Does Arsenal lack ambition?

December 8, 2014

Since Old Rednose retired, United have appointed two managers and sacked one. Moyse was quickly “found out” and, following one bad season, dispensed with, a new higher profile, and some say higher maintenance, replacement has been put in place and they have spent £150 million in the transfer market. Players in Fellaini, Mata, Di Maria, Herrera, Shaw, Rojo, Blind and Falcao. They have already overtaken Arsenal in the league.

It is reported that van Gaal will be handed a £100 million kitty in the summer with targets Kevin Strootman, Diego Godin, Mats Hummels and Nathaniel Clyne lined up. Underperforming squad members are to be discarded as swiftly as possible.

The owners are determined to return the club to, what they consider their rightful place, the summit of European football.

Here at our own dear club, Wenger is promised £20 million in January with which to buy a central defender and a holding mid-fielder. Our target appears to be twenty-one year old left-back Tyrone Mings of Championship side Ipswich Town. A young man who “could provide a short term cover at centre-back” and “could eventually develop into a centre-back”.

What money is available in the summer will no doubt depend on our qualification for the Champions League. Meanwhile our squad is made up with around fifteen players who can be considered regular starters a few who can be used at a pinch and the rest who seem never to get a look in whatever the circumstances, oh! And one player whose fitness to play hasn’t been demonstrated in something like six seasons.

Arsenal have made some “headline signings” recently Alexis, Ozil, Welbeck, Debuchy and Chambers. Of those Alexis and Chambers have proved to be revelations, Ozil a tad disappointing, Welbeck promising and Debuchy hasn’t played enough to be judged as yet.

Arsenal haven’t yet replaced Gilberto, Ashley Cole or van Persie. Cazorla has replaced Nasri but only now is he starting to match the Frenchman’s quality. Whilst Alexis has more than made up for the loss of Fabregas.

So, where does Arsenal’s ambition stand. Wenger recently stated that “this squad could win the Premiership…in the next two seasons”. No mention of winning the Champions League.

Is “Top Four” the summit of our ambitions?

Is the owner happy to be “Not quite top of the tree”?

Do the supporters want to see a more ambitious club?

Written by Norfolk Gooner.

 

 

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Happy Xmas, The War is Over

December 7, 2014

I said in my yesterday morning comment that Stoke had the home advantage, and could beat us on the day, and so it proved. Of course it didn’t help that we have not won there for some considerable time, and i felt Stoke actually believed they could out muscle us as the surly did.

When looking to see where we went wrong, i don’t think you have to look further than the injury list to see where our weaknesses are. Many supporters are claiming that the manager is at fault because he didn’t buy more players in the transfer window, maybe there is a bit of credibility there, but i feel that when we look at who was not available, the transfer window is grasping at straws,

Many are now saying that Martinez was at fault and they now want TPIG back between the sticks , Personally i felt Martinez made one mistake all afternoon, when a fierce swerving shot went straight at him, it hit his mid drift and he struggled to grasp it but a goal never resulted. His cover let him down on all their goals and in my opinion he wasn’t at fault for any of them.

Koshielney Debuchy Arteta Wilshere Walcott Diaby Ozil Szezesney Ospina Monreal all out injured, Hardly the managers fault, that all these players are all out at the same time.

We can all find reasons why we should have defended better, or why our forwards miss what looks like easy chances, but we all have to admit, that having the injuries we have would certainly stop any team from playing consistent football. I believe the best Manager in the world would struggle with an injury list the same as ours.

Many are moaning that Jenks was loaned out now that we need a right back, but that is nonsense as we brought in Chambers for Jenks which allowed Jenks to get the Premier league experience which we all said he needed. We also brought Debuchey who looked to be a fine replacement for Sagna but of course injury halted him.

Now you know as well as me, that Chambers was never intended to be used every game of the season, Belerin also was supposed to only be used in cup games, but again injuries to first team players has resulted in being forced to use learning players.

Ramsey as we can see, has had a lack of form since he came back from injury, Wenger could never had predicted that, and with Ozil out and Arteta as well we have been forced to suffer Ramsey’s form, its not as if we have Wilshere to bulk up the midfield as he has long term injury as well.

Wenger must have believed that Diaby would have been playing by now as he has had a complete season out, but his half a game resulted in him picking up another injury. By this time in the season any manager would have expected to have most of his players to pick from, but as we know our players are rolling over in every game, but that is not because Wenger never brought in the transfer window.

It is quite evident to me that Koshielney is a key player for us, when he is not in place BFG has nightmares and of course the depleted team always need a reshuffle where our players are asked to play cover positions. We can only buy certain amounts of players in any window most teams are the same, but of course most teams do not have our injury problems.

At the end of the day we wanted Marquee players top quality Talent. We all know the restrictions we have been under for quite some years, but now we are buying players, but as i said we can still only buy what’s available on the market..

Wenger has stated that he believes we can win the league in the next three years. Had all our players been available since the start of the season, we could have won it this year, No ones fault Just fate that’s all, some thing we have had problems with for some time, but don’t be mistaken, we have the players now to win the league and possibly the Champions league as well ,but the secret is getting them all fit and Playing.

written by Steve P.

This is Rasp’s rant published earlier …..

Arsenal don’t plan to fail …. We fail to plan

I couldn’t get a stream to watch the game and so had to follow via BBC sport and blogsites – therefore I cannot comment on the specifics of the performance.

There are reports of poor refereeing, of Stoke getting away with wrestling our players to the ground, of us being outmuscled and of Arsenal getting soft yellows and a red whilst Stoke indulged in orchestrated rotational fouling that went largely unpunished …….. No s**t Sherlock!

If we don’t know by now what to expect from a game against Stoke then we may as well give up and try another sport. We play in the English Premier League, this type of ‘battling game’ is what makes it popular worldwide.

Arsene has to stop trying to be King Canute in domestic games, employ a bit of pragmatism and build a team that can stand up to the Stokes of this world.

As Rocky observed last night, the foundations of yesterday’s embarrassing defeat were laid when we failed to bring in defensive reinforcements in the summer and then failed to prepare a team for Stoke’s all too predictable onslaught yesterday.

Rasp

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Posted by Erik the Red

Arsenal’s next captain?

December 5, 2014

A lot has been said and written recently about Arsenal’s next manager despite the fact that Arsene Wenger’s contract does not expire for 2 more years. On the other hand nobody seems to be worried about the fact that our current captain’s contract ends this summer and given Arteta’s age it is unlikely that he will be offered a new deal.

So why isn’t anybody even slightly bothered? Is it because the role of the captaincy has been diminished to the point that they only act as a go between the team and the referees on match days? Long gone are the days when a captain was an inspirational figure, rather than merely performing ceremonial duties. And often not even that – our previous captain Thomas Vermaelen who by default should be at the very heart of the team, instead sat on the bench when the team fought for the long awaited trophy last season.

We all had a good laugh at the despicable John Terry dressing up for trophy presentations or at pikey Roy Keane and simple minded Stevie Me, but correct me if I am wrong those 3 are true captains representing their team, taking responsibility on the pitch and leading others by example.

Looking back at our greatest captains, I wonder how much influence did they have on the team, the way we played and behaved? Eddie Hapgood led his team to 3 league and 2 FA cup wins. Joe Mercer delivered 2 League and one FA cup trophies. Frank McLintock 3 cups including European Fairs Cup in 1970 and finally the Great Tony Adams with 9 trophies in 3 competitions!!

None of us need reminding that we sold 5 of our captains in the last 8 years and we only won 1 trophy in those years. The same players, except for Patrick Vieira, were talismatic  characters rather than true leaders. It might be even true that Thiery Henry, Cesc Fabregas and van Persie were only offered the armband in an attempt to stop them from defecting. Who knows?

Was PV4 our last great true skipper? Are our current problems spinning directly from the lack of true leader amongst the players?

Written by Eddie

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

The late, late show.

December 4, 2014

Three wins on the bounce, three clean sheets, yet we never make it easy on ourselves.

I will leave the tactical formation to others to discuss, but to be honest I had hoped that we would be more authoritative from the kick off and despite their recent defeat, that Southampton would pose more of a threat.

In all honesty it was a pretty lack lustre first half as our lads just seemed to have no real intent to press on from the win at The Hawthorns. A couple of half chances and just one from the visitors. Of course three games in a week with an injury plagued squad didn’t help yet, not for the first time this season our best passage of play was in the last fifteen minutes.

No doubt Forster in goal had a marvellous game but one got the feeling that endless high balls into the box or corners were always going to be dealt with quite easily, and so it turned out to be. Though he had little to do, the more I see of Martinez, the more impressive he gets, and perhaps he will be the one to make our Polish keeper be on his toes. Competition even as a keeper, isn’t a bad thing.

I wouldn’t say that anyone had a stand out game, though Flamini not always noticed, had one of his best games this season, and though not fully fit, Koscielny is vital in marshaling our defence but the introduction of Giroud and the persistence of Sanchez finally paid off. Even though The Saints went down to ten men, Wenger got the substitutions right, but it was noticeable that The Ox looked extremely distressed as he walked off.

The reliance on Sanchez to get us out of a hole though great, has to be addressed and hopefully Giroud,Welbeck,Ramsey and The Ox will find the net so as to spread the load more evenly.

I still feel that the boss is experimenting, and that takes time for the team to have more fluidity and pace, especially at the start of a match, but wayward passing is something that seems to have crept into our game.

It is very tight from third to eighth in the table and no doubt the pressure is on to keep the momentum.

All in all a vital three points but yet another stern tests awaits us this weekend

kelsey

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Posted by kelsey

Alive and Kicking

December 3, 2014

My first thoughts about this game are based upon Mr Wenger’s vs Mr Koeman’s football philosophies.

Both played as central  defenders, though Koeman’s was more a defensive shield type player with the ability to score. However the Dutchman was by far the better player and during his long career played in the Barcelona Dream Team managed by Cruyff which went on to win 4 La Liga’s in a row. Koeman still holds the record for penalty goals in LA Liga. He spent much of his Dutch International career playing alongside DB10.  In other words – this bloke has gravitas.

Mr Wenger is probably the most attack minded manager in PL history, his philosophy has always been to play entertaining football with less focus upon the defence (though this is open to argument). Koeman seems to have a more pragmatic approach and this brings me to my point … why are Wanyama and Schneiderlin at Southampton and not at Arsenal? How can it be that a small South coast club has a better pair of DM’s than the 7th richest club in the world? It is a matter of opinion but I believe Wanyama is more effective than Flamini and Schneiderlin a better DM than Arteta.  Do you disagree?

images-1

Tottenham lost one big player and fell to pieces the following season, Southampton lost a host of important players and are doing better. Why? Who cares 😀

The Saints have already beaten us once this season and tonight will be a stern test of our fragile but burgeoning confidence. Injuries abound; how can it be that suddenly Left Back has become a problem area? Or midfield? Or GK’s? We have two fine LB’s, we have a mass of excellent MF’s, we have two quality International GK’s yet we are down to the bare bones!

The win at WBA suggests a more pragmatic approach with Flamini sitting back and allowing Ramsey his customary freedom; it worked. As did the OG/Welbz combo (to a certain extent). The much criticised advances of our CB’s seemed to be more measured. More of the same tonight please.

The potential loss of The Ox who has been our Player of the Month is unfortunate, let us hope reports are exaggerated. If not Campbell has to start – assuming Theo is still out.

Martinez has done well so far but he has hardly been under any pressure, tonight could see him tested to a greater extent. He appears to have what it takes to become an excellent GK. Time will tell though perhaps, given the signing of Ospina and the youth of TPIG, he will not have to patience to stay at Arsenal.

On non-football issues.

Let me tell you a bit about King Edward VII. Son of the austere Queen Victoria, he became known as the Playboy Prince. A big fellow he enjoyed a drink,a gamble, a smoke and attracted a posse of lady friends wherever he went. His mother was embarrassed by her  pleasure seeking son and regularly sent him overseas to try and halt the scandal which followed his behaviour. Forced to marry, he chose the attractive but innocent Princess Alexandra of Denmark (and I can tell you a thing or two about her!!) however he continued to enjoy himself, in fact he was a regular at Paris brothels, one of which had a special bath made for him which was filled with champagne and was set up so he could have enjoy more than one lady at a time.

He eventually became King in 1901 and was a hard working conscientious monarch. In 1909 King Edward V11 dissolved the British Govt and suspended all taxation on alcohol and tobacco (there were extenuating circumstances). Clearly a man of the people he was hugely popular. He died of “bronchitis” (probably lung-cancer) caused by a 20 cigarette and 12 cigar a day habit. Top Bloke.

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So….. will we win tonight? Who will start for a diminished Arsenal? Will we continue to be more defensively organised? Can we beat a Top 4 side? Let’s hope so.

COYRRG

written by Big Raddy

 

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Posted by Erik the Red

What is Arsenal football club?

December 2, 2014

I read that the other day Ivan and Arsene were having a chat on the training ground, and it got me thinking.

What were they discussing leapt to mind, but also, who was The Boss. This led me to my question: What is Arsenal Football Club.

An Institution? Certainly. A Business? Again, certainly. However the bigger question is how is it really structured, and what kind of structure would YOU like?

You have Fan Power at a Club like Barcelona. You have the Dictatorship Model at Chelsea with whatshisname stomping around getting involved in everything, or so it appears. Arsenal also have a solitary owner (effectively), but one who we reckon lies pretty low, ceding power and day to day running to others. Is that Ivan or Arsene?

Where should ultimate power rest, Owner, Chairman, Manager, Fans? I see pro’s and con’s of all models.

Written by MickyDidIt89

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Are We Witnessing Arsene’s Epiphany?

December 1, 2014

I was angry about the way we played in Anderlecht game. To give away a 3 goal lead by committing too many to attack and then to lose all defensive cohesion and shape when still in front at 3:2 was irresponsible and amateur.

I was apoplectic 5 days later when we managed to take the lead in a close game against Swansea and once again put attack before defence and threw away the 3 points. Had we learnt nothing from the Anderlecht game?

A week later we outplayed United everywhere on the pitch except where it mattered. I just felt that his dream had finally lost its way completely. We had played some beautiful football yet as in many times before we had been undone by the simplest of counters – another sucker punch.

All that I had read from quotes from former players and those who had worked with Arsene was that he was an attacking manager and did not put great emphasis on preparing his teams to play against the strengths and weaknesses of a particular opposition.

Like many, I had accepted that he would not change. Pragmatism did not feature in his vocabulary. It was his way only.

But then came the Dortmund game. From my elevated position I could see the shape of the team and it was immediately obvious that the structure was solid. Arteta is an important cog and will be missed but even without him, it was clear that the players were defending as a team and taking responsibility. It didn’t always have to be pretty, but it was effective.

The away game at West Brom followed. We were good to watch in the first half but our clever possession was not matched by clinical finishing. We missed the Ox’s incisive runs but still held our shape well as a team. In the second half, we scored what RockyLives described as ‘an un-Arsenal type goal’ and I later observed was the sort of goal we conceded more often than scored. We had delivered the sucker punch. We held onto that one goal lead, 3 points in the bank … job done. Yes we continued to probe forward but there were always sufficient numbers held back to defend properly.

So had anything changed or was everything down to the players selected?

Reports from some players surfaced about practicing defensive strategies before the game; does this herald a change in approach? GoonerInExile commented that “Flamster was rarely seen further than ten yards in front of the back four”

There was another difference. The manager who had spent the majority of the previous season cuddling himself on the bench with angst written all over his face was prowling his technical area and communicating with his players. Could it be that he had instigated a different system and was standing there making sure that they adhered to his instructions?

Like them or loathe them, Mourinho and Fergie play (played) as a 12th man for their teams. Their press conferences, the pressure they put on referees, the clever wind ups of opposing managers, their larger than life presence on the touchline all communicate a message to the players – I’m here fighting for you guys!

Now I know Arsene is far more cultured than to stoop to the levels of the aforementioned, but maybe we are seeing him fight back against the growing criticism from supporters and the media ………. and maybe he has changed his approach to the attack/defence balance. If this is true you could argue that the pressure he was under is what prompted the change … self preservation if you like. Personally I don’t care. I like what I see and as confidence grows we can express ourselves more on the pitch as long as we remember the basics of defending.

Has he had an epiphany? Has he changed ‘his way’ in order to provide a more solid defence? Does he believe that is the right thing to do, or is he just employing different tactics in the short term until the pressure is off? ……… Only time will tell.

A note on the banner…..

The banner incident is a disgrace and reflects badly on all Arsenal supporters. I’m ashamed and embarrassed by those who chose to display it. If I could phone Arsene up and apologise to him on behalf of all Arsenal supporters I would.

Written by DeVilles Advocaat

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Posted by Rasp

Oh Santi Cazorla :)

November 30, 2014

It is no secret that I am a great admirer of Santi and though others had a good game, he really had an excellent game in all departments with his passes,dribbles,touches, shots (unlucky not to score) and of course setting up the goal for Welbeck, who leaped like a salmon to powerfully head the ball past Foster in the WBA goal. The guy is rejuvenated and Welbeck is tireless in contributing be it in attack or defence, his energy is awesome.

Arsenal celebrate after Danny Welbeck's goal at West Brom

Ramsey is still not at his best and yet again the goal he is crying out for was again just wide of the post. No doubt he is a talent, but perhaps needs to go back to basics and cut out the Hollywood passing for the time being.

To see Giroud back together with Sanchez and Welbeck was, I feel, an experiment, but will pay dividends as the season progresses. Sanchez needs a rest but we are so over reliant on him so far this season, it has to be timed carefully.

There is no doubt that Mertesacker plays far better with Koscienly besides him, and though not always pretty the defence locked far more solid, though improvement is still needed. There were times during the match where I looked back to the George Graham days.

Resting Gibbs was the right decision, but our injury curse struck once again in the shape of Monreal so Gibbs had to play the majority of the game, though he suffered a slight injury towards the end of the game, but that has yet to be assessed.

Martinez is growing with every game and his distribution is far better than OPIG and possibly will provide competition, which is no bad thing.

Wenger had this to say after the game.

“In the end our solidarity got us through when the legs went in the last 10 minutes. Maybe we were a fraction lucky on the crossbar, but overall it’s a well-deserved win. We had a clean sheet against Dortmund and we had one today. Defensively we were maybe a bit more stable.”

Which I think is a fair assessment.

One has to mention the banner.

Wenger said:

“I don’t want to comment on that. I try to do my best for this club that I love. We are very united with the players and staff around the team, that’s all you can do.

“It’s easier to deal with the upwards than the downwards, but you cannot be a manager and have only one side.” Diplomatic or what ?

He may not admit it, but there is a proportion of the fan base who are losing patience and of course the media take great pleasure in fueling their desire.

I have made my stance on the manager quite clear but to be fair this ever increasing injury list doesn’t help his cause to try and cement a unit that can play week in and week out with just the odd subtle change.

The midweek match against Southampton will be a far sterner test and then perhaps we can truly see if we are progressing.

kelsey

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Posted by kelsey

The Boys are Back in Town

November 29, 2014

Is a very enjoyable victory over an un-inspired, un-motivated and injury ravaged team languishing just 2 points off the bottom of the Bundesliga the fillip our team need to start a good run in the PL? We shall see today.

Let’s be clear, Weds night’s win was a joyous event; we played well in all departments and saw some fine individual performances plus the return to form of some of our most important players but it was not a performance the Dortmund players will be happy about. Where was the pressing? Where was the pace and defensive cohesion? Let’s hope WBA play as badly today.

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West Bromwich are an odd club. One of the original founding clubs of the Football League, they won the title in 1920 and last won the FA Cup in ’68 with a goal from the mighty Jeff Astle (whom I will never forgive for missing a sitter for England in the ’70 World Cup vs Brazil). Yet they have never reached the heights of their Midland neighbours. That said, WBA have a strong fan base with an average gate of  25+k which means they sell out the Hawthorns almost every match.

If we are to judge the result of a game on finances we should steamroller them. Their biggest signing is Sessegnon at ￡6m  less than some of our reserves. The player who is attracting all the headlines is Berahino – a product of the WBA youth system and the type of player to cause BFG nightmares, a small, pacy, cool finisher and a player I could easily see at Arsenal.

Both teams have porous defences but ours could be improved by the return of Koscielny – we have really missed him though Monreal is growing into the CB role.

Once again the fates have been less than kind to Mr Wenger’s plans, another game another long term injury, this time to the crucial Arteta. I had not realised how influential the steel coiffured Spaniard is – without him we are not as good and the idea of playing the journeyman Flamini for any length of time is worrying. Perhaps with the return of Koscielny and Debuchy we will see whether Chambers can be our much hoped for DM. Who knows?

Could be another big day for young Damian Martinez though there is a chance TPIG will be fit. He did well last week so his confidence must be high – let’s hope it remains so tomorrow.

The return of OG is well-timed as it allows Welbeck a little more time to recover from injury. Scoring on his return to the PL he will want to assert himself as Arsenal’s Number One striker. I see a future in which Welbz plays left, OG central and Theo on the right with Alexis in the DB10 role, though just where Ozil plays is open to discussion.

Enough of football. West Bromwich foodstuffs: They like a beer up in the Midlands, there are 116 breweries within 50 miles of West Bromwich!! Even Ant & Duck will struggle to try them all. Probably the most famous beer is Ansell’s but a pint of Banks Bitter is a thing of beauty. As to foods, curries and pies are the order of the day,

It is a few years since I highlighted famous musicians born close to football grounds but I cannot leave the Hawthorns without mentioning two of my heroes – Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin and  Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy were born in West Bromwich (he left for Ireland at the age of 4). Metal rules in the Midlands!

Lunch time kick off despite our playing on Weds evening seems a bit harsh but the FA don’t do AFC favours, do they? Add in the huge and worrying injury list and there must be cause for concern today; yet we start as favourites. We have two players in exceptional form in Ox and Alexis, some others are returning to their expected consistency and WBA have their own problems.

Should be an exciting game

COYRRG

written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

Arsenal enlist the help of fitness Guru‏

November 28, 2014

Reading the paper this morning, and finding an article on the reasons of the Arsenals injury problems, I read that we have enlisted the help  of a fitness Guru, in an American called Chad Forsythe. Apparently Chad helped the world cup winners Germany, and caught the Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger’s attention.

chad

Now Chad Forsythe’s methods are of Mindset of the player’s also Nutrition and movement and recovery, he also sorts out different training regimes for individual players. Well after reading about how this guy works , I could understand how our Manager would be impressed with that, as isn’t that what he did in the early days.

Now what Chad intends is anyone’s guess, but should he get the likes of Diaby out of the sick bay, and try and cut down the numbers of players racing to put their feet up, he could just be a very good addition. Personally I feel that Arsenals progress has been stifled for quite a few years through injury, which seems to me to be getting worse;

Apparently after Wednesdays game with Dortmund we have lost Arteta (shin) and Ya Ya Sanogo (hamstring) so we are losing players after every game. What Forsythe has determined so far, is that our multi million pound training complex, could be one of the problems, the perfectly flat training ground is not preparing our players well enough, to play not so perfect surfaces at other grounds.

Well Chad Forsythe may me a specialist in his field, but in my own football experience of 30 years playing football on some of the worst grounds in the country, this all sounds a bit far fetched to me. Now I can go along with, you are is what you eat, but surly the body was designed to walk and run over any surface, of course should it be bumpy you would show caution, but lets face it how many professional grounds are that bumpy.

Now of course I am no Chad Forsythe, and no one will listen to me, but if this is what Chad brings us then if he is right our injuries should start to improve, and lets face it even with Chad’s idea’s which i find strange, I feel we are clutching at straws. Body armour would be my idea, but what do I know, have a good day.

Written by Steve Palmer.

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Posted by Rasp

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