Don’t worry we’re getting closer

Posted on by WalterBroeckx

By Walter Broeckx

As I mentioned before I  do my own personal world cup boycott. My plan is to not look at the matches. And now after some 2 weeks of the tournament I can say that I haven’t watched a complete match. And I survived! My wife is much happier with that also.  The bad thing is that I cannot answer a lot of questions about match incidents. But one has to make sacrifices in life and that is what I do.  Love the game, hate Fifa. Should be a nice slogan I think…

My boycott also consists of not using things or buying stuff from the important Fifa sponsors. Although I do have to admit that I drive a car from the official car sponsor. But I bought it in the days I didn’t know that.

And as I also try to stay away from the transfer madness you must understand that these are boring days for me. Very boring. Luckily my own season as a referee starts again next Saturday at 15.00. Yes in my country the preparations for the new season are on their way and the teams from the top division have started their training again and are having their first matches. So that should brighten up the summer for me.

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But yesterday was a day I have been waiting for. Now what might be so special about this day you might ask yourself. Is it that Belgium is playing South Korea? Of course not. Is it because of Germany playing? No I was still at work when they played. And I don’t plan to watch them anyway.

The reason I was happy yesterday and am happy today is the fact that the new season is getting nearer. The Arsenal season! In just one month’s time we will be able to see Arsenal play again. As far as has been planned the first official pre season match is being played in one month time against the New York Red Bulls of our own Thierry Henry. Seeing Arsenal play and seeing Henry at the same time. Nice, nice, nice.

And as I am an optimistic person I hope that we will be able to see us play even earlier than that. Playing only 3 pre-season matches in total before the FA community shield would be strange. Now of course pre-season will be strange anyway with the world cup still being played and thus players coming back at different times and moments. I have heard of Arsenal doing their pre season camp in Austria again this summer. So they will probably play  against a local team somewhere during that period.

And then I hope of course that Arsenal.com will show it on arsenalplayer. If not I really will be pissed off.  But there will be a few important moments in between. Like the presentation of the new kit from the new kit sponsor. A sponsor that if we can believe the rumours is trying to make sure that one of their big name players moves to Arsenal this summer. And some even suggest that the deal should/would/could/will be done to have him as the flag ship of the presentation.

To be honest I don’t know if I want it that much. To call a spade a spade I don’t really know what to think about the rumours of Puma wanting Mario Balotelli at Arsenal or trying to make it happen for all involved.

Somehow the middle name of Mario Balotelli is ‘trouble’. For some he is Super Mario. For me he is Super trouble. Ok, he hasn’t bitten anyone so far as we know but surely if there is one player who has attracted more bad headlines than Suarez it is Balotelli. Mind you I acknowledge that he is a great striker and an amazing talent. But he also has a dark side.

And I fear that he will not be allowed the same things as when he was playing for Manchester City. Remember that leg breaker at the Emirates when we played City a few seasons ago? Yeah, the studs up on Song. And then he managed to get himself sent off later on in that game after we had taken the lead after a great Arteta goal. He  had other moments of dangerous madness. Both on and off the field.

If he comes I will support him. As I support every player that puts on the shirt. But if he doesn’t come after all…I will not let it bother me too much.  I want Arsenal players to make headlines for good reasons. Not for doing stupid things or doing dangerous attacks on other players.  So forgive me but I’m not really getting all excited about the prospect of seeing Balotelli in an Arsenal shirt.

But on the other hand if there is one manager in the world that could change Balotelli in to a more mature person it is Wenger.  But more on that if it would happen.

For now the most important message is that real football, Arsenal football is coming nearer to us. Just one month to go. That is shorter than the time between our last match and the next match. We are moving in the right direction. But my god, it is such a boring time when Arsenal is not playing. Not even practising. Even Theo who was working on his own in London Colney and who posted pictures of him doing his exercises has now posted a picture of himself lying next to the swimming pool…..

I want my Arsenal back. The Arsenal that is training and playing matches that is. But slowly we are coming closer to those great moments of pre match nerves and getting all excited. Hell even after the boring mid season playing “SV Hoch Auf dem Berg” sounds very exciting….

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32 Replies to “Don’t worry we’re getting closer”

  1. What evidence that Wenger could mature Balotelli? He didn’t have much success with Bendtner, and he was an amateur arse compared to Mario.

  2. Walter
    You’re missing some really good football, but good for you for maintaining your principles.
    I’m looking forward to pre season also and to whoever we buy (hopefully not Mario), but in the mean time will continue to enjoy the World Cup and put up whatever goes with it.
    I probably don’t have that many left, so make the best of them as they come.

  3. I agree with Oldgroover that you are missing out on some really good football at the world cup.

    But it’s your choice, so be it.

    I don’t think Balotelli is a great striker…he’s simply a good player who has the potential to be even better, no more than that.

    I suspect he has a lot of unresolved issues to address, some of which may take a lifetime.

    But it’s not easy for him as an isolated man taking all the grief he gets from fans of his own club, yet alone from wider Italian society, about his ethnicity & so on.

  5. Arsenal Press Release “Club announces 11 player departures” *Off topic alert*

    Leaving out the academy players it includes Nicklas Bendtner, Ju Young Park,Kim Kallstrom and Emiliano Viviano’s, Bacary Sagna, Lukasz Fabianski.

    On conservative estimates this would is £260,000 per week in wages (12 million per year) or per say the wages we would pay for two ozil class of player. On top of this, we have recouped 11.5m Euros for Vela (£8.5 million), 6 million from Fabregas’s transfer to Chelsea (suggested by Walter & Tony) and 3 million(?) for Djourou’s transfer to Hamburg. This would be roughly another 20 million, although, we may not receive this all at once due to instalments.

    Being realistic, we need:

    -A quality right full back hopefully with value added development potential. Circa 6 to 10 mill
    -A cheap but experienced back up-keeper. Circa 2 mill
    -A back up defender or maybe not if Hayden Mullins get the nod
    -A quality striker with further development potential. Circa 15 mill
    -Maybe a holding midfielder if Wenger finds quality at the right price. Circa 10-15 mill

    I would suggest that, minus the 20 mill we have/will recoup from outward transfers already, we could spend 20-30 million and get all the players we need to give us the quality and depth we need to win the league.

    2nd aspect would be to sign a few quality young players for the youth academy, of which seems to be experiencing a mini-slump (or as articles here have suggested, a strategy change to development).

    Any thoughts??

    Ps, no prima-donna signings like Balotelli, jeezo!

  6. Also,

    Anyone who suggest Balotelli has either a child mentality, is a child/teenager which would explain the lack of thought of the implications that signing a player like balotelli would have or is easily influenced by the media- Honestly, I don’t think Arsenal should buy him even if it cost us 10 million!!!

  7. I enjoyed the match between Algeria and South Korea. It was exciting with plenty of goals. And I’m glad the tournament is a success for the sake of the Brazilians and Latin Americans in general, especially as the British media was so determined to cast a damper on it in advance. Some papers have also taken every opportunity to do the same even now, using the talk of match fixing and the Suarez incident as an excuse.

    It is good when continents like Africa and South America get these events because it leads people to look at places outside their usual experience. Most of the time Europe or the USA are as far as people think. It can lead to a cultural narrow-mindedness.

    Maybe we will play Burgenland again in pre-season. It was an invented team and we scored many times. Carlos Vela and Nicklas Bendtner played starring roles. Not much of an indication of how things would go during the season, but fun all the same.

  8. Walter,
    Pleased to hear that your Madame (like my own)is happy to see less football on TV.
    Too much disruption to their beloved soaps.
    May I enquire as to her health these days? I hope the warmth and general pleasure of the summer is having a beneficial effect on her.

  9. JB,
    Van Persie is a good example of a difficult kid being matured. Till he listened to the little kid again…

  12. All I’m After Now Is WenGer Should Sign A Players Before World Cup Round Of 16.The Very Important Position Now Is 2 & 4.

  13. Rantetta
    June 27, 2014 at 11:54 am

    I can see the headlines now :

    ‘Arsenal to break with tradition and sign French pensioner to head up the attack.’

  14. Whoever and whatever Wenger signs, just make sure he gets no credit. See the following article, wink wink.

  16. Where are the signings? How can van Gaal be bringing these players in whilst still managing hHolland? Wenger needs to be on it now.

  19. Also, he’s hardly van Gaals signing is he, it’s the equalizer finishing off last summers debacle that fell through and led to last minute Fellani.

  20. Elfin
    This is petty much what Arsene did while still at Grampus 8 by getting us to sign up Vieira & Rémi Garde so that they were in place for when he took over.

  22. How can we show off new players in Nike shirts when our contract with Puma takes effect fron the 1st of July. I believe from the 1st of July done deals will be on display in the new Puma shirts

  24. I don’t think Elfin is in a ‘panic’ mode but stating the obvious. WHilst our rivals have all strengthened with quality players we see Wenger playing beach volleyball….which is all good and well but surely he needs to be making a move on here???

  25. @ Ganta, no, it’s not obvious.

    What is obvious is: When a club unveils a new player/announces a transfer it generates huge publicity. Puma will want these people in their kit as they are paying us one of the highest kit sponsor deals in history.

    Currently we are under contract with Nike, so any pictures of new players in Arsenal kit will have to be presented in Nike kit until Monday.

    Also the window is not open until Monday.

    Panic when preseason starts and we haven’t signed anyone, until then enjoy the summer.

  26. @robl – I think it is mate. Chelsea, City and United all strengthening their squad. It does beg the question why those clubs have been able to complete negotiations whilst Arsenal do what Arsenal do best; stay quiet about everything and anything. It isn’t a sign of panic setting in, more a general curiosity about what deals the club is working on. I would personally be concerned if there are significant deals completed by the time the squad departs for New York; that is getting close to the limit when an overseas based player can integrate into the squad and be relatively settled off the pitch, before the season starts. A good start is essential if Arsenal are to build on 2013/14, if the squad is to move to the next level.

  29. Might as well continue here. Robben dives again, and Holland are through to the next round. Costa Rico gets past Greece in penalties. Joel Campbell apparently had a good game, but the Daily Mail still has to stick it to Arsenal:

    > Campbell is not the answer to Arsenal’s striking problems – and labelling him as such would be nothing but problematic.

    > The Gunners still need to sign someone to lead the line but Campbell does provide another option that Arsenal can’t currently boast.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/worldcup2014/article-2674370/JOEL-CAMPBELL-WATCH-Costa-Ricas-star-man-perfect-outlet-underdog-perform-big-club-like-Arsenal.html

    Giroud has had a horrible World Cup, Podolski has had a horrible World Cup, Campbell has been okay, but brings nothing to Arsenal. And Sanogo isn’t playing for anyone at the World Cup. Hence, Arsenal is still shit.

    Daily Mail, you are full of **it! Your comments are not wanted.

  31. Gord
    I thought the Mail article was very complimentary and accurate in the sense that Campbell isn’t likely to lead the line, but will be more comfortable as a goal scoring number ten type that we don’t have right now.
    At least that’s the way I read it.

  32. It’s early morning for the crowd around London. Midnight here. Looking for Arsenal news, there is a whole lot of crap (transfers, and occasionally no matter what Arsenal does, they are crap). Oh, and a bunch of Ozil bashing.

    But, there was something different. Arsenal has its training grounds in Colney, and a farm in Colney is for sale.

    http://www.hertsad.co.uk/news/london_colney_farmland_up_for_sale_1_3662871

    Arsenal seems to have done well with Highbury, maybe this is of interest? Heck, maybe we could pay Bendtner to help develop it? 🙂 (All the best to him finding a team to play for.)

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