By Walter Broeckx
Sometimes when looking at football I don’t know if I have to laugh or smile. The end of the transfer window… in fact the whole transfer window it looks like a contest of who can piss the furthest. Or as the expression in my mother language goes: who has the biggest d*ck?
The more money you spend the bigger it looks. Which is funny because we also have a saying in our country that goes like: a big car (spending much money) is owned by a small d*ck. But in football it is the other way. If you don’t spend like mad you are useless. And thus Arsenal is useless.
The media say it, Facebook says so and twitter is in melt down as usual.
And yet Arsenal have broken their transfer record this summer. But as the other new player came on a free and looks rather promising we only spend a low amount of money it seems.
On the other hand we kept our stance on not selling Alexis to one of our main rivals. But we are not getting credit for that. No, we are mocked for that. Just as we would be mocked if we had sold him to Manchester City… It was a (media) game we could not win.
But spending the money is the start and the end of it.
But if we look at the summer of 2016. We came second in the league and we spent more money than we had ever spend. Around £100m one summer. And the result…. We dropped from 2nd place to 5th at the end of the season. A good indication that spending money (in fact a lot of money) is not always the best way to go up in the league table. This season we spend only half of that. Maybe we will go up again at the end of the season….
Let us look at Manchester United. This season and last season they spend like mad. Van Gaal finished in 5th place and then Mourinho came. He made sure his friendly managers earned enough money and MU spend like never before (or thereabouts). The result of all that spending in the PL?
They dropped to 6th place. Making 3 more points in one season….
Of course if you spend like mad each and every season the chance of you winning the PL becomes bigger. But that is something Arsenal cannot do. Like it or not and that is a debate in itself our owner doesn’t put his money in the club like Chelsea and Man City’s owners do. So we have to be more careful. And what I really don’t understand is that there are still fans out there who don’t see that difference.
Because once you see that difference and accept it you can live with it much easier. I must say I would not like it if we would become another PSG, Chelsea or City. It probably will end that way also for Arsenal one day but I really will not like it.
After our bad opening matches the good atmosphere that was surrounding the club after the FA cup win and CS win has gone. The Stoke defeat was ref-inflicted even some media pundits acknowledged this. But for some part of the fans who are waiting for the first defeat to restart their anti-Wenger campaign that wasn’t important.
The defeat against Liverpool even pissed me off as you could read in my match report. I must admit that I was already pissed off before the match because of other things not going my way during the weekend. So was not really my usual optimistic self.
But defeats can happen and even big defeats. Every club has them every now and then. And that is Arsenal as I know it from all those years of following Arsenal. When on fire we can burn any team down…. When bad….. oh my dear we can really, really, really be bad. Looking back at it one can wonder if we weren’t playing against 12 men already. But not a 12th man in black this time…. I wish him many more such performances at his new home ground as he performed in his last match for us.
But the defeat was bad and hurt and so the doom and gloom was back in full force. And not buying anyone (the standard short term solution for the moaners) didn’t really help.
So we are back on protesting, marches, who knows even planes.
And the fact we broke our transfer record, we have added 2 decent players to our squad is neither here nor there.
One defeat – I admit a heavy defeat – and the moaners are at it again. But looking at the whole squad I think we are stronger than last season. I think Lacazette will score and assist a bit more than Oxlade-Chamberlain did. Kolasinac is a good defender and looks to be a strong guy.
I’m not losing it because of one heavy defeat. Apart from some pride it only loses us 3 points in the end.
I’m looking forward to the rest of the season and will enjoy it as much as I can. Because what is the meaning of it if you can’t enjoy it? There is enough misery in the world to feel depressed about without football having to add to that.
So I will do what I usually do: get behind the players we have, support the team and the club and will hope for the best.
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I wonder why Arsenal is the only club that the media singles out for the count every time. When other clubs go through their bad phases the press keeps mum on it. But when Arsenal is even tinkering with its backroom staff the media blows it out of proportion. Sad thing is that some Gunners add to the fire by being negative in every “near bad” situation thereby creating a negative atmosphere around the Emirates. I only feel that there’s a grand plan to either get Arsene out of the team (even though it’ll eventually happen someday) or to see that Arsenal goes back to the pre-Arsene era. It’s up to the feeble fans & the board to decide. For the true Gunners, keep keeping it real & let’s get behind our team. It’s just day 3 for goodness sake!
Of course we’re being mocked for not completing the sale of Sanchez to Man City. I don’t know why there is a denial over this.This was a big fee sale dependant on our first purchasing Lemar from Monaco, but one which went tits up because our negotiating team did not have enough time to complete the deal. Who’s fault it was I couldn’t say, but you will never hear of it officially because the .com does not report on non business, so we have to rely on the regular info sources. The media haters will refuse to believe anything that does not come from official outlets, while the more enlightened know what really happened.
I can only agree with what’s said here. We need to get behind the gents and get the ball rolling for the rest of the season. Every side has its problems but having the fans turn on them can never be the answer. I know there is so much to look at in Arsenals case but I support this side because I believe they can be better. Better than the reviews. Better than the moaners. Better than the players selfish beliefs. We can be better
Any thoughts on what Sanchez is going to do for the rest of this season? It would be silly of him, in my opinion, to just down tools. He is in need of impressing right now and could rather benefit from good solid game time than just going AWOL. Thoughts?
Love the site btw. Much love from sunny South Africa to all of you Gooners out there
I rather enjoyed yesterday, pained though I was by a trapped nerve which kept me inside for most of the day. It’s all nonsense really, but we suspend our cynicism and disbelief just to laugh along with the banal absurdity of it all. Rather like watching a Mark Wahlberg movie, or listening to Jeremy Corbyn speak in the Commons. You know it’s all a complete farce when the most remarkable event of the day is Renato Sanchez going to Swansea. Strong work, that though, to be fair.
I will however, reserve my utter disgust and distaste for two ex-Arsenal players who are currently a cancer in the English sports media. I am of course referring to Judas Merson and Judas Wright, two despicable turncoats who enjoyed a nice career out of Arsenal but have now decided to spit on the club from their lofty positions in the lucrative TV punditry merry-go-round. Wright is no more than a foul-mouthed buffoon; ignorant, bellowing and devoid of genuine critical thinking skills. A thicket, basically. Merson though, is even more ludicrous. One too many disco biscuits back in the day, I feel. He can be quite amusing at times, in that ‘awight geezer, cheeky chappie kind of way, but his analysis of even rudimentary concepts concerning Arsenal is simply embarrassing. It might help if he could actually remember what he said at any given time. Such as in May of this year, when he decided – in print – that Wenger needed to buy a new centre forward. On Sky Sports today he proclaims thus: “Arsenal haven’t done enough in this window. They’ve bought a centre-forward when they already had one. They needed to buy defenders and they haven’t done it. As we saw against Liverpool the other day, they just aren’t good enough.”
Merson ignores the fact that in two successive Summer transfer windows Wenger has bought two hulking defenders, one for £35m. He also ignores the fact he’s been carping on about Wenger buying another striker for at least the last three summer windows (remember him blasting us for not buying Benzema in 2015, the same Benzema who is still happy at Madrid and about to sign a new contract?), yet when Wenger breaks our transfer record to bring in a top class centre forward, this suddenly becomes a non-requirement?
We performed poorly AS A TEAM against Liverpool, so it’s cretinous to solely blame our defenders and suggest we buy more. How many goals do we concede bedding another new CB?. It’s desperate, grasping commentary from an absolute clown. They are good enough. They were magnificent against Chelsea. Merson is an idiot.
A disappointing Window, it would appear, when much new blood seemed to be about to join the Ems….and then didn’t.
The trouble is, so much happened behind the scenes, of which we know nothing, that the true picture is beyond our ken.
All we can do is trust those in command and believe all the decisions taken were in the best interests of Arsenal FC. 😉
Jax,
Thomas Lemar is potentially even a bigger douchebag than Paul Merson. Arsenal have been absolutely open about trying to get him all summer. How many bids were submitted…two? Three? He gave no indication that he preferred Liverpool until Monaco accepted our bid. The word is Liverpool hadn’t even considered him, not that they could afford him anyway. His excuse about the Europa League is bullshit. That didn’t deter Pogba or Zlatan. There’s more to this than meets the eye but Arsenal fans should be saving their anger for Lemar. He’s wasted a lot of people’s time, including that lot up in Manchester.
@Jax, and your position in the Arsenal negotiating team is what exactly seeing as you know what happened. What you have postulated is regurgitated from a variety of media sources none of whom actually know diddly squat.
Wow!! Finally someone talking some sense.
Remember the media storm when we got smashed out of the CL last year against Bayern? Spuds, kicked out of Europa League by Gent, but the coverage was all about Arsenal getting smashed by Bayern.
Transfer window = 2 very promising signings and rid of some overheads. Would have loved to see Van Dijk, Lemar for Sanchez and a true defensive midfielder(which is never going to happen while AW is here) but overall it wasn’t a bad result.
Media just love to slam Arsenal though don’t they.
We got rid of a lot of dead wood which was good,the lack of players coming in will probably lead to protests from the hordes of glory hunters we now have following us-Yet can see some big things happening in future windows..
Merson and Wright would not be on TV if they did not rubbish Arsenal. if they did not do it, the media would find someone who would.
Andrew, the always very reliable David Ornstein, and it wasn’t regurgitated. He was the first Journalist (on BBC TV News) to say what had happened and I’ll take his version of events before anyone else.
I expect you’re waiting for Untold’s Swiss source.
Eventually Wenger will tell the story to French blog beIN Sport, much as in the same way as he told the Suarez bid cock up.
Thomas Lemar signed for Monaco 2 years ago for £3.4 million from Caen.
And where do we think the very ‘reliable’ folk get their ‘info’ from? It is controlled leaks (so to speak) Let’s not kid ourselves, there is/are no ‘insider/s’.
Wake up. We are not a very attractive proposition at the moment and just because players may want out, doesn’t mean we should fumble around in the dark.
We have an owner who displays a shocking ability, nay thick skin, to be aloof. The caveat for the new contract should have included a DOF to oversee days like yesterday.
Hey ho, we have just as far to fall as we do to rise.
Flares. if our negotiating team (Law?) had got to Lemar early enough we might be hearing a different tale completely, although you can’t blame a player for having preferences. He was obviously aware of our interest for most of the summer, so somebody must have contacted his agent to sound him out, if not, why not?
Merson and Wright are a real pair of clowns in their digs with their popularity rantings-Merson even went so far as to say we should have signed Gareth Barry in the window.It’s hard enough with our legions of nominal fans sticking the knife into Wenger,let alone ex players..
I see the delusion is still powerful on this site, lol..
AFC1974
Excellent statement of fact, well, opinion really, well, I suppose acceptable logic to you all things being equal. If the ‘owner’ indeed is aloof and blocks all including AW, what on earth would a DOF do?
I think we’re all dealing with a great number of disappointments, most of them resulting from lies cooked up by some sick minds that call themselves ‘the Media’.Unless you work for the Emirates, or know someone in management there or if you know a member of the playing staff, fair enough you can formulate an honest opinion and express it.
Personally speaking, there is no one to inform me as to what is true or not, I just choose to believe those in charge do not particularly want to damage the Club or its reputation.
I am just glad that this madness is going to come to an end.
AFC 1974
I did hear that Ornstein gets his info directly from Gazidis. He’s generally well informed & accurate on all things Arsenal, so probably true. You don’t have to look too far for reliable info despite what you may read on blogs etc.
We shouldn’t get credit for mismanaging the Sanchez situation, because we screwed that one up badly. We’ve had over a year to get him signed to an extension, and once we didn’t do that, it should have been the number one priority of the manager to secure some sort of return for our most valuable asset.
While Wenger receives quite a bit of flack for the RvP sale, once it became clear he wasn’t resigning, he did the right thing by getting as much as possible for him, despite selling him to United. We should have done the same thing in this situation, and frankly, we should have been lining up a replacement last summer.
I would live to read an article or two by those who have all the facts and inside information .
They seem to have all the answers, so do pen a serious and detailed article of what truly went down.
Just the bare and gritty facts. No opinions or non evidence based statements.
Let us too on the inside tract. Show us the error of our ways , and how most of us were misled.
Since the transfer is done and dusted , there will be not any recriminations.
Over to you…..
Walter – Were AFC trying to make a deal with City for Alexis or not? Were the speculated money figures invented or leaked? If it’s all a bunch of nonsense then, yes, they didn’t sell to a rival. If not true then they just couldn’t get the deal done. The possible explanations are not equivalent.
I’m disappointed by the window with the exception of clearing out some players. More should have gone. Sanchez will sulk and pout and not really play based on his behaviour while at the club. Probably will be sold on in January because of the tension in the squad with his situation. Years of a mismatched, ill-suited midfield has not been resolved. Re central defense; I’d argue that Gabriel would be a better choice than Monreal, Kolasinac or Holding.
More reasons to like Gary Neville. He’s possibly the only pundit who has come out today and been positive about our transfer window: we retained our two best players (for now), strengthened defence and attack, trimmed some deadwood and came out in profit. He also stated – correctly – that the issues highlighted in our collapse at Liverpool have nothing to do with it.
Reaction to OC leaving has been largely ambivalent so far as I can see. Carragher referred to him as a squad player on Sky. For years I’ve been hearing Arsenal fans slag him off for not ‘reaching his potential’ yet now there’s idiots from Liverpool claiming he’ll reach it under Klopp, a gloriously overrated manager who won a couple of Bundesliga titles at best.
I’d love to see someone write a good “original” joke on here rather than all that recycled crap we get from the other side of the world. Still, with no football of any decent type to watch they have to do something with their time I suppose.
Over to you……
Great article Walter, especially the last 2-3 sentences!
For those complaining about the Sanchez situation, one thing you guys are forgetting is that Sanchez can still be sold in January to Manchester City. He can only sign a pre-contract with a club from another association (i.e. PSG, Barcelona, etc…). He is going to play his hardest, because he is going to want that big contract, might be his last big contract at age 29.
If City does not want to risk it, they’ll come back in January. Arsenal will also have more options in January. For example, maybe Draxler gets tired of sitting on the PSG bench, or Lemar gets tired of being 20 points behind PSG, Reus’ contract ends in 2019.
Big contract think China
Ivan Gazidis ? He is the deep throat? Damn ! Never saw that one!
Probably due to the fact that I am in the other side of the world.
And probably did not do my homework , due to my busy medical practice and raising 2 future doctors and another future doctorate wannabe .
Come to think of it to some it may sound plausible .
A disillusioned but well paid employee , not getting recognition for his efforts to the club goes rogue . I mean just ask anyone and they will probably day that Levy is the better CEO despite blowing all that Bale money .
And so here we have a millionaire worker , lashing out at the unfairness of it all.
I suppose they would meet at some wayside pub and damaging information would be revealed.
Yup ! Stick it to Stan the man.
And that French prat who just won’t spend more fukking money!
I totally get it .
That is if I am on some PTSD or psychiatric medication .
Or on some flashback trip from all those LSD and fine shit they had back in the day !
How’ s that for original humour then ?
Interesting to read the stuff Vidal is supposedly saying….
That just smells like PR fence-mending to help Alexis come back to the team….
Then again, with all the lies we’ve been fed, we can’t be sure of anything anyway.
I see a movie or an original non fiction novel in these shocking and earth shattering revelations .
Or maybe an off Broadway play? Or the very least a funny YouTube schitk ?
It has to be a comedy though . Either way the audience will be laughing their heads off . As I am.
What would be a good title ?
Any suggestions ?
‘ A game of strewn ?’
I am sorry now for the aaa. They have to all turn to black tea & vegan as our ox has been sold (no more ox on the hoof). How comes black tea? our ox was a bull! he was a load of bull but ended up being a cash cow! What an idjut turning down £60k more per week for a plate of scouse. His agent is celebrating though.
We have a Kola bear who was for some strange reason left out of the squad at Liverpool. I would love to see Kola & Nelson play together with Laca & Giroud in the middle. They were electric pre season and will be even better now.
Alexis will realise that the ball needs to be passed to/from a team mate. He has to eat humble pie or sit in the barrel of a cannon & get boomed to reality.
So Ornstein is reliable, in the end who Arsenal signed in 2013 again?
https://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/arsenal-transfer-rumors-and-news/2013/8/21/4645888/arsenal-benzema-di-maria
Spurs sign Aurier and llorente and they’re geniuses. We sign Lacazette and Kolasinac and we are clueless. How does that work?
Manchester utd failed to get de Gea’s paperwork through to Madrid on last day and it was praised as good business. NVM that they actually wanted to sell. We do not sell Sanchez to City on last day (believe we didn’t want to sell) and we’re criticised as bunglers. And still some fans fail to see this obvious and blatant hypocrisy! Then we point out that some individuals really are stupid they moan.
In terms of transfer business I believe we did just as well as our rivals; didn’t lose our key players and gained two key players.
‘On the other hand we kept our stance on not selling Alexis to one of our main rivals. But we are not getting credit for that. No, we are mocked for that. Just as we would be mocked if we had sold him to Manchester City… ”
This is totally false Tony, and Wenger even confirms it.
Wenger told beIN Sports: “Lemar chose to stay at Monaco. You have to respect what happens on the negotiation side. I know we live in an era of transparency but at some stage, to respect everybody, you have to not talk too much about that.
“Look I cannot tell you everything that happened because after that when you decide to let a player of that calibre go, you need to replace him because nobody would understand that you let the player go and when you cannot do it, you keep the player and make a financial sacrifice because what you want, at the end of the day, is to have a team who has a good potential and top quality.
“That means two things: Alexis Sanchez will go, like Mesut Ozil, in the final year of his contract or you think during the season you will find a way to extend the contract or at the end of the season the players go for free.”
Lemar turning us down is the only reason Sanchez is a gunner today, not because we were not willing to sell.
What do you have to say now Tony?
Walter
“Of course if you spend like mad each and every season the chance of you winning the PL becomes bigger. But that is something Arsenal cannot do. Like it or not and that is a debate in itself our owner doesn’t put his money in the club like Chelsea and Man City’s owners do. So we have to be more careful. And what I really don’t understand is that there are still fans out there who don’t see that difference.
Because once you see that difference and accept it you can live with it much easier. I must say I would not like it if we would become another PSG, Chelsea or City. It probably will end that way also for Arsenal one day but I really will not like it.”
Brilliantly summarised. Perfectly put. You echo my thoughts to the T.
Gooner72
“Years of a mismatched, ill-suited midfield has not been resolved.”
Maybe not, but I’ll tell you what it has done, along with our crap striker and wobbly backline.
It has won us 3 FA cups over the last 4 years. As well as 3 Community shields. I make that 6 trophies.
Where as Spurs’ World class striker, imperious midfield, and rock solid back line have won them exactly……………………Zilch.
Similar to how we get told every summer what wonderful transfer business Liverpool have done, and that wonderful business has won them………………….diddly squat.
Yet, somehow Arsenals laughable antics in the transfer window has won us, in case you missed it first time, 6 TROPHIES.
Not to mention all those worthless top 4 finishes, which now spurs have finally managed to achieve ONE, all of a sudden are not quite so worthless. Funny that.
Mismatched?
Ill suited?
Or just plain crap maybe?
Either way, not quite as Ill suited, mismatched, or indeed as crap as those 2 media darlings it seems.
I’m curious, Manchester City FC are not short of money and £60 million is spare change to them, if Pep and City wanted Alexis so badly as reported by the media, why didn’t City offer that price when the transfer window opened, why wait till last day? It doesn’t make sense to me. Could it be just click bait news or maybe somebody at City just having a laugh?
We are who we are…onwards and upwards!
Of course, it would have been nice to sign some shiny new genius player but our players can improve their play without adding anyone new.
I am happy that we didn’t let Sanchez go unless we had a replacement.
@ Polo – So Ornstein is no Bernstein ?
And so maybe , just maybe there is no deep throat on our board ?
Another one bites the dust !
Polo
Sorry to disappoint you, Buh we wanted to sell him.
Check my earlier post to see Wengers comments today about what happened.
Stephan et al- That’s what I was alluding to in my post above. And to those who think Alexis will play hard for the shirt or new contract I can refer you to a previous post. He will not and will get a pass from the media and the rest of football because he’s at AFC. Sell him on in January if you can get anything for him. Ozil will go as well, his frustration obvious. Again, without Sanchez, what other players in the squad are at Ozil’s level? Cech was once, that’s it. Lacazette may come good but he’s behind Ollie and Benzima for France(if he were on the national team) and Griezmann is the star. Theo, Ox, Welbeck, Ramsay, Iwobi, Wishere, Xhaka, Elneny, Coquelin? Please, they are not.
I’m not assigning blame because NONE OF US knows what goes on behind the scenes. I’d just like to see a better balanced, more competitive squad. If AFC can’t compete for titles, and they can’t, AW should bring on all the kids who showed promise and excitement in the pre-season. Just my OPINION. A considered opinion but like everyone else, just an opinion. Don’t get your knickers in a bunch if you disagree.
Polo
If you want to play this childish game, that’s OK.
Arsenal did (apparently) want to sign Benzema & maybe even di Maria after missing out on Suarez in 2013. Wenger himself referenced it.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/aug/23/karim-benzema-arsenal-arsene-wenger
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/alexis-sanchez-assures-arsenal-100-11096490
‘Wenger has admitted Lemar chose to stay at Monaco and it is understood that he felt there was not enough time to make a decision, especially as he was playing that evening.
Arsenal made Lemar their No1 target in May, were told he was definitely not for sale but still made two bids which were turned down.
City then came in late for Sanchez, only signalling real intention in the closing days of the window.
Monaco then contacted Arsenal suggesting Lemar might be available for £90m. Arsenal made an offer, Monaco then stalled before coming back again on deadline day to try and get the deal done.
Arsenal then told City they would consider selling Sanchez – but only if they could get Lemar and that fell down.
There has been some dismay at City claiming Arsenal should have been better prepared as their position is that they did not want to sell and why would they compromise and sign a second rate replacement as they wanted Lemar and were not about to be bullied.’
Ok conceded that Arsenal decided to sell Sanchez once Monaco offered Lemar. But how is it Arsenal’s fault that Monaco left it late on last day to sell? And nowhere it suggest Lemar reject Arsenal because he wanted to join Liverpool, only that he didn’t have enough time to decide.
So Alexis and his agent isn’t furious after all.
‘But Arsenal, Sanchez and his agent Fernando Felicevich made a pact that if a deal did not happen, he would stay for the final year and be fully committed even if he is set to leave the club on a free transfer next summer.’
@Jax, point to me where in that article AW or Arsenal said or confirm they were working on bids or interested in Benzema or Di Maria?
@Jax, how about this article where Benzema agent confirm there was ‘no contact’.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2401521/Karim-Benzema-leaving-Real-Madrid-Arsenal.html
‘Djaziri said: ‘We can’t stop the rumours. But I tell you: Karim will not go to Arsenal. It’s never been a question for him and no contact has been made.’
Who is telling the truth?
Polo asked a very valid question, why did Man City wait to the last day of the transfer window to put in an offer if they really wanted Sanchez and we allegedly all along wanted to sell him?
Man City did not want Sanchez, they saw an opportunity to pickup a key player from a direct opponent and made a half hearted attempt to do so by putting in a late offer to save face and also give themselves a chance to signing him next season for free. I am sure if Man City had not made an offer in this window after all the noise being made about Sanchez wanting out and preferred destination to be Man City. Surely he would not consider them once he was a free agent considering they never came in for him, they would not be his first choice once free.
I find comments (Stephan) that we wanted to sell Sanchez as being very laughable, I am sure the same people making these comments are the same as those that make comments that NO PLAYER is bigger than his club? Every player has a PRICE? Well, Sanchez had 1 year left on his contract, is 29 years of age and had refused to sign a new contact.
Therefore, I would think it was within reason for Arsenal to finally agree to sell Sanchez once a reasonable offer (£60 million) had been MADE and not before hand. I am very certain that on SKY Sport News transfer window feed last night, it reported the first bid by Man City had be rejected and at NO time till the window closed did it say the 2nd bid had been accepted but waiting/ or on condition of getting the Lemar offer accepted.
The conclusion being made is that Man City did not get Sanchez because we did not get Lamar. That’s a joke as Man City had the whole transfer window to go after Sanchez but did not until the lasted day.
I also remember it being reported that Sanchez had Liked a comment about him staying at Arsenal after the bid had been rejected, so what are we to make of that. I do not see a problem between Sanchez and Arsenal as both parties have been very professional towards each other throughout the transfer window. Arsenal did not want Sanchez to go unless a club came in with an offer which it could not refuse considering no new contract had been agreed. Sanchez did not force a move by handing in a transfer request or bad mouthing Arsenal. He was happy to wait for an offer which would allow Arsenal to make back money spent on him and get a replacement in.
When RVP was sold it was after he made some not very nice comments about Arsenal, therefore they decided to sell him. An offer was received which they could not refused and it was made with enough time to allowed Arsenal to get replacement in on time. So for Man City to bid for Sanchez on the last day of the transfer window was a joke bid, and also considering that players were away on international duties was a double joke on a player they allegedly wanted to sign. I believe the relationship between Sanchez and Arsenal is going to be just fine as it cannot be claimed Arsenal denied Sanchez his dream move to Man City. The same cannot be said of Liverpool and Coutinho, Chelsea and Diego Costa or Southampton and Virgil van Dijk.
Polo
I’m not playing your silly game. If you don’t want to take my word regarding David Ornstein read the post near the end of the previous article (by Henry Root) who says he’s ‘Arsenal’s prefered mouthpiece”
Can’t you just accept that some journalists have access to insiders & usually get it right?
Nitram
AFC won 3 FA Cups in 4 years DESPITE the midfield not because of it. If it’s so wonderful, what’s the enduring partnership(s) during this time? Even before the current formation, the majority of AFC midfielders prefer to play as a #10 regardless of suitability or results when given the opportunity. There are a few who are willing to put in a strictly defensive shift (well maybe only Coquelin)but not many. Mismatched and illsuited? Very often you’ll see 3 or 4 of these #10’s on the pitch at the same time depending on formation. You thinks it all works because of the FA Cup wins? Shall we analyse the performances? I thought not. Wow, that midfield certainly bossed Hull City, didn’t it? And why are making comparisons to other squads when I didn’t? Or bringing media opinion into it? A bit defensive if you ask me. I’m just looking at our midfield FFS.
And speaking of dicks….
In the 90s Liverpool had a player called Julian Dicks. When he was injured, the Newspaper wrote”Liverpool to play without Dicks”.
The coach was upset so the Newspaper changed the headline to read “Liverpool to play with Dicks out”..
. A record number of women attended the match.
Am sure there are many ‘Hammer’ , ‘Red’ and ‘ English Lion’ Dicks jokes around.
@brickfields. Does anyone laugh at your lame jokes? Believe me mate, your jokes are almost always outstandingly bland. no offense intended mate. Cheers
Tobi
I laugh at them.
If you don’t why not just stop reading them. Simple.
@ tobi – Just because you put “no offence intended” at the end of a comment, doesn’t make you sound like any less of a dick. If you don’t like them, then scroll past them. There’s no need to be an arsehole (which you were clearly trying to be, regardless of how “matey” you tried to make it sound).
Of the three players prominently running down their contracts, Ozil and Sanchez were not sold, and Oxlade- Chamberlain was. I call that a sound decision considering the relative talent and importance of the three players.
Now this distraction is over, on with the season!
Brickfields
Keep those jokes coming. Found the dicks one very funny, not sure why it made a few dicks upset ?
tobi, is this you…..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7ABRO8q9jM
Brickfields – keep prescribing the potions. There are many that need healing.
Love Ozil & his response to the ex Arsenal players. ‘stop talking & start supporting’. Problem is they are mercenaries or male sporting whores (do anything for money). Ozil, just play the game the way you feel. It is easy to ‘run’ in a studio. Many of these pundits won the World Cup in their minds but won fuck all in reality. The Arsenal supporters who enjoy the game love what you do. Ignore those who dream of winning Premier League Manager on the net. They can’t organise a piss up in a brewery but talk like they could.
You love Arsenal & most Arsenal supporters would love you to stay.
I laughed out aloud.
The jokes are much appreciated especially when the arguments get too heated.
Also because one journalist says that another is a “preferred outlet “, does that mean it must be true?
You either believe all journalists or believe none. I prefer the latter.
I wholeheartedly agree with you.