To be honest, you're very thin on cover at the two fullback positions aswell as DM and it looks like Ramsey needs to be brought in gradually. I certainly wouldn't rule you out from challenging for 4th, you've got some very good players but with a few injuries your team is rather unremarkable. I should know better though really, I've been writing Arsenal off for about 5 years
At the start of the transfer window I don't think any Gooner would have envisaged us losing both Cesc and Nasri, but it happened and in hindsight, it's better not to have players at the club who don't want to be there (which you may discover with Modric this season) PNP's article about raiding Everton was a good piece of predictive speculation, that turned out to have some substance. I think Wenger has had his eye on Arteta for a couple of years, privately knowing that Cesc would eventually leave. I don't think there are many Gooners who are disappointed with our transfer dealings given the circumstances (ok - one or two, but we've all got those fans who are never satisfied) As far as I can see we've strengthened in every position that we fell down on last season. It will take a bit of time for them all to gel, but I'm confident that the doom mongers who have Arsenal struggling for 6th will soon be shown to be well wide of the mark. Hoddle is God - still fancy that bet that Wenger will be out of a job by the end of the season? You name the price - I'll match it
You've misunderstood what I said. My feeling is that the bookies will give very generous odds on Wenger walking before the end of the season (ie. because it's not something that is likely to happen). If they offer, say, 1000/1, all I'm saying is that it would be worth putting a tenner down, because I think there is a greater possibility this season that Arsenal could (potentially) have a disastrous season (eg. early exit from the CL, bottom-half finish in the EPL, not other trophies), than at any time since I can remember. If that happened, Wenger would come under intense pressure from your fans, a great number of whom are already voicing very serious concerns about his competency to continue in the job, to either resign or be sacked. In other words, it would be worth taking a long-shot on such a bet, if the odds are very generous. That's all.
Well, bookies will give you odds on anything you want. The world ending tomorrow? They'll take your money and give you odds on that if you like, but almost the entire population of the world know that there's very little probability of it happening....... .......hang on, that's an argument on another thread I hear what you're saying fella.....and I know we have some fans who are calling for him to go....I just happen to think they are the one's who have 'lost the plot'
Fabregas going home was always when, not if. Anybody who believed anything else was kidding themselves.
The point was that I don't think we expected to lose them both. That was a hammer blow. But as I said, in hindsight, for all their talent, they didn't want to play for the club and thus it's better that they were shipped out.
For what it's worth, I don't think he will walk, which is why I wouldn't put money on anything other than very generous odds. I actually think that Bling Kenny is more likely to walk before Wenger.
I'll be surprised if he doesn't, Piskie. If we replace him with another decent manager, then we should still have a good enough squad to push on, though. It'd be interesting to see how Moyes would do with a side like ours.
Hodgson was undermined at Liverpool by a certain Scottish manager. You have to wonder how much control he was given over signings too, plus the crowd were on his back very early on. You'll Never Walk Alone? Unless they don't like you much, in which case you're screwed.
Moyes would be great at Spurs, I think he would suit the culture of your club. Ancelotti and Hiddink just don't seem to be the right fit...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/apr/01/roy-hodgson-kenny-dalglish-liverpool Care to clarify that comment, Piskie?
Is that another one of Hodgson's brilliant contradictory comments? October 2010: April 1st (April Fools?): If you want further evidence of how little sense Roy Hodgson makes then here's two gems from his time at Liverpool, then another one at West Brom. When at Liverpool: Later at West Brom after Suarez was doing brilliantly in the premiership: The man has verbal diarrhea, he has no idea what he's talking about 90% of the time.
Nothing that you've written there about Hodgson and Dalglish is contradictory. He said that he wanted him to be a part of his set up, rather than a part of the club but totally excluded from the coaching. He then later pointed out that Dalglish's presence at the club and desire to take his job undermined him. All true and nothing conflicting. Why would he chose to show the club's hand in the transfer window by saying that they were after certain players? Claiming that you weren't interested in players that you're scouting makes more sense than declaring your interest and risking other clubs getting involved. Redknapp does the opposite frequently and it's very, very annoying.
Happily From an outside perspective it just seems that the culture at Spurs thrives when there's that old fashioned 'Englishness' about the set up I can't quantify if, it's just a feeling I have about your club - I've followed them (for different reasons ) for almost as long as I've followed Arsenal. I think Moyes would fit.
He said we were interested in Ashley Young in the very same interview, so I doubt it was anything to do with not wanting anyone knowing which players we were targeting! As for the first part, Hodgson knew what he was letting himself in for when he accepted the job, how can he on one hand talk about the fact he wasn't going to turn down the help of Dalglish in the background, as he is an extremely talented man, then on the other hand complain that it was hard having him in the background and that it impeded his ability to do his job properly? It's the usual bollocks from failed managers, Hodgson wasn't good enough, just like he wasn't good enough at Udinese and Blackburn, he should stop hiding behind the excuse of blaming Dalglish, and start looking at his own deficiencies and why he has never succeeded at a top club in his career even though he has had many opportunities.
He actually said that everyone was after Young, which was well known, as his contract was running out. He didn't have any choice about Dalglish's presence, as far as I can see, so he had to try and make the best of a bad situation. He either embraced it and got the benefit of his experience or he tried to block him off completely and risk being undermined. Unfortunately for him, he was undermined anyway.
