By Walter Broeckx
Oh the transfer rumours. You hate them or you love them but surely some of them are really big fun that makes you laugh. Let us have a look at a few funny ones.
Let us start with Andy Carroll who has been purchased by West Ham United. Probably after first having West Ham on alert, then on red alert and then probably all the alarm bells were ringing all together and the deal was done. Now I take a report that was published in one of the newspapers and it goes like this.
‘WEST HAM finally landed Andy Carroll yesterday – after seeing off Arsenal’s shock attempt to hijack the £60m deal.’
Mind the part where Arsenal was trying to hijack the deal. Let us continue with their article:
‘Starsport can reveal the Gunners made a last-ditch move for the striker as he weighed up the Hammers’ £100,000-a-week offer. Arsenal’s enquiry was a tentative one, mainly to find out exactly how much it would cost to land the England man. But Starsport understands the staggering figures involved are likely to have played a big part in their decision to back away.’
You can feel the underlying message already coming through? Yeah it was again stubborn and unwilling wanting to pay Wenger again at work. But in their story they first say Arsenal made a £100.000 a week bid (I can’t stop laughing when typing this) and the Wenger closed the Arsenal wallet (that was opened by Gazidis?) and backed out of their offer. My God, can you believe such crap?
Then the article goes on saying that West Ham will pay Liverpool £16M that could even rise to £19M with add-on (a microwave, fridge freezer that kind of stuff). Maybe if West Ham will the PL or so? They continue saying that the deal could cost West Ham £60M in total over the years. But with them playing the Olympic stadium that will be no problem one can presume. But then they turn their attention back to Wenger and Arsenal. And they say:
‘Carroll, an old-fashioned, towering target man, might not fit the mould of an Arsene (could we tell the newspaper there is an ‘è’ in Arsène his name) Wenger signing. But the Frenchman is a long-term admirer, dating back to Carroll’s days at Newcastle when he troubled the Gunners on more than one occasion.’
Hell even Crouch troubled us on the odd occasion but does this mean that we would be after him. Should we be after him? But to back their claims this newspaper used a quote from Wenger. [The Untold interview with Crouch is still on line here]
It goes like this: ‘The Frenchman has said previously: “He has a kind of presence. He has something special and he’s efficient. I have been impressed by him. He has charisma, confidence and he is intelligent on the ball.”
First of all, have we ever heard Wenger being disrespectful towards a footballer in his career at Arsenal. I surely cannot remember him saying something bad about a player from the opposition. Of course he was critical about Shawcross or Taylor or Smith after they tried to break Arsenal players their career. But even then he was far milder than I and most of us were and would have been.
So I can imagine Wenger using these words after Arsenal losing at home 0-1 to Newcastle thanks to a Carroll goal and a Dean ref performance. No problem at all. Since then Carroll moved to Liverpool to fail miserable at a real top team (that might not go down well with Newcastle fans but I speak with my eyes in the history of both clubs). And then to West Ham where he scored 7 goals in 24 games. Not really setting the world on fire one could say.
So how on earth could this newspaper even think that Wenger was wanting to hijack the deal between Liverpool and West Ham. Liverpool lost around £19M on this deal by the way as they bought him for what seems to be the most ridiculous transfer fee paid in history of £35M.
Do they really think we are such fools? Well some might believe it and maybe we will see in a few days, weeks or months time people calling for Wenger to be sacked for missing out on Carroll. For me Carroll is a striker in the mould of Crouch, Heskey and other big lumps who will score every now and then but in general are not good enough for the real top teams in the PL.
I think this is just a perfect example of how the media is trying to sell bullshit stories and using it to have Arsenal fans moaning about yet “another target missed”. The day Wenger buys Carroll might be the day I would start to doubt Wenger and his ability. But I don’t think I need to worry.
Another “missed target” is Scott Parker. Scott Parker whom lots of the ‘buy, buy buy at whatever cost no matter who’ should have been bought by Wenger is on the other hand leaving the spuds if rumours can be believed. Don’t know if it really is true but I have read it on a few sites but well you read a lot of rubbish these days.
Now the options for Parker look to be Fulham or Sunderland. Not really potential CL place contenders for the moment. But the last two years I have heard on far too many occasions people say that Scott Parker was who we rally missed. To be honest I don’t rate Parker at all. Yeah he can make rash tackles and fly in like a madman at times but doing these things can be done by every player. I really don’t think he is the kind of player that will bring a team to a CL place. In fact he didn’t in the last two season with the spuds. Yeah sure we missed a real gem with Parker. Instead we will have to do with Arteta of course. Or Ramsey. You know two useless footballers according to the people who know much better than Untold (not that difficult) or Wenger (a bit less possible if you ask me).
But then again this is the silly season so anything silly can be printed in the media. And after all, tomorrow they have new stories and the old ridiculous rumours of today will be long forgotten by that part of the fans who can’t even remember what they had for breakfast around noon. [“Mine’s a pint” – Sir Hardly Anyone]
Oh one latest rumour. A famous (for his wrong predictions) ITK (In The Know) said that a radio station in Argentina has said that Higuan has signed a contract for Arsenal. I have heard the name of the radio station was Radio Porqueria. Just googletranslate that name and you know enough. [Careful Walter, Untold is now predicting that Arsenal has signed him, complete with accent. Steady on old bean.]
Recent posts
- 107 goals in 187 games, and he’s coming to Arsenal
- Who referees the referees? It’s a bigger problem than we imagined
- The summer of unexpected transfers as Chelsea and Man C “refresh” their teams.
- Fifa and Uefa face the long awaited challenge to their authority
- Gonzalo Higuaín, Real Mad, Juve, Nic B, Bart Simpson
- Football descends into total chaos; the circus is back in town
20 June Anniversaries
- 20 June 1949: Ronnie Rooke transferred to Crystal Palace
- 20 June 1966: Bertie Mee becomes manager
- 20 June 1998: Marc Overmars becomes first Arsenal player to score in world cup final stages. And later…
The books…
- Woolwich Arsenal: The club that changed football – Arsenal’s early years
- Making the Arsenal – how the modern Arsenal was born in 1910
- The Crowd at Woolwich Arsenal FC: crowd behaviour at the early matches
- Royal Arsenal: from the Common to the Manor. Coming next.
The sites from the same team…
- Referee Decisions – just what are the refs up to this season?
- The Arsenal History Blog from the AISA Arsenal History Society
Up the hammers
I know it is the silly season but the rags sky sports and the crisp and bold one on m o t d have a go at arsenal every chance and all year round arsenal supporters should find ways to have ago back
I believe firmly that this will be the year where we extend our collective middle fingers to the rest of the premiership with regards top transfers.
Higuain is a ruthlessly efficient finisher that would benefit any club and it will be a gigantic coup if/when he signs.
so get practicing.
1 2 3 ,!,,
Must really suck to be a Bayern fan, thought they had him in the bag.
http://sillyseason.com/articles/official-arsenal-target-sign-new-deal
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2012-11/new-intelligent-rifle-scopes-make-every-trigger-pull-perfect-shot
Latest technology that allows an Arsenal to never miss a target again??????????
If anyone asks “I’ve gone fishing”.
Talking about ‘haveing a go at Arsenal every chance and all year round’ Can someone tell me how it’s even legal or at least not breaking some kind of ‘code of conduct’ to have a DAILY article that is solely aimed at critisising Arsenal as TalkSport has on that prat Durhams tea time show. Surely they have a remit to be fair and unbiased. How does haveing a daily slot for specifically critisising one Club conform to that in any way shape or form ????? Or am I wrong, is it okay to systamatically critisise one Club totally disproportionatly. Of course people can critisise but what that Durham gets away with is just wrong.
Does anyone know who the sponsors of Talk Sport are?
I’d be happy to write into them to tell them as an Arsenal supporter, due to the constant tirade of abuse aimed at Arsenal by Talk Sport, I’ll no longer be using their products / services.
If you are a remote arsenal fan who has only ever seen us on telly once from 6000 miles away you should turn your back on talk sport Adrian downpipe and Darren gough are brainless anti arsenal twats who’s whole show everyday is based on one saying one thing and the other totally disagreeing with it it’s a show for morons run by morons
Stuart,
Alternatively don’t listen to a station which broadcasts consistently lowest common demo intro rubbish and employees halfwits at the arse end of their careers with nowhere else to go.
@jambag
You really are far too generous to Durham and Talkshit. To call it criticism is putting it extremely mildly: insulting, slanderous and vindictive is more like it. Not only does he slag off the club and Arsene but regularly insults the supporters as well, usually sneeringly referring to us as ‘that lot’ as though we are some sort of ignorant morons.
You can try contacting the station Stuart but I can assure you that you will get nowhere. I have complained about Durham (and Brazil, Jacobs, Collymore and several others) on lots of occasions and every time the customer relations dept have defended their presenters to the hilt. It appears to be company policy to denigrate Arsenal and Wenger at every opportunity.
As an aside, how can a club like West Ham (average attendance below 35,000) afford £16 million and £100,000 a week for someone like Carroll?
The captive football fraternity in East London must be a finite one, so how else will they be able to increase their income……not that I am that interested, you understand.
In fact I think I’ll join Adam and go fishing…Shangri La
…Really La…
What a moronic move by Westham Hasbeens! They supposedly pay 16M for a ¨striker¨ who consistently proves that all that glitters is NOT gold, to quote the bard, and who forever, remains one of England’s poorest players in ALL competitions. What they expect to do with him, when for a bit more they could probably get Rooney or another PROVEN striker, is beyond me….IMHO even Adebayor would be a better purchase for a lot less.
AAA take note…..If, as it appears, we sign Higuain, then AW’s real genius in the transfer market will shine like a supernova in comparison to the other EPL Clubs. If, on the other hand, he brings in someone else, then his brilliance will once again be proven….as it always does in the long run.
Clockender,
That’s exactly why I’m asking who the sponsors are. I don’t listen to it. The trouble is, many Arsenal fans do listen to it and it poisons their minds. It would be better for all of us and the club if it comes to an end.
Mick,
I wouldn’t go to the station, it would be a waste of time as they know full well it goes on. I’d go to where it hurts them – their income.
Incidentally, it’s not just Arsenal who get the criticism. I apologise for the Spurs link but they seem to think it just is them and us who get it so we can’t be imagining it.
http://www.spurscommunity.co.uk/index.php?threads/adrian-durham-talk-sport.97496/
ps, that last link came up on a google search using ‘who sponsors talksport adrian durham’
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=who+sponsors+talksport+adrian+durham
They still on about Scott Parker? Very amusing but I do think he probably has the best agent in the world
@Stuart
You are right, determining the sponsors for TalkSport is worth doing.
In the meantime (and for quite some time) I do not tune in to TalkSport and do not open most of the blogs with the sensational Arsenal stories.
Patience is necessary for all of us on these occasions.
Well I found out Sky sponsor the Adrian Durham show, there must be others.
Off topic, but there are some photos on Arsenal.com of some of our players on our training ground.
What a beautiful ground! It is green and full of trees. This must contribute to the well-being of our players. Another reason to be pleased to be an Arsenal supporter.
@Pat, Welcome to Hertfordshire.
@ Stuart
Could be what you’re after.
http://press.talksport.co.uk/commercial
“Creative Solutions
talkSPORT’s Creative Solutions team has a strong track record in delivering strong, effective, award-winning cross-media platform campaigns for some of the biggest brands around.”
Ford
Aviva
LandRover
Jaguar
SkySports
Admiral
Mars
Nivea
LG
Gilette
BP
MercedesBenz
O2
Marston’s
EAsports
Adrian Durham is a Peterborough fan with an unhealthy Chelsea fixation
@ Stuart
I agree with your attempt to rein in Talk sport and some of their presenters, I for certain will be in touch with as many of their sponsors as can be found. Would it be possible to organise some sort of campaign through untold. Kindest regards Gooner Murphy
Did you guys ever consider the fact that the Arsenal are roundly and “randomly” criticised is because we are on the right path ?
” If people are not laughing at your goals ,your goals are too small.” – Azim Premji .
http://www.azimpremjifoundation.org/Organization
Brickfields,
I fully agree, we are the most slated team because we are the biggest threat.
@ Stuart – many a time we bend the truth or tell a ‘white lie’ because it serves our purpose .The truth often hurts .
Like its sure to hurt old Andy here .
An Honest Opinion
Andy’s wife, refusing to give in to the looks of growing old, goes out and buys a new line of expensive cosmetics guaranteed to make her look years younger.
After a lengthy sitting before the mirror applying the “miracle” products, she asks her husband – “Darling, honestly, if you didn’t know me, what age would you say I am?”
Looking over her carefully, Andy replied,… “Judging from your skin, twenty; your hair, eighteen; and your figure, twenty five.”
“Oh, you flatterer!” she gushed. Just as she was about to tell Andy his reward, he stops her by saying: “WHOA, hold on there sweety…… I haven’t added them up yet!”
@Pat, our training ground is full of trees! Perhaps we’re using them to represent static defences we sometimes face. Otherwise I’d suggest we uproot them.
Andy Carroll, seriously if Wenger bought him he’d need to have his head checked. Why on earth would we waste money like that? At least when Wenger does waste money (Park, Chamakh, Squillaci) it isn’t a fortune with the exception of Arshavin maybe whom I always thought was a great buy but felt he had personality defects and was possibly not played in his best position.
@Stuart, biggest threat to what? I have no idea why you think Arsenal are detested by the “establishment”, whatever that is.
Let us hope that the rumours about Rooney prove to be just that.
Note that Mr. Usmanov is promoting the idea that he would be a good signing. With luck, that may be enough to kill the notion.
Thanks for the input re TalkSport. Just to be clear, I never, repeat never, listen to Durham but I do enjoy H and J (although even that Jacobs has a pop at us every chance he gets. He’s so bitter even his mate seems embarassed with him sometimes !)So once in a while when I get in the car or change a CD I have the misfortune to catch 30 seconds of Durham, but such is there hatred of all things Arsenal that 30 seconds is often enough to catch some kind of dig at us. I’ve even stopped talking football to 2 mates because they listen to and quote Durham/TS when Wenger bashing.
Personally I cant beleive anyone believes it or can not see the anti Arsenal agenda so prevelent at TS. But there-in lies the problem. Lots do listen, and worse do BELEIVE it. To me it’s like propaganda, You know what it is, you know it’s proberbly bulls shit but if you’re told it often enough some people can beleive black is white.
The problem is because this anti Arsnal shit is spewed out of the media day in day out it creates this negative aura that constantly surrounds our Club and TS are by far the worst culprits.
It should stop, but how? For all the comments, nobody has actually said if a systematic ‘Slandering’ of Wenger/Arsenal on a National radio is actually legal.
I realise that they have lawyers and are probably smart enough to not actually say something likely to be construde as defamatory,Slanderous or libalous in itself, but surely the fact that the bias is so overt and regular, as I say, to the point of broadcasting a DAILY ANTI-ARSENAL article must contravine some sort of ‘code’ if nothing else. I am sure that the BBC would’nt be able to braodcast an article critiseing, lets say TESCO, on a daily basis. Would that be aloud? I doubt it very much.
So come on you Arsenal loveing lagal eagles there must be something that can be done to shut that prick Durham up once and for all.
The clue is in the words “Starsport can reveal…” Just to make it clear the Daily Star is not a “newspaper” in any shape or form – in fact my work internet bans it as pornography.
also this sponsor announced:
http://radiotoday.co.uk/2013/06/talksport-secures-kia-motors-sponsorship/
Rupert.
We are the biggest threat to the teams they support / want to win? If they were not bothered about us, they wouldn’t mention us, they would be indifferent.
Who’s this we? I don’t think anyone cares whether we win or lose except us fans and a few demented Spuds supporters.
hahahah……
Now that Wenger has missed his target…..I think he is alright. Well Now where are those people, Sperez is it?, who claimed Wenger has lost it….
@ Stuart et al
This is worthy following up, maybe we could start a petition(using something like gopetition or something?) which we would then send to their sponsors after collecting enough signatures. We can post the link to such a petition here and other blogs that report positively on Arsenal.
@ Brickfields Gunners
Will you please keep those jokes coming. Like they say, luaghter is the best medicine:)
@AL
Good idea, I will be first in the queue to sign.
Over to Stuart then if everyone thinks its a good idea, its his brainchild:) I can help if needed…
In respect of Andy Carol , + add’ons = David sullivan sending 3 lorry loads of adult dvds!
It really is about time we identified Talk Sport for what they are.This has been going on for sometime now.I am not sure why Durham has it in for us.I do believe at one time his son supported us, as he often sees us play.We should name and shame him if we see him at the ground.(DurhamSnr).They are all the same at that station.Jacobs the Chelsea supporter is as bad.That guy has a serious problem!He is a obnoxious little man, who only has that spot on the radio because his mate Hawksbee(Spud,who i do like)is very good at his job.I suggest read the Sun and listen to talk sport!
The press have exaggerated things a bit (as usual).
Arsenal asked the scousers ‘are the irons really paying yoy 15M for the big newcastle lads…. hahahahahaha…you’ve got a blind’in deal there if they are!’