be shock and derision if we do not progress from this group, such is the level of expectation of our supporters. For us the real competition starts in February. We have become spoiled. If you don’t agree listen to the rampant excitement emanating out of N17.

My concerns are that with a thinning squad and some big PL games coming up, Braga are a nuisance, not quite on the Carling Cup level, but nonetheless another possibilty for injuries. And I am not the only one to think this way – Man Utd put out a reserve team last night in what to Rangers was a huge game. Sir Alex prioritised the Liverpool game at the weekend and was satisfied with a point knowing MU will qualify.

The fact is the Top 3 sides in the Premiership would win the title in any country other than Spain, (and probably there as well). I know, I know …. Inter beat the Chavs and Barca, but they were totally outplayed by them and inspired by Jose, – would you expect the same results with Rafa in charge?

Barring individual errors, we will beat Braga. If we don’t there will be another media investigation. Would there be the same furore had the rabble from N17 lost last night?  …… I rest my case.

As to Braga. Like many I know little about them. They are a tidy outfit who have beaten both Celtic and Seville on their way to the Emirates. They finished higher in the Liga than our regular opponents Porto, but 5 points behind Benfica. Their squad is littered with Brazilians, but this is their first outing in the Champions League proper.

I hope we line up like this:

GK

Eboue Squill Kos  Clichy

JW Cesc Denilson TR

Vela Nasri

thereby giving Song (who will be vital at Sunderland), AA and Chamakh a rest. But we won’t…… I expect to see last Saturday’s team with Cichy and Sagna back, and JW losing his starting place to Eboue.

Not much to tell you about Braga. In the North of Portugal (175k residents) it is one of the earliest Christian cities in the World, having a synod established in the 6th century, and the winner of the 1977 Eurovision Song Contest, Marie Myriam, was born in Braga but sang for France.

Will we win tonight? Of course we will.

COYRRG

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Posted by Erik the Red

Szczesny, come on down and save our season – written by London

September 2, 2010

The idea, believed by some, that Szczesny is waiting in the wings ready to swoop down and save our season makes me laugh; in fact, I find it ridiculous.

I am as excited as anyone about his future prospects but to have him playing in the first team now on the back of one good season at Brentford is foolish beyond hope.

Yes, I am aware of all the glowing reports from our west London neighbours, one of my best friends is a season ticket holder and was telling me that the commonly held view was that he is the best goalkeeper they have ever seen. The trouble with that is, I couldn’t help asking myself, when I first heard it, when was the last time that they had a decent player in their ranks to really compare him with. To say that the bar is set at a low level is an understatement of some magnitude. This is Brentford we are talking about not Juventus or some such club where he would have got a real test.

This situation reminds me of the time a couple seasons ago when Denilson had just started to appear in the CC; he played alongside Diaby in many games and shone. The Brazilian was hailed as yet another hidden gem uncovered by Wenger and demands of first team football were the order of the day.

Denilson got the chance to play in the League; in fact, he has played so many games familiarity has bred contempt to the point where his performances are now criticised as is Wenger for picking him.

What many people have forgotten is the reason he got his chance in the first place and why he has played so many games is due to injuries and not as many people perceive to be Wenger’s obstinacy. The Brazilian initially made it into the first team because of injuries to Diaby and Gilberto and it is worth remembering that when Bert returned he was pants so Denilson rightly moved up the pecking order. With the re-emergence of Diaby, Denilson has moved back down; although, the more observant will have noticed that when Ramsey was fit the Brazilian was behind him on the bench. We could debate this until the ends of the earth but the point I am making is that, although, Denilson got his chance due to some impressive performances in the CC he got most of them due to injuries.  I expect Denilson to now evolve into the first team at a more suitable pace.

The connection between Szczesny and Denilson is that I see the same fate waiting just around the corner for the Pole as the young Brazilian has endured; a couple of immature slips and people will be calling for his head.

We are in the doldrums of a two week International break, there are blogs out there that pride themselves on putting out a fresh post every day, nothing wrong with that except as the days slowly roll by it gets harder and harder to find something positive to say and the temptation to take the far easier option of negativity becomes greater and greater; but, just before that stage arrives blogs try and play the, we should give the youngsters a go, card and it never ceases to surprise me how many people are only too eager to jump on the band wagon.

Szczesny will be called for by people who care more about their blogs than they do about the good of Arsenal, it will be your choice as to whether you agree — I don’t — too much expectation too early in a career can be very damaging, just ask Denilson.

Written by London, picture by Rasp.

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Posted by LB

UEFA’s New Financial Rules Will Benefit Arsenal – written by Red Arse

August 27, 2010

Written by Red Arse

O.K., with the transfer window coming to a close very soon, it might be worth having a look, again, at the new UEFA Financial Fair Play Rules, which will, in conjunction with the new EPL Home Grown Players rules, change forever the way Clubs administer their finances and have a huge knock on effect on the valuation of transfer values and players’ wages.

The background to this new onslaught on the financial funds sloshing around European Football is undoubtedly specifically aimed at the English Premier League clubs.


Unlike the prudent Gunners, many clubs in the PL are funded to a greater or lesser extent by sugar daddy owners. The most notorious abusers of the current Premier League financial laissez faire has been for many years the Chavs, where Abramovich has poured hundreds of millions of pounds in “loans” to bolster what was essentially a bankrupt club.

This money was poured into acquiring players, at hugely inflated prices and wages, with which no club other than, peripherally, Manure could compete. This tactic of collaring the market for the best players, eventually won the braggart Mourhino the PL. Boo!

The Mancs have also been funded in an extraordinary way by the Glazers, who have funded the club by borrowing huge bucks. And now, Citeh have been subsidised by its new owner, Sheikh Mansur, again with hundreds of millions of £’s being poured into the club.

In the most recent accounting period, 2008/9, 15 out of the 20 clubs made substantial losses.

In other words, a massive three-quarters of the Premier League clubs will need to reduce significantly their spending on players’ wages if they are to qualify for European competitions, once Uefa’s “financial fair play” rules are introduced. With effect from season 2012/13, they will have to, at least, break even.

Wow! Do some of these clubs realise how little time they have left to get their houses in order?

However, owners will, according to the rules, be permitted to invest in clubs, via permanent shares rather than by way of repayable loans, which will enable them to build a solid infrastructure such as training grounds or youth development facilities, but will not be allowed to overspend on wages or transfers. The sugar daddies will not be able to call in their loans and simply walk away, if the going gets tough, however unlikely you think that might be, and the normal Company Law rules will apply to their shareholding.

Michel Platini, who many think of as an anti-English plonker, and that includes me, warned of the “danger to football” posed by debt, overspending and “rampant commercialism”. As I said, I don’t like the man, but there is an element of sound commonsense in this.

Clubs cannot return losses of more £38m for the three year period, 2012-15. After 2015 the clubs will be given a further leeway of £25m, for losses during an additional three year period, after which the figure will be substantially reduced.

In the Premier League, besides Chelsea and Citeh, Aston Villa are subsidised by the club’s owner, Randy Lerner, and they lost £46m in 2008-09, while Sunderland lost £26m. Liverpool lost £55m, principally because they had to pay £40m interest on the £250m “purchase” price borrowed from their bank, RBS, by Gillette and Hicks.

Manchester United made a profit in 2008/9 only because of the £81m sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid; in previous years, since the Glazer family took over what was then the world’s most profitable club and ladled huge debts on to it, United have sustained substantial losses every single year.

Clearly, (heh, heh), it is going to be a difficult period of adjustment for all the loss making clubs, like Manure, Citeh, Villa and Chelski etc, who play, or are hoping to play, in European competitions.

Put simply, clubs in European competition can only spend what they earn. The financial fair play rules will require clubs to break even over a rolling three-year period, if they want to play in the Champions League or Europa League.

There will be some leeway enshrined in the rules for the six years after 2012, but as mentioned, some Premier League clubs, notably Manchester City, Chelsea and Aston Villa, could still fall foul of the rule unless they change their spending habits pronto.

Manure, however, believe they will pass the rules threshold, despite the handicap of paying out £45m to service their debts every year. Should be a neat trick!

On the other hand beautiful Arsenal (hooray) and shitty Tottenham (boo, hiss) will pass the test comfortably.

Clubs that breach the rules will not be granted a Uefa club licence to take part in European competitions.

In recent years, Arsenal’s prudence has played a part in their being priced out of the transfer market, which has been dominated by the usual suspects. Starting next year the boot will be very firmly on the Arsenal foot!

We are the Mighty Arsenal! You Will Feel the Financial Power!

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Posted by Rasp

The Calm Before The Storm

August 8, 2010

Open day has come and gone, Cesc has had his run around with his team mates, applauded the faithful as they stood to attention and had his Arsenal ‘shirted’ picture taken next to the gaffa in the official photo.

So it would seem all is well in the Arsenal world, but is it? Dear old Bob Wilson is telling all and sundry that Barca are a disgrace and have treated the club disrespectfully, by trying every underhand trick in the book to unsettle and steal its favourite son. Except that is to offer the club market value for their prize asset.

But never mind AW has used his magic or maybe his lawyer, to remind the young man that he has signed the lucrative contract extension  and would be held to it. Just as we wouldn’t be asking for the return of the pennies, we no doubt deposited in some offshore piggy bank in the guise of image rights, for his signature (eat your heart out, Mr Taxman)

Meanwhile newly returned from holiday and deemed unfit to play prior to the Liverpool match, and maybe not even then, Cesc has been summoned post haste to join the Spanish squad for a meaningless friendly, where having sat on the bench all through the world cup he will probably be played from the start, just to reinforce on Spanish TV, what Barca fans are missing.

In the middle of my writing this Cesc has issued a statement the gist of which is,  I love Arsenal and will stay for one more year and do my very best to bring home a trophy for my Arsenal friends and fans. After that however I would like to return to my roots, my country, my family and the club that discovered me as a boy.

Good on you Cesc, a year from now no reasonable Arsenal fan will blame you when you leave and you will go with our blessing and thanks for all the memories, trophy or not. Providing of course the clubs price is met.

Over at White Hart Lane, Diddy Defoe tells all who will listen that the tots will go further than us in the Champions league. One suspects that will depend solely on who  gets drawn where, if we get drawn in France and the spuds in Russia, then yes he is correct, as his air miles will prove. As for progressing further football wise I have my doubts.

So we are in Poland this week for our final pre season and then back to the UK, from where almost the entire squad will be jetting of to bolster Mr Blatter’s coffers with the proceeds from more friendly internationals being played all over Europe. But whisper it quietly the ever reliable UK press reckon we will have three players in the England squad, even Little Jack is tipped to be elevated to senior status. With the other prospects we know are coming through the ranks, how the hell will the “Wenger only buys foreigners” brigade cope.

And then its the weekend and Liverpool away.  A rejuvenated pool  I reckon, after the demise of the seemingly obnoxious Rafa and the introduction of a thoroughly respected football man as the new manager, things will, takeover troubles aside, pick up at Anfield. So a tough first game ahead, given the lack of match fitness of Cesc and RVP and the undoubted desire of the Liverpool players to impress the new boss. We will learn much from this performance I feel.

How I wish that on the first day of the season the football authorities would say bugger to the TV and the money and kick all the games off on the same day at the same time, just as they used to. Older readers will remember the half time scores of all the games being put up  like cricket scores against the letters placed around the corners of the ground, these letters were published in the programme and each had one of the other first division games allocated to it. The full time whistle was immediately  followed by a mad dash to the car,  just to catch sports report and the reading of the full time scores, somehow something has been lost by the blatant commercialisation, although it has to be said much has also been gained.

So lets just hope our players return unscathed and ready for the fray at the week’s end and I wish all players officials and fans of all teams a great season, we can’t all win but hopefully we can stay fit and free of injury we have seen more than enough of those in recent years.

And as for the Arse, although I would of course love to see us win everything, I will settle for a season of pure Wengerball and hopefully a pot to quieten down the five-year mob. Come on you Arse.

Written by dandan

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Posted by dandan

Winning is a Win/Win Situation

May 26, 2010

……….. but not at any cost!

I’m sure the supporters of Leeds, Pompey and Newcastle regret their club’s excessive spending in pursuit of trophies, but there is an argument that the powers that be at Arsenal have erred too much on the side of caution in recent years.

The benefits of winning are obvious:

Financial – prize money, increased TV revenue, boost in merchandising sales, more lucrative deals with sponsors.

Psychological – players gain valuable experience, develop a ‘winning mentality’ and are therefore more likely to be winners in the future.

Kudos – raised profile  – the chance of keeping our best players and attracting more world class players to the club is greatly enhanced if they believe they can win trophies.

Let’s just accept for the purpose of debate, that the football club is a business, the supporters are customers and the players are assets/debits on a balance sheet. Emotion, nostalgia and expectation are traits that characterise supporters but have no place in a competitive industry. All the above is true, but what about the old business tenet ‘you have to speculate in order to accumulate’?

Would a larger investment in new players over recent years have proved to be a shrewd business move? We will never know, but what we do know is that respected figures in the game including many ex-Arsenal players have repeatedly said we are only 2 to 3 players short of a winning side. We also know that the official line this summer is that we have money to spend althought the figures mentioned vary between £30-£60m and it is not known whether this takes into account any revenue from players sold.

Mourinho took a calculated risk when he bought 29 year old Diego Milito for an undisclosed but apparently hefty sum. He identified a weakness in his team and bought the best player he could to rectify the situation. He was lucky, the gamble paid off and Inter reaped rich dividends – the treble including the Champions League title.

Arsène has not been so lucky. Injuries and players not living up to expectation have been a feature of recent seasons and it is clear that he has been as disappointed as the ‘fans’ that are calling for his head. I believe he has it within his power this season to make the difference between competing valiantly and winning. The greatest test of his resolve will surely be demonstrated by his actions regarding the goalkeeper.

Should we be grateful for the level of ‘success’ we’ve enjoyed since the building of the stadium? – yes

Could any other manager have kept us in the top four under similar financial constraints? – almost certainly not

Should we just be content to pay our money for a seat at the Emirates and settle for what we’re given – NO

……..sharp intake of breath.

We’re not paid by ‘business Arsenal’, we pay them. We have a right to our opinion as paying customers, whether it be unconditional support or rank scepticism.

Many supporters suspect that if Cesc has decided he wants to leave, the club’s failure to bring in quality players with experience over recent years would be a major factor in that decision.

Success in the transfer market is about judgement, calculated risk, ambition and luck. Arsène must exercise his judgement. The club needs to show greater ambition. Ivan Gazidis should take responsibility for the calculated risk and for once, we need lady luck to smile on us and grant Arsenal a season with just average injury problems.

Ivan Gazidis is the unknown quantity. He is clearly 100% businessman so let’s hope he and Arsène are in agreement that we should take a few calculated risks and bring in the two or three players we need.

Irishgunner put it brilliantly on Monday when she  wrote ‘Wenger is a genius held back by his own stubbornness but in the end, if most coaches were as pragmatic as him, the world of football would be a far better place’

I hope his apparent ‘stubbornness’ was simply a by-product of his pursuit of financial stability and he will spend some of the money the club can now afford to reinforce the spine of the squad. If he doesn’t, even those whose ‘cup runneth over’ with positivity will begin to question his judgement.

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Posted by Rasp

Man City? Spuds? Villa? Who Should We Want To Finish Fourth?

April 30, 2010

By RockyLives

Barring disaster, Arsenal look set to finish third this year. The first and second spots remain to be contested between two equally odious outfits (frankly, who cares?), so that leaves the battle for fourth.

Spuds and Citeh are in the driving seat, but Villa are in their slipstream and even the Dippers have a chance, although if it’s a Formula One race for fourth place, they’re the ones on the bicycle (a stolen one, natch).

The only interest I have in this contest (apart from the usual visceral desire to see failure and humiliation heaped on Sh*te Hart Lane) is that I want the outcome to be the least damaging to Arsenal’s future prospects. So what is that outcome? I have heard different opinions expressed by fellow Gooners, the most popular being a late dash by Aston Villa. Others would take Citeh over Spuds. But some, through gritted teeth, even say they would rather it was the Spuds than Citeh.

Well, in truth, every right-thinking Gooner should be hoping against hope that the fourth spot is secured by those pikeys-who’ve-just-won-the-lottery, Manchester City FC. Here’s why:

Whoever gets fourth will get the chance to pre-qualify for the Champions League. Yes, it’s possible that any of them could drop out at this stage (and Citeh, Spuds and Villa all share low Uefa ratings, risking a tough draw), but we cannot rely on this. They are all teams with good squads and they will reinforce like billy-o if they get the chance of CL football.

It follows, therefore, that the fourth place team can expect to get to the group stages, where six guaranteed games bring in a lot of new revenue. Meanwhile, having qualified for the CL, they will have been able to attract significantly better players during the close season. They will be a stronger team in the EPL as well as in Europe, and more likely to be our competitors for the league title and the cups as well as the CL.

So who do we want to get this leg up? Not Spuds, that’s for sure. They already spend like drunken gamblers every year anyway. And if they can attract players with the carrot of Champions League football they will really splash the cash. Mystifying though it may be to us, there is no doubt that some world class players may actually want to go to N17 if it means playing in the CL.  We cannot have our historical enemy in this position. If they finish fifth again this year I think the blow to their morale will see them really struggle again next year and our dominance in North London will remain unthreatened.

What about Aston Villa? For those in favour of Villa for fourth, the reasoning is simple, and relies more on emotion than cold calculation. Martin O’Neill is deranged, Agbonlahor was obnoxious when they beat us at the Emms last season but, on the whole, we don’t hate Villa. In fact most of us probably think they’re a well run club. But so far they have not been at the ‘top table’ of English football – and we don’t want them joining it now. If they fail to secure fourth (and all the extra cash and top players that go with it) they will stay where they are – a good team who are not a long term serious threat.

As for the Dippers, well, unless something dramatic happens on the ownership front they are facing a period of decline – one that might only be halted if they get CL football next year. However, their chances of getting fourth are so slim it’s not worth wasting time on them.

Which brings us to Citeh – and here’s the rub. If they DO get fourth, they will spend a fortune and buy some of the best players in the world and be real contenders for all trophies next year.

If they DON’T get fourth, they will spend a fortune and buy some of the best players in the world and be real contenders for all trophies next year.

Fourth or fifth makes no difference to Citeh. In terms of being bankrolled they are the richest club in the world and nothing is going to stop them spending for success.

Sure, there will be some players who will not go to ManCity if they’re not in the CL, but many world class players will be prepared to join them because of the money and the near certainty of CL football the following year. They’ll seriously abuse the cheque book to recruit players like Torres.

If Citeh finish fourth, we have the new Big Four: ManUre, Chavs, Citeh and Arsenal.

If Villa, Spuds or the Dippers finish fourth, we risk the creation of a Big Five: the four CL qualifiers, plus Citeh.

From a selfish Arsenal perspective I want to be competing against only three other power-houses in the EPL, not four. It’s as simple as that.

RockyLives

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

ARSÈNE WHO?

April 17, 2010

Written by dandan

I remember Arsene Who’s? arrival at Arsenal, an urbane educated man, with a working knowledge of 7 languages including Japanese learnt in the 18-month period prior to him joining the club. Whilst coaching Grampus eight, he managed to get the club from the bottom to runners up in the Japanese J league and collected the Presidents cup on the way.

He arrived with the club in turmoil after a year of Bruce Rioch and Stewart Houston following the sudden departure of George Graham for playing with brown paper bags.

Wenger’s pre-joining gift to our club was a gawky leggy young midfielder with the temerity to kick back with alacrity the resident hard men of the premier league, earning the respect of players and the everlasting love of Gooners, along with a collection of red cards from referees blind to the constant intimidation he was subjected to.

Wenger’s marriage of the young Vieira to the resident maestro Dennis Bergkamp and the existing Arsenal back four, was to take us to third in the league and with addition of more foreign players, to the league and cup double in the following year.

I give this history lesson for all those Gooners who currently call for his head, this is the man they say doesn’t value older players, wont buy and is only interested in young players.

His record speaks differently. What he actually does is buy quality and sells at the top of the market. That much we know.

What we don’t know is how much money he has had available to continue this philosophy. We have moved to a new ground and somehow managed to do it on a manageable debt. How much was spare for players no one knows.

Even so, AA, TV, Rosicky and Nasri have been added to the squad and a number of dissatisfied, disaffected and troublesome players have been sold for large profits or left at contract end. Whilst the never-ending stream of talent scouted by Arsene’s unrivalled worldwide network, has flowed on bringing the cream of young players from all over to our club.

Through all this change we have continued an uninterrupted run in the champions league reaching semis and finals along the way, to do this we have had to finish 4th or above every year in the most competitive league in the world. This is in my mind a miracle given the circumstances and strictures with which Wenger has dealt.

But it’s not enough for so many Gooners. These guys, mainly Johnny come lately fans, unaware of just how astonishing Wenger’s achievements have been, can only say we have won nothing for 5 years. Many of these fans are products of the now generation, the instant society in which, we sadly now live. Play station football managers whose own reality is the digital world that surrounds them;

No one minds honest reasoned criticism providing the facts have been carefully weighed, but this mindless spend at all cost philosophy is way beyond the realms of reasonableness and a recipe for disaster.

So we finish third this year, we qualify for the Champion’s League again, but unless we buy half the stars of the upcoming world cup then Arsene and the board have failed. Unbelievable, thank Christ the board have more sense and value the talents of Mr Wenger more than the collective wisdom of these deluded shop-aholics.

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

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