The desire within UEFA to make football a level playing field for all clubs insofar as money is concerned received Arsene’s backing yesterday. David Taylor, General Secretary of UEFA, spoke of the aims,
[Club Licencing is] very important to actually bring more balance to our competitions and more balance to European football
In other words, we are [...]
Life is certainly not black and white, and as I am becoming increasingly confused and bemused about goings on at Arsenal I am finding it impossible to see things with much clarity at the moment. Le Boss has been defending his captain:
"We did not play well as a team, everybody knows that and William is no more guilty than anybody else"
William is the club captain, I'd argue that he shou
Sometimes an idea is so crazy that it might just work. Like rebranding UKTVGold2 as ‘Dave’. Or when it was first rumoured that Arsenal might try and involve William Gallas in the deal that took Ashley Cole to Chelsea. It seemed like fantasy stuff - partly because transfers between the top four clubs are remarkably rare…
In [...]
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is surprised at the Great Britain teams success in the Bejing Olympics, according to The Times.
Wenger is quoted as saying “I didn’t know the British were good at swimming, I have been in this country for twelve years and haven’t seen a swimming pool.”
It will come as no surprise to football [...]
Tony Adams is an Arsenal legend. He is a cockney defender who amassed over a monkey (669 in total) of appearances, and was recently voted 3rd 'greatest Gunner' in an online poll conducted by the club's official website.On the prospect of rejoining the Gunners, the 41-year old said: "Arsene won't move over will he?!" Before adding: "I keep saying to him: 'When are you going to move over and let me
Arsenal have opened talks with Liverpool over a move for Xabi Alonso, it is being reported.The Gunners are searching for an experienced midfielder after selling Mathieu Flamini, Alex Hleb and Gilberto this summer.Arsene Wenger believes Alonso is his man, and the two clubs are currently discussing a deal.However, the Spain international played in Liverpool’s Champions League qualifier against Sta
So the morning before the day before. No longer is the anticipation of a new season given a week between the Charity Shield and the league commencing, the not -so-small matter of a trip to Enschede interrupts. Ahead of the game, Arsene has sought to rationalise the expectations placed on Cesc’s shoulders, reminding everyone that [...]
The curse of the Warrior strikes back. No sooner had I thought that a fit Diaby would be the solution to the central midfield problems than we are left with an unfit Diaby, the only problem solved there is what the medical staff would have done with their time otherwise. With the Frenchman out for [...]
Robin van Persie is hoping to re-start his contract renegotiations, no doubt encouraged by the talks that were ongoing before Euro2008 and that Adebayor has reportedly been granted £80k per week - the veracity of that amount is always in doubt as it is a media figure and not one that the club has released.
It [...]
The one thing that you can safely say about the Arsenal Academy is that they school the players well; all of them know exactly what to say to make you think ‘it could be’ about the upcoming season. And they are so damned convincing, they actually believe they can do it. And if they think [...]
In the run up to the season’s commencement, succession planning of a sort is coming into view. Arsene, if reports are to be believed, is going to be offered a role on the Board as part of a long-term strategy to keep him at the club. It is in keeping with the ‘job for life’ [...]
Emmanuel Adebayor is staying at Arsenal, says Arsene WengerArsene Wenger is adamant that striker Emmanuel Adebayor is still fully committed to the Arsenal cause and remains confident that the African will be playing for the club at the start of the new season.The Togo international, who is a target for Barcelona and AC Milan, looked short of fitness when he returned to the Arsenal side with a subd
With the new Premier League season less than a month away is one of the coolest managers in football starting to feel the heat of a thin squad with a group of youngsters not ready for the big time yet? Wenger has recently come out and said that he thought his squad was ‘level’, however [...]
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes his side can challenge for the title this season, despite losing a number of players over the summer. Gilberto Silva, Alexander Hleb and Mathieu Flamini have all transferred away from Arsenal, but the Frenchman remains confident the team will not suffer. Wenger said: “We are still very confident that we [...]
And on the fiftieth day of boredom with transfer rumours, the Lord said, “Let there be a football match to take their minds off such things that divide them”. Actually, had that been true, I am pretty sure the fixture might have been a bit spicier than a pre-season runout at Barnet although if he [...]
Arsene went to war on players who are disrespectful to the club and their contracts. Pictures of Adebayor and Hleb adorned the article in the News of the World and a headline of ‘Mercenaries’ gives away the tone. Before you get excited, it is was not much of an exclusive interview with the paper. Despite [...]
In a weekend dominated by others, it is nice to push them to one side and concentrate on things more enjoyable. First though, Arsene spoke out in the light of opinions of ‘he-who-will-not-be-named-today’ regarding the future of the transfer market. It is on its last legs according to Le Boss,
In the past, you signed and [...]
Tad harsh the last bit you might say but to be honest the whole drama is playing out like a second-rate Mexican soap opera that La Senora is so fond of watching of TVE or whatever channel is the flavour of the month in her eyes. Actually at the moment it’s one about the immediate [...]
A day tending the garden and this morning at the airport returning La Suegra to Catalunya with express orders to beat the living daylights out of any official connected to the club, making me feel better by proxy. Indeed, a ‘Shining’ moment yesterday when some particularly stubborn weeds, who keep coming back, were christened ‘Ingla’, [...]
I don't know if you guys actually know this, but the man on the left is actually a new member of the Arsenal Board of Directors after he recently bought 12.19% stakes in Arsenal. And from what I heard from Goal.com he may just be the man that will spark a summer transfer shake-up, which may cause Adebayor to go to Barcelona. I'm not sure if it's true, but I seriously hope he doesn't interfere with
Arsene went onto the offensive last night promising to ’give Milan the answer they deserve’ should they ring to enquire about the availability of Emmanuel Adebayor. Sadly, I doubt that he would give them that particular response but would instead tell them a rather firm ‘Non’ instead. Adebayor is supposed to have responded equally firmly however the quotes attribute
A day of what might have been’s for Arsene. He might have been bidding for Cristian Zapata but might have been a bit short in the valuation according to reports. It might have been a coincidence that Juventus are interested in the player which might have been the reason for the bid being turned down. [...]
The usual transfer speculation over the weekend which is nothing much in particular. According to the News Of The World, Piotr Trochowski will be the ’second major signing of the summer’ which is pretty incredible since the first one has not yet been formally announced - a Rolf Harris moment, I suppose, ‘can you guess [...]
It's hard carrying the world on one's shoulders, not only is the world heavy but having to bear the responsibility that I have chosen to take on is no mean feat . Fortunately I am made of better more hardy genetic stock than your average Gooner, so I have decided to appoint myself as the single unified voice of Gooner reason. This was motivated by watching years and years of dismal failure under
vente privée Bubble, Arsene et les pipelettes, Baobab …
Fin jeudi 22 mai 23h59
ventes privées en cours : Goa, Virages, Christian Tortu …, Collections de Printemps, Levi’s, Melchior et Accessoires design
Prochainement ventes privées : Enfin l’été
S’inscrire à la vente privee
.:: ModesDiscount, le meilleur prix pour vos vêtements et accessoires de grandes marques ! ::.
T
[Cue ‘Whole Lotta Love’ by Led Zeppelin]
Morning Pop Pickers, Arsene ‘Fluff’ Wenger here, it’s time to see who Top of the Transfer Pops this morning. In at Number Five is Yoann Gorcuff from AC Milan with nothing more tenuous than a supposed previous interest in the player to boost his rankings. One higher is Lillian [...]
Arsene and RvP have had a bit of a love-in, each admiring the other’s handiwork. van Persie kicked it all off,
I am 100 per cent convinced we will soon win big trophies. When that happens, I know the whole world will be behind us. It will be a lasting memory if we win it with [...]
Arsene rebuffed the claims by Alexander Hleb’s agent that the player was leaving. Whilst answering the question posed, Arsene was being somewhat disingenuous by claiming that no one – agent or otherwise - had contacted him about the Byelorussian. In choosing to ignore the Article 17 aspect, the journalist missed an opportunity to push Le [...]
Peter Hill-Wood has given Arsene a vote of confidence. In normal football circumstances, a P45 would swiftly follow except Arsenal do not operate in normal football circumstances. When the Chairman says such things, you have the impression that any question about Arsene’s future is batted away with an answer preceded by a five-minute laughing fit. [...]
On the 12th of April, I broke an exclusive on the blog entitled "The Riddle of the missing millions" it began thus: I am confused, and reports in the Times newspaper yesterday make me feel that someone on the Board had better come clean. On September 24 2007, the Times proudly proclaimed "Arsene Wenger given [...]
On the 12th of April, I broke an exclusive on the blog entitled "The Riddle of the missing millions" it began thus: I am confused, and reports in the Times newspaper yesterday make me feel that someone on the Board had better come clean. On September 24 2007, the Times proudly proclaimed "Arsene Wenger given [...]
One of the great things about life is the ironies that it throws up along the way. No, not the twee unironic ironies that Alanis Morrissette sang about but the full-blooded ones. Rather like, well,
George Graham - a man who gave the distinct impression that White Fivers (ask your parents) were still legal tender when [...]
An interesting day for me at least yesterday, Number One Son’s day in hospital took me out of anything to do with Arsenal which as they say, a change is a good as a rest. Apologies to those whose comments were caught in moderation but they have been freed now. That said, if you will [...]
The good news about this revelation from the Arsenal official website, is that Arsene Wenger has had his statements clarified and it seems that he will not restrict himself to just one buy. Neither will he afraid to ‘Splash the Cash’. Arsene is quoted directly as saying…
"But the money [we have paid out] is not [...]
Good Morning, Ok, a bright sunny day, not alot of joy in the newspapers and oh yes, I hold my hands up and accept defeat…
I cannot congratulate Ferguson and Manchester United yet, and now as Gooners, who would you rather see win the title? The smug fergie who in victory was dignified and for once saw the [...]
Most of the talk in recent days has been of squad strengthening or the lack of it in summer 2007 and January as being the reason for Arsenal dropping away in the title race and exiting the Champions League at Anfield. The perception is that it was parsimony on Arsene’s part or part of an [...]
Yesterday I rallied the troops with my Call to Arms, I was nervous but confident, and for the first 25 minutes, I could see nothing other than an Arsenal victory. Ok Adebayor was offside three times which didn’t help, but surely it was only a matter of time? then yes! Diaby did what we all [...]
Yesterday I rallied the troops with my Call to Arms, I was nervous but confident, and for the first 25 minutes, I could see nothing other than an Arsenal victory. Ok Adebayor was offside three times which didn’t help, but surely it was only a matter of time? then yes! Diaby did what we all [...]
Benitez : the Champions League is the only trophy Arsenal can win this season
According to bbc, Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has stepped up the pressure on Arsenal by saying the Champions League is the only trophy the Gunners can win this season. The two meet on Tuesday in the Champions League quarter-final, second leg, with [...]
Arsenal 1 - 1 Liverpool
0 - 1 Crouch (42)
1 - 1 Bendtner (53)
If this was a must-win match, there was nothing to indicate that the eleven Arsenal players on the pitch thought that was the case in the opening forty-five minutes, by which time as is customary these days, they were a goal down. Arsene [...]
To start off with today, a worthy cause to make you aware of. Rocky 7 has been set-up to raise funds in memory of David Rocastle, the seventh anniversary of whose untimely death falls on Monday; his passing a reminder of the fragility of life.. Amongst Arsenal supporters over a certain age, Rocastle holds a special [...]
International week normally affords some reflection and wish to see players return unscathed. That still stands of course but looking at the number of other Mancunian clubs, whose key players have suddenly developed mysterious leg injuries, I kind of wish that Arsene would pull a flanker every now and then.
Reflecting on the defeat at Stamford [...]
Arsene hit back at the media sniping yesterday
We will not bottle it. Believe me, we have the strength of character to win the title. That’s my belief, my firm belief, and, at the game on Sunday, you will see. Since the first day of the season, I have said that I believe in this team. [...]
Great Leaders in any field will seek to inspire through words and deeds, to drive their charges on to greater heights and to ensure that mental focus is not lost on the road ahead. William Gallas is facing such a challenge now and is aware of it,
I will tell you why there was a difference between [...]
Arsenal 1 – 1 Middlesbrough
0 – 1 Aliadiere (25)
1 – 1 Toure (86)
Sent off: Mido
If you are of a nervous disposition, perhaps now is the time for you to start a regime of regular changes of underwear. Never do anything the easy way when you can make it hard for yourself might well be [...]
As I type this, I can feel some of the groans starting to come on from certain quarters. Arsene has indicated that he will not be ‘splashing the cash’ unnecessarily this summer. In keeping with the mantra from last close season, he said,
We have money because we made money and we made money because we made [...]
The praise for Cesc continues, this time Arsene shining a light on the bushel of his talent,
I don’t like to say too much that a player is the best but Cesc is not only a talented player but he is also very demanding of himself. If he keeps that he will improve tremendously. People forget that [...]
So here it is, the match that is being dubbed ‘make or break’ for the season. It is too strong to describe it in the latter category but a win might well put it into the former. That a scoring draw will be enough for qualification is where the element of doubt filters through into [...]
The news that the missing trio of Fabregas, Hleb and Flamini all trained on Friday is welcome indeed. Added to the midweek return of Robin van Persie, it means that the strongest squad available to Arsene is ready for selection to varying degrees.
He has commented that he will make a decision on Sunday morning about who participates that afternoon against Chelsea and to what extent their involvement will take. For all of the conjecture about the team, it would not surprise me if Arsene chose all of RvP, Flamini, Fabregas and Hleb to start.
Fabregas is the subject of an interview in The Times this morning. He has some interesting views on English players,
I don't see a lot of English players taking the risk to go out of the country to try to fight for their chance. It looks like they are comfortable where they are and that is it
There is a substantial element of truth in that but historically Spaniards have travelled out of the country less than the English. Whilst it is becoming more
I wonder how much the PFA paid for their report, the Press Release of which is filling all of the back pages. Whatever it cost, they were tucked up like a kipper. Their findings are nothing new, entirely tedious and the solution so laughable that it begs the question as to whether or not their members’ best interests are being served by it.
The Daily Telegraph carried an outline of the report’s focus on Arsenal’s Academy. In seeking to highlight their points, the PFA appear to make some interesting interpretations of the facts. They claim only five players can be considered full graduates of the Academy system: Kerrea Gilbert, Ben Gill, Fabrice Muamba, Dominic Shimmin and Anthony Stokes. Interestingly, they have sought to erase other players who spent their entire ‘pre-professional’ careers at the club, namely Steve Sidwell, James Harper and Graham Stack. Why? They did not spend all of their time at the Academy because they were in the youth system already. This is disingenu
Arsenal have truly been in rampant form and continues to confound the critics with the way they have integrated themselves for the cause this season. It has been a joy and priviledge for me as an avid gunner to witness one of the most spectacular displays of football ever seen.This was a far cry for the last three seasons as Arsene rebuilt the squad and the gooners had to grit their teeth as Arsenal disappeared from any contention for honours.
There is particular satisfaction in the knowledge that Arsene with brilliant managerial acumen has built a title challenging team spending a fraction of what the other top four clubs splashed on their squads, making bricks out of clay, and in the process saving the club from financial doldrums because of the stadium debt.
Now that there can be no doubt about Arsenal’s status as a title contender, but can we truly win something this season to compensate for the patient wait for this squad to mature? I fully applaud Arsene seeking o
A gratefully received return to normality with the visit of Wigan Athletic to The Emirates this afternoon. With the number of walking wounded growing this week, it is the opportunity for some ‘fringe’ players to make Arsene think twice about his team selection. That might be overly optimistic for those replacing Hleb and Fabregas but I feel the central midfield position is still ‘up for grabs’.
I mean no disrespect to Mathieu Flamini in positing that thought. Arguably this season he has been the most improved player thus far. Possibly that is more to do with playing in his favoured position but the maturity of his play is a step forward from previous appearances in midfield. For whatever reason, he has not looked comfortable when asked to fill in one of the wide positions, left or right, in previous seasons. However this season, he has shown the form that Arsene knew he was capable of.
It is more the pecking order behind him currently that can be changed.
Arsene is apparently upset with the Ivory Coast Football Authorities over the African Cup of Nations (ACN) next year. It is hard to see why. He has signed African internationals in the past and knows the inherent risks involved. The tournament is inconvenient for European clubs yet none of them can complain that it is a surprise, so why argue with the FA’s of the countries involved. It is an ill-judged argument, irrespective of their previous behaviour. The nations are merely acting in their own best interests, something clubs are more than adept at doing.
Presumably, there have been initial discussions between the club and the Ivorians, which have not gone well otherwise this is a poorly timed outburst, something to which Wenger is not prone. The true loss to Arsenal will be Toure; we have more than enough cover for Eboue in the right midfield position. The disruption caused is not simply down to the abilities, it means that understandings built are temporarily lost and new ones hav
Arsene Wenger has revealed that he does not yet have any particular transfer targets, although he would like to strengthen one of his squad's positions.However, the Arsenal manager refused to say which position he would splash cash in."It is not impossible," he said in response to a question asking if he would spend in January. "I don’t think I will get anybody in but if I get one opportunity in one area then I will not neglect it."The fact that Wenger will not spend a large part of his allegedly huge transfer window allotment will come as a disappointment to some Arsenal fans, but Arsenal's position at the top of the Premier League would imply they don't need to spend too much.One piece of evidence that particularly defends Arsene Wenger's decision not to spend big in January is Arsenal's current success.Despite signing only five players and losing talismanic striker Thierry Henry last summary (read a summary of all the ins and outs of the transfer window here) Arsenal's young
Arsene is featured in this month’s FourFourTwo magazine’s ‘Readers Questions’ section, the supposedly juicy bits being his ruling himself out of the England job when it becomes vacant next summer. For me though, the interesting stuff is more Arsenal specific. In response to a question about players he missed out on, he again mentions Eto’o and Makelele. The next part of the answer is produced in full below,
I also let some players go who I knew would make a career, like Muamba, Steve Sidwell and Larsson, but in the end I had to make a choice whether they could play for me or not. Sometimes you’re too hard but most of the time it’s because the guy doesn’t have the necessary quality or motivation
In that context, it makes you wonder which one of the three Muamba had. At the time, I could understand Sidwell because of the quality of those ahead of him and Larsson had not convinced me about whether he could make the grade at Arsenal yet Muamba had ‘rave’
"Calm down! Calm down! aarite…"
Now I have a lot of respect for the Scouse supporters, but some of the contributors to a post match phone in on a radio station sounded like Tottenscum fans on a bad day. It's one thing to set a Champions League record by knocking 8 goals past a mediocre Turkish team, it is quite another to claim that they will now win the Champions league and the Premiership. It would have been more special if they hadn't lost to this team in the first fixture. Anyway Benitez is bound to change the line up come the weekend, to confirm as their chief sponsor might say…
"Benitez…. probably the best tinkerman in the world".
The Arsenal squad for today makes interesting reading.
Jens Lehmann, Manuel Almunia, Abou Diaby, Bacary Sagna, Lassana Diarra, Eduardo, William Gallas, Denilson, Mathieu Flamini, Alex Song, Gilberto, Gael Clichy, Emmanuel Adebayor, Nicklas Bendtner, Emmanuel Eboue, Ar
I must apologise; three and a half days between blog posts is unacceptable.
In my defence, though, things have been insanely busy. I mentioned on the blog a few weeks ago that I just moved into a new, three-bedroom house with a couple of mates and Saturday night was our housewarming. We decided to have a hippie-themed party, mostly because it allowed us to play Hendrix and Zeppelin all night, and it took all of Saturday to set up and all of Sunday (and then some) to clean up. It was a rip-roaring success (see picture for evidence) but it did mean that I had to make sacrifices - and that meant missing out on Arsenal’s win over Bolton and indeed, an inability to blog in the party’s aftermath. Unlike Arseblogger, I’ve not yet mastered the skill of hammering out top-quality blog posts whilst recovering from a hangover.
But now it is Tuesday night in Australia and I’m about as fresh as I’m ever going to be. The only knowledge I have of Arsenal’s weekend
Initially I thought that tonight’s team might contain a few changes; that was before the squad was announced. I say announced, more the BBC ran with their guess, hoovering up the tidbits of misinformation that float around before a game. The one change that seems likely to happen is that Theo Walcott will start, probably ahead of Emmanuel Eboue on the right. To me that makes more sense than resting Eduardo this evening, the other candidate to make way for Walcott. It is nothing less than the lad deserves, a chance to start following on from two impact performances from the bench. Having pace to burn is by far and away his best asset from that position; I hope that people will realise that he cannot do that for a whole ninety minutes, needing to be more judicious in his choices for runs than being able to replicate a thirty minute cameo, expanding it to a ninety minute performance of non-stop running.
The other position where I believe there could be activity is centre back with W
Giving the captaincy to William Gallas seemed to be a bit of a curve ball by Arsene in the summer yet it is reaping benefits already as the Frenchman has discovered humility, apologising to the staff at the club for being, well, the Grinch Who Stole Christmas. William is quoted as saying,
I know it might have been difficult for the rest of the group because I wasn’t always smiling when I was in the dressing room…So I want to say sorry to all the players and all the staff
Sadly for him, it comes a no surprise he was a miserable sod during the time he has been out. It must be frustrating for him to be injured and also watching the team go on a long winning run immediately he is out of the side. I am sure, provided Domenech does not push him too hard, that he will be back for the Bolton game, probably at the expense of Senderos. Without wishing to be a Merchant of Doom, there is no way, surely, that Arsene can contemplate him returning at Anfield given last season’s deb
Not Arsenal related but the world of Newspaper ’scoops’ continues to amaze me, with The Sun revealing that Michael Owen had had two years of ‘hurt’ this morning. The correct adjective to describe my feelings at this ‘news’ escapes me but to learn he had been injured was pretty shocking.
Onto Arsenal. Emmanuel Adebayor paid tribute to Robin van Persie and their partnership,
The understanding between us is magnificent. That is what is giving us strength at the moment. He likes the ball to his feet more than I do. He lises to get off the front line and he has the technical skills to do that. I am tall, I can climb high and I can go deep. I am more of a pivot for the team
I am not sure that Adebayor has any preference for where the ball comes to him or at what height because his control can be phenomenal at times; putting a ball in the air does not necessarily mean that he will head it for the longest legs in English football seem not to worry about brin
Ahead of tomorrow’s game, perhaps the most surprising love-in between two opposing managers appears have to taken place. Given Roy Keane’s history with Arsenal, you would not have been surprised if old ground had been trodden with a touch of bitterness tinged in the memories. Instead, Arsene praised the new found mellowness shown as a manager by Keane,
For me he looks surprisingly calm. At first he was a more impulsive guy. I think what helped him a lot was he tried to deal with that in the final part of his playing career. You could see he was becoming a different player, dominating the impulsive side of his character - and that has helped him start well as a manager.
Keane meanwhile found it in him to admire Cesc Fabregas and his contribution, displaying a previously well hidden sense of humour,
He is probably a different type of player to me - not as cultured as me - but he’s a good player and hopefully our lads will enjoy testing themselves against very good play
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is firmly opposed to Sepp Blatter's proposed player quota. The FIFA President's plan would limit each team to only five foreign players, decimating the Arsenal squad.Wenger, who's team is often criticized for its lack of English players believes that the quota would destroy the EPL's reputation as the best footballing Premier League in the world."It would kill the Premier League at the moment for being the best league in the world, certainly," said Wenger. "Why? Because you can see a massive reduction in the quality. If you have the choice between 200 million players or 50 million players, it is less good. It is as simple as that."It will protect the bad players, or those who are not good enough. Also, if the best English players play with the best world-class players, then they will be even better and develop quicker." The Arsenal boss also feels that it is not his job to look out for nationality, but rather to search for the best players he can find. Ev
Arsene has been talking of the battle for the ’soul’ of English football, a battle he believes is being lost due to the influx of foreign owners in recent seasons. The culprits in his opinion are those who ‘buy clubs by loaning money from banks’. Not by coincidence I am sure, the article in Sun is accompanied by a short paragraph that Red & White want to increase their shareholding to 25% by the time of the AGM, a move designed to ensure that they garner more attention for themselves. Coincidentally, Danny Fiszman and Keith Edelman are up for re-election as a Director something that will not have escaped the attention of David Dein for sure. Not that they will be able to garner enough support to block their re-election but I would not be surprised if a ’show of strength’ is organised, a negative vote to display that the Board does not necessarily have unanimous support amongst the shareholders.
Back to Arsene. The article creates somewhat of a qu
Today’s announcement of Arsenal being the second richest club in Europe and the richest in Britain took me back to 1998. We were about the 15th richest club in the world. And where has this great man taken us. I applaud Arsene for his vision. More than anything, you put the club’s interests before anybosy else. You made sure that when people talk about the greatest clubs of Great Britain, Europe or for that matter the world, they do not forget Arsenal ever.
Arsene could have easily spent the money has pumped into the club for a new stadium on old experienced players that could get you a trophy for a year or two. But unlike some of our neighbours, he sought to build a legacy. Even twenty years down the line, far past Arsene’s era (How I wish he stated on for twenty more years, but that’s not humanly possible!), Arsenal FC would owe at least a part of the success to this base that Arsene has built today.
Wenger has done well in terms of trophies,
Now the dust has settled following a fabulous weekend for us Gooners, and ahead of our CL match tonight, I intend to bring us all down to earth by questioning a few of the decisions made this season by our unquestionably magnificent manager.
1/ Johann Djourou
Surely the decision to loan out Johann – who started 27 games for us last season – has been the most mysterious to date. Arsene’s reasoning, as I understand it, is to give him first team action and experience so that he will be match sharp when Kolo is off to Africa in January. Well he would have had plenty of first team experience here with us already this season. The simple fact is that every premiership club need 4 centre backs - not just 3. There will always be injuries and suspensions to centre backs in particular, and you need to be able to perm any two from four throughout a season. It was obvious that it wouldn’t be long before two of our meagre three were out at the same time, and so it
Arsenal will prepare for their opening Champions League match against UEFA Cup holders Sevilla with the knowledge that a win will make them firm favourites to top their relatively simple group.
The clash at home to Sevilla will be followed by two much simpler games against Slavia Prague and Steau Bucherest. As a result, beating the Spanish side in Matchday One should put Arsenal well on their way to topping the group. Arsene Wenger’s defence may be reshuffled for the third match running with the suggestion that Gilberto Silva is still struggling for fitness and that Philippe Senderos will be returning from suspension.
“I have not decided [about Gilberto] yet. I will decide tomorrow but Senderos is back in the squad.”
It seems to me that Wenger favours Gilberto over Senderos in the centre-back role at this stage and is waiting on the word from the Brazilian that he will be alright. Frankly, I’m not too bothered who starts the match. Gilberto seemed tired at times against
Who was Arsenal's best summer signing?
Arsene Wenger 40%
Bacary Sagna 7%
Eduardo 23%
Lassana Diarra 28%
Well, unsurprisingly the fans have decided that Arsene Wenger was this sumer's most influential signing. I was surprised that of the players, Lassana Diarra recieved the greatest percentage of the vote, seeing as how he has yet to play a
Now that Arsene Wenger has finally signed his new deal many are hoping to see Arsenal compete for some major silverware for the first time since 3 seasons ago. Wenger is among these, and feels that with the backing of the club's board of directors he can help Arsenal to some serious silverware.
He assured Arsenal.com that he has the board's backing saying, "I have had many moments when I have
It's great news for all Arsenal fans as reports are out suggesting that Arsene Wenger has agreed to a new deal. This deal will keep him in the club until 2010.After the good start to the season, this is another good news that'll boost the team confidence and eliminate all uncertainties that existed. There were many claims during the pre-season that Wenger will leave the club after Dein was sacked. The rumors became strong after Henry's departure when he claimed that he left because of the uncertainty over Wenger's future. And to rub it into Arsenal fans, reports started flowing in that Fabregas was also leaving unless Wenger stays. Wenger has brushed aside any comments that he is not comfortable when Dein is not around by doing what he does best. By managing our club as usual. He signed more young prospects and for me it was pretty clear back then itself that he will stay here longer. For some reason it wasn't clear for Henry. Either Henry was making an excuse, or Wenger refused
Sparta arrive at The Emirates this evening, the second leg of a tie that we ought to progress. In fact, if we do not I would not care to imagine some of the comments that will follow. Not for anything other than I am but a shy and sensitive creature, as I am sure you had already guessed.
A two goal lead from the away leg is of course, a comfortable position in which to find yourselves. Not quite through but only a major shambles eliminates you. There is no logical reason why Arsenal should not move into the Group Phase because it is Sparta who have to make all of the running. They might choose to reproduce the ‘hard man’ tactics of the First Leg but given that they need to score, this might prove to be as fruitless as it was a fortnight ago. It would suit Arsenal tonight if Sparta came and attacked, leaving spaces to be exploited. More likely though is that they try to reverse the roles, hoping that it is the hosts who attack in search of killing off the tie early on. If th
Recent reports suggest that Arsene Wenger is set to sign a 3 year contact within weeks. Peter Hill-Wood spoke to Daily star about the situation."Hopefully we'll have something to say in the next week or so. The length of the contract is up to him, but hopefully it will be a two or three-year deal. "We certainly want to pay him what he's worth, but money is not the major stumbling block. There are just little pieces here and there to sort out."This is great news for the Team, the Board and all the fans. Everyone has been waiting for this to happen and once the contract is signed, there'll be many relieved faces. This news also means rumors that link the players future to uncertainty in Wenger's future, will rest for a while.Meanwhile, Wenger told the press that he is in no rush to appoint a new director of football. He had spoke earlier that how appointing a new director at the pre-season stage would be difficult for him. Now that the pre-season is over, it may be the best time
Reports are emerging in the tabloids that Arsene has agreed the terms of his new Contract. The Express reports that it is a three year extension, keeping him at the Club until 2011 at a rate of £3m per year, in case you were interested, and as Arsene said last week, devoid of any escape clauses and will be welcomed by the players. The news of this is particularly welcome as it puts to rest the speculation about his future and kills off one avenue of attack on certain players futures, although by no means stops the speculation dead in its tracks.
More importantly though, it gives a signal of stability (something that our nearest neighbours can only envy) on the playing side, knowing that the manager has another three seasons in charge after this one has ended. At the same time, he has confirmed that a Director of Football may not be appointed, Arsene happy with the relationship he has with Ken Friar to continue and somehow, with Friar having the Club in his blood, it is difficult to s
This, as you see, is a very short post.
But it has to be said.
I can't believe what I am hearing regarding Gilberto finding out he had been stripped of the captaincy on the internet at Arsenal.com when he got home after he had been at the training ground with Arsene during the day.
OK so I am being a bit overdramatic with the word ‘stripped' seeing as the new permanent successor to TH14 as captain had not been officially announced, but you know what I mean.
If it is true then I just can't work Arsene out at all.
I have made my feelings clear with regard to Gallas being made captain ahead of both Gilberto and Kolo, but had naturally assumed that Arsene had talked it through with the guys involved and everyone was happy. But, as I wrote in my ‘An amazing decision' blogpost the other day, I hoped the players didn't feel as shitty as I did about the decision, but it now would appear that perhaps at least one does.
What on earth is
I am very perplexed and unhappy at Johann Dourou going to Brum till January, when presumably he will be back to cover for Kolo.
If we discount the new guy Nordtveit (and you have to as he has only just turned 17), I think we are worryingly short of centreback cover.
We now only have Philip Senderos as proper backup for Kolo and Gallas (now that Connolly has gone to Colchester). No problem if they all stay injury and discipline free, but its taking one hell of a risk in my opinion. Sure we have guys who can play at centre back in an emergency - Gilberto, Sagna, even Justin Hoyte - but the key word is ‘emergency'. We hardly want to break up the flanks and midfield if things are going well when we normally have such good cover. Perhaps Johann particularly asked for more first team action - and it will do him no end of good playing every week in the Birmingham side - but I still think it's a bit risky, especially as our new captain hasn't the bes
So The Big Kick-Off has, oh, erm, been put off until tomorrow which is a bit of a disappointment but there you go.
Ahead of tomorrow’s clash with Fulham, Eduardo is the only new doubt, apparently having picked up a minor ankle injury. Arsene believes he has a decent chance of making the match, seemingly inclined to start him if he is fit,
Certainly I would not be scared to play him. Maybe he will need a little bit of time but he is a fighter. He has the ability to score goals, he is quick and a team player so you are never scared to put in these players
Which is exactly how it should be. Lack of confidence in your charges abilities has never been one of Arsene’s shortcomings, trusting them from the outset to make the grade. By the time you read this, the fitness test on Saturday may well have been concluded so we will know if he is ready to play. His arrival on the pitch will no doubt garner a lot of the attention and also be ready for unwelcome comparisons to Henry, brickb
Nothing like a tournament to prick the interest of the Press in a Club and given the paucity of opposition in friendlies that take place in England prior to the start of each season, there is little surprise that a considerable sum of column inches is being devoted to ‘The Emirates Trophy’, a frontrunner in the worst design for a football trophy ever conceived. It is, I think, the first home-based tournament since the Makita. Remember that? From memory, it was a four or five goal drubbing against Spurs followed by a win or draw against Bayern.
Arsene’s press conference covered wide ranging topics; well, OK, the season ahead and his future at the Club. In amongst his comments about respecting his choice in taking his time over renewing contract, it is those reported on Sportal’s New Zealand site that are the most revealing about how Le Boss sees himself and his immediate future,
It’s important that I don’t go beyond my role, that I recognise my pla
I wonder how many people will be clicking on this link after seeing it on Arsenal News Now and wondering "who??".
Well to those that don't know; Abdul-Salam Bilal is Nicolas Anelka's Islamic name.
It's once again been rumoured that Wenger wants Anelka and the board don't want to get him blah blah. How many rumours have there been floating around recently? The funniest was that Pallacio guy where the rumour was started by one blogger and repeated around the world by the press as it being a fact!
I do like Anelka and I think it would be awesome to have him back. He'd score plenty of goals for us but how much truth is to the story that the board have refused permission to buy him? Can you imagine a board that want to do anything to keep Wenger stopping him from doing something that he wants? As much as I would love for Anelka to come back; I have a feeling that this story is just another whole load of rubbish recirculating.
Take the Obaf
The dust has barely settled on his move to Henry’s move to Barcelona and the media now have the opportunity to put words into the Chairman’s mouth with a little help from him along the way. Speaking in the Daily Telegraph Peter Hill-Wood said of Henry’s rationale about his move being influenced by DD’s departure and AW contract situation,
I am not particularly worried about what Thierry said but whether it really influenced his decision or not we will have to wait and see. We certainly don’t think Thierry Henry going and Arsene Wenger’s contract situation are in any way linked. That was just an excuse
Which is remarkably similar to the majority view that I have seen, naysayers apart. Moving onto AW’s contract,
I am really hopeful he will extend but at this moment I am only in a position of hoping, I’ve no reason to think that he won’t but at the same time I have no reason to believe he will say yes. Certainly we would like to see hi
Amazing how letting off steam makes the world a better place…
Arsene is the subject of today’s rumours with The Sun Says So It Must Be True, quoting a “friend” of Le Boss at length, blathering on about how he’s unsettled with DD’s departure, how he’s worried about the squad being too young for a true tilt at the title, how he’s been told to sell players before he can buy. All of which sounds like this friend of Arsene is a bit of a figment of someone’s imagination after a fifteenth pint of Tennants Super. There is an element of truth in what is said though to my mind and that is the timescale, which is of course what the hack in question is playing on. I have no doubt that AW will know by Christmas what he is going to do, if he has not already pretty much made up his mind already. Where the story veers from reality is over the question of money - AW knows the financial situation better than anyone else and the impact it will have o
After losing Spanish Primera Liga title, Spanish giant Barcelona reported to replace Frank Rijkaard with other coach. There was speculation that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger could be the number 1 target of Barcelona, this rumours come after France media reported that Arsene Wenger met with Barca director Feran Soriano in Paris.
Arsene Wenger still have one year remaining contract deal with Arsenal, but the lack of transfer funds and the loss of his close ally David Dein, who quit the Emirates last April might be make Wenger to finish his contract one year earlier.
(more…)
The attitude towards the Thierry Henry Saga amongst Arsenal fans has seemingly shifted dramatically. A week ago everyone was writing it off as pure speculation and wishful thinking on Barca’s part.
In my mind at least, it seems that while a deal is far from done something is happening. Thierry has never publicly said he want’s to leave but recent comments haven’t confirmed he is staying. Henry Said “I’ve not taken any decision and my name is not up on any departures board. If something happens, I will tell everybody.” He admits himself he is considering leaving the club. What else would his ‘decision’ relate to?
He also seems confident that whatever he decides the club are happy to go along with.The press report Arsene Wenger meet Barcelona’s financial director Ferran Soriano for preliminary discussions last week. If the saying ring’s true and there isn’t smoke without fire then the deal must be agreed on
Sunday is the day for all the fantasy transfers to be contained in one bitesize chunk for the week. As per usual, Henry is off to Barcelona according to everyone for £20m. This represents an interesting exercise in Transfer Market Inflation; ten days ago, he was worth £15m, then £17m, now £20m so by the time Arsene sits back at his desk the value should be about £25m. Unless of course, it is complete crap in which case he is worth 30 goals next season as we storm the Premiership and Champions League, undefeated. Don’t snap my head off for making outlandish predictions, it’s Fantasy Football after all. On which subject, The People continues its campaign to bring you only the truth which this week sees Tomas Rosicky off to Atletico because Arsene’s future is uncertain, which seems to be the basis of all reports of a mass exodus from The Emirates.
To upset all those who believe we need experience, Kyle Bartley has apparently been signed from Bolton Wanderers with a
Julio Baptista has finally confirmed what everyone expected in that he is back to Madrid, partly I suspect because Reyes is apparently not staying at Real but mainly because he could not justify a €20m fee, such is the rumoured value that has been placed on his head, For whatever reason, it just did not happen for the lad; only the really picky could fault his effort but he never really threatened to hit the expectation levels of supporters - is that our fault or his? - because aside from the six goals in the games against Liverpool and Tottenham, you have to say that four in thirty three matches is really not good enough. It would have been interesting to see what a second season would have produced but unfortunately for him, the club is at a stage where we cannot afford to carry passengers, especially those that represent a huge investment. Had he joined two summers ago, would things have been different? Perhaps, for a season at Madrid undoubtedly did little good for his confidence
ENGLANDArsenal boss Arsene Wenger made a cash plus player offer to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday for striker Fernando Torres. AS says Wenger asked about Torres' availability and offered Aleksandr Hleb and Freddie Ljungberg in part-exchange for the Atletico captain. Atletico chiefs Miguel Angel Gil and Jesus Garcia Pitarch turned down the proposal, but left the door open by expressing interest in Manu Adebayor and Tomas Rosicky.Eto'o wants Arsenal's Henry at BarcelonaLyon president knows price for Man Utd's SahaBarcelona eyeing Man Utd defender HeinzeSpurs make offer to Lyon striker FredVillarreal rival Juventus for Man Utd's HeinzeBarcelona check on Palace superkid MosesArsenal boss Wenger informs Baptista: No dealAtletico Madrid haggle over Reyes fee with Arsenal's WengerMiddlesbrough, Villa linked with Sporting Lisbon keeper MartinsNewcastle approach Germinal Beerschot for StercheleReading to expand stadiumZenden, Gonzalez first to leave LiverpoolSouthampton's Bale set for Totten
Tom Hicks has given an interview with The Guardian that raises the worst aspects of their takeover at Anfield,
Hopefully the club will have extra cash flow so they can pay us a dividend to do that…If they don’t, then it will come from our pockets. But the club will have to have profits sufficient to pay those dividends.When I was in the leverage buy-out business we bought Weetabix and we leveraged it up to make our return. You could say that anyone who was eating Weetabix was paying for our purchase of Weetabix. It was just business. It is the same for Liverpool; revenues come in from whatever source and go out to whatever source and, if there is money left over, it is profit.
Hicks went on to admit that the Glazers were the role models for how not to conduct a hostile takeover of the club,
They were the first. There were fans who honestly believed that, if an American owner came in and borrowed some of the purchase price, it could be the end of the club’s success.
My apologies for the late post this morning but I’ve only just come out of my comatose state following on from yesterday’s FA Cup Final. Quite possibly that was the worst Final I have ever seen and we’ll leave it at that.
A recurring theme with the transfer targets today. Firstly number 25 on the list of targets is Albert ‘The Bull‘ Zapater, a defensive midfielder, will apparently be a snip at £7m. Twenty two years old, he seems to me to be competition for Diaby if this is true but I doubt that it is. I don’t know about you but I have suspicions about any footballers that come with a nickname, especially those forged in La Liga. Once bitten, twice shy is all I would say to Arsene. The next rumour is that we will be signing Chateauxbriand from Rennes. Sorry but I saw the surname and that was it, they lost me. I know nothing of the player other than he will probably play alongside Beef Wellington at some point. Given the Bovine nature of the names,
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is prepared to cut out on holidays to start preparations for the next season after enduring what he dubbed his career’s “worst season.”
The Gunners will travel to Portsmouth for the final game of the season and a result better than what Liverpool gets against relegated Charlton Athletic on Sunday, could see the north-Londoners clinch the third-place finish.
Wenger said: "We want to finish as quickly as possible and start again.
"I would be happy if you said to me tomorrow we start again straight away, cut out the holidays and let's go for it again, because it will be a long summer.
"But we have to adapt and use this period to go away and reflect on what has happened this year, make the right assessment and start again in a very efficient way.
"We have adapted now to the new stadium, we have learned, and hopefully we will recover our injured players in the summer and start well."
The French tactician added
Whatever happens in the last game of the league campaign against Pompey on Sunday, the facts are undeniable - this has been the most unsuccessful season under Arsene Wenger’s reign to date. Or to put it another way, since he arrived in 1996, Arsene has been so phenomenally successful that it is very easy to forget (with apologies to Gorge Graham) just how much rubbish we used to play in the years before.
So before all the ‘Wenger must go’ brigade start getting on their bandwagon, I suggest they remember those dark old days of boring, boring Arsenal.
OK, so Arsene has been wonderful and a breath of fresh air for gooners everywhere, but it could be that he will shortly be embarking on a season which will see him either staying on for many more years to come - or it just might possibly be his last at the club.
It it highly likely that ManUSA, Chelski and the Scouseyankies - not to mention Villa, Spudscum and possibly even the East End Bubbles (assuming they complete th
If he had not missed the last four months of the season, I suspect that Robin van Persie would have been challenging Cesc as most people’s Player of the Season, had he maintained the form that he had shown until then. It sums up the striking problems that have been suffered that he is still the club’s top scorer with thirteen goals, only Gilberto could threaten that but I think he needs a hattrick on the last day to overhaul him. I cannot remember the last time that the top scorer in a season failed to trouble twenty goals in all competitions but that is where we find ourselves today. It says a lot about his improvement that his goal tally this season is one short of the total number of goals he scored for Feyenoord in sixty nine games.
Showing a similar maturity to Cesc, albeit with three years on him, he has been talking to The Times about his time out with injury,
I had a lot of time to think about things, such as how I see Arsenal, how Arsenal sees me, how I can improve
Apologies for the absence of a post yesterday but the Broadband has gone tits up again although this time its BT’s fault. It’s Good To Talk obviously not being their motto anymore because trying to get hold of someone who can tell you how long it will be before everything is back and hunk-dory is akin to finding the Pot of Gold at the end of a rainbow.
Arsene’s monthly visit to Soho Square has left him with that feeling of walking on air, probably because of the lightness of his wallet. The £2.5k fine is a hell of a lot smaller than I thought he would get, toothless even by their standards. A strong censure from the suits is probably ‘like being savaged by a dead sheep’, as Denis Healey once said of criticism by the then-wet blanket Thatcher Poodle, Geoffery Howe.
Tomas Rosicky is being rated as ‘50-50′ for Sunday’s clash with Chelsea. Now to me, that means that he will play. Why? Well, any injury update that gives someone a rating of hi
And lo it came to pass that the lazy-arsed…well, OK, you may get the hint that on Day Six, we have Broadband back. Just in time for the match preview. And having said that it was unlikely that Liverpool would drop the necessary number of points for us to catch them, the start of that process promptly happens. Whether Arsenal can capitalise on that is another matter. The injury list has grown longer from last weekend’s derby. The Curse of the Goalscorer’s has caught up with Tomas Rosicky. However, today is different; today is a day without the pressure of looking over your shoulder, wondering if you could afford to slip up; today we can slip up and not worry about the teams in fifth or sixth or whatever, catching us. For you can’t, can you? So time to relax and play the football that they want to; time to stop worrying for Champions League Qualification to the Qualifiers has been assured. Thank you Everton and Bolton for screwing up yesterday. Actually that is h
Manchester City finally arrive at The Emirates, a much re-arranged game probably coming at the right time for Arsenal following on from Saturday’s victory over Bolton. Ordinarily, this is a match that you would be extremely confident of winning, three points all but securing Champions League qualification for next season.
Except that City are unbeaten in five games, including three away wins on the bounce, and have conceded one goal in that run. So they are not opponents who should be dismissed lightly, despite their current league position.
Despite this though, it is a game we ought to win. Much will depend on what tinkering Arsene does with the side. Injury-wise, Freddie is the only one to drop out, I suspect the options to replace him are Diaby or Baptista. My guess is the former will do so although Denilson may do so. If Diaby were to come in, I would be inclined to push Cesc into the supporting striker role to allow Diaby to concentrate on his natural game.
Otherwise it oug
Apologies for not being here yesterday but it was due to technological circumstances beyond my control. Well, the crashing part of it was but I suspect that I may be responsible for the bloody great big boot mark that now resides on the side of it. My rampant ego thinks you missed me but like UEFA, me and reality are friends who have long since lost touch although we are closer than the Gnomes but more of that later.The club have announced two sensible policies regarding tickets yesterday. Firstly, the prices for next year will be frozen which is in keeping with the majority of Premiership Clubs although Tottenham did announce an increase. Whilst we all enjoy the football, it is a significant admission that we are already paying Premium Prices anyway to enter The Emirates. Some bloggers, well one in particular, may think that it is tough on the less affluent and that council estate kids should not be there but football is a broad church open to all and the more the club can do to enabl
After yesterday’s performance I am beginning to be a little unsure that he actually does, and despite my recent reasons to be cheerful, I feel a bit of a rant coming on.
In previous blogs I have already alluded to some recent bizarre decisions from Arsene, including moving Senderos to right full back at Ewood Park (which cost us our place in the FA cup) and to changing our defensive personnel whilst waiting for the opposition to take a corner (against Reading), but yesterdays back four selection defied belief.
When at last we (nearly) had our first choice back four available (with the exception of Clichy and with apologies to Eboue), how comes Arsene decides to play three of the four out of position? I know the blame for the defeat can’t be laid at any of their doors, but I am sure it contributed to our inability to score at the other end.
Playing Kolo at right back is just daft - he just doesn’t look comfortable there. Right midfield yes, but at full back definitely
Well it wont be long now. At 7.45 tomorrow evening we kick off in the most important game of the season so far - and lets hope for a better result than the previous two most important games of the season, losing them both to the Chavs and Blackburn.
Yesterday I asked what gooners thought about the recent performances of big Phil, and there were many comments – most of them in agreement with my own sentiments that he looks slightly out of place in our current side.
I quoted a few instances of his costly errors including his failure to stop McCarthy from getting a shot in at Ewood. In retrospect this was unfair – the person really responsible was of course our manager for switching him to the position of right back.
What was le Prof thinking of? Senderos was having a really good game up to that point, stopping everything in the air - which was Blackburn’s usual route to goal – and was looking very comfortable at the heart of our defence.
Then when Eboue came off
A very short rant today!
I don’t know about you, but I am getting a bit pissed off with football at the moment. Good for Arsene for coming out and saying what he thinks about the crap way his team have been treated, which we all know is the truth, but at the same time you can just feel the media lining up to have another pop at him.
If he decided that enough is enough and bugger off back to France or Japan or wherever in the world his talents were properly appreciated, who could possibly blame him?
There is plenty wrong in this country when it comes to justice in many different matters and on many different fronts, but the bloody FA and the bloody media are making justice in football, absolutely totally bloody obsolete.
I suppose all the old farts in charge will be happy to go back to the old days when a really good entertaining and competitive game was considered to be two teams kicking three bags of shit out of each other.
The beautiful game - originating and culti
