A short but very intense interview with Cesc on Sky Sports News this morning, almost had my heart pounding over what he was going to say next. Cesc stated his love for Arsenal and pretty much said the situation is out of his hands. So we are now left in a situation where the ball is in our court, if we want to play ball with Barcelona then so be it, if not then we can keep the ball to ourselves and I Think Cesc would still love to be at Arsenal next season. It all depends on our desire to keep hold of Fabregas. Personally I think its time to show a bit of backbone and show we are no push-overs, but if they do come in with an extravagant bid then we shouldn't be fools. If I was the Arsenal board, I would accept nothing less than £50m, reports of Barca only offering £30m are scandalous and are way under value.
Another thing to look at will be Barcelona's finances. How the hell can they afford Cesc, or anyone else for that matter. I'm not sure how they managed to find the capital to sign Villa because of their current financial position. Reportedly £420m in debt, one wonders how they can afford to push themselves further into debt, because Barca's profits are not exactly mesmerizing. Reports suggest that Barcelona only made an £8m profit last year. Put that in comparison to Arsenal who last year made a profit of £35m. It almost seems like Barca are spending money that they don't have, I feel sorry for their bank manager.
Coming off of the Fabregas stories though, lets start with the news that another Spanish wonder kid is making his way to Spain. Fran Merida's long unresolved future at the club as finally been resolved. Fran will leave Arsenal to join Athletico Madrid on a free transfer. I feel sorry for Fran because he has played well when he has played but just hasn't been able to break into the first team. I would like to wish him the best of luck in Madrid.
Now to today's transfer rumour mill. Speculation is surrounding a new centre back after Sol Campbell issued his interest in a move to Celtic and William Gallas still hasn't signed a new contract. So names such as Pape Diakhate and Per Mertesacker have been thrown into the mix. It is Diakhate I'm going to blog about today.
Name – Pape Diakhate
Age – 25
Position – Centre Back
Nationality – Senegalese
Club – Dynamo Kiev
We played against Diakhate a few seasons ago in the Champions League, he impressed me and we have been linked with him for the past few seasons. He is a relative unknown, but from what I have seen from him he is very strong, quick and good in the air. He is a very strong tackler, but I personally doubt he will be good enough to partner Thomas Vermaelan at the back. Pape has never really played at the top level or for a top club, he has a couple of stints in the French Ligue One and a few seasons in the Champions League, but nothing that shouts great experience. Reports suggest an offer of £8m would see him come to Arsenal, I would much prefer to sign Per Mertesacker with that money personally.
Mr Arsenal Blog Prediction
Likeliness to come – 8/10
Value for money – 6/10
Chance of a deal – 5/10
Thanks for reading guys, have a good one.
Wednesday, 26 May 2010
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
Barca finally make contact over Fab
Good Morning Folks, First thing I do this morning is turn the TV on and switch it to Sky Sports News and what do I see, Barcelona make Cesc contact. Well its about time isn't it. Personally I hate the way Barcelona do business with other clubs. Barca and Real are constantly coming out to the media and declaring their interest in players, this not only unsettles the player they are declaring interest in, but it also creates a bad atmosphere. After Barcelona's last antics with Fabregas, coming out saying they had made a bid, I wouldn't be surprised if Arsenal are very reluctant to even do business with Barcelona.
So now Cesc's dad has supposedly come out and said on Radio Marca that he expects the move to go through, and Cesc definitely wants to leave. Misquoted, Misunderstood or maybe even talking about the relationship with his wife, we have no clue what was said because Marca as a media source in general are somewhat unreliable. So I wouldn't look too much into what Cesc's dad comes out and supposedly says. Until Barcelona actually make a bid and this is confirmed by Peter Hill Wood himself, my ears are still going to be covered to this media frenzied circus act by Barcelona.
Now lets look at the rumour mill today, there isn't much activity today surprisingly, so I'm going to look into more depth into the Joe Hart rumour.
Name – Joe Hart
Age – 23
Position – Goalkeeper
Nationality – English
Club – Man City
After several loan spells away from Eastlands and with Shay Given above him in the pecking order, Joe Hart could well be looking for a move away from City. A superb shot stopper, who has an outstanding season at Birmingham this year, which has earned him a place in the England squad, and is my personal choice to wear the number 1 shirt in South Africa. At only 23 Joe Hart is still young and yet to hit his prime. Joe has had somewhat of a fairytale career already after getting the big move from Shrewsbury Town to Manchester City in 2006. I think signing Joe Hart would be a good move on our behalf, he is a reliable keeper, young and eager to make an impression, very commanding and has a great knack of keeping the ball out of the net. You would be looking at £10m plus for the him, which would be great value for money, considering he has at least another 15 years left at the top level.
Mr Arsenal Blog Prediction
Likeliness to come – 8/10
Value for money – 9/10
Chance of a deal – 6/10
Well that's it for today guys, stay tuned for tomorrows post. Thanks for reading
So now Cesc's dad has supposedly come out and said on Radio Marca that he expects the move to go through, and Cesc definitely wants to leave. Misquoted, Misunderstood or maybe even talking about the relationship with his wife, we have no clue what was said because Marca as a media source in general are somewhat unreliable. So I wouldn't look too much into what Cesc's dad comes out and supposedly says. Until Barcelona actually make a bid and this is confirmed by Peter Hill Wood himself, my ears are still going to be covered to this media frenzied circus act by Barcelona.
Now lets look at the rumour mill today, there isn't much activity today surprisingly, so I'm going to look into more depth into the Joe Hart rumour.
Name – Joe Hart
Age – 23
Position – Goalkeeper
Nationality – English
Club – Man City
After several loan spells away from Eastlands and with Shay Given above him in the pecking order, Joe Hart could well be looking for a move away from City. A superb shot stopper, who has an outstanding season at Birmingham this year, which has earned him a place in the England squad, and is my personal choice to wear the number 1 shirt in South Africa. At only 23 Joe Hart is still young and yet to hit his prime. Joe has had somewhat of a fairytale career already after getting the big move from Shrewsbury Town to Manchester City in 2006. I think signing Joe Hart would be a good move on our behalf, he is a reliable keeper, young and eager to make an impression, very commanding and has a great knack of keeping the ball out of the net. You would be looking at £10m plus for the him, which would be great value for money, considering he has at least another 15 years left at the top level.
Mr Arsenal Blog Prediction
Likeliness to come – 8/10
Value for money – 9/10
Chance of a deal – 6/10
Well that's it for today guys, stay tuned for tomorrows post. Thanks for reading
Monday, 24 May 2010
Linked with every player under the sun, literally
Yet another sunny day in London, however despite the sun shining the same cannot be said for news surrounding Arsenal FC today. I've been taking a look at the rumour mill today and I see a name pop up that I've wanted at the club for years. A certain Yoann Gourcouff. So as I promised yesterday I'm going to kick off my daily rumour mill fact file with him.
Name – Yoann Gourcuff
Age – 23
Position – Attacking Midfielder
Nationality – French
Club – Bordeaux
Yoann is an extremely gifted player, and some of you may have seen me blog about him before. He is an Arsenal style player. He is very similar to Nasri, but in my personal opinion Yoann possesses a touch more quality than Samir does. Samir and Yoann were both likened to Zinedine Zidane in their styles of football. Goal.com states that Bordeaux want £25m for him, and personally I feel in this financial climate, where £25m could land you your very own Alberto Aquilani, it would be money well spent. With Arsene Wengers french persuasion and the recent acquisition of Chamakh from Bordeaux, you never know maybe he could well be wearing the Arsenal shirt next year.
Check him out in the link below
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66dF4pxlrkU
Mr Arsenal Blog Prediction
Likeliness to come – 7/10
Value for money – 7/10
Chance of a deal – 6/10
Other transfer rumours circulating about are surrounding Mark Schwarzer, Bafetimbi Gomis, Gai Assulin, Robert Green and Steven Pienaar.
Other news from yesterday were the rumours that Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangito is lining up a potential purchase of Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith shares in the club for a reported £160m. Let me repeat that again £160m for 16% shares in the club. If my maths is correct that puts a value on the club at about a billion pounds. This could spark a takeover battle between Usmanov, Kroenke and Dangito. However being a realist I wouldn't read too much into these reports, he probably only said to his mate that he 'likes London' and newspapers and the rest of the sporting press see this an ideal story to keep life interesting at The Emirates, and start a dodgy rumour.
Thanks for reading
Name – Yoann Gourcuff
Age – 23
Position – Attacking Midfielder
Nationality – French
Club – Bordeaux
Yoann is an extremely gifted player, and some of you may have seen me blog about him before. He is an Arsenal style player. He is very similar to Nasri, but in my personal opinion Yoann possesses a touch more quality than Samir does. Samir and Yoann were both likened to Zinedine Zidane in their styles of football. Goal.com states that Bordeaux want £25m for him, and personally I feel in this financial climate, where £25m could land you your very own Alberto Aquilani, it would be money well spent. With Arsene Wengers french persuasion and the recent acquisition of Chamakh from Bordeaux, you never know maybe he could well be wearing the Arsenal shirt next year.
Check him out in the link below
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66dF4pxlrkU
Mr Arsenal Blog Prediction
Likeliness to come – 7/10
Value for money – 7/10
Chance of a deal – 6/10
Other transfer rumours circulating about are surrounding Mark Schwarzer, Bafetimbi Gomis, Gai Assulin, Robert Green and Steven Pienaar.
Other news from yesterday were the rumours that Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangito is lining up a potential purchase of Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith shares in the club for a reported £160m. Let me repeat that again £160m for 16% shares in the club. If my maths is correct that puts a value on the club at about a billion pounds. This could spark a takeover battle between Usmanov, Kroenke and Dangito. However being a realist I wouldn't read too much into these reports, he probably only said to his mate that he 'likes London' and newspapers and the rest of the sporting press see this an ideal story to keep life interesting at The Emirates, and start a dodgy rumour.
Thanks for reading
Sunday, 23 May 2010
Trip down memory lane
As the scene is so dead at the moment, I mean all we are hearing about are random transfer rumours, that seem to be computer generated or pulled out of a hat, I thought I would take a trip down memory lane and make a comparison to the Invincible's team that famously went unbeaten throughout the whole season in 2003/2004. The contrast in individual talent, depth, drive and determination is sort of like the contrast between black and white.
Lets start with the keepers. Now I know Jens Lehmann wasn't exactly a fans favourite, and rarely filled fans with confidence, but there is no question that Jens was a great keeper for us. He was a leader with unquestionable desire to win football matches, whilst calling him slightly eccentric maybe an understatement, he commanded the area and showed authority in the box. This is something Almunia and Fabianski has failed to provide us with this season, countless errors and the distinct lack of leadership and presence whilst defending in our own box has definitely been a remote problem to us this season.
Invincible's - 8/10
Now - 5/10
The defence of the invincible season was probably the best back line we have had since the days of Adams, Bould, Winterburn and Dixon. We only conceded 26 goals throughout that season, compared to the 42 goals conceded this season. Toure and Campbell formed a rock solid partnership at the back, with Ashley Cole and Lauren playing full backs. Defensive cover was provided by defenders with experience such as Keown and Cygan. The mental strength to hang onto leads and actually win games 1-0 was fundamental to us winning the league and going unbeaten. This season we've found it very hard to hold on to leads, sometimes even our leads have been overturned to result in defeat. The defence as a unit this season has not been as solid as that of the Invincible's.
Invincible's - 8/10
Now - 6/10
Our midfield during the Invincible's season was nothing short of amazing. In my opinion probably the best midfield we have had, certainly in my generation anyway. The central midfield partnership of Vieira and Gilberto shook fear into any team we faced, great experience and an incredible drive to win games. Although we play a different formation now, as the 4-4-2 formation has slowly lost its purpose and has become very unfavourable in today's modern game, we still try to play the same way, however defensively we are not as astute. With Pires and Ljungberg on the wings, goals were easy to find, whereas Nasri, Arshavin and Rosicky haven't really found their feet in the goalscoring department. Song has been great this season, Diaby has shone in parts and who can forget Fabregas' magnificent season. In terms of personnel the midfield we have now is still a pretty decent midfield. However in terms of depth, we cant compare. The Invincible's could turn to players such as Parlour, Edu, Wiltord and Reyes to bring off the bench. Whereas we have players like Denilson and Walcott, the depth in quality is very different.
Invincible's - 8.5/10
Now - 7/10
Bergkamp and Henry. Probably the two greatest players ever to play for Arsenal, both in the same team. Looking back at it now, I am astonished. That strike force could be compared to any team in the world in the past, and even currently. The attacking line up was guaranteed goals, with Pires and Ljungberg also chipping in and Henry scoring 30 goals a season for fun. You look at this season and our centre midfielder was our top scorer. Granted Robin van Persie was injured for most of the season, but even still we shouldn't be relying on Fabregas to be our top scorer as well as our play maker. Comparing Van Persie, Bendtner, Arshavin and Eduardo to Bergkamp, Henry, Pires and Kanu, speaks for itself. Van Persie is probably the only person named who would have challenged to break into the Invincible's squad.
Invincible's - 9/10
Now - 7/10
As you can see the contrast between the two squads are massive. Fair enough we had to rebuild the squad, but it has now been 6 years since the invincible and all we seem to be doing is going further and further back. We have turned into a selling club, and buying average Joe's who aren't improving the team and taking us back to the heights we were once at.
Invincible's - 8.5
Now - 6.5
Lets start with the keepers. Now I know Jens Lehmann wasn't exactly a fans favourite, and rarely filled fans with confidence, but there is no question that Jens was a great keeper for us. He was a leader with unquestionable desire to win football matches, whilst calling him slightly eccentric maybe an understatement, he commanded the area and showed authority in the box. This is something Almunia and Fabianski has failed to provide us with this season, countless errors and the distinct lack of leadership and presence whilst defending in our own box has definitely been a remote problem to us this season.
Invincible's - 8/10
Now - 5/10
The defence of the invincible season was probably the best back line we have had since the days of Adams, Bould, Winterburn and Dixon. We only conceded 26 goals throughout that season, compared to the 42 goals conceded this season. Toure and Campbell formed a rock solid partnership at the back, with Ashley Cole and Lauren playing full backs. Defensive cover was provided by defenders with experience such as Keown and Cygan. The mental strength to hang onto leads and actually win games 1-0 was fundamental to us winning the league and going unbeaten. This season we've found it very hard to hold on to leads, sometimes even our leads have been overturned to result in defeat. The defence as a unit this season has not been as solid as that of the Invincible's.
Invincible's - 8/10
Now - 6/10
Our midfield during the Invincible's season was nothing short of amazing. In my opinion probably the best midfield we have had, certainly in my generation anyway. The central midfield partnership of Vieira and Gilberto shook fear into any team we faced, great experience and an incredible drive to win games. Although we play a different formation now, as the 4-4-2 formation has slowly lost its purpose and has become very unfavourable in today's modern game, we still try to play the same way, however defensively we are not as astute. With Pires and Ljungberg on the wings, goals were easy to find, whereas Nasri, Arshavin and Rosicky haven't really found their feet in the goalscoring department. Song has been great this season, Diaby has shone in parts and who can forget Fabregas' magnificent season. In terms of personnel the midfield we have now is still a pretty decent midfield. However in terms of depth, we cant compare. The Invincible's could turn to players such as Parlour, Edu, Wiltord and Reyes to bring off the bench. Whereas we have players like Denilson and Walcott, the depth in quality is very different.
Invincible's - 8.5/10
Now - 7/10
Bergkamp and Henry. Probably the two greatest players ever to play for Arsenal, both in the same team. Looking back at it now, I am astonished. That strike force could be compared to any team in the world in the past, and even currently. The attacking line up was guaranteed goals, with Pires and Ljungberg also chipping in and Henry scoring 30 goals a season for fun. You look at this season and our centre midfielder was our top scorer. Granted Robin van Persie was injured for most of the season, but even still we shouldn't be relying on Fabregas to be our top scorer as well as our play maker. Comparing Van Persie, Bendtner, Arshavin and Eduardo to Bergkamp, Henry, Pires and Kanu, speaks for itself. Van Persie is probably the only person named who would have challenged to break into the Invincible's squad.
Invincible's - 9/10
Now - 7/10
As you can see the contrast between the two squads are massive. Fair enough we had to rebuild the squad, but it has now been 6 years since the invincible and all we seem to be doing is going further and further back. We have turned into a selling club, and buying average Joe's who aren't improving the team and taking us back to the heights we were once at.
Invincible's - 8.5
Now - 6.5
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
Seeing is believing over Fabs future
My last post stressed my confidence that Cesc will be an Arsenal player next season, my views have slightly changed following the reports of yesterday morning and today. The reports of Cesc telling Wenger he wants to leave and join Barcelona have flooded the back pages, websites, blog sites, everything you can think of, the topic of Cesc leaving Arsenal has been raised. Everywhere except Arsenal.com, which is my point. Until I see some sort of proof that these things were said, and that Cesc is ready to leave us then I will have my doubts. Does anyone know where these reports came from? The credibility of this source is non existent, it just sounds like another media frenzied craze to sell newspapers. People are mistaken into believing this is a direct quote from Fabregas. Cesc has not come out to the public and said 'I want to leave Arsenal and join Barcelona'. The only time where he may of said this is to Arsene Wenger himself, and if that is the case how do we no this? The simple facts are that Fabregas will one day leave Arsenal, whether it is this season or not remains to be seen.
If Fabregas does decide to leave, then who can blame him? I certainly don't blame him for wanting to leave. I see some fans saying that Cesc is being disloyal and should stay for the rest of his contract, as he has four years left still. Are we oblivious to the fact that it is inevitable that Cesc will leave. If anything we gave him a long contract to make sure his value sustains, rather than letting him go for cheap in the final year of his contract. We should have been prepared for one day Cesc leaving us, he is a Barcelona born and bred footballer, all his friends and family live there and play there. Barcelona are winning trophies, we aren't, the only reason Fabregas has stayed as long as he has is because he wanted to win trophies with Arsenal before he returned home. The problem is that this has not happened, and Cesc surely must think that it is not going to happen next season, or the season after, so maybe it is time to leave. However until this becomes material I will assume that Arsenal have no intention of selling, and Cesc still wants to play for Arsenal Football Club.
Maybe I am in denial, and just cant see what is in front of me, but I'm a firm believer in seeing is believing, and until I see this in the flesh, I will merely brush this off as media speculation. However lets just say this does become fact and Fabregas does decide to leave. What would we be happy with? I've seen some speculation with a part exchange for Yaya Toure, or even Zlatan Ibrahimovic. What would be an acceptable fee? Would we look for £30m or is that too cheap? Personally I would except nothing less than £45m in a one off fee, or £35m plus Toure. They are the only 2 plausible deals I would accept. Anything else and I would say, sorry try again next year.
I suppose only time will tell, but I do expect this to be sorted out before the World Cup starts, I wouldn't like Cesc going on international duty with all the Barcelona players in the Spanish squad, and them egging him on to join. The next up and coming few weeks should be quite interesting.
Thank you for reading, comments and feedback would be greatly appreciated.
If Fabregas does decide to leave, then who can blame him? I certainly don't blame him for wanting to leave. I see some fans saying that Cesc is being disloyal and should stay for the rest of his contract, as he has four years left still. Are we oblivious to the fact that it is inevitable that Cesc will leave. If anything we gave him a long contract to make sure his value sustains, rather than letting him go for cheap in the final year of his contract. We should have been prepared for one day Cesc leaving us, he is a Barcelona born and bred footballer, all his friends and family live there and play there. Barcelona are winning trophies, we aren't, the only reason Fabregas has stayed as long as he has is because he wanted to win trophies with Arsenal before he returned home. The problem is that this has not happened, and Cesc surely must think that it is not going to happen next season, or the season after, so maybe it is time to leave. However until this becomes material I will assume that Arsenal have no intention of selling, and Cesc still wants to play for Arsenal Football Club.
Maybe I am in denial, and just cant see what is in front of me, but I'm a firm believer in seeing is believing, and until I see this in the flesh, I will merely brush this off as media speculation. However lets just say this does become fact and Fabregas does decide to leave. What would we be happy with? I've seen some speculation with a part exchange for Yaya Toure, or even Zlatan Ibrahimovic. What would be an acceptable fee? Would we look for £30m or is that too cheap? Personally I would except nothing less than £45m in a one off fee, or £35m plus Toure. They are the only 2 plausible deals I would accept. Anything else and I would say, sorry try again next year.
I suppose only time will tell, but I do expect this to be sorted out before the World Cup starts, I wouldn't like Cesc going on international duty with all the Barcelona players in the Spanish squad, and them egging him on to join. The next up and coming few weeks should be quite interesting.
Thank you for reading, comments and feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Monday, 17 May 2010
The future of Fab
Season after season our best players get linked with a move away from North London. So it isn't surprising that once again we have speculation surrounding Cesc Fabregas. The little spanish magician has been linked with moves to Barcelona and Real ever since he has come to the club. Speculation has been fuelled in the past couple of days after Cesc came out and said he would love a move to Barcelona. Sitting here as an Arsenal fan, this is the last thing I want to hear, as I'm sure is the case with the majority of other Arsenal fans. However despite this fact I'm still quietly confident that Cesc will stay atleast to the end of next season.
Year after year, Cesc reiterates his desire to return back home. We have to understand that Cesc has been at Arsenal since he was 16 years old, that is 7 years away from his homeland, his parents, his friends and his culture. He is still very young and sometimes i feel we forget that. We look at his mature head on the pitch and seem to think we are looking at a 30 year old. This is why I don't look too much into what Fabregas says to the media, I take it merely as an expression to return to the homeland at some point in his career. People seem to forget that Cesc reiterates his happiness at Arsenal week in, and week out. Controversy will always sell newspaper stories and produce a media field day.
I fully expect to see Fabregas wearing an Arsenal shirt next season, leading us out on the opening day of the season, hopefully with a few new signings following behind. It is inevitable however that Cesc will leave one day, we are powerless to stop that and it would be unreasonable to expect him to stay for the rest of his career. One day Barcelona will come in with a mammoth bid and Cesc will tell the club and the fans that it is time to leave, and we will wish him the best and move on like Arsenal Football Club should.
Comments and feedback would be appreciated
Year after year, Cesc reiterates his desire to return back home. We have to understand that Cesc has been at Arsenal since he was 16 years old, that is 7 years away from his homeland, his parents, his friends and his culture. He is still very young and sometimes i feel we forget that. We look at his mature head on the pitch and seem to think we are looking at a 30 year old. This is why I don't look too much into what Fabregas says to the media, I take it merely as an expression to return to the homeland at some point in his career. People seem to forget that Cesc reiterates his happiness at Arsenal week in, and week out. Controversy will always sell newspaper stories and produce a media field day.
I fully expect to see Fabregas wearing an Arsenal shirt next season, leading us out on the opening day of the season, hopefully with a few new signings following behind. It is inevitable however that Cesc will leave one day, we are powerless to stop that and it would be unreasonable to expect him to stay for the rest of his career. One day Barcelona will come in with a mammoth bid and Cesc will tell the club and the fans that it is time to leave, and we will wish him the best and move on like Arsenal Football Club should.
Comments and feedback would be appreciated
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Marouane Chamakh - Signing all but confirmed
This morning the moroccan striker Marouane Chamakh pretty much all but confirmed that he will be playing at The Emirates next season. The 26 year old Moroccan has been heavily linked with Arsenal for the last few years. It is thought that we have beaten off interest from Liverpool, Tottenham, West Ham and numerous other clubs. Chamakh helped Bordeaux to the title last year, and has also been part of the Bordeaux squad that exceeded expectations in this years Champions League. He has scored 81 goals in 293 games for Bordeaux, and a further 27 goals in 57 games for Morocco. He has spent 10 years at the French club, and his contract is up at the end of the season, which paves way for him to leave on a free transfer.
Chamakh may however just look like a skinny, skillfull striker that may struggle with the physical side of The Premier League, but do not be fooled. At 6'2 he is a decent sized boy and he can hold his own. He is a dominating presence in the air, and is able to hold the ball up. After spending the last 10 years in the French Ligue One, he will be no stranger to the physical side of football. French football is very similar to The Premier League, and rarely does a player from a French club come to England and struggle to make an impact. He will also be used to the way Arsenal play football as Bordeaux play decent football themselves. Bordeaux have players that pass the ball around such as Gourcuff, who I would also like to see follow suit and join Arsenal. Chamakh is quick, strong, good in the air and has a great work ethic. These attributes are very much needed in todays game, he will certainly bring something new to the plate.
You may however look at his goalscoring record for Bordeaux and think that it is pretty dismal for a striker. It is true, he is not a 30 goal a season striker, but he will bring goals to the table, whether it be by him scoring them or assisting others. He also has a great knack of rising to the big matches. He has scored in 3 of the last matches against Lyon, along with a further 14 goals this season. If we can keep Van Persie fit, I'm confident that the dutchman and Chamakh will be able to form a formidable partnership upfront. They would compliment each others styles and it would allow Van Persie to play football rather than be competiting for balls in the air, which Chamakh loves to do.
This season we were left very thin up front with injuries to Van Persie and Bendtner, and also with Eduardo struggling with form, we were left with Arshavin to lead the line. Personally I would have signed Chamakh in January, because its evident from yesterdays blog that the decline we have had at the end of this season has simply been because we havent been able to score goals to win games. Eduardo has chipped in with 3 goals in 30 odd appearances this season, which is far from good enough. We could have done with an extra face up front to bag a few vital goals. However this was not the case, so hopefully if all goes well Chamakh will be an Arsenal player next season.
Thanks for reading, comments and feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Chamakh may however just look like a skinny, skillfull striker that may struggle with the physical side of The Premier League, but do not be fooled. At 6'2 he is a decent sized boy and he can hold his own. He is a dominating presence in the air, and is able to hold the ball up. After spending the last 10 years in the French Ligue One, he will be no stranger to the physical side of football. French football is very similar to The Premier League, and rarely does a player from a French club come to England and struggle to make an impact. He will also be used to the way Arsenal play football as Bordeaux play decent football themselves. Bordeaux have players that pass the ball around such as Gourcuff, who I would also like to see follow suit and join Arsenal. Chamakh is quick, strong, good in the air and has a great work ethic. These attributes are very much needed in todays game, he will certainly bring something new to the plate.
You may however look at his goalscoring record for Bordeaux and think that it is pretty dismal for a striker. It is true, he is not a 30 goal a season striker, but he will bring goals to the table, whether it be by him scoring them or assisting others. He also has a great knack of rising to the big matches. He has scored in 3 of the last matches against Lyon, along with a further 14 goals this season. If we can keep Van Persie fit, I'm confident that the dutchman and Chamakh will be able to form a formidable partnership upfront. They would compliment each others styles and it would allow Van Persie to play football rather than be competiting for balls in the air, which Chamakh loves to do.
This season we were left very thin up front with injuries to Van Persie and Bendtner, and also with Eduardo struggling with form, we were left with Arshavin to lead the line. Personally I would have signed Chamakh in January, because its evident from yesterdays blog that the decline we have had at the end of this season has simply been because we havent been able to score goals to win games. Eduardo has chipped in with 3 goals in 30 odd appearances this season, which is far from good enough. We could have done with an extra face up front to bag a few vital goals. However this was not the case, so hopefully if all goes well Chamakh will be an Arsenal player next season.
Thanks for reading, comments and feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Excuses will get us nowhere
A very worrying sign hit me yesterday after the defeat at Ewood Park, after a very lacklustre performance where we all but dismissed our whole season as irrelevant, Arsene Wenger once again tried to conjur up a defence of why we lost. To be quite frank, we lost because we aren't good enough, and we were tactically and physically outclassed. I find it very worrying at the amount of times this season that tactically we have been found wanting, and with Wengers excuses in the post match interview, I don't see any change in his mentality.
I personally dont understand why we have come away from the way we was playing on earlier in the season, we pressed very well, we hustled in midfield, we were a nuisance all over the pitch and won the ball back in the oppositions half. All of these elements were key to our success in the early parts of the season. It seems as though however, that we have tried to do something new. Yesterdays game was a prime example of how we have been playing since the turn of the year. We showed no physical presence, no urgency, no hustle in our play. For a team that is 2-1 down with 25 minutes to go, you would expect them to try and throw the kitchen sink at the oppositions goal, but I don't remember us even having a shot after Samba scored the winner. Its embarrasing watching us lose games like we do, we don't even look dignified in defeat. Instead of Wenger taking responsibilty for the defeat, he makes half hearted excuses about the refereeing, and the tactical ploys of Sam Allardyce. Arsene needs to get over this because he has been dealing with this issue for the last 13 years and he still has not found a way to overcome it. I commend Sam Allardyce for how he plays, football is about winning, and using your strengths to combat their weaknesses, and Big Sam does this season in, and season out against us, when will we ever learn?
In the first half of the season we scored 51 goals in 19 games and conceded 21, we conjured up 19 wins in that period of time with 4 defeats. You may look at that stat and think 21 goals conceded is still a bit too much, but because we were scoring so many goals you tend to look past it, plus there was a 3-0 thrashing by Chelsea and a 4-2 loss to Man City, so that accounts for 7 of them. Now take a look at the stats for the second half of the season, we have scored 28 goals in 18 games and have still conceded 20 goals in 18 games. We have only managed to secure 9 victories and have suffered 5 defeats, along with 4 draws. Our season really has been a story of two halfs. We went to the team with 'the easiest run in' to now fighting to keep hold of that automatic champions league place. In our last 9 premier league games we have only taken 14 points out of a possible 27, that by top four standards is absolutly shocking. Normally you would regard Arsenal as a team, that finishes strong, but we have faded away into the darkness and now find ourselves 11 points off the top.
Our away form has not been good enough either this year. We have scored many goals away from the emirates but have conceded far too many. 7 defeats on the road, along with 4 draws, accumalates to 29 points lost in the race. Compared to Man united who only dropped 21 points away and Chelsea who has dropped 23 points away from home. Our form up North has also been nothing short of dismal also, 5 of our 9 defeats this term have been up North, against Man Utd, Man City, Sunderland, Wigan and Blackburn. Its the curse of the North once again that seems to haunt us once again.
Its time Arsene Wenger realises that the world is not always against us, we need to start grinding out victories away from home and holding onto leads, we don't seem to be able to grab the game by the scruff of the neck. These are the stats that have cost us the title this season, not teams cheating or referees performing poorly.
Thanks for reading, comments and feedback would be greatly appreciated
I personally dont understand why we have come away from the way we was playing on earlier in the season, we pressed very well, we hustled in midfield, we were a nuisance all over the pitch and won the ball back in the oppositions half. All of these elements were key to our success in the early parts of the season. It seems as though however, that we have tried to do something new. Yesterdays game was a prime example of how we have been playing since the turn of the year. We showed no physical presence, no urgency, no hustle in our play. For a team that is 2-1 down with 25 minutes to go, you would expect them to try and throw the kitchen sink at the oppositions goal, but I don't remember us even having a shot after Samba scored the winner. Its embarrasing watching us lose games like we do, we don't even look dignified in defeat. Instead of Wenger taking responsibilty for the defeat, he makes half hearted excuses about the refereeing, and the tactical ploys of Sam Allardyce. Arsene needs to get over this because he has been dealing with this issue for the last 13 years and he still has not found a way to overcome it. I commend Sam Allardyce for how he plays, football is about winning, and using your strengths to combat their weaknesses, and Big Sam does this season in, and season out against us, when will we ever learn?
In the first half of the season we scored 51 goals in 19 games and conceded 21, we conjured up 19 wins in that period of time with 4 defeats. You may look at that stat and think 21 goals conceded is still a bit too much, but because we were scoring so many goals you tend to look past it, plus there was a 3-0 thrashing by Chelsea and a 4-2 loss to Man City, so that accounts for 7 of them. Now take a look at the stats for the second half of the season, we have scored 28 goals in 18 games and have still conceded 20 goals in 18 games. We have only managed to secure 9 victories and have suffered 5 defeats, along with 4 draws. Our season really has been a story of two halfs. We went to the team with 'the easiest run in' to now fighting to keep hold of that automatic champions league place. In our last 9 premier league games we have only taken 14 points out of a possible 27, that by top four standards is absolutly shocking. Normally you would regard Arsenal as a team, that finishes strong, but we have faded away into the darkness and now find ourselves 11 points off the top.
Our away form has not been good enough either this year. We have scored many goals away from the emirates but have conceded far too many. 7 defeats on the road, along with 4 draws, accumalates to 29 points lost in the race. Compared to Man united who only dropped 21 points away and Chelsea who has dropped 23 points away from home. Our form up North has also been nothing short of dismal also, 5 of our 9 defeats this term have been up North, against Man Utd, Man City, Sunderland, Wigan and Blackburn. Its the curse of the North once again that seems to haunt us once again.
Its time Arsene Wenger realises that the world is not always against us, we need to start grinding out victories away from home and holding onto leads, we don't seem to be able to grab the game by the scruff of the neck. These are the stats that have cost us the title this season, not teams cheating or referees performing poorly.
Thanks for reading, comments and feedback would be greatly appreciated
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