As I have said quite a lot these past few days, there is a large section of the supporters that are disgruntled, they feel we didn’t buy what we needed yet again and want answers. The negativity is infectious and you could say that since the closing of the transfer window the mood has been pretty grim.
However, there are two sides to every coin and whilst there are negatives, there are positives and they have to be considered.
In defence we have improved, the names are not as established as they were last season but there is much more competition there and that can only be a good thing as players strive to improve to win their place, Vermaelen can use his leadership skills without the secluded figure of William Gallas next to him and hopefully the players we still have in that area from last season will have learnt a lot.
In midfield we have an embarrassment of riches – Cesc, Rosicky and Nasri are all classy players and it bodes well for when the matches are coming thick and fast, of course, the inevitable injury problems we are bound to come up against too.
There is so much creativity in this side, there just has to be the right balance of creativity and defensive quality to turn this team into a massive force. Alex Song is one of my favourite players and has got his place in the side the hard way, taken advantage of an opportunity to stake his claim and has done just that. He is part of the very spine of Arsenal and is such an important figure this season – as will be his box to box midfield partner.
Up front we also have an embarrassment of riches, van Persie, Arshavin, Walcott, Chamakh, Vela, Bendtner – SIX different options! All bring something to the table.
There is plenty to be positive about, we have had a good start to the season, lets get behind them now. The summer has gone and we can’t help what business has and hasn’t been conducted, lets raise the mood and forget all the gloom. I’m fed up of it, as are many other fans. Remember, we are the Arsenal.
And we are capable of winning the league with this side. I believe.
_ _ _
Some comments have appeared from Thomas Vermaelen which are a bit dodgy to say the least:
“Cesc carries Barcelona in the heart, in his DNA, therefore it is impossible for him to forget about them,
“He was determined to go to Barca last summer, he more or less confessed it in the dressing room. But that is past history. Now he is 100 per cent ready to put his all in to a great season with Arsenal.”
Whoever sanctioned that interview is going to get a strip torn off them. That is not an interview he has been tricked into – they are comments that should stay in house, it really does not help us leave the summer behind at all. They are the sort of comments you would not expect an experienced player like Vermaelen to make, hopefully it is just a one off.
till tomorrow.
Arsenal News 24/7
maybe it was Arshavin in a tommy V mask?
You are some moronic bastard !
Arsenal will be out of the title race by January/February !
Don’t think you know something,just because you think positive.We are not the party-breakers . . . we see things as they really are !
And mark my words – without a top-class keeper – this side can do shit !
So,you all – stop with your fake optimistic opinions – we all know you are doing that just to suck up to the people who love to go blind when they should see clearly !
Arsenal won’t win anything this season and that is it !
Last chance Daxx.
Read: http://thegoonblog.com/2008/11/new-comments-policy/
You mentioned Alex Song as one of your favourite players – but you don’t address what happens if he gets injured. Indeed, he will simply need a rest, he can’t play every game all season. All the rest of the midfielders are attacking ones. Song is the only player of that type in the squad. Diaby and Denilson can’t play the role, they proved that last season, yet still they remain as back up to Song.
And you’re asking for a huge improvement from the goalies if we’re going to win the league.
jekyll,
you also fail to remember that koscielny can play there… nasri had filled in as well… wilshere? we started the season without song… With four centre backs, we could always play any who is capable of playing in both positions
your so wrong,because of wenger doing it the cheap for so long now it will finally catch up with him and completely fuck us over.
Isaic, I happen to think DM is a specialist position. It took Song a long time to get good at it, but he is now. I don’t think you can just stick a CB or whoever else in there in his absence. We saw that last season, we were badly exposed whenever Song was absent. I don’t see that this has changed or been addressed.
But Wenger seems to agree more with you than me, so there you go.
Good article, but calling vermaelen an experienced player is hardly being correct. the guy is 24 and has played one season in a decent league (no disrespect to the Dutch league intended).
He’s captained club and country, but that’s not because of his inexperience, that’s *inspite* of his inexperience.
Daxxjoker, ur name says it all. You are a joke. You cant even write proper English which qualifies you as a SPURS fan. Stop coming to this blog if you dont want to be positive. Negative minds dont suceed
If you look at who is second choice ,in every position(bar the goalie )I think our second eleven would still finish fourth,or third if the first team is not in it.Happy days I say.
Jekyll, so what do you suggest, buy a top defensive midfielder to sit on the bench, that wont happen. We have to find a solution in house. How many top teams have top def. mid fielders. When Essien is injured, they have Mikel who is no- better than what we have. I think the problem we have is coaching, there is nothing special about the position, it is about being disciplined.
seriously deluded people on here,when we get beat at sunderland and embarrassed by the chavs people will wake up.
dollar, u are such a looser. Go and support the chavs
I find it hard to believe, actually somewhat hypocritical that those of us with a positive perspective, sorry, opinion, are constantly berated by those who hold a more pessimistic view. Wenger has flaws, but none of us are perfect. I am certain that he attempted to strengthen the position of GK, but with someone who would not stifle the opportunities and talent of Szcesny. So that means we need a short term option. That didn’t materialise for reasons that frankly none of us are privy too, however one can assume that Mark Hughes played a significant part in it. Almunia with a decent defence ahead of him will be a different prospect to last season. Before you all slag me off, thats just my opinion, one that I’m entitled to, just as you are to yours. Only thing I will say is that, rather than vindictively undermining Almunia, get behind him and at least help him build his confidence, at least until January. After all, there’s nothing that can be done till then anyway, and you never know he might surprise you!
You are absolutely right Cardinalé
Conctructive Cardinale!
*constructive
daxx, jeckyl and dollar, you are all embarassments to the red and whites go support the spuds!
Just compare us with other teams in EPL (please don’t include chelsea), I think we have the very depth backup squad.. Check out one by one, in DL we have clichy and gibbs (plus cruise); in DR we have sagna and eboue (plus nordtveit); in DC we have so many option with vermaelen, koscielny, squillacy, and djourou (plus bartley), in DM (for me is the second weakest position) we have song and diaby + denilson as a backup (maybe included djourou and eastmond), in MC (our best position)we have cesc, nasri, rosicky, diaby, ramsey, and wilshere (plus lansbury, henderson, and aneke); in attacking we have van persie, chamakh, walcott, arshavin, vela, and bendtner (plus JET, afobe and sunu); but in GK (which i’m sure everyone will agree with me is the weakest position for arsenal) we have almunia and a clown as a backup (but better choice for the third and fourth GK). Like I said, just compare with our competitors!! Incredible.. Fantastic..
DENILSON AND EASTMOND ARE GOOD ENOUGH TO FILL IN FOR SONG WEN HE IS INJURED OR RESTING ON CONDITION ITS NOT MORE DEN 3 GAMES COZ INEXPERIENCE WILL EXPOSE THEM.TO BE HONEST IF DENILSON STEPS UP AND SHOWS US HIS THE DENILSON OF 2 SEASONS BACK WEN HE WAS LIKE A TERRIER IN THE CENTRE OF THE PARK.WE COULD HAVE A VERY VERY DESCENT SQUAD. I REMEMBER HIM BOSSING THE MIDFIELD AGAINST FULHAM 2 SEASONS BACK PLAYING DMF ALONE AND I REMEMBER EASTMOND RUNNING THE SHOW AGAINST LIVERPOOL LAST SEASON IN THE CARLING CUP.BOTH OF THESE AYERS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME DMF IN THE GATUSO/MAKALELE MOLD IF THEY UP THIER WORK RATE AGGRESSION AND READING OF THE GAME (POSITIONAL SENSE).IF THEY TURN GOOD DIS SEASON WE SAVE MILLIONS AND WENGER PROVE HIMSELF AGAIN….PS WE STILL HAVE RAMSEY TO RETURN !!!
Agree we should focus on the positive. Gutted when we didn’t get a keeper but if we dont support the ones we’ve got then all the doomsayers will be proved right. Sad as it might sound but i think some of them would actually prefer that to us winning anything. Bizarre mindset, i just dont get it.
First time poster.
Just wanted to say that I don’t agree that buying a top keeper would stifle the opportunities and talent of Szcesny as I think Szcesny is still a good few years away from staking his claim for the no.1 shirt. As I see it, buying a top quality keeper is a win win for Arsenal football club. The worst that might pan out is that we pay a lot of money for a top keeper and he never lives up to our expectations. On the other hand he could be the missing piece that gives us that edge we need to start winning throphies. So what people are basically saying is that we secrifice the possibilty of winning trophies with a proven keeper just so that we don’t stiffle Szcesny’s chance of becoming no.1
If Szcesny does turn out to be the real deal and we had a top keeper then as is the Arsenel way, we sell him for top money and promote Szcesny. In the mean time all Szcesny has going for him is some good performances playing in the lower leagues and a whole lot of potential. Nothing in my mind that should prevent Arsene from trying to buy a top quality keeper that we so obviously need.
Thank you.
van Persie out for 6 weeks, Nasri back in for Bolton as I wrote yesterday
I have my doubts about Arsenal winning the league this year as well. But I really enjoy the ride, watching the football, playing FIFA 10/11 afterwards to repeat the victory or pummel the team we’ve just lost to.
It’s the ride I love, the football, it’s why I support the club. I couldn’t bear watching the dross some other teams play on a weekend. I must admit it would be hard to keep watching if we played like a Chelsea or Blackburn, I prolly wouldn’t bother.
Win or lose, it’s the ride, the journey that does it for me. We might not win all the time but sometimes, just sometimes, (like the first goal against Blackburn this season)..that ride is like magic.
Up the Arse!
Optimism is required is it? Yeah by the Arsenal board. They need the stadium sold out every week. As for the fans, well we know what we are in for: the status quo! Unless Chelsea and United fall away dramatically Arsenal aren’t even in the running. The league table will say different, as it usually does, until January or February but no more. Look we’ve been here so long it’s time to re-adjust our expectations. We’ve never signed really big money transfers and very rarely in our history have we had players on the highest income threshold. Henry is one exception but in his pomp he could have commanded a much higher salary virtually anywhere else. Arsenal are a very profitable and even more unambitious club. Winning will be nearly an accident if it happens this season. And I’m an optimist!
mickey, dont kid yourself. You are not an optimist. More like a doom monger who thinks copious numbers of big transfers and silly wages is the only way to run a football club. When we won the league unbeaten, we were only the 6th biggest spender. When we won our league and FA cup doubles in 1998 and 2002 we spent very little. Its all about the quality of personnel and the way they have been coached. So look into your own life and maybe it is some short coming there that you are taking our on the Arsenal.
I agree we could win the League but then again we could have won it any of the last 3 seasons!! We didn’t because
the squad doesn’t have strength in depth to deal with the inevitable injuries we get….& it still doesn’t.
A case in point…
“….Up front we also have an embarrassment of riches, van Persie, Arshavin, Walcott, Chamakh, Vela, Bendtner – SIX different options”!
Yes, great in theory on paper but as of this evening we only have 3 of the above available to play…& possibly less after the other international games finish…& we’re only 4 weeks into the season.
I’d like share your optimism but it’s the same old story.
Chances looking a bit slim now with the news on Rvp and Theo
Stop, please, this negative crap. We have had a great start and it is going to get better. What we do not need is all of you saying “if we had done that”. It is the start of the season and we have a most magnificant team and enough in reserve to get over any gliches that you might think (you bloody undeserving faint hearts) so let us get on the positive and kick out the negative. We (WE) are going to kick Arse big time starting with Bolton on Saturday.
Dave (kickArse) in Dubai
Gaybee – go suck on a crucifix,you pathetic excuse for a life ! Positive thinker ! Ha ! You are more like a negative stinker !
Hmmm … let me see. Some say we will not win the league without big signings. Are you saying Manchester City will win after they have broken their Fort Knoxx for those ridiculous transfers? Disagree? Yeah, I know you’ll see the lights – it takes more than big signings to win the league.
Btw Daxxjoker, were you abused as a child?
I’ll tell you why we can win the league, depth. What other team in the world has depth like ours? Rosicy has a brilliant game against Blackburn but can’t make the first 11 against Blackburn because of Cesc coming in. I mean thats nuts. All the prem teams, (bar 4 that I can see) don’t have a play-maker of Rosicsy’s calbre as their 1st choice let alone 2nd choice. If Van Persie is injured we use Chamach if he’s injured we have Bendter (3rd choice!!!) Not to mention all the young player coming up, covering for injuries, puting presure on the first teamers to hold their place. I’m talking about Wilshere, Ramsey, JET, Eastmond, Lansbury, Nordtveit and should have been Frimpong. That excites me. Next time Denilson or Arshavin don’t work hard on the pitch they’ll be in for a little suprize come team selection. This will motovate the team futher.
We’ve world class players that have played with eachother for years and we have strong leaders with lots of experience. We have one oe the world’s best coaches (who is human). We’re oozing with young talent and we have a desire to win stronger than any other team.
Of course we can win the league. I expect us to.
This international break is not helpful. We should have had a couple of games after the window by now. We would not still be licking the wounds of the transfer window. We would be talking solid stuff about the team and how it’s progressing this season.
I am determined to support the team. I have accepted that we have a patched up team and will support them regardless. I am very close to not entertaining any negativity around me. I want to enjoy my season. Those who would rather go through the whole season complaining i guess it’s a matter of choice.
Didn’t you roll out this same tripe last season?
Daxxjoker do us a favour;
Stop lashing out like a child, it’s football we can all voice our opinion. Just because you don’t agree you get all aggressive and insulting. Here is the response you would get from me if I had your attitude: (its totally knee jerk)
“Daxxjoker you short-sighted mong,
Arsenal will have the title wrapped up by January! Don’t think just because you spend the duration of the matches under your bed clutching a box of tissues that you know something we do not … With the worlds best midfielder combo (Cesc and Rosicky/Nasri) we can win every single game!
So stop ass-kissing the blind fans and listen to the ones like me who know everything all of the time!
Arsenal will win EVERYTHING this season!”
…
That is how ridiculous you sounded in your first post on here, compare the two and see what I mean.
You are entitled to your opinion but so is everybody else – so the minute you start needlessly flaming you also are going to get it in the neck