Agreed.Quote:
@IanWright0: Just heard that Squillaci is on 65k a week. If that is true, I should still be getting paid by Arsenal.
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Agreed.Quote:
@IanWright0: Just heard that Squillaci is on 65k a week. If that is true, I should still be getting paid by Arsenal.
Pretty much.Quote:
Originally Posted by LDG
Need to get him back in goal tbh
F*ck me I forgot that plank was still part of the squad, what a total waste of money he was, yet again!Quote:
Originally Posted by BoringBoringArsenal
there or thereabouts? When?Quote:
Tony Woodcock believes Arsenal will finish in the Premier League’s top four – because they now have only one target to aim for.
The Gunners will once again end the season trophyless, but Woodcock feels they will have the consolation of Champions League qualification, maintaining Arsene Wenger’s impressive record of never failing to qualify for Europe’s top competition.
The former Gunners striker told the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast: “The strange thing with Arsenal is when they are in all competitions they sell themselves short, but now I think they’ve got only fourth place to go for they’ve got a really good chance of taking it.
They’ve got one competition to concentrate on and I expect them to go for it and probably pull it off and get into the Champions League
— Tony Woodcock
“They’ve got one competition to concentrate on and I expect them to go for it and probably pull it off and get into the Champions League.”
Finishing in the top four will go some way towards appeasing frustrated Arsenal fans, but it’s a trophy they truly covet.
And while Woodcock admits there are areas of the side that need addressing, he doesn’t believe the north Londoners are a million miles away from glory.
He added: “If you look at any team, you look for a spine through the middle – a top goalkeeper, centre-half, midfielder and striker and you build the rest of the team around that. I’m not sure they’ve got that.
“But over the last two or three years they’ve been there or thereabouts. Although everyone wants the team to win something they’re not too far away from doing that. It’s a question of whether they can find that extra ingredient to do that.”
Read more: http://www.talksport.co.uk/sports-ne...#ixzz2OMmNGJmq
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there or thereabouts? When?Quote:
Tony Woodcock believes Arsenal will finish in the Premier League’s top four – because they now have only one target to aim for.
The Gunners will once again end the season trophyless, but Woodcock feels they will have the consolation of Champions League qualification, maintaining Arsene Wenger’s impressive record of never failing to qualify for Europe’s top competition.
The former Gunners striker told the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast: “The strange thing with Arsenal is when they are in all competitions they sell themselves short, but now I think they’ve got only fourth place to go for they’ve got a really good chance of taking it.
They’ve got one competition to concentrate on and I expect them to go for it and probably pull it off and get into the Champions League
— Tony Woodcock
“They’ve got one competition to concentrate on and I expect them to go for it and probably pull it off and get into the Champions League.”
Finishing in the top four will go some way towards appeasing frustrated Arsenal fans, but it’s a trophy they truly covet.
And while Woodcock admits there are areas of the side that need addressing, he doesn’t believe the north Londoners are a million miles away from glory.
He added: “If you look at any team, you look for a spine through the middle – a top goalkeeper, centre-half, midfielder and striker and you build the rest of the team around that. I’m not sure they’ve got that.
“But over the last two or three years they’ve been there or thereabouts. Although everyone wants the team to win something they’re not too far away from doing that. It’s a question of whether they can find that extra ingredient to do that.”
Read more: http://www.talksport.co.uk/sports-ne...#ixzz2OMmNGJmq
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Read more at http://www.talksport.co.uk/sports-ne...SUrjbXiqb2h.99
hes been a bit shit since he joined but hopefully the England goals will boost confidenceQuote:
Former Arsenal defender Nigel Winterburn believes young Gunner Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s lively displays for England can help revitalise his current club form.
After being announced as a shock inclusion for Roy Hodgson’s Euro 2012 England squad, the winger was hailed as one of the Premier League’s most promising talents, but has since failed to fully establish himself in Arsene Wenger’s team.
But Hodgson has been keen to promote the 19-year-old during the Three Lions’ World Cup qualification, which Oxlade-Chamberlain has taken in his stride, showing his ability on the wing as well as netting a goal in each of England’s 5-0 and 8-0 wins over international minnows San Marino.
He’s had a disappointing season for Arsenal and hopefully the goals will help him build his confidence
— Nigel Winterburn
And Winterburn told talkSPORT that his positive performances for England can aid his challenge for a first-team place with the Gunners.
“He’s had a disappointing season for Arsenal and hopefully the goals will help him build his confidence,” the former defender told the Sports Bar.
“It’s a catch 22 situation for him at the moment.
“He hasn’t played much for Arsenal and when he has played, he hasn’t played well.
“When you don’t get a run in the team, sometimes you try so hard that it just doesn’t happen for you.
“It’s a difficult situation for him but it’s pleasing to see him score and hopefully he’ll improve.”
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Former Arsenal player Nigel Winterburn tries very hard to put a positive spin on anything Arsenal related, by trying to pretend that Alex Oxlade Chamberlain is anything other than the latest in a long line of so-called 'next best things' that Arsenal have signed who has failed to live up to his hype and his price tag, and who's career appears to be going backwards under the stewardship of a manager who appears to be the living embodiment of the Emporer's New Clothes. Desperate to tie down a spot in the lucrative English football punditry industry, Winterburn might be crying harsh and bitter tears inside over the decline of a football club he truly loves, but he understands the need to talk up the performance of a consistently uninspiring and strangely repellant national team by taking the piss, and suggesting that scoring a goal for England is anything other than an indication that the player concerned would be a 'decent yeoman' for a Championship side. Nigel, we still love you but you know as well as we all do that Oxlade-Chamberlain won't be a revelation at Arsenal, because true revelations - well - reveal themselves immediately rather than after half a decade (and yes I'm looking at you, Theo). Nothing that has ever been associated with England has boosted anything other than a desire to shuffle off this mortal coil through sheer boredom and listlesness.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cripps
jesus, the lad is only 18. what do you expect from him?
To not be shit
:gp:Quote:
Originally Posted by Terry Tuffnutz
It's laughable.
I can probably count on my right hand the number of world class stars have been truly excellent players at 18 years old.
Theirry Henry came to us at what, 23/24?? And it took him a while to become the great he became.
Now Im not suggesting the same will happen to AOC, but it's utterly absurd to be talking about him as anything other than a developing player.
AOC is looking like an exciting prospect, at times he's looked like the player we all hoped Theo would become.
His form has been a bit patchy but he's a kid, he'll get better.
Whether he'll achieve the potential we hope for him remains to be seen but it's ridiculous to be too critical of him at this age.
This.Quote:
Originally Posted by Letters
When Theo was 18, nobody had a bad word to say about him, because it would have been ridiculous. He received nothing but encouragement, and rightly so.
Those that go over the top, calling AOC shit, while lambasting others who are now critical of Theo, are either hypocrites or lacking in mental capacity to assess and analyse what are two entirely different situations.
Why does Theo have to be mentioned at all? Why can't Ox be judged on his own merits?
And if he is, he hasn't been that good. Don't give a shit about his age. If he's in the first team squad, I expect him to perform better than he has been.
he's had a bad season. it happens at young ages.
does that mean he is written off as shit forever?
if so, it's a sad indictment of how short sided too many football fans have become about the game in general.
Judging from past experiences, Bendtner, Denilson, Vela, Diaby etc and considering who our manager is, Ox being shit forever isn't as far fetched as it sounds
They're both young, English players - the press always get over-excited about young English players who show some promise.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cripps
The comparisons are obvious.
Theo wasn't helped by his inclusion in the England squad so young, he's never developed as hoped although the expectation levels were unfair on a player so young. We need to be careful we don't set the bar for Ox so high although IMO he's showing more than Theo did at his age.
short sighted. there are no guarantees but if you base everything on past experiences you'll live a pretty limited life.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cripps
It's happened far too many times to ignore it and you consider nothing changes at this club, you can't blame a guy for thinking Ox will go the same wayQuote:
Originally Posted by Terry Tuffnutz
you can before it happens. young players deserve the benefit of the doubt, especially when their first season was very good. if he has another shocker next season, then fair enough but otherwise it's just pessimistic to think the worst over a lot of potential. by all means worry about it but to 100% write him off is ridiculous.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cripps
Theos biggest problem back then was he kept getting injured which stunted his development but he showed enough for us to keep our faith in him plus the fact we hadn't gone 8 years without a trophy, still believed in Wenger and the board and had the patience that things will come good.Quote:
Originally Posted by Letters
All of that is gone now with Ox. We don't have the patience to see if Ox will become awesome in a few years. He might well be but if so we'll sell him anyway so he'll either stay shit and we lose out or he becomes good, we sell him and we lose out
Maybe those players you mentioned just aren't that good. Not every player is going to make it at the top level. Diaby has been hampered by injury which has obviously affected where he might have been.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cripps
Was it very good? Bar the Man Utd game where he was subbed off and the decision was booed and the first half of the Milan 2nd leg in what was already a lost cause, I don't seem to remember him being that good.Quote:
Originally Posted by Terry Tuffnutz
i think you'd be in a minority there and not just on this site. that doesn't automatically make everyone else right but i think it's far to say the positive reactions in and outside of the club toward ox probably give a decent enough opinion of the good season he had for a 17 year old playing in the prem for the first time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cripps
It’s strange to see so many of our players lose their confidence so quickly and playing with the handbrake on as Wenger would say. The Walcott and Ox comparisons will be made for obvious reasons but the focus should really be on the manager for this one. Is he that good at developing players? Mourinho took a side wipe at Wenger years ago when he said he simply finds gems/diamonds and polishes them off. Was he right?
With Ox, the problem isn’t the lack of progression and we shouldn’t expect a well rounded player right now. It’s more to do with the fact that he hasn’t been a threat and played to the level which caught our attention last season. It’s like he’s gone backwards slightly. It’s only his second season but as seen with so many other players, there is no guarantee that Wenger will get the best out of him. During the youth development stage and when we got to the Carling Cup final against Chelsea, we had more faith in Wenger to turn players into world beaters and it was a question of time and patience. Now we’ve seen the majority of those players thrown on to the scrap heap and it makes you wonder what will happen with this current crop.
I don't blame Oxlade for his lack of form this season, mainly because Wenget has wrapped him in cotton wool and rarely seems to give him sufficient game time to make an impact. How many games has he even started? Can't be much more than 10.
His progression is already looking similar to Theo's when he arrived. 20 minutes here and there, the odd start every month etc. It's difficult to make an impact when you're obviously not in the managers plans.
Tbf to the Ox, though he's a bit shit....now, he has the potential to develop into a much better player than Theo. For one, he appears to have some football intelligence - something which has always been strikingly absent from Theo's game.
The Ox has also shown that he can pass, dribble, shoot and has his fair bit of pace. Proper coaching is all that is required now.
Ah the weak ass no football intelligence criticism of Theo :haha:
Always makes me laugh
That's pretty much what I do too when I can't really refute a claim.
I never forget the many hair tearing out moments Theo's caused.
All players have done that.
Hansen and Waddle should have never given you guys that soundbite because I only ever hear it when talking about Theo when there are a host of other players that are probably worse. I never see people talk about Vermaelen that way even though he lacks common sense when it comes to defending. He storms into tackles without thinking about teammates, runs up field to attack with no regard to defence, positional awareness is awful and can’t sense danger. His decision making is bloody awful and that’s when you should be questioning footballing intelligence but I hardly ever see people stick that sort of label on serial offenders on here.
Cahill and Parker, both available at reasonable prices could have been bought and both better than Kos and Arteta. Why didn't we go in for them? Can't think of any decent English keepers or strikers but those 2 should definitely have been bought.Quote:
ARSENAL legend Robert Pires has slammed the club’s transfer policy.
And the French former midfielder, 39, has urged boss Arsene Wenger to sign a hard core of English players.
Pires, who ended a six-year spell with the Gunners in 2006, said: “The difference between Arsenal today and my generation is that we had a backbone of English players.
“The club has some very good youngsters now but they lack experience.
“The only solution for Arsenal is to buy some English players.”
Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...#ixzz2OtJe4g5P
Kroenke is a ****Quote:
Samir Nasri has claimed Arsenal sold him two years ago because the board wanted to cash in.
Manchester City midfielder Nasri claimed Arsene Wenger told him he would not be sold if Cesc Fabregas left but majority shareholder Stan Kroenke had the final say.
The Gunners ended up selling both midfielders with Fabregas going to Barcelona.
The club vehemently denied at the time that Wenger was put under any pressure to sell even though Nasri only had a year left on his contract.
Nasri told BeIN Sport: "Cesc or me were supposed to leave. Arsene told me that if Cesc would leave, I would stay. But Kroenke wanted the money.
"Arsene Wenger is the greatest coach I have worked with.. he made me the player I am. I'm very grateful.
"I only regret not having more discussions with Arsene Wenger when I left [for Manchester City].
"I do not have regrets. I do not regret joining Manchester City. I want to play and perform. My departure from Arsenal is purely for sporting reasons.
"When you compare Arsenal and City, it's not the same. With City I'm playing in a better team. I didn't leave (Arsenal) for money."
Nasri has endured mixed fortunes since his £24m move to City, winning the title last year and being accused by Roberto Mancini of not trying hard enough.
Nasri added: "I am aware that I am not having a good season. There are many reasons. But when Mancini said that I'm training at 50 per cent this is not true."
On a potential move away from City, Nasri added: "There is nothing going on with Monaco. Nor with PSG."
Tbf we struggled even with the ****Quote:
DAVID SEAMAN believes the sale of Robin van Persie is to blame for Arsenal’s struggle to qualify for the Champions League.
The Gunners parted company with Van Persie in August and have seen the talismanic Holland international bang in 23 goals in all competitions since joining Manchester United.
While the Dutchman is on the verge of winning the Premier League title with United, his old team-mates are battling against Chelsea and North London rivals Tottenham for a place in the top four.
And Seaman doubts the Gunners would be in danger of missing out on European football’s top competition had former skipper RVP not been allowed to leave.
He told SunSport: “It’s difficult when you sell your best players because it’s going to be hard for the team. When you’re selling captains and players like that, it’s difficult.
“That would never have happened [in the past]. Arsenal would never have sold their best players to Manchester United.
“But it did happen and we’ve just got to get on with it.
"Where do we go from here? Well, we’re a very successful business but we want to be successful on the pitch — and at the moment that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.”
While many Arsenal supporters turned on Van Persie following his switch to Old Trafford, Seaman remains a fan of the striker who netted in United's 2-1 win over the Gunners in November.
And he claims it is not all doom and gloom for the club he enjoyed so much success with.
The Arsenal legend added: “They’ve hit form recently, which is a good sign because the pressure is on now and they’ve got to get fourth place.
“For me, I like watching Van Persie — he’s a great player and a great finisher.
“But for the Arsenal fans, I imagine it must be destroying because they want him to have their shirt on and not Manchester United’s.”
It remains unclear whether Arsene Wenger has money at his disposal or is simply reluctant to splash the cash in pursuit of the game’s best players.
But Seaman, 49, disagrees with calls for the long-serving Frenchman to be replaced.
He said: “Spending the cash and maybe having a look at the wage structure is needed because you’ve got to be attracting the best players.
“People say about replacing Arsene, but no way, not for me. He’s the best.
“If he left Arsenal, a big, big club would snap him up straight away. It would be a loss to Arsenal.
“I’m sure the fans would regret it because what would change? Arsene’s a great coach, a great manager.
“Has he got the money to spend? We don’t know.
"If a new manager came in and suddenly he’s got money to spend, why wouldn’t they give it to Arsene? There a lot of questions that need answering.”
Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...#ixzz2PjOdCDFD
Stopped reading after the 1st paragraph, tbh, as the same thing you say here flashed across my mind.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cripps
away at man Utd? :doh:Quote:
GEORGE GRAHAM insists Arsenal will edge out Tottenham in the battle for European qualification.
Andre Villas-Boas’ Spurs are currently two points ahead of fierce North London rivals.
But should Arsenal win their home clash against Norwich on Saturday they will move ahead of their North London rivals.
With just six games of the season remaining, Spurs are yet to play Chelsea and Manchester City.
And Graham said: “I fancy Arsenal to finish in the top four.
“I didn’t earlier in the season but now they’re favourites and could maybe even end up third.
“Tottenham have been outstanding this season.
“In the games I saw them play earlier this season I thought they would definitely be in the top four.
"But if you look at the fixture list they have got a very, very hard run-in.
"Arsenal’s only real tough game is away at Manchester United.
“Arsene Wenger has been under a lot of pressure and criticism this season, some of it is justified.
"However, when it comes to the run in at the end of the season he’s been fantastic.
“They’re not the Arsenal of old but they’re picking up important points and playing with a lot of confidence.”
Arsenal’s hopes of overcoming the Canaries this weekend have been boosted by the news Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere are due to return.
Graham added: “Jack Wilshere is one of the few world-class players in the team.
“He was out for so long and they missed him. He’s not only got wonderful technical ability but he’s a natural winner.
“They need that drive from midfield, without question.”
Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...#ixzz2PtQ9J6G0
Tosser. Wish he would go away.Quote:
Samir Nasri has claimed Arsenal sold him two years ago because the board wanted to cash in.
Manchester City midfielder Nasri claimed Arsene Wenger told him he would not be sold if Cesc Fabregas left but majority shareholder Stan Kroenke had the final say.
The Gunners ended up selling both midfielders with Fabregas going to Barcelona.
The club vehemently denied at the time that Wenger was put under any pressure to sell even though Nasri only had a year left on his contract.
Nasri told BeIN Sport: "Cesc or me were supposed to leave. Arsene told me that if Cesc would leave, I would stay. But Kroenke wanted the money.
"Arsene Wenger is the greatest coach I have worked with.. he made me the player I am. I'm very grateful.
"I only regret not having more discussions with Arsene Wenger when I left [for Manchester City].
"I do not have regrets. I do not regret joining Manchester City. I want to play and perform. My departure from Arsenal is purely for sporting reasons.
"When you compare Arsenal and City, it's not the same. With City I'm playing in a better team. I didn't leave (Arsenal) for money."
Nasri has endured mixed fortunes since his £24m move to City, winning the title last year and being accused by Roberto Mancini of not trying hard enough.
Nasri added: "I am aware that I am not having a good season. There are many reasons. But when Mancini said that I'm training at 50 per cent this is not true."
On a potential move away from City, Nasri added: "There is nothing going on with Monaco. Nor with PSG."
Move to Emirates Stadium has worked wellQuote:
Perry Groves has warned Arsenal fans the club will have to settle for ‘second tier signings’ this summer.
Former vice-chairman David Dein was quoted on Tuesday morning saying Arsene Wenger is planning to splash the cash on big-money buys in the close season, but Groves insists the desire to spend is only half the story.
The ex-Gunners winger told Hawksbee & Jacobs: “Arsene Wenger will try to spend big, but the players he’s going to be in for, the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea will be in for as well.
“And it’s not just a question of the transfer fees. Everybody knows the top players will demand top salaries, so if Arsenal still have a wage structure with their top earners on £100-£110,000 a week, then other teams will blow them out of the water because they’ll be paying £180-£190,000 a week.
“I think Arsenal will have to take the second tier players because the top players will want to play for the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City, who are going to be in the hunt to win things.
“It also depends if Arsenal finish in the Champions League places because all the top players want to play in that, and sometimes you have to pay over the odds for a player.
“If Arsene thinks a player is worth £10m, he won’t pay more than that, whereas managers like Sir Alex Ferguson and Harry Redknapp will if they think he’ll be that important to the team.”
Arsenal’s close seasons have been disrupted in recent years with speculation over leading stars like Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie, but this year it seems unlikely they will be battling to keep hold of their big names.
“Arsenal’s top players are still in the development stage,” added Groves. “They’ve probably got another season of Jack Wilshere, but if Arsenal don’t win anything he might think about moving on, so they should be a bit more stable. It will be more interesting who’s coming in than who’s going out.”
Read more: http://www.talksport.co.uk/sports-ne...#ixzz2QAkJmIGi
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did Wenger actually say he will spend big or did Dein say it?Quote:
IAN WRIGHT cannot wait to see Arsene Wenger splash the cash and get Arsenal challenging for silverware again.
As revealed by former vice-chairman David Dein, Wenger has finally conceded he must strengthen his squad this summer.
And Wright firmly believes the Frenchman is still the right man for the job to end the club’s eight-year trophy drought.
The Gunners legend told SunSport: “I’m delighted as my only argument with Arsenal has been we’ve not replenished the squad with the kind of quality players required to challenge for the Premier League.
“I get a lot of people on Twitter saying that I’m constantly slating the club, but I don’t do that.
“However, I won’t sit by when I know what is expected in terms of winning something. You expect to win something at that club — the fans do, the players should do — and I think we’ve lost sight of that in the last eight years.
“We’ve had a manager who has been great for us and now he’s finally realised that in order to compete, he has to spend the money.
“Now that Wenger has said he wants to buy big, I wouldn’t want anyone else rather than him doing it.”
Wenger has been notoriously reluctant to spend despite Arsenal’s strong finances.
But Wright, 49, insists the only way to get the Gunners firing again and win their first trophy since the 2005 FA Cup is to overhaul the team.
He added: “It’s hard to put your finger on specific players but for me, as a forward, I like the look of Edinson Cavani.
“He very much looks like a top player in terms of scoring goals at the highest level.
“I also think we need another goalkeeper to go alongside Wojciech Szczesny so that hopefully he can kick on.
“We need two centre-halves and we could always get another strong midfielder, but who is really available out there?
“I did like Mousa Dembele, but obviously he went to Spurs and I don’t know whether or not he’d have been an Arsenal type of player.
“My dream player for Arsenal would be Mesut Ozil. I think he’s amazing and you could put him in midfield alongside Jack Wilshere and Mikel Arteta.
“Finally, we need two big-name strikers to go with what we’ve already got so that everyone can raise their game and aspire to be at the same level.
“Then we’d have the whole squad playing for places and playing to win trophies because there’s proper competition. Arsenal need to get that mentality within the squad.”
Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...#ixzz2QH5UNsvZ
No way is Wenger spending big
People are creaming their pants with what DD had to say.. Wenger will come with the usual BS of signing 'only super quality players'
Wenget has been "ready" to spend big for the past 5 years. :rolleyes:
They're generic comments from Dein designed to appease some fans, as we've once again proven how uncompetitive the squad is.