By Walter Broeckx
Before this game we had a lot of ‘chicken’ Arsenal supporters. In the last weeks our positive site has been attacked by people who predicted doom and trouble for Arsenal. Before every game they came to tell us how much we were doomed.
And when we lost the opening game (thanks to a very strange performance from the ref) all hell broke loose. Every positive thought we put forward was wiped away with endless rants and tirades against the club and of course our manager.
Untold never has made it a secret that we are behind the club and support the way it is run in a very responsible way. We know that the stadium debt has held us back and we know that the oil money has transformed football in to an insane spending war where every bit of common sense is lost. But the message from the negatives was short and clear: all out.
And throughout the past week we have seen countless people claiming that we would get taught a lesson by the lot from down the road. They had spent money as if it was nothing. I think the spuds have used every £ they had somewhere and even the money they expected to get from selling Bale to the madmen of Real Madrid.
That was the way to run a club they said. Not like we did it. And yet Arsenal won the game on the field. And like Wenger said before the game the only thing really important is what happens on the field. It might be fun to read in the papers about transfers (or not fun at all) but what happens on the field is what matters.
Today Arsenal won 1-0. It was a close game because we must not be blind and we must admit that Tottenham do have some good players. But do they have a good team? That is the question that they should answer in the course of the season. Throwing money around could help, but you have to form a team with those players. And I think that when it comes to forming a team, that we are a bit further on than they are.
Because with all that money spent on attacking talent they have managed to score two goals in three games. Two penalties and not one goal in open play. This is a sign that they are not really there when it comes to forming a team. And the question is that it will happen or not. And as we have seen today after that Cazorla fell unluckily on Capoue and it didn’t look good for the newly bought player. There goes a lot of money down the drain for a while. And I hope for him that he recovers quickly because I really don’t like to see a player getting carried off with a serious injury.
But enough of the spenders of £100.000.000. Let us look at out team. And let us start with our goal scorer. You know Giroud. Not world class. Not really good enough. Well three goals in the first three games. And I think this was a really nice goal to take. Coming in to the near post and then with the outside of his boot he put it nicely in goal. It somehow reminded me on the finishing we have seen from the traitor. Good run and delicate finish. And let me also praise him for his hard work in the second half where he ran himself almost in the ground in the end.
What pleased me was the way we defended as a unit. The whole team worked very hard, realising the importance of this win. The thing is that we were a bit wasteful on the counter and could have finished the game off. We didn’t and so it stayed tense till the final whistle.
The biggest chance for Tottenham came after the longer injury treatment of Capoue. I think it was more a loss of concentration. Giroud with the first bad touch but then he put his body on the line to stop the shot going in. It was with his shoulder by the way despite some Tottenham protests.
I will be going into more in depth about the performances of the players later but I think Szczesny was again great. The only worry is Wilshere who went just before half time so we can only hope the injury is not too bad (although there is a suggestion that it was a virus, so not too bad at all). And we saw the return of Flamini. Showing that he still hates the spuds and with a strong challenge earning himself a yellow card for the good cause.
A very important win. And look after three games we are level with the £100,000,000 team. We are level with the £1,000,000,000 team and one point behind the other £1,000,000,000 team. With spending nothing so far this transfer window. Oh and we are two points in front of Manchester United.
Just imagine if we had had a decent ref in our first game…
Note: this post was updated at 2115 BST
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Just seen Wilshere has a stomach bug. Sagna also. Hell and even then we beat them.
Laaaasaaaagnaaaaaa whoooooaaaooooooo 😉
spurs are losers
We should all take a moment to remind ourselves that a cannon is always better than a chicken. It will be quiet tonight over at White Hart Coop.
Amen.
That new bloke Flamini could turn out to be a half decent player.
You lot are a laughing stock believe me, come the end of this season we will see, 1 0 and you jump up and down? PATHETIC!
Happy,but still expect quality addition. Cudos to the boys! Gunners for life!
Ozil is on his way. Betting suspended in spanish bookies that he will leave Real and there has been a flood on bets on Skybet for him to come to Arsenal, suddenly odds on.
Guille, Balague has confirmed our bid and according to Canal+ in France he has chosen Arsenal ahead of PSG, who have also bid.
No wonder Wenger had a smirk 😉
I thought we were brilliant could have had 5 on another day we defended in packs all there possession was lame . Only tested chez once from a deflection COYG
All of the British contingent, except for the injured Ox, started this match.
Symbolic.
Especially against the monied-up, incoherrent “team” that Spurs put out today
Today was definately a WIN for Arsene Wenger, and all that he stands for
Fantastic result and performance! The Arsenal players were putting their bodies on the line, throwing themselves in front of shots and tackles. That is what a team does. I was really impressed by their desire to win the match. Ah Flamini, great to have you back. Another great coup by Wenger.
And I wonder what this “good surprise” he mentioned is going to be? Very exciting!
Onwards and upwards!
Oh, and Bale is officially a Real Madrid player.
Good day indeed.
Kenneth Widmerpool,
You are VERY bad. Your canon and chicken line got me rolling on the floor.
Which serious football team would put a chicken on a ball as their symbol?
Pluck the Tottenham chickens 🙂
A great team performance and except for Flamini all the players were from our successful team from last season.
Let us also remember Verminator, Arteta, Ox, Diaby & Podolski were unavailable for selection; Wilshere & Sagna were unwell & Kos was the walking wounded.
This is a very good squad and with a few quality additions it will be a great squad.
Most of all lets admire the team spirit.
Lobster wrote:
“Today was definately a WIN for Arsene Wenger, and all that he stands for”
And I say thank you!
Anyone who tries to give the credit to anyone or anything else deserves a kick in the nuts 🙂
Hahaha…Walter.. Love the opening line.. ‘chicken’ Arsenal supporters.. Hahaha
They had £64m worth of talent on the bench, and we still kicked their backsides.
@Gunner
Skybet are still accepting bets but Ladbrokes are the one’s to take note of and tonight they’ve suspended the betting on Mesut Qzil joining Arsenal?
Could mean nothing still, but its very interesting.
Happy with the win..
And really joy with the team spirit..
Btw I think flamini had a good game, I don’t know but he’s a little bit mature from the last time I saw at arsenal..
Seven quality players in that need time to gel, sold Bale and we have broken even on all we have sold A good day for business!! Onwards and upwards COYS
My fellow gunners even we did not spend as much as fucking spuds but do not forget that on real market our player has more value than fucking spuds today’s Arsenal player shown the real class that money can not buy and fucking Mun couldn’t win too even with that dick sucker money lover Rvp even I do not like Livepool but I am happy they beat them. Now lets hope Wenger bring some more players to our squad befor tomorrow night. CANGRATULASION TO ALL FANS
@AL – they paid £64m for it – it’s worth is another matter 😀
Maybe we get Ozil, maybe Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite
Well done the team. Played with a lot of heart. Big respect to the supporters, at the Emirates, holding up that banner “In Wenger we trust”. COYG!
Sorry for doing this but Mesut Ozil rumors are flying about all over the place;
http://www.click-sports.com/transfers/al-jazeera-arsenal-sign-mesut-ozil
http://www.cadenaser.com/deportes/articulo/principio-acuerdo-real-madrid-arsenal-venta-ozil/csrcsrpor/20130901csrcsrdep_11/Tes
whoosh what a night ,great atmosphere all the sewer rats have gone back to the sewers, I wish it could be like this until the end of the year. Did anybody see Evra and Welbeck spit venom to the liner! Thank GOD he stood firm those guys still have furgus in their blood can not imagine the FA cant do anything about it.
Is it a crisis at the devils cave, did not hear any whorelist talking about it.
Ozil really hope that happens but we will face opposition from I guess the likes of utd? But here’s hoping. Giroud is on the way to something special he completely outshone 26million bobby soldier though early days for the spurs striker. Kos was also his usual brilliant self not surprised the best team in the world reportedly wanted him. Those two Frenchmen are an example of what wenger can do for a player as long as they have talent attitude and heart which this team as a whole possess in abundance. Wenger must be proud of this lot. Lets get some quality in then settle the biggest signing or should i say extension of all soon afterwards
Grrrr, you pesky gooners beat us again, the sooner we realise that we’re a small club the better, we just cant beat you scum even after spending 100 million.
COYS
SSN just had “breaking news” that Arsenal are in “advanced talks” to sign Ozil.
This day just gets better 🙂
Nope, not seen any of those negative people you keep seeing Walter, I knew we were going to win and so did everybody else from what I saw. I only saw you being negative about our chances because of the ref and he proved you wrong. He had a great game and plenty of decisions went our way. Who the hell is traitor? I ask this with bated breath?
Flamini should have more credit. Giroud I like, he reminds me of Alan Smith, but we need a world class goalscorer, a finished product. If we could not afford one then I would not hope for one but the money is there, unused for what it is for. I like Wenger, yes the club has scraped into Europe these past years and it has been down to gambles made by Wenger. When you have available funds it does away with the need to gamble … but it looks like Wenger is choosing to gamble despite it being unnecessary. Why? If the gamble doesn’t pay off and the funds were there, no amount of your blinkered biased support for the way the club is run is going to wash. I want to see my team strengthened while it still can be, not wondering why the unreasonable ego of Wenger has forced the season to be a mountain to climb from September onwards instead of one with happy players, happy fans, realitic chances of winning everything like we should be and above all feel relief. We should be fretting about opponents not the stubborness and unreasonable decisions by the manager. I will say though that I have been VERY impressed with Wenger’s tactics today and team decisions, I hope I continue to be for the rest of the season.
Thanks for the post Walter. Just back home (it is a fair old drive from London to Northants).
The atmosphere in the ground today was so utterly different. People have spoken of the toxic atmosphere at the Ems, but there was nothing like that. Even the guy in Row 25 that Dr Billy the Dog McGraw is seeking to help wasn’t there, and apparently quite a few people were looking to get at him.
It was electric, positive, us-against-the-world, over the top, electric (oh sorry I have already said that). I’ve been to loads of games v Tottenham over the years both at WHL and at home, and this was one of the most amazing games for atmosphere.
It must have got to the players, and the length of time they stayed on the pitch afterwards, the shirts thrown into the crowd, the joining with us in the celebration.
Everyone – even the normally calm Stefan (he of the financial world, and his charming lady wife who sits next to me) were dancing and celebrating.
You had to be there to see it, to feel it, even to touch the atmosphere.
And to emphasise the point: we have a system in midfield that is bemusing the opposition, we have a centre forward who scores almost every game, we have a player called Ramsey who has moved from being “not fit to wear the shirt” to “One Aaran Ramsey, there’s only one…”
I got a spot of info today about why this summer has panned out as it has, but I can’t pass it on now, as I have to pack, to catch a plane in the morning. But I’m back next weekend, so I’ll share it then.
Thanks for taking over the site Walter.
Tony
Finally got back from an exhausting 16 mile walk and missed the game. Anyway the result is like a soothing balm to my aching limbs.
Ozil would be an amazing signing though I hope we get another striker too and maybe Di Maria. Think I’m getting greedy.
A good win for arsenal – the fans, the players and most importantly, the manager. A worn-out threadbare team vs a fresh 100+million team. Wenger’s a genius man! Simple as that.
Personally, I don’t understand the call for a world class striker. What more do you want Giroud to do? 4goals in 5 games. Isn’t that world class? We need additions alright, but not one to displace Giroud, else we will kill Giroud like we did to Chamakh.
Reliable source hinted we could unveil at least 3 players 2morow. Good ones. Ozil, Viviano and one other.
Good to beat the scum today.Come on Wenger get the chequebook out and give us all something to get excited about tomorrow.We deserve it
haha Walter chiken supporters canon those nincompoops! well lost my 3-0 bet of £50… but what atmosphere! Alot better than the villa match! loving being an OOG over optimistic gooner! 😀 may the boom keep on booming! up the gunners! we beat the 100m chickens with our bare thin squad! Think wenger just held back the signings to prove a point!
Is Wenger buying ozil to move walcott centrally?
Watched the game here in America with my kids [yes, they are Gunners too!] and could not be happier for our team and Wenger.
@Tony
Reading your post made me emotional.
Up The Arsenal!
Hope that I am not getting too excited, but the rotation in midfield has started to remind me of the rotation in 2003-2004 midfield!
We seem to be playing two distinct systems out wide. On the left we seem to be more intricated with our passing and Cazorla, and on the right we are more direct with Walcott. The team has definitely becaome more tactically flexible.
Boo, and its not even a foot-ball, its a BASE ball. Thanks to all the fans at the Emirates today. You really made the players know the emotions behind a derby. COYG
Was not even worried after watching how spuds played the first 10 mins, they were so un-together. Great win, thought we would get a few more but the lads were cautious and defended well. Seems we got a GK on season loan from Palerma, he’s supposed to be at AFC tomorrow for medical.
Manu looked so lost and toothless today, enjoyed seeing them lose. Would love to see them only qualify for EUFA.
Tomorrow we will ADD to the team and then we are on our way.
COYS…..unfortunately our video was never started or we’d, like you lot, be producing one to celebrate our 18 consecutive years of finishing above you and winning the EPL 3 times while you lot won the magic plastic ring in the cracker jack box. Who is a laughing stock???
Brilliant result and performance. Tactically we were spot on. I love to see us fight like men. And it was great to Flamini in there.
Ozil would be a amazing. But my personal wish list was a striker, winger and CB. And he’s neither those so I’m still nervous about tomorrow.
I think Wenger is buying Ashley Williams. I hope so at least.
The posts here make my day so much more special. Once because I accomplished one of my dreams – to watch an Arsenal match from the Stadium – and second, because I could contribute to that atmosphere crying my lungs out.
I was impressed by Per’s calm and decisiveness, by Kos’s precision, by Santi’s tricks that left the Spuds wondering wher’s the ball, by Ramsey’s changes of direction, by Flamini’s dedication (!), by Walcott’s speed, by Giroud’s strength and delicacy in touch. It feels so much different that watching it on TV (and I don’t mean the pundits).
We had frustrating moments too, and as they were quite visible from the height of the stands they must have been obvious from Arsene’s dugout. So I have no fear that they won’t go unaddressed.
We do need strength in depth. We finished the game with 6 defenders on the pitch, and the options for midfield were Zelalem. And it’s again so obvious, that I almost see deadline day signings being done like 2 years ago. Maybe at a higher level;)
I was also able to see what Walter’s talking about in his reviews. Mr. Oliver gave me a demonstration.
It’s not a tradition at the Ems to do Mexican waves, is it? Would be a nice addition to the portfolio. My 2 cents:)
In the end, my only regret is that I have no idea when I’ll be able to come back. Hope I’ll do that one day though. For now, it still feels like a dream.
Thank you Arsenal, thank you Untold!
Florian
No Mexican waves please. They’re out of place at football matches, and the crowd only do them when they’re bored.
For me, the most fantastic moment of the game was that tackle of KOS which denied the ball from becoming a corner!
It showed every single Piece of the attitude, concentration and commitment of all players!
Even in my room, I stand up and clap for him!
Jax,
I see. Not a problem:)
Watched the highlights on Match of the Day 2.
Also saw the highlights of Liverpool v. Manchester United.
It was noticeable how sporting the spirit was in our match, even though it was a hotly contested local derby, and how totally grumpy it was in the other match. One of the grumpiest being RVP.
And thinking back to the travesty that was our match against Aston Villa, even there our team tried to play till the bitter end, and maintained a proper attitude. Even in the face of that referee performance.
Just one more reason to be very proud of our team.
Do I say Wengerication or vindication? Is it me or does the chix coop team try to emulate the cannons all the time/ That coach really resembles Arsene in the early days. He just needs a pair of round spectacles. AVB should be looking for a new gig soon.. Let’s say Millwall or Palace? He’s tried all of the other London teams
Great victory today…I just love watching Rosicky and Cazorla at work. They scare other teams in the way Bergkamp and Kanu would…so unpredictable.
I would warn against gloating against that lot up the road but… The Spurs team is going to be solid this year. I don’t think they have the players to win anything but they will the spoiler.
ManU looked a little lost today. Dunno why… but there are a few hours left to get another player in for them, too.
Oh man what a game! I must admit I was nervous as hell but I am every game, just this one more so.
Yes we won and I don’t want to take away from the game and performance cos it was magical, but we still have work to do (not transfers) we all know that.
We need to kill off games like that, we had many chances to but they love to tease us. My only concern is the ‘end of season’ defending we were doing, there has to be an outlet that we can keep the ball when under big pressure like last 15min last night. Back in the Cesc era days we could always keep the ball from them, this team seems happy to cede possession and defend. If it works then it works but come end season I will be a wreck!
And our dubs bench had some youngsters (Zalalem) which is great but not enough. Was a great atmosphere but at 1-3am I had to watch with volume down low, I hate doing that but daughter and pregnant wife more important…
Coyg!!!
@Florian – congrats bud…you have fulfilled a dream that I too have…and you were lucky for us! Feel happy for you…don’t worry about next time…!!!
Well…its the last day of the window today…so I am going to keep my eyes/ears open…the only thing on my wishlist is a specialist left sided winger…we don’t have any!
Florian, what a game to do your first Arsenal game in the Emirates!
Great for you that you could get the experience. Warning: it might force you to do it more 😉
Thank you Asif. If this is your dream, do fulfill it one day! It’s more than worth it!
Ah and a fresh non-league football article will be on line shortly now.
And of course we will say a few things about this day when some things need to be said.
Thank you Walter. I’m sorry I’m not a professional ref, I would have been happy to help with reviews. The refereeing standard in the EPL is outrageous.
I will be traveling most of this week, so I will not be able to post comments for a few days, but good luck to the club re transfers.
Once again, what a super win yesterday!
Florian,
Congratulations man!
I know that feeling that you have so eloquently expressed. It’s how I always feel on the occasions when I am able to get tickets to the Emirates.
It is ALWAYS the number 1 priority of my Gooner friends and family abroad to see Arsenal play at the Emirates. You would not believe the amounts they are usually willing to pay to get a ticket! This is one of the reason why I object strongly to commenters who think that being season ticket holders make them more committed to the cause of Arsenal or have more valid concerns about the club than other fans around the world.
I hope you get the chance again soon. And Asif too.
The result was a great one for us, but let us not kid ourselves. The way we struggled to impose ourselves at home was worrying.
That said, the big plus for me was the defence. Szczesny, Koscielny and Mertesacker were simply superb.
Arsenal do not need to spend like Spurs. Spurs are clearly throwing caution to the wind and even with the Bale income I fail to see how they can afford the players they brought in when you also consider wages. They seem to be going for a CL or bust strategy which could well be their biggest undoing. If their players don’t gel in their first season, Spurs could find themselves with no CL football again and a huge wage bill that they cannot cover. It should be pointed out that their last accounts showed a loss…
I certainly do not want Arsenal to take that route. Looking at yesterdays game I found myself agreeing with Carragher to a large extent. We need to strengthen the spine of the team. A CB, DM and a striker are what is needed. No need to spend £100m (even though we could afford it without putting strain on the finances – CL or no CL).
I am hopeful today that we see a top striker to add to Giroud (who is proving his worth), a DM and a CB.
£50-60m spent could actually see us challenge for trophies this year.
No signings and I am quite sure we will not.
@jayramfootball, we’ll sign someone, of that I’m sure. We may even spend closer to 80 million. It looks promising regarding the signing of Ozil but everyone knows how these deals can collapse or be hijacked at the eleventh hour so it’s wise to be cautious before getting too excited.
One world class player though won’t be enough. I’m sure Wenger knows this and I suspect we’ll sign three players, at the least two. I’m confident we’ll have some additions because I’m sure Wenger realizes that this squad does not have the necessary depth to deal with the rigours of a long and busy season.
jayram
I’m not well versed with Spurs’ finances obviously, but I think they aren’t as stretched as you think. That is because they had a lot of dross on their books last season that has saved them a lot in wages. Bentley, Gallas, Parker, Huddlestone etc.. Plus, what has helped them is the increase in TV money this season. They must also have increased their sponsorship money probably through using Bale.
However, with so many signings, and the likes of Holtby (why wasn’t he used? injured?) bought in January, there is every likelihood of some of them becoming ‘deadwood’. Without CL football, they might find it hard to improve on their team, even if they have no problem paying their current squad.
AVB did well to sign Lamela, but the midfielders he got lack creativity; this is why the failure to get Bernard was odd; the midfielders were very fit physically, and this is why they dominated the end of the game when our midfielders were very tired.
Overall, all of the good opportunities were really ours: Cazorla free kicks, Walcott runs, Ramsey over the bar, and Monreal miss on a tap in after a Lloris reaction on a Walcott shot. For the Sp*uds, it was Townsend long range kicks and a couple of deflected shots from Soldado who looks like a Negredo wannabe. The amount of long range tries at goal from them reflects the fact that they lacked creativity and a bad evaluation or appreciation of their previous success from long range against us: Bentley getting super lucky a few years back, Kyle Walker scoring on a very odd shot two years ago, etc… Bale scored from relatively closer range against us last year compared to his usual typical goals from long range in his once a lifetime season.
In summary, had we scored more of our other opportunities, and done some mistakes after being comfortably ahead, it could have been 5-2.
PS: Florian (not Thauvin, I presume), your first ever presence brought us good luck.
I think Daniel Levy really was planning for a huge and momentous day yesterday.
Holding up the Bale transfer in the way he did was clearly designed to ensure we hadn’t bought any replacements by yesterday, whilst Spurs would flaunt their 7 new players worth 100Mill.
Clearly he was expecting yesterday to be a watershed day, the day Spurs broke the psychological glass ceiling of Arsenal long-time domination, and won at the EMs.
The day the media would crow, (or is that cock-a-doodle), about the waxing strong of the Tots, and the Waning dim of the Goons.
In short he was planning a psychological, PR, and moral victory of grand order, on top of winning the match yesterday. The day Spurs became a Big Team, and Arsenal fell out of the top 4.
He failed….but don’t expect the Muddia to say much about it.
@Ray
Chelsea and Ourselves seem to have a monopoly on creative midfielders. Oscar & Mata over there, Cazorla, Rosicky, Ramsey over here. (And Ozil maybe to come).
I think the other teams like MU, Tots, MC desperately need Ozil far more than us, so maybe Wenger is buying strategically, simply to prohibit Ozil from going to where he would do a whole load of damage.
(Mourinho regards Ozil as the best No 10 in the world).
Likewise, I view Chelsea and Ourselves as the main title contenders this year. Sadly though Chelsea are front-runners, because we have the ref handicap as usual.
Just a tricky striker would do the job, everyone is thinking ‘top German international’ means Ozil but I would think Marco Reus would be our actual target. And if you’ve seen him play for Dortmund, you’d understand why that would be the case.
A lot depends on what happens today. Arsenal have a good, settled first team but no depth. This will not bite AW in the backside in September so much as November. Even if he does buy 2 or 3 today, questions remain as to why the business was not conducted earlier. This may not be Arsene’s fault, it is not clear.
Flamini could be an inspired signing, or the reasons why his career has otherwise petered out may come back to haunt.
Overall, the frustration with AW is he uses his obvious strengths on the coaching and development side to cover up his weaknesses, and (rather frustratingly) refuses to accept he has any. Wenger out? Absolutely no. Arsenal to do whatever it needs to firm up its player recruitment strategy (including if necessary taking some power from AW)? Absolutely yes. Great coach, but not omnipotent.
It appears Ozil is 96% a done deal, not Reus (where did that come from?) as WP suggested.
Viviano, gk, possibly as well. Ba maybe on a season lone.
“loan”, I mean.
Arsenal are going to spend 40 million on an attacking mid fielder. That proves beyond all doubt that Arsenal are in crisis and Wenger doesn’t know what he is doing. Singed AAA.
Hmmm I wonder who has got the better bargain Arsenal or RLM?
With Giroud, Walcott, Podolski as strikers then a midfield of Wilshire, Ramsey,Cazorla Rosicky, Ozil all goal scorers and providers anyone of them can turn a game round.
A defense that says ‘spuds what we have we keep!’. And yet can score goals affirms that Arsene does know what he is doing.
Great post and great win, hopefully a couple additions will be added to strengthen the depleted squad.
wenger has given in to the fans pressure.FACT if the signing of ozil is true..now he should move heaven and earth to sign a striker because of all the chances ozil will be creating
Everyone is always talking about this AAA person,who is he?
He seems to be a pretty unpopular fellow around here.
@Florian — You Lucky …… first game as the NLD and in one of the best atmospheres I have heard. (Sorry, yesterday is only the second one at the Emirates I’ve missed so a bit narked at that). There really is no comparison between TV and the real thing.
@Rupert — Ba on a loan with option to buy might be a smart option if we cannot prise Benzema or the other options away. He’s more of a straightforward poacher, but I thought that is why we were after Higuain in the first place.
With the chances we create, the guy should flourish.
@Jayram — agree about the center back, and slightly worried that there is no sniff of one yet, but with a keeper potentially on the way, we have most of what we need.
Interesting thing about DM. Aside from the fact that most pundits seem to have forgotten Flamini exists (or is free so not worth talking about), we are mostly working to a different system right now where the traditional DM role is irrelevant.
Other people are starting to get it. Martin Jol before the Fulham game said:
‘And their midfield, you cant figure out who is the defensive midfielder and who is the offensive midfielder because they rotate all the time’.
As far as Ozil goes, I was not convinced at first, but thinking about it, it would just mean Santi playing more wide left, rather than rotating with Tomas in the center. I think I’d prefer that to buying Di Maria. (Both would be even better, but it doesn’t feel that could be an option).
@Edu+matt
LOL! Seriously, you are deluded. FACT!
Gunz behave yourself. Why are you using LOL? Are you under 15? Are you a complete tool?
I reckon AW will bring in 4 to 5 players in the eleventh hour, as happened with Arteta and co.
Ozil is an interesting signing because he is a real playmaker – in the Zidane Platini mould, who all the play goes through.
This will be like Cesc Mark 2 really in terms of style of play.
Is there a suggestion AW is going back to 4-4-2 ?
How else does he accommodate so many stellar midfielders?
Wilshere, Ramsey, Diaby, Rosicky, Ozil, Cazorla, Ox, Arteta, Flamini
i.e Walcott and Giroud up front, with Ozil at the apex of a 4 man midfield diamond
its nice too note excited gooners..
@Marcus — Don’t think so, this season I think he’ll move Cazorla wide left in the front 3, and share that with poldi when fit.
Then a back pair of 2 of Arteta, Flamini, Ramsey and Jack (giving us flexibility to tune the formation according to need).
In front either Ozil or Tomas, with the option to slot Santi back there as needed.
Sadly the OX may be back to cover in that squad (but what cover to have!), but as he can cover wide left, right or AM would get plenty of minutes. Diaby? Get fit first….
Two thoughts from that: firstly we would have the depth in midfield that any side would love (and would be nice to have at say..CB),
and all of the above may well be bollocks as so many of those players are so flexible that we can play such a fluid formation that the traditional descriptions are meaningless.
Many a slip twixt cup and lip
It would be great to sign Ozil and others, too but seeing how Chelsea gazumped Tottneham with Willian leads me to be cautious. PSG and ManU have more money than us and if they outbid us by 10 million, Real would sell to them.
I heard that some fans were chanting “What a waste of money” at Spurs after the game yesterday…what a difference a NLD win makes…fickle if you ask me.
We have quite a balanced multi-national side:
English: Wilshere, Jenkinson, Walcott, Gibbs, inj. Oxlade-Chamberlain
French: Sagna, Giroud, Koscielny, , inj. Diaby
Spanish: Cazorla, Arteta, Monreal
Polish: Szczesny, Fabianski
German: Mertersacker, inj. Podolski
Czech: Rosicky
Welsh: Ramsey
Belgian: inj. Vermaelen
Ozil would fit in nicely what with Gnabry, Eisfeld and Zelalem coming up and Podolski and Mertesacker already with the 1st team. He shouldn’t find the dressing room too unfamiliar.
I Read that Palace were ‘swooping for Arsenal second striker'(i.e. Bendtner)…what a larf.
I have never pictured Palace swooping for anybody…and in this case I suggest we would be offering the body on platter…with sprinkles.
Liverpool and Stoke are dashing to buy this guy
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyleague/10280146/Rugby-league-player-in-Australia-Anthony-Watts-accused-of-biting-opponents-penis.html
Thanks guys for the good words. I have the match recorded at home, so I’ll definitely be able to make the difference. If I’ll hear anything besides cheers, I’ll know the sound is tricked. Really, the attendance was magnificent.
As for the amount of money spent, the biggest expense is not really the ticket price, but what comes beside (plane, hotel, food, etc). So at some point being willing to spend a few quid more on the ticket becomes understandable.
I was able to notice that our midfield has a hard time keeping the ball. In these conditions, signing Ozil starts making more and more sense.
@GoingGoingGooner:
presumably the pun was cos they be ‘The Eagles’
…but I do agree 🙂
According to Arsenal.com we’ve signed Almunia’s brother….
Some people are real sad, just take a look at the posts from Edu & Matt. You have been bleating about signings for the past donkey years, now you get your wish and you still moan?! What will cheer you up you miserable gits? Shocking.
SSN ….Ozil signed confirmed by Wenger. A serious statement of Internet
Statement of intent even! Great news. Credit to the manager and transfer team who have taken so much stick. Also credit to the spuds for going into a special arrangement with Real Madrid which seems to allow Madrid to poach the tottenham best, and now send a top top player our way.
Home and dry, now on arsenal.com
Fantastic news, fantastic player.
Come on, can’t believe it.
Yes!
Ozil!
Arsene you the man.
I’m so excited!
Welcome, Mesut Ozil! I bet our team is excited too.
Arsenal have made THE signing of transfer deadline day!
Yesssssssss!
Nobody can now say wenger afraid to spend or sign big names now, this gets rid of a lot of false myths in one go. I am absolutely amazed Utd did not challenge after the failed cesc chase, but ultimately, who cares, we got him! What a MF we have now
Speaking after completing his medical in Germany, Ozil said:
“I am thrilled to be joining a club of the stature of Arsenal and am looking forward to playing in the Premier League. It will be great for my own personal development as a player and I am particularly looking forward to working with Arsène Wenger”.
“From our negotiations it is clear the Club has huge ambition and I look forward to being part of an exciting future.”
“I AM PARTICULARLY LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH ARSENE WENGER”.
OZIL !!! It’s a top signing no doubt but Wenger should have bought more players. A striker is needed, even Giroud stated the team should sign one. A defender is also necessary.
Arsenal has a threadbare squad and I’m not convinced with Flamini. He has been doing a Diaby for years.
Anyway, top signing but it should not have been the only one.
“From our negotiations it is clear the Club has huge ambition and I look forward to being part of an exciting future.” Mesut Ozil.
Shove that up your Arse RVP.
RvP must be wondering what he got himself into. The only type of signing they have we don’t is Webb.
If Maureen wasn’t such an [put whatever you like here]hole we could’ve had Ba too.
Tasos
I just wanted to high light the exact same part mate!
Never been impressed with BA.
“I am thrilled to be joining a club of the stature of Arsenal and am looking forward to playing in the Premier League. It will be great for my own personal development as a player and I am particularly looking forward to working with Arsène Wenger”. Mesut Ozil.
Shove that up you Arse, AAA.
I really should read the comments section before commenting???
Shame we did not get Ba, or indeed a striker to help out giroud with Podolski out but looking around, not many top strikers on the move,and now it seems we are going for the quality end of the market. Guess the critics in the media will need something to focus on.There is always nick and park I guess…..sorry, a negative on an overall positive evening. But we have goals from several players. Still think Flamini will prove a very astute signing.
Wierd how Sperez is echoing the negativity on the BBC! Mind you, what do you expect from Tony Pulis, Robbie Savage and Danny Murphy?
Niall Quinn on Sky was very, very happy. As somebody on Sky also said, everybody is now going to get the chance to see Ozil in the Premier League. Thanks to Arsenal.
Ozil stressing how much he is looking forward to working with wenger…..a new deal for the boss on the way?
I hope Ozil helps Gnabry and Eisfeld to develope and make it into the first team!
To round of the day : the Untold take on the transfer window is on line.
sorry to have kept you waiting so long 😉
Wenger really wants to sign a new deal. All the talk about winning the league without having to buy top players was bollocks. When he saw the fans reaction to his dithering he knew he should pay big money for a marquee signing. Either that or someone forced him to spend big.
@Mandy
‘Myth’ is an apt word. In fact, if you look at Arsene Wenger’s whole reign, he has actually signed ‘top quality’ before when the opportunity has arisen, such as:
1. Marc Overmars in 1997, a key component of Ajax’s Champions League winners in 1995;
2. Davor Suker in 1999, a year after setting the World Cup in France alight with his goals;
3. Andrei Arshavin in 2009, who had been outstanding for Russia at Euro 2008, oh, and not forgetting;
4. Santi Cazorla last summer, probably the first name on Vicente del Bosque’s teamsheets recently for double European and World Champions Spain!
Now we can add another one to that list…
Very true Vikrant, the sticks so many use to beat wenger and the board no longer apply after this. The critics will point to a lack of another striker, guess they may have a matter for debate, and a lack at the back but at the last count, if you include Sagna, we have 4 internationals at CD, two specialist full backs on either side with TV and Flam who can play those roles, doing ok for keepers as well.
There’s a big difference between buying top quality on the cheap and spending big to sign players.
Cazorla is a good example. Wenger only signed him because Malaga was in financial trouble. Wenger wouldn’t have bought him for his true market price. Remember Wenger’s dithering on Mata? Chelsea fans thanked him.
Wenger has been operating in the market with a mindset of the late 90’s. The world was changing but Wenger refused to adapt.
Ozil is the exception because the fans (bar the AKBs) wouldn’t have put up with a crappy season after being promised top signings when the money is piling up in the bank.
Wenger is trying to save his sorry a$$. After the Villa game he knew he would have to give the fans something or no new contract for him.
However, signing Ozil is not enough. Especially with the money available at the club.
And I hope Wenger doesn’t get a new contract.
Sperez ‘do everyone a favour and crawl back into the sis pit you come from , I have no doubt your mind is convoluted, you spout vile anti Arsenal comments at every opportunity your are a Sick very sick person .
No need to justify your position Sperez, We are (sadly enough) very much aware of how you feel.
But thankyou for sharing again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again.
Gets boring, doesn’t it.
Wenger “le Prof” mentioned ‘the domino effect’ in a recent interview.
Gervinho to Roma
Lamela to Spurs
Bale to Madrid
OZIL TO ARSENAL!!!
How ’bout dem dominos.
“I AM PARTICULARLY LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH ARSENE WENGER”.
Well, well, well! What do we have here? A player of Ozil’s quality is PARTICULARLY LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH that “clueless idit”.
Now I have heard it all. What was Ozil thinking? Haven’t he heard from our ‘fans’ about how no good player wants to join us because we are an ambitionless club? I pity this Ozil guy.
Sarcasm off.
Oh, I love this signing. I love this transfer window. We ‘failed’ to get Suarez (Thank FSM), we got Flamini (who I was against because I was acting like a jilted lover but Shard, Rufusstan and the rest of the gang got me back to my senses) on a free and boy, was I impressed by his performance on Sunday? Then we got Ozil! Now we have 3 German international first teamers. Is there any other non-German team with such?
Arsene Wenger, well done you ‘tightwad’ and ‘clueless idiot’.
sperez = spurs, ignore him.