One decent result and the gooners are thinking they are odds on for third. This should be their club's new crest >>
Rumours are you slashed the wage bill which was fine. And I would imagine carroll is on alot less than torres was. So overall your sale of torres more than makes up for the carrol buy. I think without he downing and carroll mistakes you would be very very well positioned now. They were such bizzare buys. I dont think you are far away now. You have a capable squad. You just need to add to the first team. If you could get cavani (I think its not possible - he is too highly rated now) then I think you would transform into title contenders provided kenny doesnt make tactical mistakes like I think he has this year.
Disagree with them being mistakes, the net spend is something like £5 mil and the wage bill has been slashed. We will spend big in the summer and players like Carroll and Downing will become squad players who will need to be bang on form to force there way into first team. That's what you need to be competing in all competitions, big squads and competition for places. They will both improve, Carroll was MOTM against Brighton and is still a very exciting prospect.
I personally don't think Carroll and Suarez work together. I think they would both play better with a classic number 9 goal poacher. It has to be our priority. We need to spend ££££ to get the right person.
They will be squad players but you shouldnt of spent so much buying them. Regardless though you are right, people always overestimate buying fees and underestimate wages nowadays. It is now the case that top players are getting £200k a week. Which is £10m a year. If carroll is on 75k a week or something then thats probably £6m a year less than what torres is on at the chavs. So if you did cut your wage bill then you did well (I havent actually seen evidence for this though just going from scouser comments on here). Its just a matter of if (like us) you can get it done in the xfer market this summer. I think both our clubs will find it harder to attract the calibre of player we need without cl football. Although we both still have a chance being big clubs with big fan bases.
It's an absolute fact, there is a great article somewhere, will try and dig it out. The new owners seem incredibly shrewd (especially after the last pair of cowboys). They have been voted best owners by fans in America for many seasons.
Ya try and find I would be interested. I dont doubt it just saying not seen evidence. I think we need to do the same as you. WE have the same amount of high earning deadwood in our squad that we need to get rid of asap. The problem is your director of football/owners are clever and ours seem to be not so much. Also ours are complacent by the seemingly never ending gravy train that is cl football and our home gate receipts. I am jeleous you managed to clear out the deadwood. What I hate about big wages is it makes selling players hard. So you did a good job. Provided caroll, adam and people arent on big wages then you did well. If they are on big wages then you just replaced 1 problem with another.
http://www.theanfieldwrap.com/2011/08/the-great-net-spend-rope-trick-and-more-moneyballs Main points in there.
The thing is the strategy is clearly brilliant. And exactly what we at arsenal have been calling for. Cut the dead wood and support top players with our exceptional youth system. Its how arsenal should of been run and how we should be the dominant force in football in england. However your execution has been less correct. You have slashed wages which is awesome but you also failed to make the top signing you needed. You still need to do this that summer. Your rebuilding process is 1 season ahead of ours and they have overall done a good job. However the downing signing and the carrol ones were wierd. Better to save that money. Espicially the downing money this summer when you needn't be rushed. The owners kind of had to spedn the torres money to keep the fans onside int he winter I expect.
honeslty... there is no evidence simply because the main investment anaylsts are only publishing data (D&T) based on 2009 figures! they produce reguallry tables with whos paying most wages etc but its always out of date... in the end jone cole is on 90k per week and is the only guy whos a millstone now. he'll heopfully be sold i nthe summer but a least we are defraying some of his wages. Gerrard is our ONLY guy on more than 100k per week (significantly over) so compare that to city, cheslea or even utd and we're well below. arsenal proabably pay more than we are right now but we'll not know for 2 years and by the time we do it could be moot as our wages will have started to rise again... all we both know is the spuds can't afford 90k per week so they are living in cloud cuckoo land...
To be fair, your club does brilliantly, Selling players like Fabregas for massive profits and replacing them with excellent youth. Wenger is the master, John Henry said months ago we can copy / learn from Arsenal they are an example of how a club should be run. Makes me laugh when I see Arsenal fans critisising Wenger, clueless.
I guess what I am trying to say is that in terms of selling players I would give kenny/henry 9/10. To shift the deadwood they have is remarkable. However some of those you claim to of shifted you havent yet. Cole and Aqulani for example are just on loan. I doubt selling cole will be easy. Just like us with bendtnar and denilsen and almunia. We want to sell but had to loan them out due to wages. However I just dont rate downing, adam or caroll. They just arent good. So whatever their wages I suspect they are on too much and that the lads cost you xfer fees too. So on buying players I would give you 4/10 But selling the deadwood is the hard part. So you have done very well in this respect. Wenger knows we have to sell our deadwood too. He tried last summer with limited success. I suspect he will do the same again this summer and have more succers this time as the deadwood players contracts run down. Edit: I know commending united shouldnt be done on this board but you have to respect fergie/management at united for this. Somehow everyone seems to rate all fergie's deadwood players. Hence he never has any trouble flogging people like brown, o shea, gibson and obertan when they clearly cant offer anything to the club and need to be moved on. I wonder if its int he culture or just because of fergie. I wonder if manure players just want to play more and hence thats why they move and probably take wage cuts int he process.
Well only time will tell with Carroll, I like him, same as I liked Lucas and Skrtel, said years ago on 606 Skrtel will be the best centre half in the Prem. Got loads of stick for that, but does not seem so mad now.
But lucas and skrtel have the attributes needed. Carrol is slow with a poor touch. I dont see it. I actually rate spearing. Seems a good passer of the ball too. But time will tell if he has enough smartness to play that holding role effectively.
His first touch has been a pass to one of our own players, so I don't see that. Also outstanding in the air, strong physical presence. Will continue to improve until he peaks at 28.
Hard to say when people will peak. He might of already peaked. Although as someone whose game isnt based around speed I would imagine he will peak later than earlier. Some speedy wingers should peak mid 20's I think. Hence the wierd downing buy too.
If arsenal4life EVER saw skertl or paid attnetion to him either under rafa or hodgson he'd not be saying that.... i'd not mind but i've heard about denilson and song out of arsnela fans >> better tahn lucas stuff for years as well. this threas WAS about what we needed to do for 4th. I'd say no 1 thing is to ignore arsenal.
A horrible thought nonetheless...if we beat you then we will only be 4 points behind with a game in hand. I'd prefer to keep thinking about that scenario for now.
