By 1970’s Gooner
According to reports Hleb has been passed fit for the third away game of the season against West Ham United. The squad to make the short trip to Upton Park does not include the other wide midfield player, Rosicky, who has been impressive this season but is out with a hamstring.
This means that his participation in the Champions League game away to Steaoua in Bucharest is very doubtful as these kind of injuries usually take a minimum of two weeks to heal.
The squad for tomorrow’s game is as follows:
Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Senderos, Clichy, Walcott, Fabregas, Flamini, Diaby, Eduardo, Adebayor, Fabianski, Van Persie, Gilberto, Eboue, Diarra, Denilson, Hleb, Hoyte, Bendtner.
It does not include goalkeeper Jens Lehmann (elbow), captain William Gallas (groin) and Alex Song (calf)
The other wide midfield position is likely to be contested by three players. Diaby who has been preferred in that position recently, Walcott who played in the Carling Cup and the recently returned to fitness Eboue.
Walcott has not convinced yet that he is ready to be a regular in the team. He needs to improve his concentration and final ball.
But it’s still a difficult decision to make for Wenger who will have to decide between Diaby who has been in terrific form recently scoring a spectacular goal against Derby; or Eboue who played very well against Newcastle in the Carling Cup last Tuesday and is the more “natural” winger of the two.
In my opinion the tactical arguments dictate that the more natural winger, Eboue, should be chosen as he is much more penetrative on the wing and able to go past his defender. In this way he can create scoring opportunities for the forwards with his cut backs and his crosses.
Diaby on the other hand is a central midfielder not a winger. This is obvious for everyone to see. He also does not posses acceleration and speed at the levels that would allow him to stretch defenders.
Wenger however may take into account the defensive capabilities of Diaby which may be more important in a tough away game. So he may decide for Diaby who is on form anyway.
The Hammers have won their last three matches against Arsenal and were the last team to beat us back in April.
Curbishly is likely to bring pace back into the attack with Bellamy now fit to partner Ashton.
In the midfield he may opt for Parker who played in the midweek game against Plymouth along with Bowyer, Noble and Etherington. Although there is not enough creativity there he may consider that this is the best way to combat Fabregas and co.
Arsenal ex boy Upson will feature in defence. Other ex Arsenal players Boa Morte and Ljumberg may be on the bench.
This is going to be a tough game for Arsenal as West Ham will play with strength and tenacity bolstered with the Knowledge that they have done it before against the Gunners by playing in this way.
One of the major factors in their impressive performances has been the leadership and energy that Nigel Reo Cocker usd to bring into the team. Now ploughing his trade at Aston Villa. Performances that had Wenger considering putting bids for the player in the past.
With all due respect, Bowyer is a very poor substitute for Reo Cocker and I do not see the West ham midfield succeeding where Fulham, Blackburn, Manchester City, Portsmouth and Derby failed.
The only area that West Ham may have some joy is in the pace of Etherington and Bellamy. The first however is up against an equally pacy Clichy and with Diaby doubling up on him I do not see serious problems arising.
Bellamy however up against the relatively slower and error prone Senderos may cause us problems. I hope that Toure is able to cover for him as he did for Gilberto against Spurs.
I do not foresee real problems for the Arsenal defenders against Ashton as he is not that quick and tends to rely more on his strength and aerial ability. An area that both Toure and Senderos can cope very well.
Prediction: Arsenal have too much for the Hammers. Away win 0-2
Betting suggestion:
Arsenal have been awarded more penalties in the Premier League this season than any other club (four), but only converted three of them. Now that Hleb is likely to play I can see his intricate play and dribbling ability winning a penalty. Have a bet on Arsenal to win and convert a penalty 5/1 with Bet365.
Keep well.
Tottenham’s win against Cyprus minnows may be all down to a cheeky ball boy! (watch it on video)
Last night’s performance means that Arsenal will win trophies this year
Friday, September 28, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Tottenham’s win against Cyprus minnows may be all down to a cheeky ball boy! (watch it on video)
By 1970’s Gooner
So the 6-1 win that Spurs managed against the minnows of Cyprus, Anorthosis Famagusta, in the first round first leg tie at White Hart Lane last Thursday was not all down to good play.
Or even the weaknesses inherent in a team that has a budget which is about one hundredth that of Spurs.
A lot of the inept display by one of the Cypriot’s sides players was down to the cheekiness of a Spurs ball boy who decided his team needed a little bit of help!
He returned the ball to Kostas Loumboutis for a throw but not, as you would imagine, to his hands. He rather forcefully aimed it at the ex Twente player’s privates forcing him to wince from the pain inflicted.
Loumboutis gave him a very glaring look but decided to continue with the throw that was awarded to his team.
The crowd gave the boy, who was in the corner of The Shelf and the Park Lane, a rousing reception.
Watch the clip and the fans reception by clicking on the video window.
Last night’s performance means that Arsenal will win trophies this year
So the 6-1 win that Spurs managed against the minnows of Cyprus, Anorthosis Famagusta, in the first round first leg tie at White Hart Lane last Thursday was not all down to good play.
Or even the weaknesses inherent in a team that has a budget which is about one hundredth that of Spurs.
A lot of the inept display by one of the Cypriot’s sides players was down to the cheekiness of a Spurs ball boy who decided his team needed a little bit of help!
He returned the ball to Kostas Loumboutis for a throw but not, as you would imagine, to his hands. He rather forcefully aimed it at the ex Twente player’s privates forcing him to wince from the pain inflicted.
Loumboutis gave him a very glaring look but decided to continue with the throw that was awarded to his team.
The crowd gave the boy, who was in the corner of The Shelf and the Park Lane, a rousing reception.
Watch the clip and the fans reception by clicking on the video window.
Last night’s performance means that Arsenal will win trophies this year
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
The young guns play the beautiful game (watch the highlights on video)
By 1970’s Gooner
One of the most satisfying aspects of last night’s performance is that the style of football played throughout all the Arsenal teams from the youth level to the first team is the same.
It is a style of football that has been labeled “beautiful” which very few teams in the world play. And this is instilled in the young guns from the moment they walk through the Academy doors.
You can watch the highlights on the video screen plus the goals and you will see what I mean.
Keep well.
Last night’s performance means that Arsenal will win trophies this year
One of the most satisfying aspects of last night’s performance is that the style of football played throughout all the Arsenal teams from the youth level to the first team is the same.
It is a style of football that has been labeled “beautiful” which very few teams in the world play. And this is instilled in the young guns from the moment they walk through the Academy doors.
You can watch the highlights on the video screen plus the goals and you will see what I mean.
Keep well.
Last night’s performance means that Arsenal will win trophies this year
Last night’s performance means that Arsenal will win trophies this year.
By 1970’s Gooner
While chatting over dinner the question was put to Arsene Wenger by some of the Arsenal directors:
“What would you do if we gave you £100m to spend on new players?” His answer was of course very revealing: “I would give it back to you”
Judging by last night’s excellent performance against Newcastle he was right.
You are only as good as your bench. This old football saying is very true in today’s highly demanding Premiership where the road to deliverance is like a marathon where every bit of each team’s components is tested to the full.
The components necessary to win trophies include not only ability, strength, determination, will and tenacity.
What is also required is a pool of players who although not usually expected to be named in the first eleven every week are nevertheless capable of performing at the highest level when they are called upon.
This is vitally important when you take into consideration injuries, loss of form, suspensions and international tournaments like the Africa Nations Cup which inevitably force managers to rely on all of their squad.
This was therefore an important match for Arsenal Football Club.
It was the litmus test that the young guns had to go through so that they could convince Wenger that there is strength in depth in this squad and that there is no need to spend any of that £100m that was offered to him by the Board.
And these young guns will be called upon on many occasions this season as the injury list will not go away and the Africa Nations Cup is slowly getting nearer.
One aspect that seems to characterize this new Arsenal side is the real strength in depth that exists in the squad. And by real I mean that this squad has quality replacements in all positions.
Take for example the forward positions. Bendtner’s wonderful performance last night culminated in another excellent headed goal for the Arsenal.
He has proved that Adebayor’s departure for a month at the Africa Nations Cup will not be that painful. The same goes for Eduardo who will need these games to acclimatise himself with English football even more by then.
Look at the wide midfield positions where along with Hleb and Rosicky there is Eboue who has shown last night that he is a wonderful and powerful winger on an equal if not higher footing than them.
He would of course fill in at right back when required. And there is young Walcott who will, with more concentration and experience, be more than a viable alternative.
Consider central midfield where Diarra is the snitch of the year at £2m! Not to mention Denilson who is fast becoming the next star after Fabregas.
Song who although played in central defence is to me a very promising central midfielder. I rather rate him in that position having watched him put in an excellent performance for Charlton away at Man Utd last season.
Look at Traore and you think that you are seeing double. So mush resemblance to a young Ashley Cole and Gael Clichy is uncanny!
There are indeed a lot of choices open to Wenger.
When I suggested in one of my preseason postings titled: “Strength in depth eases Wenger’s team selection worries for the coming season” that there was a lot of strength in depth in the squad there was a lot of negative reaction from some readers who wanted Wenger to buy big.
Now no one is complaining.
I do not need to go on. But this performance last night has convinced me that Arsenal will win trophies this season.
Please note the use of the plural.
Keep well.
While chatting over dinner the question was put to Arsene Wenger by some of the Arsenal directors:
“What would you do if we gave you £100m to spend on new players?” His answer was of course very revealing: “I would give it back to you”
Judging by last night’s excellent performance against Newcastle he was right.
You are only as good as your bench. This old football saying is very true in today’s highly demanding Premiership where the road to deliverance is like a marathon where every bit of each team’s components is tested to the full.
The components necessary to win trophies include not only ability, strength, determination, will and tenacity.
What is also required is a pool of players who although not usually expected to be named in the first eleven every week are nevertheless capable of performing at the highest level when they are called upon.
This is vitally important when you take into consideration injuries, loss of form, suspensions and international tournaments like the Africa Nations Cup which inevitably force managers to rely on all of their squad.
This was therefore an important match for Arsenal Football Club.
It was the litmus test that the young guns had to go through so that they could convince Wenger that there is strength in depth in this squad and that there is no need to spend any of that £100m that was offered to him by the Board.
And these young guns will be called upon on many occasions this season as the injury list will not go away and the Africa Nations Cup is slowly getting nearer.
One aspect that seems to characterize this new Arsenal side is the real strength in depth that exists in the squad. And by real I mean that this squad has quality replacements in all positions.
Take for example the forward positions. Bendtner’s wonderful performance last night culminated in another excellent headed goal for the Arsenal.
He has proved that Adebayor’s departure for a month at the Africa Nations Cup will not be that painful. The same goes for Eduardo who will need these games to acclimatise himself with English football even more by then.
Look at the wide midfield positions where along with Hleb and Rosicky there is Eboue who has shown last night that he is a wonderful and powerful winger on an equal if not higher footing than them.
He would of course fill in at right back when required. And there is young Walcott who will, with more concentration and experience, be more than a viable alternative.
Consider central midfield where Diarra is the snitch of the year at £2m! Not to mention Denilson who is fast becoming the next star after Fabregas.
Song who although played in central defence is to me a very promising central midfielder. I rather rate him in that position having watched him put in an excellent performance for Charlton away at Man Utd last season.
Look at Traore and you think that you are seeing double. So mush resemblance to a young Ashley Cole and Gael Clichy is uncanny!
There are indeed a lot of choices open to Wenger.
When I suggested in one of my preseason postings titled: “Strength in depth eases Wenger’s team selection worries for the coming season” that there was a lot of strength in depth in the squad there was a lot of negative reaction from some readers who wanted Wenger to buy big.
Now no one is complaining.
I do not need to go on. But this performance last night has convinced me that Arsenal will win trophies this season.
Please note the use of the plural.
Keep well.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Arsenal’s rookie defence Vs Martins and Viduka!
By 1970's Gooner
It will be carling Cup team that Wenger will put out in the sense that it will consist mostly of fringe players whose chances of getting a game in the first team are for the moment limited.
But so bold has Wenger’s selection and loan policy been in the past that a lot of these players have had considerable exposure and games.
Look at the squad announced which includes experienced “old hands” such as Senderos, Denilson, Song, who had an excellent loan season with Charlton in the Premier League last season, Bendtner who likewise was with Birmingham, Theo Walcott and Justin Hoyte who has played 49 games for Arsenal already.
The full squad is as follows:
Phillipe Senderos , Lassana Diarra, Eduardo, Denilson, Alexandre Song, Lukasz Fabianski (GK), Nicklas Bendtner, Emmanuel Eboue , Armand Traore, Justin Hoyte, Theo Walcott, Henri Lansbury , Vito Mannone(GK) , Gavin Hoyte, Fran Merida
Newcastle themselves are likely to field first team squad players mainly due to injury rather than out of choice.
These players however are seasoned professionals such as ex Arsenal target Martins, the excellent keeper Given who has been linked to Arsenal before, Faye and the Turk Emre Belozoglu. Viduka has shaken of a foot injury and will start.
So it will indeed be an interesting game between two teams not lacking in experience but one very young and the other much older.
The Arsenal line up could be as follows:
Fabiansky
Hoyte Senderos Song Traore
Walcott Diaby Diarra Denilson
Eduardo Bendtner
Now this is a very strong line up with the exception of Song playing in defence if indeed he starts there. I do not see how Wenger could otherwise fill in that spot from the squad announced unless he pits Diarra there.
He has tried Song in that position in some of the preseason friendlies, at Barnet and at Salzburg and I must say the youngster was rather lackadaisical in his approach.
He is obviously suited to playing in midfield and I rather rate him in that position having watched him put in a very sterling performance for Charlton away at Man Utd last season.
Wenger could be bold and field exciting youngsters Lansbury and Merida from the start which would make the tie more interesting from that point of view. And I hope he does so as it is only in this way that these players could get the experience they need. Fabregas started this way.
I think the game will be decided on how much the center of Arsenal’s defence, manage to perform against Viduka and the quick Martins. It looks a pretty tough task to me.
Prediction: Our attack manages to score more goals than our defence let in. 3-2
It will be carling Cup team that Wenger will put out in the sense that it will consist mostly of fringe players whose chances of getting a game in the first team are for the moment limited.
But so bold has Wenger’s selection and loan policy been in the past that a lot of these players have had considerable exposure and games.
Look at the squad announced which includes experienced “old hands” such as Senderos, Denilson, Song, who had an excellent loan season with Charlton in the Premier League last season, Bendtner who likewise was with Birmingham, Theo Walcott and Justin Hoyte who has played 49 games for Arsenal already.
The full squad is as follows:
Phillipe Senderos , Lassana Diarra, Eduardo, Denilson, Alexandre Song, Lukasz Fabianski (GK), Nicklas Bendtner, Emmanuel Eboue , Armand Traore, Justin Hoyte, Theo Walcott, Henri Lansbury , Vito Mannone(GK) , Gavin Hoyte, Fran Merida
Newcastle themselves are likely to field first team squad players mainly due to injury rather than out of choice.
These players however are seasoned professionals such as ex Arsenal target Martins, the excellent keeper Given who has been linked to Arsenal before, Faye and the Turk Emre Belozoglu. Viduka has shaken of a foot injury and will start.
So it will indeed be an interesting game between two teams not lacking in experience but one very young and the other much older.
The Arsenal line up could be as follows:
Fabiansky
Hoyte Senderos Song Traore
Walcott Diaby Diarra Denilson
Eduardo Bendtner
Now this is a very strong line up with the exception of Song playing in defence if indeed he starts there. I do not see how Wenger could otherwise fill in that spot from the squad announced unless he pits Diarra there.
He has tried Song in that position in some of the preseason friendlies, at Barnet and at Salzburg and I must say the youngster was rather lackadaisical in his approach.
He is obviously suited to playing in midfield and I rather rate him in that position having watched him put in a very sterling performance for Charlton away at Man Utd last season.
Wenger could be bold and field exciting youngsters Lansbury and Merida from the start which would make the tie more interesting from that point of view. And I hope he does so as it is only in this way that these players could get the experience they need. Fabregas started this way.
I think the game will be decided on how much the center of Arsenal’s defence, manage to perform against Viduka and the quick Martins. It looks a pretty tough task to me.
Prediction: Our attack manages to score more goals than our defence let in. 3-2
Saturday, September 22, 2007
The glory days are coming back. Watch all 5 goals on video
By 1970’s Gooner
Awesome, fantastic, at a canter, untouchable. These are some of the eulogies that can be appropriately used to describe the performance against Derby at the Emirates.
The boys won without even breaking sweat. They were professional in their approach, played at almost the same tempo till the end and trounced Derby for five.
We are sitting on top of the League with Manchester City 3 points behind (but with a game more) followed by Liverpool with 4 points behind.
Liverpool failed to beat Birmingham who were aided greatly in their cause by ex Gunner Larson (who has improved a lot), ex Arsenal trialist Wilson Palacios,who was recommended to Steve Bruce by Wenger only last August and by Johan Djourou who was at the heart of Birmingham’s defence!
And it doesn’t stop there. Mourinholess Chelsea travel to Manchester United tomorrow. A draw will be ideal of course but frankly any result would do for us.
The strength in depth of this squad is amazing. Diaby playing out of position again as a left winger scored a stunner from outside the area, Adebayor got his first hat trick for the club and Fabregas got his customary goal with a stinker from outside the area.
Watch them all at the top of the page by clicking on the video screen.
Enjoy!
Awesome, fantastic, at a canter, untouchable. These are some of the eulogies that can be appropriately used to describe the performance against Derby at the Emirates.
The boys won without even breaking sweat. They were professional in their approach, played at almost the same tempo till the end and trounced Derby for five.
We are sitting on top of the League with Manchester City 3 points behind (but with a game more) followed by Liverpool with 4 points behind.
Liverpool failed to beat Birmingham who were aided greatly in their cause by ex Gunner Larson (who has improved a lot), ex Arsenal trialist Wilson Palacios,who was recommended to Steve Bruce by Wenger only last August and by Johan Djourou who was at the heart of Birmingham’s defence!
And it doesn’t stop there. Mourinholess Chelsea travel to Manchester United tomorrow. A draw will be ideal of course but frankly any result would do for us.
The strength in depth of this squad is amazing. Diaby playing out of position again as a left winger scored a stunner from outside the area, Adebayor got his first hat trick for the club and Fabregas got his customary goal with a stinker from outside the area.
Watch them all at the top of the page by clicking on the video screen.
Enjoy!
Injuries and rotation a test for Arsenal against Debry
By 1970's Gooner
I made the time to watch Derby’s last game against Newcastle at home which they won 1-0 with a wonderful long range effort from ex Wolves striker Kenny Miller. I did not see what I expected to see.
And that was Derby struggling to keep up with newly Allardyce invigorated Newcastle, even if they were playing at home.
They did after all suffer four Premier League defeats on the trot prior to this game (as well as the Carling Cup defeat on penalties to Blackpool) letting in 13 goals and scoring only one, against Birmingham at home.
Against Newcastle they were compact and solid and they passed the ball to feet more than they hoofed it up in the air. They played with a quick tempo and were not short of confidence.
They were aided and abated however by a dismal Newcastle performance which was indeed strange to observe. Not all is well in the Newcastle home at the moment and let’s hope they stay like that at least till we play our rearranged game.
So I am not one of those that are allowing the euphoria created from the wonderful home win against Sevilla to affect my judgment.
Derby, confident from their win against Newcastle, are going to play a cautious game packing their defence and midfield looking to snatch a goal when the opportunity arises. They have after all not too much to lose as no one expects them to get anything out of the game.
As the American Benny Feilhaber said “whether we get the points or not the most important thing is to go there and perform to the best of our abilities. If we can get a point out there then it’s a huge confidence boost for us”
Added to this, account has to be taken of the Arsenal injuries (Hleb and Rosicky are the casualties from the Sevilla game) and Wenger’s stated desire to rest players.
“I will rotate a little bit and try to get the right mixture between stability and some fresh legs as well, “he said on Arsenal.com
So keeping up the same level of beautiful football we saw the other night may be a bit more difficult to achieve for Arsenal. A lot will depend on which players are rested and which are selected.
There are indeed a lot of choices open to Wenger. When I suggested in one of my preseason postings that there was a lot of strength in depth in the squad there was a lot of negative reaction from some readers who wanted Wenger to buy big. Now no one is complaining.
So one can only speculate as to who Wenger will rest and who will play. My logic tells me that he will keep the same defence as that is the safe and sensible thing to do. Also keeping a clean sheet will improve confidence levels especially for Senderos who needs it and for Almunia.
Wenger’s biggest decision however is whether to rest the little maestro, Fabregas. If he does it will have to be Denilson coming in as he is a direct replacement like for like. But I think he may not want to as Fabregas’s distribution and command of the midfield is irreplaceable.
He will after all get a whole week’s rest after the game until we meet West Ham away Saturday week. I am assuming that a second and third string line up will be selected for the midweek carling Cup game against Newcastle.
The other decision is whether to rest any of the front two players while giving Eduardo a deserved start. I think he will and it may be Adebayor. Not because he is particularly tired but Wenger may see this as an opportunity for RVP to get on the score sheet again and carry on restoring some of his goal scoring confidence.
Based on pure footballing reasons however it’s better to pit a tall strong front player like Adebayor with a smaller forward like Eduardo. But Wenger does not always subscribe to convention.
My starting 11 are as follows:
Almunia
Sagna Toure Senderos Clichy
Walcott Fabregas Gilberto Denilson
Van Persie Eduardo
But there are so many viable options available for Wenger it is indeed difficult to second guess him!
Prediction:
We managed to come out on top with our predictions so far this season but after all when the team is doing well and winning it’s more difficult to get it wrong than right!
However the predictions for a 1-1 draw at Blackburn, of a 1-3 away win at Tottenham and our forecast of a 3-1 win against Sevilla (it was 3-0 in the end) are the ones that we are particularly proud of.
So we are going to stick our neck out for this one. Arsenal carry on their winning way but rotation and a little bit of the inevitable complacency will probably result in a low score but a clean sheet. 1-0
Let’s not get carried away
Fabregas is a more effective player than Scholes. The statistical analysis backs it up
I made the time to watch Derby’s last game against Newcastle at home which they won 1-0 with a wonderful long range effort from ex Wolves striker Kenny Miller. I did not see what I expected to see.
And that was Derby struggling to keep up with newly Allardyce invigorated Newcastle, even if they were playing at home.
They did after all suffer four Premier League defeats on the trot prior to this game (as well as the Carling Cup defeat on penalties to Blackpool) letting in 13 goals and scoring only one, against Birmingham at home.
Against Newcastle they were compact and solid and they passed the ball to feet more than they hoofed it up in the air. They played with a quick tempo and were not short of confidence.
They were aided and abated however by a dismal Newcastle performance which was indeed strange to observe. Not all is well in the Newcastle home at the moment and let’s hope they stay like that at least till we play our rearranged game.
So I am not one of those that are allowing the euphoria created from the wonderful home win against Sevilla to affect my judgment.
Derby, confident from their win against Newcastle, are going to play a cautious game packing their defence and midfield looking to snatch a goal when the opportunity arises. They have after all not too much to lose as no one expects them to get anything out of the game.
As the American Benny Feilhaber said “whether we get the points or not the most important thing is to go there and perform to the best of our abilities. If we can get a point out there then it’s a huge confidence boost for us”
Added to this, account has to be taken of the Arsenal injuries (Hleb and Rosicky are the casualties from the Sevilla game) and Wenger’s stated desire to rest players.
“I will rotate a little bit and try to get the right mixture between stability and some fresh legs as well, “he said on Arsenal.com
So keeping up the same level of beautiful football we saw the other night may be a bit more difficult to achieve for Arsenal. A lot will depend on which players are rested and which are selected.
There are indeed a lot of choices open to Wenger. When I suggested in one of my preseason postings that there was a lot of strength in depth in the squad there was a lot of negative reaction from some readers who wanted Wenger to buy big. Now no one is complaining.
So one can only speculate as to who Wenger will rest and who will play. My logic tells me that he will keep the same defence as that is the safe and sensible thing to do. Also keeping a clean sheet will improve confidence levels especially for Senderos who needs it and for Almunia.
Wenger’s biggest decision however is whether to rest the little maestro, Fabregas. If he does it will have to be Denilson coming in as he is a direct replacement like for like. But I think he may not want to as Fabregas’s distribution and command of the midfield is irreplaceable.
He will after all get a whole week’s rest after the game until we meet West Ham away Saturday week. I am assuming that a second and third string line up will be selected for the midweek carling Cup game against Newcastle.
The other decision is whether to rest any of the front two players while giving Eduardo a deserved start. I think he will and it may be Adebayor. Not because he is particularly tired but Wenger may see this as an opportunity for RVP to get on the score sheet again and carry on restoring some of his goal scoring confidence.
Based on pure footballing reasons however it’s better to pit a tall strong front player like Adebayor with a smaller forward like Eduardo. But Wenger does not always subscribe to convention.
My starting 11 are as follows:
Almunia
Sagna Toure Senderos Clichy
Walcott Fabregas Gilberto Denilson
Van Persie Eduardo
But there are so many viable options available for Wenger it is indeed difficult to second guess him!
Prediction:
We managed to come out on top with our predictions so far this season but after all when the team is doing well and winning it’s more difficult to get it wrong than right!
However the predictions for a 1-1 draw at Blackburn, of a 1-3 away win at Tottenham and our forecast of a 3-1 win against Sevilla (it was 3-0 in the end) are the ones that we are particularly proud of.
So we are going to stick our neck out for this one. Arsenal carry on their winning way but rotation and a little bit of the inevitable complacency will probably result in a low score but a clean sheet. 1-0
Let’s not get carried away
Fabregas is a more effective player than Scholes. The statistical analysis backs it up
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Let’s not get carried away
By 1970’s Gooner
This wasn’t a total performance as many pundits or even Robin Van Persie will have us believe. And I am not saying this just to be a killjoy or to sound different from all the other eulogizing journalists or blogs dedicated to Arsenal.
Yes it was a very good performance against a neat and skillful Sevilla side who were taught a lesson, as many teams who step up a league, usually are.
They paid the penalty of coming to the Emirates and playing in their usual attacking style.
This allowed a lot of space for the Arsenal creative players to roam in and display their undoubted skills. And when these skills are complimented with a shoot on target policy then danger looms.
But until Fabregas scored his deflected goal it was Sevilla who were the more attractive and forceful side (you can watch the goals by clicking on the Video window).
Ramos’s decision to rest their most important midfielder, Keita, so that another colleague could mark the “unmarkable” Fabregas deprived Sevilla the thrust they so badly needed from midfield.
It also curtailed the support to their main strikers. What is the use of playing in an offensive formation if you deprive the forwards of their supply line?
This was not really a complete performance by Arsenal although it gave promise that this feat is not far from becoming a reality!
A complete performance is when all the parts of the team function perfectly in their individual roles but also as a unit. And there were some individual performances that needed improving.
Senderos was still an accident waiting to happen and it almost happened on three occasions.
The most notable one was when he miskicked a clearance from a low cross from the right allowing the ball to run across the goal in front of Almunia. Only good fortune saved the day as the opposing forward missed his kick as well.
His positioning was again suspect. He lost his man, Kanoute, twice. His shot was saved on the one occasion and on the other he narrowly missed the header.
In attack Adebayor, who admittedly is improving in leaps and bounds with every game, still has to improve his ball skills and control. He also has to add finishing (in a consistent manner) to his other attributes of strength, forcefulness and aerial ability.
His position in the team is becoming very pivotal as his aerial strength and his ability to fend off defenders brings another dimension that was lacking before.
RVP apart from his goal was not his usual penetrative self. Also his link up play with Adebayor still needs to be honed further.
I am not nit picking; I am just trying to bring everyone back to earth.
When Gallas returns and the front two start getting it together then yes we will see a complete performance!
Now an area of Arsenal’s play I was really excited about was their defensive collectiveness. And by this I mean that the desire, positioning and defensive approach when the ball was lost was evident in all eleven players.
It was not just confined to the players at the back or the defensive midfielders. This was especially true of the excellent wide players, Hleb and Rosicky, who were not only creative going forward but doubled up pretty quickly at the back to defend against the Sevilla wing players.
It was also noticeable in Van Persie and Adebayor who were always tracking back to hurry and hassle the Sevilla midfielders often winning the ball.
The whole team played as unit. This is something that was very evident during the “untouchables” season.
Now, let’s not get carried away.
Selection dilemmas for Wenger
Fabregas is a more effective player than Scholes. The statistical analysis backs it up
This wasn’t a total performance as many pundits or even Robin Van Persie will have us believe. And I am not saying this just to be a killjoy or to sound different from all the other eulogizing journalists or blogs dedicated to Arsenal.
Yes it was a very good performance against a neat and skillful Sevilla side who were taught a lesson, as many teams who step up a league, usually are.
They paid the penalty of coming to the Emirates and playing in their usual attacking style.
This allowed a lot of space for the Arsenal creative players to roam in and display their undoubted skills. And when these skills are complimented with a shoot on target policy then danger looms.
But until Fabregas scored his deflected goal it was Sevilla who were the more attractive and forceful side (you can watch the goals by clicking on the Video window).
Ramos’s decision to rest their most important midfielder, Keita, so that another colleague could mark the “unmarkable” Fabregas deprived Sevilla the thrust they so badly needed from midfield.
It also curtailed the support to their main strikers. What is the use of playing in an offensive formation if you deprive the forwards of their supply line?
This was not really a complete performance by Arsenal although it gave promise that this feat is not far from becoming a reality!
A complete performance is when all the parts of the team function perfectly in their individual roles but also as a unit. And there were some individual performances that needed improving.
Senderos was still an accident waiting to happen and it almost happened on three occasions.
The most notable one was when he miskicked a clearance from a low cross from the right allowing the ball to run across the goal in front of Almunia. Only good fortune saved the day as the opposing forward missed his kick as well.
His positioning was again suspect. He lost his man, Kanoute, twice. His shot was saved on the one occasion and on the other he narrowly missed the header.
In attack Adebayor, who admittedly is improving in leaps and bounds with every game, still has to improve his ball skills and control. He also has to add finishing (in a consistent manner) to his other attributes of strength, forcefulness and aerial ability.
His position in the team is becoming very pivotal as his aerial strength and his ability to fend off defenders brings another dimension that was lacking before.
RVP apart from his goal was not his usual penetrative self. Also his link up play with Adebayor still needs to be honed further.
I am not nit picking; I am just trying to bring everyone back to earth.
When Gallas returns and the front two start getting it together then yes we will see a complete performance!
Now an area of Arsenal’s play I was really excited about was their defensive collectiveness. And by this I mean that the desire, positioning and defensive approach when the ball was lost was evident in all eleven players.
It was not just confined to the players at the back or the defensive midfielders. This was especially true of the excellent wide players, Hleb and Rosicky, who were not only creative going forward but doubled up pretty quickly at the back to defend against the Sevilla wing players.
It was also noticeable in Van Persie and Adebayor who were always tracking back to hurry and hassle the Sevilla midfielders often winning the ball.
The whole team played as unit. This is something that was very evident during the “untouchables” season.
Now, let’s not get carried away.
Selection dilemmas for Wenger
Fabregas is a more effective player than Scholes. The statistical analysis backs it up
Monday, September 17, 2007
Tottenham’s weaknesses more serious than Arsenal’s
By 1970’s Gooner
In my preview of the game I was worried for Arsenal on two counts. The first was Gilberto’s jet lag and related fatigue and the second was the persistent choice by Wenger to select Flamini ahead of Diaby.
Gilberto did indeed nearly prove a liability as he was at fault for the first goal and for at least two glaring positional errors which nearly gifted Spurs what would have probably proved crucial goals.
Let me explain.
Tottenham’s goal came after a needless free kick given away by Gilberto in a dangerous area outside the box.
It was a foul from behind on a player was had his back to goal and more importantly was going away from the area! I can only assume that it was tiredness which blurred Gilberto’s decision making.
The same excuse can be given for his two positional errors late in the game and his lack of pace to get back.
Thankfully, as predicted in my preview of the game, Toure was at hand to thwart the danger on the one occasion. For the second Almunia saved Keane’s shot when he raced through free in the area one on one with the goalkeeper.
But Wenger’s decision to continue with Flamini in central midfield is strange. Ok he knows best etc but surely Diaby is a far more forceful and powerful player best suited for this position than Flamini.
The decision on this occasion did not result in anything serious. But when we come up against better and more forceful midfields than what Tottenham had on show it will.
Added to this an even more strange decision, which had me scratching my head to understand its reasoning, was Diaby’s deployment as a left winger!!!
This selection was made on two occasions before. The last one was against Chelsea at the Emirates in the 1-1 draw and against Aston Villa away when in fact Diaby inadvertently scored the only goal of the match.
I seem to recollect that on those occasions Wenger’s options were limited due to injuries. But against Spurs he had Rosicky on the bench as well as Walcott and Denilson.
Surely Rosicky could not have been deemed too tired to start the game? Even if he was he could have been substituted in the second half if and when the need arose. But to start with Diaby on the left flank was close to criminal in my mind.
He was the worst performer from the Arsenal side until his substitution by Rosicky who helped change the game when he came on.
Again, selection mistakes like this might go unnoticed when you play the lesser teams but against the big ones you are only as strong as your weakest link, remember.
In the end however Tottenham’s weakest links proved more serious than Arsenal’s. As indicated in my preview of the game they have a serious weakness in the center of their defence and in their midfield.
The absence of King and the deployment of two young and relatively inexperienced central defenders along with an uncertain goalkeeper, when it comes to high balls, was always going to be their undoing.
They also lack a creative midfielder but more importantly they lack penetration from the wings. Clearly the absence of Lennon removes a large part of their threat going forward.
Maybe Wenger’s decision to start with Diaby was that he fell for Jol’s mind games before the match hinting that Lennon was fit and could start.
In the end my prediction of 1-3 proved correct!
Interesting moments of the game; for me
- The assist given for Arsenal’s first goal by a Spurs supporter! He tried to run on to the pitch as Fabregas was taking a quick free kick which inadvertently caused the referee to bring play back. Fabregas retook the free kick and the rest is history!
- Adebayor’s Henriesque second and Arsenal’s third goal. If it was Henry or even Robin Van Persie that scored it everybody would have been really raving about it
- Bent’s glaring miss with only Almunia to beat. His comments before the game are now coming back to haunt him. He also proved that his only similarity to Henry is the transfer price.
Arsenal’s weaknesses Vs Tottenham’s. Preview and Prediction
Mind games from Jol and Wenger
Fabregas is a more effective player than Scholes. The statistical analysis backs it up
In my preview of the game I was worried for Arsenal on two counts. The first was Gilberto’s jet lag and related fatigue and the second was the persistent choice by Wenger to select Flamini ahead of Diaby.
Gilberto did indeed nearly prove a liability as he was at fault for the first goal and for at least two glaring positional errors which nearly gifted Spurs what would have probably proved crucial goals.
Let me explain.
Tottenham’s goal came after a needless free kick given away by Gilberto in a dangerous area outside the box.
It was a foul from behind on a player was had his back to goal and more importantly was going away from the area! I can only assume that it was tiredness which blurred Gilberto’s decision making.
The same excuse can be given for his two positional errors late in the game and his lack of pace to get back.
Thankfully, as predicted in my preview of the game, Toure was at hand to thwart the danger on the one occasion. For the second Almunia saved Keane’s shot when he raced through free in the area one on one with the goalkeeper.
But Wenger’s decision to continue with Flamini in central midfield is strange. Ok he knows best etc but surely Diaby is a far more forceful and powerful player best suited for this position than Flamini.
The decision on this occasion did not result in anything serious. But when we come up against better and more forceful midfields than what Tottenham had on show it will.
Added to this an even more strange decision, which had me scratching my head to understand its reasoning, was Diaby’s deployment as a left winger!!!
This selection was made on two occasions before. The last one was against Chelsea at the Emirates in the 1-1 draw and against Aston Villa away when in fact Diaby inadvertently scored the only goal of the match.
I seem to recollect that on those occasions Wenger’s options were limited due to injuries. But against Spurs he had Rosicky on the bench as well as Walcott and Denilson.
Surely Rosicky could not have been deemed too tired to start the game? Even if he was he could have been substituted in the second half if and when the need arose. But to start with Diaby on the left flank was close to criminal in my mind.
He was the worst performer from the Arsenal side until his substitution by Rosicky who helped change the game when he came on.
Again, selection mistakes like this might go unnoticed when you play the lesser teams but against the big ones you are only as strong as your weakest link, remember.
In the end however Tottenham’s weakest links proved more serious than Arsenal’s. As indicated in my preview of the game they have a serious weakness in the center of their defence and in their midfield.
The absence of King and the deployment of two young and relatively inexperienced central defenders along with an uncertain goalkeeper, when it comes to high balls, was always going to be their undoing.
They also lack a creative midfielder but more importantly they lack penetration from the wings. Clearly the absence of Lennon removes a large part of their threat going forward.
Maybe Wenger’s decision to start with Diaby was that he fell for Jol’s mind games before the match hinting that Lennon was fit and could start.
In the end my prediction of 1-3 proved correct!
Interesting moments of the game; for me
- The assist given for Arsenal’s first goal by a Spurs supporter! He tried to run on to the pitch as Fabregas was taking a quick free kick which inadvertently caused the referee to bring play back. Fabregas retook the free kick and the rest is history!
- Adebayor’s Henriesque second and Arsenal’s third goal. If it was Henry or even Robin Van Persie that scored it everybody would have been really raving about it
- Bent’s glaring miss with only Almunia to beat. His comments before the game are now coming back to haunt him. He also proved that his only similarity to Henry is the transfer price.
Arsenal’s weaknesses Vs Tottenham’s. Preview and Prediction
Mind games from Jol and Wenger
Fabregas is a more effective player than Scholes. The statistical analysis backs it up
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Arsenal’s weaknesses Vs Tottenham’s. Preview and Prediction
By 1970’s Gooner
You are only as good as your weakest link. And for Arsenal's last game we did unfortunately spot the weakest link in our preview. Senderos's red card nearly jeopardised a fine performance by this young, but now determined to prove everyone wrong, squad.
Arsenal’s weaknesses are today centered in two positions. In central midfield the enforced deployment of Gilberto brings with it two problems.
The first is jet lag and fatigue. He did not get back to St Albans, his home, till yesterday afternoon which does not really allow him much recovery time.
Remember he did play the full 90 minutes for Brazil against the USA last Sunday and 75 minutes on Thursday morning against Mexico in Boston.
The second problem is Gilberto’s relative lack of pace which may be exposed against Spurs’ very quick front two of Berbatov and Keane.
I am worried about this and I hope that his experience, astute positioning awareness and Toure’s cover will get us through relatively unscathed.
Arsenal’s second weakness may be a self inflicted one. For some reason Wenger has put Flamini ahead of Diaby in the pecking order.
It is bleeding obvious that Diaby is a far superior player on all counts which are too numerous to mention in this posting.
Tottenham’s weaknesses lie in defence and in the midfield areas. The absence of King and the forced deployment of the inexperienced Dawson and newcomer Kaboul leaves huge gaps at the back.
In midfield they lack a creative midfielder which Jenas clearly is not but there is also not enough penetration on the flanks.
Lennon’s absence has cost them a lot. I do not think he will start today and that leaves Melbranque and Bale to fill these positions. The first lacks quality and is not penetrative enough and the other is too young.
Conclusion
If Gilberto wakes up in time and manages to put in a decent performance aided ably by Toure then it will be another North London triumph for the Arsenal.
Prediction: 1-3 to the Arsenal
Mind games from Jol and Wenger
You are only as good as your weakest link. And for Arsenal's last game we did unfortunately spot the weakest link in our preview. Senderos's red card nearly jeopardised a fine performance by this young, but now determined to prove everyone wrong, squad.
Arsenal’s weaknesses are today centered in two positions. In central midfield the enforced deployment of Gilberto brings with it two problems.
The first is jet lag and fatigue. He did not get back to St Albans, his home, till yesterday afternoon which does not really allow him much recovery time.
Remember he did play the full 90 minutes for Brazil against the USA last Sunday and 75 minutes on Thursday morning against Mexico in Boston.
The second problem is Gilberto’s relative lack of pace which may be exposed against Spurs’ very quick front two of Berbatov and Keane.
I am worried about this and I hope that his experience, astute positioning awareness and Toure’s cover will get us through relatively unscathed.
Arsenal’s second weakness may be a self inflicted one. For some reason Wenger has put Flamini ahead of Diaby in the pecking order.
It is bleeding obvious that Diaby is a far superior player on all counts which are too numerous to mention in this posting.
Tottenham’s weaknesses lie in defence and in the midfield areas. The absence of King and the forced deployment of the inexperienced Dawson and newcomer Kaboul leaves huge gaps at the back.
In midfield they lack a creative midfielder which Jenas clearly is not but there is also not enough penetration on the flanks.
Lennon’s absence has cost them a lot. I do not think he will start today and that leaves Melbranque and Bale to fill these positions. The first lacks quality and is not penetrative enough and the other is too young.
Conclusion
If Gilberto wakes up in time and manages to put in a decent performance aided ably by Toure then it will be another North London triumph for the Arsenal.
Prediction: 1-3 to the Arsenal
Mind games from Jol and Wenger
Monday, September 10, 2007
Eduardo Da Silva explodes for Croatia. Plus the goals on video
By 1970's Gooner
Croatia beat Estonia 2-0 at home on Saturday, courtesy of two excellent goals from Eduardo da Silva. Croatia are now top in Group E with Russia and England lying second and third respectively.
Eduardo showed what he is capable of doing in front of goal which is why Wenger after all paid 10m to buy him from Dinamo Zagreb over the summer.
He hasn’t produced this type of form yet for Arsenal but judging by these two goals he is quite capable of hitting double figures this season.
As his Croatia manager and ex West Ham player Bilic, intimated to Arsene Wenger, once he gets through the initial phase-in period he will “explode”
The striker scored with an overhead kick in the 39th minute from inside the box and again from a pass from Luka Modric, another reported target of Wenger’s, in first-half stoppage-time.
This was a spectacular left-foot shot into the top right corner from the edge of the penalty area proving he can score from outside the box too.
He has now scored eight goals for Croatia in this qualifying campaign. Let’s hope he continues this scoring spree in an Arsenal shirt.
You can watch the goals at the top of the page by clicking on the video window.
Would you welcome Dein back? Most of you would!
Bad news: Gallas is out, Gilberto is in
Croatia beat Estonia 2-0 at home on Saturday, courtesy of two excellent goals from Eduardo da Silva. Croatia are now top in Group E with Russia and England lying second and third respectively.
Eduardo showed what he is capable of doing in front of goal which is why Wenger after all paid 10m to buy him from Dinamo Zagreb over the summer.
He hasn’t produced this type of form yet for Arsenal but judging by these two goals he is quite capable of hitting double figures this season.
As his Croatia manager and ex West Ham player Bilic, intimated to Arsene Wenger, once he gets through the initial phase-in period he will “explode”
The striker scored with an overhead kick in the 39th minute from inside the box and again from a pass from Luka Modric, another reported target of Wenger’s, in first-half stoppage-time.
This was a spectacular left-foot shot into the top right corner from the edge of the penalty area proving he can score from outside the box too.
He has now scored eight goals for Croatia in this qualifying campaign. Let’s hope he continues this scoring spree in an Arsenal shirt.
You can watch the goals at the top of the page by clicking on the video window.
Would you welcome Dein back? Most of you would!
Bad news: Gallas is out, Gilberto is in
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Would you welcome Dein back? Most of you would!
By 1970's Gooner
There have been a lot of press columns written recently about David Dein’s collusion with Russian investors and his stated desire to reinstate his influence within Arsenal Football Club.
His major argument is that the face of English football is changing and clubs cannot now compete at the top unless there is massive investment in building the team up. The examples brought of course are those of Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool to name but a few.
Dein has proved consistent in this view of his as he was all for the American, Stan Kroenke, buying into the club.
But he was also, interestingly enough, against the decision to go ahead with the investment in the Emirates stadium. He preferred Arsenal to play at Wembley (probably in a co leasing agreement with Spurs).
His thinking behind this was that the investment that would have gone into the stadium would have placed a large financial burden on the club’s resources and starved the team of the necessary cash to invest in players. He has been proved right of course.
Where he has been proved wrong is on two counts.
The first is that the manager and close friend of his happens to have a very different ideology and vision about the playing future of the club:
“we make the stars not buy them”
Wenger has proved since he arrived at the club that you do not and should not need loads and loads of money to create a beautiful playing style with fantastic players in order to ultimately bring success to the club.
In fact when Wenger has bought big he has invariably failed in his signings. Wiltord (13m), Jeffers (8m), are the ones that first come to mind.
His philosophy is that real success is that which is achieved from within your own (financial) means and football nous.
It is that which is achieved by spotting unknown real gems from all the continents of this planet and instilling in them from a young age the correct footballing ethos and training them to play the beautiful game as the manager visualizes it.
There is a second and equally important reason why Dein is wrong.
If the new investor is a business person (or entity) as is the case with the investors at Manchester United, Liverpool and Aston Villa they are not going to sink their money in the club without wanting a decent return for their investment.
They may decide to be patient as to when this return is actually realised (as for example building and operating for profit a new stadium or adding more capacity) but they will eventually want a return for their money. You can be sure of that!
This is even made more imperative if, as is usually the case, they have borrowed the money to buy the club in the first place. And this applies even if they have personally put up the securities to borrow the money.
This is because they can always vote themselves more dividends from the club’s profits to finance the installments for their personal loans.
So in comparison to sticking with the same owners of the club rather than bringing in new ones there should be no contest.
The existing ones have made their investment a long long time before when their initial outlay was miniscule in comparison to what the new owners will now be paying (Dein initially paid 1.5m but received 75m for his shares!).
They have also not borrowed to make this investment so their dividend demands are more than likely to be minimal if non existent!
Yes you may get an initial massive investment from the new owners from their own money when they first come in. But will they be able to sustain this in the years to come when more and more money will be needed to maintain that level of success (if indeed success was achieved)?
It is of course another matter when the reasons for investing in a football club are not business related. Abramovic is not necessarily interested in making a profit and in theory this could result in the playing field becoming uneven in favour of the “lucky” club.
But when you look at it in the long term will Abramovic be there in five or ten year’s time? He has already begun to show signs of Chelsea fatigue.
If and when he departs Chelsea will not have the financial means to sustain the exorbitant salaries and transfer fees they are now paying.
And this will still hold even if, as they insist, he will leave a fund for Chelsea when he leaves. This money will eventually run out.
So an oligarch is not necessarily the answer. Living within your own means is an old saying which is very appropriate in the football world.
And Arsenal is the best placed team to put this into practice; because of Arsene Wenger. The greatest manager Arsenal Football Club have or are likely to ever have.
Fot this reason the results of the poll we set up to the question: “Would you welcome Dein back?” have to us been surprising.
We would have expected more resistance to Dein’s return. Because as we all know Dein’s return comes with luggage.
But it seems that Arsenal fans are no different than those of a lot of other clubs. They want success yesterday; patience is not one of our virtues!
Poll Results: “Would you welcome Dein back?
Total Votes cast: 457
Votes For: 276 60%
Votes Against: 181 40%
Thanks for your support, comments and votes.
There have been a lot of press columns written recently about David Dein’s collusion with Russian investors and his stated desire to reinstate his influence within Arsenal Football Club.
His major argument is that the face of English football is changing and clubs cannot now compete at the top unless there is massive investment in building the team up. The examples brought of course are those of Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool to name but a few.
Dein has proved consistent in this view of his as he was all for the American, Stan Kroenke, buying into the club.
But he was also, interestingly enough, against the decision to go ahead with the investment in the Emirates stadium. He preferred Arsenal to play at Wembley (probably in a co leasing agreement with Spurs).
His thinking behind this was that the investment that would have gone into the stadium would have placed a large financial burden on the club’s resources and starved the team of the necessary cash to invest in players. He has been proved right of course.
Where he has been proved wrong is on two counts.
The first is that the manager and close friend of his happens to have a very different ideology and vision about the playing future of the club:
“we make the stars not buy them”
Wenger has proved since he arrived at the club that you do not and should not need loads and loads of money to create a beautiful playing style with fantastic players in order to ultimately bring success to the club.
In fact when Wenger has bought big he has invariably failed in his signings. Wiltord (13m), Jeffers (8m), are the ones that first come to mind.
His philosophy is that real success is that which is achieved from within your own (financial) means and football nous.
It is that which is achieved by spotting unknown real gems from all the continents of this planet and instilling in them from a young age the correct footballing ethos and training them to play the beautiful game as the manager visualizes it.
There is a second and equally important reason why Dein is wrong.
If the new investor is a business person (or entity) as is the case with the investors at Manchester United, Liverpool and Aston Villa they are not going to sink their money in the club without wanting a decent return for their investment.
They may decide to be patient as to when this return is actually realised (as for example building and operating for profit a new stadium or adding more capacity) but they will eventually want a return for their money. You can be sure of that!
This is even made more imperative if, as is usually the case, they have borrowed the money to buy the club in the first place. And this applies even if they have personally put up the securities to borrow the money.
This is because they can always vote themselves more dividends from the club’s profits to finance the installments for their personal loans.
So in comparison to sticking with the same owners of the club rather than bringing in new ones there should be no contest.
The existing ones have made their investment a long long time before when their initial outlay was miniscule in comparison to what the new owners will now be paying (Dein initially paid 1.5m but received 75m for his shares!).
They have also not borrowed to make this investment so their dividend demands are more than likely to be minimal if non existent!
Yes you may get an initial massive investment from the new owners from their own money when they first come in. But will they be able to sustain this in the years to come when more and more money will be needed to maintain that level of success (if indeed success was achieved)?
It is of course another matter when the reasons for investing in a football club are not business related. Abramovic is not necessarily interested in making a profit and in theory this could result in the playing field becoming uneven in favour of the “lucky” club.
But when you look at it in the long term will Abramovic be there in five or ten year’s time? He has already begun to show signs of Chelsea fatigue.
If and when he departs Chelsea will not have the financial means to sustain the exorbitant salaries and transfer fees they are now paying.
And this will still hold even if, as they insist, he will leave a fund for Chelsea when he leaves. This money will eventually run out.
So an oligarch is not necessarily the answer. Living within your own means is an old saying which is very appropriate in the football world.
And Arsenal is the best placed team to put this into practice; because of Arsene Wenger. The greatest manager Arsenal Football Club have or are likely to ever have.
Fot this reason the results of the poll we set up to the question: “Would you welcome Dein back?” have to us been surprising.
We would have expected more resistance to Dein’s return. Because as we all know Dein’s return comes with luggage.
But it seems that Arsenal fans are no different than those of a lot of other clubs. They want success yesterday; patience is not one of our virtues!
Poll Results: “Would you welcome Dein back?
Total Votes cast: 457
Votes For: 276 60%
Votes Against: 181 40%
Thanks for your support, comments and votes.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Gilberto’s international call up may leave a huge gap in Arsenal’s defence to face Spurs
By Eros and 1970's Gooner
It seems that Wenger’s decision to let Djourou go out on loan to Birmingham may come back to haunt him.
His thinking was of course admirable. The lad needed games and Premiership experience and at the time it did not look like he was going to get it at Arsenal.
Now a red card picked up by Senderos during the Portsmouth game added to Gallas’s injury two weeks ago has suddenly left the club without a recognised central defender to partner Toure.
And to add insult to injury, as it were, Gilberto has been called up by Brazil for international duty. "Surprisingly" his call up is omitted from the list of players on international duty mentioned on Arsenal’s web site.
Gilberto has proved an adequate deputy in central defence in the past and he did fill in very well when he slotted in next to Kolo Toure due to Senderos’s send off last Sunday.
But Dunga, the ex Brazil star and current Brazil coach has included Gilberto in the list of players for two international friendlies.
The first is to be played this coming Sunday 9th September in Chigaco against the USA and the Wednesday after that on the 12th September in Boston against Mexico.
Gilberto will be accompanied to the States by another two Premiership players, Alex of Chelsea and Elano of Manchester City. Julio Baptista of Real Madrid, the ex Arsenal loan player, is also in the squad.
The full call up is:
Doni, Julio Cesar, Maicon, Daniel Alves, Alex Silva, Lúcio, Juan, Alex , Kleber, Gilberto, Gilberto Silva, Mineiro, Josué Fernando, Elano, Kaká, Julio Baptista, Diego, Ronaldinho Robinho, Vagner Love, Afonso
Gilberto will probably be travelling back to the UK after the Wednesday game but of course distances being what they are he will not be back to base until Friday afternoon with the Spurs kick off the next day at 1.30 pm.
This is because Wednesday in Boston is really early hours of Thursday morning in London. Add to this the time taken to drive to the airport, flying time to London and driving time to get home at St Albans and Gilberto will probably not snuggle into his bed until Friday afternoon.
Wenger has in the past followed a policy of resting players after such long journeys due to the effects of jet lag and fatigue. Will he do it this time?
If he does select him to play will Gilberto be up to the task of performing at his best when he comes up against a Spurs forward line of Berbatov and Keene?
Another way out will be for Arsenal to request that Dunga selects Gilberto only for the first game, against the USA on the Sunday. This arrangement will give him enough time to travel back and get a proper rest before the derby game at White Hart Lane.
We are assuming of course that in the meantime no injuries are suffered either by Gilberto or indeed Toure. The latter is due to play for the Ivory Coast against Gabon in a qualifying match for the African Cup of Nations on Saturday 8th September.
If for whatever reason Wenger needs another central defender to start the Spurs game he does not really have too much choice.
It includes Hoyte who played there once before against Norwich at Carrow Road a few years back when an injury during the warm up deprived Arsenal one of its central defenders. He played well but it was newly promoted Norwich after all.
The other choice would be Sagna who although injured at the moment could be fit for the game. His height and lack of recent exposure in this position would be a concern though.
Diaby, Diarra or Denilson will be fighting for a place alongside Fabregas in the middle of the park.
England will probably never be a world football power
It seems that Wenger’s decision to let Djourou go out on loan to Birmingham may come back to haunt him.
His thinking was of course admirable. The lad needed games and Premiership experience and at the time it did not look like he was going to get it at Arsenal.
Now a red card picked up by Senderos during the Portsmouth game added to Gallas’s injury two weeks ago has suddenly left the club without a recognised central defender to partner Toure.
And to add insult to injury, as it were, Gilberto has been called up by Brazil for international duty. "Surprisingly" his call up is omitted from the list of players on international duty mentioned on Arsenal’s web site.
Gilberto has proved an adequate deputy in central defence in the past and he did fill in very well when he slotted in next to Kolo Toure due to Senderos’s send off last Sunday.
But Dunga, the ex Brazil star and current Brazil coach has included Gilberto in the list of players for two international friendlies.
The first is to be played this coming Sunday 9th September in Chigaco against the USA and the Wednesday after that on the 12th September in Boston against Mexico.
Gilberto will be accompanied to the States by another two Premiership players, Alex of Chelsea and Elano of Manchester City. Julio Baptista of Real Madrid, the ex Arsenal loan player, is also in the squad.
The full call up is:
Doni, Julio Cesar, Maicon, Daniel Alves, Alex Silva, Lúcio, Juan, Alex , Kleber, Gilberto, Gilberto Silva, Mineiro, Josué Fernando, Elano, Kaká, Julio Baptista, Diego, Ronaldinho Robinho, Vagner Love, Afonso
Gilberto will probably be travelling back to the UK after the Wednesday game but of course distances being what they are he will not be back to base until Friday afternoon with the Spurs kick off the next day at 1.30 pm.
This is because Wednesday in Boston is really early hours of Thursday morning in London. Add to this the time taken to drive to the airport, flying time to London and driving time to get home at St Albans and Gilberto will probably not snuggle into his bed until Friday afternoon.
Wenger has in the past followed a policy of resting players after such long journeys due to the effects of jet lag and fatigue. Will he do it this time?
If he does select him to play will Gilberto be up to the task of performing at his best when he comes up against a Spurs forward line of Berbatov and Keene?
Another way out will be for Arsenal to request that Dunga selects Gilberto only for the first game, against the USA on the Sunday. This arrangement will give him enough time to travel back and get a proper rest before the derby game at White Hart Lane.
We are assuming of course that in the meantime no injuries are suffered either by Gilberto or indeed Toure. The latter is due to play for the Ivory Coast against Gabon in a qualifying match for the African Cup of Nations on Saturday 8th September.
If for whatever reason Wenger needs another central defender to start the Spurs game he does not really have too much choice.
It includes Hoyte who played there once before against Norwich at Carrow Road a few years back when an injury during the warm up deprived Arsenal one of its central defenders. He played well but it was newly promoted Norwich after all.
The other choice would be Sagna who although injured at the moment could be fit for the game. His height and lack of recent exposure in this position would be a concern though.
Diaby, Diarra or Denilson will be fighting for a place alongside Fabregas in the middle of the park.
England will probably never be a world football power
Monday, September 03, 2007
Watch three of the Arsenal stars dance in the Emirates car park
This is a video which shows that the Arsenal players are not only enjoying themselves on the pitch.
Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Adebayor and Emmanuel Eboue seem to really get it together in the Emirates car park in front of a few bewildered lucky fans and a very posh BMW ( I think) sports car. I wonder to whom it belongs!
What Arsene Wenger has been telling the world for a long time seems to be very true. This team has unity, spirit and togetherness!
Let's hope they can reproduce it on the pitch next game against Spurs.
Click on the video screen and watch it at the top of the page.
Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Adebayor and Emmanuel Eboue seem to really get it together in the Emirates car park in front of a few bewildered lucky fans and a very posh BMW ( I think) sports car. I wonder to whom it belongs!
What Arsene Wenger has been telling the world for a long time seems to be very true. This team has unity, spirit and togetherness!
Let's hope they can reproduce it on the pitch next game against Spurs.
Click on the video screen and watch it at the top of the page.
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