We’re back… In threes…

Apologies Gooners for falling off the face of the earth, we have recently been as productive on here as Arsenal during the transfer window. And judging by all your emails, you are missing your daily(!) bite size tidbits of Arsenal news with a bit of tomfoolery thrown in. So please bear with us for the moment, we’re going through a bit of a ‘saga’ shall we call it at the moment and hopefully we’ll be giving you daily updates once more. Failing that we’ll be making more comebacks than Stan Victor Collymoore but without the wife beating antics. So I give you this and name check two old skool hero’s and two guys who are definitely hip hop legends – Eric B and Rakim.

Its been a long time, I shouldn’t have left you

Without a strong rhyme to step to

Think of how many weak shows you slept through

Times up, I’m sorry I kept you

So Gooners as I’ve said bear with us – the show will be back on the road and normal service will resume very soon. So now you’re here, get cracking and read today’s, this weeks, this months article!

In Threes… 

So apparently the fashion of the moment is hat tricks. First Theo goes and graduates on the International stage with three goals. Now, scared of missing out on the hottest new trend around The Grove, our Togolese forward has gone and got himself his very own shiny hat trick. Poor old RVP – he was inches away from being a trendsetter just a few weeks ago and now he just looks like the poor kid who can only afford goals in pairs. 

Despite the hype and deflation of the transfer window, things don’t look too shabby around The Grove of late. There was that brief aberration against Fulham but since then things have gone rather well. And the Fulham game should now be reviewed. With hindsight, though they are by no means world beaters, and still a team we should be beating if we want to win the title, Fulham are proving to be a far improved team this season, riding well up the table. So rather than being a guide of what might be to come this season, it might just have been one of those blips against a team always capable of sneaking a result. 

 

And what of Adebayor’s latest attempt to win over fans? By refusing to get on a plane to Togo, I suspect he is trying to recast himself as the new Dennis Bergkamp, whose fear of flying was well known. To think most Gooners envisioned RvP as the new Dennis, what with them sharing Dutch heritage and technical mastery of football. How foolish of us to completely overlook the lanky fellow with the crazy hair and lack of experience wearing clogs. 

Meanwhile, our new star in the making, Samir Nasri has a worrying knee injury, whilst Tomas Rosicky looks more likely to turn out for the wheelchair football team at the Paralympics than appear at The Emirates anytime soon. Without going over old ground too much here, this smells of Eboué to me. I know he supposedly ‘injured’ himself on the weekend against Blackburn, but I suspect it’s just a smokescreen. If Nasri recovers in time, we better warn Theo to steer well clear of the Ivorian anywhere in the changing rooms. And possibly train all week in medieval battle armour. Just in case…. 

So now we’re off to Kiev, home of.. erm… well.. I’m sure it’s nice this time of year anyway, as long as you don’t get caught in any radioactive dust still lingering from Chernobyl. Really, this is the best time to be playing a team out there. For what seems like 10 months of the year, they play in 20ft drifts of snow, which might suit players like Adebayor and Bendtner, but poor old Theo and young Jack Wilshere would need snorkels. Kiev are by no means a team that we should roll over, but this is a good draw, and getting them before the winter chill kicks in should negate a lot of their home advantage (though moving Kiev somewhere near the Seven Sisters Rd might have helped a bit as well). It looks as though we will be without Gael Clichy though, which starts to put a bit of a strain on the team. With Traore off gallivanting around the Arsenal Old Folks home down in Portsmouth, there is limited cover within the squad for the left back spot. Kieran Gibbs could slot in, or perhaps Gallas will be shifted left and Djourourourouou’ou will come in to play alongside Kolo in the middle of the defence. That is of course if Silvestre isn’t fit again after his entire body was rebuilt with the leftover bits of Tomas Rosicky. Either way, it will mean a reshuffle and lets all hope this is not the start of an injury crisis just when we were looking good. 

Hopefully by this time next week, we’ll have sorted out a solid start in the Champions League, and then given Bolton a good roughing up. And if nothing else, we can always just laugh at Sp*rs in last place!

By Paul Wright – Allgoonerdup roving report

More questions than answers and other bits…

With the season only a month away, and our first pre-season game against Barnet this weekend, there are still a lot of questions that need answering. I of course, don’t have any of these answers, but boy I have the full panini sticker album of questions. So.. because I know your all so keen to finish this article and read something interesting, here they are: 

Is Abou Diaby going to be our new starting centre midfielder? Having been deployed primarily on the left wing since his serious ankle injury against Sunderland, are 4 weeks of pre-season enough for him to claim this role for the opening day fixture at West Brom? Certainly depth looks to be a problem at centre midfield now Gilberto has packed his bags for Greece, with only Denilson and Song looking the obvious choice for cover should Diaby be unavailable – however both have only limited first team experience. Nasri or Rosicky would be the likely cover for Fabregas should he be unavailable but that would similarly strain our coverage for the wings and probably be too much for Rosicky’s fragile frame anyhow. 

Will Rosicky and Eduardo be fit for the start of the season? If Rosicky fails to be ready for the first game of the new season it would likely mean a debut at left midfield for either Samir Nasri or Aaron Ramsey. Typically Wenger has tended to avoid throwing new signings straight in from the start, particularly as he feels players need time to adapt to the Premier League (learning how to not get your ankle broken for example). Though Eduardo has obviously come along way in his recovery from his serious leg injury, he is unlikely to be available to start against West Brom. This would mean Emmanuel ‘Retirement Package’ Adebayor having to start up front despite question marks over his commitment to the club and the reception he will get from the fans is likely to be less than friendly. Is his head in the right place? Well, yes, it is still sitting underneath that extremely disappointing haircut, but whether he is completely behind the new campaign is questionable. The other options would be to throw Theo up front alongside balsa wood Van Persie, or starting with Bendtner, who had a strong first season off the bench. However if Adebayor is not able to start then there seems little point keeping last seasons top scorer on the bench where his value is only going to depreciate. 

On the right wing, I’m particularly keen to know who Wenger’s preferred option is. Does Hleb’s departure mean Theo going to be a regular starter, or will Nasri slot in on the right (assuming Rosicky is fit for the left)… and what does this mean for Emmanuel Eboué? Hopefully an extended spell as a bus driver.

Turning to our defence, despite Wenger claiming at the end of the season that he was interested in bring in a new defender who was strong in the air, the distractions of Flamini, Hleb and Adebayor means that has well and truly been shelved for now. So are we to assume Philippe Senderos has been rehabilitated or is he still a nutter? And what of Djourou? He looked average on loan to Birmingham and Wenger seems to no longer rate him. So does this mean Alex Song is our 4th choice Centre Back, as well as possibly being backup for the holding midfield role? The young lad surprised a lot of gooners and did reasonably well at the tail end of the season, and of course he has the hair style that I always consider a mark of potential (see the Valderama Theory) but any extended spell where Song could end up partnering Senderos in our back line scares the Danny Shittu’s out of me.

Of course the most positive news of the off season was Gael Clichy signing a new deal, and with Sagna also tied to a long term contract, we arguably have the two best fullbacks in the league at the moment. The depth at these positions is far more questionable. Gallas is certainly able to cover Clichy’s left back slot if needed, whilst Armand Traore looks far better on the wing than at left back at the moment. I doubt many Gooners would want to see him get any extended run in the league there if Clichy were to be unavailable. 

Right back certainly became a problem position for us once Sagna got injured. Despite his problems, Eboué remains a reasonable option as cover for right back, far more so than Justin Hoyte, who despite his wonderful loyalty to the club, doesn’t look to have the quality nor the potential needed to play for a title challenging side. Touré can also provide cover though he looked lost at times slung out wide right. 

On to the goalkeepers, with Mad Jens gone, will things be a little too comfortable for Manuel Almunia now? Fabianski and Mannone are by no means Premier League quality yet, let alone players you’d feel comfortable throwing into the mix in the Champions League should Almunia be injured. I would hope Wenger is looking seriously at the availability of top quality goalkeepers at the moment because we look extremely vulnerable in this position. If Almunia were to blind himself peroxiding his hair, and we had to face Chelski, United or someone like Barcelona in the Champions League, I’m not sure our defence would feel particularly confident with such an inexperienced goalkeeper in Fabianski behind them, despite his obvious potential. And of course Mannone is a completely unknown quantity playing at the top level. 

That all said, a look at our current squad size indicates that unless some players are loaned our or sold, very little is likely to change between now and the start of the season. I had a look back at our squads since 1999, and it seems Wenger favour’s a first team squad of 25 players – in fact in each season since 1999 his first team squad has been 25 (this doesn’t include the occasional run in a dead tie at the end of the season, or League Cup game). With Flamini, Gilberto, Hleb and Lehmann all gone, but Mannone, Vela, Nasri and Ramsey coming in, we are currently sitting at 25 players. But we surely need a centre midfielder, and the link this week to Garry Barry of Villa has certainly taken a lot of Gooners interest. He ticks all the boxes – has loads of Premier League experience meaning Wenger could throw him in to the starting XI for the West Brom game and know he’d be able to do a job, is versatile as he can cover left back and left midfield if needed, takes a good penalty and is a natural leader. We know Villa have an interest in Justin Hoyte, who, if the Eboué experiment is ended, would be surplus to requirements as a reserve right back. We also know Wenger has long been an admirer of Barry going back several years. The real question is whether or not the funds are there for a player who is up for sale for 18 million. So was the money spent on Nasri and Ramsey knowing we have to recoup it by selling Hleb and Gilberto (which totals around 17 – 19 million depending on who you believe) or is it now available to Wenger for further replacements? 

Whether it is or not, I think almost everyone would agree that right now, and despite what we all thought prior to the end of the season, some money needs to be spent to bring in someone to bolster our defensive midfield position. What amount of money is available will probably determine the quality, but I cannot imagine that we can go into the new season without strengthening this area. Some may be prepared to give Diaby time to prove himself, and Denilson time to mature, and point to Flamini’s sudden emergence last season before discounting them. However Flamini excelled at a time when there was strong competition for the job. Diarra was still on the books and Gilberto had come off his most successful season with us plus of course Diaby and Denilson in the mix as well. Flamini proved himself to Wenger, who equally knew he could fall back on two other strong players if needed. If both Diaby and Denilson fail to raise their game, there is currently no other option available to Wenger other than moving another player out of position (such as pushing Touré forward) and would be a huge gamble once the transfer window slams shut. 

One this is for sure though, there isn’t currently room or money available for an Arshavin this summer.

By Paul Wright

 

Other stuff

I’m in the process of nicking up the site and doing stuff ‘in the background’ a bit like the way I hope Wenger is doing transfers – without anyone knowing. There will be slight changes, cosmetic ones, you know that sort of malarkey. So apologies for the lack of activity yesterday Gooners, but don’t fret, the ‘newish’ look will be up either tomorrow or more than likely – on Monday. 

I would like to add some bits about the Hleb transfer. Well thank f*ck for that – he’s gone, It’s over. We don’t need to hear from that bleating twat about ‘noisy’ London life and such. One thing that did get me was when he got to Barcelona was that the Bell-End-Russian said it was ‘a dream’ – don’t get me wrong I’m sure it’s a dream to go to Barca, I’m not that short sighted but when Hleb said:

“I love this team”

That kind of stuck in my throat. There was no thank you to Arsène Wenger, his former team mates or even the fans who put up with him playing shit for three years and when he did finally come good (well goodish if you actually check Hleb’s stats) he can’t get away quick enough to live his tranquil life. Well all I can say is Hleb I hope you you love the bench as much as you love the team. Sour grapes? You betcha! 

Also on the subject of a Barcelona love-in, Zenit St. Petersburg’s play maker Andrei Arshavin is getting increasingly desperate especially after his agent basically did a ‘please, please, please come and get me’ plea for his client towards The Arsenal. Well it turns out Arshavin’s love for The Arsenal is so great he wants Barcelona to sign him. You can guess the next installment on this if The Arsenal don’t make a move for him and Barca don’t come a knocking Arshavin will no doubt say how much he loves spurs! 

Lastly, the video below was sent in to me by a reader. you may of seen it on another Arsenal website but in case you haven’t, have a butchers, it’s well worth your pocket money. So big up to Chris Jake’s to sending this to us. Good work Gooner.

That’s about my lot today, have yourself a great day Gooners – see you in the comments

Hleb going, going, he aint gone yet…Adebayaawn and Carlos Vela news

Morning Gooners and what a pleasant one it is too, the sun is shining, there’s blue skies – it’s just lovely. Well it would be on the football front too if there was any new stories to go for, however I wont lull you into a false sense of security, there isn’t any new stories. I’m afraid we’re still dealing with the tired old rumours. First up, Alex Hleb. Apparently again Barcelona reckon a deal is ‘nearly’ done. I’m not sure about you guys but I’m so over this, Hleb just go already. I wish the Bell-End-Russian would just fook right off. At least that way we can move on a write about something different instead of this tedious nonsense. 

Next Emmanuel Adebayor. Apparently Barcelona (again) have offered Samuel Eto’o plus a bag of cash believed to be in the region of £15m for The Togonator. And? Well considering Arsène Wenger has said the big fella isn’t for sale it will be interesting to see if he will take the money and run. Like the Hleb story I’m through with this transfer rumour, And just to make the tedium of it all be rammed down your throat there’s mix messages coming from AC Milan. The vice-supremo and mini me looking bald plated Adriano Galliani says The Arsenal want too much filthy lucre for Adebayor. Whilst ‘agent’, not Adebayor’s agent, but an agent representing none other than himself and AC Milan Vincenzo Morabito says The Arsenal have slashed Adebayor’s transfer fee, yeah right. What does he think this is? The mid season DFS sales? So no new news on those stories Gooners. 

However we might have players who want out of The Arsenal but there are one or two who want to join us as well. See it’s not all doom and gloom. Zenit St. Petersburg play maker Andrei Arshavin is hankering for a move to The Grove. It seems his agent has priced him out of a move to Barcelona who apparently was the only club the Russian wanted to play for. But seeing that the Catalan club prefer to tap up Arsenal players and laughed at the price tag Arshavin is looking at other suitors, Namely Arsenal. I wouldn’t mind this player putting on the Arsenal shirt however if The Arsenal don’t make a move for him (if the money isn’t right) be sure to see the next instalment where Arshavin so desperate to get out of Russia says how much he admires spurs and thinks they’re a big club! 

Mexican wonder kid Carlos Vela doesn’t seem the shy type, which is nice, has come out and said he wants to be a warrior for The Arsenal. We’ll have some of that. What with Vela, Samir Nasri and new number 14 Theo Walcott on the wings for The Arsenal next season I reckon we’ll be quiet deadly and scare the bejesus out of defenders, see Gooners not all doom and gloom. And these players want to play for The Arsenal!

The gloves are off, again / Vote of confidence / Super Sagna

Well here we go again, it is now officially summertime as Real Madrid’s president Ramon Calderon tries to get his sweaty mitts on Cesc Fabregas, again. Fresh from saying he wouldn’t pursue the midfield general unless the player said he wanted to leave the club, the Real president is using that old Jedi mind trick by talking but not talking. Calderon reckons that Real will pay up to £35m to land the best young midfielder in the world. Calderon is being all cloak and daggers revealed “If we receive any indication from the player that he wants to leave Arsenal then we will negotiate without limits. But like in the subject of Cristiano Ronaldo, the decision is up to them. My policy is also to work on signings without getting into wars with clubs if they don’t want to sell the player.

“I would like to hear it personally from the player that he wants to leave before I make any move to respect Arsenal.”

Now is that supposed to be some kind of joke? He wont go for a player out of respect for The Arsenal, is this guy a bullshit artist or what? So what exactly does he think he’s doing now? Cesc has got another seven years to run on his contract, has always stated he is happy at the club and has never said he wants to leave.  So Calderon, go and do one. 

Rightly so Arsène Wenger is angry at the situation and stormed: “The rules are clear, if you are interested in a player then first you have to call us. Real Madrid come out and say they want that player. That is something I would never do.” 

It’s not known whether Wenger will report them to Uefa or FIFA, but I doubt it. I think he really needs to stand his ground and do something about it for once rather than just taking all the time. We as fans have to put up with these shenanigans every season and quick frankly as well as it being frustrating it becomes boring. It’s always another year but guess the player to be tapped up. This year it’s Cesc Fabregas and also Alex Hleb who’s being tapped up by Inter. Next year? Who know’s, Manu Adebayor? Theo Walcott? Although we can all hope it’s Manu Eboué. But seriously can’t FIFA see for themselves what the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid are doing? The organisation is bloody toothless in my opinion, if it had balls there would be fines for these types of things and clubs would actually respect players under contract and not tap them up via the media. Of course the clubs would be able to afford these fines, but that’s another matter. Wenger needs to show these clubs he means business and show some balls. Obviously he’s words in the past or even now remotely touch a nerve with these clubs. 

I’m not too concerned about this new tapping up story, even in the light of Fabregas’ midfield minder Flamini buggering off to AC Milan, I am 100% certain The Fab will stay, however that can’t be said of all players. Hleb on the other hand is a whole different story, the way the media are reporting it’s as if he’s signed for Inter already. Question is, has Wenger reported them to FIFA like he said he would? Answer, well we don’t know, to paraphrase Wenger himself – we didn’t see the incident.

That old chestnut: Here we go, if Arsène Wenger hadn’t had a history of winning trophies at The Arsenal he should be a very worried man as he’s been given a vote of confidence from The Arsenal board. old Etonian and old duffer ‘Sir’ Peter Hill-Wood is categorically behind Wenger and says he isn’t under any pressure to win a trophy next season, Don’t get me wrong I love what Wenger has done for the club, the trophies, the players, the football and the stadium, however to say a manager isn’t under pressure to bring home silverware is dangerous in my book. Of course Wenger is under pressure to win a trophy, we haven’t won a trophy for three seasons and don’t let the Amsterdam Cup and the Emirates Cup turn your head. We want trophies ‘Sir’ Peter…

Super Sagna: French right back and candidate for Arsenal Player of the Season Bacary Sagna is reportedly being offered a new improved deal. After his first season in English football and taking it by storm the likes of, surprise surprise, Real Madrid, Barcelona and AC Milan are tracking the star player…