Barca are the twats in this one. The sooner he goes and the more we get up front the better. Add on a few extra mil on top of what we offered for Mata and we can all move on.Quote:
Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn
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Barca are the twats in this one. The sooner he goes and the more we get up front the better. Add on a few extra mil on top of what we offered for Mata and we can all move on.Quote:
Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn
Dont hold your breath on that... or else Mrs. L will be a widow soon and I will not get to see you drinking alcohol in London next year!Quote:
Originally Posted by Letters (TPFKA WWTL@WHL)
World's premier players? Do me a favour. The figure quoted on BBC is £35m. He's not worth more.Quote:
Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn
And it's rather complicated by the fact that every year we keep him our position gets weaker as he'll clearly never sign another contract for us and there's only one club who will buy him (or, rather, who he'd sign for).
£35m is a decent fee in those circumstances and if we use that money to get 2, maybe 3, decent players not as a direct replacement but to bolster the squad in general then it'll have been a good summer.
What he said!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Letters (TPFKA WWTL@WHL)
2 CBs and a no nonsence CF would do me fine.
Take the money and run.
It's better to have the £££ than an unhappy player.
So long as you buy a replacement (or anyone in your case) of course.
Agreed. We certainly have the dosh to buy 2 CBs easily now. No excuse.
Misquoting people again Letters! Tut, tut. We insisted on £40mill and took £30mill + a conditional £5mill. We were well stiffed. Plus you can't buy 2-3 quality players for £30mill these days. A Samba (average) and a Cahill (decent) will cost us most of that. Which is why that Wenger bloke will probably hire a clogger from Brum and a lump from Germany - at best and then stuff the rest in the board's pocket. This club is becoming the biggest laughing stock in world football, people are just pissing on us whenevr they fancy it - on and off the pitch. And many of the fans are loving it, giving it the big "Can't do anything about it", routine. It's like we're wandering from pillar to post shouting "I'll be your bitch!"Quote:
Originally Posted by Letters (TPFKA WWTL@WHL)
OK so Cesc looks to be on his way, I'd say last year he was convinced to stay one more year but we failed on the pitch again so that confirmed what he already felt.
We'll need someone to step up because let's face it he's been our main creative force for years now, without him we've looked completed devoid of ideas at times.
Will we re-invest....hmm not sure I suspect we'll spend 10-15 million and call it a day, so in fact we'll pretty much break even for the summer.......a familiar story.
It'll be disappointing to see him go as it always is with your best players, if we re-invested the money well on the defence and maybe a new striker that would be great, not convinced we'll sign the quality we should though.
Who am I misquoting? The BBC said 'around £35m'. I didn't see the bit about £30m rising to £35m depending on performance although I don't see that being a problem. We may have said £40m but we could say One Billion Pounds :DrEvil:, us saying it doesn't mean he's worth that or that we'll get it. We have a player who doesn't want to play for us and who will only sign for one club. It makes our position weaker than if there were a bidding war over him.Quote:
Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn
It's certainly enough money to buy 2 decent players and IMO that would leave us overall stronger IF they're the right players.
So what are you suggesting we do? We keep a player whose heart isn't in it and then next summer we have all this again, and next year with another less year on his contract making our position even weaker?Quote:
Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn
IMO it's time to get rid and I'll bear him no ill if he goes. £30-35m is about right in the circumstances.
I think the clearest example of not being able to buy brilliant players for less than ridiculous sums is the fact that cesc could be going for £35m. Don't care about the fee...£20m or £60m, we won't see a return on the pitch.
If the story is true and Cesc really is off then that's another 35million wiped off the debt.
I'd be extremely surprised if Arsene spends any of the money recouped from Cesc on the squad. Wilshire & Ramsey will replace Cesc, Rosicky & Diaby can also do a job there (in Arsene's eyes).
The squad is pretty much set for this season (in Arsene's eyes) IMHO. I think his last piece of work is trying to convince Nasri to sign the contract.
:gp:Quote:
Originally Posted by Letters (TPFKA WWTL@WHL)
Cesc can fuck off IMO. Those that think he is loyal are deluded. Make no mistake, he hasnt said he wants a move officially, but everything he has done behind the scenes points towards not giving a flying fuck about Arsenal. He has been the shittest captain that I can remember, can you even put him in the same company of Adams? No, I think not! Get rid, and please, no more homesick Spaniards!
Of course, you've only ever had one job because you're far too loyal to think about going anywhere else.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ralpheroo72
He's not been a great captain but he's been no worse than Gallas or Henry were (as captain).
Not really bothered about cesc. Issue with barca for being cunts, and Wenger for being so crap with transfers.
Get out of it. We had ALL the cards. For all their bluster Barca were desperate to sign him, unless chasing a player and having your whole squad tap him up over two years in just a series of coincidences. He's on a long contract. We'd named him in the CL squad, we didn't even need the money. And there's no way Fabregas was going to fuck himself by sulking out the season, he was playing it both ways - hence his silence. What happened here is we bent over and got fucked. You can't spin it any other way. All the bullshit about keeping players who don't want to be here, so what? Fuck them. If they have a contract then that's the end of the argument. We are so fucking weak, from top to bottom. A silent owner who won't spend money, a board that fights itself more than the opposition, a clueless manager who has been fucking up for 6 years and a bunch of spineless kids who collapse at the first signs of pressure. Now we have fans saying it's a good idea to let our players go because, "They don't want to be here", or 4th is acceptable or winning isn't everything. WTF is wrong with this club? Wenger disease is running rampant.Quote:
Originally Posted by Letters (TPFKA WWTL@WHL)
I'll tell you what I'd do. I'd tell Barca the price was a £40mill bargain and fuck off if you won't pay it - you have until next Wednesday in the 89th minute of the game at which time Fabregas will be brough onto the pitch. Then I'd tell them they are a bunch of slimy tapping-up cunts and we'll see them in the CL league this year at which point they will get a right arse kicking, either in football terms or if that doesn't work out, physically. Then I'd sort out the fucking defence buy buying 2 from Cahill, Jagielka and Samba - just pay the fucking money, end of. Then I'd sign a LB, again just pay the fucking money. Next a goalkeeper with experience, essential if we are serious about competing WHICH WE SHOULD BE btw! That's the whole point of the game! Trying to win. Then I'd sell that cunt Chamakh and get rid of Vela and buy two PL strikers, a couple of stop-gaps would do for now. Then I'd sack Wenger and get a manager who knows how to motivate the players, doesn't talk utter shit all the time, knows how to win and wants to win, isn't a tight arse, puts football first, doesn't take shit from the players and expects to get the boot if he doesn't deliver. Of course I'd have to do all this in a week whereas Wenger has had six years. Jeez, if not now then when is it time to sort out the problems? You think RvP and Jack won't be next out the door if we don't sort this out? What are we going to say when that happens? "Well, if they don't want to be here..." Nobody is going to want to be here if the club keeps on with its cuntish, tight arse policies. Apart from Chamakh, that cunt will be here. And Diaby and Squillaci, I'm sure they'll be happy to stay. Do you not see where we're heading? All for the want of a bit of leadership on and off the pitch. It's crazy.
Anyway, our totally disloyal (as in on strike since the tail end of last season) captain is gone. Time to repeat the same mistakes all over again by expecting a couple of kids to keep us up amongst the top dogs.
Yet again, it's NOT just a job. We are not talking about till staff at Sainsburys here.Quote:
Originally Posted by Letters (TPFKA WWTL@WHL)
:lol: YES MY SON!Quote:
Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn
agree with it all!!!!!
Except for the fact he would only be unavailable to play for Barcelona in the group stages of the Champions League. Hardly devastation for him.
Who knows? Chances are they are going to the final again, I doubt he'd want to sit it out if he could avoid it. It was ONE card amongst several, but we folded anyway so it's neither here nor there I suppose. We move on, let's get some abject shite in to replace him, preferably someone very cheap because we don't have any money after all those years of making a profit on our transfer dealings. The Toure/ Whore cash vanished this probably will too.Quote:
Originally Posted by McNamara That Ghost...
He wouldn't sit it out, that's my point. He'd only miss the group stages.Quote:
Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn
Is that for real? You can play for 2 clubs in the CL? Okay so not a huge card but the contract was no joker.Quote:
Originally Posted by McNamara That Ghost...
Yup. You are only allowed to register one extra player (who has already played European football) when the knockout stages come back around in February though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn
dang...all these loopholesQuote:
Originally Posted by McNamara That Ghost...
So, this is excellent news!
Cant wait to see the back of him tbh. Just need to get shot of Nasri now and we'll be onto a winner :good:
No you can't, you can only play in the cl if you played in the Europa league before. Thats why Torres was allowed to play in the CL and.Quote:
Originally Posted by McNamara That Ghost...
If he played for us in the CL he'd only be able to play for barca in the CL if we got relegated to the Europa league.
Oh well, thats sorted then.. we are not qualifying for the group stages so we good!Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie the Gooner
:gp:Quote:
Originally Posted by Save me Jeebus!
It's not exactly the same but does that mean we should expect our players to stay with us for their entire career? He's been with us what, 7 or 8 years now? He's given us good service. He's always made it clear he wanted to go back to Barca. He's not whined about the club or come out with the nonsense someone like Cole has about the fans. If he goes then good luck to him.Quote:
Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn
They want to sign him at some point, I don't think they're massively bothered whether it's this summer or not. They were tapping him up all last summer too, far worse than this year, they didn't cave in and pay what we asked though. They're the best side in club football right now. By a distance. They don't need to strengthen massively this summer, they don't want to pay what they think is over the odds for him, especially as they regard him as their player anyway. They could have afforded to wait another year.Quote:
Originally Posted by Niall_Quinn
He is on a reasonably long contract but every year it gets shorter and our position gets weaker. Our naming of him in the CL squad was obviously a bluff. We named Bendtner too and he's said quite clearly he's off. Even if we did bring him on, again, Barca could afford to wait another year. We do need the money if we want to buy - we've said openly we need to sell to buy. No, Cesc wouldn't have sulked all season but he's going to go sometime and every year we keep him his price becomes less unless he signs a new contract. Ultimately he could walk away on a free.
We wanted £40m but you can keep saying "he's worth more" all you like, he's only worth what someone is willing to pay and when you've got a player who will only sign for one club that makes it harder to up the price. We could say "City will pay £50m" but so what? He's not going to sign for City and Barca know that. We can say "pay £40m" or else. Barca could (and would) have just said "Take £30-£35m or we'll see you next summer when he has one year less on his contract".
First of all, good riddance to Fabregas. He's hardly been a pr!ck in the mould of Adebayor, Ashley Cole or Anelka, but he's not showered himself in glory either.
£35mil (if that's what we sell him for) is robbery. The Ronaldo fee pushed the boundaries of the transfer market and we really should be using that as a precedent for any player we sell. It's in the eye of the beholder, but if Fabregas is considered world class, then he ought to have been sold for more. Either that, or we get one, maybe two Barcelona players in exchange as part of the deal which would arguably be a much better option given our now threadbare squad.
If we had another manager who wasn't so predictable in his transfer policies and tactics on the pitch, I would actually be very excited about Fabregas leaving. It's no coincidence that we haven't won a trophy while we've tried to build a team around him. It's no coincidence that we've shown the mentality of a rabbit caught in headlights and recorded some of our most embarrassing results ever in recent seasons with Fabregas as captain.
All that being said, we now have a huge void to fill in a crucial position of the pitch. Do we have anyone lined up? The newspapers would suggest Juan Mata. Is he good enough? Is one player enough? This is our chance to really make a change in footballing philosophy but, with Wenger in charge, I'm not holding my breath.
I will go along with wishing him luck in a move........but I won't say I'm sad to see him go, the main reason being that I'm fed up with this saga that has dragged on around his obvious love affair with his boyhood club and the on/off~ness of his transfer which now looks more on than off.
I do agree with Letters that the guy putting in some seriously massive performances over the course of his career but at the same time showed a loss of passion in others. I don't think he would sulk so to speak if he stayed but I believe any below average performance would be jumped on by everyone the fans and the media alike and this is not good for the over morale of the team which may be suffering now as this fucking drama goes on.
As Letters says we need that money to invest back into the team and the sooner the better as new players/quality players/CL tested players will in turn give a boost to the squad. We can let ManU sign Snjeider, Young beat us to Jones but we don't have to roll over and play dead, we get back up form a team that will challenge and meet the the top 3 on the pitch.......we beat Chelsea and Utd last year, there is no reason why we cant do that again........players like Cahill or maybe Samba will help us I believe address our weaknesses against the lower clubs.
I only hope that we are not looking at a trend......kind of started with Viera and Henry where other clubs thought we were soft options that they could pick off our best like a sniper........that we do not become a feeder club, I believe that the best way to allay that fear is to build a winning team and know when to say 'no'. Cesc was always going to leave we always had that hanging over our head but we have to try and not let that happen anymore, by the sounds of it we almost stood by our guns this time.......it doesn't look like the 40 million is going to be met but for the future there is hope, whether that is with Wenger at the helm is another thing tho! Can we have a winning them with Cesc and maybe Nas......I think yes, I know there are some who say it sends the wrong message to sell our two prized assets but the team has a cancer both on the pitch and off, both the way we play and the mental strength we show/lack - this cancer if allowed to grow will have just as bad an effect on the team and my hope is that money wisely spent on players who want to represent would counter the negative impact Cesc's and Nas's departure would have. Fuck the boys if anything should be chomping on the bit ready to meet the challenge, prove to those that write us off that they are wrong........
Wenger would do no harm to quote a few lines from Henry V - St Crispins speech
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made,
We would not die in that man's company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAvmLDkAgAM
^ damn thats powerful
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
:yikes:
but yeah im glad this overrated cunt is leaving, he caused me too many arguments with fellow gooners. our system was fundamentally flawed with such a weakling at the heart. two good seasons in seven. his presence in the side coincided with our most barren period in living memory.
Keep saying, fantastic a player as he is. He's never done it for us on the big occasion, and he's not been the captain Arsenal need.
35mil may not be what we really want, but the transfer prices out there are completely obscured. I you look past the silly money, you'll see 35m is pretty decent wedge....and in contrast with things to come, I think we'll look back on it as good business.
Only worry I have is that RVP will be given the armband. It should be TV5. No questions asked.
I think in this case Wenger will have no choice but to spend. Otherwise he's pretty much nailing his coffin shut.Quote:
Originally Posted by Syn
No, we're talking about the Champions League qualifying. Effectively it is not considered part of the Champions League given you have to register your squad again for the group stages. If he played for us in the Champions League proper it wouldn't be an issue as the transfer window would've already passed.Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie the Gooner
Thats BOB ON BOBNQuote:
Originally Posted by BOBN
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...lona-move.html
£36 mil plus add on and Cesc to pay £4 mil from his own pockets. Extra dividends for the owner this year. :coffee:
My tuppence worth.
AFC has not covered itself in glory over this saga. Its destabilised us for 2 years - and IMO the club is guilty of sending out mixed messages. Its says that the player isn't for sale, then changes this to the player is for sale, but only at our valuation, then sells below the valuation anyway. Basically, everyone out there knows that we will cave in eventually.
In particular AW is guilty of playing this wrong. First the armband - like his previous 3 captains - is used in a misguided attempt to instill some loyalty. But he has basically cheapened the captaincy, and this IMHO has affected the general regard in which our club is held by its own players. Second, by his refusal to accept that the writing is on the wall. I feel strongly that he convinced Fabregas to give us one more season to win something, last year. But instead of planning properly for his depature he thought that he could convince him to stay again - and totally misread the situation.
But for all that, we should not forget the biggest factors in this saga. The first is our failure to win anything for 6 years, finishing 4th more often than not. The sad truth is that this alone will see our best and most ambitious players wanting to leave - and the club's room for manoevre in transfer/contract negotiations is massively reduced in these circumstances.
The second is the player himself. Because it is first and foremost Fabregas himself who has allowed Barcelona's tactics of grinding us down to be so successful. He has done it more intelligently than some other players have in the past, but in essence, he has effectively been on strike all Summer and made it crystal clear that his bridges are burnt. He has given us more service than Nasri, so comes out of this with a little more credit than him, but the bottom line is Fabregas has allowed Barcelona to fuck us over - and that is what he will be remembered for, in my eyes. So I won't be wishing him the best - I am completely indifferent to what happens to him now, and would simply like to forget that he was ever an Arsenal player.
Hope this cunt is booed the fuck out of town when/if he comes back with Barcunts. And any message he leaves for the fans spouting BS should be spat on. He is truly scum of the lowest order