By Cape Gooner
Give yourself a 10 if you strongly agree, a zero if you strongly disagree or any integer in between.
1. I would not replace RvP with Torres, Drogba or Rooney
2. I would not replace Cesc with Gerrard or Lampard
3. I would not replace Song with Essien
4. I would not replace Almunia with Cech, Reina or van der Sar
5. I would not replace Clichy with Cole or Evra
6. I would not replace Gallas or Vermaelen with Terry, Alex, Ferdinand or Vidic
7. I think that both Eboue and Sagna are better than any other RB in the EPL
8. I would not invite two of Fletcher, Anderson, Deco, Ballack, or Lucas to replace two of our group of Diaby, Denilson and Ramsey (and Nasri & Rosicky)
9. I would not invite two of Rodriguez, Kuyt, Benayoun, Nani, Valencia, Cole, Malouda to replace two of our group of Walcott, Arshavin, Nasri and Rosicky (and Eboue & Bendtner)
.
Some of the questions are not so easy. I think that Essien is better than Song, but not enough better to go through the disruption of the exchange. And can Essien fit in (twice) to the one touch football that opened up WH Porno and almost put Cesc in on goal.
I score 90, but anything over 60 would indicate that you are very pleased with our team.
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Brief editorial extras
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Coming soon…
Billy the Dog McGraw looks forward to Arsenal vs Satan’s own personal football club.
Finance Review: this week turning attention to the plight of Everton
Arsenal’s Golden 30: vote for the players most likely to break through next season.
Either 9 or 10 for me… maybe malouda and Valencia are better than Walcott. Otherthan that easy decisions for me
I love my team the way it is. We hav good players we dnt need to splash out cash for any so called superstar. We have our very own superstars. All I ask of the players is that they give 100% when they go out there to play.
90 for me as well . YEAH, LOVE THIS TEAM
Scored an 83. Would rather have Reina than Alumnia, but i still love our spanish goalie…penalty save kept us in the running!
I think the later point you make is the most valid – it isnt that any of those are any BETTER but rather whether they would fit into AW’s system any better. That makes it another story altogether.
I’d take Reina over Almunia. A couple of years ago Cech would have been automatic but not anymore. Apart from that, nobody. I would love to have Torres AND RvP, what a combination they would make.
you think this makes you a fan. what a load of rubbish, i bet if you asked wenger the same question he’d take at least a couple of those you mentioned if he could afford it. cech for almunia all day long
Conor – have you actually seen any football matches this year? If so, you wouldnt say “Cech for Almunia all day long” so quickly because Cech has been abysmal against the high ball this year. He seems to have lost his nerve. Almunia has been no worse than Cech this season.
And the author freely admits that some people might take “a couple of those … mentioned”. So I am not quite sure why that should make the piece a load of rubbish. He says at the bottom of the piece that “anything over 60 would indicate that you are very pleased with our team”.
And why is this piece about whether you are a fan or not? Where does Cape Gooner say this is about being a fan or not? He is simply posing a quiz to people.
I think you need to relax and just enjoy the questions being asked. What was your score?
Surprise, surprise… I score almost the maximum. I have given a 5 for the possible Rooney switch. This season one have to admit Rooney has been massive for United. But the thing is that I really think that Van Persie is a better player than Rooney. He just is so unlucky with injuries.
On Robin, Wenger said today that it would take Robin 2 weeks or 3 at the most to be match fit. That is really great news.
Song and Essien I would take Song without no doubt. He will outshine Essien in the next 8 years. 10 for Song.
Almunia is in the last weeks, even with a broken finger, really doing a great job so I give him confidence. Chech has also had some bad moments this season. Reina also has his moments at times. Vander Sar is doing his last moments of a great career. And Buffon is not for sale. Being a goalkeeper is not easy these days.
For the rest I will stick to my Gunners. All of them.
90 for me as well… it would be hard to resist a swap for Almunia (though he’s look good in recent weeks) and Reina… in case of wingers, no one can beat arshavin, cesc@23 is way ahead of gerard/lampard@30s and diaby alone can take any of the pair of midfielders!!!
i want to replace Almunia……Akinfeev will be a good signing
70 for me and it would be 75 if Robin weren’t injured so often. That’s 5 for question 1, not zero by the way. If you knew Robin would be fit for 3 years, he’d be right up there with the best and scoring 10 on question 1 without question.
Torres for RVP? Well, in terms of striking instinct we needed someone like Torres upfront but I think RVP did a great job this season… Besides RVP is a loyal guy.. you know, that matters, football aint just about stats.and forget about Rooney we aren’t an asylum for roughians like Shrek.. only silly ass fucker can handle him (I wonder why he let Shawcross go!).. Almunia has had a string of great games now.. nobody knows how great a keeper Almunia will turn out to be.. But given the option TODAY, I’ll take Pepe over Manuel! Most of the questions are freebies.. I mean Fletcher? come on man… I dont think people at Le Grove would want Fletcher!
80 for me.
gonner from slovakia 🙂
1. A 5. I don’t think any of them are necessarily better than RvP, but the injuries, my god, the injuries…
2. A 10. Cesc is the best in the World, not just England.
3. A 10. Song has been phenomenal, and Essien is constantly injured while Song is omnipresent.
4. A 0. Seriously, You wouldn’t replace Manuel with ALL of the three? That’s blindness.
5. A 10, but mostly because I despise Cole and Evra.
6. A 5. Gallas misses the end of every season.
7. A 10.
8. A 10.
9. A 5. Kuyt and Valencia are quite good, but to replace 2 of ours? No thanks.
I think i should score 80,cos i will chose Evra to replace Clichy and i will love Torres to partner RVP that all to beat any team
I think I’ll do with an 80! I might bring in a goalkeeper!
90 for me .but would it have been 100 if i didnt read all the negative stuff about our GK? And loyalty should go a bit further than it seems to these days,so RVP i would never ever swap
there is only one change i want, and thats a world class keeper on our team:)
I will only replace SILVESTRR. he is just waste off money and Place
I scored 75. I was tempted to give away RVP for Torres, Song for Essien and Almunia for Reina, hence gave myself 5 out of 10 for these 3 questions as my decision could go either weay. Absolutely 10 for everything else.
Reading at some of the comments, how could you score 100 when there are only 9 questions with max 10 marks each?
i scored a 87.. I have the utmost respect for Manuel but Reina is indeed better than him… of all the top 4 keepers only Reina has maintained his standards… Cech? I reckon Manuel can be better than him if he communicates with his defenders more and minimize the mistakes…
I think Walter wrote a piece before about how difficult it is to be a keeper in Arsenal… Because he will only have to make 4 to 5 saves a match… And other keepers have their gloves warmed by onslaughts of our players so they will look good with all those saves…
I just think that the keeper we need is in Mannone and Sczesny…
The others are easy choices… Lucas and Denilson are kinna like the same type of players… And maybe Nani and Malouda is a bit better than Walcott but Malouda is not getting any younger and for goodness ‘ sake, Theo is just 20 or is it 21? I think the team has the brightest future in the whole of EPL…
Btw, we’d better hope that other teams don’t go bankrupt than keep worrying about the players… If those teams go bust, the only club left is THE Arsenal and who should we play against???
I got 75, not bad.
90 for me all the way. Will some people seriously swap Song for Essien? No way in hell.
I’d like Adam Johnson to replace Theo Walcott. Happy with all other departments.
Sam – I think you can add an extra 10 just for being a Gooner.
70 for me – as mamy of the guys have remarked RVP is injury prone ,Torres
would fit right in.If we had both in the team then it would be devine.
Reina is good and reliable ,but in fairness Almunia has been in good form of late.
1. 8 (No way would I want to see RVP leave for those guys… But we’ve seen so little of him over the years with his injuries…)
2. 10 (Are you kidding me??? Cesc for any of those?)
3. 10 (The Alex Song we’ve seen this season has been fantastic. An unsung hero at times (no pun intended))
4. 4 (That’s a toughie… Almunia has his days of being great and other days of being error prone. Van der Sar has been really consistent for Manure, and even Cech is getting a little shaky recently)
5. 10 (I believe that Clichy can be better than the other two when on form. There’s a reason why he was in the PFA Team of the Year along with Sagna in the 07-08 season ahead of all other fullbacks)
6. 10 (The Gallas-Vermaelen partnership is pretty good, like their goalscoring feats for example, but they’re just not as overhyped as the other two central defence partnerships)
7. 10 (Yes, definitely yes to Sagna. Eboue has been used anywhere along the right flank this season, so this is more relevant to Sagna)
8. 10 (If you had mentioned Xavi and Iniesta…it would be a different story. But those guys? Nah..)
9. 10 (Walcott’s getting his form back; we’ve seen what Nasri can do like against Porto; Rosicky isn’t as great as he was before his injury lay-offs but I’m hoping he’ll reach his previous heights; Arshavin’s just magical)
So there we go, I scored a biased 82/90. I’m a biased pro-Gooner alright. Nothing new I suppose? 😉
1. 7 (I would prefer a fit RVP to any of those, but Rooney or Torres are quite a temptation. However I would never choose Drogba, simply because he is the kind of player I absolutely LOATHE)
2. 10 (Seriously?)
3. 10 (And Song is still young, too!)
4. 7 (Almunia can be a really solid keeper, but unfortunately when he has a bad run of form it usually lasts quite a few games.)
5. 10 (Clichy is back in form and I think it is showing why we don’t miss Cashley at Arsenal)
6. 10 (Not for all the money in the world. Arsenal does not need players with a personality like Terry or Vidic)
7. 10 (I don’t see any RB in the EPL that’s better at defending than Sagna or better at attacking than Eboue)
8. 10 (No, just no.)
9. 10 (Out of those I only really rate Benayoung, and I think that is because ever since Stevie G fell apart he is the creative center of Pool…if he plays. Still, nothing to replace our Gunners.)
I LOVE THE TEAM THE WAY IT IS NOW. TAKE IT FROM ME, I CAN’T REPLACE ANY OF THEM, THEY ARE ALL IMPROVING AND THEY STILL HAVE TIME TO PLAY TALKLESS OF THOSE OLD TIRED LEGS THAT HAS JUST A SEASON OR TWO TO PROVE THEMSELVES AND DIE OF. I CAN ONLY SUPPORT THE EMOTION OF BRINGING IN SOME AGED EXPERIENCE PLAYERS NOT TO REPLACE BUT TO ADD AND ENCOURAGE THE BOYS TO VICTORY. GOONERS I RAMAIN, GOONERS I WILL BE 4 LIFE. UP GOOOOONNNNNNEEEEERRRRRRRSSSSS
I scored an 80. Reina for Almunia, and I don’t think Sagna and Eboue are as steady and reliable as Branislas Ivanovic. Plus, I think he would fit in quite well in our system. Essien vs Song is another tough one, the rest is pie.
Can I get additional 50 points because I believe Silvestere is better than all mentioned as long as he is in our shirt.
I think I have supporter blindness and I am not able to rationally think of it.
But if I would try to be objective, I actually see no one who wold fit better in this team than those who already are in.
The only replacement I would make is to switch RvP April 2010 edition for RvP September 2009 edition.
85 for me. I couldn’t help it with Reina and Valencia. I believe we are on the verge of having the best midfield in the world.
Wouldnt swap any of the players.
Being sensible, you’d swap rvp for drogba or rooney, but only because of the injury situation, and I’d probably take evra or cole over clichy on pure quality, but I wouldn’t want to do that really.
Cesc for Gerrarg/Lampard – If anyone says yes to that theyr not only not an arsenal fan, theyr also insane!
Song might not be quite as good as essien now btw, but he has extra sides to his game and I think can be just as good, if not better in the next few years, so I wouldnt even swap them based on football ability.
I’m as big a fan as anyone. I’m a season ticket holder who does noting but support the team. I never get on anyone’s back and have never in my life left a game early. So I’m not just being a naysayer idiot when I say I don’t think a lot of you are being realistic. Mine goes like this:
1. I would not replace RvP with Torres, Drogba or Rooney
7 – I love the Perse more than the others, but combining injuries and, quality and form I’m not 100%
2. I would not replace Cesc with Gerrard or Lampard
10 – Easy
3. I would not replace Song with Essien
5 – Song is younger and is becoming one hell of a player. Nevertheless Essien is no.1 in the world at that job.
4. I would not replace Almunia with Cech, Reina or van der Sar
1 – Reina is way better, let’s face facts.
5. I would not replace Clichy with Cole or Evra
7 – Clichy’s my favourite, but I don’t think its debatable Evra especially and Cole are slightly better players. Although I wouldn’t take Cole back in a million years.
6. I would not replace Gallas or Vermaelen with Terry, Alex, Ferdinand or Vidic
6 – I think I would swap Gallas for Ferdinand or Vidic. But it still a 6 as I’m pretty content.
7. I think that both Eboue and Sagna are better than any other RB in the EPL
10 – Can’t disagree
8. I would not invite two of Fletcher, Anderson, Deco, Ballack, or Lucas to replace two of our group of Diaby, Denilson and Ramsey (and Nasri & Rosicky)
9 – Fletcher for Denilson, maybe. But I do love our Den.
9. I would not invite two of Rodriguez, Kuyt, Benayoun, Nani, Valencia, Cole, Malouda to replace two of our group of Walcott, Arshavin, Nasri and Rosicky (and Eboue & Bendtner)
9 – Our front line pisses all over those guys bar Valencia. I prefer our guys nonetheless.
So I only scored 64. So I’m still officially a fan, just. Despite my difficult footballing cull, our players are just so much more likeable, I don’t want anyone else really. I just felt like being a little more brutally honest.
100% for me !
Call it blind faith if you like, this is a team, it’s not about individuals, what’s more it’s a team I am immensely proud of whether they win a trophy or not this year.
The entertainment value is fantastic and given another season or two I have every confidence they will dominate the EPL.
All the so called Arsenal fans that slaughtered Eboue last season should hang their heads in shame, he’s magnificent for the team.
also people should get off almunia’s back, he really isn’t a bad keeper.
Having said all that, if Silvestre were to retire and Torres opted to join us I wouldn’t complain.
40 years watching them, and I’ve never enjoyed it so much.
100 for me. It’s easy to think other teams’ players are better because we do not see them play as often so it’s easy to overlook their weaknesses and just focus on their strengths. But, football is a team game, so it’s not just about their individual qualities, but also about how they work together as a unit. This squad has that chemistry that others might disrupt, so I’m happy with what we’ve got
I score a 80+10 (for being a Gooner, as Tony puts it!) = 90.
Song (5) & Clichy (5) are my bogies. Almunia is a defo. Either of Reina, Van der Sar or Cech are better than him. Cloughy said a GK saves (read: earns) you 12 points/season. Manonne (@Fulham) apart, I don’t see any points earned or saved.
http://11gunners.com/opinion/is-arsenal-in-safe-hands-the-3-muskepeers/3130/
100 for me primarily because all of the other players are a load of cunts and I wouldn’t have them in an Arsenal shirt no matter what.
I got a 53.
1. I’d swap van Persie for Rooney, but purely because of injuries
2. Never swap Cesc
3. Song or Essien’s a hard one; Essien’s better but getting more injury-prone, Song’s still got improvement.
4. I would replace Almunia with my mum, if I could
5. I would replace Clichy for Evra or Cole, but I wouldn’t like it
6. I wouldn’t replace Vermaelen. I would consider swapping Gallas with Vidic, but only because he’s 32 and has a month out each year with soft tissue injury
7. Eboue’s doing great at the moment, Sagna’s got class, but there are better RBs in the world. There aren’t any great RBs in the Premier League at the moment, though, so the answer’s no.
8. I wouldn’t replace Ramsey for anyone on that list. And I’d rate Diaby above the others as well.
9. I like our current wingers, so no. An outside winger like Valencia would offer something different, but we don’t have the players to take advantage of the crosses.
90 for me too.
A big part of Wenger’s teams are how all 11 players play together and how they fit into the system. A new signing however good he is individually may probably not be an immediate fit though a class player could well adapt over time.
And i have to think that Wenger first looks at a player’s personality and then ability before he even thinks of making a decision. Although some of the other choices in the above list are great players…in some cases there are question marks on personalities.
Cheers,
Do peoples really think Torres will work wonders for us? He is the sort of striker that waits at the end of play to finished them, not involves in them. In which case, RvP clearly a definite winner between them..
In football term, I think both Looney and Tevez will flourished in our system.. but not Torres.. He is too similar to Eduardo.. IMHO.
Scored 90.. that down to GK question .. damn you for foiling my perfect record.. I’d take Reina (but I actually prefer Buffon >.<)
I laughed out loud when I read GregorFC’s Note above……….Gooner through and through……..Top man !
no change on my part they all can stand on the same platform as the other players so no change necessary