What is stalling Theo??

[LDG]

Thought I'd post this up to see what the consensus is.....

:popcorn:

[Kano]

he's a kent

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Think a few things, money, posistion maybe he looks around the dressing room and seen alll his mates gone. He may noy feel he has that special bond with this sqaud like he did with the last one.

You could tell he was more happy with the likes of Eboue etc. Then again maybe he knows he has to be serious and the days of jokes are over.

[Cripps_orig]

Both

Could be other though

He might not want to sign unless he gets assurances we dont keep selling our best players every summer, that we actually spend more than 20p to improve the squad etc etc

I voted for both

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Maybe he's upset how he was treated by the fans last season.

[Letters]

Both I reckon.

We're in the waiting period.

[Letters]

Maybe he's upset how he was treated by the fans last season.
Yeah, the way they sang his name loudly even when he was a bit shit was disgraceful.


:sarcy:

[Cripps_orig]

Maybe he's upset how he was treated by the fans last season.

Unlikely

For the most part, he is loved by the fans at the stadiums. His name is regularly sung. Sure some do get frustrated at times but thats the same for any player

Doubt he cares about what a couple of Internet warriors think

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Yeah, the way they sang his name loudly even when he was a bit shit was disgraceful.


:sarcy:




Unlikely

For the most part, he is loved by the fans at the stadiums. His name is regularly sung. Sure some do get frustrated at times but thats the same for any player

Doubt he cares about what a couple of Internet warriors think

Hence the word maybe.

[Dennis Bendtner]

Think a few things, money, posistion maybe he looks around the dressing room and seen alll his mates gone. He may noy feel he has that special bond with this sqaud like he did with the last one.

You could tell he was more happy with the likes of Eboue etc. Then again maybe he knows he has to be serious and the days of jokes are over.

:haha:

This is a new one.

[Marc Overmars]

Bit of both really. I think he believes he's in a position now to command top wages, relative to his teammates who are maybe being paid more than their contribution is actually worth.

It's a status thing, there's no difference between 75k and 100k to us, but to him it's like saying you're a bit-part player who'll be used sparingly or we value you as a key player now.

Wenget clearly doesn't rate him IMO which I think is a shame.

[Xhaka Can’t]

I don't believe he is stalling at all.

Sent from my HTC One S using Tapatalk 2

[Niall_Quinn]

We assume he makes his own decisions and is not just blindly following the advice of self-interested agents. We also assume these players could give a shit about the club and the fans and I see nothing at all to suggest this assumption is warranted. The fans are the wages, the club the vehicle. Of course the example is set from the top and who can imagine a greedier collection of ****s than those who own and run Arsenal? I voted money because I don't think the 0.0000001% that might be related to other matters is significant.

[Kano]

the whole plan is revealed

http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01444/SNN2709BOOK-_1444101a.jpg

[Power n Glory]

Bit of both really. I think he believes he's in a position now to command top wages, relative to his teammates who are maybe being paid more than their contribution is actually worth.

It's a status thing, there's no difference between 75k and 100k to us, but to him it's like saying you're a bit-part player who'll be used sparingly or we value you as a key player now.

Wenget clearly doesn't rate him IMO which I think is a shame.

Those are my thoughts too. Wenger won't play him in his preferred position, has frozen him out of the team this year, he obviously feels he has better players ahead of him. He's bought Podolski, Gervinho and Ox over the past couple of seasons. He's also bough Gnarby and has talked up his potential. Theo is already in a battle with Ox for England international duties and probably feels unwanted by his club and manager. He signs on for this deal he could end up on the bench as for sort of right winger nobody wants and it would be a real struggle to find another top club that would play him as a striker. It's now or never.

[Gervinho's Forehead]

He was hoping his best mate rvc was gonna go to man shitty, so he would be able to follow him there, sadly for him he went to united instead and I don't think sir twat wanker would want him, after all he's getting Whilshere next year anway.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

So right now

9 people say money
1 person says Position
6 people say Little bit both
2 people say other.

I'll do some more updates. well i guess when we get a few more.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Those are my thoughts too. Wenger won't play him in his preferred position, has frozen him out of the team this year, he obviously feels he has better players ahead of him. He's bought Podolski, Gervinho and Ox over the past couple of seasons. He's also bough Gnarby and has talked up his potential. Theo is already in a battle with Ox for England international duties and probably feels unwanted by his club and manager. He signs on for this deal he could end up on the bench as for sort of right winger nobody wants and it would be a real struggle to find another top club that would play him as a striker. It's now or never.

Because he won't sign a new deal, not because he don't rate him. Wenger probs does not rate him, but i think thats a diffrent issue to why he is not playing now.

As for the England thing, thats down to the england manager to sort out. If Roy don't play him as a striker for the national team he has his reasons.

[Cripps_orig]

So right now

8 people say money
1 person says Position
6 people say Little bit both
2 people say other.

I'll do some more updates. well i guess when we get a few more.

Other

Or people can just look at the top?

What did you vote for anyway?

[Olivier's xmas twist]

What did you vote for anyway?

Voted for Other as my 1st pots cleay indicates no just both but more reasons.

[Niall_Quinn]

Those are my thoughts too. Wenger won't play him in his preferred position, has frozen him out of the team this year, he obviously feels he has better players ahead of him. He's bought Podolski, Gervinho and Ox over the past couple of seasons. He's also bough Gnarby and has talked up his potential. Theo is already in a battle with Ox for England international duties and probably feels unwanted by his club and manager. He signs on for this deal he could end up on the bench as for sort of right winger nobody wants and it would be a real struggle to find another top club that would play him as a striker. It's now or never.

Do you think it would be a good idea to play Theo up top and construct the team around him? And then watch him walk out the door? Why is it Wenger that has frozen Walcott out? Why not look at it as Walcott having frozen himself out with his demands? When he could be playing instead of Gervinho. Walcott is either the thickest footballer alive today or has the thickest advisor alive today. He can go and take what he wants, right now. Sign a contract, wait a couple of weeks for Gervinho to completely fuck it up, move into his slot (just as Wenger says will happen), make himself invaluable and get his fucking money. That's what a smart guy would do. And a smart manager would say you;re either with us or somewhere else and until that's determined sit your arse on the bench because the long term future of the team takes precedence over the wishes of a single wantaway.

[Power n Glory]

Because he won't sign a new deal, not because he don't rate him.

But he's signed other wingers, strikers and is only offering Walcott squad money. The fact that Wenger has frozen out one of our best performers from the squad for so long suggests he thinks he's replaceable.

[Niall_Quinn]

How much of this is a dance for the benefit of the fans anyway? The usual questions - why did we let the contract run so late without renewal? Why won't Walcott commit? It's convenient, isn't it? If the plan is to let Walcott go. More money for Theo, more money for the board's balance sheet. It always turn out to be a loss for the fans though? Pure coincidence no doubt. And both sides get to play the victim and provided you can split the fans one way or the other you can survive the criticism. We all heard PHW, thanks for our interest in affairs that don't concern us.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

How much of this is a dance for the benefit of the fans anyway? The usual questions - why did we let the contract run so late without renewal? Why won't Walcott commit? It's convenient, isn't it? If the plan is to let Walcott go. More money for Theo, more money for the board's balance sheet. It always turn out to be a loss for the fans though? Pure coincidence no doubt. And both sides get to play the victim and provided you can split the fans one way or the other you can survive the criticism. We all heard PHW, thanks for our interest in affairs that don't concern us.

:gp:

[LDG]

How much of this is a dance for the benefit of the fans anyway? The usual questions - why did we let the contract run so late without renewal? Why won't Walcott commit? It's convenient, isn't it? If the plan is to let Walcott go. More money for Theo, more money for the board's balance sheet. It always turn out to be a loss for the fans though? Pure coincidence no doubt. And both sides get to play the victim and provided you can split the fans one way or the other you can survive the criticism. We all heard PHW, thanks for our interest in affairs that don't concern us.

Completely agree.

[Power n Glory]

Do you think it would be a good idea to play Theo up top and construct the team around him? And then watch him walk out the door? Why is it Wenger that has frozen Walcott out? Why not look at it as Walcott having frozen himself out with his demands? When he could be playing instead of Gervinho. Walcott is either the thickest footballer alive today or has the thickest advisor alive today. He can go and take what he wants, right now. Sign a contract, wait a couple of weeks for Gervinho to completely fuck it up, move into his slot (just as Wenger says will happen), make himself invaluable and get his fucking money. That's what a smart guy would do. And a smart manager would say you;re either with us or somewhere else and until that's determined sit your arse on the bench because the long term future of the team takes precedence over the wishes of a single wantaway.

Wenger hasn't played Walcott up front at all over the last few years so why would he sign a new deal and then take Wenger's word for it? That would be thick. He's already lost his England International spot to Ox and people keep assuming he's a winger and in a few years time, he could end up like Arshavin or Chamkah. A bench player. If Wenger had any intention of playing Theo up front, he wouldn't have bought Giroud and he's been quick to give Gervinho his chance. Walcott could wait for Gervinho to fuck up but Giroud would be next in line and then Podolski, then Chamakh. Walcott is way down the pecking order to play that role.

He has no faith him and Wenger doesn't sound in a hurry to play him up top. A smart guy would run his contract down and find a club willing to play him up top and develop him as a striker.

[Cripps_orig]

Wenger hasn't played Walcott up front at all over the last few years so why would he sign a new deal and then take Wenger's word for it? That would be thick. He's already lost his England International spot to Ox and people keep assuming he's a winger and in a few years time, he could end up like Arshavin or Chamkah. A bench player. If Wenger had any intention of playing Theo up front, he wouldn't have bought Giroud and he's been quick to give Gervinho his chance. Walcott could wait for Gervinho to fuck up but Giroud would be next in line and then Podolski, then Chamakh. Walcott is way down the pecking order to play that role.

He has no faith him and Wenger doesn't sound in a hurry to play him up top. A smart guy would run his contract down and find a club willing to play him up top and develop him as a striker.

Pretty much

[Niall_Quinn]

And they say Gnabry on what - 15K a week? (anyone know?) - is the next big thing? They said they were going to slash the wage bill. They may be congratulating themselves on delivering yet another self interested promise. £100K player, a couple of years in the squad, a few headlines, £10mill transfer as soon as the first wage demands come in.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Little bit lacking oil.

[Niall_Quinn]

Wenger hasn't played Walcott up front at all over the last few years so why would he sign a new deal and then take Wenger's word for it? That would be thick. He's already lost his England International spot to Ox and people keep assuming he's a winger and in a few years time, he could end up like Arshavin or Chamkah. A bench player. If Wenger had any intention of playing Theo up front, he wouldn't have bought Giroud and he's been quick to give Gervinho his chance. Walcott could wait for Gervinho to fuck up but Giroud would be next in line and then Podolski, then Chamakh. Walcott is way down the pecking order to play that role.

He has no faith him and Wenger doesn't sound in a hurry to play him up top. A smart guy would run his contract down and find a club willing to play him up top and develop him as a striker.

So we should only have one striker and that should be Theo Walcott? Then he would be happy? RvC left, Chamakh is a mega flop, why wouldn't the club sign Giroud? You speak as if Walcott has some sort of automatic entitlement the club has scandalously dishonoured.

[Kano]

Wenger hasn't played Walcott up front at all over the last few years so why would he sign a new deal and then take Wenger's word for it? That would be thick. He's already lost his England International spot to Ox and people keep assuming he's a winger and in a few years time, he could end up like Arshavin or Chamkah. A bench player. If Wenger had any intention of playing Theo up front, he wouldn't have bought Giroud and he's been quick to give Gervinho his chance. Walcott could wait for Gervinho to fuck up but Giroud would be next in line and then Podolski, then Chamakh. Walcott is way down the pecking order to play that role.

He has no faith him and Wenger doesn't sound in a hurry to play him up top. A smart guy would run his contract down and find a club willing to play him up top and develop him as a striker.
where else is he gonna go to play as striker? pool moving suarez out to the wing? replacing rooney, rvp and hernandez at utd? taking the sole responsibility of chelseas financial commitments to the team, taking over aguero, balo, dzeko or tevez? replacing defoe and ade across the road in north london? shifting out ba and cisse from newcastle?

everton and wba won't be paying much but i guess they can develop him in to a 10+ prem striker.

[Niall_Quinn]

Wenger hasn't played Walcott up front at all over the last few years so why would he sign a new deal and then take Wenger's word for it? That would be thick. He's already lost his England International spot to Ox and people keep assuming he's a winger and in a few years time, he could end up like Arshavin or Chamkah. A bench player. If Wenger had any intention of playing Theo up front, he wouldn't have bought Giroud and he's been quick to give Gervinho his chance. Walcott could wait for Gervinho to fuck up but Giroud would be next in line and then Podolski, then Chamakh. Walcott is way down the pecking order to play that role.

He has no faith him and Wenger doesn't sound in a hurry to play him up top. A smart guy would run his contract down and find a club willing to play him up top and develop him as a striker.

How often did Walcott play last season? So why would he suddenly be down the pecking order now? Leaving aside the glaringly obvious reason of him refusing to sign a contract, I mean.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

And they say Gnabry on what - 15K a week? (anyone know?) - is the next big thing? They said they were going to slash the wage bill. They may be congratulating themselves on delivering yet another self interested promise. £100K player, a couple of years in the squad, a few headlines, £10mill transfer as soon as the first wage demands come in.

Lets be honest everyone asscoicated with football are all in it for themselves. None of the give a shit about the fans. Not managers no, players and deffo not board members, Its been that way for a long time now.

Their all ****s.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

where else is he gonna go to play as striker? pool moving suarez out to the wing? replacing rooney, rvp and hernandez at utd? taking the sole responsibility of chelseas financial commitments to the team, taking over aguero, balo, dzeko or tevez? replacing defoe and ade across the road in north london? shifting out ba and cisse from newcastle?

everton and wba won't be paying much but i guess they can develop him in to a 10+ prem striker.

Spot on.

[Power n Glory]

@Terry and Niall

Wenger hasn't once used Theo as a striker even when we've had a crisis with our strikers or in cup games. If you listen to Wenger's interviews, he keeps saying Walcott's future is as a striker. A distant future. Where else is Walcott gonna get to play as striker? I don't know, but his agent can find that out and he'll have the legal right to discuss it with as many clubs as possible come January if Wenger doesn't offer some real assurance. Fact is, if the club rated him, they wouldn't be adopting such an approach. Slow to initiate talks and making a take it or leave it ultimatum. Actions speaker louder then words. May be foolish of Theo to try his chances elsewhere but there is nothing worse than feeling as if you weren't given a proper shot to prove yourself.

[Kano]

i know all of that but there also has to be more some element of trust between the two after working together for 7 years and i'm sure if theo left it wouldn't be under a cloud, he would be all sweetness and light.

but look at the market. there is nowhere for him to go as a striker apart from chancing it here and as i mentioned earlier in the thread, he's not exactly going to be trapped is he. spend another year, nothing changes, stamp his little feet and wenger will let him go as usual.

[Niall_Quinn]

@Terry and Niall

Wenger hasn't once used Theo as a striker even when we've had a crisis with our strikers or in cup games. If you listen to Wenger's interviews, he keeps saying Walcott's future is as a striker. A distant future. Where else is Walcott gonna get to play as striker? I don't know, but his agent can find that out and he'll have the legal right to discuss it with as many clubs as possible come January if Wenger doesn't offer some real assurance. Fact is, if the club rated him, they wouldn't be adopting such an approach. Slow to initiate talks and making a take it or leave it ultimatum. Actions speaker louder then words. May be foolish of Theo to try his chances elsewhere but there is nothing worse than feeling as if you weren't given a proper shot to prove yourself.

He's being a dick. This is his biggest chance ever. Just look at how crap we are up front. He should at least get back in there and give it a shot, it's not like he's an old man. And the fans will soon forget all this if he gets back on the pitch and starts to play well. It will be the fans that propel him into that front spot of Gervinho keeps up his antics. We have ONE viable striker at the moment now that Theo has taken himself out of the action. This is why I really doubt his motives. Here's his chance, take the fucking money on offer and win the striker's spot off (let's face it) pretty limited competition. Any player with an ounce of ambition would relish the opportunity. This is why I say it is about the money. Useless fucks like Gareth Barry are on 100K a week and Theo's slimy agent has probably told him that's the going rate, performance or no performance. Theo should sack his agent and jump in with both feet and finally deliver on that potential he has promised for so long. That's the way for him to go, he could own the striker's role for years - if he can actually walk the walk as well as talk the talk.

Not that it would do us any good because the ****s in the boardroom would be on the phone in minutes flogging him around the place for a fat transfer fee.

[Power n Glory]

i know all of that but there also has to be more some element of trust between the two after working together for 7 years and i'm sure if theo left it wouldn't be under a cloud, he would be all sweetness and light.

but look at the market. there is nowhere for him to go as a striker apart from chancing it here and as i mentioned earlier in the thread, he's not exactly going to be trapped is he. spend another year, nothing changes, stamp his little feet and wenger will let him go as usual.

If he stays another year and so he could lose his place out on the wing, his stock could plummet and he'd have more mileage on the clock. He's 23 now and that's still young enough for someone to stick him up front and develop him as a top striker. As Theo said, Henry was playing as a striker at this age. I can't see anyone taking a risk on Theo to play up front when he's 25 and trying to develop him. Look how much criticism he gets on here and what a lot of the pundits have said that have stuck. It's taken people a few years just to admit that his off the ball runs are good and that he's a natural finisher.

[Niall_Quinn]

If he stays another year and so he could lose his place out on the wing, his stock could plummet and he'd have more mileage on the clock. He's 23 now and that's still young enough for someone to stick him up front and develop him as a top striker. As Theo said, Henry was playing as a striker at this age. I can't see anyone taking a risk on Theo to play up front when he's 25 and trying to develop him. Look how much criticism he gets on here and what a lot of the pundits have said that have stuck. It's taken people a few years just to admit that his off the ball runs are good and that he's a natural finisher.

Van Pursestrings hasn't done too badly as a late developer.

[Kano]

If he stays another year and so he could lose his place out on the wing, his stock could plummet and he'd have more mileage on the clock. He's 23 now and that's still young enough for someone to stick him up front and develop him as a top striker. As Theo said, Henry was playing as a striker at this age. I can't see anyone taking a risk on Theo to play up front when he's 25 and trying to develop him. Look how much criticism he gets on here and what a lot of the pundits have said that have stuck. It's taken people a few years just to admit that his off the ball runs are good and that he's a natural finisher.
if he signs a contract, he'll play a lot more than he is now - wenger likes him but is showing tough love now. he has racked up more than enough appearances and his stats will ensure he is the prime wide man on most occasions.

there is nowhere bar a huge drop down the league for him to go - unless he wants to take several steps back in terms of playing time to become a bit part striker in a big team, its midtable or bust.

[Niall_Quinn]

if he signs a contract, he'll play a lot more than he is now - wenger likes him but is showing tough love now. he has racked up more than enough appearances and his stats will ensure he is the prime wide man on most occasions.

there is nowhere bar a huge drop down the league for him to go - unless he wants to take several steps back in terms of playing time to become a bit part striker in a big team, its midtable or bust.

Or Europe. Whether he's technically good enough is another matter though.

[Power n Glory]

RVP played as a striker for us from the get go. He wasn't an out an out striker, used to play deeper, but he was always a striker and not playing on the wings for us, where he struggled. RVP's intelligence or ability were never under constant scrutiny. It was just his fitness. Theo's right not to trust Wenger on this because he's the type of manager that is quite happy to play a player out of position until they totally break down and lose confidence. See Eboue, see Vela, see Denilson, see Bendtner. Look at where he's playing Ramsey now and Gervinho. This is the way he works and I don't see that changing. He's signed wingers and strikers and that puts more pressure on Theo and he could find himself in a position where he's forever rated as an impact player. Not a striker or winger.

[Kano]

rvp used to be stuck out on the left of a 442.

look, if theo has no trust for a man that has developed him for 7 years then that says more about himself than wenger.

[Power n Glory]

rvp used to be stuck out on the left of a 442.

look, if theo has no trust for a man that has developed him for 7 years then that says more about himself than wenger.

No he was not. He had a brief period where he played on the left in a 4-3-3 but he was never a left winger for us.

[Kano]

this is a side argument but you're wrong. we had a 442 back then, he used to be a left winger and was used there quite a lot but was very ineffective - he also used to start there for holland too.

[Power n Glory]

rvp used to be stuck out on the left of a 442.

look, if theo has no trust for a man that has developed him for 7 years then that says more about himself than wenger.

I've got to question where you're coming from on this. Haven't we just seen a host of promising youth players chopped from the squad? Didn't they fail. Surely, Theo has to look at that and take it into consideration. Even the fans are questioning Wenger's judgement on players signed and his tactical choices. I'd say it says a lot more about Wenger's ability, which has come under intense scrutiny over the past year or so.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

But he's signed other wingers, strikers and is only offering Walcott squad money. The fact that Wenger has frozen out one of our best performers from the squad for so long suggests he thinks he's replaceable.

Athletic Bilbao have "frozen" Llorente out of the team, does it mean they don't rate him then. Just like Theo until he signs a deal he won't be played, cause, they won't want him in the team just for him to bugger of in a few months.

Find it funny because people said, we should have kept RVP and if he was not happy put him in the reserves. Soon as the club get strict with theo its all complaints.

[Power n Glory]

this is a side argument but you're wrong. we had a 442 back then, he used to be a left winger and was used there quite a lot but was very ineffective - he also used to start there for holland too.

No he never used to start there for Holland either. He used to start on the right of a 4-3-3 for Holland under Van Basten.

RVP has always played behind the striker for us. He had one brief season where he played down the left but he never started there. We had Pires and Reyes in the squad when we were playing 4-4-2. Hleb and Diaby probably got more games down the left when we were playing 4-5-1.

[Power n Glory]

Athletic Bilbao have "frozen" Llorente out of the team, does it mean they don't rate him then. Just like Theo until he signs a deal he won't be played, cause, they won't want him in the team just for him to bugger of in a few months.

Find it funny because people said, we should have kept RVP and if he was not happy put him in the reserves. Soon as the club get strict with theo its all complaints.

You need to stop taking one sentence into consideration and start reading the whole argument.

[Syn]

I think Wenger would have no reason not to play Walcott as a central striker if Walcott genuinely is capable of being a prolific goalscorer for a top team. Say Theo signs a new contract - if we stand to benefit from Walcott playing as a striker then I'm sure Wenger would play him in that position.

At the moment, I think Walcott isn't being given a chance. There can be no footballing reasons why a seemingly in-form goalscorer is left out for a team that have struggled to score. Add to that the fact that Gervinho is now injured. So the reason I think Walcott is being left out is because Wenger feels although we would benefit in the short-term by having Walcott score a few goals for us, it will be another big psychological blow and we'd have to start again when he leaves in January. So Wenger thinks we should try to build some momentum and see if Giroud or Podolski or whoever can start finding the net regularly and then we might be on the up for the second half of the season with a settled squad.

I don't necessarily agree with it but that's the only way I think it makes sense.

[Niall_Quinn]

No he never used to start there for Holland either. He used to start on the right of a 4-3-3 for Holland under Van Basten.

RVP has always played behind the striker for us. He had one brief season where he played down the left but he never started there. We had Pires and Reyes in the squad when we were playing 4-4-2. Hleb and Diaby probably got more games down the left when we were playing 4-5-1.

The point being...

Wenger converted RvC to a natural striker when there was nobody else suitable to fill that role. Now we have the fewest striking options available in years and Theo, claiming he wants to be a striker, is sitting the season out. It makes no sense at all. This is his biggest opportunity to get what he claims he wants. The way he's behaving you'd almost think it was really just about the money.

[Kano]

No he never used to start there for Holland either. He used to start on the right of a 4-3-3 for Holland under Van Basten.

RVP has always played behind the striker for us. He had one brief season where he played down the left but he never started there. We had Pires and Reyes in the squad when we were playing 4-4-2. Hleb and Diaby probably got more games down the left when we were playing 4-5-1.

"He can play on the left side of midfield, as a creative player behind the main strikers or as a target man." wenger

just look for van persie left wing and you'll find a million references

i remember just as clearly myself

as nq says, he was converted from a wide player into a second striker and THEN a striker that could do it by himself - the latter when he was 28. theo can try about 'late development' or knuckle down and get on with. you don't get preference until you earn it.

last comment because this doesn't matter too much

[Olivier's xmas twist]

I think Walcott is being left out is because Wenger feels although we would benefit in the short-term by having Walcott score a few goals for us, it will be another big psychological blow and we'd have to start again when he leaves in January. So Wenger thinks we should try to build some momentum and see if Giroud or Podolski or whoever can start finding the net regularly and then we might be on the up for the second half of the season with a settled squad. I don't necessarily agree with it but that's the only way I think it makes sense.

:gp:

You know it makes sense Rodney you know it makes sense :coffee:

[Kano]

I've got to question where you're coming from on this. Haven't we just seen a host of promising youth players chopped from the squad? Didn't they fail. Surely, Theo has to look at that and take it into consideration. Even the fans are questioning Wenger's judgement on players signed and his tactical choices. I'd say it says a lot more about Wenger's ability, which has come under intense scrutiny over the past year or so.
you work with someone for 7 years, they play you most weeks and help develop your career - so there has to be trust there. the jokers that got chopped never got the same attention, protection and focus little Feo has for years and if he can't see that then he's an idiot.

[Niall_Quinn]

I think Wenger would have no reason not to play Walcott as a central striker if Walcott genuinely is capable of being a prolific goalscorer for a top team. Say Theo signs a new contract - if we stand to benefit from Walcott playing as a striker then I'm sure Wenger would play him in that position.

At the moment, I think Walcott isn't being given a chance. There can be no footballing reasons why a seemingly in-form goalscorer is left out for a team that have struggled to score. Add to that the fact that Gervinho is now injured. So the reason I think Walcott is being left out is because Wenger feels although we would benefit in the short-term by having Walcott score a few goals for us, it will be another big psychological blow and we'd have to start again when he leaves in January. So Wenger thinks we should try to build some momentum and see if Giroud or Podolski or whoever can start finding the net regularly and then we might be on the up for the second half of the season with a settled squad.

I don't necessarily agree with it but that's the only way I think it makes sense.

And maybe because he's finally figured these players out having been fucked over one too many times. He's human, it must kill him to watch that **** RvC running to the lame and forgetful Utd fans to be worshipped. Henry, gone. Fabregas, gone. RvC, gone. Theo's not even in the same class so why elevate him? Just keep the ungrateful, greedy twat on the bench. And that's the real difference, there's no captaincy being rolled out for Theo Walcott. No team being built around him. He's not and never has been a central figure because he's never delivered at the very top level, never put himself on the same platform as the genuine stars of the game.

If anything Theo has clambered on Wenger's back to get to where he is today. A free invite into the England squad, blew it. The adoration of the fans and a thousand and one changes to impress, blew it. Now the guy is sitting there demanding a reward for his mediocrity and insisting he decides where he plays rather than the manager. Who would put up with that from a Theo Walcott after the real players have already stabbed you in the back?

[Power n Glory]

"He can play on the left side of midfield, as a creative player behind the main strikers or as a target man." wenger

just look for van persie left wing and you'll find a million references

i remember just as clearly myself

as nq says, he was converted from a wide player into a second striker and THEN a striker that could do it by himself - the latter when he was 28. theo can try about 'late development' or knuckle down and get on with. you don't get preference until you earn it.

last comment because this doesn't matter too much

He was a winger before he joined us but was played in the Bergkamp role when he joined and numerous comparisons were made to Bergkamp. RVP wasn't a winger for Arsenal. For Feynoord he was a winger but not for us and in early days when coming on off the bench, he'd in and around the box, playing the Bergkamp role and never hugging the touchline like a winger.

[Power n Glory]

you work with someone for 7 years, they play you most weeks and help develop your career - so there has to be trust there. the jokers that got chopped never got the same attention, protection and focus little Feo has for years and if he can't see that then he's an idiot.

Do you trust Wenger's judgment to get us back winning things after watching us for 7 years?

[Syn]

And maybe because he's finally figured these players out having been fucked over one too many times. He's human, it must kill him to watch that **** RvC running to the lame and forgetful Utd fans to be worshipped. Henry, gone. Fabregas, gone. RvC, gone. Theo's not even in the same class so why elevate him? Just keep the ungrateful, greedy twat on the bench. And that's the real difference, there's no captaincy being rolled out for Theo Walcott. No team being built around him. He's not and never has been a central figure because he's never delivered at the very top level, never put himself on the same platform as the genuine stars of the game.

If anything Theo has clambered on Wenger's back to get to where he is today. A free invite into the England squad, blew it. The adoration of the fans and a thousand and one changes to impress, blew it. Now the guy is sitting there demanding a reward for his mediocrity and insisting he decides where he plays rather than the manager. Who would put up with that from a Theo Walcott after the real players have already stabbed you in the back?

Be that as it may, Wenger has lost his right to credibly take a stand. His chance was this summer and he blew it. I hope it hurts him every time RVP scores. He deserves it for being a sell-out himself. He has no right to complain about greed in football because he is figurehead for the biggest corporate raping in football right now.

More to the point though, I agree that Theo hasn't proven anything. And I agree he isn't 'worth' being our highest paid player. But we don't know the salaries being offered to judge either way. What we do know is that Walcott is 23. He is now at the age where players start to produce good performances consistently. He was a kid before. We had little right to expect much more. Same with Ramsey now...don't expect more. Right now he's getting his head down and on the limited occasions he has played, he is doing his job. My point is not that we should cry over Walcott leaving but that he can't really be 'punished' for anything football-related. For wanting more money than he's worth, perhaps, but again, we don't know the specifics to judge.

[Niall_Quinn]

Be that as it may, Wenger has lost his right to credibly take a stand. His chance was this summer and he blew it. I hope it hurts him every time RVP scores. He deserves it for being a sell-out himself. He has no right to complain about greed in football because he is figurehead for the biggest corporate raping in football right now.

More to the point though, I agree that Theo hasn't proven anything. And I agree he isn't 'worth' being our highest paid player. But we don't know the salaries being offered to judge either way. What we do know is that Walcott is 23. He is now at the age where players start to produce good performances consistently. He was a kid before. We had little right to expect much more. Same with Ramsey now...don't expect more. Right now he's getting his head down and on the limited occasions he has played, he is doing his job. My point is not that we should cry over Walcott leaving but that he can't really be 'punished' for anything football-related. For wanting more money than he's worth, perhaps, but again, we don't know the specifics to judge.

I'm not excusing Wenger and I also wonder why it has taken him so long to figure out what these players are all about. He seems naive in the extreme in this respect. Theo's playing for his next contract, isn't he? And it's not with us. Seen it before, RvC gave the master class. Won't have escaped Theo's notice.

[Power n Glory]

Be that as it may, Wenger has lost his right to credibly take a stand. His chance was this summer and he blew it. I hope it hurts him every time RVP scores. He deserves it for being a sell-out himself. He has no right to complain about greed in football because he is figurehead for the biggest corporate raping in football right now.

More to the point though, I agree that Theo hasn't proven anything. And I agree he isn't 'worth' being our highest paid player. But we don't know the salaries being offered to judge either way. What we do know is that Walcott is 23. He is now at the age where players start to produce good performances consistently. He was a kid before. We had little right to expect much more. Same with Ramsey now...don't expect more. Right now he's getting his head down and on the limited occasions he has played, he is doing his job. My point is not that we should cry over Walcott leaving but that he can't really be 'punished' for anything football-related. For wanting more money than he's worth, perhaps, but again, we don't know the specifics to judge.

:gp:

This is where it gets a bit childish and contradictions crop up. Wenger is no victim and he's been the spokesperson the the long con for years now. He's not getting fucked over by anyone. As for the Board, they have a history of lying and misleading fans so I don't trust them when it comes to contract talks because we have lost too many players because of this nonsense.

And I don't get why people would argue for Theo to sign a contract and then double back and say he's 'shit anyway' if he doesn't sign.

[Niall_Quinn]

And I don't get why people would argue for Theo to sign a contract and then double back and say he's 'shit anyway' if he doesn't sign.

I'm surprised you don't get that because it was you who invented it.

[Power n Glory]

I'm surprised you don't get that because it was you who invented it.

:lol: Childish response.

You know it's a huge contradiction.

A lot of people, you included, question the direction the club is going in and even question Wenger's judgement on certain players, but in this argument, you're saying Wenger knows what's best for Theo. You go as far as to say Wenger converted RVP into a striker but in a few posts down, double back and then say Theo isn't even in the same class as such players. If that's true, do you really think Wenger can get Theo to level we need as a striker? He hasn't been able to that with players like Bendy, Vela, Denilson, JET...etc.

Without even having all the details, you accuse Theo of being greedy but you already know this club is quite happy to make a pretty penny wherever they can. Just a lot of contradictions in your argument and things haven't been thought through.

[Niall_Quinn]

:lol: Childish response.

You know it's a huge contradiction.

A lot of people, you included, question the direction the club is going in and even question Wenger's judgement on certain players, but in this argument, you're saying Wenger knows what's best for Theo. You go as far as to say Wenger converted RVP into a striker but in a few posts down, double back and then say Theo isn't even in the same class as such players. If that's true, do you really think Wenger can get Theo to level we need as a striker? He hasn't been able to that with players like Bendy, Vela, Denilson, JET...etc.

Without even having all the details, you accuse Theo of being greedy but you already know this club is quite happy to make a pretty penny wherever they can. Just a lot of contradictions in your argument and things haven't been thought through.

Your selective interpretation and readiness to subvert what has actually been said is noted. You take responses to your own unreasonable arguments, remove your input and then apply a different context to the responses. Nowhere above do you even closely represent what I have argued.

Of course I question the direction the club is going in, in fact I'd go a lot further and say I condemn the direction. But that doesn't give Theo Walcott a free pass. Agreed, I don't rate Walcott in the same class as the top players we've had at the club, but that wasn't my argument. I said his opportunity has never been greater because he's not up against a van Persie or Henry, his competition is Gervinho and Giroud. We are as light in the striker department as we have ever been.

I never placed the emphasis on Wenger at all, it's Theo Walcott that has the point to prove, not Wenger (in this case). You claim I haven't thought things through but you are already ten miles down the road on what Theo thinks and what his reasons are, yet you have no reference points on which to base any of these claims. All we know is he wants to play up front and he wants £100K. That's what I have based my arguments on. Not some theory about Theo being worried about his potential, or his ambitions or any of the other conjectures that have no public facts whatsoever underpinning them. I don't claim to have all the details, but I do at least have SOME details. You pad out the details with pure speculation and then explain how you understand where the player is coming from.

Of course Walcott is greedy. He wants £100K A WEEK FFS! What's YOUR definition of greedy? Let's just accept he's a greedy bastard, like most of them. Not sure why you even argue against this. You know the world is mad when £100K a week is viewed as restrained.

My argument is simple and without contradiction. If Walcott wants in then let him sign. If not then let him fuck off. If he wants to sit there making demands then let him. But why I am I required to go crawling after him? We have you to do that, don't need me too surely? Why can't I call him a greedy, disruptive ****? That's what he is, isn't he? And if not, what is he?

I didn't say he was shite either, I said he was inconsistent. And again, if you are arguing against this reality then what can anyone do? He's a tremendously inconsistent player, both over the course of the season and in individual matches. All I have said is you can get that level of inconsistency for a lot cheaper. Of course, we won't spend the money buying true talent, we know that. So Theo Walcott, some other second tier player, what's the difference?

I think you'll find there is no inconsistency in my argument though. I am being crystal clear. It's Walcott's message that makes no sense. He demands to be the striker, says he wants to stay, and then refuses to sign a contract. It leads me to conclude it's all about money because that's the sensible conclusion. Of course I could be wrong. Theo could be different to all the other ****s who have gone before him. I wonder though. What are the real chances of that?

[Cripps_orig]

The most important thing about all of this other than NQ being wrong as usual (Theo being greedy? :haha:) is that NQ finally uses paragraphs

:bow:

[Power n Glory]

Touched a nerve. :lol:

The reports of £100k can't be confirmed. It's all specualtion from the papers so that is where your argument falls down because it's not fact.

[Niall_Quinn]

Touched a nerve. :lol:

The reports of £100k can't be confirmed. It's all specualtion from the papers so that is where your argument falls down because it's not fact.

No, you were schooled, there's a big difference and sometimes it's necessary.

But to make it even simpler.

The manager decides if and where players will play. Not Theo Walcott.

The board decides how much the players will be paid, and if the player doesn't accept the offer he can go elsewhere for more (provided nobody has the cheek to say he is moving for money, of course)

And yes, roll in greedy owners and the fans lose as usual.

Greedy owners + greedy players = shit hitting the fans

Nothing else to see here.

[Kano]

Do you trust Wenger's judgment to get us back winning things after watching us for 7 years?

I'm not sure why you want to compare my distant, speculative relationship with theo's close, informative one.

[Marc Overmars]

Good feud.

Still a level down from GW's greatest but there's some good potential here.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Good feud.

Still a level down from GW's greatest but there's some good potential here.

Have not seen one like it since i have been on here. :popcorn:

[Power n Glory]

No, you were schooled, there's a big difference and sometimes it's necessary.

But to make it even simpler.

The manager decides if and where players will play. Not Theo Walcott.

The board decides how much the players will be paid, and if the player doesn't accept the offer he can go elsewhere for more (provided nobody has the cheek to say he is moving for money, of course)

And yes, roll in greedy owners and the fans lose as usual.

Greedy owners + greedy players = shit hitting the fans

Nothing else to see here.

Schooled! Yeah. :lol:

Yeah, the manage decides where players play but it's not always the correct decision. We've said this in the past on numerous occasions. We can't keep playing square pegs in round holes and expect success. If you are going to now argue that Theo should just accept Wenger's judgement, then I'm saying that contradicts what's been said in the past about Wenger's tactical judgment. You say Theo is inconsistent and maybe that has something to do with him playing out wide in a new position. You can say fuck it, he has to do what he is told, but then we're in this constant loop that never gets resolved and you'll continue to bash players for being inconsistent.

Yeah, we know the Board pay what they want but they are quite happy to offer competitive wages to Wenger and Gazidis but won't do it for the playing staff. The money in football is obscene, but there is a benchmark an standard for certain players. Theo is an international with champions league experience. We don't know for sure what he's been offered or asking for, but he should probably earn roughly the same amount that an international with CL experience should earn. And you are right, he can move if he's not happy with the offer and it's not as if he's in the wrong with how he has behaved.

[Power n Glory]

I'm not sure why you want to compare my distant, speculative relationship with theo's close, informative one.

Because from a distance, you're able to question the logic in some of Wenger's decisions. We do it all the time on here. Up close and with inside knowledge, I wouldn't be surprised if Theo is doing the same. He's not the first either.

[Niall_Quinn]

Schooled! Yeah. :lol:

Yeah, the manage decides where players play but it's not always the correct decision. We've said this in the past on numerous occasions. We can't keep playing square pegs in round holes and expect success. If you are going to now argue that Theo should just accept Wenger's judgement, then I'm saying that contradicts what's been said in the past about Wenger's tactical judgment. You say Theo is inconsistent and maybe that has something to do with him playing out wide in a new position. You can say fuck it, he has to do what he is told, but then we're in this constant loop that never gets resolved and you'll continue to bash players for being inconsistent.

Yeah, we know the Board pay what they want but they are quite happy to offer competitive wages to Wenger and Gazidis but won't do it for the playing staff. The money in football is obscene, but there is a benchmark an standard for certain players. Theo is an international with champions league experience. We don't know for sure what he's been offered or asking for, but he should probably earn roughly the same amount that an international with CL experience should earn. And you are right, he can move if he's not happy with the offer and it's not as if he's in the wrong with how he has behaved.

Schooled as in keeping you honest, I don't doubt your ability to make an intelligent argument but I just don't understand what this Theo thing is all about and why you would go to such extremes to protect your position.

I have already said I'd be delighted to be wrong, but you can't ignore that 100% track record of our board and the mercenaries kissing the badge. As for Wenger, it's his job to be right or wrong about the team selection. We, as fans, can slate him for it if we want. But the players need to accept it because they are taking cash not giving it out. If Theo wants to be a manager then he should do that instead.

And let's be clear. It's a damn sight easier to play the wide role than be the main man in the centre. If Theo can't master a walk in the park why do we give credibility to the idea he can suddenly jump two notches to the main role? Do we just assume it? Do we just take Theo at his word, when he hasn't exactly set the world alight with his play? Yeah, he can be effective - sometimes. He can be anonymous too. Maybe Wenger wants more than that from his front man. Granted, it makes no sense playing Gervinho in that case and it's understandable how Walcott and the fans can be frustrated about that. Which is why it's inexplicable that Theo is not in there pitching. Who's to say if he wasn't in dispute right now and was instead putting in the performances he wouldn't already be playing up top as an easy alternative to the ludicrous Gervinho?

Walcott can't stake a claim from the negotiating table, can he? He has to be on the pitch to do that.

He should sign. Get on the pitch. Grab what he wants through football instead of a cockroach agent. He was shaping up to be the exception to the rule. The young kid with talent and his feet on the ground. Now he's behaving like the perfect example of the rule. Let the agent do the talking and fuck the club, fuck the fans if he doesn't get his way. I'm not buying into that for a second.

I have no problem buying into Walcott if he gets on the pitch and shows us why he should be the main man though. Whining bastard gets the thumbs down from me. Committed player giving it 100% for the team will ALWAYS get my support. The latter is the bare minimum.

Yeah, Theo has played well for England twice and he's been rolled out to mixed effect in the CL on a regular basis (Thank You Arsenal - not Fuck You Arsenal, btw), we did indeed present him with many opportunities to shine. He's delivered a second tier return. Good enough for the big money? In the lunatic asylums in Manchester and Chavland, maybe. At Arsenal, dream on, we wouldn't even pay RvC the big money so Theo has zero chance. Surely he knows this? But then again, it's not about the money, is it Theo? Of course not.

I'm gutted still about RvC fucking us. Won't ever have an ounce of respect for a professional (as in WHORE) footballer again. I'll be indifferent if the hot and cold Walcott goes. But I'd like him to stay and deliver. He can't do that hiding behind his agent though. Has to be on the pitch to deliver. Wherever on the pitch that happens to be.

I'm a world class striker worth £100K myself, because I say so. That said, I'd play in goal if given the chance. Okay, so that's a joke but, like everyone, I am better than Gareth Barry and no that doesn't entitle me to £100K a week or even a decent fucking living wage a week it seems. It all depends on circumstances and right now Theo is trying to be a Man City player at Arsenal which is just dumb and unrealistic and yes, fucking greedy.

[Master Splinter]

I'm a world class striker worth £100K myself, because I say so. That said, I'd play in goal if given the chance. Okay, so that's a joke but, like everyone, I am better than Gareth Barry and no that doesn't entitle me to £100K a week or even a decent fucking living wage a week it seems. It all depends on circumstances and right now Theo is trying to be a Man City player at Arsenal which is just dumb and unrealistic and yes, fucking greedy
.

N_Q :bow:.

[Kano]

Because from a distance, you're able to question the logic in some of Wenger's decisions. We do it all the time on here. Up close and with inside knowledge, I wouldn't be surprised if Theo is doing the same. He's not the first either.
you are missing my point. theo will be questioning things but what i have said throughout this conversation is that after 7 years working side by side, he will also have a lot more trust in wenger than anything else. he has had far more attention than any other of the youth projects (bar fabregas) and if theo thought that faith wasn't there, he wouldn't have waited until the last year of his contract to go. he'd be long off by now as question marks over wenger have been there for quite some time.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

N_Q :bow:.

:gp:

Meade:haha:

[Power n Glory]

Schooled as in keeping you honest, I don't doubt your ability to make an intelligent argument but I just don't understand what this Theo thing is all about and why you would go to such extremes to protect your position.

I have already said I'd be delighted to be wrong, but you can't ignore that 100% track record of our board and the mercenaries kissing the badge. As for Wenger, it's his job to be right or wrong about the team selection. We, as fans, can slate him for it if we want. But the players need to accept it because they are taking cash not giving it out. If Theo wants to be a manager then he should do that instead.

And let's be clear. It's a damn sight easier to play the wide role than be the main man in the centre. If Theo can't master a walk in the park why do we give credibility to the idea he can suddenly jump two notches to the main role? Do we just assume it? Do we just take Theo at his word, when he hasn't exactly set the world alight with his play? Yeah, he can be effective - sometimes. He can be anonymous too. Maybe Wenger wants more than that from his front man. Granted, it makes no sense playing Gervinho in that case and it's understandable how Walcott and the fans can be frustrated about that. Which is why it's inexplicable that Theo is not in there pitching. Who's to say if he wasn't in dispute right now and was instead putting in the performances he wouldn't already be playing up top as an easy alternative to the ludicrous Gervinho?

Walcott can't stake a claim from the negotiating table, can he? He has to be on the pitch to do that.

He should sign. Get on the pitch. Grab what he wants through football instead of a cockroach agent. He was shaping up to be the exception to the rule. The young kid with talent and his feet on the ground. Now he's behaving like the perfect example of the rule. Let the agent do the talking and fuck the club, fuck the fans if he doesn't get his way. I'm not buying into that for a second.

I have no problem buying into Walcott if he gets on the pitch and shows us why he should be the main man though. Whining bastard gets the thumbs down from me. Committed player giving it 100% for the team will ALWAYS get my support. The latter is the bare minimum.

Yeah, Theo has played well for England twice and he's been rolled out to mixed effect in the CL on a regular basis (Thank You Arsenal - not Fuck You Arsenal, btw), we did indeed present him with many opportunities to shine. He's delivered a second tier return. Good enough for the big money? In the lunatic asylums in Manchester and Chavland, maybe. At Arsenal, dream on, we wouldn't even pay RvC the big money so Theo has zero chance. Surely he knows this? But then again, it's not about the money, is it Theo? Of course not.

I'm gutted still about RvC fucking us. Won't ever have an ounce of respect for a professional (as in WHORE) footballer again. I'll be indifferent if the hot and cold Walcott goes. But I'd like him to stay and deliver. He can't do that hiding behind his agent though. Has to be on the pitch to deliver. Wherever on the pitch that happens to be.

I'm a world class striker worth £100K myself, because I say so. That said, I'd play in goal if given the chance. Okay, so that's a joke but, like everyone, I am better than Gareth Barry and no that doesn't entitle me to £100K a week or even a decent fucking living wage a week it seems. It all depends on circumstances and right now Theo is trying to be a Man City player at Arsenal which is just dumb and unrealistic and yes, fucking greedy.

It's not just with Theo. If you check my history, you will that I've been upset with the way the club has handled dealings with RVP, Song, Nasri, Cesc...I'm just tired of them selling out all the time and selling off our players and for me, this is one of the biggest reasons why we can't win anything. There is no point in talking about the Board raping the club and then argue that the players shouldn't expect the industry standard when it comes to wages. Paying them below the standard when we're not winning trophies yet Wenger, Gazidis and Board members can get paid an amount that is line with there peers is nonsense. If we want to keep our players then we need to start offering a better cash incentive to stay. We don't know for certain if the reports of £100k are true but if it were it's hardly going to kill us. The club have to update their wage policy because we'll be having this same discussion with future players if they keep it up. You keep talking about greed but keep ignoring the above points I've just made. How are we going to progress if we don't update and outdated policy?

Also, so far we have had three players that have flat out refused to sign another deal with the club. They have done their time and it's a thanks but no thanks situation. Begrudge a player for trying to worm his way out a club be causing strife in the dressing and courting the attention of the big clubs, but when a player's has contract talks, he has a right to sign or not sign. They're within there rights to hold out for the best deal. Like it or not. Plus, the club should be willing to show how much they value a players service and it's obvious that they don't and will continue to do things on the cheap. I can't respect that and instead of constantly whining about the players, you have to look at the club and where their priorities lie.


And let's be clear. It's a damn sight easier to play the wide role than be the main man in the centre. If Theo can't master a walk in the park why do we give credibility to the idea he can suddenly jump two notches to the main role? Do we just assume it? Do we just take Theo at his word, when he hasn't exactly set the world alight with his play? Yeah, he can be effective - sometimes. He can be anonymous too. Maybe Wenger wants more than that from his front man. Granted, it makes no sense playing Gervinho in that case and it's understandable how Walcott and the fans can be frustrated about that. Which is why it's inexplicable that Theo is not in there pitching. Who's to say if he wasn't in dispute right now and was instead putting in the performances he wouldn't already be playing up top as an easy alternative to the ludicrous Gervinho?

That really is naive argument. Centreback is a harder position than wingback, so surely a centreback should be able to play that role easily right? It doesn't work like that. And this is the loop I keep talking about. You're asking for the sort of consistency that no other winger in our squad has delivered since we were winning titles. And he's still a kid. Nobody in our squad delivers a consistent performance in any position. So the expectation levels are way too high. Not even his peers that play out wide deliver at that level.

[Power n Glory]

you are missing my point. theo will be questioning things but what i have said throughout this conversation is that after 7 years working side by side, he will also have a lot more trust in wenger than anything else. he has had far more attention than any other of the youth projects (bar fabregas) and if theo thought that faith wasn't there, he wouldn't have waited until the last year of his contract to go. he'd be long off by now as question marks over wenger have been there for quite some time.

RVP ran down his contract and left under similar circumstances and he was with the club for 8 years. Cesc lost faith in Wenger too, Also, Theo makes a good point about Thierry Henry. He was playing as a striker at Theo's age so if Wenger is trying to follow that pattern, then shouldn't Theo get his shot? It's actually more respectful just to decline all contract offers rather than kick up a fuss half way through a deal. The frustration has probably been bubbling away for years but the sales of key players, bad seasons and empty promises have probably taken their toll.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

money.

if you gave him the 125k a week he wants he'd have signed long ago.

we offered 75k.

he said no.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

RVP ran down his contract and left under similar circumstances and he was with the club for 8 years. Cesc lost faith in Wenger too, Also, Theo makes a good point about Thierry Henry. He was playing as a striker at Theo's age so if Wenger is trying to follow that pattern, then shouldn't Theo get his shot? It's actually more respectful just to decline all contract offers rather than kick up a fuss half way through a deal. The frustration has probably been bubbling away for years but the sales of key players, bad seasons and empty promises have probably taken their toll.

Well if both lost faith with Wenger then they are very misleading with their comments about him now, both seem to love him. Cesc said he was leaving cause he wanted to go home did he not or was he lying. RvC was pissed of with the way he feels he was treated in the last few months, b.y the club.

If Theo was this unhappy a few years ago then its simple hand in a tranfer request and ak for a move. He did not seem to care a few years ago when you'd see him laughing and joking with the likes of Song, Eboue etc. If he was frustated then he did well to hide it.

[Power n Glory]

Well if both lost faith with Wenger then they are very misleading with their comments about him now, both seem to love him. Cesc said he was leaving cause he wanted to go home did he not or was he lying. RvC was pissed of with the way he feels he was treated in the last few months, buy the club.

If Theo was this unhappy a few years ago then its simple hand in a tranfer request and ak for a move. He did not seem to care a few years ago when you'd see him laughing and joking with the likes of Song, Eboue etc. If he was frustated then he did well to hide it.

That doesn't make sense at all.

[gooners]

@Terry and Niall

Wenger hasn't once used Theo as a striker even when we've had a crisis with our strikers or in cup games.

nail on the head!

most likely wumger going by his flawed philosophy : 'i know what i am doing, i'll do it my way' ; 'you will play where i want you to play'

my advice to theo: get out as fast as you can ----- else you end up another arshavin.

[gooners]

There is no point in talking about the Board raping the club and then argue that the players shouldn't expect the industry standard when it comes to wages. Paying them below the standard when we're not winning trophies yet Wenger, Gazidis and Board members can get paid an amount that is line with there peers is nonsense. If we want to keep our players then we need to start offering a better cash incentive to stay. .

strange case of cognitive dissonance, really.

and what is more strange is that, this scenario keeps playing out again and again.

next summer it will be cazorla's turn; and we'll be having this conversation again! (but i guess letters and maccy wont be complaining)

[selassie]

I personally feel the club and Wenger are not backing down on;

a) the wage offer for Theo
b) giving him assurances about his current and future position in the team.

My personal take on it, I think Theo is probably worth the 100K per week salary demand (if it is to be believed). He's our most marketable asset in terms of profile, shirt sales blah blah, appears to be developing into a very good player and has certain qualities that nobody else in the team has. Sure he has flaws...but there's a lot of positive stuff coming out of his game, has been for a couple of seasons now.

OX is likely to develop into a better player, Gnarby might too but we can't keep on gambling on potential. At some point we have to accept that we pay our more established players the "market rate" so to speak or we risk falling further and further behind.

I think the Theo situation is quite a bit different to the Fabregas, RVP & Nasri situation and I personally feel the club is going the wrong way about it.

I'm going to be pretty pissed off seeing Theo line up against us for one of our rivals but I've resigned myself to the fate.

[Power n Glory]

Market rate is key word here and the club have to get there head around this concept because we're not an island. We will continue to fail if we don't aknowledge that fact and stop with the hypocrisy. Pisses me off when I hear Wenger talk about turning down bigger wages. Someone should ask him if Ferguson is earning twice as much as him and if not would he be happy to take a pay cut where he earns less than all his peers by a wide margin. Do it for the love then!

[Niall_Quinn]

I've got barbecue chicken drumsticks.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

I've got barbecue chicken drumsticks.

You got Baby back Ribs too?

[Özil's Panoramic View]

this scenario keeps playing out again and again.


Enough said

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

wasn't worth 100k a week last year

which is crazy seeing as he got all those assists but i felt his general game was still poor

this year its a different story

stepped up when needed

i beg you sign da fucking ting

[Dennis Bendtner]

Wallclock is a matchwinner and those are definitely needed. Even with him we don't have enough. The forward line has become increasingly 'neutral' in recent years, barring some very good games here and there and the wonder-season from He Who Must Not Be Named. Typified by idiots like Gervinho. Wallclock has made a difference in many key games and deserves credit. He is still annoying though. The one-on-one yesterday where his touch was horrendous. The sustained spell of his crosses hitting the first man before and after his great cross for Mertesacker. In essence he is still an idiot from the Gervinho school, but his Beast Mode is as good as most in the squad. But what it will boil down to is us letting him go with all the spazzy delusions of him being replaced by someone better, but ultimately standing still. He's definitely off.

[Power n Glory]

Walcott has been dangerous and has been good for us for a couple of seasons now. He doesn't shy away from the big games and that's a fact.

Everything came down the right for the Spurs game and managers aren't stupid so they will double up on that side soon and make things difficult for him as usual if he stays and plays more regular. But his touches and dribbling were on point yesterday and he's constantly improving. His crosses have been good for a while now. It didn't happen over night. Mid hits a few still but who doesn't?

[Marc Overmars]

We need to keep him because we won't be signing anyone better that's for sure.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

the thing with walcott is i now expect him to create something out of nothing. ive never had that feeling before.

it feels good.

[GP]

the thing with walcott is i now expect him to create something out of nothing. ive never had that feeling before.

it feels good.

Like autoerotic asphyxiation

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

ive felt that for a long time dont worry

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11670/8258735/Arsenal-boss-Arsene-Wenger-insists-Theo-Walcott-is-going-nowhere-in-January

he's off

[Özil's Panoramic View]

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11670/8258735/Arsenal-boss-Arsene-Wenger-insists-Theo-Walcott-is-going-nowhere-in-January

he's off

Would have much appreciated if Wenger could have kept his mouth shut and afforded us a few more weeks of hopes of him signing di ting.

[KSE Comedy Club]

His interview on MOTD didn't sound too promising at all, it smelt exactly like the RVC interview last season, ironically, after the spuds game.

[V-Pig]

IF he leaves, then he's a twat who should be more loyal.

However, football-y, not too bothered. He's not as good as his stats suggest and most other players in the team are more competent players. He's not good enough to keep if he doesn't want to be here.

[Marc Overmars]

I get the feeling he does want to be here though. If he wanted to leave he would have gone in the summer, the club wouldn't have kept a player in their final year if they didn't think he would renew.

Wenget doesn't rate him. If Gervinho wasn't crocked Theo would still be on the bench.

[Joker]

IF he leaves, then he's a twat who should be more loyal.

However, football-y, not too bothered. He's not as good as his stats suggest and most other players in the team are more competent players. He's not good enough to keep if he doesn't want to be here.

If he leaves we're most likely not going to replace him with a well established, top class winger. In his position he's the best we've got. Gervinho is not as efficient as him either in terms of creating chances or scoring, while AOC's reputation doesn't really match his contributions for us (although I do rate him). Podolski still doesn't look comfortable as a winger and is more likely to drift inside, so I'd be worried if Theo did leave.

And loyalty's a two way street, if the club's been fobbing him off with the new contract then I can understand his frustration.

[Kano]

IF he leaves, then he's a twat who should be more loyal.

However, football-y, not too bothered. He's not as good as his stats suggest and most other players in the team are more competent players. He's not good enough to keep if he doesn't want to be here.
i think you've been proved wrong on him and can't bring yourself to admit it.

[V-Pig]

i think you've been proved wrong on him and can't bring yourself to admit it.

Not true... I love Theo, think he's got a great attitude (pending contract updates etc.) and he's statistically a very good player for us. I always cheer him (unlike some people at the games with their very loud externalised inner-monologue - "Fuck's sake, Theo, pass it you twat!) and want him to succeed. I just don't rate his ability. Still a useful player though, but £100k? Really? Even in the Spurs game, where he was very successful, there were so many times where he made the wrong decision. Is that harsh? I guess it could well be, since I noticed it so much because he was always there, unlike some of the more competent players who were a little more anonymous.

The point is, my position is more nuanced than hating people for the sake of it...

[bignev]

Not true... I love Theo, think he's got a great attitude (pending contract updates etc.) and he's statistically a very good player for us. I always cheer him (unlike some people at the games with their very loud externalised inner-monologue - "Fuck's sake, Theo, pass it you twat!) and want him to succeed. I just don't rate his ability. Still a useful player though, but £100k? Really? Even in the Spurs game, where he was very successful, there were so many times where he made the wrong decision. Is that harsh? I guess it could well be, since I noticed it so much because he was always there, unlike some of the more competent players who were a little more anonymous.

The point is, my position is more nuanced than hating people for the sake of it...

Theo is quite a weird player to assess. One the one hand when he has a bad game he has a very bad game, he makes constant wrong decisions even during his good games, has poor ball control and his finishing when one on one is usually close to the keeper, giving them a chance to make a save. Judged on that you would say he isn't worth 100k a week.

However despite all of the above he does keep scoring and getting assists. His crossing seems to be improving and his finishing when he cuts in from the wing is quality. It's something we have benefited from this season.

Even though he isn't worth the money he is demanding I think we have to give it to him. We need him more that he needs us.

[LDG]

He's improved quite a bit this season. Not footballistically, but to me he looks more direct, more willing, more consistent and more confident than we have seen.

I'd like him to stay, but this is all about money, and if he doesn't get what he wants, he's off.

[-Xs-]

He's one of the few (if any) direct players we have.

An asset? Definately. Irreplaceable? Maybe not. Can we get 4th without him? Probably, and for that reason, we won't offer the money (if it's about that)

[Niall_Quinn]

He's improved quite a bit this season. Not footballistically, but to me he looks more direct, more willing, more consistent and more confident than we have seen.

I'd like him to stay, but this is all about money, and if he doesn't get what he wants, he's off.

His attitude has changed dramatically. He says he's leaving negotiations to his agent and the club, but he does a lot of that business during post match interviews. What we have here is another, come on down to Arsenal and see our new winter offers. Featuring the new Theo Walcott. Prepare for amazing cynicism and a dear fans, fuck you, from Walcott. And amazing cynicism and a dear fans, fuck you, from the club. Trouble with Walcott is he's not good enough to sign a 5 year deal now and abandon ship for a decent fee in the summer. Not that I think he'd do that for us anyway because he would have done it by now.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Would have much appreciated if Wenger could have kept his mouth shut and afforded us a few more weeks of hopes of him signing di ting.

Don't see the diffrence tbh, even if he did we all know he is off anyways.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

His attitude has changed dramatically. He says he's leaving negotiations to his agent and the club, but he does a lot of that business during post match interviews. What we have here is another, come on down to Arsenal and see our new winter offers. Featuring the new Theo Walcott. Prepare for amazing cynicism and a dear fans, fuck you, from Walcott. And amazing cynicism and a dear fans, fuck you, from the club. Trouble with Walcott is he's not good enough to sign a 5 year deal now and abandon ship for a decent fee in the summer. Not that I think he'd do that for us anyway because he would have done it by now.

Yeah but agents are greedy twits, so its no surprise they want a big deal for him and them. Fair play to the lad, he has not done the whole "I won't sign another deal with the club" Thing on his website. Just wish he'd sing da ting tbh.

[Ollie the Optimist]

i saw a suggestion that would call theos bluff, he says he wants to play for us but play as as striker and its not about the money.

time to offer him a contract of 75k a week with a guarentee of playing up front. see what happens there

[bignev]

i saw a suggestion that would call theos bluff, he says he wants to play for us but play as as striker and its not about the money.

time to offer him a contract of 75k a week with a guarentee of playing up front. see what happens there

He plays up front, scores moar goals and then leaves for free on a bumper contract in the summer.

[GP]

i saw a suggestion that would call theos bluff, he says he wants to play for us but play as as striker and its not about the money.

time to offer him a contract of 75k a week with a guarentee of playing up front. see what happens there

He obviously won't sign it.

[Kano]

i saw a suggestion that would call theos bluff, he says he wants to play for us but play as as striker and its not about the money.

time to offer him a contract of 75k a week with a guarentee of playing up front. see what happens there

how about pulling our fucking fingers out, realising sometimes we have to pay through the nose to help with the 'bigger picture' of where the team is at the moment, fuck off squilaci, fuck off denilson, fuck off bendtner, fuck off chamakh, fuck off diaby and then paying 100k won't even be an issue.

[selassie]

I get the feeling he does want to be here though. If he wanted to leave he would have gone in the summer, the club wouldn't have kept a player in their final year if they didn't think he would renew.

Wenget doesn't rate him. If Gervinho wasn't crocked Theo would still be on the bench.

Yeah I kind of get that feeling too, IMHO we gave him the 75K per week ultimatum in the summer and out of principle aren't prepared to increase our offer.

I personally think if he wants to stay for 90K per week and we're offer only 80K per week we're cutting our nose off to spite our face.

Theo is one of our best performers this season and is our top scorer, that is fact. Theo appears to be maturing into a very decent player and is our best winger IMHO.

Heck he's probably our best Centre forward too. I absolutely don't understand what we're doing here...and If I'm honest I think we've blown it with Theo.

Do the board and Arsene honestly believe we can build a competitive team when we strip it of our best players every single season...Newcastle can keep hold of their best players, so can the Sc*m to a lesser degree...yet we sell our crown jewels every single season.

It's absolutely ridiculous and I'm sick of it.

[Özil's Panoramic View]

Yeah I kind of get that feeling too, IMHO we gave him the 75K per week ultimatum in the summer and out of principle aren't prepared to increase our offer.

I personally think if he wants to stay for 90K per week and we're offer only 80K per week we're cutting our nose off to spite our face.

Theo is one of our best performers this season and is our top scorer, that is fact. Theo appears to be maturing into a very decent player and is our best winger IMHO.

Heck he's probably our best Centre forward too. I absolutely don't understand what we're doing here...and If I'm honest I think we've blown it with Theo.

Do the board and Arsene honestly believe we can build a competitive team when we strip it of our best players every single season...Newcastle can keep hold of their best players, so can the Sc*m to a lesser degree...yet we sell our crown jewels every single season.

It's absolutely ridiculous and I'm sick of it.

:gp:

[Niall_Quinn]

i saw a suggestion that would call theos bluff, he says he wants to play for us but play as as striker and its not about the money.

time to offer him a contract of 75k a week with a guarentee of playing up front. see what happens there

Are we really going to allow a player to dictate where he will play? By contract? That can't happen and Walcott wouldn't get that agreement anywhere. He's said he's leaving everything, bar the sniping in interviews, to his agent. In which case this is all about the money. What else are agents going to discuss? Just shows how much quality has departed this team if the notion of Walcott being top earner is acceptable. Another symptom of the chavs and arabs killing the game. There is no "going rate" when a couple of clubs have inflated salaries to monopoly money levels. The going rate simply becomes whatever these two fancy at any given time, turds like Gareth Barry end up being paid six figures a week. Jenks from non-league footie on to £100K if he gets a few more caps under his belt, which he might? Ryan Shawcross?

Whatever happened to doing the time and delivering the results? Walcott has sat on our treatment table half his career and taken the money. He's a scarcely deserved (given his performances) England international on the back of playing for us, one of the bigger clubs. The whole Theo hype is because of his relationship with Arsenal. We have begged him for consistency, a little more thought to his football, the realisation of his potential. Now he suddenly starts to perform when his contract is being negotiated.

Before that, nah, just take the money, just take the chants of the fans, just take the extraordinary amount of good will he's been given by the fans. As soon as he gained the upper hand he planted his feet and started issuing demands. First chance he got. Now we see the real Theo Walcott. And because the team has had so much talent ripped from it we are left with the dilemma (as fans) of hoping an ungrateful piece of shit stays on his terms. And to compound it we are run by another bunch of shits who probably can't wait to push him out the door.

We don't get much as fans at this place, do we?

[IBK]

Yeah I kind of get that feeling too, IMHO we gave him the 75K per week ultimatum in the summer and out of principle aren't prepared to increase our offer.

I personally think if he wants to stay for 90K per week and we're offer only 80K per week we're cutting our nose off to spite our face.

Theo is one of our best performers this season and is our top scorer, that is fact. Theo appears to be maturing into a very decent player and is our best winger IMHO.

Heck he's probably our best Centre forward too. I absolutely don't understand what we're doing here...and If I'm honest I think we've blown it with Theo.

Do the board and Arsene honestly believe we can build a competitive team when we strip it of our best players every single season...Newcastle can keep hold of their best players, so can the Sc*m to a lesser degree...yet we sell our crown jewels every single season.

It's absolutely ridiculous and I'm sick of it.

:gp:

There's an intolerable level of arrogance running through our club. Its shown in many ways - and one of the most galling appears to be the readiness to cut off our noses to spite our faces when it comes to wage policies/selling players. I agree that you cannot have players dictating terms to a club. But by the same token we are living in a world where clubs have to accept that decent players have a lot of power in the marketplace. There are degrees - and it certainly seems that our club is prepared to sacrifice continuity and success on the pitch for principle. If we were a club that simply couldn't pay more than our valuations of certain players then it would be one thing. But we spunk a massive wage bill that is itself bloated by payments to utterly mediocre players who rarely, if ever, play for us. Is Walcott worth £90K per week? He is worth what the market will pay for him. And while he is an asset to our team - which he undoubtedly is - he should be treated as such - not frozen out while the club seems almost unwilling to make the effort to keep him.

[Marc Overmars]

how about pulling our fucking fingers out, realising sometimes we have to pay through the nose to help with the 'bigger picture' of where the team is at the moment, fuck off squilaci, fuck off denilson, fuck off bendtner, fuck off chamakh, fuck off diaby and then paying 100k won't even be an issue.

Yep, there's nothing wrong with having principles but we really ought to get with the program. I don't care if it's about money and neither should anyone, Football doesn't have a moral compass anymore.

[selassie]

:gp:

There's an intolerable level of arrogance running through our club. Its shown in many ways - and one of the most galling appears to be the readiness to cut off our noses to spite our faces when it comes to wage policies/selling players. I agree that you cannot have players dictating terms to a club. But by the same token we are living in a world where clubs have to accept that decent players have a lot of power in the marketplace. There are degrees - and it certainly seems that our club is prepared to sacrifice continuity and success on the pitch for principle. If we were a club that simply couldn't pay more than our valuations of certain players then it would be one thing. But we spunk a massive wage bill that is itself bloated by payments to utterly mediocre players who rarely, if ever, play for us. Is Walcott worth £90K per week? He is worth what the market will pay for him. And while he is an asset to our team - which he undoubtedly is - he should be treated as such - not frozen out while the club seems almost unwilling to make the effort to keep him.

Absolutely, our wage structure is an utter mess, the fact that 2 of our highest earners in Chamakh and Arshavin rarely get a sniff of action speaks volumes.

How can we have this principle of not paying our best players a modest wage yet happily pay surplus and squad players fairly big wages, in the case of Arshavin and Chamakh big wages. We reward mediocrity yet when players in the team improve and start performing at a high level we seem to struggle to accept that we should reward them, I'm not talking about paying them Man City salaries either.

I accept in the case of RVP, Nasri & Fabregas that for one reason or another the situation was out of our control but I absolutely don't accept that with Theo, In fact I think to a degree (albeit slightly in hindsight) his original wage request was fair considering his performances last season and his status in the league.

I've no doubt that from a footballing point of view we're going to absolutely regret Theo leaving. Commercially we'll suffer too, he sells a lot of shirts apparently. Add that to the fact he won't be adequately replaced, who is Arsene kidding when he says if Theo is sold he'll replace him with a player of the same stature. He won't do that, he'll replace him internally, we all know this.

Personally I feel our season will suffer if Theo is sold.

How pig headed can the guys at the top be?

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Are we really going to allow a player to dictate where he will play? By contract? That can't happen and Walcott wouldn't get that agreement anywhere. He's said he's leaving everything, bar the sniping in interviews, to his agent. In which case this is all about the money. What else are agents going to discuss? Just shows how much quality has departed this team if the notion of Walcott being top earner is acceptable. Another symptom of the chavs and arabs killing the game. There is no "going rate" when a couple of clubs have inflated salaries to monopoly money levels. The going rate simply becomes whatever these two fancy at any given time, turds like Gareth Barry end up being paid six figures a week. Jenks from non-league footie on to £100K if he gets a few more caps under his belt, which he might? Ryan Shawcross?

Whatever happened to doing the time and delivering the results? Walcott has sat on our treatment table half his career and taken the money. He's a scarcely deserved (given his performances) England international on the back of playing for us, one of the bigger clubs. The whole Theo hype is because of his relationship with Arsenal. We have begged him for consistency, a little more thought to his football, the realisation of his potential. Now he suddenly starts to perform when his contract is being negotiated.

Before that, nah, just take the money, just take the chants of the fans, just take the extraordinary amount of good will he's been given by the fans. As soon as he gained the upper hand he planted his feet and started issuing demands. First chance he got. Now we see the real Theo Walcott. And because the team has had so much talent ripped from it we are left with the dilemma (as fans) of hoping an ungrateful piece of shit stays on his terms. And to compound it we are run by another bunch of shits who probably can't wait to push him out the door.

We don't get much as fans at this place, do we?

:gp:

[Olivier's xmas twist]

i saw a suggestion that would call theos bluff, he says he wants to play for us but play as as striker and its not about the money.

time to offer him a contract of 75k a week with a guarentee of playing up front. see what happens there

We've offered him a contract of 75K he clearly wants more regardless of him playing up front.

[Niall_Quinn]

There's a very short term attitude here that seems to match the ambitions of the board more than what I thought were the ambitions of the fans. If Walcott is prepared to do this now, even if we sign him up we stand to lose more than we'll gain if our recent history is anything to go by. There are several dangers.

First, even if we sign him do we get to keep the "can suddenly give a fuck" Walcott or does he drop back into his 3 games a year routine?

Second, if we pay this guy the ludicrous amounts being suggested, is that the new benchmark for incoming signings and future contract negotiations? Is Walcott so special the rest will look on and understand why he's on the big money? I doubt it. Walcott is no RvC. For me this will be more a case of, "If Walcott's on x I at least deserve y"

Then there's the board. If Walcott signs and continues to perform, doesn't that just mean we get the summer madness followed by every subsequent transfer window madness as the other clubs come sniffing around? If Walcott delivers, especially if he delivers on the international stage, we lose him anyway. Isn't that the way it works at this club?

I can't see a good way out of this situation from a fan's perspective. Either the club gets scalped by Walcott or Walcott bows and delivers and then gets flogged anyway. So what do we get? Maybe a season from a fairly decent player? Provided he doesn't get injured again?

Cave into him and we get all the problems that may bring and probably still get fucked in the end anyway. Is it any wonder these players don't fight tooth and nail on the pitch? Is it a surprise their attitude stinks, their heads drop, they won't fight for the shirt, they are perennial losers? Big money, no pressure, half their careers on the treatment table and then fuck off to manchester when the first decent season has concluded.

We fucked ourselves as soon as we declared ourselves as a selling club. Not only in the eyes of other clubs but also in the eyes of our own players. Once RvC went it became open season, now anything goes. Including players like Walcott (hardly a world beater) trying to dictate where he plays and making ridiculous wage demands. At least we know what sort of person he is now, I suppose, so it won't come as a shock when he fucks off. No illusions as with the RvC betrayal.

Jack Wilshere could stop this tide, I hope he's the guy to do it when it comes time to sign his next contract. That will be the real wrench if it goes badly - not Walcott. Walcott has pretty much declared he's available to the highest bidder. Wilshere has so far declared his desire to stay with the club for life. Is it possible there's still one player out there who gives a shit about the club and the fans? I hope so.

[V-Pig]

Theo is quite a weird player to assess. One the one hand when he has a bad game he has a very bad game, he makes constant wrong decisions even during his good games, has poor ball control and his finishing when one on one is usually close to the keeper, giving them a chance to make a save. Judged on that you would say he isn't worth 100k a week.

However despite all of the above he does keep scoring and getting assists. His crossing seems to be improving and his finishing when he cuts in from the wing is quality. It's something we have benefited from this season.

Even though he isn't worth the money he is demanding I think we have to give it to him. We need him more that he needs us.

Yeah, I'd agree with this. I guess he'll have to be paid. I'd quite like to see him play through the middle when on top form, making runs through the central defenders and shooting low past the keeper as he's been doing a lot recently. He's getting a lot better at finishing.

[Özil's Panoramic View]

Tbh, 75k is a decent enough offer. Theo asking for 100k is a bit overly ambitious imo.

I do hope all prospects of further negotiations are not already lost, due to both parties possibly drawing hard lines.

I say a possible settlement of 80-85k would seem just based on the current wage climate and what Theo has contributed and continues to contribute. He's definitely among our shortlist of direct players and we can ill-afford to lose him at this time - even more so when one considers that he will possibly not be adequately replaced.

Tired of this feeling of deja fucking-vu.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Tbh, 75k is a decent enough offer. Theo asking for 100k is a bit overly ambitious imo.

I do hope all prospects of further negotiations are not already lost, due to both parties possibly drawing hard lines.

I say a possible settlement of 80-85k would seem just based on the current wage climate and what Theo has contributed and continues to contribute. He's definitely among our shortlist of direct players and we can ill-afford to lose him at this time - even more so when one considers that he will possibly not be adequately replaced.

Tired of this feeling of deja fucking-vu.

That seems fair and both the player and the club should be happy with that.

[Niall_Quinn]

Do we kick Giroud out to give Walcott what he wants? Or change to 4-4-2 and have Gervinho and Ramsey provide the lethal ammo from the wings? If Walcott stays surely we need him out wide? Whatever decent performances he's managed, that's where he managed them from isn't it?

[GP]

Well, exactly.

I don't know why he's making such a fuss about being played as a striker when it's clear he's best coming in from the right.

I mean, I do know why he's making a fuss about it, but some won't believe it.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Do we kick Giroud out to give Walcott what he wants? Or change to 4-4-2 and have Gervinho and Ramsey provide the lethal ammo from the wings? If Walcott stays surely we need him out wide? Whatever decent performances he's managed, that's where he managed them from isn't it?

What if we bring in a Llorente in Jan or some stiker as good as him, then Theo has no chance up top. We clearly need a top strtiker in. Inspite of Theo staying.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Well, exactly.

I don't know why he's making such a fuss about being played as a striker when it's clear he's best coming in from the right.

I mean, I do know why he's making a fuss about it, but some won't believe it.

The 100K he wants?

[GP]

The 100K he wants?

Or more.

[LDG]

Have footballers stopped using the excuse about higher wages because the have short careers yet?

[Özil's Panoramic View]

Wenger might appear tactically inept, but he's certainly no fool. I believe he's gotten it right with Theo. For sure, Theo's a good finisher, but I don't think he'd be as effective if used as a CF/striker. I say this based on his less than technical attributes - one on one situations and all.

He gets into good scoring positions because he's able to swiftly get himself in and out of the box from that right wing. Make the mistake of stucking him into that lead striker's role, with one or two tall and/or physical defenders marking him for 90+ mins, and he'll probably look less than ordinary.

Theo has the pace similar to a TH14 but not the physical presence, trickery and raw power. He also has the stature of a Iceman, but not the def touch and sublime finish.

A good wing man he is and Wenger knows this as much as anyone else.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Wenger might appear tactically inept, but he's certainly no fool. I believe he's gotten it right with Theo. For sure, Theo's a good finisher, but I don't think he'd be as effective if used as a CF/striker. I say this based on his less than technical attributes - one on one situations and all.

He gets into good scoring positions because he's able to swiftly get himself in and out of the box from that right wing. Make the mistake of stucking him into that lead striker's role, with one or two tall and/or physical defenders marking him for 90+ mins, and he'll probably look less than ordinary.

Theo has the pace similar to a TH14 but not the physical presence, trickery and raw power. He also has the stature of a Iceman, but not the def touch and sublime finish.

A good wing man he is and Wenger knows this as much as anyone else.

Even Theo knows this. Problem is he needs to start games, rather then come off the bench.

[Özil's Panoramic View]

Yea, he definitely needs to start games, but this will only happen when he accepts that his regular starts will come only playing on that right wing.

Less clutter out there allowing him to kick the ball and give chase, or swiftly sneak into the box unnoticed, affording him decent scoring opportunities which he will more than likely convert. More relevance for him right there - hope he's at least that smart to realise this.

[SayNoMore]

With the form Giroud is in, i think Theo better be happy on the right for now. He seems smart enough to realise this, but we cannot lose him like we have with everyone else. Sign him up!!

[Power n Glory]

how about pulling our fucking fingers out, realising sometimes we have to pay through the nose to help with the 'bigger picture' of where the team is at the moment, fuck off squilaci, fuck off denilson, fuck off bendtner, fuck off chamakh, fuck off diaby and then paying 100k won't even be an issue.

Terry, you had a go at me some weeks back but I'm going to dig up the issue again because I'm seeing examples of the sort posts that really tick me off and I just can't understand the logic. I'm calling it out again because it's just senseless.

I don't get how and why people are making arguments that play right into the hands of the Board and justifies their cost cutting measures while eating away at the talent we have on the field. It's obvious that Theo has had a positive impact to say the least and he's already chipped in with his fair share of goals and assists this season like he has done in the past. We simply can't afford to lose him. £75k, £100k...wing, central....it doesn't matter. He's a valuable member to this squad. The club just aren't doing enough to keep our best players and that has been made perfectly clear over the past two summers. We will continue to fall down the pecking order if we continue down this route and everyone has pretty much agreed on that point in other threads. But when you see some of the comments in here today, you have to wonder where certain posters heads are at.

It pisses me off to see such comments here and then visit threads weeks later when the shit hits the fans and the same posters are bemoaning our decline as a club and the way we keep losing players. Greedy board this, Wenger this and that but when you look at certain comments they're practically giving a seal of approval to such policies. It's not just here either. Blogs like Arseblog and Le Grove do it as well and loads of Gooners read these blogs on a daily and they only fuel the flames to turn the fans against the player. It plays right into the hands of the Board.

With the RVP situation, PHW linked RVP to Man City and practically accused him of greed and tried to manipulate the fans by talking about player loyalty at Man Utd with players like Scholes and Giggs. Months down the line we find out that RVP turned down a move to City, no contract over was even made by the club and Podolski and Giroud were already lined up as his replacement ages ago, even though Wenger said that they weren't weeks earlier. Nothing but lies from the club and that needs to be remembered. I won't even go too deep into the Song situation either but many bought into the lies in that situation too and comfortable with the prospect of losing another key player.

Now you may think this is smug and it's an 'I know better' type post, but you'd be missing the point and totally wrong. There is no shame in being conned by these vultures once, but for it to happen again and again is a little too much to take. You have to brain dead to not connect the dots after the bullshit we;ve seen over the years and routine patterns/outcome. We need to wake up to the fact that we're being conned and when we're being conned. This Theo situation is a clear example of the sting being put on us and I don't want us to be in a situation where we applaud the club for being shrewd businessmen and pat them on the back for their handling of the situation, then look back in retrospect, see it as the point at where our season fell apart and then crucify the club for their business practice.

[Niall_Quinn]

Have footballers stopped using the excuse about higher wages because the have short careers yet?

That was before they started earning a careers salary in one year, back in the days when they could play.

[dazthegooner]

Terry, you had a go at me some weeks back but I'm going to dig up the issue again because I'm seeing examples of the sort posts that really tick me off and I just can't understand the logic. I'm calling it out again because it's just senseless.

I don't get how and why people are making arguments that play right into the hands of the Board and justifies their cost cutting measures while eating away at the talent we have on the field. It's obvious that Theo has had a positive impact to say the least and he's already chipped in with his fair share of goals and assists this season like he has done in the past. We simply can't afford to lose him. £75k, £100k...wing, central....it doesn't matter. He's a valuable member to this squad. The club just aren't doing enough to keep our best players and that has been made perfectly clear over the past two summers. We will continue to fall down the pecking order if we continue down this route and everyone has pretty much agreed on that point in other threads. But when you see some of the comments in here today, you have to wonder where certain posters heads are at.

It pisses me off to see such comments here and then visit threads weeks later when the shit hits the fans and the same posters are bemoaning our decline as a club and the way we keep losing players. Greedy board this, Wenger this and that but when you look at certain comments they're practically giving a seal of approval to such policies. It's not just here either. Blogs like Arseblog and Le Grove do it as well and loads of Gooners read these blogs on a daily and they only fuel the flames to turn the fans against the player. It plays right into the hands of the Board.

With the RVP situation, PHW linked RVP to Man City and practically accused him of greed and tried to manipulate the fans by talking about player loyalty at Man Utd with players like Scholes and Giggs. Months down the line we find out that RVP turned down a move to City, no contract over was even made by the club and Podolski and Giroud were already lined up as his replacement ages ago, even though Wenger said that they weren't weeks earlier. Nothing but lies from the club and that needs to be remembered. I won't even go too deep into the Song situation either but many bought into the lies in that situation too and comfortable with the prospect of losing another key player.

Now you may think this is smug and it's an 'I know better' type post, but you'd be missing the point and totally wrong. There is no shame in being conned by these vultures once, but for it to happen again and again is a little too much to take. You have to brain dead to not connect the dots after the bullshit we;ve seen over the years and routine patterns/outcome. We need to wake up to the fact that we're being conned and when we're being conned. This Theo situation is a clear example of the sting being put on us and I don't want us to be in a situation where we applaud the club for being shrewd businessmen and pat them on the back for their handling of the situation, then look back in retrospect, see it as the point at where our season fell apart and then crucify the club for their business practice.


:gp:

[Niall_Quinn]

Terry, you had a go at me some weeks back but I'm going to dig up the issue again because I'm seeing examples of the sort posts that really tick me off and I just can't understand the logic. I'm calling it out again because it's just senseless.

...

Now you may think this is smug and it's an 'I know better' type post, but you'd be missing the point and totally wrong. There is no shame in being conned by these vultures once, but for it to happen again and again is a little too much to take. You have to brain dead to not connect the dots after the bullshit we;ve seen over the years and routine patterns/outcome. We need to wake up to the fact that we're being conned and when we're being conned. This Theo situation is a clear example of the sting being put on us and I don't want us to be in a situation where we applaud the club for being shrewd businessmen and pat them on the back for their handling of the situation, then look back in retrospect, see it as the point at where our season fell apart and then crucify the club for their business practice.

Walcott's playing his part in this ongoing sting too. They all are. The game has moved way, way beyond the fans now and is all about agents and lawyers and accountants and scalpers. We had a laugh beating the spuds again but let's not even pretend it's the same game or any of those players mean a fraction to the fans that the legends do. These ****s aren't pulling any wool anywhere, they don't even pretend to give a shit. Whether it's the mega ****s like PHW or the trainee ****s like Walcott, they are the same. Both these cocksuckers have everything they could have ever dreamed of, but they want more. Fuck them. Who is fooled? Maybe the fans who say poor Theo, poor RvC, poor anyone who takes our money and fucks off as soon as the opportunity presents itself.

Shame badge kissers aren't booed instead of cheered. Leave the badge alone ****s. Instead get your pen out, take the king's ransom and at least pretend to thank your lucky stars for your silver spoon existence. Just because everything is totally fucking insane doesn't mean we have to accept it as normal and then argue between the degrees of fake normality.

[gooners]

Well, walcott owes anyone nothing. It is his career and life afterall -- it has always been the case. You can romanticize 'those days gone' as much as you like.

he is the commodity --- if you want it, you pay for it!

walcott didn't complain when PHW and co sold out for a handsome sum; and he wont when wenger and gazidis collect their fat bonuses :good:


Edit: he could also choose to play for free; he is already set for life, isn't he?

[Power n Glory]

Walcott's playing his part in this ongoing sting too. They all are. The game has moved way, way beyond the fans now and is all about agents and lawyers and accountants and scalpers. We had a laugh beating the spuds again but let's not even pretend it's the same game or any of those players mean a fraction to the fans that the legends do. These ****s aren't pulling any wool anywhere, they don't even pretend to give a shit. Whether it's the mega ****s like PHW or the trainee ****s like Walcott, they are the same. Both these cocksuckers have everything they could have ever dreamed of, but they want more. Fuck them. Who is fooled? Maybe the fans who say poor Theo, poor RvC, poor anyone who takes our money and fucks off as soon as the opportunity presents itself.

Shame badge kissers aren't booed instead of cheered. Leave the badge alone ****s. Instead get your pen out, take the king's ransom and at least pretend to thank your lucky stars for your silver spoon existence. Just because everything is totally fucking insane doesn't mean we have to accept it as normal and then argue between the degrees of fake normality.

This is childish talk. Did you give a shit about Walcott's well being before he joined Arsenal? Will you give a shit about him after heleaves? No! It works both ways.

And you can't pull the loyalty card here either because he is within his rights to see out his contract. He agreed to stay for that duration and he's not looking to break that agreement. He'll honour his contract if the club don't want to offer an extension and then move on.

[Kano]

Well, walcott owes anyone nothing. It is his career and life afterall -- it has always been the case. You can romanticize 'those days gone' as much as you like.

he is the commodity --- if you want it, you pay for it!

walcott didn't complain when PHW and co sold out for a handsome sum; and he wont when wenger and gazidis collect their fat bonuses :good:


Edit: he could also choose to play for free; he is already set for life, isn't he?
we charge the market rate for fucking fish and chips, so why can't we do it for a player that can help us on the pitch ffs.

[Niall_Quinn]

Well, walcott owes anyone nothing. It is his career and life afterall -- it has always been the case. You can romanticize 'those days gone' as much as you like.

he is the commodity --- if you want it, you pay for it!

walcott didn't complain when PHW and co sold out for a handsome sum; and he wont when wenger and gazidis collect their fat bonuses :good:


Edit: he could also choose to play for free; he is already set for life, isn't he?

That's right. And like I said, if he stays he stays, if he goes the fuck off and go. "Oh please Theo, stay Theo, don't leave us Theo", is something you won't be hearing here. For the very reasons you have just given.

[gooners]

we charge the market rate for fucking fish and chips, so why can't we do it for a player that can help us on the pitch ffs.

:lol:

The irony, eh? --- i just can't wrap my head around this shit.
It's akin to someone harassing his debtors for all he is owed yet delinquent when it comes to settling his bills! What kind of shit is that?

[Niall_Quinn]

This is childish talk. Did you give a shit about Walcott's well being before he joined Arsenal? Will you give a shit about him after heleaves? No! It works both ways.

And you can't pull the loyalty card here either because he is within his rights to see out his contract. He agreed to stay for that duration and he's not looking to break that agreement. He'll honour his contract if the club don't want to offer an extension and then move on.

Yeah it's all childish talk. Everyone knows the fans are supposed to be on the shit end of every deal while the shareholders and the mercenaries they hire are always supposed to get whatever they want no matter how much it fucks the club over. This is just that normal shit I was talking about and there's nothing anyone can do to change it. So might as well cheer it instead. Er, no. I can pull the Pat Rice card any time I want mate.

[Niall_Quinn]

we charge the market rate for fucking fish and chips, so why can't we do it for a player that can help us on the pitch ffs.

Because money in is not the same as money out.

[gooners]

"Oh please Theo, stay Theo, don't leave us Theo", is something you won't be hearing here.

'theo' could be replaced with 'henry','vieira','bergy','keown', 'adams', 'wenger' etc and it will mean shit --- never meant shit.

In fact, most couldn't wait to see the back of henry!

[Niall_Quinn]

'theo' could be replaced with 'henry','vieira','bergy','keown', 'adams', 'wenger' etc and it will mean shit --- never meant shit.

In fact, most couldn't wait to see the back of henry!

Not sure at all that most wanted Henry gone. It was one of the few consolations he stayed after the defeat against Barca, as I recall. But if you're mentioning Henry, Bergkamp, Keown, Adams and even Wenger then let's take this mercenary argument to its absolute conclusion and avoid trying to be a little bit pregnant. Show me the results if you want to see the money. No doubt about any of those names you mentioned there. And now we have Walcott. The demands are there, the self interest is there, this new tolerance and even admiration of zero loyalty is firmly in place, looks like everything is there except the results. Those players you reeled off have all earned a placed in the club's legend. Theo Walcott isn't even in the foothills of their achievements yet. True enough, he's in a different and inferior team. But he wouldn't have got within sniffing distance of the teams we had in the past. Let's not confuse him for something he isn't.

[Power n Glory]

Yeah it's all childish talk. Everyone knows the fans are supposed to be on the shit end of every deal while the shareholders and the mercenaries they hire are always supposed to get whatever they want no matter how much it fucks the club over. This is just that normal shit I was talking about and there's nothing anyone can do to change it. So might as well cheer it instead. Er, no. I can pull the Pat Rice card any time I want mate.

No, you're mixed up. Us fans get fucked over when the team continues to deteriorate because of the lack of quality players and we keep seeing embarrassing results. That's being on the shit end. I'm pissed when I see bad results on the field and not what's on our balance sheet. You seem overly concerned with our balance sheet at the moment.

And no, you can't pull the Pat Rice card because you have no idea if he ever felt undervalued by the club with their contract offer but accepted it anyway.

[Power n Glory]

'theo' could be replaced with 'henry','vieira','bergy','keown', 'adams', 'wenger' etc and it will mean shit --- never meant shit.

In fact, most couldn't wait to see the back of henry!

Deja vu.

[Niall_Quinn]

No, you're mixed up. Us fans get fucked over when the team continues to deteriorate because of the lack of quality players and we keep seeing embarrassing results. That's being on the shit end. I'm pissed when I see bad results on the field and not what's on our balance sheet. You seem overly concerned with our balance sheet at the moment.

And no, you can't pull the Pat Rice card because you have no idea if he ever felt undervalued by the club with their contract offer but accepted it anyway.

Eh? You're doing it again. If somebody doesn't agree with your argument you assume they are a board member or even Arsene Wenger. Where have I expressed concern for the balance sheet? Do you seriously think I'm against Walcott being allowed to dictate where he plays and being overpaid for average performance because I want to see a healthy balance sheet? Let me be clear. I want Walcott to shut his face, play where the manager tells him, put in a consistent season rather than the odd decent game every now and again. Why do I want that? Because that's the real world where everyone else lives. But true enough, in the insanity of football it does seem reality goes out the window. But that doesn't mean you can't say, oh look, reality has just flown out the window. No need to sympathise with somebody who has given just a handful of games to the club and now wants to be top of the tree, both in terms of deciding where he plays and also being paid more than superior talent.

It's not my business if Arsenal caves and Walcott forces his demands - as PHW says, thanks for all the interest in things that don't concern me. All I'm saying is Theo Walcott is a disloyal a greedy **** and I'm demonstrating why. Is he the only **** in football? Of course not. Does that mean he is not a **** then?

I don't get the bit about Pat Rice. All I know is he's an Arsenal man through and through. I'm sure he did get wound up from time to time, don't we all. But he's no Theo Walcott.

Don't you even listen to Walcott when he's being interviewed these days? He's sticking two fingers up at you.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

'theo' could be replaced with 'henry','vieira','bergy','keown', 'adams', 'wenger' etc and it will mean shit --- never meant shit.

In fact, most couldn't wait to see the back of henry!

Rubbish ablsoute rubbish. Henry was a Legend here, everyone would have loved him more had he stayed. However people knew he was getting old and had a better chance at winning the Cl with barca.

[LDG]

It's all nuts anyway.

It's a big game being played out between Theo, his agent, the lawyers and the club. They're all hankering for the best deal. Theo wants money, the board want to turn a profit....but you have to say the winner (short term) is going to be the owners. Basically, if Theo doesn't accept what they offer, they sell him. It's win win for them. There's profit wherever they turn.

And it's win win for Theo too. If he get's what he wants, he's handsomely paid. If he doesn't, he goes somewhere else to be handsomely paid.

The only losers are the fans. And we're where they get all the fucking money from!!

The only game all of them have to play, is to try and show who cares most about us lot, so we keep paying up....but the trouble is, they are becomming more and more detatched from us fans the more they earn.

*sigh*

:(

[V-Pig]

:(

Wonder what young Theo would feel to see his current self haggling with a giant club over how many millions of pounds he's going to be paid a year and deciding whether instead he should move to the real-life-football-manager-on-cheat-mode oil club and play once a month.

I bet it used to be about the football.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

It's all nuts anyway.

It's a big game being played out between Theo, his agent, the lawyers and the club. They're all hankering for the best deal. Theo wants money, the board want to turn a profit....but you have to say the winner (short term) is going to be the owners. Basically, if Theo doesn't accept what they offer, they sell him. It's win win for them. There's profit wherever they turn.

And it's win win for Theo too. If he get's what he wants, he's handsomely paid. If he doesn't, he goes somewhere else to be handsomely paid.

The only losers are the fans. And we're where they get all the fucking money from!!

The only game all of them have to play, is to try and show who cares most about us lot, so we keep paying up....but the trouble is, they are becomming more and more detatched from us fans the more they earn.

*sigh*

:(

:gp:

[Niall_Quinn]

:(

Wonder what young Theo would feel to see his current self haggling with a giant club over how many millions of pounds he's going to be paid a year and deciding whether instead he should move to the real-life-football-manager-on-cheat-mode oil club and play once a month.

I bet it used to be about the football.

The only break I give him is he's still a kid and it must be a hard job indeed not to get bitten by all the snakes that come crawling when there's money to be made off another person's back. Including your own family, as we have seen before. But that was what he was supposed to be, the kid with his feet planted on the ground. That's one of the reasons we all got behind him even though he took an age to start delivering on some of the potential he promised. It certainly didn't help when he dumped onto the England bench having hardly kicked a ball at the top level. A cynical marketing ploy by the Jimmy Savilles of the commercial world.

[Niall_Quinn]

It's all nuts anyway.

It's a big game being played out between Theo, his agent, the lawyers and the club. They're all hankering for the best deal. Theo wants money, the board want to turn a profit....but you have to say the winner (short term) is going to be the owners. Basically, if Theo doesn't accept what they offer, they sell him. It's win win for them. There's profit wherever they turn.

And it's win win for Theo too. If he get's what he wants, he's handsomely paid. If he doesn't, he goes somewhere else to be handsomely paid.

The only losers are the fans. And we're where they get all the fucking money from!!

The only game all of them have to play, is to try and show who cares most about us lot, so we keep paying up....but the trouble is, they are becomming more and more detatched from us fans the more they earn.

*sigh*

:(

That's about it. You feel like jumping up and down and shouting, hello, remember me? Except you don't because PHW would have an ignorant one liner to reduce you to apoplectic rage. Fingers crossed for Jack Wilshere. He might stay.

...Just like RvC did

[GP]

That's about it. You feel like jumping up and down and shouting, hello, remember me? Except you don't because PHW would have an ignorant one liner to reduce you to apoplectic rage. Fingers crossed for Jack Wilshere. He might stay.

...Just like RvC did

Thank you for your interest in our affairs.

[Niall_Quinn]

Thank you for your interest in our affairs.

:p

[Niall_Quinn]

Thank you for your interest in our affairs.

:p

[Kano]

Terry, you had a go at me some weeks back but I'm going to dig up the issue again because I'm seeing examples of the sort posts that really tick me off and I just can't understand the logic. I'm calling it out again because it's just senseless.

I don't get how and why people are making arguments that play right into the hands of the Board and justifies their cost cutting measures while eating away at the talent we have on the field. It's obvious that Theo has had a positive impact to say the least and he's already chipped in with his fair share of goals and assists this season like he has done in the past. We simply can't afford to lose him. £75k, £100k...wing, central....it doesn't matter. He's a valuable member to this squad. The club just aren't doing enough to keep our best players and that has been made perfectly clear over the past two summers. We will continue to fall down the pecking order if we continue down this route and everyone has pretty much agreed on that point in other threads. But when you see some of the comments in here today, you have to wonder where certain posters heads are at.

It pisses me off to see such comments here and then visit threads weeks later when the shit hits the fans and the same posters are bemoaning our decline as a club and the way we keep losing players. Greedy board this, Wenger this and that but when you look at certain comments they're practically giving a seal of approval to such policies. It's not just here either. Blogs like Arseblog and Le Grove do it as well and loads of Gooners read these blogs on a daily and they only fuel the flames to turn the fans against the player. It plays right into the hands of the Board.

With the RVP situation, PHW linked RVP to Man City and practically accused him of greed and tried to manipulate the fans by talking about player loyalty at Man Utd with players like Scholes and Giggs. Months down the line we find out that RVP turned down a move to City, no contract over was even made by the club and Podolski and Giroud were already lined up as his replacement ages ago, even though Wenger said that they weren't weeks earlier. Nothing but lies from the club and that needs to be remembered. I won't even go too deep into the Song situation either but many bought into the lies in that situation too and comfortable with the prospect of losing another key player.

Now you may think this is smug and it's an 'I know better' type post, but you'd be missing the point and totally wrong. There is no shame in being conned by these vultures once, but for it to happen again and again is a little too much to take. You have to brain dead to not connect the dots after the bullshit we;ve seen over the years and routine patterns/outcome. We need to wake up to the fact that we're being conned and when we're being conned. This Theo situation is a clear example of the sting being put on us and I don't want us to be in a situation where we applaud the club for being shrewd businessmen and pat them on the back for their handling of the situation, then look back in retrospect, see it as the point at where our season fell apart and then crucify the club for their business practice.
when it comes to the ****s that run the club, fuck em, call em out all you want. my point was about you pointing the finger toward other fans who, in a sense, have had their illusions shattered. its not a nice place to be, as i'm sure you've been there too. the last thing you want to hear when you come round to your senses is 'i told you so'.

fans 'buy' into the lies because of love of the club and hoping for a change to things, because they care. they will fight their corner against the 'doom-mongers' (jesus christ i hate that gay term) and the same will happen back, its all part of the nature at any given time. but let's not forget the real enemy sits high up in the boardroom of our club rather than next to us in the stadium or somewhere quoting a post of ours.

you talk of the games the board are playing with the club and conning everyone into thinking one thing before doing another but one thing we all need to be aware of is the divisive nature of their approach and the damage it can and will do to the all important bond shared between fans, especially through the tough times. by causing such a division it allows a middle ground for them to not only fool 'the gullible' but fuck with the so called smarter set of fans who think they are savvy to what is going on. playing both sides off each other creates the perfect grey area for more bs to be delivered to us all with absolutely none of us being any the wiser as to what is going on. i mean seriously, how many years were fans sitting around scratching their heads over whether there was money available or not? and where did that confusion come from? conflicting messages from the clubs management. and whilst we all sat and called each other ****s for believing one side over the other, who was sitting back laughing and continuing as they were?

i'm not here to police your posts or stop you 'calling fans out' but i think jumping onto people, who with the best of intentions, were wanting something positive to happen, is not helpful and creates a larger problem. i personally don't see what you get from it but you don't need me to tell you what to do. i just tell you what i think, as we all do here.

[Power n Glory]

Eh? You're doing it again. If somebody doesn't agree with your argument you assume they are a board member or even Arsene Wenger. Where have I expressed concern for the balance sheet? Do you seriously think I'm against Walcott being allowed to dictate where he plays and being overpaid for average performance because I want to see a healthy balance sheet? Let me be clear. I want Walcott to shut his face, play where the manager tells him, put in a consistent season rather than the odd decent game every now and again. Why do I want that? Because that's the real world where everyone else lives. But true enough, in the insanity of football it does seem reality goes out the window. But that doesn't mean you can't say, oh look, reality has just flown out the window. No need to sympathise with somebody who has given just a handful of games to the club and now wants to be top of the tree, both in terms of deciding where he plays and also being paid more than superior talent.

It's not my business if Arsenal caves and Walcott forces his demands - as PHW says, thanks for all the interest in things that don't concern me. All I'm saying is Theo Walcott is a disloyal a greedy **** and I'm demonstrating why. Is he the only **** in football? Of course not. Does that mean he is not a **** then?

I don't get the bit about Pat Rice. All I know is he's an Arsenal man through and through. I'm sure he did get wound up from time to time, don't we all. But he's no Theo Walcott.

Don't you even listen to Walcott when he's being interviewed these days? He's sticking two fingers up at you.

NQ, think about what you're arguing for and where your focus is. Your shitting all over Theo's contribution even though he's top scorer now and has a decent amount of assist, he performed well last year and the year before that but you're still being ignorant. For anyone to talk down a player this badly but at the same time say he should stay and sign a contract is baffling and you need to get your arguments straight.

The same goes for your argument about the Board, greed in the game, our decline as a force in football...etc.


Eh? You're doing it again. If somebody doesn't agree with your argument you assume they are a board member or even Arsene Wenger.

I'm not making such points to simply cast you aside. You're arguments are overly concerned with value, money and whose getting fucked over financially and you're not sparing a thought for how this effects us on the pitch. The players in the squad can see what Walcott brings to the squad and if we sell him, it's a sucker punch and that shaky morale will be well and truly flawed if he leaves. If you don't rate him as a player, fine. Most players in the squad can see his worth and Giroud has already struck up a good partnership with him. All this talk about him being greedy, not worth the wages...etc...overly concerned with the financial side of things and you are thinking more in line with Wenger and the Board with that sort of talk.


I want Walcott to shut his face, play where the manager tells him, put in a consistent season rather than the odd decent game every now and again. Why do I want that? Because that's the real world where everyone else lives

That's not even the real world. Theo is within his rights to leave after his contract has expired. If I was doing fixed contract work and my term was about to expire, I'm under no obligation to sign a new deal if I'm unhappy with the terms. It's that simple. All this loyalty talk....why should the players be loyal to this club? There is no leadership and they sell out all the time. And you need to get your head around the market value!

I don't complain and moan about the direction of the club if you can't get your head around this. It's unbelievable that these sort of debates still continue after the past few years we've seen. Don't try to switch it as if the player is taking the piss either. He plays a great game in the derby again and you're still shitting all over him. Don't talk about loyalty and the duties of players if you're going to be so hypocritical.

[Power n Glory]

when it comes to the ****s that run the club, fuck em, call em out all you want. my point was about you pointing the finger toward other fans who, in a sense, have had their illusions shattered. its not a nice place to be, as i'm sure you've been there too. the last thing you want to hear when you come round to your senses is 'i told you so'.

fans 'buy' into the lies because of love of the club and hoping for a change to things, because they care. they will fight their corner against the 'doom-mongers' (jesus christ i hate that gay term) and the same will happen back, its all part of the nature at any given time. but let's not forget the real enemy sits high up in the boardroom of our club rather than next to us in the stadium or somewhere quoting a post of ours.

you talk of the games the board are playing with the club and conning everyone into thinking one thing before doing another but one thing we all need to be aware of is the divisive nature of their approach and the damage it can and will do to the all important bond shared between fans, especially through the tough times. by causing such a division it allows a middle ground for them to not only fool 'the gullible' but fuck with the so called smarter set of fans who think they are savvy to what is going on. playing both sides off each other creates the perfect grey area for more bs to be delivered to us all with absolutely none of us being any the wiser as to what is going on. i mean seriously, how many years were fans sitting around scratching their heads over whether there was money available or not? and where did that confusion come from? conflicting messages from the clubs management. and whilst we all sat and called each other ****s for believing one side over the other, who was sitting back laughing and continuing as they were?

i'm not here to police your posts or stop you 'calling fans out' but i think jumping onto people, who with the best of intentions, were wanting something positive to happen, is not helpful and creates a larger problem. i personally don't see what you get from it but you don't need me to tell you what to do. i just tell you what i think, as we all do here.

As said, I have no problem with debates about funds, the Board and Wenger that stems back 6 or 7 years. These sort of debates is what I'm picking at. I don't even think there is a benefit for the Board to see the fans divided in such a way either. There is no perfect grey area for them. They're not trying to divide fans, they're trying make spoil the image of players so they can justly sell them off with the fans approval. That's the bullshit they're trying to pull and I'm calling it because it plays right into their hands.

[Kano]

but they don't get full fan approval do they? they get a bunch of bickering fans either behind the player or calling him a ****? either saying the player is justified in looking elsewhere or that he is taking the piss.

so that means the board don't get the complete brunt of the situation. look at how long it has taken for noise to be made and even now, is it even really that loud? no really. thats because most fans can't figure out what the hell is going on, who is right, who is wrong. by creating confusion it enables you to carry on as normal whilst the other fuckers scramble about figuring out the pieces. by the time they do its too late and the culprits have moved on. that is what the board are doing. that is why we get these 'leaks' that theo or rvp or song or whoever is considering their options, or staying with the club.

all of this inhouse bickering and confusion is absolutely perfect for the board, they wouldn't want it any other way. misdirection. look at this, then look at this. then bang, its all fucking gone and no one has a clue.

[Power n Glory]

but they don't get full fan approval do they? they get a bunch of bickering fans either behind the player or calling him a ****? either saying the player is justified in looking elsewhere or that he is taking the piss.

so that means the board don't get the complete brunt of the situation. look at how long it has taken for noise to be made and even now, is it even really that loud? no really. thats because most fans can't figure out what the hell is going on, who is right, who is wrong. by creating confusion it enables you to carry on as normal whilst the other fuckers scramble about figuring out the pieces. by the time they do its too late and the culprits have moved on. that is what the board are doing. that is why we get these 'leaks' that theo or rvp or song or whoever is considering their options, or staying with the club.

all of this inhouse bickering and confusion is absolutely perfect for the board, they wouldn't want it any other way. misdirection. look at this, then look at this. then bang, its all fucking gone and no one has a clue.

That's what I've been arguing about and why I'm going back and forth with NQ so much but it's falling on deaf ears. I keep saying the focus shouldn't be on the player and this is exactly why I've sparked the debate again tonight. As fans, our main interest should be about keeping our best players. The fact that we keep failing to do that each year can't always be down to player greed. Well, not on the players part anyway.

[Niall_Quinn]

NQ, think about what you're arguing for and where your focus is. Your shitting all over Theo's contribution even though he's top scorer now and has a decent amount of assist, he performed well last year and the year before that but you're still being ignorant. For anyone to talk down a player this badly but at the same time say he should stay and sign a contract is baffling and you need to get your arguments straight.

The same goes for your argument about the Board, greed in the game, our decline as a force in football...etc.



I'm not making such points to simply cast you aside. You're arguments are overly concerned with value, money and whose getting fucked over financially and you're not sparing a thought for how this effects us on the pitch. The players in the squad can see what Walcott brings to the squad and if we sell him, it's a sucker punch and that shaky morale will be well and truly flawed if he leaves. If you don't rate him as a player, fine. Most players in the squad can see his worth and Giroud has already struck up a good partnership with him. All this talk about him being greedy, not worth the wages...etc...overly concerned with the financial side of things and you are thinking more in line with Wenger and the Board with that sort of talk.



That's not even the real world. Theo is within his rights to leave after his contract has expired. If I was doing fixed contract work and my term was about to expire, I'm under no obligation to sign a new deal if I'm unhappy with the terms. It's that simple. All this loyalty talk....why should the players be loyal to this club? There is no leadership and they sell out all the time. And you need to get your head around the market value!

I don't complain and moan about the direction of the club if you can't get your head around this. It's unbelievable that these sort of debates still continue after the past few years we've seen. Don't try to switch it as if the player is taking the piss either. He plays a great game in the derby again and you're still shitting all over him. Don't talk about loyalty and the duties of players if you're going to be so hypocritical.

I'm not getting it?

I didn't say I didn't rate Walcott. I said he was hugely over-rated and he is. You have this unerring ability to only see his (few) goals and assists but you miss everything else. The 9/10 crap crosses, the 9/10 poor decisions, 9/10 poor first touches. These influence the game too and it's the whole contribution that should be used to rate the player, not just the highlights. He's nowhere near as good as you have been trying to make out but this is being masked by the fact the quality has been sold out from under the team so Theo has floated to the surface.

He's our top scorer because anyone could be our top scorer quite frankly. We just got rid of the best striker in the country who we were totally reliant on and Wenger has been screwing around with selections and compensating for the usual injury list ever since. He's our top scorer because we're short up front and our striker has taken time to settle. It's all just random. No consistency in the results, the play, the defending or the scoring. One day we get a bag full, the next a blank. And Walcott was as bad as he was good in the NLD, as inconsistent as ever, again you need to look past the highlights.

I'm being realistic. Same with the last two seasons. When not injured or having operations he was as hot and cold as they come. Just go back over the match threads if you need the evidence. A significant percentage of the posts must be Theo :doh: Some of the match threads read, brilliant by Theo too. Not many though. This isn't me making shit up.

Even so, I'd be happy enough for him to sign a contract and play where he's told by the manager. Why not? No big deal either way. Like I said, we aren't talking about a RvC here.

But if he wants out then fuck him. Let him go. That's all I have been saying from the start. Where's the pay off chasing any of these ****s, begging them? I think we agree, they are 100% in it for themselves and if that's true it implies they couldn't give a toss about the club or the fans. There is no loyalty any more (there used to be by the way and don't let pragmatic convenience seekers tell you otherwise), we accept it. So why the calls to give him what he wants? We can pick up another Walcott fairly cheap and he'll do the same on and off job. Who's chasing Gervinho after all? Nobody. Walcott has the hype attached, Gervinho doesn't. But you get pretty much the same result on the pitch. Maddening inconsistency. No need to chase Walcott if he doesn't want to be here. No need to chase anyone if they don't want to be here and I say that from the perceptive of a fan and not some **** in the boardroom.

As for the longer term results on the pitch, we've talked about this over and over. There won't be any, not until the current mobsters running the place are gone, we get a new manager in and the whole philosophy of the club changes. Do you think hiking the wage bill and putting Theo in charge will change anything? I don't. There's nothing hypocritical in my stance. You get two ****s in a room and you call each of them a ****. What's hypocritical about that?

As for the reasonableness of Theo's approach to his contract, dream on. They love the contract of the common man when it suits them but drop the bits that don't fit their requirements. If we perform like shit in our jobs we can get sacked, can't we? Can you sack these players for being shit? Ask Chamakh and Squillaci. So don't give me the real world in football BS, it's nothing like the world you and I are subject to. They get the smooth with the smooth, there's not a patch of rough in sight. But they sure love all that talk about loyalty, don't they? And the chanting, and "the fans were great" speeches, we did it for the fans, let's kiss the badge. And I'm the hypocrite? Yeah, right.

This isn't even a Walcott specific thing. He's just the latest **** lining up to shit on the fans so let's talk about him too. I said the same about Sagna, if he wants out then fuck off. Shame to lose him but I don't think anyone should get down on their knees to give him the privilege of playing for Arsenal.

I get that some people now consider a lack of honour, disregard for anything but themselves and the whole game of football reduced to a vehicle for personal enrichment as, normal, and realistic and just one of those things and even admirable and understandable. I'm saying I have a different view on that. And I think a lot of other fans must have too or else why have they been plugging in every Saturday for most of their lives? If it was just about the football, just the "realities" of the game, we could all support a different team each week, couldn't we? It wouldn't matter because you'd still see a football being kicked around. But that's not what football is to the fans. It's more than that. A lot more. These are the things that don't even flicker across Theo Walcott's mind as he stamps his foot up and down. Do I applaud him for that? Nope. Does that mean I therefore support the club's position in this? Nope? Hate those ****s too. I just wish any of these parties would have an ounce of respect for the fans.

But they don't.

[Power n Glory]

I'm really tired and not going to debate the issue any further. I don't agree with what you're saying and we can leave it at that.

[Niall_Quinn]

but they don't get full fan approval do they? they get a bunch of bickering fans either behind the player or calling him a ****? either saying the player is justified in looking elsewhere or that he is taking the piss.

so that means the board don't get the complete brunt of the situation. look at how long it has taken for noise to be made and even now, is it even really that loud? no really. thats because most fans can't figure out what the hell is going on, who is right, who is wrong. by creating confusion it enables you to carry on as normal whilst the other fuckers scramble about figuring out the pieces. by the time they do its too late and the culprits have moved on. that is what the board are doing. that is why we get these 'leaks' that theo or rvp or song or whoever is considering their options, or staying with the club.

all of this inhouse bickering and confusion is absolutely perfect for the board, they wouldn't want it any other way. misdirection. look at this, then look at this. then bang, its all fucking gone and no one has a clue.

This is how it is ALWAYS done. Provided the perps calling the shots aren't the main brunt of the dissatisfaction of the guy in the street then any other target is highly desirable. That's what political parties are for, and religions. If you can get half the people to have a row with the other half then job done. I'm not saying the cocksuckers at Arsenal set out to do this but they wouldn't be crying in the champagne if it turned out that way.

[Niall_Quinn]

I'm really tired and not going to debate the issue any further. I don't agree with what you're saying and we can leave it at that.

There's always tomorrow. Have a kip an try again.

[Kano]

This is how it is ALWAYS done. Provided the perps calling the shots aren't the main brunt of the dissatisfaction of the guy in the street then any other target is highly desirable. That's what political parties are for, and religions. If you can get half the people to have a row with the other half then job done. I'm not saying the cocksuckers at Arsenal set out to do this but they wouldn't be crying in the champagne if it turned out that way.
i think we can safely say it has and continues to develop that way because if the noise of discontent gets louder, so will the infighting which muddies the water perfectly. its hard to believe that this was not the intention of the board as the continuing mixed messages on various issues keeps all of us jumping from one side of the fence to the other, when that divide shouldn't be there at all. as you say, its the way these sort of things are done. the approach has considerable legacy when it comes to 'us' and 'them' and it works everytime. until the economy crashes and we descend into flesh eating parasites under the dark cloud of the apocalypse, as a club we are stuck in billionaires row. once this lot are finished and sell up, we have to deal with who or whatever comes next. when the ffp shuts us inside the cosy confines of the money machine with all the other teams across europe, we'll always have value to buy into. the current lot are setting out a template that should be even easier to work in the not too distant future.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Theo Walcott is open to a move abroad and could sign a pre-contract agreement in January with any overseas club – a move which might concentrate the minds of Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool, who were all interested in buying the Arsenal forward during the summer. The forward, who is out of contract in the summer, cannot agree to join another Premier League side until the close season.

As the January transfer window approaches it is understood there have been inquiries from a number of clubs on the continent interested in securing Walcott's signature as contract negotiations with Arsenal continue to stall.

Walcott is keeping his options open and may yet sign a contract at the club if the two parties can agree on the terms. The priority for Walcott, who has had his starts under Arsène Wenger this season limited to only three in 12 league games, is to play regular football.

In total he has scored nine goals in 15 appearances for Arsenal this campaign, the latest coming in the 5-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur in Saturday's north London derby. Wenger said after the game that, if Walcott, now 23, does not agree a new deal, he would still not be sold, raising the prospect that he could leave Arsenal on a free transfer, having cost them £9.1m as a 16-year-old. Wenger added: "We continue [talks] in a positive way. We have until the end of December to sort this out."

City made a bid to take him to the Etihad Stadium during the August transfer window which Walcott gave serious consideration to before deciding to stay at Arsenal. Roberto Mancini remains an admirer and, if the City manager did decide to make another offer in January, both Walcott and Arsenal might be tempted, despite Wenger's stance.

Walcott, who earns £75,000 a week, wants closer to £100,000 to sign on again. City would have few issues matching those terms.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/nov/19/arsenal-theo-walcott

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

i can honestly see him going united

nani's off in the summer. valencia is inconsistent. fergie will persuade him to play on the wing there cause he'll win shit loads of trophies. plus the rvp link up makes it even more attractive.

[selassie]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/nov/19/arsenal-theo-walcott

Hardly surprising, TBF Theo should get credit for not going there when they could easily double his wages, he would get games there too. He wouldn't be a regular but he would play.

I do believe he wants to stay but he obviously wants to be valued, this stalling of talks isn't greed related IMHO.

[GP]

Wenger has said he won't be sold in January.

[IBK]

Hardly surprising, TBF Theo should get credit for not going there when they could easily double his wages, he would get games there too. He wouldn't be a regular but he would play.

I do believe he wants to stay but he obviously wants to be valued, this stalling of talks isn't greed related IMHO.

Funny - I think he would like to stay too.

[Gervinho's Forehead]

Wenger has said he won't be sold in January.

Which means he will be sold in January.

[Kano]

Funny - I think he would like to stay too.
there isn't a better springboard club in the world.

[Fist of Lehmann]

Hardly surprising, TBF Theo should get credit for not going there when they could easily double his wages, he would get games there too. He wouldn't be a regular but he would play.

I do believe he wants to stay but he obviously wants to be valued, this stalling of talks isn't greed related IMHO.
The thing is, when being valued is so intertwined with how much you are paid, is it possible to tell? It's like trying to determine intention, only the intendee really knows.

By the only other objective measure: minutes on the pitch, Theo was a first choice starter last year.
That's a pretty clear indication of how much he is valued. Given that, it's not undervalued he should feel, but exploited.

Not that he should feel exploited because it's bugfuck ridiculous to be talking about a £75k a week footballer being exploited, but that's where we are at now when some asshole somewhere can throw £150k a week at him without any kind of compunction whatsoever.

Is it then greed or can you argue that Man City value you twice as highly but play you half as much?

[Niall_Quinn]

The thing is, when being valued is so intertwined with how much you are paid, is it possible to tell? It's like trying to determine intention, only the intendee really knows.

By the only other objective measure: minutes on the pitch, Theo was a first choice starter last year.
That's a pretty clear indication of how much he is valued. Given that, it's not undervalued he should feel, but exploited.

Not that he should feel exploited because it's bugfuck ridiculous to be talking about a £75k a week footballer being exploited, but that's where we are at now when some asshole somewhere can throw £150k a week at him without any kind of compunction whatsoever.

Is it then greed or can you argue that Man City value you twice as highly but play you half as much?

Sad but not unexpected. When something becomes so thoroughly corrupted it takes a real mug to hold out for the original principles that everyone else has abandoned. Herd mentality and the baser, non-cultured instincts of man. The lowest denominator. The easiest option. The price of everything and the value of nothing. An undignified orgy conducted in public with no apology and with the fans looking on, jaws on the deck thinking WTF? Guess who tells us it's naive to want something better than this? Something more dignified. The hangers-on, the middlemen, the media, this is the only way it can be they say. How utterly fucking convenient. This is the starting point for the framed debate. Embrace it and move on to the finer details of insanity.

Now we have established the bizarre environment that has replaced football, I hear both parties have softened somewhat and agree it would be reasonable to pay this child Walcott £80-85K each week (that's £4-4.5 million a year) to kick a ball around. If this is true then all that remains is to chuck in bonuses and the deal is done. Whether the fans will get any value for their outlay remains to be seen, I doubt they will write any such conditions into the contract but I'm sure they will all thank us for our interest in their affairs.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Arsene Wenger will make a personal recommendation to the Arsenal board to improve Theo Walcott's contract offer in an attempt to end the uncertainty over his future.

Arsenal chiefs previously told the England international they were unwilling to increase their original £75,000-per-week offer, which was rejected by Walcott in August.But Sportsmail understands the Gunners' stance on the issue has softened in recent weeks, with the club now willing to reach a compromise with the forward.

It is believed both parties feel an offer of between £80,000 - £85,000-per-week will be enough to secure Walcott's long-term future.

The former Southampton forward has told Wenger he wants to stay at the Emirates but made it clear he wants a contract closer to £100,000-per-week.

And Wenger, who has been highly-impressed by Walcott's displays in recent weeks, will tell the club's hierarchy to up their existing offer and hopes his personal intervention will help resolve the issue when the player's representatives meet with Gunners officials for a second round of formal talks.
The club want his future resolved by the end of December.

Liverpool and Chelsea are plotting January moves for Walcott, while Manchester City want to sign him on a free transfer next summer.

Meanwhile, the Gunners are close to agreeing a new five-year contract with left-back Kieran Gibbs.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2235410/Theo-Walcott-contract-Arsene-Wenger-tells-Arsenal-improve-offer-Liverpool-Chelsea-lurk.html

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Arsene Wenger admits Arsenal are taking a "risk" by not selling Theo Walcott, who is out of contract next summer.
Talks over a new deal have stalled but Wenger insists the Gunners must not sell Walcott in the January transfer window, even if he leaves on a free transfer at the end of the season.
"There's a risk, yes, but that we are ready to take," said Wenger.
"We started the season with this squad and we want to finish the season with this squad."

Walcott, 23, would be free to sign a pre-contract agreement with another club in January if a new deal is not agreed.
But Wenger is adamant the player, who has been ruled out (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20321623) of Arsenal's Champions League game with Montpellier on Wednesday with a shoulder injury, will not leave the club before the end of the season.
"A successful season is more important for us than this risk that is only a financial risk, apart from the losing the player," added the Arsenal manager.
"If we sell him, we lose him anyway.
"What is important is what we achieve together for the season. I just think that Theo is a big part in that."

Walcott rejected a five-year deal worth £75,000 a week (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19406655) in August, and has indicated his future may rest on whether he plays in a striking role.
The England international has scored nine goals from 17 appearances from his position on the wing for Arsenal this season and is the club's leading scorer.
Wenger, who says Walcott must be patient in his demands to switch from winger to striker, remains confident a new contract can be agreed with the midfielder, who joined Arsenal from Southampton in 2006 for £12.5m. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/4614538.stm)
"We continue in a positive way. I told you many times we have until the end of December to sort this out," Wenger added.
Walcott's Arsenal and England team-mate Jack Wilshere says he does not want to see another big-name player quit Emirates Stadium.
Robin van Persie joined Manchester United (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19296077) in August, Alex Song moved to Barcelona (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19293825) in the same month and Cesc Fabregas joined the Spanish giants (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/14482418) in 2011.
"He is an English lad and he's great to have around the dressing room," Wilshere said. "But that is up to him, the boss and the board. They are going to do whatever they are going to do. I hope he signs."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20394509

[Kano]

un-fucking believable.

'the deadline is december'. oh really. so why the fuck are we saying that he will not be sold in january whatever happens?

fucking idiots.

[Özim]

My opinion on Walcott is that's he's improved.

In the past his general play was sh*t and he was ineffective.

Now his general play is still sh*t but he has a knack of scoring goals and creating the odd chance.

[Marc Overmars]

I'd wager he'll be sold in January if the club recieve a tempting enough offer. Can you imagine the bad atmosphere it would create if he signs a pre-contract elswhere but plays on for us? I'd rather he just fucked off if an agreement can't be reached. He'll have offers coming his way left, right and centre so we don't have the bargaining power here.

[Özim]

He's gone I'm pretty sure, Wenger always comes out with this BS before a player leaves.

I remember his saying Overmars and Petit were not for sale before selling them and of course there's the Nasri/Cesc not a big club if we sell two of our best players comment.

[Fist of Lehmann]

un-fucking believable.

'the deadline is december'. oh really. so why the fuck are we saying that he will not be sold in january whatever happens?

fucking idiots.

Here's a wild stab in the dark:

The deadline for him signing a contract is December so that we know, one way or the other, in time for January.

If he signs, we don't need to buy.
If he doesn't, we make noises about adding 1 super duper quality but stress how difficult it is in January. Forward planning.

He leaves in the summer (or doesn't) but not before.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

I'd wager he'll be sold in January if the club recieve a tempting enough offer. Can you imagine the bad atmosphere it would create if he signs a pre-contract elswhere but plays on for us? I'd rather he just fucked off if an agreement can't be reached. He'll have offers coming his way left, right and centre so we don't have the bargaining power here.

Well he can only sign one abroad so i don't think it would be too bad. However we all know the if its not sorted by the deadline he will be sold its simples.

[Marc Overmars]

I don't think a pre-contract is something that can only happen abroad.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

I don't think a pre-contract is something that can only happen abroad.


Theo Walcott is open to a move abroad and could sign a pre-contract agreement in January with any overseas club – a move which might concentrate the minds of Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool, who were all interested in buying the Arsenal forward during the summer. The forward, who is out of contract in the summer, cannot agree to join another Premier League side until the close season.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/nov/19/arsenal-theo-walcott

He can only agree a deal abroad, if he wanted to go to any team in the uk he'd have to wait till the season is Over. Like Llorente, we could get him on a pre contract, but he'd have to wait if he wanted to go to any club in spain.

[Marc Overmars]

Ah ok. I'm sure it won't stop the vultures from whispering in his ear though.

[AKBapologist]

http://www.tringtoday.co.uk/news/tring-news/footballer-s-home-goes-up-for-sale-1-4503462/
:bye:

[fakeyank]

AFC :rose:

[Marc Overmars]

Theo. :wave:

[Niall_Quinn]

Okay, that's sorted.

Let's move on to Jack. What are your views? Is he going or is he going?

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2235410/Theo-Walcott-contract-Arsene-Wenger-tells-Arsenal-improve-offer-Liverpool-Chelsea-lurk.html

why couldn't he do that for RVP? or nasri? or the endless list of players that end up leaving?

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

un-fucking believable.

'the deadline is december'. oh really. so why the fuck are we saying that he will not be sold in january whatever happens?

fucking idiots.

:lol: he ain't gonna stay for 6 months and play for us knowing he's leaving in the summer. the fans wouldn't put up with that.

he's either signing a contract by december or getting sold in january.

i think he's gone. his replacement will be henry loaned in and gnabry promoted.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Okay, that's sorted.

Let's move on to Jack. What are your views? Is he going or is he going?

Nah he has a few years left on his contract tbh.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

why couldn't he do that for RVP? or nasri? or the endless list of players that end up leaving?

Because the board and him would not let 25 mll slip away. Also they never left in the middle of the season. Theo goes in Jan in disrupts the team big style.

He goes in the summer on a free, not much anyone can do about that.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

theo leaving at any time will disrupt the team big style. period.

he's our most threatening player ffs. how has this happened.

[Ollie the Optimist]

http://www.tringtoday.co.uk/news/tring-news/footballer-s-home-goes-up-for-sale-1-4503462/
:bye:

thats a bollocks article. there could be a whole host of reasons why theo is selling his house, perhaps the mentioned theft in the article could be it because of safety worries.

however in teh summer vermealen moved next to rvc, we thought that meant good news given how close they are yet look what happened.

[Ernesto]

I think the only reason Walcott's stalling (and not so much the club, is the lack of interest shown in him by other clubs. When Rooney handed in a transfer request at Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City quickly distanced themselves from any stories linking them to the player. Lo and behold, he has a "dramatic" U-turn and decides to stay at ManYoo.

It's a similar situation with Theo. He wants to leave (if not, he'd have signed a contract, no question) but apart from a tenuous link with Liverpool, there seems to be very little interest in the player.

[milla]

I put a a tenner Walcott will sign for manu. With Nani on his way out, Walcott will be a perfect replacement on their right hand side (wing or striker). Not to mention Walcott and RVP has a decent understanding on the pitch. :coffee:

[Injury Time]

theo...he's our most threatening player ffs. how has this happened.
Contract renewal phenomenon (see Flamini etc).

[Xhaka Can’t]

There's always tomorrow. Have a kip an try again.

:lol:

[Xhaka Can’t]

Wenger has said he won't be sold in January.

Wenger says a lot of things.

[GP]

Wenger says a lot of things.

Yeah

Wenger :bow:

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Wenger says a lot of things.
Illusionary Domination :bow:

[milla]

Illusionary Domination :bow:

2% away from sanity. :coffee:

[Özim]

thats a bollocks article. there could be a whole host of reasons why theo is selling his house, perhaps the mentioned theft in the article could be it because of safety worries.

however in teh summer vermealen moved next to rvc, we thought that meant good news given how close they are yet look what happened.
You were convinced RVP was staying.

Walcott :wave:

[Özim]

Wenger says a lot of things.
Usually starts with B and ends in shit.

[GP]

Usually starts with B and ends in shit.

'Boy, Zimm sure does talk a lot of shit'

[Özim]

'Boy, Zimm sure does talk a lot of shit'
I doubt it, he doesn't know me and my name isn't actually zim :fail:

[fakeyank]

:haha:

[milla]

:lol:

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Back on topic, so how much will we get for the lad :coffee:

[Olivier's xmas twist]

2% away from sanity. :coffee:

So's Aw's Face :coffee:

[Kano]

Here's a wild stab in the dark:

The deadline for him signing a contract is December so that we know, one way or the other, in time for January.

If he signs, we don't need to buy.
If he doesn't, we make noises about adding 1 super duper quality but stress how difficult it is in January. Forward planning.

He leaves in the summer (or doesn't) but not before.

lol. sorry. i thought you were serious about our management for a sec there.

[selassie]

The thing is, when being valued is so intertwined with how much you are paid, is it possible to tell? It's like trying to determine intention, only the intendee really knows.

By the only other objective measure: minutes on the pitch, Theo was a first choice starter last year.
That's a pretty clear indication of how much he is valued. Given that, it's not undervalued he should feel, but exploited.

Not that he should feel exploited because it's bugfuck ridiculous to be talking about a £75k a week footballer being exploited, but that's where we are at now when some asshole somewhere can throw £150k a week at him without any kind of compunction whatsoever.

Is it then greed or can you argue that Man City value you twice as highly but play you half as much?

Yeah I agree it's not a "black and white" situation and there are plenty of "grey" areas clouding the issue but the bottomline is Theo is an England regular and one of our best players, commercially he's our most high profile player. I agree that player wages are absurd but "we are where we are". House prices are absurd too...but a "City Banker" has no qualms in paying over a million pounds for a Georgian Terrace in Islington that is overlooked by High rise council blocks (I've nothing against council blocks...I was brought up in one in my early years).

I don't think any of this is about exploitation but I think as a Club we should value our assets and do as much as we can to keep hold of them. Theo isn't really being unreasonable in his wage demands, we clearly have the budget to pay him closer to what he wants and to be brutally honest I don't think he's being unreasonable about wanting more time up top. Sure no player should demand where he plays...but I do think he partially has a case here.

Man City and Chelsea can throw wages around until everybody is blue in the face, I think the issue with Theo isn't that he wants a Man City style wage but more that he wants to be paid according to his value to the team.

He's delivered for this team for 2 seasons now, sure he's inconsistent but this boy has star potential and he's starting to produce BIG performances this season on a more consistent basis.

[-Xs-]

Knowing our club, he probably asked for 80k and we offered 75k. That's just the way things are done by us.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

apparently theo's house going up for sale story is bullshit.

his parents got divorced about a year ago. the house he bought for them is the one up for sale. which would make sense.

of course the media knew all of this but still decided to print a completely false twisted story :rolleyes:

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

even says 'Thieves struck after Theo’s parents and older brother had left the home to...'

not his house. parents house.

to the media:



http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m72u0aSyp81rpn0tao1_250.gif

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Knowing our club, he probably asked for 80k and we offered 75k. That's just the way things are done by us.
Did he crash is car ?

apparently theo's house going up for sale story is bullshit.

his parents got divorced about a year ago. the house he bought for them is the one up for sale. which would make sense.

of course the media knew all of this but still decided to print a completely false twisted story :rolleyes:
You can see its bull by reading the article.

[Injury Time]

Why is "Theo going to be player-manager at Chavs" not an option on the poll :angry:

[Ollie the Optimist]

You were convinced RVP was staying.

Walcott :wave:

so whats your point? i was wrong like many others who were convinced he was staying.

[Lord Nelson]

If we lose Theo as well after yet another contract run down, we may as well lock the door and turn off the lights because the club would have sunk to new depths! Get your black scarves ready!

[Olivier's xmas twist]

'Boy, Zimm sure does talk a lot of shit'

No, but he was asked who he thought was the biggest **** on GW, and said "i know ItsMe".

Reporter said "at least your being Modest".

[GP]

No, but he was asked who he thought was the biggest **** on GW, and said "i know ItsMe".

Reporter said "at least your being Modest".

:haha:

[Power n Glory]

No, but he was asked who he thought was the biggest **** on GW, and said "i know ItsMe".

Reporter said "at least your being Modest".

:lol:

[Olivier's xmas twist]

To mark the launch of the Nike GS2 boot Theo Walcott will be hosting a live Q&A in London on 26 November at 2pm and the Premier League is offering two lucky winners the chance to attend along with a guest.

To enter they need to send an email to UKFootball@nike.com with 'PREMIER THEO' in the subject line. Only emails received between 2pm GMT Friday November 23, 2012 and 2pm GMT Saturday November 24, 2012 will have a chance to win the prize.

Theo will also be taking part in a Webchat and you can ask him a question by tweeting using the hashtag #ASKTHEO.

http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/news/news/ask-theo-walcott-a-question.html


Arsenal attacker Theo Walcott is reluctant to join Liverpool due to his preference for staying in London and the fact the Reds are not seen as a step up from the Gunners, according to the Daily Mail.

The 23-year-old’s future has been under intense scrutiny after he turned down Arsenal’s offer of a contract extension in the summer. With less than 8 months left to run on his current deal, Walcott could be on the move as soon as January if Arsenal decide to cash in rather than lose him on a free next summer.

Liverpool and Chelsea are among the clubs strongly linked with a move and the Premier League duo are ready to pounce should the former Southampton youngster fail to commit his future to the Gunners in the coming weeks.

However, Brendan Rodgers is going to have to work hard to try and persuade the England international to move to Liverpool with Walcott believed to have reservations about moving to Merseyside.

The Stanmore-born ace want’s to remain in London and with his fiance also attending university in the capital, neither want to uproot and move up north.

Walcott is also questioning the wisdom in leaving a club who have been in the Champions League for the last 13 seasons, for one who have not qualified for the last three years and have little chance of qualifying for Europe’s premier competition next year after a poor start to this seasons Premier League campaign.

Walcott’s agent also represents Brendan Rodgers, so he’s aware of Liverpool’s interest and their willingness to meet his wage demands, but it seems a move to the Reds is unlikely now.

Read more Arsenal transfer news | Chelsea transfer news | Liverpool transfer news

A move to Chelsea would ensure Walcott remained in London and competed for trophies each year, but he’d be considered nothing more than a squad player at Stamford Bridge, so it leaves his options limited.

This has left Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger confident he can find a compromise to ensure the forward remains at the Emirates, with the Frenchman making a personal plea to the Arsenal board last week to ask them to up their £75,000-a-week offer.

http://football-talk.co.uk/70652/walcott-reluctant-to-join-liverpool/

[Niall_Quinn]

Walcott’s agent also represents Brendan Rodgers

Talk about a massive conflict of interests. Even the banking world wouldn't (officially) allow shit like this.

[Niall_Quinn]

with the Frenchman making a personal plea to the Arsenal board last week to ask them to up their £75,000-a-week offer.

Interesting if true.

[Syn]

Interesting if true.

Yeah like that's going to make a difference. For the 500th time, he doesn't want more money.

All Theo Walcott wants is for Arsene Wumget to sign Honda and other such china bros who can then to invent a time-machine where we can travel back to a time when it was relevant for teams to play big-man, little-man 4-4-2 filth. Olivier Giroud is passable as the 'big man' but he is a bit far too motherfucking sexy - the role should ideally be played by a cartoon-faced mongy beanpole like Crouch. However Theo Walcott is not a demanding man. Theo Walcott is a reasonable guy who understands this current climate and so doesn't demand it. Written into the contract should be a legal obligation of Giroud to train with Walcott 4 times a day rehearsing goal celebrations, preferably of the variety where Theo can jump on the back of Giroud displaying a united front of racial harmony, while also serving as a valuable audition to appear on Strictly Come Dancing in year 2018. And if you don't believe this is all Theo Walcott desires, you will be utterly shocked when he is definitely playing the central role and not at all playing out wide for Man Utd, Chelsea or Man City.

[Niall_Quinn]

Yeah like that's going to make a difference. For the 500th time, he doesn't want more money.

All Theo Walcott wants is for Arsene Wumget to sign Honda and other such china bros who can then to invent a time-machine where we can travel back to a time when it was relevant for teams to play big-man, little-man 4-4-2 filth. Olivier Giroud is passable as the 'big man' but he is a bit far too motherfucking sexy - the role should ideally be played by a cartoon-faced mongy beanpole like Crouch. However Theo Walcott is not a demanding man. Theo Walcott is a reasonable guy who understands this current climate and so doesn't demand it. Written into the contract should be a legal obligation of Giroud to train with Walcott 4 times a day rehearsing goal celebrations, preferably of the variety where Theo can jump on the back of Giroud displaying a united front of racial harmony, while also serving as a valuable audition to appear on Strictly Come Dancing in year 2018. And if you don't believe this is all Theo Walcott desires, you will be utterly shocked when he is definitely playing the central role and not at all playing out wide for Man Utd, Chelsea or Man City.

Play the Welbeck and Sturridge cards all you like but Theo is after love. Man love. Basically he wants Wenger to fuck him up the centre circle but Wenger is little bit reluctant until Theo proves his age. Theo even grew a tache (of sorts) but he still can't get the meat injection he craves. Giroud is already taken by half the fags in France, Ox won't fuck him because, by God, he is straight as they come. And when Jack shouts "Man Up!" it really doesn't help. So Theo thinks if he does enough shopping it will dampen the yearning, but he'll need cash for that. And the shops are better in Chelsea - if you are a bender. His agent has played on this of course, hitting Theo while he is young and before he grows out of it. All in all this is why I'm against homosexuality.

[KSE Comedy Club]

:haha::haha:

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

Interesting if true.

i make a personal plea for the frenchman to fuck off.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

i make a personal plea for the frenchman to fuck off.

Leave Giroud alone.

[Fist of Lehmann]

Interesting if true.

You're forgetting: Arsene controls the horizontal, Arsene controls the vertical.

Wenger made a personal plea to himself to up his own £75,000 a week offer.

Arsene refused. :(

[Olivier's xmas twist]

You're forgetting: Arsene controls the horizontal, Arsene controls the vertical.

Wenger made a personal plea to himself to up his own £75,000 a week offer.

Arsene refused. :(

:lol:

[LDG]

No Theo Wallclock on the Official 2013 Calendar :popcorn:

[Joker]

Yep, he's probably gone in January.

[LDG]

Yep, he's probably gone in January.

No.

I said he isn't on the calendar.












:getcoat:

[Olivier's xmas twist]

:lol:

[Ollie the Optimist]

looks like theo is off, and its a reason that might shock you. its not money, its not playing time or where he plays, its because according to the sun and the mirror, he isnt in the new calender for 2013 so that must mean he is off.


until you realise that kos, sagna, rosicky etc arent on it, and players who have been reported as leaving like santos are on it. but some morons will believe it means theo is off :coffee:

[Fist of Lehmann]

Wait...Santos is reported as leaving?

Interesting.

[Marc Overmars]

He was taken out of the side after a few games and replaced by a less than convincing CB, he must realise after that he's a turd burglar who has no future here.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

looks like theo is off, and its a reason that might shock you. its not money, its not playing time or where he plays, its because according to the sun and the mirror, he isnt in the new calender for 2013 so that must mean he is off.


until you realise that kos, sagna, rosicky etc arent on it, and players who have been reported as leaving like santos are on it. but some morons will believe it means theo is off :coffee:

Disgusting we will only have 12 players in the squad next season.

[Niall_Quinn]

He was taken out of the side after a few games and replaced by a less than convincing CB, he must realise after that he's a turd burglar who has no future here.

I'm sure he does. That's why he'll be around for a while. Chamakh hasn't exactly pissed off, has he? Easy money. Easy, easy money at a club that doesn't want to spend money. This is why I have zero sympathy for these players. When things aren't going their way and they aren't getting what they want they are slaves and they deserve the same rights as normal employees and they are knocking down the door of the court of human rights. But when they are total shit they can't be sacked, then the contract becomes unbreakable. When they are injured long term, same again, pay them, pay their medical bills. It's a one way street and like most problems in the world is the fault of lawyers and Ach.

[Fist of Lehmann]

Great. We're collecting players so bad that they don't even fulfill the criteria of emergency backup.

I wish someone would pay me £60k a week to smoke hash pipes and eat fish and chips.

[dazthegooner]

I wish someone would pay me £60k a week to smoke hash pipes and eat fish and chips.[/QUOTE]

So how much does your company pay you to do this? I would take it up with your management ;)

[Master Splinter]

Wenget on Theo:

John Cross ‏@johncrossmirror (http://twitter.com/johncrossmirror)


Wenger says 'optimistic' Sagna will stay. On Theo: 'I'm not directly involved, no progress. Yes I am (frustrated). He has to make up mind'


I believe he has shown great quality and belief over the last few months. Will it be a bad reflection on the club if he does not sign a contract? I do not see how coming second on X-Factor is a bad reflection on Arsenal.

[LDG]

Wenget on Theo:

John Cross ‏@johncrossmirror (http://twitter.com/johncrossmirror)

Both are gone IMHO.

You can see from this where our January and Summer spending will be.

Sell Theo, Zaha in - January
Henry (loan) - January
+1 Eisfeld/Youngster - January

Sell Sagan -Cheap young RB as back up to Jenks - Summer
Fuck Chamakh/Arshavin/Bender etc off (or whoever's contract runs out) - Buy cheap striker from French league - Summer
+ 1 10-15mil signing see, midfielder - Summer.

Profit - 20m

"We are looking"

****