Fierce_LiNk Posted August 23, 2011 Posted August 23, 2011 Current rumours are we're after Mauro Zárate... The superstar who had a brief loan spell at Birmingham when they were relegated in 2008. Just looking at his stats on wiki. 25 goals in 103 for Lazio and 4 in 14 when on-loan at Birmingham. For a secondary striker, it's not really bad. Looking at 1 in 4 there. As long as they don't break the bank for him, it could be a good buy.
Jon Posted August 23, 2011 Posted August 23, 2011 It's not the selling of the players that is that concerning to Arsenal fans (At least not the many i've spoken too). It's more the lack of any replacements. Not to mention the fact our squad wasn't good enough with Fabregas and Nasri last season, so it's quite simple to see we need replacements for those plus additional quality.
jayseven Posted August 24, 2011 Posted August 24, 2011 I think arsenal are in a catch-22 situation where they aren't green-lighted signing players with high wages because tehy can't promise any silverware... yet can't get any trophies without the big players. Man City are precisely where Chelsea were about 4 years ago - a couple of big-spend seasons that got them in top 6 but finally they seem to have found a balance and have the team to beat this year. Man U hold the edge currently simply because they have the balance between youth and experience.. and their youth are pretty experienced already.... and the team spirit at united is basically undefeatable. Morale at chelsea broke last xmas so I'll be interested to see how they do now -- again, another tangent, but I think united tend to do well with keeping media spin out of the dressing room. Torres being shit and drogba not playing (srsly wtf)... nonsense. YES. So brighton beat a strong sunderland side 1-0 in extra time for the carling cup. Brighton, in the league, have won 2 (including a win over portsmouth) and drawn 1 (against blackpool, after being 2-0 up), and are looking set to fight for a double-promotion (along with southampton, who have won all 3 starting games). Brighton have a good squad this year and it's just... insane to see them play so well! also norwich lost 4-0 to div.1's MK dons. I mean... lol, srsly?
Fierce_LiNk Posted August 24, 2011 Posted August 24, 2011 It's not the selling of the players that is that concerning to Arsenal fans (At least not the many i've spoken too). It's more the lack of any replacements. Not to mention the fact our squad wasn't good enough with Fabregas and Nasri last season, so it's quite simple to see we need replacements for those plus additional quality. Selling players is concerning when they're going to your close rivals, surely? You're making another team stronger, a rival, at the expense of your own. I think arsenal are in a catch-22 situation where they aren't green-lighted signing players with high wages because tehy can't promise any silverware... yet can't get any trophies without the big players. Man City are precisely where Chelsea were about 4 years ago - a couple of big-spend seasons that got them in top 6 but finally they seem to have found a balance and have the team to beat this year. Man U hold the edge currently simply because they have the balance between youth and experience.. and their youth are pretty experienced already.... and the team spirit at united is basically undefeatable. Morale at chelsea broke last xmas so I'll be interested to see how they do now -- again, another tangent, but I think united tend to do well with keeping media spin out of the dressing room. Torres being shit and drogba not playing (srsly wtf)... nonsense. YES. So brighton beat a strong sunderland side 1-0 in extra time for the carling cup. Brighton, in the league, have won 2 (including a win over portsmouth) and drawn 1 (against blackpool, after being 2-0 up), and are looking set to fight for a double-promotion (along with southampton, who have won all 3 starting games). Brighton have a good squad this year and it's just... insane to see them play so well! also norwich lost 4-0 to div.1's MK dons. I mean... lol, srsly? Chelsea's issue is that they have only (in recent times) had 1 manager that the players truly respect, with two others coming really close. Mourinho. He was the one who gave Chelsea the edge and gave them that team spirit. Also, the players respected him tremendously, notably the english players. They've come close twice, Ancelotti being the closest. He did well at Chelsea but given what went on since Mourinho left, it's a revolving door there now. The other manager, Guus Hiddink. Only there a short time, but you can easily tell that the team respect him. He knew what he was doing. The communication was there. The reason for United's success is because they have the right manager in charge. Even when it looks like his time is up, he somehow manages to pull something out of the bag and comes back stronger. He knows the game inside out and has adapted as time has gone on. Liverpool fans will know what its like to have an important manager because they had the same thing through the Shankly years. Having that manager there to guide you through is very important. If Arsene gets through this and learns from it, he'll come back stronger. Chelsea don't quite have that icon yet, and I still say that they had it with Mourinho and threw it away. City, I don't think Mancini is their man. Also, really happy that Brighton did well. Miss that place almost daily.
Ramar Posted August 24, 2011 Posted August 24, 2011 also norwich lost 4-0 to div.1's MK dons. I mean... lol, srsly? In equally shocking Carling Cup results, QPR lost to Rochdale 2-0.
Fresh Posted August 24, 2011 Posted August 24, 2011 So that's the Nasri deal done then, £24M for a player on his last year of contract. I'm sure Wenger didn't want him to go however £24M is a hefty fee and, provided reinvestment, I'm sure he could pick up 2-3 decent players with that money. It's a four year deal with €ity and he will be wearing the number 19 shirt. Here is a little video of him arriving; Always surprised me Patrick is working at city now, thought he would so some coaching at Arsenal. Oh well. In much better news here is a video of Bursaspor’s new 45,000 seater Timsah Arena. It's a friggin' crocodile! Incredible! And under construction now! (Timsah means crocodile in Turkish, apparently Bursaspor are known as the Green Crocodiles? Why wouldn’t they put a giant kitschy crocodile’s head on their brand new stadium’s roof?)
Ellmeister Posted August 24, 2011 Posted August 24, 2011 "Gaddafi once had it all and slowly watched his empire crumble, the trusted fled to the opposition and now the defence has collapsed...now the world is laughing at him. Sorry, did I say Gaddafi? I meant Wenger."
MadDog Posted August 24, 2011 Posted August 24, 2011 I actually think in a way this is good for Arsenal, people aren't going to expect much from them. The pressure is on other teams, mostly Man City. They still have Wenger, who is more important than any player imo, he's brilliant. A few signings, and I really wouldn't write them off.
James Posted August 24, 2011 Posted August 24, 2011 Another hummdinger from arsenal v udinese, non stop it is.
Ellmeister Posted August 24, 2011 Posted August 24, 2011 GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL Lovely header. Game on.
Charlie Posted August 24, 2011 Posted August 24, 2011 Just switched onto the Arsenal match to see Van Persie's goal. If you want another goal, Arsenal fans, just let me know and I'll turn it on again.
Mr-Paul Posted August 24, 2011 Posted August 24, 2011 DO IT CHARLIE! (But don't make them score!) Chesney is a legend. What a save.
Emerald Emblem Posted August 24, 2011 Posted August 24, 2011 Szczeny's save was awesome, that was a venomous penalty but not close enough to the post. Walcott's goal just shows what trouble he could cause as a CF. The Rosicky half time sub made a big difference, he really got stuck in.
Ramar Posted August 24, 2011 Posted August 24, 2011 I swear my mum is mystic meg, she talks so much shit when we watch football trying to fit in. Then when van Persie scored she said Udinese would get a penalty, when Di Natale stepped up she said he'd miss. Should have banked on it. Anyway, great second half, not bad first half. Job done. Some great performances, Gervinho, Song second half, Szczesny top top saves (penalty sensational). Thought Jenkinson played well, could have shit his pants but stood up and Mr Bacary Consistent as always. Ramsey grew into the game too. I think second half you couldn't fault anyone. Now to put the money about Wenger, Champions League cash and prestige behind us.
Mr-Paul Posted August 24, 2011 Posted August 24, 2011 Thank god for that. I swear I'm gonna die young from a heart attack caused by Arsenal.
Ramar Posted August 24, 2011 Posted August 24, 2011 Thank god for that. I swear I'm gonna die young from a heart attack caused by Arsenal. You wouldn't have it any other way. Scousers, just seen the team you put out tonight against Exeter. Would appear Dalglish is ready to take on all fronts. Which is good to see.
jayseven Posted August 24, 2011 Posted August 24, 2011 To refer to your earlier point, Ramar; arsenal may have Wenger -- and that's certainly a great thing -- but to say that arsenal will have no pressure? Surely the pressure is going to be far greater this season than others. I would say that next season people will have lower expectations (yet secret beliefs th at they'll do well) for arsenal, but this season the media spin alone will be a massive detriment. Arsene is facing the crossroads, and the team in general hasn't been this shakey in near enough two decades. I don't think you can brush it off lightly. Come christmas, I guess we'll see Arsenal will surely have a good patch by then, at the least. But certainly, they aren't looking as favourable as city, liverpool, and maybe even slinking alongside spurs, newcastle and villa :P
Ramar Posted August 24, 2011 Posted August 24, 2011 To refer to your earlier point, Ramar; arsenal may have Wenger -- and that's certainly a great thing -- but to say that arsenal will have no pressure? Surely the pressure is going to be far greater this season than others. I would say that next season people will have lower expectations (yet secret beliefs th at they'll do well) for arsenal, but this season the media spin alone will be a massive detriment. Arsene is facing the crossroads, and the team in general hasn't been this shakey in near enough two decades. I don't think you can brush it off lightly. Come christmas, I guess we'll see Arsenal will surely have a good patch by then, at the least. But certainly, they aren't looking as favourable as city, liverpool, and maybe even slinking alongside spurs, newcastle and villa :P Immediate pressure is relieved slightly and I believe most Arsenal fans knew getting in the Champions League this season is huge if we hold any hope of getting some top signings in before the window closes. However pressure on Wenger to deliver is not gone and if we find this time next week no squad improvement has taken place then he'll be under more pressure than he was before tonight. Football is a fickle game and for tonight, Mr Wenger can sleep easy, the week ahead is still critical.
jayseven Posted August 24, 2011 Posted August 24, 2011 Hmmm you're right. Champs league is going to be a big deal for them this year. But I'm concerned that that's primarily a money thing than a prestige thing. I.E. if wenger gets fired it won't be because he didn't win the trophy but because he didn't stay in long enough to earn more money, if you get me? I genuinely thing, though, that even if it's a win-less season Wenger will stay. The board would be stupid to lose him. I think he does the best with what he's got.
Ramar Posted August 24, 2011 Posted August 24, 2011 Hmmm you're right. Champs league is going to be a big deal for them this year. But I'm concerned that that's primarily a money thing than a prestige thing. I.E. if wenger gets fired it won't be because he didn't win the trophy but because he didn't stay in long enough to earn more money, if you get me? I genuinely thing, though, that even if it's a win-less season Wenger will stay. The board would be stupid to lose him. I think he does the best with what he's got. I don't think there's pressure on him to win anything this year, but there's fan pressure to see progression. We don't want to fall behind. As for the Champions League, we've not got a hope in hell of winning it. But it's a necessary requirement to lure in top players. They all want to play at the top and that's what I meant by the prestige of the tournament. The money is very important so that we can attempt to compete with the big spenders. Just have a look at the link below, that's how far we are behind the other teams at the top. http://www.sportingintelligence.com/2011/08/22/exclusive-premier-league-shirt-deals-surge-to-117-5m-on-back-of-citys-etihad-uplift-220801/
Coolness Bears Posted August 24, 2011 Posted August 24, 2011 predicted the score. I am the true winner of this evening. Arsernal can suck it. :p
MadDog Posted August 24, 2011 Posted August 24, 2011 We put out a good side tonight, Suarez was brilliant. Henderson has really impressed me, he's just a brilliantly tidy player. He's always open for a pass, and he is so good on the ball. I think he just lacks the confidence at the moment, I really do believe he will blossom into a top top player.
Fierce_LiNk Posted August 25, 2011 Posted August 25, 2011 Champions League Draw Group A: Bayern Munich, Villarreal, Manchester City, Napoli Group B: Inter Milan, CSKA Moscow, Lille, Trabzonspor Group C: Manchester United, Benfica, Basel, Otelul Galati Group D: Real Madrid, Lyon, Ajax, Dinamo Zagreb Group E: Chelsea, Valencia, Bayer Leverkusen, Genk Group F: Arsenal, Marseille, Olympiakos, Borussia Dortmund Group G: Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, Zenit St Petersburg, APOEL Nicosia Group H: Barcelona, AC Milan, BATE Borisov, Viktoria Plzen ~ ~ ~ Pretty happy with United's draw. Chelsea have an interesting one, particularly the match against Genk. Should be some good games there.
Ramar Posted August 25, 2011 Posted August 25, 2011 Hopefully we play Dortmund away in one of the last games, give me enough time to get some money together to possibly make the trip. Not an easy group for us but not one I can't see us qualifying from.
Ellmeister Posted August 25, 2011 Posted August 25, 2011 Yeah, I think luck favoured Man U the most for this draw. We should come through hopefully!
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