Oh that lovely transfer deadline day (part 2)

60 Replies to “Oh that lovely transfer deadline day (part 2)”

1. AS much as we love the club we support:
   1) The team that plays in the game is not ‘our team’ in other words we didn’t select the players. The manager did and we don’t know and probably never will know why he chose the players he chose.

   2) The manager knows the players, who is fit, who has off the field problems, who he can trust, who he can’t trust. etc. We don’t.

   3) Our place is to get behind the team support the players even more when a player has a bad game. From time to time we all have a bad day at the office, When this happens to a player he knows this and doesn’t need abuse from us he needs our support and its our place to give it.

   4) In a transfer window, we don’t know who is available and who isn’t then there it would seem a 101 points to take into consideration when buying or selling.

   5) No manager can demand a player wants, in other words ‘Name the player he wants snap his fingers and hey presto the player in the team.

   6 Transfer transactions have to be done in private, otherwise they will not benefit the parties involved.

   7) Arsene and thus the club know who they want. Arsene does give hints when a deal has been done. At this present time there has been the mantra of we need a defender as if Arsene doesn’t know this situation.

   8) We don’t know Arsene’s thinking on this. Could be he agrees the need to buy but not could get the player/s he wanted. Could be he has decided that players in the club are ready to play in the first team.

   Either way its for us to support the players and to ignore the ignorant media.

2. Good read Walter. I have a sneaky feeling the price we paid for Welbeck did not help. Had we paid around 30m this might have placated some of the AAA types as they associate price with quality. Strange thinking. True Walter, if defenders were available why didn’t utd snap up one or two, they clearly need them more than we do.

3. So true. That bloke at Le Moan is at it again. A great bit of opportunism to milk the angst among the fans to garner clicks. Such behaviour is so disappointing.

4. Walter,

   great post. I absolutely agree with everything you said.

   I was shocked with the amount of hatred that the likes of legrove, highburyhouse, arsenalnewsreview and even more their commenters spewed.

   Our transfer dealing was great, we added 3 forwards (Sanchez, Welbeck and Campbell), added a future defensive superstar to replace TV5 and replaced Bac and Fab with similar quality signings. It could have been better, but comparing to previous seasons where we always LOST a star or two, this year was fantastic.

   On another topic, I also see that the same haters ask for Ozil to be played in CAM position or to be dropped. I’m no football manager but surely Wenger has a reason why he plays Ozil as a LW when he has good alternatives in that position. It’s probably to do with player development…

5. Great stuff Walter!I think youre on to something with the AAA that its Wenger they dislike.Im interested in this: what is it the AAA dont like about themselves thats reflected in Arsène?
   Al`s comments are spot too re money=quality.
   COYG! Aha and Amen!

6. AL,

   It’s not strange thinking, it’s superficial and backwards association price-value. People think that if an item costs more, it must be better than the one that costs less. This conveniently leaves out a lot of elements that contribute to the quality of the product in a direct way, and also forget that the price depends on many factors not associated with the actual production chain. The stock market is going crazy, does that mean that some companies are suddenly better than others?

   Untold is doing a great job regulating its contents, and that doesn’t mean limiting the freedom of expression (like many spewers argue). I followed the American fans’ posts, and even there the amount of garbage is unbelievable. You would think the geographical separation and relative distance from the British media would give them more time to think with their heads, but, sadly, no. The AAAs are everywhere 🙁 So, keep stomping on them with the legitimity of civilized and rational discussions. Dixit.

7. I want to say that ever since I came across this site, I have never ventured anymore to other sites. Not because of its support for the club but the reasoned argument it puts forward. Sadly lacking in other sites. Keep up the good work.

8. You’re AKB and that’s fine. But stop being sensationalist. We added 3 strikers you say? Well we lost Nicky B and Park. Squad players, but players Wenger himself pointed to last year when he was confronted with not having enough strikers. We lost Fabianski, Verm, Bacary, Jenks, Nicky B and Park. We ginned Welbz, Alexis, Chambers, Debuchy, Ospina and Joel. We replaced. We didn’t add.
   And our midfield will be overrun again by the big teams this season.

   I don’t hate Wenger. He’s given us enough great memories and put us in a great position for the future. So no, I don’t hate him. But as for looking forward to challenging for the league and doing well in the UCL? I’m waiting till 2017.

9. To sign a 23year old English international striker, experienced in the EPL for about £16m seems to me the height of good fortune for ANY manager.
   Time in abundance to nurture him into the type of player the team needs.
   There will be, of course, those ignorant souls who cannot see the wood for the trees.
   They will always find a reason to complain. If Arsenal capture the EPL this season, winning every game with no goals against, they will find something wrong with the catering on match days.
   And as for the disgraceful criticism of Sanogo, it is conveniently overlooked that Arsene has faith that he will succeed in due time. He’s raw, clumsy but tries his best He will now move back in the pecking order and further learn his trade. He will return though, never fear.

10. Nicky,
    don’t start about the catering. Wait till Tony tries to get a cappuccino next time he goes to the Emirates… 😉

    I will settle for a Bratwurst in Dortmund in a fortnight.

11. “” I was shocked with the amount of hatred that the likes of legrove, highburyhouse, arsenalnewsreview and even more their commenters spewed.”” quote

    I read this site because if you take the facts and ignore the paranoia it can be interesting .

12. MM

    ‘On another topic, I also see that the same haters ask for Ozil to be played in CAM position or to be dropped. I’m no football manager but surely Wenger has a reason why he plays Ozil as a LW when he has good alternatives in that position. It’s probably to do with player development…’

    You don’t have to be a hater to ask why Ozil isn’t playing in his costumary Nr 10 position behind the strikers. It’s not as if he’s flourishing on the left wing right now, is he? He looks rather disinterested at times.

    The reason Ozil is one of the best Nr 10’s in the world is because he’s got a great first touch , passing range and most importantly the vision to scan the field for players open to receive the ball. When deployed on the left wing, he is limited to take the ball only to his right, thus taking away his natural ability to use his superior vision.

    Wenger isn’t the only top manager who likes to move players around the pitch to find their best position. Ferguson did that with Kagawa and Nuri Sahin suffered similar faith at Real Madrid and Liverpool.

    It’s not unreasonable to ask why spend a ton of money on an established player and play him out of position. Incidentally, Kagawa is back with Dortmund and I will bet my bottom dollar , the middle of the park is where he’s gonna give Arsenal trouble in the CL and not on the wing where Ferguson played him.

    Even the best managers get it wrong at times. Wenger didn’t think much of Yaya Toure as a box to box midfielder but saw him as a out and out striker.

13. I am an Arsenal supporter based in Cape Town, South Africa. Originally from Sofia, Bulgaria. As a member of both Arsenal Bulgaria and Arsenal Cape Town supporter clubs I can confidently say that the type of ‘fans’ you refer to as AAA are everywhere regardless of geographical location. They do my head in and i have arguments with them week in week out. They moan at the players and the manager during every game i watch at the pub and then come on online forums to whine about whatever they perceive the club, the manager, the players or other fans are doing terribly wrong. I just don’t understand why they stick to ‘supporting’ Arsenal. If they hate everything relating to Arsenal then they should surely choose a different team to ‘support’. But i think they are just haters to be honest and no matter what Arsenal do as a football club they will still be out there spewing abuse. That’s just my two cents on the subject.

14. Nugwa,

    Try to think in terms of quality, not quantity. We ended last season seven points away from the first place. More quality is likely to mean more points in the end, so, should be an improvement, right? Maybe we won’t win the PL, after all it’s not that easy, but finishing closer to the top will mean the season will have been a success.

15. Foolish AAA, they don’t know what’s wrong with Dem dey have blogs, justarsenal, le grove, arsenalnewsreview

16. Very good read Walter, nice to see someone else like the rest of the guys on here are realistic about what happened this summer. I feel we have done very well, I was becoming increasingly anxiouse that we looked as though we were going to have to go up until January with just one true centre forward. But thankfully that not the case now ( big sigh of relief)

    I believe Sanogo will come good just as believe the same for Jack and as I did for BFG, Koscialny and Ramsey (remember the abuse they received). But we have to remember these guys are young, Wenger himself said a striker isn’t at his best until at least 25-26. This is where he begins his ascent to his psychological and physical peak. Sanogo is 5 years from that and Welbeck (who, I might add will eventually have UTD kicking themselves) is slightly closer with a wealth of premiership and champions league experience.

    Ok we didn’t sign a centre back but as stated here who was out there, we needed prem experience also I only rated Ron Vlaar tbh. Remember some of the self stated AAA’s saying why did we not sign Yanga M’Biwa when he went to Newcastle look how he turned out.

    There are simply no players teams are willing to sell out there because the position is so hard to replace. For heavens sake Barcelona had to buy our 3rd choice centre half. We need to unearth the next Koscielny or as it looks so far Chambers to fill this role. Perhaps Jenkinson with learn a few tricks from Big Sam at West Ham and come back a wiser player. Wenger has stated that Jenks has the qualities to play there just like Kos started at left back. Then we forget Hector Bellerin at right back, mark my words this boy is special. He will be one of the very best in the world in the next 5 years.

    So to sum up we have lost 3 first teamsters in Fabianski, Sagna and Vermaelen good luck to them on their future careers. We gained a very good Keeper in Ospina wonderful defenders in Debuchy and Chambers. We signed a worldly in Sanchez and an exceptional talent soon to be realised in Welbeck. Plus players like Campell and Bellerin have been added, also Gnabry and Zelalem are another year wiser.

    I will ask any Arsenal fan to write down last years team and then write down this seasons team and say we haven’t strengthened this time round.

17. The AAA may continue to exist. And in a way, it could be necessary for them to be there. Because the positive cannot be defined without the negative been there. Anyway, I don’t belong to the abusive and hate group. But they may continue be there as I said. If you visit justarsenal.com website, there, you will read a lot of abuses, insults and condemnations of not only the Arsenal manager, but other top Premier club managers are not spared of their rage but this time often in favour of the boss. I laughed a lot whenever I read those youngsters comments. I felt being entertained by them. The boss should please not worry much over this unfriendly attitudes by some Gooners. You cannot satisfy everybody when you are managing a big public club like Arsenal. The voices of aspersions will always be there to contend with. I personally hate to be abused or insulted. I can imagine how bad the boss feels about this hatred. But let him please bear it. Now, I want to appeal to the boss to please not abandon Sanogo, but continue to refine and blend him to make him a great striker for Arsenal as he has the potential of becoming one. The boss should please retain him in his first 18 players team squad. Infact, I will like to see Welbeck and Sanogo lead the line against City, while Sanchez operates from deep in a 4-4-2 formation to beat Man City at the Emirates after the international break. Sanogo might just break the ice in this big game.

18. http://christianmotivations.weebly.com/uploads/7/6/2/0/7620268/7424362_orig.jpg

19. Another good article Walter.

    There are the complaining types of supporters everywhere, it seems to be an unfortunate part of the human character. but the level of hatred suddenly generated against AW was quite something. Some of this hatred was generated by the asinine inhabitants of Le Groan and other AAAA blogs – those guys really need medical help.

20. The secret to happiness – I think .
    What Does Sexual Activity do For Our Health?

    After all is said and done, much has been said about the health benefits of sexual activity with your spouse. But as it turns out, your weekly frequency is an important factor when determining which health benefits you actually get.

    Once a week:
    Good for your weight

    “Sexual activity guides the brain to release oxytocin that often improves your quality of sleep”, says Helen Fischer, a Doctor of Biology. “And since sleep regulates our hunger hormones – Ghrelin and leptin, good sleep leads to reduction of weight.”

    Twice a week: Good for a cold

    People that have sex twice a week have 30% more hemoglobin A, proteins that are part of the immune system and provide protection from infection, bacteria and parasites that cause diseases. So claims a study made by Wilkes University.

    Three times a week:
    Good for the heart

    Sex increases not only the heart beat but good blood flow, so says a study from Bristol University. The researchers claimed that “People who have sexual intercourse at least 3 times a week can reduce their risk of fatal heart attack by as much as 50%.”

    Four times a week:
    Good for the skin

    People that have sex 4 times a week look 4-7 years younger. So says a group of scientist from Royal hospital, Scotland. The reason is that sexual activity increases the rate of growth hormones while reducing fat mass and softening the skin, which gives you a younger look.

    Five times a week:
    Good for performance

    “Having sex often is tied to increased optimism, energy, focus and creativity,” say Dr. Helen Fischer, “and you don’t have to stay in bed to enjoy the benefits of the relationship. In addition, focus and motivation will help you at work, as well.”

    Six times a week:
    Good for the brain

    People that have sex 6 times a week pump more blood to the brain, which increases the rate of hormone production, the same hormones that improve cognitive function. Some claim it may even help the production of new brain cells.

    Seven times a week:
    Good for the mood

    “Frequent sex lowers tension and anxiety,” says Jonathan R. Cole, an expert on internal diseases from California, “and this is usually attributed to the rise in endorphin production.”

    ( Eight and above – you attain AKBism !)

21. Nice read Walter,

    @Tom 8:48am, deploying Ozil on the wing is for further development. Remember AW revealed that Ramsey was deployed on the wing to help him with space. A winger has half the space available to a CAM. Well the result in Ramsey is there for all to see. Don’t worry, Ozil wont play on the wing for ever.

    @JamesOfSouthWales 8:56am, spot on comment. “…For heavens sake Barcelona had to buy our 3rd choice centre half”. I wonder if the AAA had found a ‘world class’ defender who is ready to sit on the bench. TV left because he didn’t play regularly and Barcelona took him because they couldn’t find better alternative anywhere.

    As for ‘Juggernaut DM’, Arsene is the team manager not the media/AAA. Though they (ITM (c) Walter 2014) think the absence of a ‘Monster DM’, caused heavy defeats against the top 6 last season. I say crazy fixtures and individual mistakes caused those defeats.

    As for Dear Danny Welbeck (yes he is now ‘dear’), I have nothing to say other than that In Arsene I Trust. And considering David Bechkam’s comment, I’m sure signing Welbeck is not a disaster the ITM/AAA would have us think it is.

22. What I love about this site is the relentless faith. What I dislike about it is the sense that emanates from the site that criticism of the club renders long standing Arsenal fans as imbeciles or moaners or as Wenger haters or even Arsenal haters. I know there are a lot of us who voice frustration and annoyance and there are plenty of bloggers or websites that feel there are some fundamental fault-lines in the way Arsenal go about being a top football club, but I think this site sometimes needs to be slightly less “superior” about itself and to try and find space in its categorization of Arsenal fans for those who try and point out, with reasoned arguments and sincere goodwill, that not everything is perfect and that the standards we aspire to for our club aren’t being fulfilled. I agree our job is to support and I hope it’s what I do when I go to the Emirates but in trying to point out and give voice to the many and sometimes overlooked positives about what the club is doing, please try not to be so dismissive of everyone with a counter view. It undermines your mission and good work, in my view. We’ve had a very good Transfer Window; much to be excited about. But there are legitimate questions that can be asked and, if this site asked them, it’s faith in the club would be more respected. This us vs. them thing is tiring. Stop rising to it, either ignore it or gracefully acknowledge the legitimacy of the right to a counter view and move forward. As a fan who has my criticisms of the club, I don’t count myself more right or superior to you. I come to this site to read and take on board your often much need positive perspective, not to be insulted because I feel less positive than you. Anyway, just a thought. I do love this site.

23. Brickfields Gunners, I like that link @9:46am and your very last sentence @9:50am

    You are the bomb!

24. Good article Walter.

    And I like the warning at the end by Tony.

    Trolls, ye be warned hehe

25. @Fishpie

    Walter seems to be talking about AAA trolls – not people like you.

26. This post is great and sincerely, it is one of the things ever close to Wenger’s quote about one’s target in anything one does. Your support for our great club stands out as an art. However, it is sad to note that Wenger’s transfer dealings in the last 2 transfers do not qualify to be called an art. Bringing in an injured Kim Kallstrom… I leave that for your judgment. This transfer has been good thus far but considering that our rivals have had great summer transfers, it appears to me that Wenger is leaving the club’s success (like winning the epl, fa cup and ucl) to chance. I still remember that boy the day Leeds united was relegated; the banner he held and the tears he shed. That was an art and our support for Arsenal should be same.

27. good article but I will have to check the credentials of Rojo and Blind,who I believe Manchester United purchased to bolster their central defence,along with Luke Shaw,on the left side,which would make your point about other club’s failing to add to defences that are short of decent personal incorrect.I agree wholeheartedly with Fishpie ie if you really care what the writer or readers of crap like Le Moan have to say,you are wasting valuable time,better spent on other matters.Sites like that are bottom feeders,ill researched and confusingly un moved by the very things that most Arsenal fans really care about eg shit refereeing decisions.

28. I have checked, as far as I could, the footballing career’s of Blind and Rojo and both do not appear to be specialist central defenders but both played in defensive postions,either in midfield or on the left,so I will reserve judgement until I see where Louis Van Gaal plays them.

29. The people out there that hate Mr. Wenger is unbelievable and are called Arsenal fans.

    There is no day passes without writing rubbish theory against the manager. I believe certain bloggers like grove and that Pedro have personal issue with the manager and his aim is to nurture hatres to the boiling point untill finds some idiot that take matter on his own hand.

    Opinions are respected and should be.
    When day in and out one start bashing one person it is not anymore an opinion it is an agenda.

    If you ask me I am not entirely happy with what happen on this transfer window as I did want quick and robust CM .
    Yes just as an ordinary fan that seems relevant to me .But me I am not even attending every game for different reason so how could I judge what is needed or not.

30. @Brickfields Gunners
    September 3, 2014 at 9:50 am
    ‘The secret to happiness – I think .
    What Does Sexual Activity do For Our Health?’
    I’ve heard a lot about this sex thing but where do you get it from?

31. Sav From Australia

    Sometimes it’s hard to tell from Walter’s writing who is and isn’t being criticized for being an AAA or a moaner (or whatever other labels are out there). Sometimes it just feels the site finds positive arguments about every situation just because it feels it needs to and also has a tendency to look down on what it feels are bad fans. It’s just an overall tone thing really. Perhaps I’m sensitive to it because I fluctuate wildly from deep depression (why why why doesn’t Mr Wenger see the need for a better/more dynamic deep midfielder or why can’t the club get one in a 3 month of summer transfer period) to great delight (6 brand new players in one summer). I want to say “well done” to everyone at the club for the latter but “what the fuck” to everyone at the club for the former. And when I want to have a pop at the club for not maximising our chances of success (again), I don’t want to feel looked down on by a site that I enjoy. Still, thanks for saying I’m not an AAA troll.

32. My articles were in no way aimed at any person on Untold. It was what I read on ‘shitter’ and facebook on Monday. Oops meant twitter.
    I was just an observer most of the time apart from a few moments when I really couldn’t hold myself back any more and in a subtle way tried to show them up for what some were.

33. Nugwa, Nicky B and Park weren’t really in the team. Nicky B is just pain pathetic, enough said. Park hardly ever played, the 1 or 2 times I saw him played, he offered very very little. Jenko hardly got a game and went out on loan to gain some much needed experience. So they won’t really be missed. Jenko could do a job for us but then Bellerin is waiting on the wing, maybe Wenger is looking to bring him into the 1st team?
    The new players are all battlers, non of them are softies. Campell might be the exception but then he needs time to adpt to EPL anyway. Make no mistake, we might not have added, number-wise, but quality and ability-wise, we’ve definitely added.
    I don’t get the argument of “if we don’t buy a defensive midfield, we’ll loose big time”. We rarely ever play a pure defensive midfield anyway, we always play with box to box midfielders, and defend as a team. The only true defensive midfield we had was Gilberto. But even Gilberto took on the box to box role when he was baby sitting Fiberglass. He chipped in 10 goals that season. Petit used to bomb forward and try to score goals for us, except he didn’t get many. Vieria was never a defensive midfield, but he did have great defensive ability. All in all, our current players need to have more discipline to defend as a group, and not over commit.

34. Only another 120 days to the next transfer window!

35. When you look at transfer deadline day there is a whole swirling mass of different things that will drive anyone to madness if they let it.

    Sky Sports dramatise the whole day to hook in as many people to watch as possible. In this 24 hour news world we live in, we’ve been conditioned to want to know the latest news, right now.

    The usual rumour mill goes into overdrive, linking clubs to players, usually on no evidence at all.

    The papers and pundits criticise, and pick out perceived flaws in teams. After all, even sycophantically praising a team gets tedious and dull. Even on Untold-Arsenal, one of the focuses is on criticising how referees, the media and others treat and portray Arsenal.

    Football Manager and Fifa computer games allow people to play at manager, giving them a false sense of “Hey, this managing lark is easy”.

    In the end, we supporters are powerless.

    We forget what “spectator” means.

36. We accumulated more points than any other team last calendar year with the same midfielders we have now, so why the fuss being made for not buying a big powerful defensive midfielder?

37. Every1 knows that Falcao is not what ManU needed. But the sigining was made out in the manner that they have signed GOD after they got Angel. They need proper CD’s. But the idiots on Talk S**t said that it did not matter, because if the opponents score 5, ManU will score 6, now that they have Falcao. This is the kind of stupidity we have to deal with.

38. Mick, A beast in midfield would have saved every single goal. Teams with DM beasts never lose.

39. Thank you Walter.

    Re: Welbeck. That is one amazing signing, on so many levels. For starters, Danny has grown up among a team who sometimes played very well, but who latterly have had years of ‘favours’. Danny would’ve seen his colleagues kicking their opponents to shit and getting away with murder. Danny does the donkey work up front or on the wings, and is often able to jump away from nasty tackles. He’s a tough young man.

    Welbeck CHOSE to come to Arsenal despite seeing how they are kicked about and cheated. He knows what he’s letting himself in for. He knows he’s playing for a team that plays excellent, honest football.

    Did we really get DW23 for £16m? That is unbelievable. The only people who should moan about that are ManU fans.

    I must point out that many, many AAA types are not even Arsenal fans. Please moderate these people OUT of this forum. These types have almost everywhere else to go and spout. Twatter and co already take up any slack.

    I’d heard that fans were engaged in some kind of abusing outside the Em’s – prior to the TW closing (“Slamming shut”). I looked for such scenes but couldn’t find them. However, I did see someone called “Moh” on AFTV. Moh was so depressed, presumably due to Arsene not buying the players he wanted.

    The thing is, during last season, Moh seemed to be a little more optimistic, but now it’s deep depression. Of course, the presenter only deals with deep depression. That’s the same presenter who interviewed Piss Morgan (chief high profile AAA), to allow him to be possibly seen as a reasonable Arsenal fan! (It was a long video piece, too).

    I despair at Wenger haters. I never liked Slurgy but I didn’t wish him harm – just retirement – which he eventually received. This hatred towards Mr Wenger has happened from the day he arrived at our club, which has been well documented.

    You suckers out there have swallowed it all up. Go away. You’re not welcome. You’re not Arsenal fans.

    Five signings. Still moaning.
    ****. Right. Off. (back to twatter)

40. Welbeck intvw 25 May 2014{

    http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/world-cup-2014-frustrated-danny-welbeck-ready-to-use-the-brazil-tournament-as-shop-window-9432812.html

41. An article you might find interesting about the money sloshing around the Premier League:
    http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/prem-clubs-smash-spending-record/view/news/171994

    PL teams spent £835m, up from £630m last year. That’s almost twice as much as the next biggest spending league, La Liga, that spent £425m (most of that being Barca and Real Madrid of course, just imagine the crumbs everyone else gets by on).

    The PL spends *twice as much* on transfers as the next highest spending league. The money in English football is obscene.

42. The more I think about it, the more I think the money wasn’t really there to buy (i) a striker; (ii) a defensive midfielder and (iii) a centre back. The priority was originally (iii), (ii), (i) in that order. However, once Giroud got injured (i) became the priority – and that was achieved.

    I just don’t think the budget was there to buy (ii) or (iii) of a quality in excess of what was already available.

43. We are NOT made of money (at least compared to MU, MC and Chelsea)!

44. Pete, I don’t think its a case of the money wasn’t there, so much as the money is there, but it can’t be easily replaced. Once it’s spent, it’s gone.

    Like you say, Arsenal are not made of money like the sugar daddy clubs. MU might struggle financially next year if they fail to qualify for CL football. They have a number of players on some very expensive contracts.

45. critics help but not with hatred

46. I watched ESPN F.C. last night over here in the states. The pundits was talking about how the Welbeck signing was not gonna win us any silverware. According to them, Wenger should have signed Falco who definitely would made our club title contenders. Then they said lets see what the fans outside the stadium think about our transfer business. They showed sound bites of four fans venting about how our club has lost the plot. I could see about a hundred fans over there and they chose to play clips of just those four. The pundits then preceded to say that the Arsenal fans have voiced their opinion and they are not happy. Like those four nitwits are speaking for the whole Arsenal fan base. That my friends is called selective editing which is a form of propaganda. Showing those four morons venting their spleen, They make it seem like all Arsenal fans feel the same way. Back in the early 1950’s I could have found four people living in U.S.S.R. who thought Stalin was a humanitarian and an all around great guy and showed that on the telly, But that don’t mean all of the U.S.S.R. felt the same way. You can paint a cow any color you want, But that don’t mean It is true. It seems to me that the media everywhere has an Anti-Arsenal agenda. One last thing, Why would our boss spend about 20 to 24 million in loan fees and wages on a Falco coming off major knee surgery and have him go back to Monaco after the season. I wonder what those idiots at Man. Utd. are smoking.

47. Le Groan is trolling hard on Campbell’s lack of minutes at CF, slagging off Sanogo completely ignoring that Campblell has played wide right in the main for Olympiakos and all other European clubs.

    It is what it is. This groaning from the AAA on this particular subject highlights and captures the disingenuity at work. These people were groaning hard when Campbell was signed, abusing and ridiculing The Law. Then they switched to saying all transfers were made by Master Law and colleagues forcing through these recent transfers in spite of the manger, and now the meme flips back to the previous groaning posture.

    Any old gibberish as long as it results in abuse of the manager and the club.

    They are not talking about the football. They are not talking about the players. These flip flopping memes that contradict themselves and are completely uncredible gibberish act as further evidence as BTJ mentioned earlier of those who are desperate to force through some kind of takeover of this club. A very valuable asset sitting smack back in the centre of the worlds financial capital, without any debts.

    When even the Arseblogger states on his podcast that AFC do not do buisness with Special Agent Mendes, unlike the specialist in signing players signed to Mendes, you have to question the motive behind this disingenuous and self-contradictory Groaning from the same old Groaners (who may or may not write for rags owned by…Oligarchs!) because that is fair comment.

48. Gazprom defenders:

    Cahill (CB)
    Terry (CB)
    Ivanovic (FB/CB)
    Azpilicueta (FB)
    Luis (FB)
    Zouma (CB)
    Ake (?)

    Arsenal:

    Debuchy
    Bellerin
    Chambers
    BFG
    Koscielny
    Hayden
    Monreal
    Gibbs
    Flamini

    RB: Debuchy – Chambers – Bellerin – Flamini – Coquelin

    CB1: BFG – Chambers – Debuchy? – Hayden

    CB2: Koscielny – Chambers – Monreal – Hayden

    LB: Gibbs – Monreal – Flamini – Coquelin

49. @kenneth Widmerpool

    Hmmmn, what do the AAA hate about themselves that is reflected in Arsene? The lack in themselves that is absent in Arsene. Here is a man who has seen to his own development, emancipated from restrictions that frustrate others, and achieved a sense of humanity that makes us all proud to be associated with him. For those constantly living outside themselves, he is painful reminder of all they have neglected: intellect, free-will, knowledge, wisdom, and virtuous humanity. Often, losing oneself in a baying mass is preferable to the discomfort and unease of a lonely self reflection. To pity or not to pity….

50. Empty barrels make the loudest noise. Etc…. I used to get upset by idiots on Twitter, but then I realised they have a one account one voice policy. This applies whether you have a brain or not. No point in being upset by a twelve year old imbecile with a keyboard and interweb. That includes le grave, painton, and others who make a living by wounding up the stupid and naive.

51. Bill from Manhattan,

    You ask “I wonder what those idiots at Man. Utd. are smoking.” and to be honest I’m not sure. I can’t help but feel that they’re panic-buying in a desperate attempt to get back into the CL places before they lose any more revenue without actually giving much of a thought to where all these players are going to fit in. You have to ask that if they’d beaten Burnley 5-0 on Saturday with Rooney and van Persie sharing the goals would they have then acquired Falcao just 2 days later? No doubt Falcao and Di Maria are marquee signings but they’d have surely been better off spunking that £80 million on defenders and midfielders because there wasn’t much wrong with that front 4 of Rooney, van Persie, Welbeck, and Hernandez.

    It’s a huge gamble they’re making even with a decent manager like van Gaal in charge because if it doesn’t pay immediate dividends, even with their monstrous revenues they’re not going to be in a position to throw another £200 million at the problem next summer.

52. @ finsbury Two excellent posts.

    While scanning Le-Groan last night I saw one ‘supporter’ say he would not watch another match until Wenger was gone but that he would still be very present on Le-Groan. What? How on earth can you comment on something you don’t see?

    Here is one gem I found particularly amusing sandwiched in between two paragraphs of abuse “It may sound corny but I think that a proper supporter sticks around and gets behind the team even when some aren’t good enough quality-wise”. That is the definition of a supporter. Some would do well to realize this.

    Here is another (regarding Wenger) “This scroat is arrogance personified, typical french, below is the meaning of the word, which is old french, theses pricks even invented the word, arrogant_Having or displaying a sense of overbearing self-worth or self-importance._2. Marked by or arising from a feeling or assumption of one’s superiority toward others”. Someone dislikes the French. Sounds like a perfect description of that vehicle of propaganda that is Le-Groan.

53. esxste – absolutely.

    I’m sure Arsenal could have spent more if they had really wanted to – but it would have been deficit spending. It is obvious that the club would rather earn money first before spending it. The cash balance is a result of adopting a prudent approach to debt coverage and a contingency in case CL qualification is ever not obtained.

    The media are completely confused re Welbeck. Is he an MU reject who won’t do anything for Arsenal and is a waste of money – or is he England’s coming hope who was inexplicably let go by MU and is a bargain for Arsenal? Different pundits have said different things – and the followers don’t know what to think!

    My personal view is that he has potential, fits Arsenal’s need quite well and could go on to save us a lot of money in years to come. On the other hand he may not push on and will become a squad player when Giroud returns. We don’t know. But, all considered, £16mm seems about right. And this seems to be an objective “fair” value according to the Football Observatory (see my comment yesterday).

    I am happy with our spend this summer and our current squad. Not perfect, but continuing to steadily progress in the right direction. No short cuts available I’m afraid – despite what so many think. Progressive building in a stable environment is the way to go.

54. Blaisehayest

    Thank you. I guess the the clue to the xeneophobia apart from the public exposure on the internet by 7amKickOff (who’d been dismissed as a “yank”, I think) is in the name itself. A blog founded and named with intention of attacking AFC. No wonder the trolls that breed there have been recorded and seen to attack all sane and supportive Arsenal sites.
    There was once a catchphrase repeated by all for one blog that went like this every time the same troll returned to the comments with an ever so cunning IP change:

    “Fuck off Harold”, because it was so easy to spot the same individual (often caught talking to themselves). And that went on for years!

    It is what it is. A vocal minority, some of whom are happy to say they support (and work) for Oligarch’s who’d make Harry Enfield’s Loadsamoney seem honest and intelligent in comparison.

55. I heared through the grape vine that we were offering 32.5 million for Reus aswell as signing Welbeck but Dortmund did not want to sell to us. This may have been because the CL group stage playing against us.

    Also I don’t think we were truly in for a CDM tbh especially Carvarlho, he has done very little to impress me when I have watched him play. If he was ‘THAT’ good why didn’t UTD sign him they threw enough money around obviously there were reservations about him. The one Wenger wants is Lars Bender who may come in during January, also possible is an agreement for Reus to sign next summer as he has a release clause that activities from June 2015.

    Then we may lose Arteta and Podolski as a result.

56. I don’t agree it would have been deficit spending. I think there money is there. It’s available and it would have been spent if there was a suitable player Wenger wanted at the right price.

    When it comes to transfer policy, Wenger is very maligned. The media don’t like the way he refuses to pay over the odds for players he wants. Saurez would have been worth every penny of that £40,000,001, if the release clause had been properly drawn up and by Liverpool. Liverpool made it clear they wern’t going to let Saurez go for anything like £40,000,000. Their price was much, much higher, and Wenger rightfully baulked at it. For the money we’d have had to pay Liverpool to sell their prize striker to a rival, we’ve bought Ozil and Sanchez. And as things turned out, we’d have had to fight off Barcelona for his services this summer, with all the drama that would have caused.
    (But then one might postulate that we wouldn’t have had Ozil and could have gotten Fabregas and Sanchez back in return. But of all the things to criticise Wenger for, being a fortune-teller surely can’t be one, can it?)

    And the Wenger haters malign his transfer policy because he doesn’t pay the premium required to prize a star away from a club unwilling to sell, or because he actually watches players and gets information from his scouts rather than judging their skill on what Football Manager or FIFA 14 says.

57. Seen two headlines talking about next transfer window already. One was saying Wenger will have about £50m to spend, while another was talking of Wenger wanting Reus for £20m or so. Less than 48 hrs from the last window and talk is already about next one which is 4 months away. Crazy.

58. MC18CTID, Great response to my comment. You hit the nail squarely on the nail. Those Man. Utd. assholes are in full panic mode. There is a good chance those red motherfuckers may not finish in the top four. Then what are they gonna do. They are really rolling the dice with these transfers. A lot of their players are on heavy wages. In debt up to their necks and fading fast. Your blue lot from Moss side are really enjoying this mayhem as lots of other people worldwide are doing. I know I am. The motherfucking scumbag emperor has no clothes and nor a pot to piss in.

59. The perfect team! To be perfect in team sport, the opponent must be non existent. The reality is a good team comprises of all the elements that make a group act as one.

    Wenger has an excellent record of team building. He is also a very astute football coach. He has always followed the simple approach to the game. Make the ball do the work. Pass it into the net. With honest officials, this would not fail.

    However, we have opponents that buy agents and their clients to make a group of very good individuals. These can play as teams and can antagonise football fans into believing this to be the best way. Good players can gel into a team. This is an expensive unsporting exercise to win a sporting trophy. The ‘professional’ approach to football, introducing simulation, blocking & impeding goalkeepers & defenders, use of the elbow & knee to injure, deliberate late tackles, serial fouling and mind games has made the sport unsporting.

    Arsenal has remained in the sporting arena by playing ‘the Arsenal (Wenger) way’. Arsenal play as a team despite the officiating and AAA ‘support’. When the AAA & officials change their ways, Arsenal will be the perfect team.

60. I would not dismiss manure yet. Angel di Maria had a cracking game against Germany with a reported 1 goal plus 3 assists. The real surprise about them is that they have failed to clear the deadweight, particularly Fellaini and a couple of others, but they got rid of Nani and Cleverly on loan, among others. Welbeck may not look that impressive on raw numbers, but his stats per 90 minutes are very good. I expect the top six or seven to battle it out for the 4 CL positions, but consistency will be key, as the Boss always says.